https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/nba-logos/sas.png

Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs have been playing one of their best basketball stretches this season, winning 18 of their last 20 games, and they are now back in familiar territory. The Spurs have won 50 games or more again for the first time since the 2016-17 season, and the conversation for the team has shifted into something far more serious.
The San Antonio Spurs are no longer a feel-good story. They are no longer just a young team figuring things out or a rebuilding group showing flashes. That last 50-win team was elite, built around Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge while still anchored by the championship DNA of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. That group knew how to win, knew how to execute, and most importantly, knew how to close games when everything slowed down.
This current Spurs team has been reincarnated from the same success. But this time, only younger, and still evolving. Yet somehow, the results are starting to look familiar.
The ball is moving and the defense is connected, just the way Spurs basketball is supposed to be played. The confidence is growing with every win. There is a rhythm to how they play, a sense of control that does not always show up in the standings but becomes obvious when you watch them over a stretch of games.
So the question now becomes unavoidable. Can the Spurs actually go out and win it all this season?
<h3>A foundation built on something rare</h3>
There are flashes of greatness with this team that go beyond typical rebuilding success. This is not just about stacking wins or overachieving expectations but rather about identity, and more importantly, sustainability.
San Antonio is playing a brand of basketball that feels both modern and timeless. They prioritize ball movement, spacing, and trust. They currently rank near the top of the league in assists per game, a clear reflection of their commitment to finding the best shot rather than forcing one.
Even with a generational talent leading the way, they are actively avoiding hero ball by design. Possessions rarely end with isolation-heavy sets unless absolutely necessary. Instead, the ball swings, players cut, and defenses are forced to rotate until something breaks.
That balance is what makes this team dangerous, and it is also what makes them historically unique.
The Spurs are on the verge of something rarely seen in NBA history. <a href="https://x.com/SpursReporter/status/2033475088729706608?s=20">They are close to becoming the only team to sustain eight players averaging double figures over a full season since the 1981-82 Denver Nuggets.</a> That Nuggets team became the gold standard for high-powered offense, averaging a league-record 126.5 points per game while embodying the idea that everybody eats.
San Antonio is knocking on that door. That kind of depth changes everything when the playoffs arrive. It gives them multiple counters, gives them flexibility, and it allows them to survive off nights from their stars because someone else can step up and carry the load. That is not common for a team this young, and what makes them a contender heading into the playoffs.
<h3>Victor Wembanyama is already that guy</h3>
At the center of it all is Victor Wembanyama.
There is no longer a need to temper expectations or speak in hypotheticals. He is a once-in-a-generation player, and more importantly, he is already playing like someone capable of leading a championship team.
At just 22 years old, Wembanyama is putting up numbers that place him firmly in the MVP conversation. He scores efficiently, protects the rim at an elite level, and continues to expand his offensive arsenal with every passing month.
His impact goes beyond scoring or defense. He alters games in ways that cannot always be captured in the box score. Opponents change their shot selection because he is on the floor. Guards hesitate on drives, and bigs are forced away from their comfort zones.
He is the type of player every contender wants. A player who can take over when necessary, but also elevate everyone around him.
That is the key difference, because Wembanyama does not just dominate. He fits within a system that empowers others, which makes the Spurs far less predictable and far more difficult to scheme against in a playoff setting.
And when the game slows down, when possessions tighten and defenses lock in, having a player who can create something out of nothing becomes invaluable. Wembanyama is already that kind of player.
<h3>A supporting cast that fits perfectly</h3>
Championship teams are never built on one player alone. What makes this Spurs team intriguing is how well the pieces around Wembanyama complement his strengths, both stylistically and mentally.
De&rsquo;Aaron Fox gives them a legitimate second star. His speed, shot creation, and ability to collapse defenses provide a different dimension to the offense. He can push the pace, create advantages early in possessions, and attack gaps before defenses are set.
More importantly, Fox knows how to handle pressure. He has been through playoff battles. He understands what it takes to execute late in games when every possession matters.
Devin Vassell continues to be one of the most reliable scorers on the roster. His midrange game is automatic, and his ability to space the floor as a catch-and-shoot threat makes him an ideal fit alongside both Fox and Wembanyama. He thrives in the gaps created by their gravity.
Stephon Castle has quickly established himself as a defensive anchor on the perimeter. He takes on the toughest assignments nightly and continues to grow offensively, showing more confidence as a slasher while steadily improving his jump shot.
Dylan Harper has been impactful from day one. As a rookie, his ability to attack the rim adds pressure to opposing defenses, and his development trajectory suggests he will be a key piece not just now, but for years to come.
Around them, the Spurs have built a roster filled with purpose.
Julian Champagnie and Harrison Barnes provide consistent shooting from the wings and corners, giving the offense the spacing it needs to operate at a high level. Their presence forces defenses to stay honest, opening driving lanes for Castle, Fox and Harper.
Keldon Johnson brings relentless energy off the bench. He plays with urgency, attacks the rim with force, and serves as the emotional heartbeat of the team. His willingness to embrace a bench role speaks volumes about the culture being built in San Antonio.
Luke Kornet offers stability as a backup big. He understands his role, plays within the system, and brings the experience of a champion, which can be valuable in moments when composure is needed.
Carter Bryant has quietly emerged as a hidden gem. He can defend multiple positions and knock down open shots, giving the Spurs another versatile piece in their rotation.
This is functional depth for the Spurs where every player has a role, and every role has value. More importantly, every player understands where they fit within the bigger picture, a usual recipe of success for a championship team.
<h3>The numbers are starting to align</h3>
For years, there has been a simple benchmark used to identify true contenders. The 40-20 rule.
Teams that reach 40 wins before 20 losses historically have a strong chance of competing for a championship. The Spurs have met that criteria, placing them firmly in the conversation with the league&rsquo;s elite.
As mentioned, they have also secured their first 50-win season since 2016-17, a reminder of the franchise&rsquo;s sustained excellence during its peak years. That stretch of 18 consecutive 50-win seasons remains one of the most remarkable runs in NBA history, and it set a standard that this new group is now trying to live up to.
After years of losing after their golden age, this season feels like the beginning of something new, yet strangely familiar. It speaks to the growth of their young core, and it reflects the internal development of players who have embraced their roles and elevated their games.
It also highlights the impact of head coach Mitch Johnson. Taking over in a post-Gregg Popovich era is no easy task. The expectations are different, the pressure is constant, and the comparisons are inevitable. Yet Johnson has managed to guide this group with clarity and confidence, maintaining the Spurs&rsquo; identity while adapting to the strengths of a new generation. He has done more than just keep the system intact &ndash; he has evolved it and fine tuned it for the foreseeable future.
<h3>The upcoming playoff reality check</h3>
However, even for all the reasons to believe, there are still questions that cannot be ignored.&nbsp;
The playoffs are a different environment. The pace slows down. Possessions become more valuable. Execution becomes everything.
And that is where experience often separates contenders from champions.
The Spurs are still young. Wembanyama may be playing at an MVP level, but this will be his first true playoff run with real expectations. The same goes for much of the roster. Fox and Kornet bring experience, but beyond them, this group has not been tested deep into the postseason.
That raises an important question. How will their inexperience show up when the stakes are at their highest?
Will their ball movement hold up against elite defenses that are specifically game-planning to take away their strengths? Playoff opponents will scout every action, every tendency, every preferred spot on the floor.
Will the Spurs be able to adjust on the fly when their first option is taken away? Or will they struggle when forced into late-clock situations where individual shot creation becomes necessary?
There is also the matter of their role players. During the regular season, depth wins games. Over an 82-game stretch, having multiple contributors averaging double figures is a luxury. But in the playoffs, rotations tighten, and the margin for error shrinks.
Will those same role players continue to produce when minutes become more defined and defensive intensity rises? Or will the Spurs find themselves needing more from their top-end talent than they have relied on so far? These are the questions that only the postseason can answer.
<h3>The narrative question that could define them</h3>
Beyond the X&rsquo;s and O&rsquo;s, there is another layer to this conversation. Every championship team has a defining narrative. Some teams are built through adversity. Others are driven by redemption. Some rise through experience after repeated failures.
The Spurs are still writing their story.&nbsp;
Are they a team that is arriving ahead of schedule, simply enjoying a breakthrough season before taking the next step in the coming years? Or are they a group that is ready right now, capable of skipping the usual timeline and capturing a title earlier than expected?
Then, there is also the pressure of expectation. At the start of the season, there was no burden. Every win felt like progress. Every loss was part of the process.
That has changed since then. Now, there is something at stake. Now, there is something to lose. How they handle that shift could define their postseason, because belief can shift a series. Confidence can change outcomes, and sometimes, a team that does not know it is supposed to wait ends up winning sooner than anyone predicted.
<h3>Can they actually do it and win it all?</h3>
On paper, the Spurs have the ingredients. They have a generational superstar playing at an MVP level. They have a second star who complements him. They have depth, shooting, defense, and a system that emphasizes trust and unselfishness.
They have momentum, they have belief, but championships are not won on paper. They are earned through experience, execution, and resilience under pressure.
The Spurs are close &ndash; closer than anyone expected this early in their timeline. Whether they are ready to take that final step this season remains the biggest question in the league. And that is what makes them one of the most fascinating teams to watch as the playoffs approach.
Because if everything clicks, if their identity holds, and if their young core rises to the moment, this may not just be the start of something special: it could be the moment it all comes through and arrives, and it is theirs for the taking.

The San Antonio Spurs are surging behind Victor Wembanyama and elite depth, but are they truly ready to win an NBA title this season?

Can the Spurs go out and win it all?

The field is set for the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas after the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs punched their tickets with decisive quarterfinal wins on Wednesday.
In a dominant showing, the defending champion Thunder overwhelmed the Phoenix Suns 138-89 in their knockout matchup &ndash; marking Oklahoma City&rsquo;s 16th straight win this season and extending their historic 24-1 start. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the charge with 28 points and eight assists, while Chet Holmgren added 24 points and eight boards, sending the Thunder to Vegas with momentum.
The Spurs also booked their spot in Las Vegas with a strong 132-119 road win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Rookie Stephon Castle exploded for a season-high 30 points along with 10 rebounds and six assists, pacing San Antonio&rsquo;s balanced attack. De&rsquo;Aaron Fox (20 points) and Keldon Johnson (17) contributed key scoring as the Spurs rode their speed and depth past a Lakers squad that couldn&rsquo;t sustain momentum.
The semifinal pairings will take place at the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday (Dec. 13):
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">New York Knicks vs. Orlando Magic</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs </li>
</ul>

The field is set for the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas, with the Thunder and the Spurs completing the cast.

Emirates NBA Cup 2025: Thunder, Spurs complete semifinals cast in Las Vegas

Maybe it wasn&rsquo;t supposed to happen this fast.
When the Spurs selected Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 pick just over two years ago, even the most optimistic observers believed this would be a process &ndash; a slow, steady climb back to contention. A rebuild, even one with a generational talent at the center, usually takes time.
But time seems irrelevant when the player redefining the game is 7-foot-5 with the coordination of a guard, the mindset of a superstar, and the work ethic of someone who refuses to lose.
The Spurs are 4-0 &ndash; their best start in years &ndash; and there&rsquo;s nothing accidental about it.
They&rsquo;re organized, confident, and locked in. More than anything, they&rsquo;re hungry.
&ldquo;I was confronted with the possibility of more losing,&rdquo; Wembanyama said recently after a win. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want it anymore, and I&rsquo;m not taking this for granted.&rdquo;
That declaration feels like the pulse of San Antonio&rsquo;s resurgence. A team that was once patient with its rebuild has flipped a switch &ndash; and it&rsquo;s largely because its centerpiece refuses to accept mediocrity.
The arrival of an Alien
It&rsquo;s hard to describe what Wembanyama is doing without running out of adjectives.
After a transformative offseason &ndash; one that saw him train with Shaolin monks in China to improve his balance and discipline, and later with Jamal Crawford, Kevin Garnett, and Hakeem Olajuwon to refine his offensive arsenal &ndash; the 21-year-old phenom has returned with a skillset that borders on surreal.
He&rsquo;s no longer just blocking shots, shooting threes, and dunking over smaller defenders. Now he&rsquo;s hitting fadeaway jumpers from the elbow, using up-fakes to draw fouls, bumping shoulders into defenders before finishing with thunderous dunks, and even stepping back for threes with the confidence of a seasoned perimeter scorer.
The dribbling exhibitions have become routine &ndash; behind-the-back escapes, crossovers into pull-ups &ndash; sequences that leave crowds in awe and opponents shaking their heads.
It&rsquo;s one thing for a 6-foot-6 guard to play that way. It&rsquo;s another for a 7-foot-5 unicorn to move like one.
This is why his nickname, The Alien, has never felt more appropriate. There is simply no one else on Earth doing what he does, at his size, with this level of fluidity and command.
And yet, what separates Wembanyama from mere spectacle is that he&rsquo;s winning. He&rsquo;s not just filling highlight reels &ndash; he&rsquo;s dictating outcomes, and he&rsquo;s doing it with ease and efficiency.
The Spurs are done waiting
For years, the Spurs were content to play the long game &ndash; drafting, developing, and letting the process unfold naturally. But this season, the tone has shifted.
The front office has built a roster that complements Wembanyama&rsquo;s strengths, not one that simply incubates his growth. The message is clear: San Antonio wants to win around Wemby as soon as possible.
The additions reflect that intent. Veteran big man Luke Kornet was one of the most underrated offseason signings &mdash; a versatile, high-IQ center who provides stability off the bench and, in certain matchups, can even share the floor with Wembanyama. His screening, rim protection, and feel for spacing have given the Spurs another layer of tactical flexibility.
Meanwhile, Stephon Castle has continued his rise after a Rookie of the Year campaign last season. His confidence and composure have carried over seamlessly, giving the Spurs another defensive-minded guard who thrives alongside Wembanyama in the pick-and-roll on offense.
Then there&rsquo;s Dylan Harper, the No. 2 overall pick &ndash; a rookie who already looks like he belongs. Harper plays with veteran poise, attacking downhill, creating paint touches at will, and finding teammates for open looks. His chemistry with Wembanyama is growing fast, their connection already producing a steady stream of lobs, pick-and-pop plays, and two-man sequences that feel unstoppable when in rhythm.
Around them, the Spurs have surrounded their star with players who fit perfectly within his ecosystem.
Devin Vassell continues to blossom into a three-level scorer, equally capable of spacing the floor or creating his own shot. Harrison Barnes, Julian Champagnie, and Keldon Johnson fill the wing rotation with ideal 3-and-D versatility &ndash; long, disciplined defenders who can hit shots, cut at the right times, and have enough on-ball offensive chops for stretches when needed.
And the Spurs aren&rsquo;t even at full strength yet. Both De&rsquo;Aaron Fox and Jeremy Sochan are set to return soon &ndash; the former adding All-Star explosiveness to the backcourt, the latter bringing defensive fire and playmaking to the front line. Once they&rsquo;re reintegrated, the Spurs could ascend even higher.
This is the Wembanyama Way
But make no mistake: this is Victor Wembanyama&rsquo;s team.&nbsp;
Everything &ndash; from the pace they play at to the way they defend &ndash; starts and ends with him.
He&rsquo;s become a one-man ecosystem, dictating both ends of the floor in ways few players can. On defense, he erases shots that shouldn&rsquo;t be blockable and alters possessions before they even begin. Offensively, he&rsquo;s evolved into a complete offensive engine, capable of creating advantages from anywhere on the floor.
There&rsquo;s a maturity in his approach now &ndash; a deeper understanding of timing, positioning, and patience. His body language, once cautious and learning, now carries the quiet assurance of a superstar who knows he belongs.
In many ways, it mirrors the Spurs&rsquo; transformation. The organization that once defined patience is now moving with urgency. The team that once hoped for competitiveness is now demanding it.
And it all stems from Wembanyama&rsquo;s mindset. When he said he didn&rsquo;t want to lose anymore, it wasn&rsquo;t just a soundbite, but it was a cultural shift.
The Spurs&rsquo; 4-0 start is the evidence of a young team discovering itself faster than anyone expected, and it is more than just a hot streak to start the season.
They&rsquo;re not chasing moral victories anymore. They&rsquo;re playing with the swagger of a group that knows it belongs among the elite. There will still be growing pains, that&rsquo;s inevitable for any young roster. But for the first time since the end of the glory days of their two-decade dynasty, San Antonio basketball feels alive again.
And it&rsquo;s because they have something no one else does.
A 7-foot-5 alien who moves like a guard, thinks like a veteran, and leads like a champion.
Victor Wembanyama has arrived, and this is only the beginning. The rest of the league should take notice, because Wemby and the Spurs have arrived ahead of schedule

The Spurs’ 4-0 start signals a culture shift in San Antonio — and it all begins with Victor Wembanyama, the 7-foot-5 phenom leading it all.

The Wemby Effect: Spurs’ early season rise signals shift in San Antonio

When the new league year began on July 1, NBA teams were quick to sign free agents and start negotiating extensions with some of their younger players.&nbsp;
Players who were selected in the first round of the NBA Draft are signed to rookie-scale contracts, which are eligible to be extended on the first day (July 1) of the fourth and final year of their deal. This past offseason, the vast majority of players eligible for rookie-scale extensions were picked in the first round in 2020. Teams have until the day before the start of the 2023-24 regular season (which begins on October 24) to agree to an extension, or else those players will hit restricted free agency next summer.&nbsp;
Out of the 30 first-round picks in the 2020 NBA Draft, 27 were eligible for rookie-scale extensions. In addition, the Orlando Magic&rsquo;s Chuma Okeke also became eligible for a rookie-scale extension because he signed his rookie deal in 2020, a year after he was drafted due to injury. So far this offseason, five players have signed extensions, with four of them receiving maximum contracts.&nbsp;
Those who received the max signed what&rsquo;s called a Designated Rookie Extension, which has a starting salary at 25% of the 2024-25 salary cap (projected at $37,405,750) with 8% raises over five years (for a total contract value of $216,953,350). However, via the &ldquo;Derrick Rose rule,&rdquo; if any of the players who signed one of these extensions is a member of any of the 2023-24 All-NBA teams, their starting salary will be set at 30% of the 2024-25 salary cap (projected at $44,886,900) with 8% raises over five years (for a total contract value of $260,344,020). These players include Minnesota&rsquo;s Anthony Edwards, Charlotte&rsquo;s LaMelo Ball, Indiana&rsquo;s Tyrese Haliburton and Memphis&rsquo; Desmond Bane. However, Bane&rsquo;s extension doesn&rsquo;t contain the &ldquo;Rose Rule&rdquo; language, so he can&rsquo;t receive a starting salary raise even if he earns an All-NBA nod.
There is also a new wrinkle in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that changed the rules in regards to rookie-scale extensions, allowing teams to offer all players an extension up to five years. Previously, only players who were offered maximum contracts could agree to an extension up to five years. So far, no team has given out a five-year non-max extension.
The only player who has signed a non-max rookie extension this offseason is Detroit&rsquo;s Isaiah Stewart. Stewart, the No. 16 pick in 2020, has been a starter for the rebuilding Pistons over the past few years. The tough, defensive big man agreed to a four-year, $64 million extension with $60 million guaranteed, $4 million in potential performance bonuses and a team option in the final season. Stewart&rsquo;s extension could serve as a potential benchmark for other big man extension candidates like Toronto&rsquo;s Precious Achiuwa and Atlanta&rsquo;s Onyeka Okongwu.
With 21 first-round picks (and Okeke) still awaiting a potential extension, let&rsquo;s take a look at who is most likely to receive an extension and what their deals might look like.
LIKELY TO BE EXTENDED
Patrick Williams (Chicago Bulls): Williams has been a steady force for the Bulls amid the team&rsquo;s struggles to consistently play winning basketball. The former Florida State forward has improved his shooting each year of his career but has yet to really break out as a primary scoring option for Chicago. Williams is just 22 years old and still has a lot of potential, so he should command an extension similar to what Atlanta&rsquo;s De&rsquo;Andre Hunter received last summer.
Extension Prediction: Four years, $90,000,000, no options
Onyeka Okongwu (Atlanta Hawks): Okongwu has been slotted as the Hawks&rsquo; center of the future for a few years now and has mostly looked the part backing up Clint Capela. Atlanta has a very crowded cap sheet, especially after extending Dejounte Murray. It is possible they could look to move Capela soon in order to free up cap space and give the starting center job to Okongwu. As mentioned above, look for Okongwu to ask for slightly above what Detroit gave Isaiah Stewart.
Extension Prediction: Four years, $72,000,000, could earn up to $80,000,000 with incentives, no options
Devin Vassell (San Antonio Spurs): The Spurs should try to lock up some of their reliable young pieces as they begin the Victor Wembanyama era. Similar to what San Antonio did with Keldon Johnson, they&rsquo;ll likely look to give Vassell a long-term value deal. They also could take advantage of the new CBA rules, keeping the former No. 11 pick under contract through 2029.
Extension Prediction: Five years, $110,000,000, no options
Josh Green (Dallas Mavericks): Green has quietly been developing very nicely with the Mavericks and could fight for a spot in the starting lineup this fall. The Australian native has shown real potential as a 3-and-D wing and could command the full mid-level exception if he reaches the open market next summer. Dallas shouldn&rsquo;t (and most likely won&rsquo;t) let that happen.
Extension Prediction: Four years, $65,000,000, no options
Immanuel Quickley (New York Knicks): Quickley is coming off his best season as a pro that saw him finish as runner-up for the NBA&rsquo;s Sixth Man of the Year award. A scoring machine, the former Kentucky guard would likely start for a good chunk of NBA teams, but will likely have to be the backup as long as Jalen Brunson is in New York. The Knicks would certainly love to keep Quickley, but look for them to wait all the way up to the October 23 deadline to pay him in order to maintain trade flexibility.
Extension Prediction: Four years, $88,000,000, could earn up to $92,000,000 with incentives, no options
Jaden McDaniels (Minnesota Timberwolves): McDaniels is certainly viewed as a core piece by the Timberwolves&rsquo; brass as they fought hard to keep him out of the Rudy Gobert trade, sacrificing more draft capital instead. The Washington product has been a versatile, two-way player since arriving in Minnesota and is an ideal wing next to Anthony Edwards. He should be paid accordingly.
Extension Prediction: Four years, $100,000,000, no options, declining annual salary
LIKELY TO REACH RESTRICTED FREE AGENCY
James Wiseman (Detroit Pistons): Wiseman has been better on both sides of the ball since being traded to Detroit last February, but his game still needs to be developed further if the Pistons are to seriously invest in him.
Isaac Okoro (Cleveland Cavaliers): Cleveland has been looking for a permanent solution at their starting small-forward position for some time now, resulting in them paying Caris LeVert and signing Max Strus. Okoro hasn&rsquo;t shown he can be the Cavs&rsquo; long-term solution.
Obi Toppin (Indiana Pacers): If Toppin had stayed in New York, there&rsquo;s no way he would have been extended. Now in Indiana, the former Naismith National Player of the Year should get a chance to start and improve his stock going into next summer.
Deni Avdija (Washington Wizards): Avdija is a pretty good young player outside of his shooting struggles. With a new regime in Washington, Avdija may be a trade candidate if new president Michael Winger doesn&rsquo;t see him as a part of the team&rsquo;s long-term plan.
Aaron Nesmith (Indiana Pacers): A starter for the Pacers last year, Nesmith may be buried on the depth chart with the additions of Toppin and rookie Jarace Walker. He hasn&rsquo;t made enough of an impact to warrant an extension.
Cole Anthony (Orlando Magic): Anthony has been a solid bench contributor for Orlando since being drafted out of North Carolina. However, the Magic backcourt is extremely crowded with the addition of rookie Anthony Black, making them unlikely to prioritize securing a deal with Anthony.
Aleksej Pokusevski (Oklahoma City Thunder): Poku is coming off a fractured leg that kept him out for the back half of last season. He needs to show that he can be a long-term piece if he wishes to stay with the Thunder.
Saddiq Bey (Atlanta Hawks): Bey is certainly talented enough to warrant an extension, fitting into the starting five seamlessly after being acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline. However, the team may have to choose between extending Bey or Okongwu in order to manage their already-very-full salary cap sheet.&nbsp;
Precious Achiuwa (Toronto Raptors): The Raptors have already committed to a center in Jakob Poeltl this offseason. Achiuwa hasn&rsquo;t shown enough to break through outside of his bench role to warrant an extension.
Zeke Nnaji (Denver Nuggets): Despite not being a regular member of the rotation, Nnaji has shown he is a capable backup option to Nikola Jokic when he&rsquo;s on the floor. While an extension isn&rsquo;t in the cards, the Nuggets should look to retain him.
Payton Pritchard (Boston Celtics): Boston would probably love to keep Pritchard on a team-friendly deal, as he has been a reliable insurance option for them since coming into the league. The former Oregon guard will more than likely want to test the free-agency market to see if he can possibly find a path to more playing time elsewhere.
LIKELY TO NOT RECEIVE A QUALIFYING OFFER, BECOME AN UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT NEXT SUMMER
Killian Hayes (Detroit Pistons): Hayes has not lived up to his top-10 pick billing and has fallen out of Pistons general manager Troy Weaver&rsquo;s long-term outlook. Detroit could extend him a qualifying offer next summer, but he likely won&rsquo;t receive much interest on the open market.
Kira Lewis Jr. (New Orleans Pelicans): Lewis has been relegated to a reserve while suffering through multiple injuries through his first three years in the NBA. The Pelicans have made it known league-wide that he is available for trade.
Chuma Okeke (Orlando Magic): Okeke has struggled with his all-around game for the better part of the last two years and is unlikely to be retained by Orlando going forward.
Malachi Flynn (Toronto Raptors): Flynn hasn&rsquo;t taken advantage of the many opportunities he&rsquo;s had to be a part of the Raptors&rsquo; rotation as the backup point guard. He may see some run this year, but the Raptors may have seen enough to move on this summer.
THE TYRESE MAXEY WILD CARD
Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers): Maxey is the wild card of the rookie-extension candidates, as Sixers general manager Daryl Morey has said that the team will hold off on extending the 22-year-old shooting guard in order to maintain trade and cap flexibility going into next summer. Maxey has blossomed into a core member of the 76ers going forward and would likely receive close to, if not the full, max rookie extension. With no end in sight to the James Harden debacle, the Sixers may want to secure their young prize before their situation could turn worse.

Blake Stern takes a look at which players are most likely to receive a rookie-scale extension prior to the October 23 deadline.

Checking in on the NBA's rookie-scale extension candidates

Most NBA teams have a young core of some sort, but some are better than others.
Each year, teams try to add to their young nucleus through the draft. The 2023 NBA Draft just featured the most highly-anticipated prospect since LeBron James in Victor Wembanyama, plus a number of other talented rookies like Scoot Henderson, Brandon Miller and the Thompson twins.
Entering the 2023-24 season, which team has the best young core? Today, we'll rank the five best cores from around the league. The criteria is simple: players must be age-25 or younger to be considered.
5. Orlando Magic&nbsp;
The Magic landed young star Paolo Banchero with the No. 1 overall pick last season, pairing him with 2021 lottery pick Franz Wagner to form a nice one-two punch. Cole Anthony had high expectations entering the league, but he hasn't quite become the player that fans wanted him to be. One player who has exceeded expectations is Wendell Carter Jr. After a shaky start to his career with the Chicago Bulls, Carter has found his place on the Magic and is considered one of the better young starting centers in the NBA. He isn't the only player who turned his career around after landing in Orlando, as Markelle Fultz is playing his best basketball and has a nice redemption story of his own. Other young players who have an opportunity to make an impact going forward are Orlando's recent lottery picks Anthony Black and Jett Howard, both of whom are 19 years old. Orlando has consistently been one of the worst teams in the league for several years now and while their rebuilding roster is solid, it isn&rsquo;t quite as good or enticing as some of the other teams on our list.
Notable Players: Paolo Banchero (20), Franz Wagner (23), Wendell Carter Jr. (24), Anthony Black (19), Jett Howard (19), Markelle Fultz (25), Cole Anthony (23), Jalen Suggs (21), Jonathan Isaac (25), Caleb Houstan (20)
4. New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans are the only young core on this list with postseason experience, as they made the playoffs in 2021-22 and made the play-in tournament last season. Their young core is largely carried by four players: Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones. Ingram has become a terrific scorer, and he's coming off a season in which he averaged career-highs in points (24.7) and assists (5.8). While Williamson has been one of the best players in the NBA when healthy, we haven&rsquo;t seen him on the court very much since he was drafted in 2019. Murphy is a terrific shooter and Jones has had a very solid start to his career as well, making a name for himself as a lockdown perimeter defender. New Orleans has a few other young players with potential including Dyson Daniels, Jordan Hawkins and Kira Lewis Jr., but they have yet to prove themselves. Ingram, Williamson, Murphy and Jones are the main reason why the Pelicans are ranked here.
Notable Players: Brandon Ingram (25), Zion Williamson (23), Trey Murphy III (23), Herb Jones (24), Dyson Daniels (20), Jordan Hawkins (21), Kira Lewis Jr. (22)
3. Houston Rockets
The Rockets have one of the more underrated young cores in the NBA, as their lack of success has prevented them from getting much recognition. Fortunately for the Rockets, their main issue has been lack of experience, and the team addressed it this offseason. They had money to spend and they brought in some veterans to help lead the team, most notably Fred VanVleet. That said, their young core is still extremely talented and got even better through this year&rsquo;s draft. The key for this Rockets team to succeed is to make sure these young players continue to develop at a high rate, which is where new head coach Ime Udoka and his staff come in. They have multiple players on their roster with All-Star potential, and it's possible they'll compete for a play-in spot by the end of the season.
Notable Players: Jalen Green (21), Jabari Smith (20), Alperen Sengun (21), Amen Thompson (20), Tari Eason (22), Kevin Porter Jr. (23), Cam Whitmore (19)
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/vw2.jpg" alt="" width="711" height="400" />
2. San Antonio Spurs&nbsp;
The Spurs undoubtedly have one of the NBA's best young cores. No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama has made San Antonio the team to watch this season. That said, they likely won&rsquo;t be a playoff team for at least another year. While it's possible that they'll shock everyone, it will be difficult for Wembanyama to lead them to the postseason as a rookie. He will likely need at least a year to adjust to the NBA and develop before taking that next leap in his career. Wembanyama isn&rsquo;t the only young star on the Spurs, as they have already started developing fellow cornerstones Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson, who have made quite an impression. Throw in Tre Jones, Jeremy Sochan, Malaki Branham, Romeo Langford and Blake Wesley, and it's clear why the Spurs are this high. Other young players who have shown promise are Charles Bassey and Julian Champagnie, both of whom came over from the Philadelphia 76ers&rsquo; organization. These two players have displayed a ton of potential, particularly in the G League and Summer League, and they could be solid contributors for years to come.&nbsp;
Notable Players: Victor Wembanyama (19), Keldon Johnson (23), Tre Jones (23), Devin Vassell (22), Jeremy Sochan (20), Malaki Branham (20), Romeo Langford (23), Zach Collins (25), Blake Wesley (20), Julian Champagnie (22), Charles Bassey (22), Dominick Barlow (20), Sandro Mamukelashvili (24)
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Spurs were a hard core to beat but, to nobody&rsquo;s surprise, the Oklahoma City Thunder have the best young core in the NBA. Not only do they have the youngest starting lineup in the league, it is filled with young stars. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has emerged as one of the best guards in the league, while Josh Giddey and Rookie-of-the-Year runner-up Jalen Williams just had a terrific season. Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 overall pick in last year's draft, hasn't played yet but he will undoubtedly make an immediate impact and could give OKC a Rookie-of-the-Year finalist for the second year in a row. Despite how young the Thunder are, they could make a serious playoff push this season, with Shai at the steering wheel. Perhaps what's scariest about the Thunder is that they have 35 draft picks over the next seven years, including 15 first-rounders, so their already-impressive young core is still a work in progress.
Notable Players: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (25), Chet Holmgren (21), Josh Giddey (20), Jalen Williams (22), Cason Wallace (19), Luguentz Dort (24), Aleksej Pokusevski (21), Isaiah Joe (24), Tre Mann (22), Jaylin Williams (21), Ousmane Dieng (20), Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (22), Keyontae Johnson (23)

Entering the 2023-24 season, which NBA teams have the best young core? Hunter Simpson ranks the best cores from around the league.

Ranking the NBA's top-5 young cores entering the 2023-24 season

One year ago, Jeremy Sochan walked across the stage at Barclays Center and shook Adam Silver&rsquo;s hand after the San Antonio Spurs selected him with the No. 9 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Now, after an terrific season that earned him an All-Rookie Second-Team selection, Sochan is returning to New York and attending the NBA Draft once again&nbsp; &mdash; this time as a media correspondent for the NBA&rsquo;s app and social-media accounts.
Sochan will conduct red-carpet interviews with this year's top prospects, including No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama, who will soon be Sochan&rsquo;s teammate. Wembanyama is the most hyped-up prospect since LeBron James, and all eyes will be on San Antonio next season after adding the potential superstar.
The Spurs will have one of the most promising young cores in the NBA, and the pieces fit together incredibly well. Sochan, Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell will perfectly complement Wembanyama&rsquo;s skill-set, and all four players are age-23 or younger. It&rsquo;s an exciting time to be a Spurs fan, and it certainly seems that San Antonio has found its next franchise cornerstones.
As a rookie, Sochan turned heads with his dyed hair and one-handed free throws. However, he also proved he belongs in the NBA and flashed glimpses of brilliance throughout the campaign.&nbsp;
The 19-year-old averaged 11.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 stocks while shooting 45.3% from the field, 24.6% from three and 69.8% from the free-throw line. Over the final month of the season, Sochan was even better, averaging 16.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals, while shooting 48.3% from the field and 76.9% from the charity stripe.
Before Sochan transitions to interviewer mode, he spoke to Basketball News&rsquo; Alex Kennedy as the interviewee and discussed Wembanyama&rsquo;s game, his advice for the incoming rookies, the Spurs&rsquo; terrific young core, his interest in broadcasting, his one-handed free throws and more.
After a successful rookie season that culminated in an All-Rookie Second-Team selection, what advice would you give to this incoming class of rookies?
Jeremy Sochan: &ldquo;Stand your ground, but also listen, be open to [feedback] and be coachable. Just be able to go into an organization and show them that you want to work hard and that you want to be there. Also, listen to your elders &ndash; your coaches and your vets &ndash; because that&rsquo;s going to help you. The other thing is consistency. They&rsquo;re coming from a season where they&rsquo;ve played 30 or 40 games, and now they&rsquo;re going into a season where they&rsquo;re playing 82 games (plus the playoffs, if you make it). Just try to be consistent because it&rsquo;s a lot of games and it wears down on your body, so try to do everything to help that.&rdquo;
Victor Wembanyama is one of the most hyped-up prospects in NBA history. His size and length are obviously crazy, but what aspects of his skill-set impress you and what are some things that should help him in the NBA?&nbsp;
Sochan: &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s just the footwork for his size, the mobility for his size and the touch for his size. I think that all adds up into him being an all-around player, and his height just gives him so many advantages, for real. I think [his skill-set] is really exciting and it&rsquo;s going to be really good for him.&rdquo;
I&rsquo;ve talked to scouts and executives who believe that you and Victor will complement each other really well. Do you feel that your skill-sets are a good fit? And how can you guys help each other on the court?
Sochan: &ldquo;Of course, if it happens&hellip;&rdquo;
Oh, right. Assuming he&rsquo;s a Spur, how would you guys help each other on the court?
Sochan: &ldquo;Yeah, assuming it happens, I think we both have a lot of versatility, especially on the defensive side. He&rsquo;s a rim protector and he&rsquo;s very lengthy, and then I&rsquo;m very destructive and I can play 1 through 5, so I think there&rsquo;s a lot of potential there. And then offensively, I feel like I&rsquo;ll be able to get him into good spots and be able to play-make for him and make the game easy for him. I think we complement each other&rsquo;s games really well and I think it&rsquo;s really exciting if, potentially, that happens.&rdquo;
Again, assuming Wembanyama is the pick, he&rsquo;ll join this young core in San Antonio that already consists of you, Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, Tre Jones, Zach Collins, Malaki Branham, Romeo Langford and Blake Wesley among others. What do you think of all this young talent, and where does this group rank among the best young cores in the NBA?
Sochan: &ldquo;I think the thing about our young core is that we all want to be around San Antonio, we all want to work together and we all want to be better. I think we&rsquo;re all very motivated to just work. We have [the opportunity] to be around the Spurs and just work, and I think that really helps. Personally, I think we&rsquo;re one of the best young cores in the league. I&rsquo;m not a guy that likes to rank [teams] and stuff, but I definitely think we&rsquo;re up there."
Gregg Popovich is arguably the best coach in NBA history and the Spurs are known for getting the most out of players. Sometimes, legends like Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili will stop by to work out with you guys. What can you share about your experience in the Spurs&rsquo; organization and how they help players realize their full potential?
Sochan: &ldquo;I think they&rsquo;re just really keen and want to help us with opportunities, and it&rsquo;s all very team-based. They&rsquo;re always communicating with the players and showing us the way. The Spurs have a winning culture; they&rsquo;ve won for so long so they know the blueprint. They give us that blueprint and try to find players who actually want to work for that. That&rsquo;s what they&rsquo;re really good at, finding those kinds of players [who will buy in]. They help us a lot.&rdquo;&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/pop_sochan.jpg" alt="" width="748" height="373" />
You and Victor played against each other back when you were 15 and he was 14. Your team won, and you <a href="https://twitter.com/JeremySochan/status/1658907669879574528">joked on Twitter</a> that neither of you were good back then. Do you have a relationship with Victor and when did you realize he could be a special player?
Sochan: &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t really have a relationship like that, but I&rsquo;ve talked to him a couple times. And like you said, we played against each other so there is a relationship in that sense, but it&rsquo;s nothing crazy. But yeah, I played against him back then, and he already had a lot of potential, so it&rsquo;s exciting to see how he grew and how popular he got over the years. I think he&rsquo;s a very exciting prospect and he&rsquo;s going to do a lot of good stuff for himself.&rdquo;
Paolo Banchero, Walker Kessler, Bennedict Mathurin and Jalen Williams served as media correspondents during the NBA Finals, and now you&rsquo;re going to be the league&rsquo;s NBA Draft correspondent tonight. I know you&rsquo;ve done some interviews before, like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT9CQNvQvyw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">your chat with Tony Parker</a>. Are you hoping to do more broadcasting or media stuff in the future?
Sochan: &ldquo;Potentially! If I get the opportunity to do it, then why not? I feel like I&rsquo;m pretty good at it; I&rsquo;m natural. So yeah, if there&rsquo;s an opportunity, I&rsquo;ll do it.&rdquo;
Did you do any research about the players or prepare any questions? What kind of prep goes into being an NBA Draft media correspondent?
Sochan: &ldquo;(laughs) Yeah, I&rsquo;ve been able to prep a bit and do some research on the players. I&rsquo;ve talked to the people around me who know a bit more than I do. And sometimes it&rsquo;s just on the go too and just being able to do it [on the fly]. But yeah, I&rsquo;m excited to be here for the draft. It&rsquo;s kinda cool to come back here after a year and still remember everything [from my draft night], just all of the emotions and stuff. And [it&rsquo;s fun] just to be here for all of this year&rsquo;s draft prospects too.&rdquo;
You let fans <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1671237507634147332" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vote on what color you&rsquo;ll dye your hair</a> for tonight&rsquo;s NBA Draft. When did you start dying your hair and using that as a way to express yourself?
Sochan: &ldquo;I probably started two years ago or two-and-a-bit years ago. It was just something that I always wanted to do, just to be able to showcase [who I am] and be myself. And it shows people that you can do whatever with your body and be proud of it. Just be confident!&rdquo;
Your one-handed free throws really worked and improved your free-throw percentage over the course of the season. I actually <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/will-onehanded-or-underhand-free-throws-ever-catch-on-in-the-nba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote an article</a> about how it could influence other players to make the same change. Would you recommend shooting one-handed to players who want to improve their free-throw percentage?
Sochan: &ldquo;Yeah, why not? The thing is, if it&rsquo;s working and it helps your shot, why not do it? When I started doing it, I feel like a lot of people were like, &lsquo;Why are you doing that? or, &lsquo;It looks weird,&rsquo; or whatever. Or they&rsquo;d ask like, &lsquo;How did you do it mentally?&rsquo; But I&rsquo;m going to do anything [to improve] my game and help me. If that helps, I&rsquo;m going to do it. And who cares if people laugh at you? Who cares if there are critics who talk about it? It is what it is at the end of the day and if it&rsquo;s helping me, I&rsquo;m going to do it.&rdquo;

Jeremy Sochan opens up to Alex Kennedy about his rookie year, Victor Wembanyama's game, San Antonio's young core and more.

Q&A: Jeremy Sochan on Victor Wembanyama, Spurs' young core, more

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) &mdash; Anthony Edwards had 33 points in 25 minutes and the Minnesota Timberwolves routed San Antonio 151-131, the most points allowed in regulation under Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, on Saturday at the Moody Center.
Minnesota shot 56% on 3-pointers while making a season-high 24 3s.
&ldquo;From the beginning of the game I feel like everybody was hitting and it just carried over,&rdquo; Edwards said.
Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points, Mike Conley had 20 points and Rudy Gobert had 10 points and 13 rebounds for Minnesota.
The Timberwolves won for the sixth time in nine games. Minnesota will finish no lower than ninth in the Western Conference but still have a chance of finishing eighth ahead of New Orleans, who they host Sunday.
Julian Champagnie had 24 points to lead San Antonio, which will finish with one of the league&rsquo;s three worst records. Keita Bates-Diop added 22 points and Tre Jones had 21 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.
The Spurs&rsquo; final home game of the season was played in Austin. The Spurs played their final two games at the Moody Center on the campus of the University of Texas as part of the Spurs&rsquo; regional outreach initiative.
San Antonio struggled offensively with its entire starting lineup out with injury except for Jones.
&ldquo;Minnesota was really hot from 3,&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;They must have had close to 25 3s. I mean, big, but guys did well. They had 21 assists in the first half. Played physically, lot of guys got minutes that normally don&rsquo;t get those minutes. Great learning situation for everybody.&rdquo;
Minnesota led by as many as 33 points in the second half after being tied at 35 in the first quarter.
&ldquo;Come out and be aggressive (in the second half)," Edwards said. "Do what we normally do, blow stuff up. In the first half we were just kind of letting them get into their action. Came out and blew stuff up and that pretty much changed the intensity of the game.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: Minnesota co-owner Alex Rodriguez was sitting courtside near former San Antonio star Tony Parker. Popovich greeted Rodriguez prior to tip-off. &hellip; The Timberwolves split their four-game series with the Spurs this season. The average margin of victory in each game was 12.5 points.
Spurs: Washington scored the most points against San Antonio under Popovich, defeating the Spurs 157-153 in double overtime on Feb. 25, 2022. &hellip; Popovich said the team sent C Zach Collins home after the finger he recently received stitches on began swelling. &ldquo;Looks like some sort of infection,&rdquo; Popovich said. Collins will not play in the Spurs&rsquo; finale Sunday in Dallas. &hellip; Starters Keldon Johnson (sprained right foot), Jeremy Sochan (sore right knee) and Devin Vassell (injury management for left knee) all sat out with injuries. Also missing were reserve wings Doug McDermott (sprained right ankle) and Devonte&rsquo; Graham (left adductor strain). &hellip; San Antonio honored former All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge following the first quarter. Aldridge recently announced his retirement after playing 16 seasons in the league, including 5 1/2 with the Spurs. Aldridge starred at Texas before being drafted by the Portland Trailblazers in 2006. &hellip; San Antonio finished 14-27 at home this season. The Spurs were 16-25 at home last season.
WE&rsquo;LL BE BACK
Popovich said the Spurs are eager to return to Austin after selling out both games at the Moody Center.
The Spurs had 16,023 attend Thursday&rsquo;s game and attracted 16,148 Saturday after allotting more standing-room only tickets.
&ldquo;Obviously, people enjoy it,&rdquo; Popovich said of a return. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s great to see the place packed like that. It&rsquo;s a great town, so hopefully we will be doing it more.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: Host New Orleans on Sunday.
Spurs: At Dallas on Sunday.

Anthony Edwards had 33 points in 25 minutes and the Minnesota Timberwolves routed the San Antonio Spurs 151-131 on Saturday.

Anthony Edwards scores 33, Timberwolves beat Spurs

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) &mdash; Keita Bates-Diop had 25 points, Julian Champagnie and Keldon Johnson added 24 points each and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Portland Trail Blazers 129-127 on Thursday night in the first NBA game in Texas&rsquo; capital city.
Tre Jones had 18 points and 10 assists for San Antonio, which is guaranteed to finish with one of the NBA&rsquo;s three-worst records.
Kevin Knox had 24 points to lead Portland and Drew Eubanks added 23 points against his former team. The Trail Blazers have lost seven of eight.
San Antonio erased a seven-point deficit in the final five minutes, hitting three straight 3-pointers in taking a 123-119 lead with 3:09 remaining.
The Spurs are playing their final two home games at the Moody Center in Austin as part of what the franchise has deemed a regional outreach.
Portland was without Damian Lillard, Jerami Grant, Jusuf Nurkic and Anfernee Simons while San Antonio did not have Jeremy Sochan and Devin Vassell.
While the game lacked star power, it did not lack enthusiasm. A sellout crowd roared in appreciation for every Spurs basket, especially when Jones hit a 3-pointer followed by consecutive 3s by Bates-Diop to give the Spurs a lead in the final three minutes.
San Antonio finished 10 for 35 on 3-pointers.
TIP-INS
Trail; Blazers: Lillard (right calf), Nurkic (right knee) and Simmons (right foot) all sat out due to soreness. Grant had a bruised left quadriceps.
Spurs: Coach Gregg Popovich would prefer having Sochan and Vassell in the lineup, &ldquo;but at this point of the year, with their injuries, it doesn&rsquo;t make any sense.&rdquo; ... San Antonio honored former Longhorns point guard T.J. Ford following the first quarter. Ford played nine seasons in the NBA, closing out his career in 2012 with the Spurs.
UP NEXT
Trail Blazers: At Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
Spurs: Host Minnesota in Austin on Saturday.

The Spurs beat the Blazers 129-127 on Thursday night in the first NBA game in Texas’ capital city.

Bates-Diop leads Spurs past Blazers in inaugural Austin game

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Devin Booker scored 27 points and the Phoenix Suns never trailed, beating the depleted San Antonio Spurs 115-94 on Tuesday night to clinch a playoff spot.
The Suns (44-35) won their sixth in a row, the longest current winning streak in the NBA. With one more victory in the final three games, Phoenix would assure itself of at least the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference and home-court advantage in the first round.
Chris Paul scored 22 points, while Deandre Ayton had 19 points and 11 rebounds. Kevin Durant scored 18 points and reserve Torrey Craig added 15.
The Suns are 7-0 when Durant has been in their lineup.
Malaki Branham led the Spurs with 21 points. Tre Jones scored 20, while Keita Bates-Diop and Sandro Mamukelashvili each had 13.
The Spurs (20-59) only dressed 10 players. They were without their top two scorers, Keldon Johnson (right foot sprain) and Devin Vassell (left knee). Also out for San Antonio were Zach Collins (finger), Jeremy Sochan (right knee soreness) and Romeo Langford (left adductor).
And during Tuesday&rsquo;s game, Doug McDermott played six minutes and limped off with an apparent knee injury. Dominick Barlow was hurt in a fourth-quarter collision, and starter Devonte&rsquo; Graham was helped to the locker room late in the game after hurting his leg.
San Antonio entered the night ranked last in scoring defense, having allowed 122.8 points per game. Phoenix came out roaring, shooting 63% in the first quarter in building a 42-25 lead. That&rsquo;s the most the Suns have scored in the first quarter this season, passing the 40 points against Chicago on March 3.
Booker had 14 points in the first quarter.
The Suns led by as many as 31 points in the second quarter and were up 69-51 at the half. Paul made 7 of 8 shots in the half to lead the Suns with 18 points. Phoenix shot 56% and San Antonio 38 percent, with the Suns outrebounding the Spurs 30-20.
The Spurs got within nine in the third quarter, but by the end of the period Phoenix was back ahead 97-76. Booker scored 13 in the quarter to lead Phoenix.
MUTUAL ADMIRATION
Suns coach Monty Williams played for Gregg Popovich with the Spurs and coached under him as well.
&ldquo;I just enjoy seeing him and I&rsquo;m grateful for the history I have with him,&rdquo; Williams said before the game. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m grateful that I get to tell people outside of basketball that I know Gregg Popovich as a man, as a mentor, as a friend.&rdquo;
Popovich may not have enjoyed Tuesday&rsquo;s result, but he too admires what Williams and the Suns have done.
No matter who&rsquo;s playing, Popovich said of Williams, &ldquo;He&rsquo;s gonna coach. He&rsquo;s going to do the same things, have the same standards, the same accountability. Kick &rsquo;em in the butt when necessary, put an arm around them and love &rsquo;em when necessary. He&rsquo;s a good man.&rdquo;
DURANT, TOO
Popovich coached the Olympic gold-medal team in 2021 and saw Durant from the same bench.
&ldquo;He was great. I love him,&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;How do you stop him? You can&rsquo;t. There&rsquo;s no way you can stop him. Now you can double-team him, and he&rsquo;s smart enough to give it up. No matter what happens, they&rsquo;ll figure out what they need to do.&rdquo;
NEXT
Spurs: Play Portland on Thursday in Austin, Texas.
Suns: Host Denver Thursday.

The Suns (44-35) won their sixth in a row, the longest current winning streak in the NBA.

Suns clinch playoff spot, rout injury-riddled Spurs 115-94

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Luke Kennard made a franchise-record 10 3-pointers to match his career high with 30 points, Desmond Bane added 25 points and the Memphis Grizzlies clinched a playoff spot after building a 31-point halftime lead and coasting to a 151-114 victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday night.
Ja Morant scored 18 points and had eight assists in his second game after serving an eight-game league-imposed suspension after he posted a video in which he is shown waving a gun at a Denver-area strip club. Morant, as he did in his first game back Wednesday also against the Rockets, again came off the bench. He entered with 5:08 left in the first quarter.
Jaren Jackson Jr. also scored 18 points and had seven rebounds and two blocks for Memphis, which made a franchise-best 25 3-pointers and had the second-most points in team history. The Grizzlies won their 11th straight at home and moved within three games of idle Denver, which holds the top spot in the Western Conference.
Tari Eason had 21 points to lead Houston, while Kevin Porter Jr. and Jabari Smith Jr. each had 20.
CELTICS 120, PACERS 95
BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Jayson Tatum scored 34 points, setting a franchise record with his 40th 30-point game this season, and Boston rolled past Indiana.
Tatum passed Hall of Famer Larry Bird, who had 39 30-point games during the 1987-88 season.
Jaylen Brown added 27 points and seven rebounds, and Derrick White finished with 22 points and nine assists for the Celtics, who have won four of five and improved to 27-9 at home this season.
Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton had 20 points, nine assists and six rebounds in his first game back from a six-game absence with a combination of a bruised left knee and sprained right ankle. Myles Turner added 20 points and six rebounds.
LAKERS 116, THUNDER 111
LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Anthony Davis had 37 points and 14 rebounds, Dennis Schr&ouml;der added 13 of his 21 points in the second half and the Los Angeles Lakers got a vital victory for their playoff hopes.
Lonnie Walker scored 20 points in an impressive return to the rotation for the Lakers, who have won three straight to move even with Minnesota in seventh place in the Western Conference standings. With Davis leading the way on both ends of the court, Los Angeles (37-37) also reached .500 for the first time this season after holding off the Thunder despite the injury absences of LeBron James and D&rsquo;Angelo Russell.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey scored 27 points apiece for Oklahoma City, which lost for only the fourth time in 12 games down the stretch. The Thunder (36-38) dropped into a tie with Dallas for 10th in the West.
WARRIORS 120, 76ERS 112
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Jordan Poole scored 33 points and swished a key 3-pointer with 1:18 to play off a pretty pass by Draymond Green, Stephen Curry added 29 points and eight rebounds and Golden State rallied past Joel Embiid and Philadelphia.
Embiid checked back into the game with 8:26 left and scored 13 straight on the way to 46 points, but the Warriors came back from 11 down for their ninth straight home win &mdash; and one of the most important yet as they fight for playoff positioning.
Embiid shot 13 for 23, made 19 of 22 free throws and had nine rebounds, eight assists and two steals. He helped Philadelphia take an 88-79 lead going into the fourth. He had his streak of scoring 30 or more points in a franchise-record 10 straight games snapped in Wednesday&rsquo;s 116-91 win at Chicago but made up for it.
WIZARDS 136, SPURS 124
WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Corey Kispert scored 26 points and sank six 3-pointers, Deni Avdija added 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Washington pulled away for a win over San Antonio.
Delon Wright added 24 points and Kristaps Porzingis 23 for the Wizards, who missed three-time All-Star Bradley Beal (left knee sprain) for a second game but snapped a four-game skid.
Washington sank 15 of 30 attempts beyond the arc one game after setting season lows for number and percentage of 3s made in Wednesday&rsquo;s loss to West-leading Denver.
Keldon Johnson scored 30 points for San Antonio, which played without 2022 ninth-overall draft pick Jeremy Sochan (sore right knee) for the third time in four games.
RAPTORS 118, PISTONS 97
TORONTO (AP) &mdash; Pascal Siakam scored 32 points, Chris Boucher had 19 points and 13 rebounds and Toronto routed Detroit for its eighth win in nine home games.
Fred VanVleet added 18 points and O.G. Anunoby 17 as Toronto completed its first four-game sweep of Detroit since the 2017-18 season. The Raptors also improved to 7-0 when holding opponents below 100 points
Jaden Ivey scored 20 points and Marvin Bagley III and James Wiseman each had 14 for Detroit, but the Pistons lost for the 16th time in 17 games.
HORNETS 117, MAVERICKS 109
DALLAS (AP) &mdash; P.J. Washington Jr. scored 28 points and Gordon Hayward added 25 as undermanned Charlotte built a 21-point lead and held on to beat Dallas.
The Hornets, who were eliminated from the Eastern Conference playoff race last week, earned a split of a back-to-back after losing by 19 points on Thursday night at New Orleans and finishing with only seven healthy players.
Luka Doncic had 34 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Mavericks, who lost their third straight and for the sixth time in eight games. Kyrie Irving scored 18 points after missing one game with a toe injury. He and Doncic played together for the first time since March 8. The Mavericks are 3-7 with both in the lineup.
BUCKS 144, JAZZ 116
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Grayson Allen scored a season-high 25 points to lead Milwaukee past Utah.
Allen made five 3-pointers and shot 57% from the field to help the Bucks lead wire-to-wire. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points and 11 assists, and Pat Connaughton scored 22 points while making six 3-pointers. Jrue Holiday added 18 points and seven assists, and Brook Lopez had 17 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks.
Milwaukee made 22 3-pointers and shot 56% from the field to fuel its third straight victory.
Simone Fontecchio scored a career-high 26 points in his third career start to lead the Jazz.
BULLS 124, TRAIL BLAZERS 96
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Zach LaVine scored 33 points and Chicago dominated short-handed Portland.
Nikola Vucevic added 23 points and 15 rebounds for the Bulls, who have won six of their last eight games and sit in 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings with nine regular-season games remaining.
Portland, which has lost seven of its last eight games, was led by rookie Shaedon Sharpe, who matched his career high with 24 points. The Blazers&rsquo; lone win during the recent stretch came against the Utah Jazz 127-115 on Wednesday. Portland was at 13th in the Western Conference standings, well out of the playoff picture.
Regular Portland starters Damian Lillard (calf tightness), Jusuf Nurkic (sore right knee), Jerami Grant (quad contusion) and Anfernee Simons (sore right foot) did not play against the Bulls.
KINGS 135, SUNS 127
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Kevin Huerter led all scorers with 29 points and Sacramento beat Phoenix.
Huerter added nine rebounds and five assists for the Kings (44-29), who are in third place in the Western Conference behind Denver and Memphis. Domantas Sabonis finished with 27 points, nine rebounds and nine assists for the Kings.
Sacramento&rsquo;s De&rsquo;Aaron Fox exited the game with 7:16 left in the third quarter with right hamstring soreness. Fox finished with 19 points in 21 minutes.
Devin Booker finished with 32 points for the Suns (38-36). Terrence Ross scored a season-high 30 points off the bench and hit six 3-pointers.

A recap of Friday night's slate of NBA action includes Memphis punching its ticket to the postseason.

Grizzlies earn playoff berth as Kennard makes 10 3-pointers

SAN ANTONIO (AP) &mdash; Christian Wood had 27 points and 13 rebounds and the Dallas Mavericks overcame a series of blunders at the end regulation to beat the San Antonio Spurs 137-128 in overtime Wednesday night without injured All-Stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Dallas&rsquo; Maxi Kleber threw an inbounds pass out of bounds on a full-length heave with 1.8 seconds remaining in regulation. Keldon Johnson, who missed a pair of free throws with 1.8 seconds, tied it 121 on an alley-oop dunk off an inbounds pass from Malaki Branham.
Wood had five points in overtime as Dallas fights to remain in the top 10 in the Western Conference. The Mavericks entered the game in ninth place with the same record as the 10th-place Los Angeles Lakers and a game ahead of the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans.
Dwight Powell and Jaden Hardy had 22 points each and Josh Green added 21 points for Dallas, which snapped a three-game skid.
Johnson had 27 points to lead the short-handed Spurs.
Playing the second game of a back-to-back, the Spurs were without starters Devin Vassell Jeremy Sochan and Zach Collins along with Keita Bates-Diop and Charles Bassey. But as they did in setting a franchise record with 22 3-pointers in a rousing victory over Orlando on Tuesday night, San Antonio responded with a balanced scoring effort.
Branham had 20 points, Romeo Langford had 17 points and four others scored in double figures.
TIP-INS
Mavericks: Dallas has won six straight against San Antonio. The Mavericks&rsquo; previous loss to the Spurs was April 11, 2021, in San Antonio. &hellip; Doncic and Irving were both in attendance, sitting at the end of the Mavericks bench. &hellip; Jaden Hardy has scored 20 points in all three of his career starts for the Mavericks. In a back-to-back set against Memphis, Hardy had 22 points on March 11 and 28 points on March 13.
Spurs: San Antonio confirmed that C Charles Bassey suffered a non-displace fracture in his left patella. The injury occurred at the close of the first quarter of Tuesday&rsquo;s victory over Orlando. Bassey will miss the remainder of the season. &hellip;. San Antonio is 2-1 during its six-game homestand. &hellip; Of the 13 games the Spurs have remaining, 10 are against a team in the playoffs or play-in tournament if the season ended today. &hellip; Johnson made his 200th career start in 219 career games with the Spurs. Only Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Tony Parker, Willie Anderson and Sean Elliott have 200 starts in fewer games for the Spurs.
UP NEXT
Mavericks: At Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
Spurs: Host Memphis on Friday night.

Christian Wood had 27 points and 13 rebounds as the Mavericks beat the Spurs 137-128 in overtime on Wednesday night.

Christian Wood has 27 points, 13 rebounds in Mavs’ OT win over Spurs

SAN ANTONIO (AP) &mdash; Keldon Johnson scored 23 points and the San Antonio Spurs overcame 37 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists by Nikola Jokic to stun the Denver Nuggets 128-120 on Friday night.
Doug McDermott added 20 points and Jeremy Sochan had 19 points for San Antonio, which shot 54% in a balanced effort with their entire roster available for one of only a few times in an injury-riddled season.
It was Jokic&rsquo;s 26th triple-double in what could be his third straight MVP season.
Jamal Murray added 24 points for Denver, which lost its second straight following a four-game winning streak. The Nuggets maintained the Western Conference&rsquo;s best record at 46-21, but fell 2 1/2 games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the league&rsquo;s best record.
Denver hoped to rebound from an uncharacteristically sloppy outing in a 117-96 loss at home to Chicago on Wednesday, but instead had one of the season&rsquo;s most deflating losses.
San Antonio entered having lost two straight and 18 of 20.
&ldquo;When you get blown out at home, I think that&rsquo;s an eye-opening experience,&rdquo; Nuggets coach Michael Malone said before the game. &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re man enough, not that everybody is in this business, but if you&rsquo;re man enough to look yourself in the mirror and be honest with yourself, I think we all realized, starting with me from all the way down 1 through 17, we did not do our jobs against Chicago.
&ldquo;So, you hope the message is delivered.&rdquo;
The message was lost, even as the Nuggets responded to a second-half altercation.
Spurs center Zach Collins and Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. were ejected with 6:57 remaining in the third quarter after having to be separated by teammates, officials, and the coaching staffs.
After Collins and Jokic had a series of hard bumps and shoves, Porter threw down a monstrous one-handed dunk on Collins. Porter glared and said something to Collins, who responded by charging at and bumping him from behind. The two were nose-to-nose before Porter pushed Collins in the throat.
Denver responded with a 5-0 run to trail 85-84, but San Antonio never lost its lead in the second half.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Denver has 15 games remaining, including 12 against teams that currently qualify for the playoffs. ... C DeAndre Jordan has played in just 35 games this season, which is on pace to be the fewest in his 15-year career. His lowest total is 48 games, which he had last season while playing with the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers. ... Porter had seven points, one rebound and one assist in 20 minutes when he was ejected.
Spurs: San Antonio is 3-46 this season when trailing by double figures during a game. The Spurs have trailed by double figures in 74% of their games this season. San Antonio is 1-35 when trailing by 15 points. ... Romeo Langford was eligible for his second straight game after missing 17 consecutive games with left abductor tightness. ... Collins had 10 points, nine rebounds and three assists in 21 minutes when he was ejected.
UP NEXT
Nuggets: Host Brooklyn on Sunday.
Spurs: Host Oklahoma City on Sunday.&nbsp;

Keldon Johnson scored 23 points and the Spurs overcame Nikola Jokic's 37-11-11 stat line to stun the Nuggets 128-120 on Friday.

Spurs overcome Nikola Jokic’s triple-double to top Nuggets 128-120

SAN ANTONIO (AP) &mdash; Tari Eason matched his season high with 20 points and the Houston Rockets ended an 11-game losing streak, beating the San Antonio Spurs 122-110 on Saturday night.
Alperen Sengun had 16 points and K.J. Martin and Josh Christopher each added 14 points for the Rockets in the opener of a home-and-home series. Last in the NBA at 14-49, they hadn&rsquo;t won since Feb. 1.
Devonte&rsquo; Graham had 28 points to lead San Antonio. Zach Collins added 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The teams will play again Sunday night in Houston to close a back-to-back set.
San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich and lead assistant Brett Brown returned after missing the Spurs&rsquo; game Thursday night against Indiana because of non-COVID illnesses.
The Spurs are still without Keldon Johnson, however, and Devin Vassell sat out after playing Thursday following a 25-game absence.
Vying for the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, San Antonio entered having won two straight after losing a franchise-record 16 straight. It is 4-24 in 2023. Houston is 4-23 in 2023.
TIP-INS
Rockets: San Antonio honored former Rockets and Spurs guard Mario Elie following the first quarter. Elie won three NBA titles during an 11-year career, helping San Antonio capture its first championship in 1999. The tribute is part of the Spurs&rsquo; season-long 50th Anniversary celebration. &hellip; Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate was held out for injury management following a sprained right ankle. &hellip; The Rockets&rsquo; last victory over the Spurs was Jan. 12, 2022, in San Antonio.
Spurs: Johnson missed his second straight game with a sprained left foot. Johnson has missed eight games this season while leading the Spurs in scoring at 21.8 points per game. &hellip; Vassell sat out for injury management after playing for the first time since undergoing arthroscopic left knee surgery on Jan. 11.

Tari Eason matched his season high with 20 points and the Rockets ended an 11-game losing streak, beating the Spurs 122-110.

NBA-worst Rockets beat Spurs to end 11-game losing streak

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Keldon Johnson scored 25 points and the San Antonio Spurs snapped a 16-game losing streak, beating the Utah Jazz 102-94 on Tuesday night.
Doug McDermott added 19 points for the Spurs, Jeremy Sochan had 13 and Devonte Graham 12. San Antonio improved to 15-47, winning for the first time this season after trailing to start the fourth quarter.
The Spurs also won on the road for the first time since mid-December.
&ldquo;Ain&rsquo;t nothing like it, man,&rdquo; Johnson said. &ldquo;We fought the same fight. We stayed together as a group and good things happened.&rdquo;
Lauri Markkanen had 28 points and nine rebounds for Utah. Walker Kessler added 10 points and 15 rebounds, Talen Horton-Tucker had 16 points and Kris Dunn added 11.
The Jazz floundered on offense while playing shorthanded, making just five baskets over the entire fourth quarter.
&ldquo;We were very stubborn tonight,&rdquo; Jazz coach Will Hardy said. &ldquo;We refused to adjust to what the game kept telling us over and over again.&rdquo;
Blake Wesley, McDermott and Graham made 3-pointers to fuel an 11-0 run that erased a double-digit deficit early in the fourth and gave the Spurs an 88-82 lead.
Horton-Tucker tied it on back-to-back 3-pointers. The Jazz took a 92-91 lead on Dunn&rsquo;s driving layup, but Johnson countered with a pair of baskets to put San Antonio up 98-93 with 2:06 remaining.
Johnson accounted for four of the Spurs&rsquo; nine fourth quarter baskets.
&ldquo;I wanted to win,&rdquo; Johnson said. &ldquo;I feel like I had it going a little bit. I thought I&rsquo;d make the right play. My coach and teammates trusted me. They put the ball in my hands. They trusted me to make the right decision.&rdquo;
Utah did not score a basket over the final three minutes and shot a season-low 35% from the field.
San Antonio held an opponent under 100 points for just the fourth time this season.
&ldquo;They played 48 minutes,&rdquo; Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. &ldquo;It obviously wasn&rsquo;t perfect. It never is. But watching them give that effort for 48 was very satisfying.&rdquo;
San Antonio forced the Jazz out of their usual offensive style and limited Utah to a single contested shot on many possessions down the stretch.
&ldquo;We got stagnant,&rdquo; Markkanen said. &ldquo;We ended up with more iso&rsquo;s and post-ups than we ever do.&rdquo;
TIP-INS 
Spurs: Charles Bassey had 10 rebounds. &hellip; The Spurs are 1-42 when trailing after three quarters this season. &hellip; San Antonio outscored Utah 56-36 in the paint.
Jazz: Jordan Clarkson did not play (right thumb sprain) and Collin Sexton missed his third straight contest (left hamstring strain). &hellip; Johnny Juzang made his NBA debut. He had three points in 15 minutes.
UP NEXT 
Spurs: Host Indiana on Thursday night.
Jazz: At Oklahoma City on Friday night.

Keldon Johnson scored 25 points and the Spurs snapped a 16-game losing streak, beating the Jazz 102-94 on Tuesday night.

Spurs snap 16-game losing streak with 102-94 victory over Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Lauri Markkanen scored 27 points and recent signee Kris Dunn added 15 as the Utah Jazz rallied from a 14-point deficit and beat the struggling San Antonio Spurs 118-102 on Saturday night.
Markkanen sealed the game with 14 points in the fourth quarter, and Walker Kessler recorded four of his five blocks in the final minutes.
&ldquo;We finally had our spacing right and got good looks after that,&rdquo; Markkanen said. &ldquo;But it was defense that was the difference maker, just getting out in transition and running to get into a good rhythm.&rdquo;
Kessler, who added 12 rebounds and nine points, was off the court when the Jazz made their first game-changing run and wanted to establish himself to help his team finish strong.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s what I do. I don&rsquo;t like people scoring in my paint,&rdquo; Kessler said.
Dunn, playing his second game on a 10-day contract with the Jazz, was signed for his defense. He ended up being a playmaker and late-game scorer when the rest of his teammates were struggling.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m an energy player. I was trying to direct the team on the offensive end and try and push the pace and get my guys easy looks,&rdquo; Dunn said.
Jeremy Sochan scored 22 points, Keldon Johnson had 18 and Zach Collins added 15 for the Spurs, who lost their 16th straight game.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re obviously not a 48-minute team,&rdquo; San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. &ldquo;Just not mature enough to understand you got to keep it up. It&rsquo;s a game of consistency and execution, keeping your competitiveness up.&rdquo;
In 23 minutes, Dunn went 7 for 13 from the field and had game-high eight assists and seven rebounds, all along with strong defensive play.
&ldquo;The guys don&rsquo;t really know me. I&rsquo;ve only been here for a couple days, so playing hard and being vocal out there make it look like I know what I&rsquo;m doing,&rdquo; Dunn said.
Dunn hadn&rsquo;t scored 15 points since Jan. 20, 2020, against Milwaukee, when he was playing with Chicago. But, he now has 26 points in two games with the Jazz, who have won three of their last four.
Utah is back at .500 (31-31) and among a logjam of teams in Western Conference playoff contention.
After a hapless first half for the Jazz, the third quarter was pivotal as Utah outscored San Antonio 30-14. The 14 points was season low for the Spurs and the lowest point total allowed by the Jazz in the quarter.
The Jazz used a 19-4 run in the third quarter to grab their first lead of the game. Jordan Clarkson made a layup with 3:30 left in the period to cap the surge and make it 78-75 in favor of Utah.
Simone Fontecchio hit a 3-pointer just before the horn and the Jazz led 85-79 entering the final period. That was bad news for the Spurs, who are 0-42 when trailing after three quarters.
The Spurs led by 14 points in the first half, at 46-32, when Johnson hit a pair of acrobatic shots around the basket.
KIND WORDS FROM THE MASTER
Utah coach Will Hardy learned the coaching profession in the Spurs organization from 2010-2019.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s ridiculously intelligent and he&rsquo;s a hard worker. He started out at the bottom in the film room and it was pretty apparent very quickly that he understood everything that we coaches wanted,&rdquo; Popovich said.
So, the mentor is not the least surprised at Hardy&rsquo;s early success with the the Jazz, who were widely predicted to be one of the league&rsquo;s worst teams this year.
TIP-INS
Spurs: The Spurs were missing a host of injured players, including Devin Vassell (knee) and Tre Jones (foot).
Jazz: Utah averages more than 14 3-pointers per game, but didn&rsquo;t record their first 3 until Dunn made one with 4:16 left until halftime.
UP NEXT
Spurs and Jazz: The teams meet again in Salt Lake City on Tuesday.

Lauri Markkanen scored 27 points as the Jazz rallied from a 14-point deficit and beat the struggling Spurs 118-102 on Saturday night.

Jazz rally late, send reeling Spurs to 16th straight loss

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) &mdash; LaMelo Ball had 28 points, 10 assists and a season-high 12 rebounds and the Charlotte Hornets beat San Antonio 120-110 on Wednesday night to send the Spurs into the NBA All-Star break with a franchise-record 14-game losing streak.
The 21-year-old Ball became the second-youngest player in NBA history to reach 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists in his career.
&ldquo;He is an ultra-talented player for sure,&rdquo; Hornets swingman Gordon Hayward said. &ldquo;Great vision for sure and he&rsquo;s all over the court. (With rebounding) he has an special ability to be in the right place at the right time. ... He&rsquo;s obviously a great player already and I think he will continue to grow into an even better one.&rdquo;
When told about the accomplishment Ball immediately correctly guessed that LeBron James was the only player younger than him to reach that pinnacle.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t like to trip to up with that stuff,&rdquo; Ball said of being on the same list as James. &ldquo;I just go out and try to get win after win.&rdquo;
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_1" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">
For Ball, it was his third triple-double of the season and franchise-leading ninth overall.
The Hornets got another solid contribution from P.J. Washington, who had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and rookie Mark Williams added 12 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots as Charlotte won its second straight game.
The Hornets had 12 blocks in all, including five by backup center Nick Richards.
For years the Panthers have sought a rim protector &mdash; and now it appears they have two young and capable shot blockers in 7-footers Williams and Richards.
&ldquo;What they both do is make exceptional plays because of their size and athleticism,&rdquo; Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. &ldquo;What they need to do now on top of that is less mistakes and not giving possessions away. If they do that we will be in good shape and they will be too.&rdquo;
Malaki Branham had 23 points and Keldon Johnson added 21 points for the Spurs, who have not won on the road since beating Houston on Dec. 19. Doug McDermott added 17 points on five 3s.
The Hornets led 60-57 at halftime behind Ball, who nearly had a triple-double before the break with 10 points, nine rebounds and eight assists while seeing extra minutes with backcourt mate Terry Rozier out with knee soreness.
Charlotte looked like it might pull away in the fourth quarter, but McDermott led the Spurs back with back-to-back 3-pointers and short jumper to cut the lead to one.
But newly acquired guard Svi Mykhailiuk, playing in his first game with the Hornets, sparked a Charlotte run by burying a jumper from the corner to help push the lead back to six with five minutes remaining.
Ball&rsquo;s fifth 3-pointer of the game with two minutes remaining pushed the lead back to nine and Washington&rsquo;s offensive rebound and resounding dunk with 59 seconds left sealed the win.
&ldquo;At some point, you have to take pride in what you&rsquo;re doing execution wise and competitively,&rdquo; Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. &ldquo;That starts with defense and we really sucked. That&rsquo;s on me when I think we&rsquo;re starting to improve on it, and we go back two steps, so that&rsquo;s something I&rsquo;m going to have to think about, figure out how I&rsquo;m going to be able to motivate them better.&rdquo;
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_3" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">
TIP INS
Spurs: Shot 38.3% from the field.
Hornets: Dennis Smith Jr. got the start for Rozier, who was held out with knee soreness. ... Svi Mykhailiuk saw his first action since being acquired in a trade. He scored his first basket on an alley-oop from Ball after a backdoor cut.
</div>
</div>

LaMelo Ball had 28 points, 10 assists and a season-high 12 rebounds and the Charlotte Hornets beat San Antonio 120-110.

Ball has triple-double, Hornets hand Spurs 14th loss in row

ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Trae Young had 24 points and a season-high 17 assists, De&rsquo;Andre Hunter added 24 points and the Atlanta Hawks beat the reeling San Antonio Spurs 125-106 on Saturday night.
The Spurs (14-43), losers of a season-high 12 straight, are a half-game ahead of last-place Houston (13-43) in the Western Conference. Atlanta (29-28) has won two straight and four of six. The Hawks are eighth in the East.
The losing streak is San Antonio&rsquo;s longest since the 1988-89 club dropped a team-record 13 in a row.
&ldquo;They play their (butt) off,&rdquo; Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. &ldquo;They do everything they can. We&rsquo;ll just keep forming good habits and hope that this builds and builds as the weeks and months and next season come along.&rdquo;
Atlanta never trailed after Young&rsquo;s layup early in the third made it 65-64. The Hawks went on a 12-0 run to take a 75-64 lead, the game&rsquo;s first in double digits, on a pair of free throws by John Collins. A dunk by Clint Capela made it 82-70 at the 4:39 mark of the third, and the Spurs called timeout.
&ldquo;San Antonio is always going to play hard and always play the right way, meaning there&rsquo;s going to be five guys out there connected,&rdquo; Atlanta coach Nate McMillan said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re going to be moving the ball. They&rsquo;re going to be working hard trying to outscrap you. That&rsquo;s just the way they play.
&ldquo;It took us 24 minutes to start establishing and coming with that urgency that we needed on both ends of the floor.&rdquo;
Young hit two free throws to make it 93-77 entering the fourth with Atlanta&rsquo;s biggest lead. San Antonio was just 5 for 22 from the field in the third and was outscored 32-17. The lead swelled to 23 in the fourth.
&ldquo;I think we just picked up the pressure defensively and got out and ran more and got some better shots and some faster shots,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;I think we were going too slow in that first half, and they were pushing the pace and pushing it at us. We just knew we had to pick up the pressure.&rdquo;
Keldon Johnson, San Antonio&rsquo;s leading scorer this season, was back in the lineup after missing Friday&rsquo;s double overtime loss at Detroit with left ankle soreness and finished with 25 points. Jeremy Sochan added 18.
Capela finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Collins added 17 points for the Hawks.
The Hawks led 61-60 at halftime as Hunter had 17 points, Capela had 12 points with eight rebounds and Young 12 points with 10 assists. Johnson and Sochan each scored 18 before intermission for San Antonio.
Atlanta outscored the Spurs 25-12 in points off turnovers.
TIP-INS
Spurs: One night after scoring 31 points to set a franchise record in a San Antonio debut, Devonte&rsquo; Graham, acquired in Thursday&rsquo;s trade with New Orleans, finished with nine points off the bench. ... G Tre Jones was back in the lineup after missing four straight games with left foot soreness and scored eight points. ... Sochan returned after missing four straight games with lower back soreness. He scored 11 points in the first quarter and finished with a career-high nine rebounds.
Hawks: In his first game against his former team, Dejounte Murray scored 18 points. ... Young passed Lenny Wilkens for fourth place on the Hawks&rsquo; career assists list with 3,050. ... Newly acquired C Bruno Fernando and G Garrison Mathews were not in uniform, but McMillan hopes they will be ready to debut Monday at Charlotte. ... Hunter had 12 points and Young had six assists in the first quarter.
ON SITE
McMillan said Saddiq Bey sat on the bench as the newly acquired swingman was in limbo with Thursday&rsquo;s four-team trade uncertain because Gary Payton II allegedly failed a physical with Golden State. Payton was supposed to return to the Warriors from Portland. Bey was acquired from Detroit. Golden State has until Sunday to decide whether to go forward with the deal or nix it.

Trae Young had 24 points and a season-high 17 assists, and the Atlanta Hawks beat the reeling San Antonio Spurs 125-106.

Young, Hunter pace Hawks past reeling Spurs 125-106

TORONTO (AP) &mdash; Pascal Siakam had 37 points and 10 rebounds, Fred VanVleet scored 16 points and the Toronto Raptors beat San Antonio 112-98 on Wednesday night, handing the struggling Spurs their 10th consecutive loss.
Chris Boucher had 18 points and 11 rebounds off the bench in Toronto&rsquo;s third straight win.
Gary Trent Jr. scored 15 points, and Scottie Barnes and Precious Achiuwa each scored 10 for the Raptors, who have won the past five meetings with the Spurs.
Siakam led Toronto with seven assists and shot 15 for 21, connecting on his first eight attempts. He went 3 for 3 from 3-point range and shot 4 of 5 at the foul line.
&ldquo;He just looked assertive and aggressive from the jump,&rdquo; VanVleet said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what we need from him. He was great for us tonight. He carried us.&rdquo;
Boucher led Toronto with three blocked shots and also had three steals.
&ldquo;He was really a force out there,&rdquo; Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.
Keldon Johnson scored 22 points, Josh Richardson had 14 and Doug McDermott 13 for San Antonio, which has not won since Jan. 17 against Brooklyn. Former Raptor Jakob Poeltl scored 12 points and Keita Bates-Diop had 10.
It&rsquo;s the second time this season the Spurs have lost at least 10 straight. They had a season-worst 11-game slump between Nov. 14 and Dec. 4.
San Antonio made 16 turnovers, leading to 22 points for Toronto. The Spurs made 18 turnovers in Monday&rsquo;s loss at Chicago.
&ldquo;When you turn it over against Toronto, it&rsquo;s like a bucket at the other end with their speed and their athleticism,&rdquo; Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. &ldquo;They got too many points off our turnovers, but that&rsquo;s how they play. That&rsquo;s one of their strengths.&rdquo;
Poeltl, who was close friends with Siakam when they both played in Toronto, said his old pal did a good job of picking his spots against the Spurs.
&ldquo;He made tough shots tonight,&rdquo; Poeltl said. &ldquo;I felt like at times we played really good defense on him, he just made better shots. Hats off to him.&rdquo;
Siakam shot 7 for 7 and scored 18 points in the first quarter, his season high for any quarter, as Toronto led 34-24 after one.
San Antonio rallied in the second, but the Raptors held a 57-54 lead at the half.
Siakam scored nine points in the third, and VanVleet and Trent each had six, as Toronto took an 88-75 edge to the fourth.
TIP-INS
Spurs: F Jeremy Sochan (sore lower back) and G Tre Jones (sore left foot) each sat for the third consecutive game. ... San Antonio is 5-20 on the road.
Raptors: Siakam had seven rebounds in the first quarter. ... Barnes had nine rebounds. ... F O.G. Anunoby (sprained left wrist) missed his sixth straight game. ... Toronto played at home for the first time since a Jan. 22 win over the Knicks. The Raptors went 4-3 on a season-high seven-game road trip in between.
TRADING PLACES?
With the NBA trade deadline set for 3 p.m. ET Thursday, VanVleet said he expects the Raptors (26-30) to be fielding calls from contending teams.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got a lot of good players on a team that&rsquo;s not winning,&rdquo; Vanleet said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s pretty much it. We haven&rsquo;t played up to our standard this year, so we put ourselves in this position. Now we&rsquo;ve got to deal with it. We understand there&rsquo;s going to be probably every team in the league calling. We&rsquo;ve got a lot of guys that a lot of teams would want, and we&rsquo;re not in a great situation.&rdquo;
UNHAPPY NEW YEAR
After going 2-13 in January, the Spurs have started 0-4 in February.

Pascal Siakam had 37 points and 10 rebounds, Fred VanVleet scored 16 points and the Toronto Raptors beat San Antonio 112-98.

Siakam scores 37, Raptors hand Spurs 10th straight loss

CHICAGO (AP) &mdash; Nikola Vucevic could be playing for another team by the end of the week. The same goes for Andre Drummond as the NBA&rsquo;s trade deadline approaches.
Despite big questions about their futures, the big men delivered in a big way for the Chicago Bulls on Monday night.
Vucevic had 22 points and 12 rebounds, Drummond set season highs with 21 points and 15 rebounds, and Chicago handed San Antonio its ninth straight loss, beating the Spurs 128-104.
&ldquo;I never take this game lightly,&rdquo; Drummond said. &ldquo;I appreciate every moment that I am on that floor. I don&rsquo;t take those moments lightly. When I get that chance, I just try to play as hard as I can and give it all I have.&rdquo;
Zach LaVine scored 20 points and DeMar DeRozan had 19, helping the Bulls match a season high with their third straight win. Chicago (26-27) also got some payback for a loss at San Antonio in October.
It was tied at 85 late in the third quarter when Chicago went on a 23-3 run that buried the team with the second-worst record in the Western Conference. Two more losses and the Spurs will match their worst skid of the season.
BULLS DOMINATE
With his second double-double in three games after being used sparingly, Drummond continued to make his case for more playing time. The two-time All-Star had three steals in 21 minutes and scored 10 points in Chicago&rsquo;s game-breaking burst, including back-to-back dunks that delighted the crowd.
&ldquo;It says a lot about him,&rdquo; said Vucevic, whom the Bulls might deal rather than risk losing as a free agent after this season. &ldquo;It shows how truly professional he is. When you&rsquo;re not playing, when you&rsquo;re not in the rotation, sometimes it&rsquo;s harder to stay focused. He&rsquo;s been doing that this season.&rdquo;
DeRozan started the decisive run with a three-point play and step-back jumper in the final minute of the third, giving the Bulls a five-point lead.
Chicago had seven players score in double figures and shot 56.2% despite making just 6 of 22 3-pointers. It was the Bulls&rsquo; fourth win in five games overall.
Keldon Johnson led San Antonio with 21 points. But the Spurs opened a season-high, nine-game trip on an all-too-familiar note.
PULLING AWAY
The Bulls led by 11 after the first quarter, only to have San Antonio get back into the game in the second. The Spurs led by four late in the third, before the Bulls steadied themselves.
DeRozan&rsquo;s spurt at the end of the quarter helped give the Bulls the spark they needed.
Coby White kept it going when he hit two free throws and fed Drummond for dunk after stealing a pass in the opening minute of the fourth. Doug McDermott hit a 3 for San Antonio, but the Bulls outscored the Spurs 38-19 in the quarter.
TIP-INS
Spurs: San Antonio had won four of five against Chicago. ... F Jeremy Sochan (sore lower back) and G Tre Jones (sore left foot) missed their second consecutive game.
Bulls: The Bulls&rsquo; 39 first-quarter points were one shy of their season high. ... G Alex Caruso (sore left foot) missed his second straight game. Chicago&rsquo;s best perimeter defender was injured in Thursday&rsquo;s 114-98 victory over Charlotte. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s shown some significant strides in a very positive direction,&rdquo; coach Billy Donovan said.

The Chicago Bulls handed San Antonio its ninth straight loss, beating the Spurs 128-104.

Vucevic, Drummond come up big, Bulls beat Spurs 128-104

SAN ANTONIO (AP) &mdash; Joel Embiid had 33 points and 10 rebounds and the Philadelphia 76ers beat San Antonio 137-125 on Friday night, sending the scuffling Spurs to their eighth straight loss.
Tyrese Maxey had 25 points and James Harden added 16 for Philadelphia, which has the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.
&ldquo;Tonight was one of those games where it was difficult to get up,&rdquo; Harden said. &ldquo;But you&rsquo;ve got to still be professional. You&rsquo;ve got to be an elite team. That&rsquo;s where we are trying to get to consistently. We weren&rsquo;t consistent enough tonight.
&ldquo;We got a win, but we&rsquo;ve got to try to be better overall.&rdquo;
San Antonio rookie Malaki Branham set a season high for the second straight game with 26 points, eclipsing his 22-point outing Wednesday in a loss to Sacramento.
Keldon Johnson added 18 points and Jakob Poeltl had 16 points and 10 rebounds in San Antonio&rsquo;s final home game before embarking on a nine-game road trip that ends Feb. 28.
The Spurs are 9-37 since opening the season 5-2.
Embiid, Harden and Tobias Harris returned to the court with five minutes remaining after San Antonio trimmed Philadelphia&rsquo;s 22-point lead to just 10 at 122-112. Embiid and Harden combined for eight points and three rebounds in 3 1/2 minutes to seal the victory.
&ldquo;A couple of us older guys on the bench were happy for them when they brought it back all the way to like 10 or nine points,&rdquo; Poeltl said. &ldquo;Made them bring their starters back in. It was fun to watch them out there just playing free, playing aggressive.&rdquo;
Embiid, who was listed as questionable with a sore left foot, was 10 for 18 from the field, 2 for 3 on 3-pointers and 11 for 13 on free throws in an efficient 29 minutes. Named an All-Star reserve Thursday, Embiid added four assists and two steals.
The Spurs were without injured starters Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan and Tre Jones, as well as Romeo Langford, who has started 19 games.
Their absence contributed to San Antonio committing 18 turnovers that led to 26 points for Philadelphia.
&ldquo;Giving up 26 points off turnovers makes it impossible (to win),&rdquo; Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. &ldquo;That was the most disappointing part of the game. Their grunt and their ability to just play the game is super, but taking care of the basketball is pretty important and we didn&rsquo;t do that tonight. That was the bad part of the game.&rdquo;
Philadelphia started the game with three straight turnovers in falling behind 8-1. The 76ers rallied to end the first quarter tied at 26 and then outscored the Spurs 47-35 in the second quarter.
The run included a one-handed alley-oop dunk by Embiid on a pass from Harden followed by a fastbreak dunk by Harris in building a 66-49 lead.
The second unit then began a charge that ended in Philadelphia&rsquo;s bench outscoring San Antonio&rsquo;s 67-42.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s what we&rsquo;re going to need from them,&rdquo; Harden said. &ldquo;Consistently they run their sets. With that unit, it&rsquo;s about just getting stops. We get stops, we give ourselves a chance to get out in transition.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
76ers: Harden said he was fine after exiting for the locker room with a second remaining in the first half after falling on his elbow late in the first half. Harden returned early for warmups and started the second half. ... Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers was honored before the game as part of the Spurs&rsquo; 50th anniversary celebration. Rivers played his final two seasons in the NBA with the Spurs, beginning in 1994. ... Play was stopped midway through the first quarter so the 76ers could tend to a minor cut near Embiid&rsquo;s right thumb that was bleeding. Embiid drained a 3-pointer on the next play.
Spurs: San Antonio&rsquo;s next home game is March 2 against Houston. ... San Antonio has the league&rsquo;s second-longest active losing streak, trailing New Orleans&rsquo; 10-game skid. ... Popovich received a technical foul with 5 minutes remaining in the first quarter after stomping down the sideline and screaming at official Mousa Dagher. Popovich was upset no foul was called on a reverse layup attempted by Keldon Johnson.
UP NEXT
76ers: At Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.
Spurs: At Chicago on Tuesday.

Joel Embiid had 33 points and 10 rebounds and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the San Antonio Spurs 137-125 on Friday night.