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Hawks

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 2025 NBA Christmas Day delivered high-level hoops and dramatic finishes across a full slate of five games, with several teams making the holiday spotlight on the national stage.</span></p>
<h3><strong>Knicks rally to edge Cavaliers in MSG thriller</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The day&rsquo;s action kicked off at Madison Square Garden, where the New York Knicks completed a stunning comeback to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 126-124. Trailing by 17 in the fourth quarter, New York rallied behind Jalen Brunson&rsquo;s 34 points and timely contributions from Tyler Kolek and Jordan Clarkson &ndash; turning a huge deficit into a late lead and Christmas Day victory.</span></p>
<h3><strong>Spurs dominate Thunder again, go up 3-0 in season series</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In yet another heated Western Conference rivalry, the San Antonio Spurs took down the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder 117-102 in a rematch from just two days ago. De&rsquo;Aaron Fox led San Antonio with 29 points, while Victor Wembanyama added a strong all-around showing off the bench. The win marked another impressive Christmas Day performance for the Spurs and another blemish on the Thunder&rsquo;s otherwise elite season, as they have completely outclassed the defending champs. The Spurs have now won all three games against the Thunder this season, with one more play date to happen in January.</span></p>
<h3><strong>Warriors outlast Mavericks in Cooper Flagg&rsquo;s Christmas debut</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Golden State Warriors continued their holiday bliss with a 126-116 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Stephen Curry led the way with 23 points, including a clutch fourth-quarter three that helped separate the Warriors from Dallas. Jimmy Butler added 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists for the Dubs, who are now on their first three-game win streak this season. Rookie Cooper Flagg starred for the Mavs with 27 points, but Golden State&rsquo;s depth ultimately made the difference. Nevertheless, Flagg showed out in his first-ever Christmas Day game and should be a fixture in the NBA&rsquo;s annual event for years to come if he keeps up his play.</span></p>
<h3><strong>Rockets roll past Lakers behind Amen, KD</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Over in LA, the Houston Rockets pulled off a dominant 119-96 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Amen Thompson (26 points) and Kevin Durant (25 points) spearheaded Houston&rsquo;s balanced attack as the Rockets raced out to a big lead and never looked back. The defeat marked another frustrating Christmas Day outing for the Lakers despite Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and LeBron James playing in the starting lineup.</span></p>
<h3><strong>Nuggets top Timberwolves in overtime shootout</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the nightcap, the Denver Nuggets survived a wild overtime battle against the Minnesota Timberwolves, winning 142-138. Nikola Jokić was sensational, recording a historic triple-double with 56 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists &ndash; one of the greatest individual performances in Christmas Day history. Minnesota&rsquo;s Anthony Edwards dropped 44 points to pace his team in the defeat, after hitting a wild left fading corner triple to tie the game and force overtime.</span></p>
<h3><strong>THE HIGHLIGHTS:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">New York&rsquo;s comeback over Cleveland was one of the biggest fourth-quarter rallies of the season.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Spurs continued their strong trend vs. the Thunder with another decisive win, seemingly being their kryptonite. The Thunder are 26-2 against the entire league, but are 0-3 against the Spurs.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Curry and the Warriors remained a tough holiday matchup, a team that&rsquo;s a fixture in the NBA&rsquo;s annual premier play date.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Houston&rsquo;s balanced scoring showcased the Rockets&rsquo; roster depth, while it showed the Lakers&rsquo; flaws as a team.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jokic&rsquo;s historic triple-double capped off a memorable Christmas slate with one of the best games of the season thus far, including one of the best for Jokic&rsquo;s entire career. It spoiled an otherwise great game for Anthony Edwards, who scored 40 points after his interview with ESPN&rsquo;s Shams Charania where he said he will be scoring 40 points in Christmas &ndash; and he did.</span></li>
</ul>

The 2025 NBA Christmas Day delivered high-level hoops and dramatic finishes across a full slate of five games.

2025 NBA Christmas Day: Knicks, Spurs, Warriors, Rockets, Nuggets all take wins

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have become synonymous with the sport of basketball, serving as the</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gold standard for this generation of players and drawing in fans from all over the world.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aside from 2021 and 2023, every NBA Finals series since 2011 has featured one of James, Curry or Durant. The trio have a combined 44 All-Star appearances, and at the 2024 NBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis, we got to watch them play together on the same team for the first time ever.</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Steph Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant all on the same team for the first time ever tonight 🔥✊ <a href="https://t.co/uUaAKwxaVr">pic.twitter.com/uUaAKwxaVr</a></p>
&mdash; Guru (@DrGuru_) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrGuru_/status/1759349903652995079?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Seeing the faces of the NBA share the court as teammates was a lot of fun and left fans wanting for more.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Enter Team USA.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The world might witness </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">these three legends team up once again in the coming months &mdash;</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> this time while donning the red, white and blue. in hopes of leading Team USA to a fifth consecutive gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While we got a taste of the trio during NBA All-Star Weekend, fans would love to see them in a competitive environment. Curry&rsquo;s otherworldly shooting, James' IQ and playmaking, plus Durant&rsquo;s deadly three-level scoring with extremely high stakes? That would be something to behold.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">James, Curry and Durant are all highly intelligent basketball players who complement each other really well, so it would likely be a seamless transition on Team USA.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">All three have expressed their interest in playing for the national team and were <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/usa-basketball-announces-player-pool-for-team-usas-2024-mens-national-team" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently included in the player pool that Team USA announced</a>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Although the NBA season is still ongoing and a lot can still happen between now and July, but barring injuries or any unforeseen circumstances, the three global basketball icons will likely lead Team USA&rsquo;s pursuit for the gold medal in this year&rsquo;s Olympic Games. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">This hunt for the gold will coincide with the 50th anniversary of USA Basketball, making their run even more special.</span></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Beautiful, isn't it? <br /><br />Breaking down our 50th Anniversary logo 👇<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USAB50?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USAB50</a> 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/O4F7odCkWY">pic.twitter.com/O4F7odCkWY</a></p>
&mdash; USA Basketball (@usabasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/usabasketball/status/1749606150721388855?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The American trio will aim to replicate the success of their predecessors from the original &ldquo;Dream Team&rdquo; in 1992 when NBA superstars Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird won the gold medal in Barcelona.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">James, 39, has won three Olympic medals for Team USA (one bronze and two golds) with the last one coming 12 years ago when he won gold in London. The NBA&rsquo;s all-time leading scorer has expressed interest in suiting up for Team USA once again, and he has been in contact with several other NBA stars to join him including Curry and Durant. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">James&rsquo; impressive track record for his national team speaks for itself. After serving Team USA for eight years from 2004 to 2012, he is second all-time in games played (24) for Team USA.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 35-year-old Curry has yet to play for Team USA in the Olympics. Curry already has two FIBA World Championships in his trophy case, which also includes four NBA championships and two NBA MVPs, but winning an Olympic gold medal might be the cherry on top of what has been an illustrious career. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Curry has notably shown interest in playing for Team USA in the Olympic Games, and he is very likely to do so this year. With Warriors head coach Steve Kerr also calling the shots for Team USA, it makes a lot of sense for Curry to make his Olympic debut in Paris.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Finally, Durant is arguably the most accomplished Team USA player of all-time. Winning three Olympic gold medals (2012, 2016 and 2020-21) and a FIBA World Championship (2010), Team USA&rsquo;s &ldquo;Captain America&rdquo; is gunning for his record-setting fourth Olympic Gold medal. (He's currently tied with fellow USA great Carmelo Anthony, who also has three gold medals). Durant winning another gold medal would likely solidify him as the greatest Team USA player of all-time (if he isn't already). </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">A two-time NBA champion and Finals MVP, Durant is one of the most lethal scorers the game has ever seen.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aside from James, Curry and Durant &ndash; the NBA&rsquo;s most recognizable faces &ndash; who else will don the red, white and blue? </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The other finalists for the 2024 USA Men&rsquo;s national team are Bam Adebayo, Jarrett Allen, Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane, Scottie Barnes, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Jaylen Brown, Jalen Brunson, Jimmy Butler, Alex Caruso, Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, Joel Embiid, De&rsquo;Aaron Fox, Paul George, Aaron Gordon, Tyrese Haliburton, James Harden, Josh Hart, Tyler Herro, Jrue Holiday, Chet Holmgren, Brandon Ingram, Kyrie Irving, Jaren Jackson Jr., Cam Johnson, Walker Kessler, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, Chris Paul, Bobby Portis, Austin Reaves, Duncan Robinson, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White and Trae Young.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With James, Curry and Durant leading the way, Team USA will the favorite in Paris. However, they'll face stiff competition from the rest of the world, particularly world-champion Germany and star-studded squads like Australia and Team Canada. Generational international talents like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama will look to dethrone Team USA.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This iteration of the Olympics is shaping up to be the hardest challenge the Americans will ever face, and hopefully James, Curry and Durant will be at the forefront of it all. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">In likely their last dance in international competition, James, Curry and Durant will surely want to ride off into the sunset wearing gold medals around their necks.</span></p>

The next time LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry are playing together, it will be with Team USA during the Paris Olympics.

LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant set to team up again — this time for USA

<p>USA Basketball announced today a 41-athlete player pool for the 2024 USA Basketball Men&rsquo;s National Team. The players were selected by USA Basketball Men&rsquo;s National Team managing director&nbsp;Grant Hill&nbsp;and is subject to change. The 12-member 2024 USA Men&rsquo;s National Team, which will represent the United States at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games in Paris, will be announced at a later date.</p>
<p>Featuring 28 players who have represented the USA in Olympics and/or FIBA Men&rsquo;s World Cup and who together have collected 23 Olympic or World Cup gold medals, the 2024 USA Men&rsquo;s National Team finalists are&nbsp;Bam Adebayo,&nbsp;Jarrett Allen,&nbsp;Paolo Banchero,&nbsp;Desmond Bane,&nbsp;Scottie Barnes,&nbsp;Devin Booker,&nbsp;Mikal Bridges,&nbsp;Jaylen Brown,&nbsp;Jalen Brunson,&nbsp;Jimmy Butler,&nbsp;Alex Caruso,&nbsp;Stephen Curry,&nbsp;Anthony Davis,&nbsp;Kevin Durant,&nbsp;Anthony Edwards,&nbsp;Joel Embiid,&nbsp;De&rsquo;Aaron Fox,&nbsp;Paul George,&nbsp;Aaron Gordon,&nbsp;Tyrese Haliburton,&nbsp;James Harden,&nbsp;Josh Hart,&nbsp;Tyler Herro,&nbsp;Jrue Holiday,&nbsp;Chet Holmgren,&nbsp;Brandon Ingram,&nbsp;Kyrie Irving,&nbsp;Jaren Jackson Jr.,&nbsp;LeBron James,&nbsp;Cam Johnson,&nbsp;Walker Kessler,&nbsp;Kawhi Leonard,&nbsp;Damian Lillard,&nbsp;Donovan Mitchell,&nbsp;Chris Paul,&nbsp;Bobby Portis,&nbsp;Austin Reaves,&nbsp;Duncan Robinson,&nbsp;Jayson Tatum,&nbsp;Derrick White&nbsp;and&nbsp;Trae Young.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The United States boasts unbelievable basketball talent and I am thrilled that many of the game&rsquo;s superstars have expressed interest in representing our country at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games,&rdquo; Hill said. &ldquo;It is a privilege to select the team that will help us toward the goal of once again standing atop the Olympic podium. This challenging process will unfold over the next several months as we eagerly anticipate the start of national team activity."&nbsp;</p>
<p>The 2024 USA Men&rsquo;s National Team will be led by head coach&nbsp;Steve Kerr&nbsp;(Golden State Warriors), who is assisted by&nbsp;Mark Few&nbsp;(Gonzaga University),&nbsp;Tyronn Lue&nbsp;(L.A. Clippers) and&nbsp;Erik Spoelstra&nbsp;(Miami Heat). Last summer, the quartet coached the 2023 USA Basketball Men&rsquo;s National Team to a fourth-place finish at the 2023 FIBA Men&rsquo;s World Cup in Manila. Kerr is a 2020 Olympic gold medalist after serving as an assistant coach to&nbsp;Gregg Popovich&nbsp;in Tokyo.</p>
<p>In related news, USA Basketball also announced that the 2024 USA Men&rsquo;s National Team will host Canada at Las Vegas&rsquo; T-Mobile Arena as part of the USA Basketball Showcase. The exhibition contest is set for July 10 at 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET live on FS1.</p>
<p>The USA Basketball Showcase features a series of games that help the USA Basketball National Teams prepare for major competitions, including the Olympic Summer Games and FIBA World Cup.</p>
<p>Following Las Vegas, the Americans will embark on an international training window that features exhibition games against the national teams of South Sudan on July 20 and Germany on July 22 at the O2 Arena in London.</p>
<p>Tickets for all three contests are on sale now at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.usab.com/tickets">www.usab.com/tickets</a>.</p>
<p>"USA Basketball is excited to return to Las Vegas as our men's national team program looks forward to tipping off the journey to the 2024 Olympic Games there in July," said&nbsp;Jim Tooley, USA Basketball CEO. "The game at T-Mobile Arena against Canada is an important opportunity in our preparations and a great opportunity for our fans to support the U.S. national team before heading overseas."&nbsp;</p>
<p>Prior to the Canada game, the USA will hold training camp in Las Vegas, its longtime training hub. Additional information will be announced at a later date.</p>
<p>The USA officially qualified for the 2024 Olympics as one of the top two nations from the FIBA Americas zone at the 2023 FIBA World Cup in September. The American men will compete for their fifth straight &ndash; and 17<sup>th</sup>&nbsp;overall &ndash; Olympic gold medal.</p>
<p>In total, USA Basketball will be represented by four teams at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games, including 5-on-5 men and women and 3x3 men and women. The USA are reigning Olympic champions in 5-on-5 men and women and 3x3 women, with 3x3 men set to make their Olympic debut next summer. &nbsp;More information about all four USA Basketball teams will be announced at a later date.</p>

USA Basketball announced today a 41-athlete player pool for the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s National Team.

USA Basketball announces player pool for 2024 Men’s National Team

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

NBA Central Division Preview: Burning questions, rotation projections

<p>Now in his eighth season with the Indiana Pacers, Myles Turner is easily the team&rsquo;s longest-tenured player. In fact, no other Pacer on the current roster has been in town longer than four seasons.</p>
<p>Turner arrived in Indiana as a wide-eyed teenager who was selected with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. In the years that followed, Turner would watch as the team continually changed around him. He has played for four different head coaches &mdash; Frank Vogel, Nate McMillan, Nate Bjorkgren and Rick Carlisle &mdash; and witnessed a ton of roster turnover. But despite Turner&rsquo;s name surfacing in trade rumors annually, he has been the one constant in Indiana.</p>
<p>As a rookie, Turner suited up alongside stars like Paul George and Monta Ellis. During his sophomore campaign, he called Al Jefferson, Thaddeus Young, Jeff Teague and Lance Stephenson teammates. The following year, Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis, Bojan Bogdanovic and Darren Collison joined the squad. Turner has also played with veterans such as Tyreke Evans, Ty Lawson, Rodney Stuckey, Caris LeVert, Doug McDermott, T.J. Warren and C.J. Miles over the years.</p>
<p>However, one could argue that no teammate has had a greater impact on Turner&rsquo;s game than his current star running mate: Tyrese Haliburton.</p>
<p>When the Pacers <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-interview-tyrese-haliburton-indiana-pacers-chad-buchanan-bennedict-mathurin-myles-turner-sacramento-kings-domantas-sabonis-trade-drew-hanlen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acquired Haliburton from the Sacramento Kings</a> prior to last year&rsquo;s trade deadline, Turner was ecstatic. He was a fan of Haliburton&rsquo;s game and potential, and couldn&rsquo;t wait to team up with the pass-first point guard. Unfortunately, Turner wasn&rsquo;t able to play alongside Haliburton in the second half of last season due to a stress reaction in his foot.</p>
<p>This year, the Pacers&rsquo; one-two punch of Haliburton and Turner has been on full display, and they have become one of the most productive pick-and-roll duos in the NBA.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">pretty.😍<br /><br />Tyrese Haliburton to Myles Turner for two. <a href="https://t.co/TupiSM909t">pic.twitter.com/TupiSM909t</a></p>
&mdash; Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pacers/status/1629656051175026688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>Turner has set 814 picks for Haliburton, which is the third-most of any pick-and-roll duo in the league, per Second Spectrum. The only tandems who have run the pick-and-roll more are Philadelphia&rsquo;s James Harden and Joel Embiid (893 picks) and Phoenix&rsquo;s Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton (897). Possessions featuring a Haliburton-Turner pick-and-roll have generated 1.063 points per possession &mdash; the fifth-best PPP of the 24 duos with at least 500 picks.</p>
<p>&ldquo;This has been a wonderful opportunity for Myles to play with a playmaking guard of Tyrese&rsquo;s caliber,&rdquo; Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle told Basketball News. &ldquo;A couple weeks ago, we checked and they were top-five or top-six in the league as a successful pick-and-roll connection, and that&rsquo;s pretty amazing. Myles is getting all different kinds of stuff &mdash; he&rsquo;s getting rolls for dunks, he's getting a little bit of mid-range, he's getting good looks for threes and he's getting some late passes underneath for dunks as well.</p>
<p>"I just love the force that he&rsquo;s playing with. Tyrese has had a wonderful impact on Myles and certainly the rest of the team, but the connection those two guys have has been special.&rdquo;</p>
<p>The partnership has been mutually beneficial. Turner gets easy looks from an elite floor general who ranks second among all players in assists per game (10.2) and assist percentage (46.9%), while Haliburton gets a unique big-man partner who can score inside (62.8% on twos) and out (40.3% on threes). It&rsquo;s no coincidence that both players are having career years.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Turner is averaging career-highs in points (18.2), rebounds (8.0), field-goal percentage (54.9%), three-point percentage (40.3%) and made threes (1.7), while also contributing 2.3 blocks, 1.4 deflections and 0.6 steals per game. Turner's dominance shows up in his analytics too, as he's posting personal bests in win shares per 48 minutes (.157), Box Plus/Minus (+2.6), True Shooting percentage (65.8%), Player Efficiency Rating (20.6) and total rebound rate (14.7%).</p>
<p>&ldquo;Myles has blossomed this year. We've seen the relationship with him and Ty; they're one of the best pick-and-roll [duos] in the league right now,&rdquo; Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said recently. &ldquo;This is the beginning of a nice core &mdash; no, a <em>great</em> core.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Haliburton <a href="bit.ly/3AyPKHC" target="_blank" rel="noopener">became a first-time All-Star</a> after averaging career-highs in points (20.1), assists (10.1) and threes (2.8), while also contributing 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals per contest. Haliburton is also posting personal bests in advanced stats like assist percentage (46.9%), PER (23.0), VORP (3.8), BPM (+6.9) and WS/48 (.189).</p>
<p>&ldquo;It was unfortunate that I didn&rsquo;t get a chance to play with him last year and really start to develop that synergy, but I think we&rsquo;ve really picked it up quickly,&rdquo; Turner told Basketball News. &ldquo;Ty is someone who&rsquo;s easy to play with. Obviously, he sees the floor well. And as the season has progressed, we&rsquo;ve done a better job of communicating with each other. It&rsquo;s been a fun experience.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Despite the fact that they&rsquo;ve only played 44 games together, they have developed a strong connection and can often anticipate each other&rsquo;s next move.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I think I know what he&rsquo;s going to do before he does it in a sense,&rdquo; Turner said. &ldquo;I think that just comes with playing with him.&rdquo;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">this sequence.🔥<br /><br />a huge block by Myles Turner followed by a huge dunk by Tyrese Haliburton.👀 <a href="https://t.co/4MpAf4Kp0B">pic.twitter.com/4MpAf4Kp0B</a></p>
&mdash; Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pacers/status/1630770909442191360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>&ldquo;We just needed time together, that&rsquo;s all,&rdquo; Haliburton told Basketball News. &ldquo;I feel like I&rsquo;ve had pretty good chemistry with my bigs throughout my NBA career, and I knew that playing with Myles wasn&rsquo;t going to be any different. He brings a different dynamic than what I&rsquo;m used to, with his ability to space the floor. And he&rsquo;s the best shot-blocker that I&rsquo;ve ever played with, so that gives me confidence on the defensive end to be able to take more risks and get into the ball a little bit more.</p>
<p>"I think it&rsquo;s a mutual relationship where he&rsquo;s got my back and I&rsquo;ve got his.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Not too long ago, Turner&rsquo;s days in Indiana seemed numbered. After all, the team traded away nearly all of its veterans last season (including Sabonis, LeVert, Torrey Craig, Justin Holiday and Jeremy Lamb), and Turner&rsquo;s name continued to pop up in trade rumors. However, since Turner is only 26 years old, the Pacers&rsquo; brass felt that he could be on a similar timeline as Haliburton, who is 23.</p>
<p>It certainly seems that the Pacers are building around this duo, especially after Turner was given a two-year, $60 million extension in January.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad that we got it done. I think it was a win-win for both sides,&rdquo; Turner said. &ldquo;I think I have a good relationship with (Pacers owner) Herb Simon, and I think he has a big belief in what I&rsquo;m capable of as well. I&rsquo;m glad that we were able to come to terms on an agreement. Behind the scenes, for me personally, I was open to the idea of free agency, but I also wanted to at least give Indy a fair chance, and both sides came to an agreement.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m comfortable. I&rsquo;m where I want to be. I&rsquo;m growing with a young team that&rsquo;s hungry. I think we&rsquo;re just trying to get better and better every day, and that&rsquo;s the main goal of this whole thing. I have a lot of belief in this city, a lot of belief in this program and a lot of belief in the guys in this locker room, so that was a big initial factor in me wanting to stay here.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Since Turner was a popular trade candidate, many fans of other teams got excited about the possibility of him joining their favorite squad. When Turner inked his extension with the Pacers, some of these fans reacted negatively &mdash; upset that he was no longer on the market.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;What fans don&rsquo;t realize is that this is a business, and both sides have to do what&rsquo;s best for them,&rdquo; Turner said. &ldquo;Sometimes it doesn&rsquo;t work out where you&rsquo;re able to stay with the same team, but I&rsquo;ve been blessed and fortunate enough to be with the same team for my entire career. That&rsquo;s not something that happens a lot, and I never take that for granted. That was obviously something that went into my decision as well. For the casual fan, they have to realize that while basketball may be a fun game, the business aspect of it will always reign supreme.&rdquo;</p>
<p>As Turner mentioned, not many players stay with one NBA team for the entirety of their career. He admits that retiring in Indiana would mean a lot to him.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Yeah, obviously, it&rsquo;s something that would be very special,&rdquo; Turner said. &ldquo;Like I always talk about, the business of basketball always reigns supreme, but my loyalty is with the organization that drafted me and the city that took me in, and hopefully it&rsquo;s able to stay that way for years to come.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>
<p>Turner has been a part of many different iterations of Pacers basketball. Now, looking at the current pieces around him, he&rsquo;s excited about the team&rsquo;s promising future.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve seen the growth in a lot of our young guys throughout the entire year,&rdquo; Turner said. &ldquo;The best thing for them was getting a chance to play early. For <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-feature-interview-indiana-pacers-rookie-andrew-nembhard-rick-carlisle-tj-mcconnell-gonzaga-florida" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drew [Nembhard]</a>, Ben [Mathurin] and those guys, playing heavy minutes early was big for their development, and not every rookie has a chance to do that. The fact that they&rsquo;re getting battle-tested so early is going to bode well for them.</p>
<p>"I&rsquo;ve just enjoyed the overall spirit and fight of this team. We&rsquo;ve got a lot of guys who clock in and work hard day in and day out, and they&rsquo;re coming in here and getting a chance to compete after working their whole life to get here.&rdquo;</p>
<p>While playing alongside Haliburton has certainly helped Turner, the big man does deserve a lot of credit for the leap he has taken this season. He&rsquo;s put in a lot of hard work behind the scenes to maximize his potential and make the most of his opportunity.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I attribute [my career year] to patience and obviously the hard work I put in over the offseason to prepare for these moments,&rdquo; Turner explained. &ldquo;I also attribute it to just the years that I&rsquo;ve been in the league, where I&rsquo;ve been able to play out on the perimeter at the 4 position and now I&rsquo;m able to play my natural position (the 5).</p>
<p>"I&rsquo;m thankful that I was able to just stick it out those years that I was here and see what the other side of basketball was like, outside of just getting what you want when you want it. I think I waited my turn and, obviously, I&rsquo;m thriving now, and I&rsquo;m only hoping to get better from here.&rdquo;</p>
<p><em>Nekias Duncan contributed to this article.</em></p>

Alex Kennedy catches up with Pacers big man Myles Turner to discuss his extension, playing with Tyrese Haliburton and more.

Pacers' perfect pairing: Turner, Haliburton form dominant 1-2 punch

<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">DENVER (AP) &mdash; Reserve Jeff Green scored a season-high 24 points, Nikola Jokic notched his 21st triple-double of the season and the Denver Nuggets headed into the All-Star break with a 118-109 victory over the short-handed Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">Nikola Jokic finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for the Western Conference-leading Nuggets, who moved to an NBA-best 27-4 at home this season. Michael Porter Jr. hit five 3-pointers and finished with 22 points.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">&ldquo;For us to continue to find ways to win and have different guys step up every night, I think it speaks to our chemistry, our depth,&rdquo; Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got a really good team in there.&rdquo;</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">Luka Doncic had 37 points in leading a banged-up Dallas team that was missing guard Kyrie Irving due to lower-back tightness. Doncic and Irving have played alongside each other in two games since Irving was acquired as part of a deal with Brooklyn on Feb. 6.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">The Nuggets led by 21 in the fourth quarter, only to see the Mavericks cut it to 105-95 with 5:50 remaining on Christian Wood&rsquo;s layup. Soon after, Porter blocked a shot on one end, raced back and hit a 3-pointer on the other to gain some breathing room.</p>
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<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">Where it really got away from the Mavs, coach Jason Kidd conceded, was in the second, when the Nuggets broke open a one-point game with a 35-19 quarter.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">&ldquo;You&rsquo;re sitting in a good place against the best team in the West and so we have to look at doing a better job,&rdquo; Kidd said.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">The two teams split their four-game season series.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">View Denver as a favorite?</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">&ldquo;When you have a guy like Jokic on your team, you&rsquo;re the favorite,&rdquo; Doncic said.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">Jokic joined some exclusive company by going over 500 assists and 500 rebounds before the All-Star break. The other NBA players to accomplish the feat were Russell Westbrook (three times, &rsquo;16-17, &rsquo;17-18, &rsquo;18-19) and Oscar Robertson (&rsquo;61-62).</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">Jokic, the two-time reigning MVP, remains on pace to average a triple-double this season.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">&ldquo;He makes it look like a walk in the park,&rdquo; recently acquired backup center Thomas Bryant said of Jokic&rsquo;s ease with triple-doubles. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not easy at all.&rdquo;</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">Doncic&rsquo;s big night was his 65th career game with 35 or more points. Only LeBron James had more (87) before his 24th birthday. Doncic turns 24 on Feb. 28.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">TIP-INS</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">Mavericks: F Justin Holiday was signed Wednesday. He played in 28 games for Atlanta this season and averaged 4.5 points. ... F Davis Bertans (calf), G Tim Hardaway Jr. (hamstring) and F/C Maxi Kleber (hamstring) were inactive.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">Nuggets: Denver was without guard Jamal Murray (right knee inflammation) along with forward Aaron Gordon (bruised ribs).</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58"><strong>FRIENDLY REMINDER</strong></p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">Malone made sure to remind his team the All-Star break didn&rsquo;t begin until 11 p.m. &mdash; well after their game. They listened.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">&ldquo;Times have changed, guys get their private jets running, waiting to go somewhere,&rdquo; cracked Malone, who will coach Team LeBron at the All-Star Game.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58"><strong>COLORADO KID</strong></p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">Backup guard Reggie Jackson jumped at the chance to sign with the Nuggets and play close to home. Jackson, who grew up down the road in Colorado Springs, agreed to a deal with Denver on Tuesday. He wasn&rsquo;t in uniform against Dallas.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">The 32-year-old Jackson&rsquo;s favorite player as a kid was Chauncey Billups, the Denver native who went to the University of Colorado before embarking on a long NBA career.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">Jackson will wear No. 7 with Denver &mdash; a number Billups wore in 2009 while with the Nuggets.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>

Reserve Jeff Green scored a season-high 24 points, and the Denver Nuggets beat the short-handed Dallas Mavericks 118-109.

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

<p class="Component-root-0-2-75 p Component-p-0-2-52">ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Trae Young scored 25 of his 36 points in the second half and the Atlanta Hawks beat the short-handed Phoenix Suns, still awaiting the arrival of newly acquired Kevin Durant, 116-107 on Thursday night.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-75 p Component-p-0-2-52">After leading 56-47 at halftime, the Hawks extended their lead to 20 points in the third quarter.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-75 p Component-p-0-2-52">Josh Okogie had 25 points and Deandre Ayton added 23 points and for Phoenix, which had its three-game winning streak end.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-75 p Component-p-0-2-52">The Suns had only nine players available after trading Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges as part of a package for Durant, the 13-time All-Star, before Thursday&rsquo;s trade deadline. Durant did not join his new team for the game, but the anticipation for his arrival is growing.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-75 p Component-p-0-2-52">&ldquo;You can put him on any team and he&rsquo;s going to fit,&rdquo; Suns guard Landry Shamet said of Durant before the game. &ldquo;He knows how to play. He&rsquo;s played in a number of different systems. He&rsquo;s insertable in any of them. You can throw it to him and he&rsquo;s going to go score every time. He&rsquo;s going to make the right play.&rdquo;</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-75 p Component-p-0-2-52">The Hawks also made roster adjustments after two trades. Atlanta traded Justin Holiday, Frank Kaminsky and two second-round picks to Houston for shooting guard Garrison Matthews and center Bruno Fernando. The 6-foot-9 Fernando began his career in Atlanta in the 2019-20 season.</p>
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<p class="Component-root-0-2-75 p Component-p-0-2-52">The Hawks were still awaiting the league&rsquo;s approval of their addition former Detroit small forward Saddiq Bey as part of a three-team trade and sent five second-round draft picks to Golden State.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-75 p Component-p-0-2-52">Atlanta led 93-75 after three quarters before Phoenix scored the first nine points of the final period. Young sank a jumper to end the Suns&rsquo; run, and his 3-pointer from the front of the halfcourt logo gave Atlanta a 104-91 lead.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-75 p Component-p-0-2-52">Dejounte Murray had 19 points and John Collins had 16 for Atlanta.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-75 p Component-p-0-2-52">The Hawks, coming off a 2-3 road trip, played only their sixth home game of 2023. They play 17 of their final 27 regular-season games at home.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-75 p Component-p-0-2-52">&ldquo;It&rsquo;s good to be back home, but we have to take advantage of this home stretch that we have,&rdquo; coach Nate McMillan said before the game.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-75 p Component-p-0-2-52"><strong>TIP-INS</strong></p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-75 p Component-p-0-2-52">Suns: F Devin Booker (groin), F Cameron Payne (right foot sprain) and Shamet (right foot soreness) were unavailable.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-75 p Component-p-0-2-52">Hawks: With 12 assists, Young recorded his 27th double-double of the season. He posted his 61st consecutive game with at least 10 points and five assists, leaving him five games away from matching Oscar Robertson (66) for the fourth-longest streak in NBA history. ... Clint Capela had 17 of the Hawks&rsquo; season-high 59 rebounds.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>

Trae Young scored 25 of his 36 points in the second half and the Atlanta Hawks beat the short-handed Phoenix Suns 116-107.

Young scores 36 as Hawks beat short-handed Suns 116-107

<p>So much for a quiet NBA trade deadline, right?</p>
<p>The action kicked off with chaos in the early hours of Tuesday morning and concluded with a plethora of moves by the time the 3 p.m. buzzer sounded.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ot3Uedw41a4" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>Let's recap how it went down in order, sort out what happened and find out who's going where.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/raptors-acquire-jakob-poeltl-in-trade-with-spurs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Toronto Raptors acquire Jakob Poeltl</a>
<ul>
<li>San Antonio Spurs acquire Khem Birch, a 2024 first-round pick (protected) and 2 future second-round picks</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-breaking-trade-news-kevin-durant-traded-phoenix-suns-brooklyn-nets-blockbuster-move-tj-warren-jae-crowder-mikal-bridges-cam-johnson-mat-ishbia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Phoenix Suns acquire Kevin Durant and TJ Warren</a>
<ul>
<li>Brooklyn Nets acquire Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder*, 4 unprotected first-round picks (2023, 2025, 2027, 2029) and a 2028 pick swap</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>*Crowder was moved in a separate deal.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/shams-celtics-acquire-mike-muscala" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boston Celtics acquire Mike Muscala</a>
<ul>
<li>Oklahoma City Thunder acquire Justin Jackson, a 2023 second-round pick (worse of Boston's 2 this season) and a 2029 second-round pick</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/shams-bucks-acquire-jae-crowder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Milwaukee Bucks acquire Jae Crowder</a>
<ul>
<li>Brooklyn Nets acquire 5 second-round picks</li>
<li>Indiana Pacers acquire Jordan Nwora, George Hill, Serge Ibaka* and 2 second-round picks (MIL)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>*Ibaka is expected to be waived and hit the open market.</p>
<ul>
<li>Los Angeles Lakers acquire Mo Bamba, Davon Reed and 2 second-round picks (LAC 2024, 2025)
<ul>
<li>Denver Nuggets acquire Thomas Bryant</li>
<li>Los Angeles Clippers acquire Bones Hyland</li>
<li>Orlando Magic acquire Patrick Beverley*, a 2024 second-round pick (DEN) and cash</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>* Beverley is expected to be bought out and hit the open market.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/blazers-hornets-76ers-3way-trade-thybulle-to-portland" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Philadelphia 76ers acquire Jalen McDaniels</a>, a 2024 second-round pick (NYK) and 2029 second-round pick (POR)
<ul>
<li>Portland Trail Blazers acquire Matisse Thybulle</li>
<li>Charlotte Hornets acquire Svi Mykhailiuk, a 2023 second-round pick (more favorable between ATL, CHA, BKN) and a 2027 second-round pick (more favorable between POR/NOP)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/woj-hawks-pistons-warriors-agree-to-threeway-blockbuster-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Pistons acquire James Wiseman</a>
<ul>
<li>Atlanta Hawks acquire Saddiq Bey</li>
<li>Golden State Warriors acquire Kevin Knox* and 5 second-round picks (ATL)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>*Knox was moved in a separate deal.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/clippers-acquire-eric-gordon-in-threeway-deal-with-rockets-grizzlies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Los Angeles Clippers acquire Eric Gordon</a> and 3 second-round picks
<ul>
<li>Memphis Grizzlies acquire Luke Kennard</li>
<li>Houston Rockets acquire Danny Green, John Wall* and right to swap MIL 2023 first-round pick with LAC</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>*Wall is expected to be waived and hit the open market.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/shams-pelicans-acquire-josh-richardson-for-devonte-graham" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Orleans Pelicans acquire Josh Richardson</a>
<ul>
<li>San Antonio Spurs acquire Devonte Graham and 4 second-round picks</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/woj-clippers-acquire-mason-plumlee-from-hornets-for-reggie-jackson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Los Angeles Clippers acquire Mason Plumlee</a>
<ul>
<li>Charlotte Hornets acquire Reggie Jackson* and a 2028 second-round pick</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>*Jackson is expected to bought out and hit the open market.</p>
<ul>
<li>Atlanta Hawks acquire Garrison Mathews and Bruno Fernando
<ul>
<li>Houston Rockets acquire Justin Holiday, Frank Kaminski and two second-round picks (OKC 2024 and 2025)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/woj-warriors-acquire-gary-payton-ii-from-trail-blazers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Golden State Warriors acquire Gary Payton II</a>
<ul>
<li>Portland Trail Blazers acquire Kevin Knox and 5 second-round picks</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>

Basketball News puts together a detailed recap of a busy 2023 NBA trade deadline on February 9.

2023 NBA trade deadline: Recapping all of the day's moves

<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Khris Middleton is making the most of his limited minutes as he works his way back from injuries that kept him from playing for much of the season.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">Middleton scored 18 points and sparked a third-quarter run that put the Milwaukee Bucks ahead for good as they beat the Charlotte Hornets 124-115 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight victry.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">&ldquo;Right now I&rsquo;m trying to be as aggressive as I can,&rdquo; Middleton said. &ldquo;I know it sounds simple or whatever, but that&rsquo;s just the mindset I&rsquo;m trying to come up with, especially with my limited minutes. Hopefully as my minutes keep going (up), I keep the same mindset, because it&rsquo;s been working.&rdquo;</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">The Bucks withstood a triple-double from Charlotte&rsquo;s LaMelo Ball, who had 27 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 18 rebounds to help the Bucks avenge one of their most embarrassing losses of the season. Jrue Holiday added 15 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">Middleton played 20 minutes, his longest outing since coming back from a sore right knee that caused him to miss 18 games. The three-time All-Star&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-los-angeles-lakers-boston-celtics-milwaukee-bucks-nba-0b824a430ebd34c5c5f9225c45dad4c8">also missed the Bucks&rsquo; first 20 games while recovering from offseason surgery on his left wrist.</a></p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">He has come off the bench in each of the Bucks&rsquo; five games since his return.</p>
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<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">&ldquo;I started my career coming off the bench, so it doesn&rsquo;t really bother me at all,&rdquo; Middleton said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been on the bench before, not playing games, sometimes coming in first quarter, second quarter or sometimes not until the second half. I just know I have to stay ready and have to be loose.&rdquo;</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">In a game that featured 11 ties and 17 lead changes, Middleton helped Milwaukee gain command. He scored 11 points during a 14-3 spurt late in the third quarter that helped the Bucks take a 97-90 lead into the final period.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">&ldquo;He got going when they kind of took control of the game,&rdquo; Hornets coach Steve Clifford said.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">Charlotte (16-36) entered the night with the fourth-worst record in the NBA, but the&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-charlotte-hornets-nba-sports-bobby-portis-ddb460d79b932a3f2574bf51f048267d">Hornets won 138-109 at Milwaukee on Jan. 6</a>&nbsp;to hand the Bucks their second-most lopsided loss of the season. The Hornets had 51 points in the opening period that night &mdash; matching the NBA record for a first quarter &mdash; and limited Antetokounmpo to nine points.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">Even after scoring 50 points in a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-washington-wizards-new-orleans-pelicans-nba-sports-152c586a964f31d1c3333cb74c5cb822">135-110 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans</a>&nbsp;on Sunday, Antetokounmpo spent part of his postgame press conference talking about how the Bucks needed to play better in the rematch with the Hornets.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">The Hornets still made this one interesting.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">Milwaukee took a 114-97 lead on Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 7:13 left. but didn&rsquo;t make another basket until Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s driving layup with 27.1 seconds remaining.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">Charlotte cut it to 118-113 when Mason Plumlee hit a layup and drew a foul with 1:06 left. But Plumlee missed the ensuing free throw, and the Bucks put it away from there.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">&ldquo;Their record doesn&rsquo;t give them justice,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re a really good team. Or maybe they just play well against us. I don&rsquo;t know.&rdquo;</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">Terry Rozier scored 20 points, Gordon Hayward 16, Jalen McDaniels 15 and P.J. Washington and Plumlee 14 each for Charlotte. Plumlee also had 14 rebounds.</p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58"><strong>TIP-INS</strong></p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">Hornets: Ball&rsquo;s triple-double was his second of the season and eighth of his career. His other triple-double this season came Dec. 22, when he had 25 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/charlotte-hornets-los-angeles-clippers-nba-sports-ivica-zubac-c9fa5b9f8f74634f8370750c8975956b">126-105 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.</a></p>
<p class="Component-root-0-2-67 p Component-p-0-2-58">Bucks: Pat Connaughton shot just 1 of 8 from 3-point range. He had gone 25 of 49 from beyond the arc over his last eight games. &hellip; After getting a steal in the opening seconds of the second half, Holiday threw an off-the-backboard pass to Antetokounmpo, who was unable to convert the dunk attempt.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>

Khris Middleton sparked a third-quarter run that put the Milwaukee Bucks ahead for good as they beat the Charlotte Hornets 124-115.

Bucks beat Hornets 124-115 for 5th consecutive victory

<p>Since entering the NBA in 2015, Myles Turner has seen his name surface in trade rumors <em>constantly</em>. One could argue that he's been featured in the rumor mill more than any other NBA player over that span.</p>
<p>Despite all of the rumblings, Turner has never actually been dealt. Even when the Indiana Pacers blew up their roster last season &mdash; trading away veterans like Domantas Sabonis, Caris LeVert, Torrey Craig, Justin Holiday and Jeremy Lamb &mdash; they ultimately decided to keep Turner.</p>
<p>Now, after signing a two-year, $60 million extension with the Pacers (that includes a $17.1 million renegotiation of his 2022-23 salary), it would seem that Turner isn't going anywhere.&nbsp;</p>
<p>On Monday, the team held a press conference to announce the extension and Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard was asked if Turner is finally off the trade block.</p>
<p>"Yes, he's off the trade block!" Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle immediately chimed in.</p>
<p>"One of the things that we've always believed in here is that if you sign a player, it's to sign a player; we don't sign a player to trade a player," Pritchard said. "And Myles has blossomed this year. We've seen the relationship with him and Ty [Haliburton]; they're one of the best pick-and-roll [duos] in the league right now. This is the beginning of a nice core &mdash; no, a <em>great</em> core &mdash; and we signed Myles to be here. That's our goal."</p>
<p>"I'm here to stay," Turner added with a smile.</p>
<p>This season, Turner is averaging career-highs in points (17.5), rebounds (7.8), three-pointers (1.6), field goal percentage (54.4%) and three-point percentage (39.3%). Meanwhile, he continues to dominate defensively, averaging 2.4 blocks (fourth-most in the NBA) and 0.6 steals.</p>
<p>Looking at Turner's advanced stats, he's also posting career-bests in True Shooting percentage (64.8%), total rebound percentage (23.0%) and player efficiency rating (19.8).</p>
<p>"I'm gonna tell ya'll right now: I'm just getting started. The best version of myself is yet to come," Turner said. "I'm just leveling up each and every day."</p>
<p>"We've seen him play some of his best basketball this year and it really makes me proud to see Myles sitting here and accomplishing what he's accomplished," Pritchard added. "And I think his best is still to come."&nbsp;</p>
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
<p>Carlisle praised Turner's development and said that he and his coaching staff "were hoping that this day would come very desperately."</p>
<p>&ldquo;Myles&rsquo; values and what he stands for really align with what we&rsquo;re trying to do here," Carlisle said. "His love of the game, his loyalty to his teammates and to this city and to our vision, and his commitment to growth has been something that&rsquo;s been great to see. And over the last year-and-a-half, he&rsquo;s transitioned back to his natural position as a full-time five man and we&rsquo;ve seen him flourish."</p>
<p>Pritchard revealed that the two sides had extension talks last year, but Turner chose to bet on himself and wait. One month ago, the negotiations started back up and they were able to reach an agreement.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Give Myles a ton of credit here because he took a risk,&rdquo; Pritchard said. &ldquo;We talked about an extension in the past, but he wanted to wait another year. He wanted to be in a position where he was playing the right position, the one that he&rsquo;s most comfortable with."</p>
<p>"This has been a really great example of a player having a vision and having the discipline and patience to wait it out and put himself in this great position with the right players [surrounding him]," Carlisle added.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">the squad pulled up to celebrate Myles Turner's contract extension.💙 <a href="https://t.co/ZTuB7BwYbP">pic.twitter.com/ZTuB7BwYbP</a></p>
&mdash; Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pacers/status/1620207893328039936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2023</a></blockquote>
<p>Many of Turner&rsquo;s teammates came in during their day off to show their support at the press conference and put in some extra work. Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Trevelin Queen, James Johnson and Oshae Brissett were all in attendance &mdash; a testament to the Pacers&rsquo; culture. Turner believes that this organization is building something special.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I think that that&rsquo;s a huge reason why I stayed here: I really truly believe that we can accomplish something here," Turner said. "You&rsquo;ve got to start from somewhere. We have a team that&rsquo;s on the up and up. Today was supposed to be our blackout day, but I see countless players here getting their work in. That&rsquo;s the type of stuff I respect and the type of stuff that I came up on... That made the decision really easy.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Pritchard acknowledged that the Pacers have exceeded expectations this year, which factored into the decision to extend Turner. Despite having one of the league&rsquo;s younger teams, Indiana is 24-28 &mdash; which is just a half game back from the Play-In Tournament and two games back from the Eastern Conference&rsquo;s eighth seed.&nbsp;</p>
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
<p>Turner has been with the Pacers since he was 19 years old, and he appreciates the fact that he's been able to stick with one team up to this point in his NBA career.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s still very surreal. Growing up here, I&rsquo;ve spent my entire 20s here," Turner said. "It&rsquo;s incredible to still see the same faces from the beginning of my journey. I have such a strong belief in this organization and this city&hellip;&nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m still here where I started, and that&rsquo;s very special to me. I want to continue to grow here, continue to grow this organization, continue to grow with my team and put Indiana back on the map."</p>

Rick Carlisle and Kevin Pritchard confirmed that Myles Turner is "off the trade block" after signing a two-year extension with the Pacers.

Following extension, Pacers take Myles Turner 'off the trade block'

<p>ATLANTA (AP) — Jrue Holiday scored 27 points, Brook Lopez had 20 points and 12 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks held off the Atlanta Hawks 114-105 on Wednesday night.</p>
<p>Giannis Antetokounmpo added seven points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists, and Bobby Portis II had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Milwaukee has won four of five.</p>
<p>“We’re resilient," Holiday said. “We don’t like to lose. I think close games like that — not that we enjoy those moments — but we do think they’re teaching moments where can kind of close out games and use all that and everything we did tonight in the future.'' </p>
<p>The Hawks, playing without Trae Young and Clint Capela, erased a 24-point deficit early in the third to make it 101-all on John Collins’ fast-break layup with 4:05 remaining. They took their first lead on Bogdan Bogdanovic’s baseline jumper coming out of a timeout. Lopez answered with a corner 3, and the Bucks went on a 10-0 run and led the rest of the way.</p>
<p>Bogdanovic scored 22 points, and De'Andre Hunter had 16 for the Hawks.</p>
<p>“We did a better job of applying pressure in the second half," Atlanta coach Nate McMillan said. “This is a team that’s going to try to attack the paint, attack the rim and if they can’t get to the rim, they’re going to shoot 3s. In the second half we got more pressure, disrupted more and were able to get some stops." </p>
<p>An illness left the Hawks without Young, averaging 27.3 points and 9.8 assists. Leading rebounder Capela was sidelined with a strained right calf.</p>
<p>The Bucks led 39-19 after the first quarter and built a lead that didn't look like the Hawks could overcome when Milwaukee led by 24 in the third. </p>
<p>“Credit to our guys," Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer said. “We had a big lead, then a big comeback for Atlanta. A big punch from Atlanta. We were able to throw the last one and were able to finish it. Credit to our players."</p>
<p>It was an uncharacteristicly low scoring night for Antetokounmpo, the two-time MVP who averages 31.7 points, but Budenholzer thought he was engaged throughout the game.</p>
<p>“I thought it was one of Giannis’ best games without scoring," Budenholzer said. “I thought he trusted his teammates. He made a ton of great plays. For him to go to the boards, do everything else he does and then find the willpower, the competitiveness to get a tough offensive rebound, not force it through a bunch of traffic."</p>
<p>TIP-INS</p>
<p>Bucks: G Khris Middleton missed his 34th game, the last 13 with right knee soreness, but he participated in 5-on-5 drills Tuesday in Atlanta and is getting closer to returning. ... Milwaukee shot 64.3% on 3s while the Hawks 0 for 3 beyond the arc in the first quarter. ... Starting guard Grayson Allen sprained his right ankle in the first half and did not return. He finished with six points. ... Holiday improved to 6-2 in games against brothers Aaron and Justin Holiday.</p>
<p>Hawks: Capela missed his eighth straight game and 11th overall. ... Atlanta was outrebounded 32-20 in the first half and 57-41 overall. ... Aaron Holiday started in Young’s spot and finished with four points in 14 minutes. Justin Holiday did not play. ... Derrick Favors, a 12-year veteran forward-center, was added to the Hawks’ roster on a 10-day contract to give the team more size during Capela’s absence. He has not played this season.</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Bucks: At Miami on Thursday and Saturday.</p>
<p>Hawks: At Indiana on Friday.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>AP NBA: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nba">https://apnews.com/hub/nba</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a></p>

Jrue Holiday scored 27 points, Brook Lopez had 20 points and the Milwaukee Bucks held off the Atlanta Hawks 114-105.

Holiday, Lopez help Bucks hold off Hawks, 114-105

<p>ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Jrue Holiday scored 27 points, Brook Lopez had 20 points and 12 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks held off the Atlanta Hawks 114-105 on Wednesday night.</p>
<p>Giannis Antetokounmpo added seven points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists, and Bobby Portis II had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Milwaukee has won four of five.</p>
<p>The Hawks, playing without Trae Young and Clint Capela, erased a 24-point deficit early in the third to make it 101-all on John Collins&rsquo; fast-break layup with 4:05 remaining. They took their first lead on Bogdan Bogdanovic&rsquo;s baseline jumper coming out of a timeout. Lopez answered with a corner 3, and the Bucks went on a 10-0 run and led the rest of the way.</p>
<p>Bogdanovic scored 22 points, and De'Andre Hunter had 16 for the Hawks.</p>
<p>An illness left the Hawks without Young, averaging 27.3 points and 9.8 assists. Leading rebounder Capela was was sidelined with a strained right calf.</p>
<p><strong>TIP-INS</strong></p>
<p>Bucks: G Khris Middleton missed his 34th game, the last 13 with right knee soreness, but he participated in 5-on-5 drills Tuesday in Atlanta and is getting closer to returning. ... Milwaukee shot 64.3% on 3s while the Hawks 0 for 3 beyond the arc in the first quarter. ... Starting guard Grayson Allen sprained his right ankle in the first half and did not return. He finished with six points. ... Holiday improved to 6-2 in games against brothers Aaron and Justin Holiday.</p>
<p>Hawks: Capela missed his eighth straight game and 11th overall. ... Atlanta was outrebounded 32-20 in the first half and 57-41 overall. ... Aaron Holiday started in Young&rsquo;s spot and finished with four points in 14 minutes. Justin Holiday did not play.</p>
<p><strong>IN HIGH FAVOR</strong></p>
<p>Derrick Favors, a 12-year veteran forward-center, was added to the Hawks&rsquo; roster on a 10-day contract to give the team more size during Capela&rsquo;s absence. He has not played this season.</p>
<p>&ldquo;He was just introduced to the team this morning at the shootaround and was out there for the walkthrough,&rdquo; coach Nate McMillan said. &ldquo;Our coaches pretty much gave him as much as they could as far as video, walking through a few sets in case I do decide to put him out there.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Don't forget about the other summer blockbuster.</p>
<p>You can't go online without the Rudy Gobert trade being flamed. It's hard not to question that move considering how clunky things have looked for the Timberwolves on both ends, a recent winning streak when Gobert was out of the lineup, and a slide coinciding with Gobert's return &mdash; featuring closing minutes with Naz Reid instead of Gobert.</p>
<p>You know who else has looked clunky on both ends of the floor? The Atlanta Hawks, fresh off a loss to LeBirthday and the Los Angles Lakers on Friday night.</p>
<p>The Hawks are currently sitting two games under .500 (17-19), with a bottom-10 net rating (-1.7, 24th) and more rumors swirling than a high-school hallway. The latter portion &mdash; the outside noise &mdash; is really what sucks about this Hawks season.</p>
<p>It's understandable enough that there would be growing pains when implenting former Spurs All-Star Dejounte Murray into the mix. I was ultimately <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-offseason-trade-news-dejounte-murray-fit-atlanta-hawks-trae-young-bogdan-bogdanovic-deandre-hunter-san-antonio-spurs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">high on the move</a>, but the Young-Murray fit hasn't been clean. The Hawks are <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/wowy-combos/nba?TeamId=1610612737&amp;Season=2022-23&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;PlayerIds=1629027,1627749" target="_blank" rel="noopener">barely winning the minutes</a> &mdash; plus-1.8 in 695 minutes &mdash; with them sharing the floor.&nbsp;</p>
<p>It's even tougher considering the injury woes the Hawks have dealt with. Clint Capela has missed nine games; John Collins and De'Andre Hunter have missed eight. Bogdan Bogdanovic, an important spacer and secondary creator, made his <em>season debut</em> on December 2.&nbsp;</p>
<p>In a perfect world, this is just a matter of on-court chemistry building. But alas, it doesn't appear to be just that. The cloud surrounding the relationship between Young and head coach Nate McMillan is hard to ignore at this point.</p>
<p>Before the season, Young and McMillan each referenced their need to improve communication with each other. McMillan took steps over the offseason <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/34656193/atlanta-hawks-look-improve-communication-trae-young-coach-nate-mcmillan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">with an in-house visit</a>, for a quick example. Naturally, Young missed a home game against the Denver Nuggets earlier this month due to [checks notes] <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/trae-young-reportedly-sat-out-fridays-game-vs-nuggets-after-feud-with-coach-nate-mc-millan-232604712.html#:~:text=The%20team%20said%20at%20the,to%20be%20any%20further%20discipline." target="_blank" rel="noopener">morning shootaround etiquette.</a></p>
<p>(As the story goes, Young wanted to bypass morning shootaround to receive extra treatment for a troublesome shoulder. McMillan gave Young a choice: either come off the bench [for missing a normally-mandatory shootaround], or stay home. Young opted for the latter.)</p>
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
<p>That's a petty story at best, another notch on the "what-the-heck's-going-on-with-those-two?" belt at worst. It didn't look good for Young, who simply could've played if he wanted to. It didn't look good for McMillan, who wouldn't have lost sleep over letting Young slide considering the circumstances &mdash; and his importance to the team, but you know.</p>
<p>Fast forward to Friday, before the Lakers loss, and we get a report from The Athletic's Shams Charania that McMillan has <a href="https://theathletic.com/4046211/2022/12/30/nate-mcmillan-hawks-considers-resigning/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">considered resigning from the job</a>. When asked about the report, McMillan didn't necessarily <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/hawks-coach-nate-mcmillan-responds-to-report-suggesting-he-may-resign-well-move-on-past-that/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shut things down</a>:</p>
<p>"I read that article briefly, I've never spoke to that reporter before,"&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/Pat_Benson_Jr/status/1608958610905903105?s=20&amp;t=p8pumdwNvGb35E1h4W7reQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">McMillan said</a>. "I think the last two weeks, he's written a couple articles with some sources in our organization that are making some comments about me, and some things that I'm saying and doing. Look, at the end of the year, I'll do as I've always done, at the end of the season I talk with my family and see if I still have that flame, that fire to continue next season. That's the end of the season. All of us think about retiring, but that's at the end of the season. So we'll move on past that."</p>
<p>What makes this dynamic &mdash; and the Hawks in general &mdash; so difficult to parse through is the chicken-or-egg nature of it.&nbsp;</p>
<p>For the "star &gt; coach" crowd, there are arguments to make.</p>
<p>There is a level of rigidity with McMillan from a scheme perspective. That isn't inherently bad; he provides structure, and that appeal is what helped land him the job after the Hawks fired Lloyd Pierce in the first place. But it's part of why teams have been willing to move on from McMillan after a spell, looking for a new voice or a boost in creativity. The Hawks very well could use that.&nbsp;</p>
<p>On the flip side, how much more can be done with this personnel? That's worth asking before factoring in the injury woes.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Daryl Morey would throw up at the Hawks' shot profile: 37.5% of their shots come from the mid-range area (1st), while they lag way behind in rim (32%, 20th) and three-point rate (30.5%, 29th). But when your shooting talent underperforms (Collins, Hunter, Justin Holiday), is mostly unavailable (Bogdanovic) or trying to learn the ropes in year one (AJ Griffin), what should the expectation be?</p>
<p>McMillan, like virtually every coach in existence, has had his rotations questioned during his tenure. But with the revolving door of talent he's had at his disposal this season, what should the expectation be?</p>
<p>And then there's Young himself.&nbsp;</p>
<p>He's underperformed by his lofty standards. Averages of 27.4 points and 9.9 assists are dope; averaging career-lows from just about everywhere &mdash; 31% on 7.2 threes, 47% on 13.8 two-pointers &mdash; is admittedly not dope.</p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_19684868.jpg" alt="" width="629" height="419" /></p>
<p>He hasn't been able to can the pull-up threes that make him such a lethal pick-and-roll threat. His floater, one of the NBA's best weapons, has largely failed him this season. (Ja Morant's dealing with a similar floater issue, hence his career-low in two-point percentage.)</p>
<p>Young missing shots wouldn't be as tough if his play-style didn't exacerbate things. He dictates a ton of the action &mdash; and rightfully so, with his blend of playmaking and scoring chops. After <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/touches?Season=2021-22&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=AVG_DRIB_PER_TOUCH" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leading the NBA</a> in seconds per touch and dribbles per touch last season, Young ranks... second and first respectively <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/touches?CF=GP*GE*20&amp;Season=2022-23&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=AVG_DRIB_PER_TOUCH" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this season</a>.</p>
<p>After an encouraging start to the year, the off-ball juice just hasn't been there for Young. We're back to pass-and-stand with the ball out of his hands. He's taken just 23 relocation threes this season, per Second Spectrum; that's on pace to smash last season's number (26), but still well below the threshold you'd like to see from Young.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The primary reason that people questioned the Young-Murray fit was because of the off-ball woes. Murray was a fine-not-threatening catch-and-shoot threat, while Young just wasn't particularly engaged in that area. Sadly, it's been mostly a "my turn, your turn" ordeal between the two.</p>
<p>It's fair to question if McMillan can bring this team to the next level, and if he can connect with Young enough to make that possibility a reality. It's also fair to question how much of a limiter Young's style is to building the sort of multi-faceted attack that can take the Hawks to the next level.&nbsp;</p>
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
<p>That question, in addition to the weird relationship with McMillan, is why <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10059477-sources-trae-young-could-be-next-nba-superstar-to-request-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executives have started chirping</a> about the possibility of Young eventually asking out.</p>
<p>This is where I pause and state the obvious: executives saying "hey, he <em>might</em> be the next star to ask out" is not a report. It's notable conversation, and fun to think about. It's not an actual trade request.</p>
<p>Even with that context, it's interesting to think about what a Young trade would even look like. The Hawks pushing that button would signify, "We can't do this," "We don't want to deal with this," or a combination of the two. How would that message be received league-wide?</p>
<p>Young is an offense unto himself; that's incredibly valuable and, oddly enough, part of the problem with building around him. Add in the defensive concerns &mdash; he's a small dude whose attention span wanes off the ball too often &mdash; and a Young trade sweepstakes won't be as simple as "this dude's good so we should sell the farm for him."</p>
<p>Go down the line of fake trade destinations, and you'll come across some roadblocks.</p>
<p>That Young-for-KAT swap seems plausible until you think about Young, Anthony Edwards and Gobert in the same locker room. Gobert was frustrated enough being blamed for Utah's defensive miscues; cleaning up for Young <em>and&nbsp;</em>Edwards' off-ball lapses feels like trouble waiting to happen.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The New York Knicks should be happy with the All-Star caliber play that Jalen Brunson has provided this season. Brunson isn't a Young-level talent, nor is he a Young-level star. I'd be shocked if they didn't at least consider constructing a package for Young.</p>
<p>In light of Chris Paul's decline, I'm sure the Phoenix Suns would sniff around. The prospect of pairing Young and Devin Booker together would be interesting, though building out an offer would induce headaches.&nbsp;</p>
<p>(I don't know if anyone wants to hear this, but there's <em>probably </em>a conversation to be had between Atlanta and Philadelphia depending on what James Harden wants to do with his player option.)</p>
<p>For a player as talented as Young, that's not a long list of suitors. And again, you could poke holes in all of those. Ideally, this doesn't become a real talking point to begin with. The Hawks want Young to be the face of the franchise, and he's already shown he's talented enough to lead them on a deep playoff run.</p>
<p>What needs to change for the Hawks to turn things around? The anwer is a little bit of everything.&nbsp;</p>
<p>More malleability from McMillan would be nice. A healthier roster &mdash; and better shooting talent &mdash; would give McMillan more room to experiment. Obviously there's no "shoot-the-ball-better" button to press, but Young can control his own engagement level off the ball &mdash; on both ends of the floor.&nbsp;</p>

What's wrong with the Hawks? Nekias Duncan breaks down the team's issues and Atlanta's options moving forward.

What's wrong with the Atlanta Hawks?

<p>ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; LeBron James scored a season-high 47 points on his 38th birthday with many of the sellout crowd at State Farm Arena cheering his every move, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Atlanta Hawks 130-121 on Friday night.</p>
<p>James, a four-time NBA MVP and an 18-time All-Star, finished with 10 rebounds and nine assists. He had 16 points in the second quarter, 13 in the third and 16 in the fourth. James began the game ranked ninth in scoring with a 27.8 average.</p>
<p>The Hawks (17-19), who have lost three in row, blew a 15-point lead but regained a 101-100 lead on Aaron Holiday&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 10:50 remaining. James hit a 3 from the right wing to make it 103-101 and Los Angeles never trailed again. The Lakers (15-21) went up 108-105 on James&rsquo; straightaway 3, and the Hawks called timeout.</p>
<p>The Lakers had lost nine of their last 13 but led 120-113 on James&rsquo; three-point play with 2:18 to go. Much of the crowd came to its feet roaring as he drew John Collins&rsquo; sixth foul and fell down as he hit a baseline layup. He hit the free throw and came back on the next possession with a reverse layup on the baseline that drew the crowd to its feet again.</p>
<p>Los Angeles led 126-119 on Thomas Bryant&rsquo;s layup with 55 seconds to go and was never threatened again. James ended it with a pair of free throws to make it 130-121 with the crowd chanting, &ldquo;MVP! MVP!&rdquo;</p>
<p>Bryant had 19 points and a season-high 17 rebounds, and Russell Westbrook had 14 points and 11 assists.</p>
<p>Trae Young led the Hawks with 29 points and Dejounte Murray had 20.</p>
<p>Down by 15 in the second quarter, Los Angeles took an 82-81 lead late in the third on James&rsquo; fast-break lay-in. The Lakers were in the midst of a 17-4 run that ended with James&rsquo; three-point play and an 87-83 lead.</p>
<p>Young&rsquo;s three-point play late in the opening period gave the Hawks their first double-digit lead at 26-16. Young had 13 points in the first but he landed awkwardly while hitting a layup in traffic at the first-quarter buzzer, appearing to bump knees with another player. He returned at the 4:42 mark of the second and had 17 points at the half.</p>
<p>Los Angeles, which had 39 points in the second quarter, trailed by 15 in the period but entered intermission down 67-62.</p>
<p>James left the court after a TV interview and signed his jersey for rapper 2 Chainz before leaving the court to another standing ovation.</p>
<p><strong>TIP-INS</strong></p>
<p>Lakers: James&rsquo; previous season high was 39 points Nov. 26 at San Antonio. ... Coach Darvin Ham said Anthony Davis is &ldquo;trending in the right direction&rdquo; with his right foot stress injury and that &ldquo;the pain has just about dissipated.&rdquo; Davis, who&rsquo;s been sidelined for two weeks, told reporters before the game that he&rsquo;s &ldquo;feeling a lot better&rdquo; and that &ldquo;the pain has subsided tremendously.&rdquo; Davis isn&rsquo;t expected back until the second week of January. ... Austin Reaves started in place of Lonnie Walker IV (tailbone) and scored five points on 1 for 13 shooting.</p>
<p>Hawks: Clint Capela (right calf contusion) was out for the sixth time in the last seven games. Onyeka Okongwu started in his spot again and had 17 points. ... De&rsquo;Andre Hunter (left ankle sprain) missed his third straight game. ... The NBA fined Bogdan Bogdanovic $25,000 for kicking a ball into the stands following Wednesday&rsquo;s 108-107 home loss to Brooklyn.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

LeBron James scored a season-high 47 points on his 38th birthday and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Atlanta Hawks 130-121.

James has season-high 47 on 38th birthday, Lakers beat Hawks

<p>It was mostly fine a month ago.</p>
<p>Through games played on Nov. 27, the Washington Wizards found themselves at .500 (10-10). Back up a week, and a shiny 10-7 record &mdash; including a six-wins-in-seven-games stretch &mdash; would be staring at you. Behind a surprisingly stout defense (sixth in defensive rating <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/advanced?DateTo=11/20/2022&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=DEF_RATING" target="_blank" rel="noopener">through Nov. 20</a>), the Wizards were racking up wins and hoping to put together their first winning season since the 2017-18 campaign (43-39).</p>
<p>It's probably safe to say that won't be happening now.</p>
<p>The defense has fallen off a cliff &mdash; they've posted a 117.8 DRTG (No. 27) since Nov. 21, and rank 24th overall this year &mdash; and the offense has never come together. Having Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis in and out of the lineup certainly hasn't helped matters on either end of the floor.</p>
<p>Because the slide has come so quickly and aggressively, it's fair to expect some moves to be made before February's trade deadline. Per Marc Stein of Substack, the Wizards have already attempted to acquire Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder in exchange for a package headlined by fourth-year forward Rui Hachimura, to which the Suns <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/the-search-for-nba-sellers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly declined</a>.&nbsp;</p>
<p>But if there's anyone to keep an eye on, it's Kyle Kuzma.</p>
<p>He's been the metronome for this Wizards group, averaging a career-high 21.8 points per game on 56.4% True Shooting (also a career-high) while playing in all but one game this season. It's been a remarkable sequel to last season's campaign (17.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists), where he firmly established himself as one of the best young two-way forwards in basketball.</p>
<p>It's also a timely bit of ascension for Kuzma.</p>
<p>He's in the last guaranteed year of the three-year, $40 million extension he signed back in 2020; he has a $13 million player option for next season, but short of an accounting error or attack on the power grid, there's no way he isn't declining it and hitting the market. To that point, <a href="https://theathletic.com/3994995/2022/12/12/kyle-kuzma-wizards-contract/?redirected=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kuzma himself</a> has stated his intention to opt out for a new deal.</p>
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
<p>On Monday, <a href="On%20Monday,%20Marc%20Stein%20of%20Substack%20reported%20that%20league%20executives%20feel%20that%20Kuzma%20is%20&quot;getable&quot;%20ahead%20of%20the%20dea" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stein reported</a> that league executives feel that Kuzma is "getable" ahead of the trade deadline.</p>
<p>Considering Kuzma's upcoming free agency and apparent (if not obvious) desire to land in a big(ger) market next season, it's hard to argue against moving Kuzma before the deadline approaches. There's always room for a sign-and-trade over the offseason, though I'm not sure the Wizards should be putting themselves against a hard cap. (They absolutely should not.)</p>
<p>With that said, let's take a look at Kuzma's season and who could benefit the most by bringing him in.</p>
<p><strong>WHAT KUZMA BRINGS</strong></p>
<p>The bucket-getting brings Kuzma to the dance, particularly inside the arc. His blend of strength, touch and footwork allows him to generate looks almost whenever he pleases. Watching him toggle between bullying smaller defenders and simply shooting over them inside the free-throw line has been a quiet joy of tapping into Wizards games.</p>
<p>Mid-post and in is where he does a majority of his work. Kuzma has converted 54.5% of his shots between 4-to-10 feet this season, per Second Spectrum. Of the 33 players that have taken at least 100 shots within that range, Kuzma ranks fifth in efficiency &mdash; and only trails Luka Doncic (58.3% FG, third) among non-bigs.</p>
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<p>Kuzma's ability to drive &mdash; the Wizards are generating 1.09 points per possession (PPP) on trips featuring a Kuzma drive this season, one of the best high-volume marks in the NBA &mdash; has continued to open up passing windows for him.</p>
<p>Quietly, he's become a slick interior passer. He's gotten comfortable making laydown or wrap-around passes when drawing a second defender. His willingness to throw lobs &mdash; and the combination of touch and placement he has on them &mdash; is impressive for a guy that doesn't have a true point-forward rep... at least, not yet.</p>
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<p>Off the ball, Kumza can't be completely ignored (more on that later). He's a heady cutter who's able to take advantage of airhead defenders. He's also more than willing to mix things up on the offensive glass, often tracking down his own missed shots in addition to cleaning up his teammates' messes.</p>
<p>Kuzma isn't just a one-trick pony though. He digs his heels in defensively as well. He's comfortable against both forward spots, though better against 4s. He moves well enough to switch onto pure wings in a pinch. And though I'd hesitate to play him as a small-ball 5 for extended stretches, his strength and rebounding prowess at least allows you to think about it &mdash; depending on what the rest of your personnel looks like.</p>
<p><strong>LIMITATIONS</strong></p>
<p>Kuzma has grown as a passer, but he's more reactive than proactive. There isn't a ton of manipulation present. Even with the rise of ball-screen usage as of late &mdash; he's running nearly 11 per 100 possessions since Thanksgiving &mdash; he's taking a shot on just under 60% of those plays, per Second Spectrum. Making a move for him to be your second option is probably too rich.</p>
<p>The real question mark for Kuzma is his outside shot. He's at career-high volume right now (7.5) while only converting 34.3% of his triples. Of those 7.5 attempts a night, 5.7 of them (76%) are of the catch-and-shoot variety; he's <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1628398/shots-dash?Season=2022-23&amp;PerMode=Totals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">only nailed 35.4% of those</a>, below the threshold needed for teams to think twice about helping off of him.</p>
<p>In Kuzma's six-year career, he's eclipsed the 37% mark on catch-and-shoot threes twice &mdash; during his rookie season (37.5% on 4.6 attempts) and during his last year with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020-21 (37.5% on 4.7 attempts). Those happen to be the only seasons he's shot over 36% from three overall.</p>
<p>In short: Kuzma's been a streaky shooter off the catch, and a flat-out poor one &mdash; 26.1% on 402 attempts &mdash; when taking them off the bounce. Considering his poor three-point track record in the postseason thus far (28.3% across 27 games), it's fair for contenders to worry about how defenses will treat him, and how he'll respond.</p>
<p><strong>LANDING SPOTS</strong></p>
<p>If you need a 4 to put his head down and soak up some usage, keep the chains moving within a possession and defend forwards on the other end, Kuzma should be near (or at) the top of your list. The acquiring team likely has to be prepared to pay Kuzma at least $20 million per year on his next deal, which could limit the pool a bit. Still, contenders should be knocking down the Wizards' door with offers.</p>
<p>It's fitting that the Wizards and Suns have already had discussions aroud Crowder; Phoenix should absolutely try their hands at a Kuzma pursuit. Considering Chris Paul's decline as a rim threat and interior scorer, adding Kuzma to the fray could be a necessary boost to their attack. It's worth noting that the Suns, who famously don't care all that much about the draft, control <a href="https://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Future/Suns.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">all of their picks</a> for the next eight seasons.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The Los Angeles Clippers <a href="https://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Future/Clippers.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">don't have the pick capital</a> that the Suns do, but they have their <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/cap/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">choice of mid-tier contracts</a> &mdash; Marcus Morris ($16.3M), Luke Kennard ($14.4M), Robert Covington ($12.3M) and Nicolas Batum ($10.8M) all fit &mdash; and intriguing young guys (Amir Coffey, BJ Boston, Jason Preston) to get into the discussion. I would imagine Covington would be the most expendable of the mid-contract veteran group; Covington, a young piece and a way-off future first could likely get a conversation started.</p>
<p>The Milwaukee Bucks have reportedly been lurking around the forward market, notably being linked to Crowder as a potential target. Like the Clippers, they don't have access to first-rounders in the immediate future. My sense is they'd be a little hesitant to move those considering that Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton are both over 30 years old &mdash; and they have some fun contract stuff to sort through with Middleton soon.</p>
<p>Beyond that, it's easy to see the on-court Kuzma fit in Milwaukee. He'd fit their size ethos up front, and his creation abilities could take some pressure off the Giannis-Jrue-Middleton triumvirate. They're also a team that feels a wing/forward defender short; Kuzma would help.</p>
<p>Meeting the vet + young piece + pick(s) threshold would be difficult though; I'm not sure a package of Grayson Allen, one (or both) of MarJon Beauchamp and Jordan Nwora and down-the-line capital would appeal to the Wizards. And considering how much market matters for Kuzma, the long-term fit may not be there.</p>
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<p>The Cleveland Cavaliers would be a fun landing spot, but they just blew their pick load in the Donovan Mitchell trade. They don't necessarily pass the market test either.</p>
<p>The Miami Heat might be the cleanest landing spot in the East considering on <em>and </em>off-court stuff, but they're:</p>
<p>1) Short on pick ammo to make a comfortable move.</p>
<p>2) Two tiers below the contending class at this point.</p>
<p>Kuzma would absolutely make the Heat better; would he improve them <em>enough&nbsp;</em>to justify cashing in their limited chips instead of going star-hunting again during the summer? I have my doubts.</p>
<p>While we're in the non-contender class: How about a make-me-feel-wanted swap between Kuzma and the Atlanta Hawks' John Collins? The Wizards would have to add more salary &mdash; Hachimura and Anthony Gill would get them there &mdash; but it's a framework I'd consider if I'm Washington. A Collins-Porzingis frontcourt would be an interesting mix; if all else fails, Collins has enough years on his deal to start the trade dance all over again if necessary.</p>

Nekias Duncan breaks down possible landing spots for Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma and analyzes his solid season thus far.

Examining potential trade destinations for Kyle Kuzma

Nekias Duncan takes an early look at this year's NBA award races with an in-depth look at who leads the pack through mid-December.

Nekias Duncan's 2022-23 NBA award front-runners: MVP, DPOY, ROY, more

<p>Friday night's victory over the Milwaukee Bucks was a special one for the Los Angeles Lakers.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Anthony Davis continued his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-anthony-davis-is-owning-the-paint-again-eye-on-los-angeles-lakers-la-darvin-ham-lebron-james" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stretch of dominance</a>, scoring a season-high 44 points (16-of-24 from two, 2-of-3 from three) while racking up 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks. LeBron James moved up the history books, passing the great Magic Johnson on the all-time assist list while slapping up 28-8-11-2 in the process.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Let's back up for a minute though: the Lakers, also known as the NBA's <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/advanced?DateTo=12/01/2022&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=OFF_RATING" target="_blank" rel="noopener">26th-ranked offensive team</a> heading into Friday's action, dropped 133 points on the Bucks <em>in regulation. </em>Not only did they torch the league's best defense, dropping 30+ points in each quarter, they did so in a way that the Bucks aren't accustomed to dealing with.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Over 41% of the Lakers' shot attempts came at the rim against the Bucks. Heading into Friday's game, the Bucks allowed the third-lowest share of shots at the rim, with opponents generating a shade over 29% of their shots in that fruitful area. With the Giannis Antetokounmpo-Brook Lopez frontcourt patrolling the area, it should come as no surprise that many teams had failed to get close-range buckets in abundance.</p>
<p>The Lakers didn't have much issue though. Something that popped on film early on was their ball-screen setup. While most teams do their best work running high pick-and-rolls, the Lakers were intentional about running things lower on the floor. This was a popular occurrence on Friday, starting with this post-timeout possession midway through the first quarter.</p>
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<p>That's Russell Westbrook receiving a screen on the baseline before lifting up for the wing to receive a pass. Austin Reaves sets a cross screen for Davis before the ball screen between Westbrook and Davis occurs.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The Reaves screen is important, even though he doesn't nail it perfectly. Not only does it give Lopez something to navigate before the actual ball screen, Jevon Carter (Reaves' defender) is pulled away from his help, one pass way.</p>
<p><img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2022_12_04_03_40_05.png" alt="" width="660" height="371" /></p>
<p>With the Westbrook-Davis ball screen starting&nbsp;<em>inside&nbsp;</em>the three-point line, Westbrook only has to dribble twice to access the painted area. Davis is rolling to the empty side, which means there's no player available to tag him on the roll. Lopez is responsible for Davis' roll, and for cutting off Westbrook's path to the basket with Jrue Holiday trailing him.</p>
<p>Westbrook lofts a pass to Davis, who catches it with two feet firmly in the restricted circle. Davis flows into a turnaround hook from there over the outstretched arms of Lopez. It's a good possession from Lopez all things considered, but ultimately the Lakers were able to access the most fruitful portion of the court without a ton of work being done.</p>
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<p>The Lakers spammed a similar action with LeBron as the ball-handler for Davis. On multiple occasions, LeBron set up shop inside the arc &mdash; often around the free throw line &mdash; before receiving a screen from Davis, putting the Bucks in a bind.&nbsp;</p>
<p>We didn't see much size on LeBron for most of the night. Holiday was his primary defender for most of the night, with Wes Matthews also getting plenty of reps, particularly in the second half. Both are strong for their positions, as well as top-tier screen navigators. Ultimately, though, they're both around 6-foot-3. If they wound up caught on a screen, LeBron was able to generate efficient offense for himself.</p>
<p>If the Bucks opted to switch the action, that meant giving up an even bigger size mismatch. Davis was able to feast with lightly contested shots at the rim or favorable paths on the offensive glass. There simply wasn't a good answer for it.</p>
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<p>Between the Westbrook-Davis and LeBron-Davis pairings doing work, and efficient shooting from deep (42.3% clip), the Lakers were able to post a 121.3 offensive rating in the half-court, tying their best mark of the season, per Cleaning The Glass.</p>
<p>The Lakers won't always be&nbsp;<em>that&nbsp;</em>efficient, but keep an eye on their low, empty side pick-and-rolls moving forward.</p>

Nekias Duncan explores how the Los Angeles Lakers were able to put up an efficient 133 points against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.

Explain One Play: How the Lakers went low against the Bucks

<p>ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Trae Young had 30 points and 14 assists and the Atlanta Hawks snapped a three-game losing streak with a 125-108 win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.</p>
<p>Dejounte Murray added 27 points and Clint Capela finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds after a dominating first quarter in which Atlanta built an 11-point lead.</p>
<p>Franz Wagner had 22 points and six rebounds for Orlando, which lost its sixth straight. Paolo Banchero added 20 points and five assists.</p>
<p>The game marked the season debut of Magic point guard Markelle Fultz (toe fracture), and the return of guard Cole Anthony, who missed 17 games with a torn right oblique.</p>
<p>By the time AJ Griffin hit Atlanta's first 3-pointer, the Hawks led by 14 points. Young's first 3-pointer put Atlanta up 66-45 and he was just heating up after spending most of the first half setting up teammates.</p>
<p>When the Magic rallied in the fourth quarter, Young, Capela and Murray got back in the game for a few minutes. But Orlando never got closer than 15 points.</p>
<p>Led by Capel and Jarrett Culver (12 rebounds), Atlanta had a 49-33 rebound advantage.</p>
<p><strong>TIP-INS</strong></p>
<p>Hawks: John Collins, who injured his left ankle after making a dunk that didn't count at the halftime buzzer, did not play in the second half. ... G Bogdan Bogdanovic (knee), F Jalen Johnson (ankle) and G Justin Holiday (COVID-19) were declared out before the game, and the availability of De'Andre Hunter, who reported right thigh tightness Tuesday night, was a game-time decision. Hunter played only seven minutes.</p>
<p>Magic: Fultz, who fractured a left toe in early October and missed the first 21 games, had eight points and four assists in 17 minutes. ... G Gary Harris started, but did not play in the second half due to a strained right hamstring. ... C Mo Bamba (back), G Jalen Suggs (ankle), F Chuma Okeke (ankle) and C Wendell Carter Jr. (foot) were unavailable for the Magic. ... Orlando's opponents have shot 54% or better in three straight games.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

Trae Young had 30 points and the Atlanta Hawks snapped a three-game losing streak with a 125-108 win over the Orlando Magic.

Young, Hawks stop 3-game skid with 125-108 win over Magic

<p>Kyrie Irving&rsquo;s first press conference after returning from his suspension was met by a barrage of reporters seemingly throwing a series of questions at him that could have potentially resulted in him being suspended again.</p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The media smh <a href="https://t.co/6ZsGU5llll">pic.twitter.com/6ZsGU5llll</a></p>
&mdash; Etan Thomas (@etanthomas36) <a href="https://twitter.com/etanthomas36/status/1594830463675375620?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p>One interpretation is that the reporters were just doing their job in asking Kyrie the questions that inquiring minds would like answered. However, another interpretation is that Kyrie asked (very politely) if the reporters could simply stick to questions about the actual game, and they seemingly ignored his request and continued to ask questions that could potentially get him in hot water once again &mdash; an intentional attempt to set him up.</p>
<p>I wanted to delve deeper into this topic, so I reached out to journalist Chuck Modiano, who is a senior writer for Deadspin and has also written for the New York Daily News.</p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/chuck1_690w.jpg" alt="" width="576" height="409" /></p>
<p><strong>Etan Thomas</strong>: Does it seem like the media is now picking on Kyrie?</p>
<p><strong>Chuck Modiano</strong>: Let me first say that you have been doing a great job on social media covering this.</p>
<p><strong>Thomas</strong>: Oh, I appreciate that.</p>
<p><strong>Modiano</strong>: No problem. Well, there are definitely a couple of members who keep harping on it, but the problem is, they don&rsquo;t do that to other athletes. I don&rsquo;t think Jerry Jones is going to be peppered the same way. I know initially they asked him, but I doubt the questions will continue. I could be wrong, but we&rsquo;ll see. But the double standard always exists with Black athletes and it always has, and part of that double standard is the makeup of the press &mdash; and what the press finds noteworthy and not noteworthy to pursue. So yeah, it&rsquo;s definitely there and will continue to be there and we have to keep calling it out.</p>
<p><strong>Thomas</strong>: I agree, but I don&rsquo;t see enough people calling it out and that&rsquo;s the part that frustrates me. It seems like it&rsquo;s just accepted. And let&rsquo;s take the actual content of everything that happened with Kyrie out of the discussion for a moment, and just compare this to how, say, Brett Farve was dealt with in the media. I mean, he didn&rsquo;t have to do anything &mdash; he didn&rsquo;t have to apologize or nothing?</p>
<p><strong>Modiano</strong>: I think Brett Favre is a great recurring example. With Kyrie, it goes so far beyond the initial discussion of anti-semitism. It goes to something greater in media. The Black athlete is profitable and the Black athlete&rsquo;s perceived misbehavior is profitable. And we know this when a discussion should shift and it does not. So I&rsquo;ll give you an example. So there was a period of time where the discussion moved from Kyrie Irving to Jeff Bezos &mdash; let&rsquo;s hold Amazon accountable. He&rsquo;s making all this money off "Hebrews To Negroes." And let&rsquo;s form a petition, etc. And there were some famous actors joining in the charge. Rolling Stone actually had pictures of those actors, but most publications, even if the article was focused on Jeff Bezos and Amazon, still had the cover picture of Kyrie. So I said, "Well, that&rsquo;s not about perceived anti-semitism, that&rsquo;s about anti-Blackness." Because, again, the whole article was about Jeff Bezos and Amazon, so why is Kyrie on the cover picture? That was an editorial choice and that&rsquo;s when you have to examine the fact that anti-Blackness will get you more clicks and there is more profit in anti-Blackness.</p>
<p><strong>Thomas</strong>: That&rsquo;s interesting. Now that you say that, I definitely noticed that as well. And to your point, there are a lot of Black media that participate in that as well. Right now, there are a lot of people trying to give Jerry Jones a pass. I just saw Stephen A. Smith and Jason Whitlock both defending him today. I actually tweeted about it.</p>
<p><strong>Modiano</strong>: It&rsquo;s completely ridiculous. And listen, I am someone who has marched with former Nazis who are now against Nazis and are now on the anti-racism side and it&rsquo;s their life mission to flip other Nazis. So I am someone who believes to the greatest extent that reform is possible. But let&rsquo;s take Jerry Jones here, and put aside the fact that probably 95% of white people in Arkansas in 1957 more than likely shared a certain belief about Black people, I think we can safely say that. But not everyone joined a mob to terrorize Black students, so there is a difference between racist thoughts and racist actions. And it&rsquo;s important to remember that in 1954, the Brown vs. Board of Education was put into law, and the one of the ways white people would fight against that law was through mob action, and Jerry Jones was a part of that. So if you&rsquo;re going to tell me he&rsquo;s changed, I need to see it. I see his comments about [Colin] Kaepernick. I see the fact that he has never had a Black head coach. I see him donating half a million to Governor [Greg] Abbott&rsquo;s campaign. This doesn&rsquo;t sound like he has changed too much since 1957.</p>
<p><strong>Thomas</strong>: And the same with Brett Favre. I haven&rsquo;t seen anything where he's tried to make amends after this $77 million Mississippi state-welfare-fund scandal or any evidence that he has changed. They say it&rsquo;s always something with Kyrie; well, it&rsquo;s always something with Brett Favre, right?</p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="qme"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JerryJones?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JerryJones</a> <a href="https://t.co/kpy9G3XaFU">pic.twitter.com/kpy9G3XaFU</a></p>
&mdash; Etan Thomas (@etanthomas36) <a href="https://twitter.com/etanthomas36/status/1596296501747228674?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<div><strong>Modiano</strong>: Oh, don&rsquo;t get me started on Brett. He has a long, ugly history and I&rsquo;m not just talking about outwardly supporting Donald Trump at the height of his racism and Charlottesville and Jan. 6th, or the inappropriate messages and nude pictures he sent to New York Jets game day host Ms. Sterger, but yes there is definitely enough history for there to be much more upheaval of outrage from the media. So we have to ask, why is the Brett Favre scandal not given the same attention and scrutiny as Kyrie? The answer could be simply that Brett Favre is not going to produce the amount of clicks that Kyrie will. But then you have to ask: why is Kyrie going to produce more clicks? Because Brett is retired and Kyrie is an active player? I don&rsquo;t think that&rsquo;s it. I think it&rsquo;s because of anti-Blackness. We have a white customer service base that likes to see Black athletes being denigrated and will use Black media talking heads, like the ones you named before, to do the actual denigrating. That&rsquo;s the bottom line. So some will say, "No, it&rsquo;s the anti-semitism that is a much bigger issue." Well, if that were the case, all forms of perceived anti-semitism would garner the same reaction that Kyrie did, and it doesn&rsquo;t.</div>
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<div><strong>Thomas</strong>: And to your point, let me read this <a href="https://twitter.com/shaunking/status/1596184440513777665" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweet from Shaun King</a> that read: &ldquo;So we now know that Donald Trump just had dinner with one of the most explicit bigots and Holocaust-deniers in the world right now, Nick Fuentes. I need to see if Trump and the people who support him get the Kyrie Irving treatment now. I seriously doubt it." Now they can&rsquo;t say that Kyrie has more power and influence than Trump, so will there be a big outrage about Trump?&nbsp;</div>
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<div><strong>Modiano</strong>: We already know the answer to that. Of course there won&rsquo;t and Nick Fuentes is a proud white supremacist and racist. He is an actual Holocaust denier and has spewed actual anti-semetic rhetoric out of his mouth. And Trump has himself said a lot of perceived, I&rsquo;ll say, antisemitic statements. So in comparing the reaction of that to Kyrie, you&rsquo;re right; it&rsquo;s not the same outrage.&nbsp;A few years ago, I wrote an article with the New York Daily News asking, "Why are we not critiquing white athletes?" Whether it&rsquo;s Tom Brady with the Trump hat in his locker or Brett Favre posing in a picture with him on the golf course, where were those same reporters who pressed Kyrie then? Where were the pointed questions that we are seeing repeatedly with Kyrie? So if we are going to have a media that is critiquing athletes the way they are with Kyrie, ok that&rsquo;s fine, but let&rsquo;s do it with the white athletes too.&nbsp;</div>
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<div><strong>Thomas</strong>: So, how can Kyrie navigate through this? Because it seems like the media is going to continue to press him on topics where they&rsquo;re almost trying to play <em>GOTCHA</em> with him. He has to meet with the media, or he&rsquo;ll get fined. So should he just keep repeating the phrase, "Can you please only ask me basketball questions?" Or do the Marshawn Lynch ("I&rsquo;m just here so I won&rsquo;t get fined")?</div>
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<div><strong>Modiano</strong>: I&rsquo;ll tell you what, I thought he turned the Thanksgiving question on its head pretty nicely. I thought it was brilliant how he navigated that. He ended positively, he wished everyone a happy holiday, and he did it with a smile, but he also made the point clear: I&rsquo;m not personally celebrating Thanksgiving. And I think that&rsquo;s great because it now brings the much larger discussion that is not going on about the actual history of Thanksgiving and the treatment of indigenous people of this country, so I thought he navigated that question brilliantly.&nbsp;</div>
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<div><strong>Thomas</strong>: But do you think the media was again trying to pick at him? I tweeted about this and it got a very strong response. Anyone who has been even remotely following the NBA knows about Kyrie Irving&rsquo;s connection to his Native American heritage. When I saw that, I was like, "Are they just trolling Kyrie now?" They could&rsquo;ve asked any other player on the team that, but they ask him in particular? I just don&rsquo;t think they would&rsquo;ve asked Deni Avdija (the Washington Wizards forward who is Jewish) if he would like to wish everyone out there a Merry Christmas; I just personally don&rsquo;t think they would.&nbsp;</div>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">They know Kyrie Irving doesn&rsquo;t celebrate Thanksgiving and they know exactly why because he has explained his connection to his Native American heritage and the celebrated slaughter of his people. The media is being very intentional right now with Kyrie <a href="https://t.co/RCKWhaJn0I">https://t.co/RCKWhaJn0I</a></p>
&mdash; Etan Thomas (@etanthomas36) <a href="https://twitter.com/etanthomas36/status/1595784312359624707?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<div><strong>Modiano</strong>: So, I&rsquo;m leaning toward what you&rsquo;re saying. I don&rsquo;t know who the particular reporter was, I don&rsquo;t know the history, and we have to look at media collectively, not just this one person.&nbsp;</div>
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<div><strong>Thomas</strong>: Oh yeah, it wasn&rsquo;t particular to Meghan Triplett, the Nets new sideline reporter; I wasn&rsquo;t saying that. I was just using this one instance as yet another example, not her in particular. &nbsp;</div>
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<div><strong>Modiano</strong>: Right, but I think collectively, it&rsquo;s no question the media has a double standard with Kyrie. It&rsquo;s abundantly clear. So I&rsquo;ll say it like this: I can&rsquo;t say definitively that it&rsquo;s a racial double standard, but I will say that it&rsquo;s worthy of an investigation of a possibly racial double standard. And it&rsquo;s not just Kyrie, there has been a racial double standard historically with Black athletes for decades.&nbsp;</div>
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<div><strong>Thomas</strong>: So let me ask you this: People like Shaq and Charles Barkley were very direct with their critique of Kyrie. I actually tweeted about this as well.&nbsp;</div>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Immediately they got <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CharlesBarkley?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CharlesBarkley</a> to go live and condemn <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KyrieIrving?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KyrieIrving</a> and I know he hadn&rsquo;t actually watched <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HebrewsToNegroes?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HebrewsToNegroes</a> to even know what he was talking about. But Barkley is one of the go to Black Media used to condemn Black People and it&rsquo;s sad<a href="https://t.co/58aGoedJo8">https://t.co/58aGoedJo8</a> <a href="https://t.co/XC1kdKqKXi">pic.twitter.com/XC1kdKqKXi</a></p>
&mdash; Etan Thomas (@etanthomas36) <a href="https://twitter.com/etanthomas36/status/1595022874901090311?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<div><strong>Modiano</strong>: I&rsquo;m telling you, you&rsquo;ve been <em>on it</em> on social media. And your interviews have been great too. Different perspectives. You even got a Rabbi! I haven&rsquo;t seen anyone go to the length to actually sit down with a Rabbi and discuss this.</div>
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<div><strong>Thomas</strong>: (Laughing) Well, there&rsquo;s been a lot to cover, but it seems like people like Charles Barkley and those of his ilk are just not willing to move past it. He brought it up again last night, saying he was disappointed that more NBA players didn&rsquo;t come out and speak against him. I&rsquo;m just like... he has apologized, served his suspension, went through the entire ridiculous six-step criteria they laid out for him, met with Adam Silver, met with Joe Tsai, and they all gave him the stamp of approval that he is not anti-semitic (although he never said anything out of his mouth that was anti-semitic). He went through all of those steps, so how long will it be before the media as a collective whole stops trolling him?&nbsp;</div>
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<div><strong>Modiano</strong>: My response to the many problematic things that come out of Charles Barkley&rsquo;s mouth is: Why is he being uplifted as this voice of Black America or something? I remember a few years ago, CNN did this series called Race In America, led by Charles Barkley. What qualified him to lead that series?&nbsp;</div>
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<div><strong>Thomas</strong>: They could&rsquo;ve gotten Craig Hodges, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Colin Kaepernick, John Carlos, Tommie Smith or if they wanted contemporary athletes, they could&rsquo;ve gotten LeBron James, Eric Reid, Jaylen Brown, the Olympian Gwen Berry, Swin Cash... There are so many combinations of athlete activists they could&rsquo;ve gotten. And I interviewed most of them in my book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/We-Matter-Athletes-Activism-Sports/dp/1617755915/ref=nodl_?dplnkId=66c9a448-2d15-42b5-ad8b-555bf1229604" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"We Matter: Athletes And Activism.&rdquo;&nbsp;</a></div>
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<div><strong>Modiano</strong>: Right, but they didn&rsquo;t want any of them, they wanted Charles Barkley. Why? The same reason he was on CNN being the spokesperson of Black America, which I believe you tweeted about too.</div>
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<div><strong>Thomas</strong>: Yes, <a href="https://twitter.com/etanthomas36/status/1594710024969912322?s=46&amp;t=DudNOqBBO4hPI-A58FFLUg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I did actually.</a>&nbsp;</div>
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<div><strong>Modiano</strong>: I told you, you&rsquo;ve been on it! (laughing) But why Charles Barkley? Because they know what his position will be on the topic, so it doesn&rsquo;t matter that he doesn&rsquo;t have a rich history of social justice like all the athletes you mentioned before and interviewed in your book. They like the positions he takes so that will trump his actual qualifications. Same with Herschel Walker. But just think about it, they don&rsquo;t do that with white athletes; they don&rsquo;t turn them into the spokespersons for white America on race relations. Anybody know where Larry Bird stands on anything? Kevin McHale? Dirk? Jerry West? Chris Mullin? We have to question these networks who continue to put the mic in Charles Barkley&rsquo;s face but at the same time, we know the answer. It&rsquo;s because he is saying what they want to hear a Black person say. Anti-Black is anti Black whether it&rsquo;s on Fox News, Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, Jason Whitlock or Charles Barkley.</div>
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<div><strong>Thomas</strong>: So basically, a lot of people in the media are pawns like Kyrie said&hellip; You don&rsquo;t have to answer that. Like you said, we already know the answer.</div>
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<div><strong>Check out these related episodes of "The Rematch."</strong></div>
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<div>Craig Hodges and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf:</div>
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<div>Rabbi Harry Rozenberg:</div>
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<div>Dave Zirin:</div>
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Has the media treated Kyrie Irving fairly? Etan Thomas sits down with journalist Chuck Modiano to discuss the coverage of Irving.

How long will the media continue to troll Kyrie Irving?

<p>It feels like trade rumor season doesn't begin until John Collins' name is brought up.</p>
<p>Over the weekend, <a href="https://theathletic.com/3910489/2022/11/18/hawks-suns-john-collins-jae-crowder-trade-talk-shams-inside-pass/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Athletic's Shams Charania reported</a> that the Atlanta Hawks "opened preliminary trade discussions" involving the talented forward, while listing the Phoenix Suns as a team with some level of interest.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/early-success-means-jazz-have-some-options-to-consider-on-trade-market-120705606.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added more Wednesday</a>, citing the Utah Jazz as a team that would covet Collins on their roster. From Fischer:</p>
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<p>The Jazz&rsquo;s interest in Hawks forward&nbsp;<a class="link " href="https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/5832/" data-ylk="slk:John Collins" data-rapid_p="101" data-v9y="1">John Collins</a>&nbsp;is real, league sources said, and would seem to indicate Utah is considering how to add to this winning unit rather than subtract from it. Right now, the likelihood of Collins landing in Salt Lake City, though, seems low. Atlanta approached the Jazz about swapping Collins for Markkanen, sources said, which did not generate any traction.</p>
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<p>It's easy to see why the Hawks would want Lauri Markkanen. Markkanen is scorching the nets this season, averaging a career-high 22.3 points (64.2% on twos, 36.1% on 5.7 threes per game). He isn't just a better shooter than Collins, but he's also a more willing shooter &mdash; on top of being able to get shots from different platforms. Pick-and-pops, spot-ups, off-ball relocations and movement triples coming after screens are all in Markkanen's bag.</p>
<p>Considering Markkanen can also get his own &mdash; 56.7% of his twos and 74.4% of his threes are assisted on, compared to 67.2/85.7 for Collins &mdash; he could take some of the creation burden off of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray.</p>
<p>It's a little more difficult to parse out Utah's interest, even if the likelihood of a move doesn't seem high right now.</p>
<p>The Jazz are off to a 12-7 start behind the NBA's fourth-best offense. A move for Collins would be aiding a strength, particularly his ability to bend defenses with his rolling (and slipping) in ball-screens. Assuming the jumper bounces back &mdash; he's canning only 26.9% of his threes this year after draining nearly 39% of them across the last three seasons &mdash; Collins would be a valuable screening partner for their ball-screen-heavy guards.</p>
<p>I'm not sure how much Collins would solve Utah's solid-but-sliding defense. He's a better mover and weak-side rim protector than Kelly Olynyk, for example, but even the most optimistic view of him as a defender overall is neutral right now. You could argue the Jazz would have more room to ramp up their pressure in ball-screens; Olynyk has mostly operated in a drop to less-than-stellar results, whereas Collins may be more comfortable operating at the level.</p>
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<p>If a deal were to come to fruition, it seems likely that Olynyk would be the big piece coming back to Atlanta. His spacing and secondary (and honestly, random) playmaking in the half-court would open up avenues for the Hawks.&nbsp;</p>
<p>(Secondly, it's worth keeping an eye on the Hawks' tax situation. Swapping out Collins' long-term money for the expiring deal of Olynyk may be more valuable than the Hawks' fan base would like.)</p>
<p>Figuring out the rest of the deal is the fun part. As Fischer wrote in his piece, Mike Conley's salary could get them there, but two questions immediately pop up.</p>
<p>1) Do the Hawks&nbsp;<em>need&nbsp;</em>another point guard, even one who's played as well as Conley has before the injury?</p>
<p>2) Would the Jazz even have interest in moving Conley in a deal like this? He's still their most reliable creator out of ball-screens. You can talk yourself into a Conley-Collins two-man game down the stretch; Sexton-Collins might look different, at least early on.</p>
<p>The answer may be Malik Beasley, a sharpshooter (38.8% from three on 7.0 attempts over the past four seasons) whose deal could come off the books this summer (<a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/utah-jazz/yearly/cap/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$16.5 million team option</a> for next season). The deal could also expand to include Rudy Gay ($6.5 million player option for next year) and Justin Holiday (expiring) swapping places as a "we're taking on the Collins money" tax from the Jazz.</p>
<p>I think there's further conversation to be had between the two sides, even if I didn't have the initial conversation on my bingo card.</p>

Nekias Duncan analyzes why the Jazz could covet John Collins and what they could send back to the Hawks in return.