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Magic

Today, the NBA and FIBA announced 80 of the top high-school-age prospects from across Africa who will participate in the 19th edition of Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa, which will be held July 28-31 at the American International School of Johannesburg (AISJ) in South Africa.
BWB Africa 2023 will bring together 80 boys and girls from more than 25 African countries &ndash; including 19 NBA Academy Africa and NBA Academy Women&rsquo;s Camp Africa 2022 prospects &ndash; to learn directly from current and former NBA, WNBA and FIBA players, legends and coaches and compete alongside their peers from across the continent.&nbsp;
The campers will be coached by two-time NBA All-Star Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat; U.S.; ties to Nigeria), 2022 NBA All-Star Darius Garland (Cleveland Cavaliers; U.S.), 2022 NBA champion Jonathan Kuminga (Golden State Warriors; Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Jalen Suggs (Orlando Magic; U.S.).
Five current and former NBA head coaches will also serve as BWB Africa 2023 coaches: Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff; two-time NBA Coach of the Year, Nigeria Men&rsquo;s National Team head coach and Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown; 2018 NBA Coach of the Year Dwane Casey (most recently with the Detroit Pistons); Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham; and veteran NBA coach Dave Joerger (most recently with the Philadelphia 76ers).
Several former NBA and WNBA players will also serve as BWB Africa 2023 coaches, including 2015 FIBA AfroBasket champion Olumide Oyedeji (Nigeria), 2011 NBA champion Ian Mahinmi (France; ties Benin), former NBA player and Basketball Africa League Head of League Operations Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje (Cameroon), former NBA player Tacko Fall (Senegal), 2003 WNBA champion Astou Ndiaye (Senegal), two-time WNBA champion Taj McWilliams-Franklin, four-time WNBA champion Sheryl Swoopes and Mozambique basketball legend Clarisse Machanguana.&nbsp;
Toronto Raptors Vice-Chairman, Team President and Alternate NBA Governor Masai Ujiri; New Orleans Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin; and Portland Trail Blazers Assistant General Manager Mike Schmitz will serve as camp directors, while David Crewe and Frank Adams (Phoenix Suns) will serve as the camp&rsquo;s athletic trainers.
The players and coaches will lead the campers through a variety of activities, including movement efficiency drills, offensive and defensive skill stations, three-point contests, 5-on-5 games, and life skills and leadership development sessions.&nbsp;&nbsp;A ceremony on the final day of the camp will award the Kim Bohuny Camp MVP, the Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award, the B.J. Johnson Most Improved Player Award, the Three-Point Champion and the Defensive MVP to the boys and girls who distinguish themselves on the court and as leaders.
As part of the camp, NBA players and coaches will also participate in several community outreach initiatives around Johannesburg, including a hospital visit and a Her Time to Play seminar for the female campers on July 28, and a court unveiling in the Alexandra Township on Saturday, July 29.&nbsp; In addition, BWB Africa 2023 coaches will lead a development clinic for local coaches at AISJ on July 30.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Also on July 29, select&nbsp;NBA players&nbsp;will visit the NBA Store at Sandton City Mall in Johannesburg and engage with fans.
BWB Africa 2023 will be supported by Nike, a global partner of BWB since 2002, which will outfit participants with Nike apparel and footwear, and Gatorade, which will keep players and coaches hydrated throughout the camp.
BWB has reached more than 4,100 participants from 136 countries and territories since 2001, with 112 former campers advancing to the NBA or WNBA.&nbsp; The NBA and FIBA have staged 70 BWB camps in 47 cities across 32 countries on six continents.
The following is a complete list of players participating in the 19th&nbsp;BWB Africa camp (rosters subject to change):
&nbsp;
<table style="width: 447px;" width="447">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 403px;" colspan="2">
GIRLS
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Name
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Country
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Ines Bellahmer
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Algeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Filomena Luis
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Guigma Sadia
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Burkina Faso
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Gisele Kipo*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Cameroon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Hannah Dibadjou
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Cameroon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Salma Khedr*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Leila El Sanadily
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Aisha Hassan
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Lucie Mounganga
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Gabon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Fatoumata Sylla
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Guinea
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Roseline Ooko
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Kenya
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Harena Randriamasimanana
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Madagascar
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Fitahiana Ratsimason
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Madagascar
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Joanie Rakotonanahary
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Madagascar
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Fatoumata Samake*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mali
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Oumou Soumare
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mali
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Aya El Kallali*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Morocco
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Albertina Matsinhe*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mozambique
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Bata Lurdes*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mozambique
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Shanaya Matusse*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mozambique
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Joy Biribebe
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Benitha Ngarambe
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Rwanda
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Jane Dusabe
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Rwanda
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Fatou Sima
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Marie Diouf
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Ndickou Matar Diop*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Tacko Sy
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Sheriffa Rahman
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Sierra Leone
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Onnetse Molokwame
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Luhle Ndaba
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Reneilwe Motebele
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Susan Peter
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Asunta Ring
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Nawasa Lazaro
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Tanzania
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Ibouanga Moussounda
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Togo
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Arwa Ghorbel*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Eya Nasri
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Afef Bengoula
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Christine Namyalo
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Uganda
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Immaculate Adongpiny
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Uganda
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*Participated in NBA Academy Women&rsquo;s Camp Africa 2022
&nbsp;
<table width="447">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 418.75px;" colspan="2" width="447">
BOYS
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Name
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Country
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Aginaldo Neto*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Manuel Camboma*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Inacio Anatoli Da Silva
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Claudino Capangaa
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Sansao Wika
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Philippe Ntungicimpaye
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Burundi
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Arnold Eyadi Kenfack
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Cameroon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Hermann Bel Gassina
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Cameroon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Chris Naguidebe
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Central African Republic
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Tahir Doungous*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Chad
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Zie Cheikh Conde
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Tarek Khairy
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Ahmed Nedale
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Karim El Gizawi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Courage Agbekpornu
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Ghana
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Kiggundu Austin Omondi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Kenya
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Chouhaybou Keita
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Mali
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Mahamadou Konate
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Mali
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Hamza Bechchar
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Morocco
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Bolaji Oderinlo
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Sultan Baruwa
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Ibrahim Dan-Mutum
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Jonah Precious
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Ezekiel Obe*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Andre Bonazebi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Republic of Congo
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Jude Fred Nkouka Silaho
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Republic of Congo
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Khadim Mboup*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Assane Mandian*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Yakhya Diop*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Amar Diop*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Mouhamed Camara
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Siyanda Radebe
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Gilchrist Storm
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Khaman Maluach*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Moses Marial Mandiria
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Bol Wieu Mou Thet
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Lual Deng Lual Aguek
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Rayen Rouissi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Amen Hammi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Liberty Fusire*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Zimbabwe
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*NBA Academy Africa prospect

Bam Adebayo, Darius Garland, Jonathan Kuminga and Jalen Suggs will coach 80 top high-school-age prospects from across Africa.

Adebayo, Garland, Kuminga, Suggs to coach prospects at BWB Africa 2023

UNLV coach Lindy La Rocque was 4 years old the last time the Lady Rebels were ranked in The Associated Press Top 25 women&rsquo;s basketball poll.
Now the Las Vegas native has the team back in the Top 25 for the first time since 1994: UNLV entered the poll at No. 23 on Monday.
&ldquo;Obviously it means a lot. When I took the job I had a vision of what this place could be and what it once was,&rdquo; La Rocque said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what I remember and I&rsquo;m trying to put the pieces together to make that come to fruition. This is one of the small milestones that gives you a little bit of joy and you know that you&rsquo;re doing some things right.&rdquo;
South Carolina earned the No. 1 ranking for the 34th consecutive week. That is tied for the third-longest run atop the poll with UConn. Only the Huskies (51 weeks) and Louisiana Tech (36) have had longer streaks at No. 1.
The Gamecocks (25-0), who were again a unanimous choice from the 28-member national media panel, routed then-No. 3 LSU on Sunday in a showdown of unbeaten teams. The Tigers fell to fifth.
Indiana, Stanford and Utah were behind South Carolina. It&rsquo;s the best ranking in school history for the Utes, who moved up three places this week.
UConn dropped two spots to sixth after falling at Marquette, giving the Huskies their first losing streak in 30 years. Iowa fell two places to seventh after losing to Indiana.
Maryland, Duke and Notre Dame rounded out the top 10.
UNLV (24-2) has won 15 straight games, second to only South Carolina for the longest streak in the country. It is the team&rsquo;s best start since the 1989-90 team went 28-3.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s cool. If you look at our roster, the two best players are from Vegas,&rdquo; said La Rocque, who played at Stanford. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s some good karma that we got working.&rdquo;
USC joined the Lady Rebels in the Top 25, entering the poll at No. 25. It&rsquo;s the first time since 2016 that the Trojans are ranked. They visit Stanford on Friday night.
South Florida and N.C. State fell out of the poll.
STREAK BUSTED
North Carolina State is not ranked for the first time since Feb. 5, 2018. The Wolfpack had been ranked for 96 consecutive weeks, which had been the fifth-longest active streak behind UConn, Maryland, South Carolina and Stanford.
CRUISING WILDCATS
Buoyed by star Maddy Siegrist, Villanova continues to climb up the AP Top 25. Siegrist scored a Big East-record 50 points in a win over Seton Hall on Saturday to become the conference&rsquo;s all-time leading scorer. With 1,550 conference regular-season points, Siegrist surpassed former Boston College standout Sarah Behn&rsquo;s (1989-93) 1,546 points. Siegrist has the Wildcats at No. 14, the school&rsquo;s best ranking in 20 years.&nbsp;

The No. 23 Runnin' Rebels have won 15 straight games, second to only South Carolina for the longest streak in the country.

UNLV women ranked for first time in 29 years; South Carolina No. 1

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) &mdash; Bryce Hopkins scored 27 points and Providence dominated the second half and knocked off fourth-ranked UConn 73-61 on Wednesday night for its eighth straight victory.
Noah Locke added 17 points to help the Friars (13-3, 5-0) earn their second win over a ranked team this season and remain unbeaten in the Big East. It was Providence&rsquo;s first win over the Huskies at Amica Mutual Pavilion since Feb. 20, 2012, when the Friars won 72-70.
Jordan Hawkins led the Huskies (14-2, 3-2) with 15 points, and Donovan Clingan added 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The Huskies have lost two in a row after opening the season with 14 straight wins and winning their first three conference games.
GEORGIA TECH 76, NO. 12 MIAMI 70
ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Lance Terry scored a season-high 24 points, Miles Kelly added 20 and Georgia Tech snapped Miami&rsquo;s nine-game winning streak.
The Yellow Jackets (8-6, 1-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) closed the game on a 12-0 run that ended with a pair of free throws by Kelly with 16.5 seconds remaining. That ended the scoring.
Miami (13-2, 4-1) didn&rsquo;t score over the last four-plus minutes. Jordan Miller and Norchad Omier each led the Hurricanes with 17 points, and Nijel Pack had 13.
NO. 13 ARKANSAS 74, NO. 20 MISSOURI 68
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) &mdash; Ricky Council scored 25 points and Joseph Pinion scored 13 off the bench as Arkansas rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat Missouri.
The Razorbacks (12-2, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) didn&rsquo;t lead until back-to-back fast-break buckets from Council and guard Devo Davis provided a one-point advantage with 14:24 left.
Missouri (12-2, 1-1) had stifled Arkansas and built its lead to 17 points with its zone defense in the first half, limiting the Razorbacks to 36% shooting from the field and 2 for 12 from 3-point range.
Sean East led Missouri with 13 points, while Nick Honor and Kobe Brown added 12 and 11, respectively.
N.C. STATE 84, NO. 16 DUKE 60
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Terquavion Smith scored 24 points and N.C. State jumped all over Duke from the opening tip.
Jarkel Joiner added 21 points, nine assists and six rebounds for the Wolfpack (12-4, 2-3 ACC), who scored the game&rsquo;s first 15 points and led by 22 by halftime in a shocking romp.
While the Wolfpack pounced, the Blue Devils (11-4, 2-2) watched early shots roll off the rim or be swatted away. They compounded their problems by piling up turnovers in a game that quickly got away.
Freshman Kyle Filipowski scored 14 points to lead Duke, which shot 40% and just 5 of 15 from 3-point range. Duke also committed 21 turnovers, many fueling the Wolfpack&rsquo;s 25 fast-break points.
NO. 17 TCU 88, NO. 19 BAYLOR 87
WACO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Chuck O&rsquo;Bannon made a jumper with 4 seconds left and TCU rallied to beat Baylor, extending the Horned Frogs&rsquo; winning streak to 11 games.
The Frogs (13-1, 2-0 Big 12) got the ball back after a missed 3-pointer by Baylor&rsquo;s Jaylen Bridges that went out of bounds with 10 seconds left. Mike Miles Jr., who scored a career-high 33 points, had the ball, but passed to O&rsquo;Bannon in front of the TCU bench.
Baylor freshman Keyonte George scored a season-high 27 points, but he missed a contested drive to the hoop as the game ended.
Damian Baugh and Eddie Lampkin both had 15 points for TCU, which has come back from double-digit deficits in each of its first two Big 12 games. Lampkin had five points in the final 1:45.
Adam Flagler and LJ Cryer had 13 points each for Baylor (10-4, 0-2), which had its 13-game home winning streak snapped.
GEORGIA 76, NO. 22 AUBURN 64
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) &mdash; Terry Roberts overcame early foul trouble to match his career high with 26 points and Georgia made first-year coach Mike White&rsquo;s Southeastern Conference debut with the Bulldogs memorable by beating Auburn.
Auburn (11-3, 1-1 SEC) trailed most of the game despite Johni Broome&rsquo;s 22 points and 12 rebounds. The Tigers couldn&rsquo;t stage a serious late comeback, pulling no closer than eight points in the final 3 minutes.
Kario Oquendo had 17 points for Georgia (11-3, 1-0), which celebrated its SEC opener after a strong nonconference showing under White, the former Florida coach.
NO. 23 CHARLESTON 92, N.C. A&amp;T 79
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Dalton Bolon tallied his first career double-double with 22 points and 10 boards as the College of Charleston won its 14th straight game by notching a victory over N.C. A&amp;T.
Charleston (15-1, 3-0 Colonial Athletic Association) is off to its best single-season start since joining the Division I ranks in 1991.
Bolon &mdash; who was one of five Charleston players to score in double digits &mdash; made 10 of 16 shots for the Cougars and also dished out two assists. Ante Brzovic and Pat Robinson III each scored 12 points, while Raekwon Horton and Ben Burnham both had 11.
Kam Woods scored a career-high 30 points to lead N.C. A&amp;T (6-10, 1-2). Duncan Powell added 20 points for the Aggies, while Marcus Watson had 12 points and 12 boards.
NO. 25 IOWA STATE 63, OKLAHOMA 60
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) &mdash; Caleb Grill scored 20 points and Iowa State held on to beat Oklahoma.
Osun Osunniyi added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Cyclones (11-2, 2-0 Big 12).
Jalen Hill scored 16 and Tanner Groves had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Sooners (9-5, 0-2). Oklahoma was coming off a 70-69 home loss to No. 6 Texas.
Oklahoma&rsquo;s Grant Sherfield, who was averaging 18.3 points per game, finished with four points on 1 for 7 shooting.

A recap of Wednesday night's men's college basketball slate includes the Friars staying red-hot against a top-five Huskies team.

Providence beats No. 4 UConn 73-61 for 8th straight win

MOSCOW (AP) &mdash; American basketball star Brittney Griner has been sent to a penal colony in Russia to serve her sentence for drug possession, her legal team said Wednesday.
A Russian court rejected an appeal of her nine-year sentence last month. The eight-time all-star center with the WNBA&rsquo;s Phoenix Mercury and a two-time Olympic gold medalist was convicted Aug. 4 after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow&rsquo;s Sheremetyevo Airport.
Her arrest came at a time of heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington, just days before Russia sent troops into Ukraine, and the politically charged case could lead to a high-stakes prisoner exchange between Washington and Moscow.
&ldquo;Every minute that Brittney Griner must endure wrongful detention in Russia is a minute too long,&rdquo; White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. &ldquo;As we have said before, the U.S. Government made a significant offer to the Russians to resolve the current unacceptable and wrongful detentions of American citizens.&rdquo;
Griner&rsquo;s legal team said she left a detention center outside Moscow on Nov. 4 for a penal colony &mdash; a common type of Russian prison where detainees work for minimal pay. The move was expected since she lost her appeal.
Such transfers can take days or even weeks, during which time lawyers and loved ones usually don&rsquo;t have contact with the prisoner. Even after she arrives, access to Griner may be difficult since many penal colonies are in remote parts of Russia.
Her lawyers said Wednesday that they did not know exactly where she was or where she would end up &mdash; but that they expected to be notified when she reached her final destination.
In a statement stressing the work being done to secure Griner&rsquo;s release, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted that Russian authorities give the embassy regular access to Griner, as they are required to do.
The 32-year-old star athlete, who was detained while returning to play for a Russian team during the WNBA&rsquo;s offseason, has admitted that she had the canisters in her luggage. But she testified that she had inadvertently packed them in haste and that she had no criminal intent. Her defense team presented written statements that she had been prescribed cannabis to treat pain.
The Associated Press and other news organizations have reported that Washington has offered to exchange Griner and Paul Whelan &mdash; an American serving a 16-year sentence in Russia for espionage &mdash; for Viktor Bout. Bout is a Russian arms dealer who is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. and once earned the nickname the &ldquo;merchant of death.&rdquo;

Griner’s legal team said she left a detention center outside Moscow on Nov. 4 for a penal colony — a common type of Russian prison where detainees work for minimal pay.

Brittney Griner sent to Russian penal colony to serve sentence

MARYVILLE, Mo. (AP) &mdash; There is growing fear among college basketball coaches at the lower levels of the sport, the vast majority of which do not make seven-figure salaries, fly around the country in private jets or hang out with rich and famous boosters and fans.
It&rsquo;s a fear that comes with success.
It only takes a couple of marquee players to compete for championships at the Division II or III level, the NAIA or even in low-major Division I leagues. But in an era of freedom of transfer and name, image and likeness endorsement money, the reality is this: If your program is too good, there&rsquo;s a good chance those prolific players will be playing elsewhere next season, recruited to major programs that can offer them more exposure, opportunities and financial benefits.
When it happens, lower-level coaches who might be coming off a 20-win season could be left rebuilding their rosters and fighting for 10 wins and, potentially, their jobs.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s always been an opportunity to poach kids if you want to poach them, but it&rsquo;s all become easier now,&rdquo; said Joe Lombardi, the longtime coach of Division II powerhouse Indiana (Pa.). &ldquo;I believe in karma. I&rsquo;m not doing that, OK? But some places it has become a way of life. It&rsquo;s disappointing that people invest in kids and, you know, they get poached.
&ldquo;They don&rsquo;t just go to the market,&rdquo; Lombardi added. &ldquo;Some do, but a lot of them are talked into it.&rdquo;
His team reached the Final Four last season thanks largely to shooting guard Armoni Foster, who averaged 18 points for the Crimson Hawks, but who will be playing Division I ball for Buffalo this season. And while Lombardi encouraged him to seek a better opportunity for his final year of eligibility, the coach acknowledges that won&rsquo;t always be the case.
Especially when players no longer have to sit out a year under the NCAA&rsquo;s transfer rules.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had guys that Division I schools made overtures about and I&rsquo;m eventually going to lose someone, and it might not be amicable,&rdquo; Lombardi said. &ldquo;I might not be happy with the move. But if you&rsquo;re in it long enough, that will happen.&rdquo;
It happened at Nova Southeastern, the top seed in the NCAA Tournament last year. Sekou Sylla, who averaged 22.4 points and 10.4 rebounds for the Division II program, will be playing for Towson at the Division I level this season.
And it happened at Hillsdale, another strong Division II program, where Patrick Cartier caught the attention of Colorado State. And at Bentley, which saw shooting guard Colton Lawrence follow up a strong season by leaving for Maryland-Baltimore County, a low-major program but nonetheless an opportunity for him to compete at the Division I level.
Even the bluest of the bluebloods have kept their eyes open for lower-level transfers.
Cam Martin, a bruising 6-foot-9 forward, was a two-time All-American for Missouri Southern who chose to continue his career elsewhere. He landed at Kansas, the defending Division I national champion, about a 3-hour drive from the Lions&rsquo; campus in Joplin but light years away in terms of opportunity and experience.
Martin, who graduated from Missouri Southern and is pursuing his graduate degree at Kansas, went from starting every game and playing major minutes to being a key practice player but rarely seeing the floor in actual games.
&ldquo;You have the good and bad stories that come of it,&rdquo; acknowledged Dennis Gates, the new Missouri coach who brought three players with him when he was hired from Cleveland State. &ldquo;But the rules give student-athletes an opportunity, no different than coaches have opportunities now, to represent a different program.&rdquo;
Still, as TCU coach Jamie Dixon admitted, the fact that players no longer have to sit out has changed the dynamic.
&ldquo;A kid having success at a lower conference than, say, the Big 12, was likely not to transfer and sit out because he&rsquo;s playing well,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s getting his minutes. Why would he want to sit out?&rdquo;
When the NCAA removed that impediment, it became easier for players to move on &mdash; and move up. And when NIL legislation came along, allowing players to profit off their celebrity, it created a situation where high-major programs can effectively offer financial benefits unavailable at most lower-level programs.
Throw in the chance to compete at a higher level and it&rsquo;s hard for kids to turn their back on the opportunity.
Fardaws Aimaq remembers playing for Utah Valley in the WAC Tournament last spring, and five or six NBA scouts were sitting in a corner. Aimaq dominated the first half of the Wolverines&rsquo; game, only to see the scouts get up and walk out, and he recalled thinking, &ldquo;Why did they leave?&rdquo; Aimaq texted his advisers afterward, and the answer was simple: &ldquo;They wanted to know if I was really that good or the competition was not that good.&rdquo;
Aimaq ended up transferring from the low-major school to Texas Tech in the hopes of raising his NBA draft profile this season.
&ldquo;Leaving was hard,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but it was just the best decision for me business-wise.&rdquo;
Just like it was for Malachi Smith, a prolific shooting guard who spent the last two seasons at Chattanooga but will play for Gonzaga this season, or Johni Broome, a 6-10 forward who transferred from Morehead State to Auburn.
Transfers go both ways, of course. Plenty of players leave high-majors for low-majors, or even lower divisions, where they might go from benchwarmer to starter. But they are typically easier for big-budget programs to replace.
It&rsquo;s tougher to accept at small schools, though, when a player who might have slipped through the recruiting cracks not only got an opportunity to play but was also developed over time &mdash; only to take their game somewhere else.
&ldquo;There could be a great player at Division III. I will not make an overture for that kid. I will not do it,&rdquo; said Lombardi, the Division II coach at Indiana (Pa.) &ldquo;Maybe I would if I was 10-20 for three straight seasons &mdash; I might then. But I just don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s for the good of the kid or the good of athletics.&rdquo;

There is growing fear among college basketball coaches at the lower levels of the sport.

Portal chaos puts pressure on hoops coaches in lower levels

Season 2 of Athletes Unlimited Basketball is coming relatively soon — with new players.

Allisha Gray, NaLyssa Smith headline Athletes Unlimited new additions

American basketball star Brittney Griner was back in court on Tuesday for her trial for cannabis possession amid U.S. diplomatic efforts to secure her release.
During the hearing, prosecutors called a state narcotics expert who analyzed cannabis found in Griner&rsquo;s luggage. Her defense fielded a specialist who challenged the analysis, charging that it was flawed and didn&rsquo;t conform to official rules.
Griner was escorted into court in handcuffs and placed inside a cage in the trial in Khimki, a town on the northern edge of Moscow. While in the cage she held up personal photos.
The trial adjourned until Thursday, when closing statements are scheduled.
If convicted, the Women&rsquo;s National Basketball Association (WNBA) star and two-time Olympic gold medalist could face 10 years in prison. As her trial has progressed, the Biden administration has faced growing public pressure to get her released.
In an extraordinary move, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week spoke to his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, urging him to accept a deal under which Griner and Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia on an espionage conviction, would go free.
The Lavrov-Blinken call marked the highest-level known contact between Washington and Moscow since Russia sent troops into Ukraine more than five months ago, the direct outreach at odds with U.S. efforts to isolate the Kremlin.
People familiar with the proposal say it envisions trading Griner and Whelan for the notorious arms trader Viktor Bout. It underlines the public pressure that the White House has faced to get Griner released.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Monday that Russia has made a &ldquo;bad faith&rdquo; response to the U.S. government&rsquo;s offer, a counteroffer that American officials don&rsquo;t regard as serious. She declined to elaborate.
Griner has acknowledged there were vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage when she was arrested at a Moscow airport in February. But she insisted that she had no criminal intent and that the canisters ended up in her luggage because she was packing hastily. Griner played for a Russian women&rsquo;s basketball team in the WNBA off-season.
To bolster her case, her defense lawyers have presented testimony from doctors that she was prescribed cannabis as a treatment for pain. Medical marijuana treatment is not legal in Russia.
&ldquo;There are a lot of factors that will taken by the court into account,&rdquo; Griner&rsquo;s attorney Maria Blagovolina told reporters after Tuesday&rsquo;s hearing, adding that Griner &ldquo;admitted that she did bring something, but we need to know what she did bring.&rdquo;
While judges have leeway to consider mitigating factors under Russian law, acquittals are rare and account for less than 1% of cases in Russian criminal prosecutions.
A conviction, however, could potentially pave the way for Griner&rsquo;s exchange as Russian officials said it could only happen after the judicial process is completed.
Tom Firestone, a Washington attorney who formerly served as legal adviser at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, said Griner could be handed a tough sentence as a way for Russians &ldquo;to maximize their leverage in negotiations.&rdquo; He told The Associated Press that Russia &ldquo;may want to let this play out a little bit longer and try to extract more concessions.&rdquo;
Russian officials have scoffed at U.S. statements about the case, saying they show a disrespect for Russian law. They remained poker-faced, urging Washington to discuss the issue through &ldquo;quiet diplomacy without releases of speculative information.&rdquo;
Asked about the latest White House comment regarding the Russian counteroffer, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov wouldn&rsquo;t offer any details.
&ldquo;Any exchange of information on the subject should be discreet without any &lsquo;loudspeaker diplomacy,&rsquo;&rdquo; he told reporters. &ldquo;Public exchange of positions will not yield any result.&rdquo;

Brittney Griner was back in court on Tuesday for her trial for cannabis possession amid U.S. diplomatic efforts to secure her release.

Brittney Griner back in Russian court on cannabis charge

American basketball star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty Thursday to drug possession charges on the second day of her trial in a Russian court in a case that could see her sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.
The abrupt guilty plea by the Phoenix Mercury center and two-time Olympic gold medalist came amid a growing chorus of calls for Washington to do more to secure her freedom nearly five months after her arrest in February amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Russia over Ukraine.
A senior Russian diplomat said earlier that no action could be taken by Moscow on Griner&rsquo;s case until the trial was over, and her guilty plea could be an effort by her and her advisers to expedite the court proceedings.
Griner, 31, was detained at Moscow&rsquo;s Sheremetyevo Airport while returning to play basketball in Russia, and police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage.
Speaking through an interpreter, Griner told the court she had no intention of committing a crime and had acted unintentionally because she had packed for Moscow in a hurry. The trial was then adjourned until July 14.
Griner emphasized &ldquo;that she had committed this act through negligence, unintentionally,&rdquo; her lawyer, Maria Blagovolina, said outside the court in the Moscow suburb of Khimki after the guilty plea.
&ldquo;We of course hope for the leniency of the court,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Considering all the circumstances of the case, taking into account the personality of our client, we believe that the admission of guilt should certainly be taken into account.&rdquo;
Blagovolina added that other defense witnesses would be questioned at a later session.
Griner was escorted to the courtroom in handcuffs and clad in a bright red T-shirt with the name &ldquo;Crenshaw&rdquo; and sweat pants. She also held a photo of her wife, Cherelle.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Griner&rsquo;s guilty plea &ldquo;will have no impact on any of the negotiations&rdquo; involving her case.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington would continue to work for the release of Griner, as well as other Americans held by Moscow, including former Marine Paul Whelan.
&ldquo;We will not relent until Brittney, Paul Whelan, and all other wrongfully detained Americans are reunited with their loved ones,&rdquo; he tweeted, noting that U.S. Embassy officials attended the trail again Thursday.
Elizabeth Rood, the embassy&rsquo;s deputy chief of mission, said after the hearing that she spoke to Griner in the courtroom and shared with her a letter from President Joe Biden that she read.
&ldquo;She&rsquo;s eating well, she&rsquo;s able to read books and under the circumstances she&rsquo;s doing well,&rdquo; Rood said.
&ldquo;I would like again to emphasize the commitment of the U.S. government at the very highest level to bring home safely Ms. Griner and all U.S. citizens wrongfully detained as well as the commitment of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to care for and protect the interests of all U.S. citizens detained or imprisoned in Russia,&rdquo; Rood said.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov bristled at the U.S. description of Griner as &ldquo;wrongfully detained&rdquo; and warned that &ldquo;attempts by the American side to make noise in public ... don&rsquo;t help the practical settlement of issues.&rdquo;
The White House said Biden called Cherelle Griner on Wednesday to assure her that he&rsquo;s doing all he can to win her release as soon as possible. They spoke after Biden read a letter from Griner in which she said she feared she&rsquo;d never return home.
Washington hasn&rsquo;t disclosed its strategy in the case and the U.S. may have little leverage with Moscow because of strong animosity over its actions in Ukraine. The State Department&rsquo;s designation of Griner as wrongfully detained moves her case under the supervision of its special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, effectively the government&rsquo;s chief hostage negotiator.
Asked about the possibility of Griner being swapped for a Russian jailed in the U.S., Ryabkov, the senior Russian diplomat, noted that until her trial is over &ldquo;there are no formal or procedural reasons to talk about any further steps.&rdquo;
He warned that U.S. criticism, including a description of Griner as wrongfully detained and dismissive comments about the Russian judicial system, &ldquo;makes it difficult to engage in detailed discussion of any possible exchanges.&rdquo;
&ldquo;The persistence with which the U.S. administration ... describes those who were handed prison sentences for serious criminal articles and those who are awaiting the end of investigation and court verdicts as &lsquo;wrongfully detained&rsquo; reflects Washington&rsquo;s refusal to have a sober view of the outside world,&rdquo; Ryabkov snapped.
Griner&rsquo;s trial was adjourned after its start last week because two scheduled witnesses did not appear. Such delays are routine in Russian courts and her detention has been authorized through Dec. 20, suggesting the proceedings could last months. Griner&rsquo;s legal team, however, said they expect the trial to conclude around the beginning of the August.
Although Griner&rsquo;s supporters initially kept a low profile, calls for Washington to act spiked after the trial&rsquo;s first day on July 1.
An organization called Win With Black Women wrote Biden saying Blinken has called Cherelle Griner, &ldquo;assuring her and stating publicly that Brittney&rsquo;s safe return was a matter of personal priority; however, we are concerned that the rhetoric does not appear to align with the actions taken to date. We urge you to make a deal to get Brittney back home swiftly.&rdquo;
Russian media have speculated repeatedly that Griner could be swapped for Russian arms trader Viktor Bout, nicknamed &ldquo;the Merchant of Death,&rdquo; who is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. after being convicted of conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens and providing aid to a terrorist organization.
Russia has agitated for Bout&rsquo;s release for years. But the wide discrepancy between Griner&rsquo;s alleged offense and Bout&rsquo;s global dealings in deadly weapons could make such a trade unpalatable to Washington.
Others have suggested that she could be traded along with Paul Whelan, the former Marine and security director serving 16 years in Russia on an espionage conviction that the U.S. has described as a setup.
Whelan&rsquo;s brother, David, said he did not have enough information to know whether Griner&rsquo;s plea would be good or bad news for her and his brother.
&ldquo;The conviction rate is so high in Russia, and so certain, that I could see the guilty plea as an attempt to just move the process forward,&rdquo; David Whelan said, noting the Russian government won&rsquo;t discuss &ldquo;any release of Ms. Griner until she is convicted, sentenced, and potentially appeals or seeks a pardon.&rdquo;
Her plea probably means that Washington and Moscow &ldquo;will be able to seek a resolution faster than they could have before. But it doesn&rsquo;t change the underlying calculus that the U.S. needs to find a concession that Russia will accept in order to return either or both Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan,&rdquo; he added.
Griner&rsquo;s agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas tweeted, &ldquo;Brittney Griner was a model of courage today&rdquo; who &ldquo;deserves our compassion, understanding, love, and support.&rdquo; Colas thanked Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for &ldquo;confirming their commitment to bring BG and all Americans home and hope that out of respect for the sanctity of sport internationally, BG can return home as soon as possible.&rdquo;
The WNBA players&rsquo; union said in a statement that it stood by Griner, noting the 99% conviction rate in Russian courts.
&ldquo;You can&rsquo;t navigate it or even understand it like our own legal system,&rdquo; said WNBAPA Executive Director Terri Jackson. &ldquo;What we do know is that the U.S. State Department determined that Brittney Griner was wrongfully detained for a reason and we&rsquo;ll leave it at that.&rdquo;
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Griner &ldquo;has the wholehearted and unconditional support of the entire WNBA and NBA family, who eagerly await her safe return, and the league will recognize BG as an honorary starter at this weekend&rsquo;s WNBA All-Star Game.&rdquo;
Russia has shown no signs of backing off.
&ldquo;This is a serious offense, confirmed by indisputable evidence. ... Attempts to present the case as if the American was detained illegally do not hold up,&rdquo; Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexei Zaitsev said Wednesday.
&ldquo;The law has been violated, and arguments about the innocent nature of Griner&rsquo;s addiction, which, by the way, is punishable in some U.S. states, are inappropriate in this case,&rdquo; he said.

Griner told the court she had no intention of committing a crime and acted unintentionally because she had packed for Moscow in a hurry.

WNBA’s Brittney Griner pleads guilty at her drug trial in Russia

President Joe Biden spoke Wednesday with the wife of detained WNBA player Brittney Griner, who is on trial in Russia, to reassure her that he is working to win Griner&rsquo;s freedom as soon as possible, the White House said.
Biden&rsquo;s conversation with Cherelle Griner followed Brittney Griner&rsquo;s personal appeal to the president in a handwritten letter from the basketball player the White House received on Monday. In the letter, Griner said she feared she would spend forever in detention in Russia and asked Biden to not &ldquo;forget about me and the other American Detainees.&rdquo;
Griner has been detained in Russia for four months and is currently on trial, accused of possessing vape cartridges containing cannabis oil.
The call was placed as Griner&rsquo;s family has become more aggressive in pressuring the Biden administration by speaking out about her case, including through Brittney Griner&rsquo;s letter to the president and several television interviews by Cherelle Griner, who said she did not think the government was doing enough to bring her wife home.
&ldquo;The President called Cherelle to reassure her that he is working to secure Brittney&rsquo;s release as soon as possible, as well as the release of Paul Whelan and other U.S. nationals who are wrongfully detained or held hostage in Russia and around the world,&rdquo; the White House said in a statement. &ldquo;He also read her a draft of the letter the President is sending to Brittney Griner today.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Biden offered the family his support and committed to making sure they receive &ldquo;all possible assistance&rdquo; during the administration&rsquo;s pursuit of Brittney Griner&rsquo;s release, the White House said.
Vice President Kamala Harris also spoke with Cherelle Griner.
Griner, 31, is in the midst of a trial in Russia that began last week after she was arrested on Feb. 17 on charges of possessing cannabis oil while returning to play for her Russian team. She could face 10 years in prison if convicted of large-scale transportation of drugs.
The trial was scheduled to resume Thursday. Fewer than 1% of defendants in Russian criminal cases are acquitted and, unlike in U.S. courts, acquittals can be overturned.
Cherelle Griner told &ldquo;CBS Mornings&rdquo; in an interview Tuesday that it was &ldquo;disheartening&rdquo; to her that she had yet to hear from Biden during her wife&rsquo;s detention.
A representative for Cherelle Griner did not immediately respond to a text message from The Associated Press. Cherelle Griner was scheduled to speak publicly Wednesday night at a rally in Phoenix organized by Brittney Griner&rsquo;s WNBA team.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Wednesday that Biden &ldquo;has been clear about the need to see every American who is wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad released, including Brittney Griner.&rdquo;
&ldquo;This has been top of mind for the president,&rdquo; she said. Jean-Pierre added that Biden is updated daily on the status of efforts to win freedom for Brittney Griner and other Americans the U.S. government believes are being wrongfully detained in Russia and elsewhere.
Representatives for Brittney Griner on Monday shared excerpts from her letter to the president.
In one, she wrote, &ldquo;&hellip; As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey, or any accomplishments, I&rsquo;m terrified I might be here forever.&rdquo;
The letter was delivered to the White House on the Fourth of July, which Brittney Griner said is a special day for her family.
&ldquo;On the 4th of July, our family normally honors the service of those who fought for our freedom, including my father who is a Vietnam War Veteran,&rdquo; the center for the Phoenix Mercury said. &ldquo;It hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate this day because freedom means something completely different to me this year.&rdquo;
Griner&rsquo;s supporters have encouraged a prisoner swap like one in April that brought home Marine veteran Trevor Reed in exchange for a Russian pilot convicted of drug trafficking conspiracy.
Russian news media have repeatedly speculated that she could be swapped for Russian arms trader Viktor Bout, who is serving a 25-year sentence on conviction of conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens and providing aid to a terrorist organization.
Russia has agitated for Bout&rsquo;s release for years. But the wide discrepancy between Griner&rsquo;s case &mdash; involving alleged possession of vape cartridges containing cannabis oil &mdash; and Bout&rsquo;s global dealings in deadly weapons could make such a swap unpalatable to the U.S.
Others have suggested she could be traded along with Whelan, a former Marine and security director serving a 16-year sentence on an espionage conviction that the U.S. has repeatedly described as a setup.

Joe Biden reassured Cherelle Griner that he is working to win Brittney’s freedom as soon as possible, the White House said.

President Biden tells Cherelle Griner he’s working to get Brittney home

This is why playoff depth matters.
We have a generally simplistic view of what makes a champion. In the NBA, people think that you need multiple stars, with one superstar as the head of the snake, in order to get into the dance. But in the annals of league history, champions haven&rsquo;t only been littered by the Michael Jordans or LeBron James&rsquo; of the world, because even they needed awesome role players and deep rosters to accompany them.
Hell, the 72-win Chicago Bulls in 1995-96 had a 1-through-7 (in terms of minutes per game in the playoffs) of Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Luc Longley, Toni Kukoč, Ron Harper and Steve Kerr &mdash; all of whom logged at least 20 minutes per game in the postseason.
Think about this: We just saw the Brooklyn Nets &mdash; among the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-202122-nets-are-arguably-the-most-disappointing-team-in-nba-history-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">betting favorites to win the title all-season long</a> &mdash; get <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-offseason-preview-2022-whats-next-for-the-brooklyn-nets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">swept in the first round</a> after playing themselves to the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference, despite being led by a 1-2 punch of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Why were the Nets favorites all season long? Starrrrr powerrrrr.
Why did they fall flat? A combination of things: A lack of team chemistry, lack of depth, lack of culture, lack of defense, lack of size, lack of versatility and lack of great coaching. Many thought we were just supposed to overlook that because Brooklyn was top-heavy. Granted, the Boston Celtics could end up winning the East, but honestly, the Nets were never who many (of y&rsquo;all) thought they were.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
So why does depth matter in the postseason as rotations shorten? Because rotations don&rsquo;t need to shorten if you have enough depth to carry you along.
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra <a href="https://youtu.be/qGXIQBcZdM8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted this</a> following the team's 97-94 win over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 5, ending the series 4-1 and outscoring Atlanta by 60 points overall across those five games.
&ldquo;Everybody that played had their fingerprints on this,&rdquo; Spoelstra <a href="https://youtu.be/qGXIQBcZdM8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &ldquo;We clearly had some adversity in this game not having Kyle [Lowry] or Jimmy [Butler], and our group doesn&rsquo;t even blink. It&rsquo;s not even something we have to address. We just pivot, put in the game plan, and everybody just gets ready, tapes their ankles and gets out there and competes.&rdquo;
In the Heat's case, Lowry was out with a hamstring injury, and Butler didn&rsquo;t play in Game 5 on Tuesday night because of right knee inflammation. So who started? Victor Oladipo, who didn&rsquo;t play in Games 1-3 and primarily played in Game 4 because the offense had trouble getting going without Lowry. Vic started in place of Butler &mdash; alongside Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, PJ Tucker and Bam Adebayo &mdash; to close out the Hawks in a gentleman&rsquo;s sweep.
&ldquo;A year ago today, I was waiting for my next surgery,&rdquo; <a href="https://twitter.com/bytimreynolds/status/1519147785546784769?s=21&amp;t=_ZTSKfrbgGYEt-IpNWqubg">stated Oladipo</a>, who poured in 23 points, scoring at least 20 in the postseason for the first time since Aug. 24, 2020. &ldquo;I was sitting in a dark room by myself and just broke down, not because I quit, but because I was at the lowest point I could be at. Now, God has put me in this position today. I made the most of it.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
"I've overcome a lot, so whatever happens next, I'll be ready for it." Victor Oladipo speaks about his special night in the Heat' game-clinching win. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HEATCulture?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HEATCulture</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhiteHot?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WhiteHot</a> ⚪🔥 <a href="https://t.co/e5Df9caL1s">pic.twitter.com/e5Df9caL1s</a>
&mdash; Bally Sports Sun: HEAT (@BallyHEAT) <a href="https://twitter.com/BallyHEAT/status/1519153057724088322?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Only Butler and Adebayo are averaging over 30 minutes per game this postseason for the Heat, and now 11 guys have seen real rotation minutes across multiple games.
And no other team has someone who can come in out of nowhere, start and do what Oladipo did Tuesday night: 23 points, 3 assists and 3 steals on 6 of 12 shooting (3 of 6 from three) and 4 of 4 on free throws to go along with a 121 Offensive Rating, 9.2 Box Plus-Minus and preventive defense.
Oladipo, <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/advanced/?sort=NET_RATING&amp;dir=-1">per NBA.com&rsquo;s advanced stats</a>, has put together a plus-29.7 Net Rating in the two playoff games he&rsquo;s logged minutes in.
&ldquo;Again, I&rsquo;m still improving,&rdquo; <a href="https://twitter.com/tropicalblanket/status/1519148825931403265" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he said</a>. &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t played enough basketball to be super comfortable yet but I&rsquo;m getting there... I have no doubt I can surpass that level I was at. Even better days than that to come. This is part of the journey of getting there.&rdquo;
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Specifically on his progress, Spoelstra spoke of his adulation for Oladipo.
&ldquo;I really admire him, I do," Spoelstra said. "For this journey, really, for the last three seasons, where he&rsquo;s been dealing with injuries and frustration, and then really working to make himself available for us without a guarantee to play. And then just giving to the team. That&rsquo;s why everybody roots for him, and he always comes in with a smile on his face, and lifts people up, and that&rsquo;s even when he was going through DNP&rsquo;s. But he worked, he prepared, and it&rsquo;s true, crazy things happen, and there&rsquo;s a karma to it.
"If you do the right things and stay patient, it might not be on your terms or your timeline, but then, when your opportunity is there, you&rsquo;re able to take advantage of it, and then you have everybody enjoying his success.&rdquo;
And, to those who bought into that Sk*p B*yless &ldquo;report&rdquo; about friction between Butler and Oladipo, Vic <a href="https://twitter.com/BradyHawk305/status/1519148969108152327" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acknowledged that</a>: &ldquo;Jimmy helped me tremendously in the fourth quarter.&rdquo;
Oladipo, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/victor-oladipo-is-coming-heres-how-he-could-help-raise-miamis-ceiling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as was written two months ago</a>, raises this team&rsquo;s ceiling. If Duncan Robinson isn&rsquo;t hitting threes, Oladipo can create dribble penetration for others to get open looks. If Caleb Martin is making too many defensive mistakes, Oladipo&rsquo;s there to be another versatile stopper who can keep up at the point of attack. And if the overall offense lacks a scoring punch, Oladipo&rsquo;s there to provide another threat &mdash; one who specializes in nothing, but can be effective in everything.
The Lowry-Oladipo-Butler-Tucker-Adebayo &ldquo;death&rdquo; lineup is coming at some point, and if Tyler Herro doesn&rsquo;t get it going soon, it&rsquo;s one that may finish playoff games more often than we think, assuming Oladipo has earned consistent minutes going forward.
I would never tell Spo how to coach, but in the right spots, more Oladipo the rest of this run seems helpful for a team with title aspirations.
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Bryan Fonseca writes on the importance of depth in the postseason and how Victor Oladipo's big Game 5 was a perfect example of it.

Victor Oladipo has re-entered the chat in Miami

Via a <a href="https://www.nba.com/clippers/news/la-clippers-announce-partnership-during-groundbreaking-intuit-dome" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release from the Los Angeles Clippers</a>:
The LA Clippers and Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq: INTU), a global technology platform that makes TurboTax, QuickBooks, Credit Karma and Mint, announced today that they have entered a 23-year strategic partnership. Intuit is the exclusive naming rights partner of the Intuit Dome, the future home of the Clippers, which is scheduled to open in Inglewood, California for the 2024-2025 NBA season. The Clippers, Intuit and community leaders will break ground this morning. The Intuit Dome will deliver an innovative fan and consumer experience, and it will become a hub for programs that power economic prosperity and benefit the community.
&ldquo;When we began the search for a partner for the LA Clippers and our new dome, we looked for one that shares our passion for technology, the pursuit of innovation and our commitment to customers, fans and community,&rdquo; said Steve Ballmer, LA Clippers Chairman. &ldquo;Intuit is a perfect fit and we&rsquo;re excited to be calling our future home the Intuit Dome.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Intuit and the Clippers are mission-driven organizations that share the common goal of putting their customers and fans first. We both have a focus on creating extraordinary experiences enabled by innovative technology,&rdquo; said Sasan Goodarzi, Intuit Chief Executive Officer. &ldquo;The Intuit Dome will reflect Intuit&rsquo;s focus on innovation to deliver best-in-class products and services including TurboTax, QuickBooks, Mint and Credit Karma to help our customers achieve their financial goals. Intuit and the Clippers have a history of supporting local communities, and we look forward to investing in and contributing to the Inglewood community to help them prosper.&rdquo;
Through this partnership, Intuit and the Clippers will create new programs to reinvigorate the local economy and local businesses that create jobs, enable job readiness, and educate entrepreneurs to help them better run their businesses and transform their financial lives.
As a function of the partnership, Intuit has committed to:
<ul class="maxwidth">
<li>Expand Intuit&rsquo;s Prosperity Hub School District program, which empowers the next generation of students to learn about finances and entrepreneurship, in the LA area. Intuit will commit an additional $1 million over the next three years to underserved school districts that are part of the program to make a long-term impact on the local economy. This follows Intuit&rsquo;s recent donation to the Los Angeles Unified School District in July 2021.</li>
<li>Provide taxpayer assistance events to prepare and file taxes for low-income families in the area free of charge during tax season.</li>
<li>Host educational events where local entrepreneurs and small business owners including women or minority-owned businesses can leverage workshops, networking, tools, education, and tips on how to start, build, and grow a small business.</li>
</ul>
The Clippers have committed to the City of Inglewood the largest community benefits package ever associated with an arena, generating an estimated $260 million in annual economic activity.
Intuit Dome has been designed to create an intimate and intense fan experience through features such as &ldquo;The Wall,&rdquo; which is comprised of 51 uninterrupted rows of seats that include a dedicated supporters section; a two-sided halo scoreboard encircling the bowl with an acre of LED lighting; and an 80,000 square foot outdoor plaza, surrounding a full-size outdoor court. Technological advancements within Intuit Dome will allow for frictionless concession stands, enabling fans to spend more time in their seats.

The Clippers will open their new area for the 2024-2025 NBA season.

Clippers announce 23-year naming rights deal for Intuit Dome

Pardon the jurisdictional bias, but the best thing to see over the first weekend of the NBA playoffs was the crowd at the raucous Madison Square Garden (the &ldquo;World&rsquo;s Most Famous Arena&rdquo;) -- even if the final result was not exactly what the New York Knicks had in mind.
Anyone who has been to New York over the past 14.5 months can understand, but for those who haven&rsquo;t, here is the deal: New York City has struggled to return to normal since shutting down in March 2020. For example, 110,000 restaurants went out of business during the pandemic. NBA teams who have come into Manhattan and Brooklyn likened it to the post-apocalyptic scenes in the Will Smith movie &ldquo;I Am Legend&rdquo; as they wondered why there were no people on the streets.
The trains that run beneath MSG are still largely empty, although the subways are much more crowded than they were just a month ago. And seeing so many Knicks fans suddenly congregating together, led by Spike Lee and Tracy Morgan, was truly a sight to behold after keeping to ourselves for more than a year.
The TNT broadcast duo of Spero Dedes and Greg Anthony could've captured this moment even better had they been in the building and felt the energy, but they were broadcasting this game remotely. Let&rsquo;s hope the networks get the broadcasters back into the arenas sooner rather than later.
The crowd of 15,047 made it the largest indoor event to be held in New York since the pandemic began.
"Having fans, I think, is great," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. "But we've got to play better."
Especially Julius Randle, whose regular-season success against the Atlanta Hawks was expected to continue in the postseason. But the likely Most-Improved-Player-award winner went 6-for-23 from the field, and the Hawks eked out the Game 1 win on Trae Young&rsquo;s game-winner with 0.9 seconds left after he singlehandedly broke down New York&rsquo;s defense. Young is a good villain to have around as the series waits to resume Wednesday night. If ever a guy was channeling Reggie Miller, it was Young last night. He crossed over Frank Ntilikina four times on the game-winning drive.
The most surprising result of the weekend came in the last of the eight games when the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the top-seeded Utah Jazz, 112-109, for the first win by a No. 8 seed since the Orlando Magic defeated the Milwaukee Bucks last season in Game 1 in the Bubble. That one eventually turned into a 4-1 series win for the Bucks, so we shall see where this leads the Grizzlies.
But give Taylor Jenkins&rsquo; crew their props. In the past week, they have ended the seasons of Gregg Popovich and Steph Curry and now hold a 1-0 lead over the best three-point-shooting team we have seen in quite some time. They&rsquo;ve only won one game, but every year, there is at least one series that&rsquo;s won or lost in Game 1; maybe this is that series. Donovan Mitchell was reportedly upset about being a last-minute scratch, but the Jazz already announced that he will return in Game 2.
What else was striking about the weekend&rsquo;s eight games? Let&rsquo;s go series by series:
Lakers-Suns: Sunday provided a lesson of how time can stand still when emotions and the referees get involved. Early in the fourth quarter, there was a sequence in which Chris Paul got under LeBron James on a box-out and sent him to the floor, Cam Payne and Alex Caruso got into a dustup (Payne picked up two technicals upon review and was ejected) and Kyle Kuzma&rsquo;s three-shot foul against Devin Booker was overturned upon review. In real time, it took more than 10 minutes to play just 30 seconds, and the Lakers were not able to use the extra time to their advantage. They are going to have to take another look at how they are defending the center position after Deandre Ayton outplayed Anthony Davis while Andre Drummond spent just 19 minutes on the court. James and Davis combined to miss five of 11 free throws, which is a pattern we saw to varying degrees from game to game.
Heat-Bucks: The award for the weekend&rsquo;s best finish goes to the game that was the first one played on Saturday afternoon, when Khris Middleton&rsquo;s jumper with 0.5 seconds broke a tie for the game-winner. A couple of other observations: Jimmy Butler&rsquo;s lower back is taking a beating that makes you remember Mike Tyson&rsquo;s famous line: &ldquo;Everybody has a plan until they get punched.&rdquo; With Butler shooting 4-for-22, the Heat really had no business being in the game this long but were helped by Giannis Antetokounmpo going 6-for-13 from the foul line. The winners went 5-for-31 from three-point range.
Blazers-Nuggets: The award for most deceiving crowd shot goes to this game, which had the largest attendance of the season in Denver &ndash; 7,732, almost none of whom were sitting within the frame of the broadcast shot from high above center court. Denver could be in trouble here, folks, as Jamal Murray&rsquo;s scoring is not being replaced by Michael Porter Jr. (1-for-10 from three-point range) or Aaron Gordon (16 points). I would not be surprised to see Markus Howard, last season&rsquo;s NCAA scoring leader at Marquette, get an even longer look tonight after he played 20 minutes in Game 1. It&rsquo;s no surprise that Nikola Jokic had only one assist after his teammates missed 25 of 36 three-point attempts.
Mavericks-Clippers: Los Angeles led 98-95 with just over six minutes left but then had just one bucket (and two missed free throws, both by Marcus Morris) in the next nine possessions to fall behind by seven before Paul George dunked with 1:15 left. A game-closing 16-5 run has the Mavs up 1-0 against the team that tanked its way into the non-Lakers bracket, and we shall see if the karma police continue to make them pay.
Celtics-Nets: Another thing that is lost on folks not located in the New York metropolitan region: Almost nobody is talking about the Nets. It is all Knicks, all the time. And this series appears as though it is going to be a walkover, which should keep the current dynamic in place at least through Wednesday, when Game 2 of Hawks-Knicks is played at Madison Square Garden. Despite Kevin Durant going 1-for-8 on three-pointers, the Nets outscored the Celtics by 17 in the second half in what appeared to be a return to the cruise-control mode they displayed shortly after James Harden was acquired from Houston. No free throw villain in this one just yet.
Wizards-Sixers: Russell Westbrook stepping out of bounds off two missed free throws by Ben Simmons with 38 seconds left (Simmons was 0-for-6 from the line) was a huge mistake, and another empty Sixers possession followed by a missed three by Westbrook with 17.8 seconds left ended Washington&rsquo;s final chance. Tobias Harris (37 points) showed once again that he does not get enough credit for Philadelphia&rsquo;s success. Washington had 38 points of bench scoring, something they will continue to need if they are going to be competitive in this series.

After the first weekend of playoff basketball, Chris Sheridan reacts to Game 1 of each series.

Sheridan: Reacting to the NBA playoffs' opening weekend

Somebody at DraftKings SportsBook did not love the wager that was being attempted from the parking lot of a Dairy Queen: $20 on a seven-way parlay with the correct series score of seven NBA first-round playoff series.
This happened on Saturday morning during the short window when it was unclear whether LeBron James would be eligible for the Los Angeles Lakers because of a COVID-protocol violation.
The bet slip said: Nets in 4; Heat in 7; Blazers in 7; Mavericks in 7; Jazz in 5; Knicks in 5 and Wizards in 7. A message popped up on this writer&rsquo;s phone: Please wait while this bet is manually reviewed.
One car wash later, it was only partially accepted despite the odds of better than 6 million to one.
DraftKings limited the bet to $2.44, with a possible payoff of $1,521,456.66.
Hey, if you are going to make playoff predictions in this day and age, you may as well back them with an Andrew Jackson to keep things fun&hellip; if possible. Despite the small size of the bet, if this one hits, I&rsquo;ll be writing a column following the playoffs entitled &ldquo;Where I Intend To Take My New Yacht After Covering The Olympics.&rdquo;
The picks are gut shots, and there is reasoning behind all of them&hellip; along with a Lakers-Suns prediction now that we know King James will be in uniform on Sunday:
Nets over Celtics in 4. Over the course of the season, Brooklyn gained James Harden, Blake Griffin and Alize Johnson among others. The Celtics lost Jaylen Brown late in the regular season, after losing Gordon Hayward, Al Horford and Kyrie Irving over the past couple of seasons without getting much of anything in return. None of these games should be close, and Kyrie should be especially pumped against his most-recent former team. The Nets should rediscover their autopilot switch.
Heat over Bucks in 7. As big of an improvement as Jrue Holiday is over Eric Bledsoe, this one will come down to which team is better from three-point range and the proper adjustments from game to game, along with whether Giannis Antetokounmpo can make his free throws when it matters. Until proven otherwise, Miami has Milwaukee&rsquo;s number. Didn&rsquo;t we all learn that a year ago? The Heat remain a sleeping giant.
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Trail Blazers over Nuggets in 7: The best series that nobody is talking about, but certainly will be. The 3-6 series in the West features the two best-but-least-sexy teams in the entire conference, and it is sort of a shame that we are going to lose one of them. And as good as Nikola Jokic is, the Blazers have added a couple of key pieces in Robert Covington, Enes Kanter and Norman Powell over the last year. They were not on national TV much aside from Damian Lillard&rsquo;s many commercials, yet they are only two seasons removed from being a Western Conference finalist with many of the same main components.
Mavericks over Clippers in 7: The karma police are going to hand it to the Clippers in Game 7 because of their tank job in the final game of the regular season against the Thunder, preventing OKC from finishing in a tie for third-worst in the NBA that would&rsquo;ve left them a coin flip away from winning the draft lottery and getting the No. 1 overall pick. This one should be just about as entertaining as Blazers-Nuggets, and it comes down to who will be the big-time player at the end of these games. We already know that Luka Doncic and Kawhi Leonard are equally capable of hitting monster last-second shots.
Jazz over Grizzlies in 5. You gotta hand it to Memphis for getting the overtime win on the road in Steph Curry&rsquo;s place, capping an entertaining play-in week that helped make up for a less-than-ideal regular season from a competitiveness standpoint. Taylor Jenkins appears capable of scheming one victory against a far better opponent, but Utah&rsquo;s three-point shooting, experience and chemistry are going to be exceptionally difficult for anyone to overcome. They are a very worthy and dangerous No. 1 seed. Dwyane Wade should be pleased with himself for buying in.
Knicks over Hawks in 5: It is easy to be swayed by New York&rsquo;s sweep of the three-game season series, especially given how unstoppable Julius Randle was against Atlanta. But the Hawks have spent a season battling through injuries and developing chemistry with so many new additions to the roster, and it is hard to imagine De&rsquo;Andre Hunter, Clint Capela and Bogdan Bogdanovic getting swept when they get the check marks for matchup advantages at their respective positions. But the Knicks have the best record in the entire NBA since April 7, and they are aligned with Thibs&rsquo; defensive philosophies.
Wizards over Sixers in 7. Have we not seen Joel Embiid and/or Ben Simmons botch these situations before? Or Russell Westbrook bounce back and prove himself to be the best player on the court in a good two-third of the games he has played this season? Look, anybody who surpasses Oscar Robertson in the record books deserves a higher level of respect than is being given to Westbrook, who has had success under Scott Brooks before. It is a big deal for Bradley Beal&rsquo;s hamstring recovery that these teams will play only twice before next weekend. Upset special.
Lakers over Suns in 6. It would not surprise me if this series ends in less than 6 games, especially if Andre Drummond plays almost no role and the Lakers let Anthony Davis dominate the center position. Drummond will be needed at some point, but not in this matchup. And you never, ever, ever pick against LeBron James (unless he is flanked by J.R. Smith).

Chris Sheridan shares his NBA-postseason wager, which features some surprising upsets.

Sheridan: Putting my money where my mouth is with playoff bet

Aaron Gordon scored 24 points against his former team, rallying the Denver Nuggets past the Orlando Magic 119-109 Sunday night.
&ldquo;Those are my brothers, man,&rdquo; Gordon said, &ldquo;but business is business.&rdquo;
Gordon said he was proud of his team&rsquo;s resilience, evidenced by its 72-44 recovery in the second half.
&ldquo;A lot of teams that get down by 18 in the first half, they would just let go of the rope, they would just give up,&rdquo; Gordon argued.
Not these guys.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a testament," he said, &ldquo;to where this team can go.&rdquo;
Gordon scored Denver's first dozen points, then helped the Nuggets erase an 18-point halftime deficit for their 14th win in 17 games and their 10th straight over the Magic.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
24 points for Aaron Gordon. 10/13 from the field. The <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nuggets</a> improve to 4-0 with <a href="https://twitter.com/Double0AG?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Double0AG</a>! <a href="https://t.co/iCXoQiKdUL">pic.twitter.com/iCXoQiKdUL</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1379048704565518339?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 5, 2021</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;Poor offense, poor defense, poor effort,&rdquo; Denver coach Michael Malone said of his team's awful first half, which he called &ldquo;our worst half of the season.&rdquo;
Which was followed by a masterpiece.
&ldquo;It was great to see the comeback, but I'd rather see 48 minutes&rdquo; of that kind of basketball, Malone said.
Jamal Murray added 22 points and Michael Porter Jr. 20 for Denver, which got 17 points, 16 assists and nine rebounds from Nikola Jokic. Chuma Okeke and Terrence Ross led Orlando with 19 points each.
Rookie R.J. Hampton, who was dealt by Denver in the Gordon trade, scored 16 points, including Orlando's first seven.
&ldquo;It was definitely fun to see those guys and compete against those guys," Hampton said. &ldquo;They're a great basketball team.&rdquo;
Malone said before tip-off that he didn&rsquo;t have to give Gordon any advice about keeping his emotions in check going against his former team that dealt him to Denver last week after seven seasons in Orlando.
But he did admonish his team not to take Orlando lightly because they're a rebuilding team, one that's also riddled by injuries and illnesses.
&ldquo;If we think we can just show up because we&rsquo;re playing a team that doesn&rsquo;t have maybe a marquee name, we&rsquo;re going to find ourselves in a ballgame," Malone warned.
They sure did.
The Nuggets trailed by double digits for most of the first half, and after cutting their deficit to 54-47, they surrendered the final 11 points of the second quarter and trailed 65-47 at halftime.
Denver erased all of that in the third quarter before Ross put Orlando back on top 86-85 with a jumper in the closing seconds.
But the Nuggets pulled away in the final minutes for their fourth consecutive win since the big trade for Gordon.
TIP-INS
Magic coach Steve Clifford called his team&rsquo;s injury epidemic &ldquo;like nothing I&rsquo;ve ever been through before as a head coach or an assistant.&rdquo; Sidelined against Denver were: Cole Anthony (ribs), Michael Carter-Williams (non-COVID illness), Markelle Fultz (left ACL), Harris (strained left adductor), Karim Mane (hamstring) and Otto Porter Jr. (left foot). Limited were Chasson Randle (hamstring), James Ennis III (non-COVID-illness) and Mo Bamba (non-COVID illness).
Nuggets: The Nuggets played a video tribute to Harris in the second quarter, which earned him a standing ovation from the 4,050 fans at Ball Arena in the <a href="https://twitter.com/arniestapleton/status/1378914209774202883?s=20">first game open to the public</a> since before the pandemic hit last year (employees and front-line workers were at last game). Hampton, a rookie, got his video tribute later in the quarter. ... Denver was outshot in the first half 57 percent to 39 percent.
UP NEXT
Magic: Hosts the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.
Nuggets: Host the Detroit Pistons and former teammates Jerami Grant and Mason Plumlee on Tuesday night.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Gordon scored Denver's first dozen points, then helped the Nuggets erase an 18-point halftime deficit for their 14th win in 17 games.

Aaron Gordon on win over Magic: 'Those are my brothers, but business is business'

Each day, BasketballNews.com scours #NBATwitter to bring you the best tweets from the previous day. Some are insightful, some are just hilarious (so we had to include them).
Without further ado, here are the tweets of the day for February 22, 2021.
Roll Tide?
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
How I like the Raptors roster 🤝 How I like possible marriage prospects No Cousins
&mdash; Vred FanFleets (@nasimali) <a href="https://twitter.com/nasimali/status/1363685390620753922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2021</a></blockquote>

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There is a very big divide between Raptors fans who would like to pursue DeMarcus Cousins and Raptors fans who would not. This is one way to say that you&rsquo;re on the &ldquo;I&rsquo;m good luv...enjoy,&rdquo; side, I guess.
And Who Are You Again?
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
I saw you and was wondering who you were sitting with! 🤷🏼&zwj;♀️
&mdash; Dawn Crane (@dawncrane524) <a href="https://twitter.com/dawncrane524/status/1363635179101814785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Las Vegas Aces forward Dearica Hamby and New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara, both former Norcross Blue Devils, attended the Celtics-Pelicans game on Sunday. While ESPN failed to mention Dearica sitting right beside Kamara, Dawn had no idea who Alvin was, with her eyes going directly to Hamby.
Why Do Men
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
and what league did you make it to?? <a href="https://t.co/TEuaPPy2o3">https://t.co/TEuaPPy2o3</a>
&mdash; Lexie Brown (@lexiekiah_4) <a href="https://twitter.com/lexiekiah_4/status/1363147406532087813?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Men who have zero accolades besides their names sure love to tell professional basketball players, who also happen to be women, how much better they are than the ones who do this for a living. Sir, if Lexie had a blindfold and one arm she would still have you on skates without breaking a sweat. Please sit down and humble yourself.
Yuta Only Girl I&rsquo;m Talking To
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
someone is gonna lose their virginity next to a poster of this in a college dorm room, put money on it <a href="https://t.co/ihPtGyiI53">pic.twitter.com/ihPtGyiI53</a>
&mdash; claire de lune (@ClaireMPLS) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClaireMPLS/status/1362973879027736576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2021</a></blockquote>

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It&rsquo;s going to happen and it&rsquo;s only a matter of time.
Penny For Your Thoughts
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My <a href="https://twitter.com/Venmo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Venmo</a> campaign has officially ended this morning! With your help we raised $25,395.86! With my match that&rsquo;s $50,791.72 plus the <a href="https://twitter.com/TheNBPA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheNBPA</a> match equates to a GRAND TOTAL OF $76.187.58!!!!! THANK YALL so much!!! the funds will be going to multiple charities! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TexasForever?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TexasForever</a>
&mdash; Myles Turner (@Original_Turner) <a href="https://twitter.com/Original_Turner/status/1363865538007605255?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2021</a></blockquote>

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When a fan sent a $100 Venmo request to Myles Turner after the team lost to the Chicago Bulls, Turner instead sent the fan a single cent, a penny for his thoughts. The exchange turned into hundreds of fans sending Turner &ldquo;their two cents&rdquo; and Turner decided to match all of the nickels and dimes sent to him over the weekend, in an effort to provide relief efforts for those affected by the winter storm in his home state of Texas. The NBPA also matched the donations, and as of Monday, Turner and his fans have raised $76,187.58. Not bad for a troll job.
Is This Your King?
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Bill Simmons said the Raptors wouldn't make the playoffs this year and they currently have a better record than the Celtics lmao what a dumb loser
&mdash; Marx Gasol (@socialistraptor) <a href="https://twitter.com/socialistraptor/status/1363678822239903744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Bill Simmons coming completely unraveled because his beloved Celtics are not the greatest team to ever touch the hardwood is a car wreck that you simply can&rsquo;t look away from. Imagine being this wrong all the time?
Karma Chameleon
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Lol I got hit in the face by the ball today. That&rsquo;s karma from my letting yuta get dunked on. I&rsquo;ll take it 🤣🤣 Good wins guys!! No splits 🤞🏾
&mdash; Deandre Bembry (@fearthefro95) <a href="https://twitter.com/fearthefro95/status/1363697942062919684?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2021</a></blockquote>

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DeAndre&rsquo; Bembry&rsquo;s face did not have a good night on Sunday. First an elbow from Ben Simmons, then getting a ball to the face. Bembry acknowledges that this is a small price to pay for leaving Yuta Watanabe alone in the trenches, though.
Can I Copy Your Homework? "Yeah, Just Change It Up A Bit"
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<a href="https://t.co/cAVayazZOV">pic.twitter.com/cAVayazZOV</a>
&mdash; Taylor (@ItsLowrysWorld) <a href="https://twitter.com/ItsLowrysWorld/status/1363710970124791808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2021</a></blockquote>

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The Clippers stole a few Raptors coaches, their entire flow, bar-for-bar, two of their players and are trying to poach their star point guard. The Pacers hired Toronto assistant coach Nate Bjorkgren to lead the team. And now, literally minutes after a win over the 76ers, the Minnesota Timberwolves hired assistant coach Chris Finch to replace Ryan Saunders. If you can&rsquo;t beat &lsquo;em, just do everything they do, I guess.
See a tweet that should be featured in tomorrow's Tweet of the Day piece? Send it to <a href="https://twitter.com/kelsea_lately" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@kelsea_lately</a>.

Every day, our Kelsea O'Brien scours #NBATwitter to find the best posts. Here are the tweets of the day for Feb. 22, 2021.

NBA Tweets of the Day: Copycats and Kissin' Cousins

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