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Kings

Atlanta Hawks principal owner Tony Ressler says the team won't repeat the mistake of complacency he says set the stage for this season's <a href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-heat-atlanta-hawks-nba-sports-1309479d3c7f8fdef6159bbf924edbec">disappointing first-round exit</a> from the playoffs.
Ressler says the Hawks won't stand pat this offseason &mdash; even if that means paying a salary tax.
The Hawks <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ga-state-wire-atlanta-hawks-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-8d827eabf721d1b06d7207da48def57a">returned a young core</a> led by Trae Young and John Collins from the team that was eliminated by the Milwaukee Bucks in last season's Eastern Conference finals. Ressler says he believed the team would improve just based on experience.
Instead, the Hawks escaped the play-in tournament with the No. 8 seed before <a href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-heat-atlanta-hawks-nba-sports-1c8157e72efbe6347914f1dcb55626fc">losing to the Miami Heat</a> in five games in the opening round of the playoffs.
&ldquo;We thought we&rsquo;d be better this season,&rdquo; Ressler said Thursday. &ldquo;We plan to get better this offseason.&rdquo;
Ressler said too much stock was placed on last year's surprising postseason run. General manager Travis Schlenk's only significant deal during the season was trading forward Cam Reddish to the New York Knicks for Kevin Knox, who rarely played, and a protected first-round draft pick.
&ldquo;I think if you asked our front office they would say that we thought based on last season&rsquo;s visit to the Eastern Conference finals, that we could bring back predominantly the same team and get better and expect it to be better,&rdquo; Ressler said. "I don&rsquo;t think that worked out the way we thought.
"So yes, I think we should have tried to get better rather than bring back what we had. That won&rsquo;t happen again, by the way. It was a mistake, in my opinion."
Ressler said he has &ldquo;enormous confidence&rdquo; in Schlenk and coach Nate McMillan while adding that he, the GM and coach &ldquo;all underperformed&rdquo; this season.
Ressler's frank appraisal is an endorsement of a plan to shake up the roster for next season. It's possible any player other than Young could be available in a trade.
Ressler also was candid in saying he's open to paying for new players, even if that means also paying a payroll tax. He amended his past statement that he'd be open to paying the tax only if the team was a championship contender.
&ldquo;Going into the tax does not scare us,&rdquo; Ressler said.
&ldquo;Going into the tax is not, in my view at least, only possible if we are competing for a championship in that season. Our job is to go into a tax when it&rsquo;s good business, to position ourselves for greatness. ... We do not fear spending money. We fully expect Atlanta to be a truly attractive marketplace for whomever considers playing here. Money is not going to be our obstacle.&rdquo;
The Hawks negotiated extensions for their core players last offseason, including a maximum five-year, $207 million rookie contract extension with Young, a five-year, $125 million deal with Collins and a four-year, $65 million extension with Kevin Huerter.
Led by Young, the Hawks boasted a high-scoring offense but ranked among the league's worst defensive teams. Re-signing backup point guard Delon Wright, one of the team's top defenders and an unrestricted free agent, could be a priority.
Based on Ressler's call for change, the Hawks can be expected to pursue help elsewhere.
Asked if the team needs another star to join Young, Ressler said &ldquo;I think every team in the NBA should add a superstar whenever they can, and I promise you we&rsquo;re no exception.&rdquo;
___
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Tony Ressler said too much stock was placed into the Hawks based on last year's surprising postseason run.

Hawks owner Ressler says team won't stand pat this offseason

The Utah Jazz&rsquo;s 2021-22 season is officially over. The Jazz believed they were a championship contender, but this marks another season ending in disappointment and heartbreak. Now, looking ahead at what&rsquo;s to come in Salt Lake City, massive changes seem to be on the horizon. Whether it be Donovan Mitchell or Rudy Gobert on the move, something&rsquo;s gotta give. Other veterans such as Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic could be on the move too.
While our Bryan Fonseca recently broke down <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-desinations-for-donovan-mitchell-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">possible trade destinations for Mitchell</a>, it's seems likely that the Jazz will try to appease their young star shooting guard. Gordon Hayward already broke Utah&rsquo;s heart a few years ago when he left in free agency. If Mitchell requested a trade, it would send shockwaves throughout Utah. Unlike Hayward, Mitchell has star power that transcends Utah and he could potentially lead the team to heights they haven&rsquo;t reached since the 1990s with John Stockton and Karl Malone.
If the Jazz have to move their homegrown three-time Defensive Player of the Year in order to keep Mitchell, I'm almost certain it would happen. It&rsquo;s an unfortunate twist of fate for Gobert, but leaving the Jazz&rsquo;s system might be the best thing for him so he can truly blossom into a true two-way presence.
As seen throughout Utah's first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks, Gobert was ignored or simply used as a decoy more often than not. If Gobert is used on a more consistent basis in a different environment, who knows what he could accomplish as one of the NBA&rsquo;s premier lob threats?
Gobert hitting the trade market would result in a feeding frenzy around the Association. Whether it be title contenders or rebuilding teams who feel close to a massive leap, Gobert could be viewed as the missing piece to the puzzle.
Without further ado, let&rsquo;s dive into five realistic destinations for a Gobert blockbuster deal this offseason.
Chicago Bulls
Chicago knows they&rsquo;re in desperate need of a defensive jolt. Adding Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso in the backcourt already brought a new identity to the Bulls, who were seemingly allergic to defense before their arrival. Myles Turner has been mentioned as a possible target for Chicago, but the Indiana Pacers are <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/despite-trade-talks-the-pacers-want-to-keep-myles-turner-longterm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> expected to keep him long-term. Why not swing for the fences with Gobert? Acquiring the 29-year-old would be a crown-jewel moment for the organization.&nbsp;
Imagine the possibilities for Chicago with Gobert patrolling the paint with Ball and Caruso hawking the perimeter. It&rsquo;s the perfect complement to offensive dynamos Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. Chicago&rsquo;s new starting lineup of Ball, Caruso, LaVine, DeRozan and Gobert would seemingly have no holes in it from a two-way perspective.
I absolutely love this idea for Chicago, and they should be blowing up the Jazz&rsquo;s phone this summer if it seems plausible.
Jazz receive: Nikola Vucevic, Patrick Williams, Coby White, draft compensation
Bulls receive: Rudy Gobert
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New York Knicks
The Knicks are bound to blow it up one way or another soon enough. Julius Randle feels like <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/five-nba-players-who-feel-destined-to-be-traded-this-offseason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of the most obvious trade candidates</a> to potentially hit the market this offseason. If the Knicks are done with Randle, could they parlay him and other young pieces to acquire Gobert? While <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-desinations-for-donovan-mitchell-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York would love to land Mitchell</a>, the Knicks should seriously explore a Gobert trade since the organization needs some sort of game-changing move.
The 2022-23 season feels like a make-or-break year for the current Knicks regime. Head coach Tom Thibodeau&rsquo;s seat is red-hot, plus the Knicks&rsquo; front office has to be itching to make some sort of move to change course from a stale build.
Gobert&rsquo;s arrival would signal New York is ready to finally ascend the Eastern Conference standings. Sure, Gobert isn&rsquo;t a true &ldquo;superstar,&rdquo; but he&rsquo;s far and away the most impactful player the Knicks could realistically reel in this offseason. Gobert being the adult in the room for an accelerated rebuild in the Big Apple is a fun scenario, especially as it provides a high-floor outcome immediately.
New York&rsquo;s current roster has ample flexibility to turn it all over again by 2023. If the Knicks clear out all of their contracts with team options and expiring deals, sans the young core, they will have a max slot open for the loaded 2023 free-agent class. Would Gobert and RJ Barrett be able to sell a star on New York? If Barrett takes the leap forward that many expect, that&rsquo;s a fun big/wing duo to build around long-term.
Utah will likely want at least another young asset or two in return as part of this projected blockbuster, but the framework is strong enough to build off it.
Jazz receive: Julius Randle, Alec Burks, Quentin Grimes, draft compensation
Knicks receive: Rudy Gobert
Atlanta Hawks
Want to find the perfect fit for Gobert outside of Utah? The Hawks are the ideal destination for Gobert, who would be able to shine outside of the Jazz&rsquo;s system. Trae Young pick-and-rolls with Gobert would simply be unfair to try to guard, and it would help insulate their star point guard in a better situation.
Atlanta also has the right amount of assets to make this compelling for Utah to pull the trigger. Whether it be John Collins or Bogdan Bogdanovic, either one could be the centerpiece to a Gobert deal. Also, Atlanta has an upcoming expiring salary in Danilo Gallinari with only $5 million guaranteed on his contract. If you throw together Collins, Gallinari and future draft compensation, it could be enough for the Jazz to take negotiations more seriously. Clint Capela could also be re-routed to another team to free up further cap flexibility as well.
For Atlanta, they are ready to win right now with Young leading the way. With Young, Kevin Huerter, De&rsquo;Andre Hunter, Onyeka Okongwu and Jalen Johnson, they have a young core that's ready to take the next step. Gobert brings a star piece to an organization that has the urgency to compete right now in the East, and they'll want to bounce back after how they crashed and burned to end their 2021-22 season. Also, the Hawks had the NBA's 26th-ranked defense this season (allowing 112.1 points per 100 possessions), so adding a three-time Defensive Player of the Year could be just what they need.
It wouldn&rsquo;t be a surprise to see a player of Young&rsquo;s caliber push for Gobert to join him in Atlanta too. With all the trade rumors swirling around Collins since he signed a five-year extension, this deal makes a lot of sense for both sides to explore further.
Jazz receive: John Collins, Danilo Gallinari, future draft compensation
Hawks receive: Rudy Gobert
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Golden State Warriors
Smoke is already forming around this possibility, if the Jazz indeed decide to blow it up in a few months. For the Warriors, it&rsquo;s an all-in move to create another dynasty in the final prime years of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. With so much young talent climbing the ladder in the reloaded Western Conference, the time is now for the Warriors to make a splashy move to keep themselves atop the standings.
This will be the last time the Warriors can explore potential deals revolving around Andrew Wiggins&rsquo; bloated salary as well. Next season, Wiggins will be on an expiring contract making $33.6 million. With Wiggins, Golden State can immediately enter the conversation for Gobert while also having some intriguing young pieces that could appeal to Utah.
Jonathan Kuminga is likely off limits from the Warriors&rsquo; perspective, flashing real two-way potential throughout this season. However, what about a combination of Moses Moody and James Wiseman? Instantly, Utah can replenish their young core with two immediate contributors to place alongside Mitchell long-term. Throw in some future draft picks and the Jazz might be the ones who are ready to press &ldquo;accept&rdquo; on this hypothetical trade.
Golden State&rsquo;s new-age lineup of dominance would simply be unfair. Take a look at the Warriors&rsquo; projected lineup with Gobert: Curry, Jordan Poole, Thompson, Green and Gobert. With all of the versatility on display here, it could vault Golden State into a different stratosphere entirely.
Jazz receive: Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman, Moses Moody, future draft compensation
Warriors receive: Rudy Gobert, Rudy Gay
Detroit Pistons
Here&rsquo;s a surprise team that could become very aggressive in the Gobert sweepstakes if the chips fall their way this offseason. No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham flashed superstar potential for the Pistons during his rookie campaign, especially after the All-Star break.
If the Pistons get lottery luck once more with a top pick in this year&rsquo;s draft, could they decide to push some chips into the middle of the table for Gobert? Imagine if the Pistons had a trio of Cunningham, Gobert and a top prospect (Jabari Smith or Paolo Banchero?) to build around for the next five-plus years.
For the Pistons, acquiring stars via the draft or trades is the only realistic route to obtaining a game-changing talent. We already saw it on display with their former regime when they traded for Blake Griffin, which led to little progress long-term. Unlike Griffin, Gobert actually fits into the organization's long-term calculus.
From the Jazz&rsquo;s perspective, they would be asking for a heavy return from a team like Detroit. We&rsquo;re talking two key pieces to their core as well as veteran wing Jerami Grant. Would the Pistons feel comfortable moving Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart for Gobert? That may be Utah's asking price.
Jazz receive: Jerami Grant, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart, Kelly Olynyk, future draft compensation
Pistons receive: Rudy Gobert, Nickeil Alexander-Walker
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Entering a pivotal offseason, will the Utah Jazz blow it up? If so, which teams make sense as a landing spot for Rudy Gobert?

Examining potential trade destinations for Rudy Gobert

In spite of Luka Dončić only playing half of the series, the Utah Jazz have been eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs, which can only mean it&rsquo;s time to blow them up!
Okay, not really... but maybe? Virtually everyone is expecting organizational changes given the team's recent underachievement in the playoffs stemming from successful regular seasons. This incarnation of the Jazz was established in 2017-18, behind then-rookie Donovan Mitchell&rsquo;s quick rise to stardom and Rudy Gobert&rsquo;s emergence as an annual Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
That season, Mitchell &mdash; filling the void left by Gordon Hayward &mdash; finished his first season as a 20-point-per-game scorer despite being picked No. 13 overall and averaging just over 14 points per game in his first 19 appearances. Gobert, even having played only 56 games, was awarded his first of now three DPOY awards.
In these five years, there have been as many playoff trips &mdash; three as the No. 5 seed (including this season), one as the No. 6 in the Orlando Bubble, and another as the top overall seed in the Western Conference last year.
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In 2017-18, the Jazz overachieved, taking down the Russell Westbrook-Paul George-Carmelo Anthony-led Oklahoma City Thunder in six games before losing to the No. 1 seed Houston Rockets in five contests.
In 2018-19, Utah lost to the Rockets again in five, this time in the first round, and Houston even led 3-0 with a +55 scoring margin before dropping Game 4.
In 2019-20, the Jazz squandered a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets, losing Game 7 in the final seconds of the opening round.
Last season &mdash; despite the Los Angeles Clippers losing Kawhi Leonard to a torn ACL (that he&rsquo;s still not back from) &mdash; the Jazz <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2yBy-EqnU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lost in six games to the Clippers</a> in the West semifinals, and Gobert was dunked on by both Terance Mann and social media in the ending.
And finally, this postseason &mdash; in a series with Dončić missing the first three games with a calf injury, in which Utah still trailed 2-1 upon his return &mdash; Utah lost on yet another last-second heartbreaker.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
THE PLAYOFF DROUGHT IS OVER. THE DALLAS MAVERICKS ADVANCE TO THE SECOND ROUND SINCE 2011!<a href="https://twitter.com/dallasmavs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@dallasmavs</a> | 📺 BSSW | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/dALLasIN?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#dALLasIN</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAPlayoffs</a> <a href="https://t.co/VcWGAdSOL4">pic.twitter.com/VcWGAdSOL4</a>
&mdash; Bally Sports Southwest (@BallySportsSW) <a href="https://twitter.com/BallySportsSW/status/1519896562079518727?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Given <a href="https://twitter.com/tribjazz/status/1482077811019902980">the sniping back-and-forth between Mitchell and Gobert</a>, the Jazz's inability to break through and how far behind they appear from the top teams in the West, this seems like the summer where sizeable moves will be coming.
Personally speaking, it feels like we&rsquo;re heading toward Mitchell requesting a trade and moving on, but either way, one of Mitchell or Gobert &mdash; perhaps both &mdash; may be on the move in the coming months. Our Evan Sidery <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-rudy-gobert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently looked at five trade ideas involving Gobert</a>.
Today, let's look at where Mitchell could end up, <a href="https://fanspo.com/nba/trade-machine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">using this trade machine</a>.
Mitchell is due $30.3 million next year, $32.6 million in 2023-24, $34.9 million in 2024-25, and has a player option for $37 million in 2025-26. Keep that in mind as we embark on this journey together. (Why did I sound like Professor Oak there?)
New York Knicks
Mitchell&rsquo;s father, Donovan Sr., works with the New York Mets organization. The 25-year-old Mitchell himself is a native of Elmsford, New York. Naturally, with the New York Knicks, there will be Mitchell smoke until a deal (or something else) actually happens. Because Tommy Beer already <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/expect-the-knicks-to-make-a-real-run-at-donovan-mitchell-this-summer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broke down the possibility of a Mitchell-to-New-York trade</a>, we won&rsquo;t stay here too long.
Regarding the Knicks&rsquo; actual proposal, the first look would be to RJ Barrett, who is extension eligible this summer, entering year four and making $10.9 million next year. The idea, for New York, should be to team Barrett and Mitchell together. If that&rsquo;s not possible, and the Mitchell deal were to have to get done, Barrett is your chief trade chip, along with first-round draft picks. The Knicks have all their own first-rounders as of this writing.
Usable salaries for the Knicks next year include Evan Fournier, who&rsquo;ll be at $18 million, Derrick Rose at $14.5 million, Alec Burks at $10 million, Nerlens Noel at $9.2 million and Kemba Walker at over $9.1 million. Rose, Burks and Noel all have team options for 2023-24, so they have ostensibly expiring deals. Walker&rsquo;s next season is his last under contract, and Fournier is signed through 2025, but that also includes a team option. Cam Reddish and Taj Gibson also enter the last year of their respective deals, at about $6 million and $5.1 million each, respectively.
The contract elephant in the room is Julius Randle&rsquo;s, which is a four-year, $117 million extension that begins next season at $26.1 million. It&rsquo;ll gradually increase until his player option for $32.4 million kicks in for 2025-26. The Knicks might try to move Randle instead, but what sense does that make for Utah? And if Utah isn&rsquo;t getting Barrett, would they want a package of the aforementioned veterans (say, Fournier and Burks), along with one or two of Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes, or Miles McBride (who make between $1.6 and $2.3 million next year) and picks?
It&rsquo;ll be hard to do without Barrett, and maybe Randle gets involved in a three-team deal, but the Knicks have the picks, salaries and prospects to make it work, if that&rsquo;s the route the Jazz want to go.
Detroit Pistons
The Pistons seem like a team that could be a version of this past season&rsquo;s Cleveland Cavaliers &mdash; not in terms of play style or once being a top-four team in the Eastern Conference standings necessarily, but from the standpoint of being competitive a year sooner than we think and playing meaningful games down the stretch (like one or two in the Play-In Tournament).
Given that 20 of 30 NBA teams will have games beyond the regular season, the Pistons may (should) attempt to get one of those spots.
Last year&rsquo;s No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham is <a href="https://youtu.be/I9OLPXxgYWk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">someone you can build with</a>. Saddiq Bey should be a more efficient scorer with more experience and better teammates. Most of the rest is to be determined, but Detroit can start by using Jerami Grant&rsquo;s near $21 million expiring deal next summer.
What comes next depends on what stage the Jazz want to be closer to. If this is a rebuild, you can ask for a combination of Killian Hayes and Hamidou Diallo (both of whom make over $5 million next year), for example, and Hayes has a $7.4 million team option for 2023-24. If not, Kelly Olynyk has $12.8 million coming to him next year that&rsquo;s usable. Utah can in throw in, hypothetically, Royce O&rsquo;Neale&rsquo;s $9.3 million deal next year and get Olynyk anyway.
So the player framework can look something like:
<ul>
<li>Donovan Mitchell for Jerami Grant and Kelly Olynyk</li>
<li>Donovan Mitchell for Jerami Grant, Killian Hayes and Hamidou Diallo</li>
<li>Donovan Mitchell and Royce O&rsquo;Neale for Jerami Grant, Killian Hayes, Hamidou Diallo and Kelly Olynyk plus a sh*t ton of draft picks. The Pistons would be moving something like three first-rounders in the deal, and potentially multiple first-round pick swaps.</li>
</ul>
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Miami Heat
I brought this up during <a href="https://youtu.be/XBQwn0pOAa4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's NBA Trade Deadline stream</a>.&nbsp;
The Heat didn&rsquo;t do it then, but it might still be on the table depending on how these playoffs go. The Heat might not offer the best return package because of their draft picks, but they did unlock additional firsts by moving KZ Okpala to Oklahoma City in February. And, for Miami, we&rsquo;re mainly talking about one package. But again, it depends on the results of this postseason.&nbsp;
Currently, the Heat are getting ready to face the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, a matchup they&rsquo;re favored to win (albeit narrowly). If they lose this particular series, or if they win and Tyler Herro continues to struggle in the playoffs, or even if Miami makes a deep run and Herro elevates from a slow start, he&rsquo;d be the primary chip in a Mitchell deal. Furthermore, the <a href="https://twitter.com/GregSylvander/status/1482101290964504580" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Heat are on Mitchell&rsquo;s shortlist</a>, according to Greg Sylvander of Five Reasons Sports.
The deal, as I mentioned on our stream, would include Herro &mdash; who is still on a rookie-scale contract ($5.7 million next year), but is extension-eligible this summer and wouldn&rsquo;t kick-in until 2023. Then comes Duncan Robinson, who&rsquo;ll enter the second year of a five-year, $90 million deal next season, which bookends with a near $20 million player option and rises to $16.9 million next season.
According to the trade machine, Omer Yurtseven&rsquo;s $1.7 million next season makes the math work, and would give Utah a Gobert backup who&rsquo;ll, if nothing else, get you 10 rebounds in 15 minutes on occasion. Would the Heat have to throw in at least one of Gabe Vincent, Max Strus or Haywood Highsmith (all of whom make between $1.7 and $1.8 million next year)? Perhaps. And from there, Miami has tradeable first-rounders in 2022, 2024 and 2026. So, in summation, it could look like this:
<ul>
<li>Donovan Mitchell for Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Omer Yurtseven, one of Gabe Vincent/Max Strus/Haywood Highsmith, draft capital</li>
</ul>
But if Herro has a big playoff run moving forward, the Heat may instead opt to move Robinson in a separate, smaller deal for a worthy big man in their rotation, and mostly run it back otherwise.
Atlanta Hawks
Alright, now you saw what the Heat did to Trae Young in the first round. The Hawks clearly are not only poised to get Young some help, but make a 3-for-1-ish deal to consolidate some depth into a higher-end starter &mdash; or in the case of Mitchell, a fellow offensive starter. His teammate, Gobert, is probably the better fit, but one, I&rsquo;m not writing about Gobert (our Evan Sidery will handle that) and two, if Gobert is frustrated with Mitchell&rsquo;s defense...
But anyway, you gotta start somewhere. And for Atlanta, part of why the Heat neutralized Young is their malleability defensively, but also, the Hawks don&rsquo;t have another true star to account for on the perimeter. Mitchell would give Young a viable tag team partner offensively to spread the defensive focus. To do so, the Hawks could play this a few different ways.
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The obvious trade chip is John Collins, and there could be questions about his fit next to Gobert, but it&rsquo;s not a bad place to start if you&rsquo;re moving someone of Mitchell&rsquo;s caliber. Collins will make $23.5 million next year, and between $25.3 and $26.6 million through 2025-26. Collins has had rumored friction with Young, though they&rsquo;ve downplayed it over the years. From there, if you use Collins in a possible deal, it gets interesting.&nbsp;
De&rsquo;Andre Hunter &mdash; who makes $9.8 million next year in the last season of a rookie deal and is extension-eligible this summer &mdash; seems logical for both the Jazz to want and the Hawks to keep. Hunter was Atlanta's best player against the Heat, and has been a quality two-way wing when healthy. Is a framework of Collins and Hunter for Mitchell straight up enough of a deal for both sides? Sheeeeeiiiiit, ask them, but it sounds good to me!
<ul>
<li>Donovan Mitchell for John Collins and De'Andre Hunter</li>
</ul>
No Collins? Okay. You&rsquo;re not moving Clint Capela&rsquo;s long-term deal for Utah in a Mitchell move, so that&rsquo;s out of the picture. Kevin Huerter would absolutely have to be part of this, and no, that&rsquo;s not a white Utah joke. Hu-why would you think that?&nbsp;
Huerter begins his $65 million extension next year, the first of four, banking $14.5 million in 2022-23. Hunter probably stays in the deal because Utah has to get something really good, and the Hawks simply can&rsquo;t extend everyone. Again, Atlanta should want to keep Hunter, but this is the price of doing business. But if you&rsquo;re throwing in Huerter instead of Collins (which does work on the trade machine since different rules apply in the offseason than in-season), you&rsquo;ll need multiple first round picks &mdash; of which the Hawks have all their own &mdash; so that could get done.
Could Utah also want Onyeka Okongwu? Sure, but he seems like Atlanta's 5-man of the future, and a separate deal moving off Capela might be more likely. So the second proposal could look like this:
<ul>
<li>Donovan Mitchell for De'Andre Hunter, Kevin Huerter, draft capital</li>
</ul>
Now, the Hawks would still need to figure some things out defensively, seeing as how they&rsquo;d be led by two 6-foot-1 scorers in the backcourt. They could just became the new Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum to some extent, but <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/a-salute-to-the-defiance-of-damian-lillard-and-cj-mccollum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Portland Trail Blazers are as much to blame for that &ldquo;not working,&rdquo;</a> and the Hawks can learn from those team-building mistakes.&nbsp;
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Bryan Fonseca takes a look at four logical landing spots for Utah Jazz star guard Donovan Mitchell.

Examining potential trade desinations for Donovan Mitchell 

The 2022 NBA Draft is still two months away, but that&rsquo;s when the dominoes around the Association begin to fall for player activity. In a shallow class of free agents, the trade market will be the best way for teams to make win-now moves. So many teams are in flux, stuck between pushing for the postseason or rebuilding. When scouring the potential trade marketplace, five names stand out from the rest.
Malcolm Brogdon
The Tyrese Haliburton era is in full swing for the Indiana Pacers, which showed immediate long-term promise for a star-starved organization. With Haliburton in place as the primary building block for the Pacers, it&rsquo;s time to say adios to the failed Malcolm Brogdon partnership.
Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard is on record as saying Haliburton is their point guard of the future, and he even compared acquiring him to former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. If that doesn&rsquo;t say they&rsquo;re all-in on Haliburton, then I don&rsquo;t know what to tell you.
Although Brogdon put together career-best scoring numbers during his time in Indiana, availability continued to be a serious problem for the veteran combo guard. During the 2021-22 campaign, Brogdon missed 46 games due to nagging injury issues.
Another interesting angle to monitor from the Pacers&rsquo; point of view is losing a first-round pick they expected to receive via the Caris LeVert trade back in February. After the Cavaliers&rsquo; collapse post-All-Star break, Indiana lost out on a top-20 pick they were planning on using for further draft ammunition.
Moving Brogdon would help recoup that asset, now deferred to next season. Brogdon&rsquo;s trade market could be robust thanks to his two-way versatility, despite his injury woes.
If there&rsquo;s any player in the Association who feels like a lock to be dealt, it&rsquo;s Brogdon, thanks to the Haliburton era beginning in Indianapolis.
Christian Wood
Christian Wood is seemingly on the way out in Houston. The Rockets&rsquo; rookie big man Alperen Sengun shined in a limited role, which increased later on as Wood&rsquo;s minutes diminished. Wood was shopped by the Rockets before the trade deadline, but they weren't able to move him. That may change this offseason.
As an expiring contract making only $14 million, Wood offers any contender a ready-made stretch four who provides intriguing upside. For Houston, there&rsquo;s no reason to keep Wood around. He simply doesn&rsquo;t fit their timeline with a young core spearheaded by Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr. and Sengun.
Wood originally signed with the Rockets to be a pick-and-roll partner with James Harden, but Harden is no longer with the team. With a potentially fresh opportunity on the horizon, Wood has the chance to cash in if he lands in the right situation.
One team who continues to make sense for Wood as a long-term fit is the Miami Heat. Miami reportedly offered the Rockets Duncan Robinson for Wood, which Houston rebuked. With the Heat&rsquo;s 2023 first-round pick now available, could that change the Rockets&rsquo; mind on this swap? If Houston can offload Wood while obtaining a sharpshooter and a future first, it makes way too much sense.
Whether it be Miami or elsewhere, Wood&rsquo;s market has the chance to catch fire in a few months. He feels like another shoo-in to be on the move.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
CHRISTIAN WOOD ARE YOU SERIOUS! 39 POINTS AND THIS RIDICULOUS SHOT 😱 <a href="https://t.co/rqWDA2NS4z">pic.twitter.com/rqWDA2NS4z</a>
&mdash; SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1506094094698774528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Jerami Grant
Another player who has been stuck in trade rumors for the past calendar year is Jerami Grant, who bet on himself and signed a long-term deal with the rebuilding Detroit Pistons. Grant sought out a role where he would be more of a focal point offensively, and he&rsquo;s shown now over a large sample size he can get it done in that area.
However, Grant&rsquo;s best fit for any contending team is how he was used with the Denver Nuggets. As a third or fourth option who also handles the best scorer on the defensive end, Grant would fit onto any team looking to take a significant leap forward next season.
Grant is another player who doesn&rsquo;t fit the timeline of his current team. With the Pistons projected to have another top pick in this year&rsquo;s draft, plus an enticing young core led by 2021 No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham, the youth movement is in full effect in the Motor City. The Pistons would be wise to shop off Grant to the highest bidder around the draft or in early July.
Grant&rsquo;s elite versatility provides him a strong role anywhere he lands. And don&rsquo;t be shocked by the price tag for a Grant trade this offseason. Contenders will get into a bidding war to secure the services of a strong plug-and-play wing who will raise their ceiling immediately.
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John Collins
What&rsquo;s next for the Atlanta Hawks? After a disappointing first-round exit in the postseason thanks to the Heat, Atlanta&rsquo;s roster has a few interesting decisions looming ahead. One of those revolves around dynamic power forward John Collins, who has continued to hear his name floated in trade rumors since signing a five-year extension last offseason.
Collins let it be known this season he was frustrated with his role on the offensive end, and soon after we once again heard trade winds blowing around the former Wake Forest Demon Deacon. If the Hawks begin fielding offers on Collins this offseason, expect Atlanta to net a significant asset (or assets) in return.
Trae Young is obviously the straw that stirs the drink in Atlanta&rsquo;s system, but take a look at all of the young pieces in place within their organization: Onyeka Okongwu, Kevin Huerter, DeAndre Hunter, Jalen Johnson, and you can even throw in the more experienced veteran in Bogdan Bogdanovic to the mix thanks to his strong fit with Young. Huerter already signed his rookie-scale extension, but Hunter and Okungwu will soon be due. The same goes for Bogdanovic, if he wants to stay in Atlanta past the 2022-23 season.
From a financial standpoint, Collins feels like the easiest piece to move in order to keep everyone else intact. Don&rsquo;t be surprised if the Hawks use Collins&rsquo; contract alongside Danilo Gallinari&rsquo;s expiring salary ($21.4 million) to go star hunting.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Trae Young finds John Collins in the corner for 3 🎯<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAPlayoffs</a> presented by Google Pixel on ESPN <a href="https://t.co/pGchqDhGyW">pic.twitter.com/pGchqDhGyW</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1517668614333210634?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Julius Randle
What a disaster this season was for the New York Knicks. After a surprising surge in the 2020-21 campaign, the Knicks felt inclined to run it back with their veteran-heavy core. Looking back on it now, that decision has left egg on the face of New York&rsquo;s front office.
After winning Most Improved Player, Julius Randle may have been the winner of &ldquo;Most Disappointing Player,&rdquo; if such an award actually existed. Randle seemed out of it for most of the season, not utilizing his special motor to help the Knicks consistently. Whether Randle&rsquo;s incredible run was a flash in the pan or the fit has worn itself out, something has to give this offseason.
We should also note the emergence of former lottery pick Obi Toppin, who continued to flash when given more playing time for the Knicks. Toppin makes Randle more expendable, and that should be the primary plan for New York this offseason.
Randle&rsquo;s contract is very movable, too. Making $26.1 million next season, Randle would help present a strong trade market for New York to scour for the best offers. And who knows? Maybe Randle bounces back to his 2020-21 form in a different environment.
For Randle and the Knicks, it&rsquo;s in the best interest of both parties to split up.
While we're still a couple of months away from the trade market opening back up, there are plenty of big names who could be moved. These players should find themselves at the top of that list, as any of them would prove a huge boost for the organization acquiring them.
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Looking ahead to the offseason, here are five names to monitor as potential trade targets.

Five NBA players who feel destined to be traded this offseason

The Atlanta Hawks fought hard just to make the playoffs.
They battled to the very last second against the top-seeded team in the East.
But in the end, there's only one word to describe this season.
Disappointing.
Coming off <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ga-state-wire-atlanta-hawks-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-8d827eabf721d1b06d7207da48def57a">a surprising run to the Eastern Conference final</a> in the summer of 2021, the Hawks entered this season thinking of themselves as a potential championship contender.
Instead, they took a big step backward, spending much of the year under .500 before a late surge got them into the play-in tournament with the ninth-best record in the conference.
The Hawks won two straight in the tournament &mdash; including <a href="https://apnews.com/article/cleveland-cavaliers-atlanta-hawks-nba-sports-trae-young-c10ce79815156de0cb02475b8b93805f">a road victory</a> at Cleveland &mdash; to take the No. 8 playoff seed, but they were no match for the Miami Heat in the opening round of the playoffs.
Atlanta lasted only five games, finished off by <a href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-heat-atlanta-hawks-nba-sports-1c8157e72efbe6347914f1dcb55626fc">a 97-94 defeat</a> Tuesday night.
It really wasn't a surprising result, given the Hawks lack of consistency during the regular season.
There were some obvious culprits &mdash; a rash of injuries, not to mention a COVID-19 outbreak that forced the team to essentially rely on a G-League roster just to take the court &mdash; but there were also mysterious lapses in effort that no one could put a finger on.
&ldquo;We have to play better during the regular season to put ourselves in a better ranking, a better position to approach the playoffs,&rdquo; Danilo Gallinari said. &ldquo;We let a lot of games go. We had too many ups and down during the season. When it's playoff time, you can't take games off, minutes off. You've got to play every game the same way.&rdquo;
From a summer filled with hope, the Hawks head into an offseason that looks much more tumultuous.
&ldquo;It was a tough season. This was not a good result,&rdquo; Gallinari said. &ldquo;Where do we go from here? I have no idea.&rdquo;
MAJOR MOVES?
When the Hawks were struggling at the trade deadline, general manager Travis Schlenk passed on the chance for a major overhaul. The only deal he made was sending Cam Reddish to the New York Knicks for little-used Kevin Knox and a protected first-round ick.
Now that he's seen his team's body of work over an entire season, Schlenk will likely go for much bigger changes this offseason. After all the optimism generated by the 2021 postseason run, it seems clear the current roster isn't capable of competing for a championship.
John Collins, just one year into a five-year, $125 million contract, has been mentioned frequently as potential trade fodder.
TYING UP TRAE
After becoming just the second player in NBA history to lead the league in total points and assists, Trae Young endured a miserable playoff series against the Heat.
Miami limited Young to just 15.4 points per game, twice holding him to single digits. He shot just 32% from the field (22 of 69) and had as many turnovers as assists (30 apiece).
Young and the Hawks must figure out a way to get him more involved away from the ball and come up with ways to produce offense when the other team is intent on shutting down Atlanta's best player.
&ldquo;This is part of my growth,&rdquo; the 23-year-old Young said. &ldquo;The next time I face this sort of challenge, I'm gonna be better.&rdquo;
ANOTHER STAR
With no one on the current roster who seems capable of taking the scoring load off Young on a consistent basis, the Hawks may look to bring in another top-level player to complement their young star.
The Hawks have an abundance of role players, but no really elite player beyond Young. There were far too many nights when they looked like a one-man team.
CONTRACT DECISIONS
This summer, the Hawks must decide what sort of commitment to make to De'Andre Hunter, who closed the season with a career-best 35 points in the Game 5 loss to the Heat.
The Hawks love Hunter's defense and believe he can become more of a force offensively, but he's battled injuries and inconsistency over his first three seasons in the league.
Now, he's eligible for a rookie extension worth up to $184 million over five years.
The Hawks already have big money tied up in players who struggled to meet expectations this season, including Collins, Gallinari, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Clint Capela and Kevin Huerter.
BIG O
The Hawks will be looking for ways to get Onyeka Okongwu a bigger role.
Only 21, the undersized center missed the first part of the season recovering from shoulder surgery but played well as his minutes increased down the stretch.
He'll spend this offseason looking for ways to expand his offensive repertoire.

The Hawks a big step backward, spending much of the year under .500 before a late surge got them into the Play-In Tournament.

After surprising playoff run, Hawks take a big step backward

Victor Oladipo scored 23 points, Bam Adebayo added 20 points and 11 rebounds, and the Miami Heat moved into the Eastern Conference semifinals by beating the Atlanta Hawks 97-94 on Tuesday night.
Tyler Herro scored 16, Max Strus scored 15 and Caleb Martin added 10 for the top-seeded Heat, who ousted the eighth-seeded Hawks in five games. And Miami got the series-clincher without Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry, both of whom sat out Tuesday with injuries.
Trae Young's rough series for Atlanta remained that way: He finished 2 for 12 from the floor, scoring just 11 points. For the series, the Hawks' guard shot 32% against Miami's swarming defense.
De'Andre Hunter scored 35 for Atlanta, which got 12 apiece from Kevin Huerter and Danilo Gallinari.
Hunter fouled out with 41.6 seconds left, Miami clinging to a three-point lead at the time. The Hawks got a stop, taking over with 29.2 seconds remaining, and retained possession after a missed shot from Gallinari went out of bounds off Miami.
The Hawks never got another shot off, time expired and Miami moved on.
Onyeka Okongwu's three-point play got Atlanta within 79-76 early in the fourth, the Hawks clawing back after being down by as many as 15.
But Herro hit a high-arcing jumper from the lane, Miami got a stop, and Oladipo hit a left-wing 3 on the next Heat possession to push the lead back to eight with 7:29 remaining.
That's how the final minutes went: Atlanta made a charge, Miami would hold it off, all the way to the end.
And now, the Heat get nearly a week off before facing either Philadelphia or Toronto in the East semis. Game 1 will be Monday in Miami.
The Heat already knew they&rsquo;d be without Lowry, who missed his second consecutive game with a strained left hamstring. The surprise was Butler, who reported knee soreness to the team on Monday and didn&rsquo;t see enough improvement to play on Tuesday.
It was the fourth time the Heat had to play without both Butler and Lowry this season, after going 1-2 in that scenario during the regular season &mdash; one of those losses being the finale in Orlando where Miami sat most of its rotation players.
And Butler and Lowry spent the final few minutes of the first half particularly enjoying what was happening.
A 17-0 Miami run &mdash; including 10 in a row from Strus in a span of 67 seconds &mdash; turned a three-point deficit into a 54-40 lead late in the second quarter. Miami pushed the lead out to 67-52 on a score by Adebayo with 2:55 left in the third, and the lead was 75-64 going into the fourth.
Atlanta had one last charge to make, getting within two in the final moments &mdash; but no closer.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Clint Capela, who missed the first three games of the series with a right knee injury, left in the third quarter of Game 5 because of continued knee issues. ... Atlanta was without Bogdan Bogdanovic (right knee soreness). ... Atlanta coach Nate McMillan is now 1-8 in postseason games against Miami&rsquo;s Erik Spoelstra. The Heat swept McMillan&rsquo;s Indiana Pacers in Round 1 at the bubble in 2020. ... The Hawks went 2-7 against the Heat this season.
Heat: Michigan coach Juwan Howard, the former Miami player and assistant, was in attendance. ... It marked the first time Butler had ever been declared inactive for a playoff game. ... Miami missed its first eight 3-point tries before Oladipo connected midway through the second quarter. ... Martin left just before halftime with an injury around his left hand or wrist, but returned for the second half.
STREAKING
Before this series, Miami had one run of more than 16 consecutive points in its playoff history. It now has three. The Heat had a 21-0 run in Game 3 at Atlanta, and the 17-0 run on Tuesday was the third-largest in team playoff history. Miami had a 19-0 run against New York in 2012, and has had 16-0 runs on four other occasions.
ODD TECH
Miami's Markieff Morris didn't play, and got a technical foul anyway. Morris was called for an unsportsmanlike play after he grabbed onto Hunter after the Hawks' forward stepped into the Miami bench area in the third quarter.
FIRST WIN
Miami beat Atlanta in a series for the first time in three tries. The Hawks had won two previous first-round series that both went to the limit, prevailing 3-2 in 1994 and 4-3 in 2009.
UP NEXT
Miami will play host to Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Philadelphia or Toronto on Monday.

Victor Oladipo scored 23 points, Bam Adebayo added 20 points and 11 rebounds and the Heat advanced to the second round.

Heat hold off Hawks 97-94, reach Eastern semifinals

It's hard to boil down four games to a single possession, but if you wanted to tell the story of the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks' series &mdash; one in which the Heat are a win away from a gentleman's sweep &mdash; look no further than a late-second ]-quarter stretch from Game 4.
It starts with PJ Tucker picking up Trae Young from the inbound. Clint Capela steps up to set a screen from the logo &mdash; generally a good thing during the Young Era, but in this case, it simply brings Bam Adebayo into the frame.&nbsp;
Young doesn't want that &mdash; Adebayo has switched onto him 16 times in this series; Young has passed out of the matchup 11 times per Second Spectrum. Naturally, Trae calls for another screen to loosen things up.
But this one brings Jimmy Butler into the mix.
Young attempts to attack Butler, but doesn't have much success. Not only does Butler do a great job of bodying him up, Adebayo is chilling at the nail, ready to pounce if the handle gets loose.
With Adebayo dropping down to the nail, the kick-out to Bogdan Bogdanovic is technically there. Young kicks it to Bogdanovic, but Adebayo recovers and stifles his&nbsp;drive. Similar to the help he provided to Butler, Max Strus does the same. Bogdanovic then kicks it to Kevin Huerter with the shot clock winding down. Forced to make lemonade out of lemons, he drives against Strus.
But Tucker is there to help. And Butler's there to help behind Tucker, capping the possession with a steal.
If that was exhausting to read, imagine being tasked with generating good offense against that kind of pressure. Just look at this, man.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/dy7766" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Young hasn't been having a good time in this series. He's averaging 16.5 points on 48.8% True Shooting. He has as many assists (24) as he does turnovers. A 21.2% clip from three is well below his level, and that's exacerbated by the fact that he's attempted more threes (33) than two-pointers (24).
It's hard to overstate just how much the Heat have thrown Young out of rhythm. One of the deadliest pick-and-roll threats in the league has been neutralized through four contests.&nbsp;
The Hawks are generating a shade under 0.93 points per possession (PPP) on trips featuring a Young pick-and-roll, per Second Spectrum. This may shock you, but this, too, is well below Young's regular season mark (1.06 PPP).
Young's Game 4 was even worse. His overall stat line was bad enough: 9 points (3 of 10 from three, 0 of 1 from two), 5 assists, and 5 turnovers in 35 minutes.&nbsp;
When <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5QpqLSz4_Y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked about his three-heavy diet</a> in Game 4, Young gave props to the Heat's pressure and activity.&nbsp;
"If you're watching the game, you'll see that they have five people in the paint when I have the ball," Young stated.&nbsp;
"They're doing a great job of showing help and not letting me get into the paint. If I try to drive by somebody, they're sending a double and forcing me to kick it to my teammates."
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Look strictly at the pick-and-roll possessions, and things get murkier.
I promise this isn't a typo &mdash; the Hawks mustered 0.43 PPP on Young-led ball screens in Game 4. That's the worst mark of the series for Young, the worst mark of the season for Young and the worst mark since Young's rookie campaign in 2018.
Considering the stakes, the experience and the talent around him (much more than his rookie season), you could reasonably argue that Game 4 was the worst pick-and-roll game of Young's NBA career.
Miami's switching took away early gaps, as it has been all series long. Of the 246 picks Young has received this series, the Heat have switched 97 of them (39.4%). Even beyond the switching, Young has seen a revolving door of point-of-attack defenders. Seven different players have defended Young for at least 15 possessions in the series, per <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1629027/head-to-head?SeasonType=Playoffs&amp;Matchup=Offense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA.com tracking data</a>.&nbsp;
The Heat's help made it nearly impossible to get into the paint. And when forcing kick-outs, Young's teammates failed to deliver; the Hawks' "others" shot just <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1629027/passes-dash?DateFrom=04/24/2022&amp;PerMode=Totals&amp;SeasonType=Playoffs&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=FGA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">42.9% off of Young passes</a> in Game 4. It was a hodgepodge of factors that led to an 86-point outing for Atlanta.
Even Young has been a bit surprised by what he's seen so far.&nbsp;
"I haven't been guarded like this... consistently since high school, and obviously it's a lot better competition," Young said. "It's hard for me to score a lot through the double-teams and face-guards at this level. It's a challenge for me... I gotta learn to fight through it and make it easier for myself and my teammates."
Answers will need to come soon, or this series will likely end on Tuesday.
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Nekias Duncan breaks down the way Miami's defense has flustered Trae Young.

Explain one play: How the Heat are stifling Trae Young

Every day, BasketballNews.com gives you NBA betting analysis before tip-off. Make sure you subscribe to our daily podcast, &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6zNxt0NQXPmKuryAdz89m0?si=1038d121100444fd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a>&nbsp;or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Without further ado, let&rsquo;s dive into our favorite NBA spread bets for the night portion of Sunday's postseason slate.
Atlanta Hawks vs. Miami Heat (-1.5)
Trae Young&rsquo;s Game 3 heroics led to an intriguing rubber match on tap for Sunday night&rsquo;s NBA playoff action. If the Hawks can somehow tie this series up against Miami, a lot of scenarios could soon unfold here. However, we&rsquo;re not forecasting that to happen. In the end, confidently hammer the Heat to take a 3-1 series lead. If Jimmy Butler gets going again offensively, plus Young is stymied on the offensive end, Miami should be able to escape Atlanta with a victory. The Heat&rsquo;s well-balanced two-way attack proves too much for the Hawks to handle in a pivotal playoff game.
Pick: Heat -1.5
Player Props: Trae Young over 26.5 points, Jimmy Butler over 24.5 points, Bam Adebayo over 8.5 rebounds, Kevin Huerter over 2.5 threes
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New Orleans Pelicans vs. Phoenix Suns (-2)
No Devin Booker, no problem for the Phoenix Suns in Game 3 as they handled business on the road in New Orleans. Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton carried the load just fine for Phoenix, so why not lock in the same idea for Game 4? The Suns are the far more talented team compared to New Orleans, even without Booker. If Ayton once again dominates Jonas Valanciunas inside, the Pelicans are in trouble. In the Pelicans&rsquo; lone win in Game 2, it was due to unsustainably hot three-point shooting alongside attacking the glass recklessly. If the Suns play within their system, they will head back to the Valley with a 3-1 series lead, even without their best player. Hammer as a best bet of the day Suns -2 over the Pelicans.
Pick: Suns -2
Player Props: Brandon Ingram over 25.5 points, CJ McCollum over 25.5 points, Chris Paul over 12.5 assists, Cameron Johnson over 2.5 threes
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For a loaded NBA postseason slate, "Nothing But Bets" drops off their favorite picks against the spread and player props.

Best Bets: BasketballNews' picks and fantasy advice for 4/24/22

Four years ago, after winning a third title in four seasons, Draymond Green offered the Golden State Warriors' front office some advice before the 2018 NBA Draft, which included a directive to target &ldquo;16-game players.&rdquo;
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Larry Harris said Draymond Green's given the front office a piece of advice: "There are 82-game players, then there are 16-game players." Draymond's interested in the 16-game (playoff-type) players.
&mdash; Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) <a href="https://twitter.com/anthonyVslater/status/1009170931254624257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2018</a></blockquote>

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And although people are sparring daily with FOX Sports personality Nick Wright over his thoughts on Nikola Jokić and LeBron James among others, he <a href="https://twitter.com/getnickwright/status/1516597337698840578" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drew the Green claim</a> as a reaction to Jimmy Butler&rsquo;s epic 45-point game performance Tuesday night in a 115-105 Game 2 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
If you polled a consensus of NBA Twitter, media, players or front-office people about whether Trae Young is the best player in this series, an educated guess would suggest that those largely outside of Miami (and New York) would vote &ldquo;Yes.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Some people very flippantly said Trae Young was *easily* the best player in the series. And, yo, I get it ... What Jimmy Butler does on *both* ends isn't flashy, doesn't make highlights, but that dude is a flat-out winner and a star, and he proved it yet again tonight.
&mdash; Bryan Fonseca 🇵🇷 (@BryanFonsecaNY) <a href="https://twitter.com/BryanFonsecaNY/status/1516598814643310592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2022</a></blockquote>

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And that&rsquo;s understandable, right? Young is a superstar offensive talent who projects to be a perennial All-Star and an All-NBA challenger, if healthy, for much of his prime. But also in doing so, perhaps it ignores what could be brought on the other end of the floor by Butler, who is at least a candidate to make an All-Defensive Team for a sixth time in nine seasons.
(I affectionately refer to Butler as the Ed Reed of the NBA because of his elite ability at playing free safety. His running mate Bam Adebayo is Darrelle Revis, for what it&rsquo;s worth.)
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Whether you prefer an offensive-production machine who routinely offers the league&rsquo;s most tantalizing highlights, or a two-way grinder with the grit of Stone Cold Steve Austin and immense impact that often goes overlooked as a result in a world of flashier, Rey Mysterio-types, whoever you think the actual best player in the series probably doesn&rsquo;t matter.
What matters is this: It bears reminding that Butler is a 16-game player. He&rsquo;s damn good in the regular season too, but time and time again, he&rsquo;s proven it in the playoffs, and it needs to be noticed.
(Before the NBA Twitter mob comes, this is not to say Young necessarily isn&rsquo;t, especially after last year&rsquo;s postseason run. We&rsquo;re just turning our focus to Butler now for the purposes of this piece).
In Game 2, Butler finished with 45 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and a pair of steals, He subtly patrolled the Heat&rsquo;s defensive secondary, manipulating Atlanta's guards to lob seemingly-out-of-range alley-oops that were detected and slapped toward a Miami teammate to initiate a break. In addition, the 32-year-old star bullied his way to the free-throw line to tilt the power in his team&rsquo;s favor.
Still, this was a different type of contest-controlling outburst than one we&rsquo;re accustomed to seeing from the Tomball, Texas native.
Nah, man. <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1516600499759374351" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This sh*t was loud</a>.
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I read no lies <a href="https://t.co/LzHVYF274D">https://t.co/LzHVYF274D</a>
&mdash; DWade (@DwyaneWade) <a href="https://twitter.com/DwyaneWade/status/1516619165573935105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Butler shot 15 of 25 from the field, 4 of 7 from three and 11 of 12 on three throws. When the team needed a bucket, Butler delivered, solving the Heat&rsquo;s late-game issues for the night &mdash; a question that's made many hesitant on pegging Miami as a true contender despite being the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
🔥 45 POINTS for Jimmy Buckets 🔥 A new playoff career-high for <a href="https://twitter.com/JimmyButler?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JimmyButler</a> puts the <a href="https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MiamiHEAT</a> up 2-0! Game 3: Friday, 7 PM ET, ESPN <a href="https://t.co/xAjzVassBk">pic.twitter.com/xAjzVassBk</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1516643329961771010?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2022</a></blockquote>

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As the Hawks seemed to get hot from the floor, cutting the Heat lead to 64-62 with 8:59 to go in the third quarter, Butler drilled his third three of the game two possessions later. One minute after, he extended the lead to double figures with a lay-up following a defensive board, which prompted a Nate McMillan timeout. The Hawks would again come within single digits following 6-0 run late in the third, and Max Strus found Butler for a dunk with 1:48 to go in the period.
In the fourth, Butler produced 9 points, 2 assists and a steal, and he found Gabe Vincent (who himself had a fantastic two-way effort off the bench) for a triple with 6:12 left in the game; it was a key moment to stretch a narrowing four-point lead to seven.
As the Hawks again sliced it down again with 3:53 left, Butler came out of a timeout, penetrated the lane, drew in the defense and found an open Adebayo for a dunk &mdash; his easiest bucket of the playoffs so far. Not going away, the Hawks cut it to three, but Jimmy drove into a slam with 2:16 left to bring Miami's lead back up to five. And on the ensuing offensive possession, Butler drained a fourth three to make it 109-101 Heat with 1:36 remaining in the game, essentially the dagger.
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We know about what Butler did in the 2020 NBA Playoffs and <a href="https://youtu.be/dadoOIGSkx8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">those Finals in particular</a>. And in 2019, if it wasn&rsquo;t for his performance in the seven-game East semifinals series against the Toronto Raptors, there&rsquo;s no telling how long that Philadelphia 76ers team would&rsquo;ve lasted.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WKid3520Ow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In that series</a>, Butler averaged 6.9 points per fourth quarter, totaling 12 of 24 shooting and 21 of 23 on free throws and leading the team with 8.6 minutes per fourth quarter.
Joel Embiid logged 7.8 minutes per fourth and averaged 4.0 points on 8 of 16 shooting from the field and 10 of 14 on free throws. Ben Simmons played 8.3 minutes per fourth and averaged 1.7 points on 4 of 6 shooting and 2 of 4 on free throws. (Simmons took 6 shots in 50 total fourth-quarter minutes and didn&rsquo;t play the fourth at all in Game 5). And Tobias Harris? 2.0 points through 8.1 minutes per fourth, shooting 5 of 22 in the final period overall. J.J. Redick? 2.0 points in 6.0 minutes per.
That summer, Simmons and Harris were maxed, and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jimmy-butlers-threepoint-shooting-has-always-been-a-luxury-not-a-necessity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Butler landed in Miami</a>.
(And if you&rsquo;d like to hold up the 2021 playoffs to detract Butler, you can. But, you must also note that the Heat and Los Angeles Lakers had a seven-week offseason between the NBA Finals and training camp, and the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets had nine each; they all flamed out last spring for a reason.)
Tuesday night's performance capped an imperfect offensive display from Miami, who settled for too many jump shots in favor of attacking the rim with Bogdan Bogdanović, DeAndre Hunter and Kevin Huerter all being in foul trouble throughout, but every playoff game is its own experience.
As the Heat head into Atlanta with a 2-0 lead, Adebayo and Tyler Herro &mdash; who&rsquo;ve combined for 36 points through the first two games &mdash; have yet to leave their offensive imprint on the series. If you throw in Kyle Lowry in the mix, the number only grows to 55 points.
If at least one guy is able to have a breakthrough on the road, Miami will probably not need another 45-pointer from Butler, so long as the team defends to or near its capabilities.
And if that doesn't happen, one, it'd be a surprise, but two, who else is better suited to grind you to an ugly-but-effective-ass 81-77 road victory?
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Bryan Fonseca praises the playoff prowess of Heat star Jimmy Butler and his ability to elevate his game in crunch time.

Jimmy Butler is a 16-game player

Jimmy Butler scored a playoff career-high 45 points, including a personal 7-0 run in the final moments, and the Miami Heat held off the Atlanta Hawks 115-105 in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first-round series Tuesday night.
Tyler Herro scored 15 for Miami, while Max Strus scored 14 and Gabe Vincent added 11 for top-seeded Miami, which took a 2-0 lead over the eighth-seeded Hawks.
Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 19 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter for Atlanta. Trae Young scored 25 for the Hawks, while De&rsquo;Andre Hunter had 16 and John Collins finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks.
Butler&rsquo;s previous playoff best was 40, done twice, both in the bubble when the Heat made the 2020 NBA Finals. The Heat needed all of his heroics then, and they needed them all on Tuesday as well.
Bogdanovic&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 3:15 left got Atlanta within 104-101.
From there, it was all Butler.
He had a dunk, a 3-pointer and another dunk &mdash; all in the span of 56 seconds &mdash; to turn things from in doubt to locked down, putting Miami up 10 with 1:20 remaining and ensuring the Heat would finish off the win.
&ldquo;Just staying aggressive,&rdquo; Butler said. &ldquo;Taking what the defense gives me.&rdquo;
As would be expected in a playoff series, pleasantries began being exchanged with more regularity. The first half featured 16 fouls by Atlanta and 14 by Miami &mdash; a season-high for the Hawks, one off the season-high for the Heat, and those 30 personals didn&rsquo;t even include a double technical that Lowry and Hunter got for getting face-to-face.
Young picked up a technical for arguing a foul against him late in the third as well, the capper to a period where the Heat went from barely ahead to holders of a double-digit lead going into the final 12 minutes. He played the entire third quarter, but managed only two shots in that span &mdash; making both &mdash; and didn&rsquo;t get to the foul line, while committing five turnovers in that period alone.
And in time, Miami hit its stride.
Kevin Huerter&rsquo;s stepback 3-pointer with 8:59 left in the third pulled Atlanta within 64-62. The Hawks went nearly three minutes without scoring again, and the game looked very different after those three minutes.
The Heat went 4 for 4 in that stretch &mdash; 3-pointers by Butler, P.J. Tucker and Strus, with a layup by Butler in there as well &mdash; and it added up to an 11-0 run that pushed the lead out to 75-62. The margin remained at least eight points for the next 11 minutes, before Atlanta began clawing back.
Young hit Collins with a strike for a layup, and Bogdanovic&rsquo;s long jumper got Atlanta within 94-90 midway through the fourth.
But the Hawks never got the lead. Butler saw to that.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Atlanta had three players (Hunter, Huerter and Bogdanovic) with three fouls by halftime for only the second time this season. The other was Jan. 14 &mdash; also at Miami. ... Among the adjustments the Hawks tried: Collins started Game 2, and Huerter opened the game guarding Lowry.
Heat: Duncan Robinson, who made eight 3&rsquo;s and scored 27 points in Game 1, went without a shot in seven minutes. ... Soccer legend David Beckham was in attendance. ... Going back to the end of the regular season, Miami is 8-1 in its last nine games. ... Miami is now 5-1 against Atlanta this season.
2-0 LEADS
Teams that take a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven matchup have eventually won the series 92.4% of the time. The Hawks have never rallied from 0-2 down in a series (0-25) and the Heat have never wasted a 2-0 lead (17-0) &mdash; but there were four such rallies in last season&rsquo;s playoffs, two by the Los Angeles Clippers and two others by Milwaukee.
GOING HOME
Atlanta now plays host to games 3 and 4. Since Jan. 17, the Hawks are an NBA-best 20-3 at home.
UP NEXT
Game 3 is Friday in Atlanta.

Jimmy Butler scored a playoff career-high 45 points, including a personal 7-0 run in the final moments as the Heat won Game 2.

Butler scores 45, Heat defeat Hawks 115-105 for 2-0 lead

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Without further ado, let&rsquo;s dive into our favorite NBA spread bets for the night portion of Tuesday's postseason slate.
Miami Heat (-7.5) vs. Atlanta Hawks
Miami matches up so well in this series against Atlanta. Trae Young will go off for the Hawks, but who else will help out to keep this a competitive series throughout? It&rsquo;s tough to peg, which means the Hawks are in trouble. For Game 2, Miami holds serious advantages in multiple areas. Bam Adebayo should dominate down low on both ends of the court, plus Jimmy Butler&rsquo;s presence will have a notable impact.&nbsp;
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&mdash; Tuesday, April 19th Atlanta Hawks @ Miami Heat</blockquote>

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Atlanta struggled mightily in Game 1, and there&rsquo;s no reason why you shouldn&rsquo;t forecast it to happen again. Hammer with emphasis Heat -7.5 over the Hawks.
Pick: Heat -7.5
Player Props: Trae Young over 25.5 points, Bam Adebayo over 18.5 points, Jimmy Butler over 4.5 assists, Kevin Huerter over 2.5 threes
Memphis Grizzlies (-6.5) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota has the Grizzlies on the ropes early. After throwing an uppercut to Memphis that landed in Game 1, can the Timberwolves take a convincing 2-0 series lead back to Minneapolis? With the way Anthony Edwards is playing right now, seemingly any scenario is on the table for Tuesday night. However, we&rsquo;re rolling with a big-time <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/down-but-not-out-5-keys-to-a-bounceback-grizzlies-victory-in-game-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Grizzlies bounce-back opportunity</a>. Ja Morant will come out with a vengeance scoring-wise, plus his team's perimeter shooting should go back to its law of averages.
This series will likely go the distance, at least six games, but we&rsquo;re locking in the Grizzlies to win Game 2. Lock in Morant to win you back your coins.
Pick: Grizzlies -6.5
Player Props: Ja Morant over 29.5 points, Anthony Edwards over 24.5 points, Karl-Anthony Towns over 1.5 threes, Dillon Brooks over 1.5 threes
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Who are the best bets for Tuesday night's NBA playoff games? We've got you covered!

Best Bets: BasketballNews' picks and fantasy advice for 4/19/22

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; Duncan Robinson couldn't miss shots. Trae Young couldn't make shots.
In simplest terms, that's how Game 1 went for Miami and Atlanta.
Robinson came off the bench to set a franchise playoff record with eight 3-pointers, and the top-seeded Heat forced Young into matching the worst-shooting game of his career on the way to a 115-91 win over the eighth-seeded Hawks in the opener of an Eastern Conference first-round series Sunday.
&ldquo;It's always nice to throw the first punch," Robinson said. &ldquo;But in the grand scheme of things, it's just winning one game."
Robinson scored 27 points on 9-of-10 shooting for the Heat, 8 of 9 from 3-point range. Jimmy Butler scored 21, P.J. Tucker added 16 and Kyle Lowry had 10.
But this wasn't about offense for Miami. It was about defense, so much so that even Heat coach Erik Spoelstra &mdash; a former point guard himself &mdash; spent some possessions in a defensive stance, clapping his hands and imploring his team to dig a little bit deeper on that end of the floor.
&ldquo;You have to be on edge," Spoelstra said.
The edge, for Miami, was razor sharp. Young went 1 for 12, matching his effort against Chicago on Jan. 23, 2019.
&ldquo;You've got to give them credit," Young said. &ldquo;They came out aggressive."
Danilo Gallinari led Atlanta with 17 points. De'Andre Hunter scored 14 for the Hawks and John Collins added 10.
Game 2 is Tuesday.
&ldquo;I thought Miami played at another level," Hawks coach Nate McMillan said. &ldquo;We talked about that in our locker room, that in the playoffs, there's another level you have to get to. ... They showed us tonight there's another level we have to get to in order to compete in these playoffs."
Robinson broke the record of seven 3s that he previously shared with Damon Jones and Mike Miller.
He sizzled. The Hawks fizzled.
Young &mdash; who saw everything from traps to full-court pressure &mdash; was 0 for 7 from 3-point range and finished with just eight points, a season-low. Bogdan Bogdanovic missed all eight of his shots, and the Hawks never led outside of a brief edge in the opening minutes.
Butler revealed the Heat game plan when it comes to defending Young: &ldquo;Just make it physical on him, challenge every shot, keep him off the free throw line and make him pass," he said.
It worked.
&ldquo;I'm very confident we're going to turn this around," Young said.
Atlanta went 3-0 in Game 1s last year, all three of those wins on the road, coming by two, four and three points, respectively.
That was then.
This was one-sided by halftime. The Heat set the tone by forcing Atlanta into a 1-for-11 start from the field &mdash; free throws were the only thing keeping the game close for much of the first half &mdash; and Miami took a 59-40 lead into the break.
A 3-pointer from Kevin Huerter early in the second got Atlanta within 26-20. A 15-6 Heat run, capped by a 3-pointer from Lowry, pushed the lead out to 41-26, and another 3 from Lowry later in the quarter made it 53-34.
Gallinari made a 3-pointer to open the second half, getting the Hawks within 16. And that was as close as the Hawks got. Miami controlled the rest of the third, turning things into a complete runaway.
It was 86-60 after three, the Hawks managing only one more point through 36 minutes than Miami had through 24, and the outcome was decided. A four-point play from Robinson with 8:54 left was probably the official end to all Atlanta hope, as Miami fans waved their white giveaway rally flags in earnest after the Heat won a home playoff game &mdash; excluding the bubble run in 2020, which obviously wasn't at home &mdash; for the first time since 2016.
&ldquo;I came here for this." Tucker said.
TIP-INS
Hawks: The 19-point halftime deficit was Atlanta&rsquo;s second-largest of the season. Atlanta trailed Chicago by 21 at the break on Dec. 29. ... Atlanta was playing less than 36 hours after arriving in Miami following its play-in victory at Cleveland on Friday. The Hawks got settled in Miami around 3 a.m. Saturday, and Sunday had a 1 p.m. start.
Heat: Butler &mdash; one of the best free-throw shooters in the NBA &mdash; started 0 for 3 from the line, the first time he&rsquo;s done that in his first three Heat seasons. ... Tucker, Lowry and Max Strus all got their first Miami playoff starts. There have now been 69 players all-time to start a playoff game for the Heat.
ROBINSON'S DAY
Robinson's eight 3s were the second-most in NBA playoff history by a reserve. Jason Terry had nine for Dallas in a 2011 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. J.R. Smith had eight for Cleveland in a 2015 game, also against Atlanta.
GAME 1 HISTORY
Miami improved to 26-22 all-time in Game 1s, including 20-7 at home &mdash; and 12-2 at home when playing host to a Game 1 in Round 1. Atlanta fell to 37-41 all-time in Game 1s, a figure that includes a handful of one-game playoffs from the league&rsquo;s early days.
COLLINS PLAYS
Collins (foot, finger injuries) played for the first time in 19 games. He was 4 for 6 in 21 minutes, with the Hawks needing extra depth inside with Clint Capela out with a right knee injury.
UP NEXT
Game 2 is Tuesday in Miami.

Duncan Robinson and the Miami Heat made easy work of the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of their playoff matchup.

Robinson makes eight 3s, Heat top Hawks 115-91 in Game 1

ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; <a href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1514407986122219522">Trae Young</a> bounced back from a sluggish start to score 24 points and De'Andre Hunter led a third-quarter surge that carried the Atlanta Hawks to a 132-103 rout of the Charlotte Hornets in an Eastern Conference play-in game Wednesday night.
The Hawks, who finished ninth in the East after a surprising run to the conference final a year ago, will travel to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers on Friday night.
The winner claims the No. 8 seed in the East and will face the top-seeded Miami Heat in the opening round of the playoffs.
The season is over for the Hornets, who were overwhelmed in the 9-10 play-in game for the second year in a row and haven't made the playoffs since 2016.
All five Atlanta starters scored in double figures, as did Bogdan Bogdanovic off the bench. <a href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1514406292911116290">It was Hunter</a> who came up big in the decisive third period, bursting out with 16 points after being held to 3 in the first half.
Hunter finished with 22 points, while <a href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1514411937366380546">Danilo Gallinari</a> added 18 and Clint Capela 15. Kevin Huerter and <a href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1514410586058072065">Bogdanovic</a> chipped in with 13 apiece.
The Hornets closed the regular season strong and felt like they had a good chance to win a couple of play-in games on the road. But those hopes came crashing down against their I-85 rival.
LaMelo Ball led with 26 points but made only 7 of 25 shots.
The Hawks led by as many as 13 in the first half before settling for a 60-52 advantage at the break. Charlotte had a bit of momentum in the closing minutes of the half, but it sure didn&rsquo;t carry over to the third.
The Hawks outscored the Hornets 42-24 during that 12-minute barrage, hitting 16 of 24 shots, and led 102-76 heading to the final period.
With the Hornets doubling at every opportunity, Young made only 1 of 9 shots in the opening quarter and 3 of 13 in the first half.
But his teammates found plenty of open looks and made the Hornets pay dearly.
Charlotte should've known what kind of night it would be on their way to State Farm Arena.
The Hornets' chartered bus was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/atlanta-hawks-charlotte-hornets-nba-sports-james-borrego-57d6cb54deb7e6d31051a94eb3a86669">blocked by a freight train</a> that stopped on a crossing near the downtown sports complex. The bus had to turn around and take a different route to the arena, delaying Charlotte's arrival for pregame warmups.
It didn't get much better once the game tipped off.
The Hornets' frustration boiled over with about 6 1/2 minutes to go when <a href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1514414068278255616">Miles Bridges</a> complained so vehemently about a goaltending call that he picked up two quick technicals and was ejected.
TIP INS
Hornets: Terry Rozier had 21 points. .... As a team, Charlotte shot 37.8% (37 of 90) from the field.
Hawks: F John Collins (sprained foot, sprained finger) has stepped up workouts but still wasn't able to play. His hasn't been in a game since March 11. ... G Lou Williams also was inactive with lower back discomfort.
UP NEXT
The Hawks went 3-1 against the Cavaliers during the regular season, splitting the two games in Cleveland.

Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks routed the Charlotte Hornets to advance past the play-in game in the NBA Playoffs.

Young, Hunter lead Hawks to 132-103 Play-In rout of Hornets

Pascal Siakam had 31 points and 13 rebounds, Scottie Barnes added 19 points and 14 rebounds, and the Toronto Raptors clinched a playoff berth by beating the Atlanta Hawks 118-108 on Tuesday night.
Chris Boucher scored 18 points, Gary Trent Jr. had 14, Fred VanVleet 12 and Precious Achiuwa 11. Toronto has won 12 of 16. This victory, coupled with Cleveland&rsquo;s loss at Orlando, ensured the Raptors (46-33) will finish no lower than sixth in the Eastern Conference.
Sixth place is the last guaranteed postseason spot, with teams finishing in the Nos. 7-10 spots headed for the play-in tournament.
Trae Young had 26 points and 15 assists for the Hawks, who lost for the first time in six games and locked themselves into a play-in berth. Atlanta (41-38) and Brooklyn are 1 1/2 games behind seventh-place Cleveland.
Kevin Huerter scored 21 points, De&rsquo;Andre Hunter had 20 and Bogdan Bogdanovic finished with 19. Clint Capela had 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Toronto led 102-92 after Barnes made a 3-pointer with 7:38 left in the fourth quarter, but Atlanta answered with a 10-0 run, tying it at 102-all on Young&rsquo;s basket with 4:29 remaining.
Young gave the Hawks their first lead of the fourth quarter by making one of two from the line with 2:53 to play, but Achiuwa made one to tie it and Barnes ended Toronto&rsquo;s drought of 5 minutes, 45 seconds by converting a putback layup with 1:53 to go.
After Bogdanovic missed a 3, VanVleet connected from distance for Toronto, giving the Raptors a 108-103 lead with just over a minute left.
Young scored nine points in the first and Toronto shot 0 for 8 from 3-point range as the Hawks led 31-27 after one quarter.
After 12 misses from distance to begin the game, Young connected on Toronto&rsquo;s first 3 with 1:12 left in the first half. Siakam scored 10 points in the second as the Raptors led 56-52 at the intermission.
Siakam scored 13 points in the third as Toronto took an 89-83 lead to the fourth.
TIP-INS
Hawks: F Danilo Gallinari sat because of a sore left knee. &hellip; Bogdanovic had nine rebounds.
Raptors: Coach Nick Nurse said F OG Anunoby&rsquo;s sore left thigh is &ldquo;much improved&rdquo; but held the injured forward out for a second straight game. &hellip; VanVleet had nine assists and Siakam had six.
UP NEXT
Hawks: Host Washington on Wednesday night
Raptors: Host Philadelphia on Thursday night.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Pascal Siakam had 31 points and 13 rebounds, Scottie Barnes added 19 points and the Raptors clinched a playoff berth.

Siakam has 31 as Raptors beat Hawks to clinch playoff spot

ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Trae Young scored 30 points and the surging Atlanta Hawks never trailed while beating the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers 131-107 on Thursday night to clinch a spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.
Cedi Osman led Cleveland with 21 points. Darius Garland had 18 points and eight assists while sitting out the final quarter of the blowout loss.
Cavaliers standout rookie Evan Mobley missed his second consecutive game with a sprained ankle. Cleveland has lost two straight and five of six as it attempts to keep the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference.
Young had nine assists as the Hawks' fourth consecutive win clinched no worse than the No. 10 spot in the Eastern Conference and a berth in the play-in tournament. The Hawks began the night one-half game behind Charlotte and one game behind Brooklyn.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re in a tight race here at the end and we&rsquo;re starting to click at the right time,&rdquo; Young said, before offering the reminder the Hawks advanced to the Eastern Conference finals last year. &ldquo;We did the same thing last year and we were able to make a run.&rdquo;
Kevin Huerter continued his strong finish to the regular season with 23 points, his fourth consecutive game with at least 20 points. Clint Capela added 12 points with 14 rebounds.
Cavaliers coach B.J. Bickerstaff said before the game &ldquo;we&rsquo;re searching at this point&rdquo; for a playing rotation due to injuries. Guard Rajon Rando (ankle) missed his 10th consecutive game. Center Jarrett Allen missed his 12th straight with a finger injury.
Bickerstaff said he respected the Hawks' &ldquo;firepower&rdquo; and said &ldquo;they have the ability to blow you out because of that.&rdquo;
The Hawks delivered on Bickerstaff's assessment.
Atlanta took its first double-digit lead at 29-19 on Bogdan Bogdanovic's 3-pointer with 3 minutes remaining in the opening period. The Hawks stretched the lead to 20 points, 73-53, early in the second half on Young's 3 and extended the advantage to 30 points in the final period.
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Mobley did not travel to Atlanta and is &ldquo;headed in the right direction,&rdquo; according to Bickerstaff. ... G RJ Nembhard was converted to a standard NBA contract. ... C Moses Brown had 15 points and 13 rebounds in his second consecutive start after he was signed to a two-way contract.
Hawks: C Onyeka Oknogwu had 17 points and 12 rebounds. ... There was no update on F John Collins almost two weeks after the team announced he would be out indefinitely with a plantar fascia tear in his right foot and a right finger sprain. Coach Nate McMillan said Collins &ldquo;is not doing anything as far as running and jumping&rdquo; but added &ldquo;we're not saying he's shut down.&rdquo; ... In a pregame ceremony, Young was presented the team's Jason Collier Memorial Trophy for community service. The award is given each year in honor of the late Atlanta center who died in 2005.
INJURY SCARE
Young played the third quarter after suffering what McMillan said he feared was a serious groin injury in the first half.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been kind of sore these past couple of weeks,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;... I just took a wrong step and it kind of shocked me for a second. ... I&rsquo;ll be all right.&rdquo;
HUERTER&rsquo;S SCORING SURGE
Huerter is taking advantage of increased scoring opportunities, especially in games when Danilo Gallinari (right elbow contusion) has joined John Collins on the inactive list. Huerter sank five of six 3-pointers, his fourth consecutive game making at least four 3s.
Some of Huerter&rsquo;s shots are the result of defenses placing extra attention on Young.
&ldquo;Kevin has been getting more minutes, and playing with Trae the ball has found him,&rdquo; McMillan said.
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Continue a stretch of three games in four days when they visit the New York Knicks on Saturday.
Hawks: Remain home to play the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday.

Trae Young scored 30 points and the surging Hawks never trailed while beating the short-handed Cavaliers 131-107 on Thursday.

Trae Young leads surging Hawks past struggling Cavaliers 131-107

Trae Young is in the midst of a historic season.
It's flown under the radar due to the other powerhouses (and storylines) in the conference, as well as the underwhelming nature of the Atlanta Hawks' season. And to be fair, Young's less-frequent-but-still-problematic apathy on defense has contributed to the Hawks' issues this year.
But as of this writing, Young leads the NBA in total points (1915) and assists (649). If it holds, he'll become the first player since Nate "Tiny" Archibald in 1972-73 to lead the league in both categories.
The bedrock of Young's success is the pick-and-roll. Nobody in the league blends volume and efficiency quite like he does. Consider these tidbits, courtesy of Second Spectrum tracking:
<ul>
<li>He's received 317 more on-ball picks (3288 total) than second-place Luka Doncic this season</li>
<li>Among 51 players to receive at least 1000 picks, only three players &mdash; Seth Curry (1.15), Chris Paul (1.11) and Stephen Curry (1.08) &mdash; have generated more points per possession (PPP) than Young (1.07)</li>
<li>He's received 805 more picks than Paul (2483), and has more than the Curry brothers combined (2572)</li>
</ul>
You can keep going down the rabbit hole and find fun stuff, like him being the only player to receive 10,000 picks over the past three seasons, but you get the gist. He's the system &mdash; more importantly, he's good enough to be&nbsp;the system.
There isn't a great answer for Young. Play drop against him, and he's able to pull-up from deep (36% on pull-up 3s out of ball screens, per InStat tracking) or get downhill for floaters, lobs, or kick-outs.&nbsp;Switch against him, and he'll boogie against less talented defenders.
Your best bet may be to force the ball out of his hands, but that can pose its own issues. One, Young is shifty enough to flat-out split your trap and put the rest of your defense in a bind. On a more basic level, sending two players to Young means tasking your defense to defend four players with three. It's not an easy thing to do for long stretches of time.&nbsp;
The Warriors found that out the hard way on the opening possession of Friday night's game.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/kzarxv" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Opening sets are always fun. Tone-setters, if you will.&nbsp;
The set kicks off with Danilo Gallinari setting a decoy ghost screen for Young. He then receives a pass before flowing into a handoff with Kevin Huerter. As Huerter receives the handoff, Clint Capela lifts higher on the floor. The Hawks are getting ready to set up a variation of Blind Pig action &mdash; Young sprinting into an exchange.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2022_03_26_18_49_47_lg.png" alt="" width="577" height="325" />
The beauty of Blind Pig action is the suddenness of it. If done correctly, the ball handler's defender gets demolished by the pick, thus creating a 2-on-1 advantage.
The Warriors have their two best defenders (Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green) involved in the action,&nbsp;and&nbsp;they attempt to counter this action by blitzing Young. But if you have two to the ball, somebody has to zone up behind it. Due to the spacing on the possession, that responsibility falls to Klay Thompson.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2022_03_26_18_53_09_lg.png" alt="" width="577" height="325" />
Young doesn't panic when the pressure arrives, and simply flips the ball ahead to De'Andre Hunter in the strong side corner. With Thompson dropping down to cut off Capela's roll, and Jordan Poole accounting for Gallinari in the weakside corner, Huerter is left wide-the-heck open.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-03-26-at-12-07-50-pm_lg.png" alt="" width="575" height="325" />
The "Blitz Young" strategy is one we've seen work on occasion, most recently (and egregiously) against the Charlotte Hornets last Wednesday (March 16). But it's an occasional remedy for a reason. Letting an NBA team play 4-on-3, 3-on-2, or 2-on-1 consistently is still a risky bet.
The Warriors didn't have much success on Friday, giving up an ungodly 1.7 PPP on possessions where they sent two to the ball against Young. On the year, the Hawks are generating 1.02 PPP on possessions featuring a trap against Young, a top-ten mark among high-volume ball handlers per Second Spectrum.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
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Nekias Duncan breaks down the difficulties of slowing down Trae Young.

Explain one play: It takes two with Trae Young

ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Trae Young had 33 points and 15 assists, Danilo Gallinari added 25 points and the Atlanta Hawks held on to beat the Golden State Warriors 121-110 on Friday night.
Klay Thompson finished with 37 points, hitting a season-high nine 3-pointers, and Jordan Poole scored 24 for the Warriors, who have dropped four of five. Poole and Thompson each had 22 points in the first half.
Golden State, third in the Western Conference, was coming off a rousing win at Miami on Wednesday before faltering against the Hawks. Atlanta, the No. 10 team in the East, had dropped two of three.
A left corner 3 by Kevin Huerter padded the lead, and Young followed with a straightaway 3 to make it 119-100 and put the game out of reach with 53.7 seconds remaining.
Young&rsquo;s finger-roll gave Atlanta its first double-digit lead at 84-73 midway through the third, and Young followed with a straightaway 3 to make it 98-83 in the closing seconds of the period. Delon Wright&rsquo;s 3-pointer put Atlanta up by 18 entering the fourth.
&ldquo;The last two minutes (of the second quarter) were kind of a disaster," Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;We turned the ball over, took some tough shots. They got out in transition, hit some 3s and I thought that carried to the second half.
&ldquo;They felt more confident and they dominated that third quarter. That was the key stretch. From the two-minute mark of the second and into the third, they took over the game."
Atlanta took charge of the game at the end of the second and throughout the third as they outscored Golden State 43-16, but the Warriors weren&rsquo;t done. They trimmed the lead to five on Gary Payton II&rsquo;s tip-in with 5:37 remaining and to three on Payton&rsquo;s putback with 3:45 left.
That was as close as Golden State would get.
Young had two assists, hit a 3 and knocked down four free throws after the Warriors pulled within three.
&ldquo;We knew what we needed to do is get stops," Young said. &ldquo;They went on a run, hit some tough 3s and contested 3s. Late in the game, it comes down to getting stops and executing down the stretch. We did a good job of doing that. Klay hit some tough shots, but it was good to get some stops."
The Warriors were without two-time MVP Stephen Curry, their leading scorer who is nursing a left foot sprain. Injuries kept forward John Collins, the Hawks&rsquo; second-leading scorer and rebounder, and guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, their third-leading scorer, sidelined.
Atlanta, which never trailed in the second half, has won 15 of 18 at home.
&ldquo;There's still time for us to get that rhythm, get that mojo back and a game like this &mdash; coming out with that focus and playing with that attitude that's necessary &mdash; we can certainly can get that going," Hawks coach Nate McMillan said.
Thompson&rsquo;s straightaway 3 gave the Warriors their first double-digit lead at 50-39 early in the second. He improved to 5 of 6 on 3s with another straightaway that made it 65-56 at the 2:39 mark of the period, but Atlanta, ending the half on a 13-2 run, got a three-point play from Young in the closing minute to lead 69-67 at intermission.
Golden State was up 42-36 at the end of the first quarter as Poole scored 15 and Thompson 11.
SIDELINED AGAIN
Second-year Warriors center James Wiseman, the second overall pick of the 2020 draft, is out for the remainder of the season as he recovers from right knee surgery last April.
Wiseman has missed the entire season, but he averaged 17.3 points with 9.7 rebounds and 1.67 blocks in 21 minutes playing three games for the G League Santa Cruz Warriors this month. Kerr said the knee is structurally sound but still has swelling.
&ldquo;It makes the most sense to go this route,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;Again, I feel terrible for James. He&rsquo;s been through so much already in just two seasons, but his long-term health is good. The knee looks sound. It&rsquo;s just a decision that we feel makes the most sense his own best interest and our interest as well.&rdquo;
Wiseman played 39 games as a rookie, averaging 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds.
TIP-INS
Warriors: F Andre Iguodala was listed as questionable Thursday but still missed his 20th straight game with lower back tightness. Kerr said there&rsquo;s a chance he could play in one of the back-to-backs Monday at Washington and Tuesday at Memphis. ... Poole has scored at least 20 points in 12 straight games. ... Curry missed his fourth game in a row and isn&rsquo;t expected to return until the playoffs. ... Jonathan Kuminga started in place of F Kevon Looney, the only Warrior to previously start every game this season.
Hawks: Huerter finished with 20 points. ... C Clint Capela had 19 points and 13 rebounds. ... Gallinari left the game in the fourth and didn't return after sustaining a right elbow contusion. ... Collins is still bothered by a right finger sprain and right foot strain and missed his eighth straight game. There is no timetable for his return. ... Bogdanovic was listed as questionable with right knee soreness. His injury isn&rsquo;t considered serious.
UP NEXT
Warriors: At Washington on Sunday.
Hawks: At Indiana on Monday.

Trae Young had 33 points, Danilo Gallinari added 25 points and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Golden State Warriors 121-110.

Young, Gallinari power Hawks past Warriors, 121-110

The Atlanta Hawks had such high hopes.
After a surprising playoff run that came up just short of the NBA Finals, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ga-state-wire-atlanta-hawks-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-8d827eabf721d1b06d7207da48def57a">they came into this season</a> with a deep roster led by one of the league's most exciting young players.
Yet now, with only a handful of games remaining, Trae Young and the Hawks are limping toward the postseason with no prospects beyond a play-in spot and nothing to indicate they'll be hanging around very long in April.
Of the NBA's most disappointing teams, the Hawks are near the top of the list.
&ldquo;We still have an opportunity,&rdquo; insisted coach Nate McMillan, whose team is 36-37 and 10th in the Eastern Conference, the final play-in spot. &ldquo;The goal is to get ourselves in the playoffs. Once you get there, we showed last year that anything can happen.&rdquo;
Only last year, the Hawks rolled into the playoffs as one of the league's hottest teams, flipping a switch when McMillan took over for Lloyd Pierce.
They went 27-11 after the coaching change, grabbing a No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference.
They kept up that momentum in the playoffs, romping past the New York Knicks in what became Young's (Madison Square) Garden party, stunning the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in seven games (effectively finishing off The Process), and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/atlanta-hawks-phoenix-suns-milwaukee-bucks-nba-finals-nba-86a45418b2bf41ffcd7e53a00e0f7044">taking the eventual NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks</a> to six games in the East final.
If Young had not twisted an ankle in a freak collision with a referee, the Hawks very well could have knocked off the Bucks and advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since moving to Atlanta in 1968.
Suddenly, the A-T-L went from a sleepy backwater NBA city that generally ranked near the bottom of the league in attendance to abuzz with excitement &mdash; especially after the team locked up cornerstones <a href="nba.com/news/reports-hawks-trae-young-expected-to-finalize-extension">Young</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-nba-atlanta-hawks-john-collins-3641936ced947b00296dc2abb4dbfd84">John Collins</a> with massive contracts.
But this season hasn't come close to meeting expectations.
The Hawks have lingered around .500 all season &mdash; never building any sort of momentum, generally playing like a group of strangers, showing very little of the joy and camaraderie that carried them so far last summer.
Their mediocrity has been especially glaring in a year when the Braves gave Atlanta its first World Series title since 1995 and the Georgia Bulldogs won the college football championship.
&ldquo;Last year for a lot of guys, it was new,&rdquo; center Cint Capela said. "People don't really realize how hard it is to get there. You&rsquo;re never guaranteed to go back to the conference finals.&rdquo;
Young has put up another big season, ranking fourth in the league in scoring (28.1 points per game), but his supporting cast has been perplexingly inconsistent.
Capela has taken a big step backward, leaving the Hawks vulnerable defensively and on the boards. Bogdan Bogdanovic has never looked comfortable taking some of the scoring load off Young. Ditto for Kevin Huerter, who has too many nights when he fails to show up in the box score. Collins may be done for the season with hand and foot injuries.
Promising wins are generally followed by baffling losses, such as <a href="https://apnews.com/article/atlanta-hawks-nba-sports-toronto-detroit-4f14d2b182f0e9744d20a3770493778c">Wednesday night's 122-101 debacle</a> against lowly Detroit, a 20-53 team that looked like a championship contender against Atlanta
The Pistons took control with a 23-0 run and led by as many as 29.
The Hawks haven't won back-to-back road games since late December, which doesn't bode well for a team that will likely have to win two straight away from home just to earn its way into the playoffs.
&ldquo;We know what we've got to do,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;We've got to stay locked in and try to finish out the season strong and see where it leads us in the end."
There have been some unexplainable losses to the league's weakest teams &mdash; three times to the Knicks, twice against the Pistons, not to mention Orlando, Washington, Portland, San Antonio and Houston.
General manager Travis Schlenk, who totally overhauled the roster to set up last year's playoff run, held off on any major changes at this season's trade deadline. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-atlanta-new-york-knicks-atlanta-hawks-7b92f82027b999ad26fd862414456510#:~:text=ATLANTA%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20The%20struggling,Knox%20is%20heading%20to%20Atlanta.">His only move</a> was dealing former first-round pick Cam Reddish, who was unhappy with his lack of playing time, to the Knicks.
Now, Schlenk will have to decide if 2021 was an aberration and more big changes are needed.
Capela hopes this season was just an unexpected blip.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a new process. Sometimes the next season, you put too much pressure on yourselves, so you don&rsquo;t do as good," he said. &ldquo;It's the season after that where you do good."
So, Hawks fans, maybe check back again in 2023.

Of the NBA's most disappointing teams, the Hawks are near the top of the list.

After thrilling playoffs, Hawks limping into NBA postseason

Trae Young had 45 points and eight assists in his first game at Madison Square Garden since last season's playoffs, leading a late surge that gave the Atlanta Hawks a 117-111 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
Picking up right where he left off last spring, Young made seven 3-pointers, including one that tied the game at 105 with 2:54 to play. He then set up Bogdan Bogdanovic for a go-ahead 3 and followed another by De'Andre Hunter by leaving Taj Gibson behind off the dribble and knocking down a jumper to cap an 11-0 spurt and make it 113-105 with 1:04 left.
Bogdanovic added a season-high 32 points for the Hawks, who dropped the Knicks six games behind them for 10th place in the Eastern Conference, the final spot in the play-in field.
RJ Barrett had 28 points and 13 rebounds for the Knicks, who fell to 30-42 to clinch their eighth losing season in the last nine. The only winning record was when they went 41-31 last season to earn the No. 4 seed in the East.
The Hawks then beat them in five games in the first round of the playoffs. Young was the star in his first postseason series, ignoring the profane taunts from fans and getting the last word when he bowed to the crowd from near midcourt late in Game 5.
Young missed the return trip when he was sidelined for the Christmas game because of the NBA&rsquo;s health and safety protocols. Fans booed him every time he touched the ball early Tuesday, though that didn&rsquo;t last.
Alec Burks had 21 points for the Knicks, who played without Julius Randle because of a sore right quadriceps tendon. They led by 10 early in the fourth, but the game changed when Young re-entered with 7:45 remaining.
The Knicks led 34-30 after one, a lead that would have been six if not for Bogdanovic taking the ball out after Barrett's basket with 0.6 seconds left and <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1506422037480419336?s=20&amp;t=WiDja1qbxTcEeO-xDCYEeg">flinging it the length of the court to Young</a>, who caught and tossed it in all in one motion.
New York extended it to 12 in the second before the Hawks surged ahead by nine and took a 64-58 lead into halftime. Bogdanovic had 15 points and Young 13 in the second quarter, combining for four more points than the Knicks scored.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Bogdanovic had been questionable to play because of a bruised right quadriceps. ... Though they won the four that mattered most last spring, the Hawks had lost six straight regular-season matchups with the Knicks.
Knicks: Coach Tom Thibodeau said Randle has been dealing with soreness that hasn't gone away and that rest was probably the only thing that would help. He said the forward was day-to-day. ... Thibodeau said Derrick Rose, recovering from a procedure to address a skin infection on his surgically repaired right ankle, was doing a little bit more work but still not practicing yet. ... Immanuel Quickley scored 17 points.
PAY UP
Randle was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-knicks-utah-jazz-nba-sports-rudy-gobert-7fe0913910827edda9bc39abb023fede">fined $40,000 by the NBA</a> for directing hostile language at a referee after the Knicks' loss to Utah on Sunday, when he also shoved Jazz center Rudy Gobert. Randle has been fined four times for a total of $130,000 this season.
&ldquo;You&rsquo;re human, there&rsquo;s going to be emotions involved in it,&rdquo; Thibodeau said regarding Randle's outbursts, &ldquo;but we have to make sure we&rsquo;re controlling our emotions.&rdquo;
SUPPORTING SCHOOLS
The Knicks hosted HBCU Night, which included Howard University's Air Force ROTC taking part in the pregame festivities and the Delaware State marching band performing at halftime. The NBA and National Basketball Players Association, led by past president Chris Paul, have made supporting the schools a priority.
&ldquo;My daughter is a graduate of Howard University, so they&rsquo;re great universities and for the NBA and our players to bring attention to those universities, to try to get more support to those universities, I think is very important,&rdquo; Hawks coach Nate McMillan said.
UP NEXT
Hawks: Visit Detroit on Wednesday.
Knicks: Visit Charlotte on Wednesday.

Trae Young had 45 points and 8 assists in his first game at Madison Square Garden since last season's playoffs.

Trae Young scores 45 in return to MSG, Hawks beat Knicks 117-111

ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Bogdan Bogdanovic scored a season-high 30 points, Delon Wright had 18 and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Memphis Grizzlies 120-105 on Friday night.
Ja Morant scored 29 points for Memphis, which saw its four-game winning streak end. The Grizzlies began the night second in the Western Conference, one game ahead of Golden State.
Wright, filling in for Trae Young, provided a big boost for Atlanta, which is clinging to the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference and final spot in the play-in tournament. Wright had five steals and six assists.
Atlanta led by 23 points in the third quarter before the Grizzlies pulled to 103-92, following back-to-back 3-pointers by De&rsquo;Anthony Melton and Desmond Bane, who had 15 points.
A three-point play by De&rsquo;Andre Hunter, who had 14 points, helped Atlanta regain control. Bogdanovic sank two 3s in the final 3 minutes.
The Hawks won despite playing without their two leading scorers. Young was held out with a bruised left quad after testing the injury in pregame shooting. John Collins (right foot strain, right finger sprain) missed his fourth straight game.
Wright resembled Young while making his first three 3-point attempts and scoring 11 points in the first quarter.
Atlanta used a 13-2 run, capped by Bogdanovic&rsquo;s 3-pointer, to lead by 20 points, 58-38, in the second. A long 3-pointer by De&rsquo;Andre Hunter gave Atlanta its biggest lead of the half at 65-44.
Morant scored the Grizzlies&rsquo; first nine points of the second half. After trimming Atlanta&rsquo;s lead to 73-63, Memphis appeared to have momentum. Atlanta answered with a 16-3 run, capped by another 3 from Bogdanovic, to lead 89-66.
The Hawks said before the game Collins is out indefinitely after tests revealed a plantar fascia tear in his right foot. Collins&rsquo; status will be updated in about two weeks. There is no guarantee Collins will return this season.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think we&rsquo;re saying in two weeks he&rsquo;ll be back,&rdquo; Hawks coach Nate McMillan said before the game. &ldquo;In two weeks we&rsquo;ll evaluate.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Memphis set season lows with eight first-half assists and 18 for the game. ... Morant started after missing one game with back soreness. ... Jaren Jackson Jr. had 15 points.
Hawks: G Kevin Huerter scored one point in eight minutes before leaving in the first quarter with a lower back strain. He returned in the second and had six points. ... Danilo Gallinari, who was listed as questionable with a bruised right biceps, started at Collins&rsquo; power forward spot and had 11 points.
UP NEXT
Grizzlies: End four-game road trip at Houston on Sunday.
Hawks: Host New Orleans on Sunday.

Bogdan Bogdanovic scored a season-high 30 points, Delon Wright had 18 and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Memphis Grizzlies 120-105.