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Hornets

Victor Wembanyama had 30 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 7 blocks to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 118-105 win over the Portland Trail Blazers and rookie rival Scoot Henderson.&nbsp;
The No. 1 overall pick in this year&rsquo;s draft had this impressive statline in just 25 minutes, becoming just the second rookie since David Robinson in 1990 to record the same numbers.
This was Wemby and Scoot&rsquo;s first meeting since their memorable matchup in the Metropolitans 92 vs. NBA G League Ignite series last October in Las Vegas, where Wembanyama and Henderson scored 37 points and 28 points, respectively, with the latter taking the victory.&nbsp;
The Spurs secured their fifth win of the season, while Henderson scored a career-high 25 points in a rare start without Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe, as the Blazers dropped to 8-22. Both teams are currently last in the Western Conference.
Nuggets 142, Grizzlies 105
With Ja Morant out due to illness, the Denver Nuggets pounced on the Memphis Grizzlies early and got a 142-105 win.&nbsp;
Nikola Jokic had a triple-double (26 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists) in a literal perfect game, going 11-of-11 from the field, 1-of-1 from three, and 3-of-3 from the charity stripe.&nbsp;
This was the first night of a back-to-back for the Grizz, and they expect Morant to be back tomorrow when they play the Los Angeles Clippers.&nbsp;
Heat 114, Warriors 102
The Golden State Warriors had seven players score in double figures, but they fell to the visiting Miami Heat, 102-114.&nbsp;
Stephen Curry struggled in 31 minutes, scoring only 13 points on 20% shooting.&nbsp;
With Jimmy Butler out, Tyler Herro led the charge for the Heat with 26 points. Jaime Jaquez Jr. continued his strong showing as a rookie, registering 17 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds.
Bam Adebayo added 17 and 11 for Miami, who moved past the Orlando Magic for the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 19-12 record.&nbsp;
Lakers 133, Hornets 112
Point LeBron James was on point today, handing out 11 assists while scoring 17 efficient points (7-of-11 from the field) in just 24 minutes as the Los Angeles Lakers cruised to an easy win over the Charlotte Hornets, who were without star point guard LaMelo Ball for the 14th-straight game.
Anthony Davis contributed 26 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks for the now 17-15 Lakers squad.&nbsp;

Victor Wembanyama had 30 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 7 blocks in the Spurs' win over Scoot Henderson and the Blazers.

Victor Wembanyama fills stat sheet in win vs. Blazers, Scoot Henderson

The Philadelphia 76ers have had yet another crazy offseason, with James Harden essentially pulling a Ben Simmons as he has been away from the team for the past week. While this has been annoying for Sixers fans, something even worse could happen as a result.
Joel Embiid, the 2023 NBA MVP, has been mentioned in the rumor mill throughout the offseason. While the 76ers obviously aren't looking to move Embiid right now, rival teams are closely monitoring Embiid and whether he'll eventually want out of Philadelphia. 
One team that's keeping an eye on Embiid is the New York Knicks, who are preparing an offer for the Sixers' big man in the event that he becomes available.
<a href="https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/sixers-joel-embiid-james-harden-trade-nba-20231024.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Keith Pompey of </a><a href="https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/sixers-joel-embiid-james-harden-trade-nba-20231024.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Philadelphia Inquirer</a> reports that the Knicks are willing to give up &ldquo;three key players&rdquo; and multiple first-round picks for the reigning MVP. 
Among the players available for trade are Julius Randle, R.J. Barrett, Mitchell Robinson and Evan Fournier. Despite the fact that this offer includes a former All-Star and rising star, it's very unlikely that the Sixers would accept any package that doesn&rsquo;t include Jalen Brunson. Other teams would likely be able to beat this offer from the Knicks.
However, if the offer included Brunson, perhaps a deal could make sense. The new starting five in Philly would be Brunson, Tyrese Maxey, Barrett, Tobias Harris and Robinson. But with the Sixers already losing Harden in the near future, the Sixers likely won't give up Embiid and completely dismantle their core in one year. 
If the Sixers look to move anyone other than Harden, it&rsquo;s more likely going to be Harris, who is in the final year of his contract and earning $39,270,150 this season. 
With that said, given Harden's inevitable exit and everything going on in Philly, it wouldn&rsquo;t be surprising to see Embiid request a trade by next season. He hasn&rsquo;t seen any real postseason success with the Sixers and could eventually get tired of their inability to make it past the second round. 
As of now though, there&rsquo;s no real concern about the Sixers losing Embiid.&nbsp;

Hunter Simpson breaks down the report from Keith Pompey that the Knicks are preparing an offer for Joel Embiid.

Report: Knicks willing to offer multiple players, pick for Joel Embiid

With the 2023-24 NBA season fast approaching, discussions are beginning to ramp up surrounding team expectations. Which teams are the early favorites and contenders? Which teams are just wishful thinkers? These topics are debated often, usually leading to a select number of teams facing win-or-bust expectations.&nbsp;
But, of course, there can only be one team in June that hoists the Larry O&rsquo;Brien.&nbsp;
Entering a season with championship expectations isn&rsquo;t easy, as <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-james-posey-championship-expectations-boston-celtics-doc-rivers-kevin-garnett-paul-pierce-ray-allen-cleveland-cavaliers-lebron-james-tyronn-lue-miami-heat-pat-riley-shaquille-o-neal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Basketball News&rsquo; James Posey highlighted in this recent article</a>. Which teams fall into the win-or-bust category for the 2023-24 season? Let&rsquo;s look at two teams &ndash; one from each conference &ndash; who qualify.&nbsp;
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
The Los Angeles Lakers have dealt with championship aspirations and expectations maybe more than any other team in NBA history. With 17 championships, which is tied with the Boston Celtics for the most all-time, it's clear why. This franchise is used to collecting hardware by season&rsquo;s end, and did so as recently as 2020, defeating the Miami Heat to win the championship in the midst of a global pandemic and in the wake of the passing of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.&nbsp;
So, how can a team that won a title in recent years already be facing pressure to win again?
The Lakers, led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis, are heading into this season fresh off a clean sweep in the Western Conference Finals by the eventual-champion Denver Nuggets. While seemingly negative on paper, the season was largely viewed as a success, as nobody expected this squad to make a Conference-Finals run after starting an abysmal 2-10.&nbsp;
How did they turn their season around? By ending the Russell Westbrook experiment, the Lakers landed D&rsquo;Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt in a trade, in addition to trading for Rui Hachimura. These three, along with a blossoming Austin Reaves and a rejuvenated James and Davis, brought the Lakers to familiar heights &ndash; defeating the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round and taking down the then-defending-champion Golden State Warriors in round two.&nbsp;
It was clear that the Lakers fixed their mistakes and were back on course. Even the naysayers had to tip their cap after the team&rsquo;s surprising Western Conference Finals run.
Now comes the familiar pressure.&nbsp;
This offseason, Lakers were able to keep last year&rsquo;s core together, re-signing Russell, Reaves and Hachimura, while adding quality role players in Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Jaxson Hayes and Cam Reddish. This is really the first time in the LeBron-Lakers era that the team has been given the green light to try again for a second season. Seeing as the team didn&rsquo;t come together until late last season, it would have been very much in the Lakers&rsquo; nature to come into this year with a completely different-looking team. Instead, the front office chose to run it back, aside from some changes on the margins. This decision is what puts them in the win-or-bust category.&nbsp;
With LeBron entering his 21st NBA season, that sentiment is stronger than ever. The Lakers have to take advantage of the fact that James is still playing at such a high level so late in his career. Being a sports team in Hollywood (especially one with 17 championships) you need to not only have the stars, you need to win. If the Lakers have stars but aren&rsquo;t winning, then they are essentially just becoming their neighbors, the Angels. The Lakers have the script ready for them, but we&rsquo;ll have to wait and see if they can top the box office.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
 
With the Philadelphia 76ers coming off their second-round exit in the 2023 NBA Playoffs courtesy of the Boston Celtics in seven games, there&rsquo;s pressure to take the next step and win a championship. This pressure isn&rsquo;t new; they&rsquo;ve been feeling it for several years.&nbsp;
Superstar center Joel Embiid won his first Most Valuable Player award last season, giving the 76ers two MVPs on the team, with James Harden being the other. While the duo has looked good in the short time they&rsquo;ve been together, they haven&rsquo;t looked like two MVPs playing side-by-side. This is especially true in the postseason, with Embiid and Harden both known for sometimes regressing in playoff series compared to the regular season. 
The fact that Doc Rivers was the team&rsquo;s head coach, a man who has coached three teams that all lost a playoff series after being up 3-1 and someone who has a 6-10 record in Game 7s, certainly didn&rsquo;t help. There's no question that he also deserves his fair share of blame for the team&rsquo;s issues. All of this, along with the lingering effects of the Ben Simmons debacle, came to a head last season.&nbsp;
This offseason, the team parted ways with Rivers, and Harden requested a trade. While Harden has yet to be traded and it is possible he remains with the team, the Sixers obviously aren&rsquo;t in an ideal state. It remains to be seen what kind of pieces they can get back for Harden.
In the meantime, the Sixers hired former Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse to replace Rivers. Nurse is a great coach who won a championship in 2019 and the NBA's Coach of the Year award in 2020. But if the team begins to underperform, a new coach &ndash; especially one who&rsquo;s known for previously incorporating a rougher defensive style when it came to guarding Embiid &ndash; could become an easy target for blame for the Philly faithful.&nbsp;
The 76ers might have more pressure on them than any other team this upcoming season. The reigning MVP, a former MVP (or the trade package they can get for him), a former Coach of the Year and a solid supporting cast mean this team is built to win now. This team is no stranger to win-or-bust expectations, but this may be the most pressure they&rsquo;ve faced yet.&nbsp;

Jack Maguire examines two teams facing win-or-bust expectations entering the 2023-24 NBA season.

Which NBA teams are under the most pressure entering 2023-24 season?

Today, the NBA announced that the Brooklyn Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers will face off in the league&rsquo;s third regular-season game in Paris at the Accor Arena on Jan. 11, 2024.
The NBA Paris Game 2024 will mark the Nets&rsquo; second game in Paris, having played a preseason game in the French capital in 2008. Brooklyn currently features 2021-22 NBA All-Defensive First Team and 2023 Team USA member Mikal Bridges, 2023 Team USA member Cam Johnson and three-time NBA All-Star Ben Simmons. The Nets have made five consecutive playoff appearances.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re extremely excited to have the opportunity to compete in The NBA Paris Game 2024 and bring Nets basketball to an international stage," Nets general manager Sean Marks said. "Our players and coaches will benefit greatly from the experience of immersing themselves in Paris&rsquo;s rich culture off the court.&rdquo;
The Cavaliers will be playing their first game in Europe. Cleveland currently features four-time NBA All-Star Donovan Mitchell, 2022 NBA All-Stars Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland, and 2022-23 NBA All-Defensive First Team member Evan Mobley. The Cavaliers won their first NBA championship in 2016 and made four consecutive NBA Finals appearances from 2015 to 2018.
&ldquo;We are extremely honored as an organization to showcase the Cleveland Cavaliers in Paris," Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman said. "This unique opportunity will provide our players, coaches, staff and families an experience into a different culture, all while creating memories both on and off the court that will last a lifetime. We also recognize the universal appeal basketball inspires and we take great pride in our stewardship of the game. As proud representatives of the city of Cleveland and all of Northeast Ohio, we look forward to establishing a personal level of engagement with our fans overseas, as well as partnering with the NBA in our collective effort to elevate basketball on the international stage.&rdquo;
The NBA Paris Game 2024 will air live on beIN SPORTS and NBA League Pass, reaching fans in more than 200 countries and territories on television, digital media and social media. The league and its partners will conduct interactive fan activities, NBA Cares community outreach initiatives and Jr. NBA youth basketball development programming to bring the NBA experience to fans in the French capital. The game and surrounding events will be supported by a roster of marketing partners, including Foot Locker, La Fran&ccedil;aise des Jeux, Nike and Tissot.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re thrilled to be bringing the live NBA experience back to Paris with two exciting teams in the Brooklyn Nets and the Cleveland Cavaliers," said Mark Tatum, the NBA's deputy commissioner and chief operating officer. "This game has become a destination for our passionate fans across Europe and will build on the incredible momentum around basketball and the NBA in France and throughout the region.&rdquo;
Tickets for The NBA Paris Game 2024 will go on sale at a later date, but fans can <a href="NBAEvents.com/ParisGame" target="_blank" rel="noopener">register here</a> to receive presale information. NBA ID members will get priority access to the pre-sale.&nbsp;
There have been more NBA players from France than from any other country outside North America, including 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs). Live NBA games and related programming air in France on beIN SPORTS and NBA League Pass, including 45 weekend games in primetime last season as part of the league&rsquo;s &ldquo;NBA Saturdays and NBA Sundays&rdquo; European primetime initiative.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The City of Paris is delighted to host another thrilling NBA regular-season game and extend a warm welcome to two remarkable teams, the Brooklyn Nets and the Cleveland Cavaliers," said Pierre Rabadan, the deputy mayor of Paris who's in charge of sports. "Our love and passion for the sport of basketball drive us to provide an unforgettable experience for players and fans alike. Paris has always been a special place for basketball and continues to be, as its rich culture steadily thrives and spreads within the city.&rdquo;

The Brooklyn Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers will face off in the league’s third regular-season game in Paris on Jan. 11, 2024.

Nets, Cavaliers to play regular-season game in Paris in January 2024

PHILADELPHIA (AP) &mdash; James Harden picked up his $35.6 million contract option for next season with the Philadelphia 76ers, with the franchise exploring trades to move the veteran scorer, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press.
Harden informed the 76ers of his choice Thursday ahead of the 5 p.m. deadline to pick up the option, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the decision was not made public.
The 33-year-old Harden could have declined the option and decided to try for free agency. The Sixers had the right to offer him a $210 million, four-year deal, $8 million more overall than any other team.
But the person who talked to the AP on anonymity Thursday said it while it wasn&rsquo;t definite Harden would be traded, the player nicknamed The Beard expressed a desire to win a championship &mdash; which he has yet to do in his career that dates to his 2009 rookie season &mdash; in Philadelphia or with another contender.
The 76ers, per league rules, could not talk contract with Harden&rsquo;s representatives before Friday and they were set to abide by the terms after they were found guilty of tampering last offseason and ultimately stripped of second-round draft picks.
The stage, though, seems set for yet another blockbuster Harden trade after he forced his way out of Houston and Brooklyn.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: 76ers G James Harden is picking up his $35.6 million option and sides are beginning to work together in exploring trade scenarios, sources tell ESPN. It&rsquo;s expected that Harden has played his last game for Philadelphia. <a href="https://t.co/GguWgysfNZ">pic.twitter.com/GguWgysfNZ</a>
&mdash; Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1674519780106153985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Nick Nurse, hired last month as Philadelphia&rsquo;s coach, has stumped for Harden&rsquo;s return.
&ldquo;James has a decision to make, and I&rsquo;d be very happy if he came back,&rdquo; Nurse said this month.
Sixers forward Tobias Harris, himself in a bit of a contract quandary this summer and a perfect package fit in a Harden trade, said this week he wanted Harden back on the team.
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&ldquo;There&rsquo;s not many guys that can go out and drop 40 in a playoff game. I think that goes under the radar a little bit too much,&rdquo; Harris said. &ldquo;I think James is a phenomenal player, somebody who works his tail off, and somebody&rsquo;s who&rsquo;s an overall great leader. Of course I want him back.&rdquo;
But it appears playing as the second option behind NBA MVP Joel Embiid and chasing a championship in Philly is no longer seriously on the table.
Harden led the NBA in assists last season with 10.7 per game but it was his wildly fluctuating offense that frustrated Sixers fans and helped doom them in the Eastern Conference second-round loss to Boston.
Harden, acquired at the 2022 trade deadline from Brooklyn for Ben Simmons, scored 45 points in Game 1 and 42 in Game 4 victories against the Celtics. Harden, who turns 34 in August, and was 0 for 6 on 3s in Game 2 and Game 6 losses. He scored only nine points in Game 7, and he went scoreless in the second half.
Harden blossomed into an insolation superstar in Houston but has largely deferred to Embiid with the Sixers.
Team president Daryl Morey, who traded to bring Harden to Houston a decade ago, needs to get a big return in any deal with the Sixers in win-now mode. The Sixers have limited salary cap space, making it all but impossible to sign a quality free agent, especially one with Harden&rsquo;s pedigree.
So now they&rsquo;ll look to get assets in a deal &mdash; a common factor in Harden&rsquo;s career. If Harden is traded, per NBA rules, he would have to play under his 2023-24 contract and would not be eligible for free agency until next season.
Harden is a 10-time All-Star but essentially forced his way with trades out of Houston and Brooklyn.
The Rockets traded Harden to the Nets in January 2021 where he was expected to form a championship trio with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. When the Big 3 fizzled, Harden was sent a year later to the Sixers for the disgruntled Simmons.
Harden declined his $47.4 million player option with the 76ers for last season and instead agreed to a two-year deal that will paid him $32 million in 2022-23. It included a player option for this coming season. He opted out of an old deal ahead of last season to stay with the 76ers and made about $14.5 million less last season than he could have earned under his previous contract.
The seven-time All-NBA player is a member of the league&rsquo;s 75th anniversary team.
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James Harden picked up his $35.6 million contract option for next season, but he's working with the Sixers to find a trade.

Sixers working with James Harden to find a trade after opt-in

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Luka Doncic finished with 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists just hours after his most recent technical foul and one-game suspension were rescinded Monday by the NBA and led the Dallas Mavericks past the Indiana Pacers 127-104.
The Mavericks snapped a four-game losing streak and remained in contention in the race for one of the final two play-in spots in the Western Conference. Kyrie Irving added 16 points and six assists for Dallas.
Indiana was led by Bennedict Mathurin, who scored 22 points, and Andrew Nembhard, who had 17 points, five rebounds and five assists on a night the Pacers were missing three starters and a key backup. The Pacers have lost three straight and six of eight as they move closer to locking up a lottery pick.
Doncic had picked up his 16th technical that was rescinded on Sunday in the team&rsquo;s second loss to Charlotte. The technical came with 7:51 remaining in the third quarter of a 110-104 loss when Doncic argued a no-call after missing a shot on a drive to the basket. Crew chief Kevin Scott said in a pool report after the game that Doncic used &ldquo;a profanity directed at the officials in protest to a no-call that was correctly judged in postgame video review.&rdquo;
TIMBERWOLVES 119, KINGS 115
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Jaden McDaniels scored 20 points and Minnesota spoiled Sacramento&rsquo;s bid to clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2006, the longest playoff drought in NBA history.
The Timberwolves won their fourth straight and completed a sweep of a back-to-back set at Golden State and Sacramento to tie the Warriors for sixth place in the Western Conference playoff race.
Naz Reid scored 18 points, Anthony Edwards had 17 and Rudy Gobert had 16 points and 16 rebounds in the win.
De&rsquo;Aaron Fox scored 29 points and Domantas Sabonis added 24 points and 10 rebounds for Sacramento, which shot 5 of 26 from 3-point distance.
The Kings will look to clinch a playoff berth when they travel to Portland for two games, starting Wednesday.
CLIPPERS 124, BULLS 112
LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Nicolas Batum got all of his season-high 24 points on eight 3-pointers, and Eric Gordon added 22 points as Los Angeles beat Chicago.
Kawhi Leonard scored 22 points as the Clippers rebounded from an embarrassing loss to New Orleans with 20 3-pointers in an impressive outside shooting display led by Batum.
Russell Westbrook had 12 points, 10 assists and five rebounds as Los Angeles (40-36) kept hold of fifth place in the Western Conference standings and moved a half-game behind fourth-place Phoenix.
Zach LaVine scored 23 points and Nikola Vucevic had 20 points and eight rebounds for the Bulls, who followed up their impressive win over the Lakers on Sunday with a dud.
NUGGETS 116, 76ERS 111
DENVER (AP) &mdash; Nikola Jokic recorded his 29th triple double of the season and Denver beat short-handed Philadelphia in a game Joel Embiid sat out with a sore right calf.
That scuttled the highly anticipated showdown between MVP front-runners that many felt could have decided whether Embiid, the runner-up the last two years, denies Jokic a third consecutive award. With Embiid in the locker room, Jokic scored 25 points, pulled down 17 rebounds and dished out 12 assists.
Tyrese Maxey scored 23 of his 29 points in the first half as the Sixers dropped their third straight.
PELICANS 124, TRAIL BLAZERS 90
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Brandon Ingram scored 29 points and New Orleans routed short-handed Portland.
CJ McCollum, who played nine seasons with the Blazers before he was traded to the Pelicans last season, added 17 points. Jonas Valanciunas finished with 10 points and 21 rebounds, and New Orleans led by as many as 36.
Keon Johnson had 20 points off the bench for the Blazers, who have lost nine of 10 and will, in all likelihood, miss the playoffs for the second straight season &mdash; although they have not been mathematically eliminated. Most of their regular starters were out with injuries, including top scorer Damian Lillard (right calf), Jerami Grant (bruised left quad), Jusuf Nurkic (right knee) and Anfernee Simons (right foot).
SUNS 117, JAZZ 103
SAT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Devin Booker scored 24 points and Phoenix reserves sparked the decisive run in a win over Utah.
Deandre Ayton had 14 points after missing four games with a bruised hip. But a trio off the bench was pivotal for Phoenix: Terrence Ross had 13 points, Cameron Payne added 12 and Bismack Biyombo scored 11.
The Suns (40-35) had lost four in a row on the road. But with this victory they sit more securely in the fourth spot in the Western Conference playoff race &mdash; which would give them home-court advantage in the first round.
Lauri Markkanen scored 25 points for Utah, but shot 6 for 22. Walker Kessler had 18 points and eight rebounds for the Jazz (35-40), who have lost four straight. Kessler also matched a career high with seven blocks.
KNICKS 137, ROCKETS 115
NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Immanuel Quickley scored a career-high 40 points and Julius Randle had 26 as New York snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over Houston.
RJ Barrett added 19 points, Obi Toppin had 15 and Quinten Grimes scored 14 for the Knicks.
Quickley connected on 14 of 18 shots from the field and added nine assists. He started in place of Jalen Brunson, who missed his second straight game with a bruised right hand.
Kevin Porter Jr. led the Rockets with 26 points. Jalen Green had 19 and Kenyon Martin Jr. added 18 as Houston dropped its sixth straight game.
BUCKS 126, PISTONS 117
DETROIT (AP) &mdash; Khris Middleton scored 34 points against the team that drafted him and Milwaukee beat Detroit without Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Milwaukee improved to an NBA-best 54-21 despite the absences of Antetokounmpo (knee) and Jae Crowder (calf). Goran Dragic made his Bucks debut after signing with the team on March 4, but didn&rsquo;t score in nine minutes.
Brook Lopez had 24 points and 14 rebounds, Bobby Portis added 21 points and 14 rebounds, and Jevon Carter scored 22.
The Pistons got 32 points, eight rebounds and eight assists from Jaden Ivey, but lost their sixth straight game and 17th of 18. They are 1-13 against Central Division opponents.

A recap of Monday's slate of NBA games includes Doncic keeping the Mavs playoff hopes alive and a fourth straight Wolves win.

Luka Doncic powers Mavericks to 127-104 win over Pacers

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Damian Lillard set franchise- and career-highs with 71 points &mdash; tied for the most in the NBA this season &mdash; and 13 three-pointers and the Portland Trail Blazers snapped a two-game skid with a 131-114 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.
Lillard tied Cleveland&rsquo;s Donovan Mitchell for the most points in a game this season after Mitchell also scored 71 in a win over Chicago on Jan. 2. Lillard broke his own franchise mark of 61 points, which he&rsquo;d done twice, on a three-pointer with 4:42 left that also topped his career record for threes in a game with 11.
Lillard&rsquo;s 13 three-pointers were one shy of the NBA record set by Golden State&rsquo;s Klay Thompson in 2018. Thompson&rsquo;s Warriors teammate Stephen Curry (2016) and Chicago&rsquo;s Zach LaVine (2019) also made 13 threes.
In the final minutes, the crowd at the Moda Center was on its feet, phones recording the moment, while chanting &ldquo;MVP! MVP!&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
71 points 13 threes 6 assists 6 boards 2 TOs 39 minutes 57.9 FG% 59 3PT% 100 FT% <a href="https://twitter.com/Dame_Lillard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Dame_Lillard</a> is the first player in NBA history with 70+ points, 10+ threes, 5+ assists, 5+ rebounds in a game. He was one 3 shy of tying the record for most 3s in a game. <a href="https://t.co/49UPnvpit8">pic.twitter.com/49UPnvpit8</a>
&mdash; Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1630072531016089601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Lillard left the game with 44 seconds left, tied with Mitchell, Elgin Baylor (1960) and David Robinson (1994) for the eighth-most points scored in a game in NBA history. Wilt Chamberlain owns the league record with 100 for Philadelphia against New York on March 2, 1962, at Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Lillard had 41 points and eight three-pointers by halftime. It was a career-high in a half for Lillard and the most points in a half for any player in the league this season. He had 50 by the start of the fourth quarter.
Jerami Grant added 13 points for the Blazers, who led by as many as 23. Portland is part of a cluster of eight Western Conference just four wins apart that are vying for playoff spots.
Alperen Sengun had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, sitting in last place in the Western Conference with just 13 overall wins and nine-straight losses.
Houston trailed 102-88 heading into the final quarter, but scored the first six points of the period to close the gap to 102-94. Grant&rsquo;s three-pointer for Portland extended the margin to 108-98.
Lillard&rsquo;s three, his 11th of the night to tie his career high, made it 113-103 with 6:43 left. He added a driving layup and a free throw. Houston could not catch up.
Lillard started after resting for Thursday night&rsquo;s 133-116 loss to Sacramento. He participated in the NBA All-Star Game and won the three-point contest the previous weekend.
But Portland remained without center Jusuf Nurkic (left calf) and guard Anfernee Simons (right ankle).
The Blazers had a 31-30 lead after one quarter, led by Lillard&rsquo;s 16. Portland extended the lead to 50-39 after Lillard went on a personal 9-2 run against the Rockets, capped by a three-pointer from 35 feet out.
The Blazers led 73-58 at the break with Lillard the 10th player since the 1996-97 season with 40-plus points in a half.
Lillard has 15 games with 50 or more points, sixth-most in NBA history.
SIDELINED
Guards Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. did not play, although Rockets coach Stephen Silas said both should be available for the team&rsquo;s short upcoming homestand. Green missed his second game with a strained left groin. Porter has been out 19 games because of a left foot contusion.
TIP-INS
Rockets: It was the third and final meeting between the teams this season. The Blazers won the previous two. Last season, the series ended 2-2. ... Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate had four fouls in the first half, but finished with 17 points.
Trail Blazers: Following reports that Lillard was rallying his teammates for the final 23 games of the season, Blazers coach Chauncey Billups was asked how he&rsquo;s motivating his team for the stretch run. &ldquo;What I&rsquo;m mostly always talking about is `Here&rsquo;s where we are. Here&rsquo;s how we got there. This is how we&rsquo;ve got to climb out of it,&rsquo;&rdquo; Billups said.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Return home to face the Denver Nugget on Tuesday.
Trail Blazers: Visit the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.

Damian Lillard had a franchise-high and career-high 71 points and 13 threes as the Blazers beat the Rockets 131-114 on Sunday night.

Damian Lillard has 71 points and 13 threes; Blazers beat Rockets

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; In his third game since arriving in the Kevin Durant trade, Mikal Bridges had an electrifying scoring stretch to rival even the superstar he replaced.
Bridges scored a career-high 45 points, including 15 in a row for Brooklyn to break open a game that had been close for 3 1/2 quarters, and the Nets beat the Miami Heat 116-105 on Wednesday night in the final game for both teams before the All-Star break.
&ldquo;I just had it going and my teammates found me every time,&rdquo; Bridges said.
The Nets led only 90-89 before Bridges went to work with an array of drives, 3-pointers and jumpers over the next three minutes. That pushed the lead to nine and when another Nets player finally scored, it was a 3-pointer by fellow former Phoenix player Cam Johnson that pushed it to 108-96.
Bridges scored 17 points in the final quarter to blow by his previous career best of 34 points. He was 17 of 24 from the field, 4 of 6 on 3s and 7 of 7 at the line, and also had eight rebounds and five assists.
&ldquo;I think overall just his spirit and energy and juice, even at our walkthrough today, like he had the mindset it seemed like he wasn&rsquo;t going to let us lose,&rdquo; Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said.
Bridges was the runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year last season whose offensive game is growing. He said after the blockbuster trade last week that he understood why the Suns would trade him for Durant, and still does after averaging 25 points since while earning the nickname &ldquo;Brooklyn Bridges.&rdquo;
&ldquo;You traded a future Hall of Famer that averaged damn near 30 for his career, so I&rsquo;m just trying to continue to get better and get to a point where I can score a little more,&rdquo; Bridges said.
Cam Thomas added 19 points and Johnson had 18 for the Nets, who won for the first time since the two former Suns joined them in the lineup.
Bam Adebayo had 24 points, 13 rebounds and six assists for the Heat. Max Strus scored 18 points.
The Heat fell behind New York into seventh place in the Eastern Conference, out of guaranteed playoff position, and will hope missing regulars Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry and Victor Oladipo get healthy during the break.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got 23 to go to get to where we need to get to,&rdquo; Heat star Jimmy Butler said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s all about being healthy, which is what going into this break is going to do for us, come out swinging for the fences in the right way.&rdquo;
Bridges scored on a jumper with 0.2 seconds left to give the Nets an 83-80 lead after three quarters in which neither team led by more than six points.
Duncan Robinson had six points in his first game since Jan. 4 surgery to repair a finger ligament.
TIP-INS
Heat: Lowry missed his sixth straight game with left knee soreness. Oladipo has missed seven in a row with a sprained right ankle. ... Miami began a four-game road trip around the break. The Heat don&rsquo;t play at home again until March 1.
Nets: Ben Simmons was booed when he checked in four minutes into the game. He finished with two points, four rebounds and four assists in 20 minutes. ... Seth Curry was scoreless in 10 minutes after missing five games with a left adductor strain. ... Brooklyn plays nine of its first 11 games after the All-Star break on the road.
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HURTING HERRO
Herro missed his second straight game with a bruised left knee but is still scheduled to fly to Salt Lake City and compete in the 3-point contest at All-Star weekend.
&ldquo;You&rsquo;re not burning any calories in that and you&rsquo;re certainly not colliding or jumping or doing anything,&rdquo; Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;He is making progress. He definitely is not ready to be able to play in an NBA game tonight and then we&rsquo;ll just see how he feels the next two days with his treatment, whether he&rsquo;ll be able to do that. I know that he really wants to.&rdquo;
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Mikal Bridges scored a career-high 45 points, and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Miami Heat 116-105.

Mikal Bridges has career-high 45 points, Nets beat Heat

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Kyrie Irving grew up in New York and New Jersey, so he knows better than most whether the Knicks against the Nets is a real rivalry.
&ldquo;If the NBA calls it rivalry week, then it&rsquo;s a rivalry,&rdquo; Irving said.
Only a one-sided one.
Irving scored 21 of his 32 points in the final 9 1/2 minutes, carrying Brooklyn to its ninth straight victory over the Knicks, 122-115 on Saturday.
Irving&rsquo;s sixth straight game of 30 or more points gave him a career high and the Nets an NBA franchise record. He didn&rsquo;t seem headed that way when he was only 4 for 14 with 11 points early in the fourth quarter.
But he took over from there to make sure the Nets turned away every Knicks rally, including a deep 3-pointer with 50 seconds to play after New York was within five. The All-Star guard also had nine assists and six rebounds.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s why it&rsquo;s so great to have the basketball in his hands,&rdquo; Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said. &ldquo;He can attack by himself, he can draw and kick and the defense has to react.&rdquo;
Joe Harris added 16 points and Nic Claxton had 13 points, 12 rebounds and six assists for the Nets. The NBA leader in field goal percentage shot 6 for 6. Royce O&rsquo;Neale and Seth Curry chipped in 14 points apiece as Brooklyn finished 22 for 40 from 3-point range.
Jalen Brunson scored 26 points and RJ Barrett had 24 for the Knicks. They had won consecutive games against Eastern Conference contenders Cleveland and Boston.
But they can&rsquo;t find a way to beat Brooklyn. The teams separated by about five miles made for a natural addition to the NBA&rsquo;s &ldquo;Rivals Week&rdquo; schedule, now a decade since the Nets played their first season in Brooklyn following their move from New Jersey.
But the Knicks haven&rsquo;t defeated the Nets in Tom Thibodeau&rsquo;s 2/12 seasons and their last victory was on Jan. 26, 2020, when Kevin Durant still wasn&rsquo;t playing for the Nets and Irving left Madison Square Garden after learning of Kobe Bryant&rsquo;s death that afternoon.
&ldquo;For me, I love beating the Knicks and playing against them, but all in all, it&rsquo;s just about the objective and that&rsquo;s to win the ballgame,&rdquo; Irving said. &ldquo;Nothing personal.&rdquo;
The Knicks got the first basket of the fourth quarter, getting within five points as their fans were fully into the game after being held largely silent for 2 1/2 quarters. But Irving hit his next three shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, as Brooklyn went up 104-90.
&ldquo;He made some tough plays. Those were deep 3s that he made on us,&rdquo; Thibodeau said.
New York would later get within three, but Curry hit a 3 and Irving made a pair to keep Brooklyn safely ahead.
Playing without Durant and Ben Simmons, the Nets led by as much as 19 before the Knicks cut it to 88-81 after three.
TIP-INS
Knicks: Thibodeau said starting center Mitchell Robinson, who had surgery Jan. 19 to repair a broken right thumb, is running and other work can do, but won&rsquo;t know more about when he can return until after he is examined again, which was expected to be three weeks after the procedure. ... Thibodeau said he didn&rsquo;t feel any extra pressure after owner James Dolan said during a radio interview this week that he expected the Knicks to make the playoffs. &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re doing all you can each and every day, you never feel pressure,&rdquo; Thibodeau said.
Nets: TJ Warren also missed the game with a bruised shin, an injury that coach Jacque Vaughn thought was a knee injury. ... The Nets&rsquo; longest winning streak against the Knicks is 11 in a row from 1984-86.
HALL OF FAME FANS
Former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who coached Irving, Barrett, Curry and Knicks reserve Cam Reddish, was at the game. Thibodeau was also one of his assistant coaches with the 2016 U.S. Olympic team. Former New York Yankees relief pitcher Mariano Rivera was also in attendance.
UP NEXT
Knicks: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
Nets: Host the Lakers on Monday night.

Irving scored 21 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, carrying the Nets to a ninth straight win over the Knicks, 122-115, on Saturday.

Kyrie Irving has 32 points, Nets beat Knicks for 9th straight time

PHILADELPHIA (AP) &mdash; James Harden hit two 3-pointers and had a driving layup in the final four minutes against his former Brooklyn teammates and the Philadelphia 76ers stretched their winning streak to six games, outscoring the Nets 137-133 on Wednesday night.
Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 27 points, and Joel Embiid had 26. Harden added 23, and Philadelphia was 35 of 36 from the foul line.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care about all that stuff,&rdquo; Harden said when asked if it meant more to score against his former team.
Seth Curry had a season-high 32 points for Brooklyn. Kyrie Irving had 30 for the Nets, who have lost five of the last seven games without Kevin Durant. The Nets lost despite shooting 64.5% from the floor.
The game was the first regular-season matchup between Embiid and former teammate Ben Simmons since a February 2022 trade that sent Simmons to Brooklyn for Harden. Simmons missed the rest of the 2022 season with various injuries, then Embiid was injured and missed the Sixers&rsquo; win in Simmons&rsquo; Philadelphia return Nov. 22.
The night started with Simmons matched up on the defensive end against Embiid, who decided to change from his traditional shot facing the basket and muscle down low. Through the night, there were exchanges of words and stares between the two &mdash; including right before the start of the second half. It carried through the rest of the rosters, with six technical fouls called.
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&ldquo;It didn&rsquo;t matter to me, I always try to play whomever is front of me with the same aggression and trying to score the ball,&rdquo; said Embiid, who was 6 for 18 from the floor but 13 for 13 from the line. &ldquo;I missed a lot of shots today, which hasn&rsquo;t happened in a while. But I&rsquo;m happy we got the win.&rdquo;
The Philadelphia crowd reacted every move that Simmons made, often with boos and derisive chants. Simmons finished 12 points, five rebounds and five assists, but spent most of the critical fourth quarter moments on the bench.
&ldquo;The last time was an eight,&rdquo; Simmons said of the crowd reaction. &ldquo;If we come here for the playoffs, it will probably be a 10.&rdquo;
Brooklyn would start to creep into Philadelphia&rsquo;s 17-point lead in the second half. Simmons scored 10 points in the third quarter to keep the Nets close. Curry and Irving, however, would serve as the main catalyst in an 18-4 run that allowed the Nets to tie the game at 120 with four minutes left.
&ldquo;We had to play perfect basketball to come back in a game like that,&rdquo; said Curry, who is Sixers coach Doc Rivers&rsquo; son-in-law. &ldquo;We made a run at it, but we just couldn&rsquo;t get us over the hump. The first three quarters of the game set us back.&rdquo;
Harden took over after that, with a pair of step-back 3s and a bounce pass to Tobias Harris that allowed Philadelphia to get some breathing room.
Maxey &mdash; who has been Philadelphia&rsquo;s sixth man since returning from a broken foot on Dec. 30 &mdash; had 16 of his 27 points in the first half.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll take the win, but that&rsquo;s a good test for us,&rdquo; Rivers said. &ldquo;We have to be better at handling our emotions, but you don&rsquo;t want to be emotional. I thought we were caught up in that tonight.&rdquo;
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TIP INS
Nets: Durant is out with a right MCL sprain. He was active on social media, making comments about trash talk between Embiid and Montrezl Harrell and complaining when Embiid made a D-generation X crotch chop after a three-point play.
76ers: The first quarter was the first time this season in the NBA that both teams had over 40 points. ... On Dec. 5, the Sixers were 12-12 after losing in Houston. Since then, they have gone 19-4 and vaulted from the play-in tournament to the second seed in the East.
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The Philadelphia 76ers stretched their winning streak to six games, outscoring the Brooklyn Nets 137-133.

James Harden, Tyrese Maxey lead 76ers past Nets, 137-133

Basketball News highlights the reporting, analysis and podcasts that defined a year of basketball in 2022.

Best of Basketball News: Spotlighting our top content from 2022

On Monday morning after the holiday weekend, Kevin Durant admitted that he has a soft spot for young bigs who mature, get paid and become household names. Just like another bright center the Brooklyn Nets had when he first got to the organization, Nic Claxton has made huge strides that are on display in each game as of late.
&ldquo;Just gaining more confidence. He's always been a confident player. But you couple that confidence with (the) understanding of the game and trusting in your work, I think that's the reason why he's here,&rdquo; Durant said after the Nets&rsquo; ninth straight win in Cleveland. &ldquo;You know, the coaching staff (has) been patient with his development since he got drafted, and he's going out there and wanting to be great, and I think that's a tough journey to being relied upon every night, being consistent and then, just that longevity.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I think that's what he wants to get to as a player, is consistently doing this every day for 15 years, so that's what he's thinking about and it's cool to see it kind of unravel at this point. But he knows he&rsquo;s got a long ways to go. We have a long ways to go as a team, so we can't get complacent at this point.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Nic Claxton had one of the best games of his career last night ⭐️ <a href="https://t.co/mR2i8X0hwi">pic.twitter.com/mR2i8X0hwi</a>
&mdash; Brooklyn Netcast (@BrooklynNetcast) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrooklynNetcast/status/1606659465343901698?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Sporting a fresh look, and the second-highest win share total and Box Plus-Minus on the Nets, Claxton is averaging a career-high 11.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per contest.
Whether it's making the two biggest stops down the stretch on the road against a dominant Cavaliers team, finishing at an elite level or growing his offensive game in different ways as he showed against Milwaukee, Claxton is quickly becoming one of the most effective centers in the NBA.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a big piece for us and we need him every night,&rdquo; Kyrie Irving stated.
&ldquo;We just want him to be confident,&rdquo; Royce O&rsquo;Neale added. &ldquo;Myself, just giving him that confidence and telling him to play on both ends. He can be dominant on both ends, both ways, and just him being that confident and then, taking the challenge of whoever he's guarding, doing whatever we need him to do.&rdquo;
Defensively, Claxton is one of the stingiest switch bigs in the league. He stays in front, has plenty of length and can recover with the best of them. According to NBA.com, the fourth-year center has seen 79 isolations &nbsp;&mdash; the most in the league. Claxton is only allowing 0.81 points per possession in those scenarios, trailing only Evan Mobley and Clint Capela.
That &mdash; combined with his 2.3 blocks a night (double what he produced last season and ranking second-best in the league) &mdash; has spearheaded Brooklyn&rsquo;s efforts to lock-in on D as of late.
&ldquo;That's kind of been my staple since I've been in the league,&rdquo; Claxton told Basketball News prior to Monday morning&rsquo;s shootaround in Cleveland. &ldquo;And the more you guard guys, the more you pick up on tendencies and see who wants to drive, who wants to shoot, and it's just experience. Experience is the best teacher. And just, buckling down every possession and not taking any possession for granted.&rdquo;
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But, as he said, the 23-year-old has always had a knack for stifling the competition. It&rsquo;s what Claxton is doing to contribute on the offensive side of the ball that complements that story. For one, he boasts the NBA&rsquo;s top field-goal percentage and effective field goal percentage by a wide margin at 73.8%. Next on the list is Rudy Gobert over seven percentage points behind him (66.4%).
Claxton&rsquo;s efficiency is off the charts. He&rsquo;s doing it with <a href="https://go.nba.com/ajcfg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cuts</a> (1.35 PPP), running the floor on <a href="https://go.nba.com/1xt2l" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fast breaks</a> (1.34 PPP) and <a href="https://go.nba.com/x91v8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rolling hard</a> with finishes through contact (1.22 PPP).
&ldquo;It's just the work that I put in over the offseason, getting stronger, working on my body, my confidence, and my teammates finding me. Just me being aggressive and finishing around the rim, that's really what I've been doing. That's what I just gotta keep going,&rdquo; Claxton said. &ldquo;I mean I'm stronger now, more confident now. (I&rsquo;m) getting a lot of easy looks. And the shots that I do take that are contested, I mean, I like myself to finish over or around anybody.&rdquo;
Going further into the numbers, the Georgia Bulldog alum is scoring 140.4 points per 100 shot attempts &mdash; a figure that ranks in the 94th percentile, per <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4602#tab-offensive_overview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cleaning The Glass</a>. The Nets&rsquo; eFG% is a sizzling 59.3% with him on the floor (which ranks in the 97th percentile).
&ldquo;Just always being a threat out there,&rdquo; Claxton explained of his approach on offense and the success that&rsquo;s come with it. &ldquo;A lot of times, teams (are) not really guarding me real honest. They're shifting a lot trying to stop our main guys, so just making sure I'm a threat at all times on the court and staying aggressive.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Our transition game, it's definitely the best that it's been since I've been here, and we've got five guys that can get out in transition and score and great passers. So just asserting myself in different ways."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The top Mobile Bigs in our On-Ball Defense metric: 1. Nic Claxton 2. Maxi Kleber 3. Darius Bazley 4. Wendell Carter Jr. 5. Drew Eubanks <a href="https://t.co/6wv3jesAnB">https://t.co/6wv3jesAnB</a>
&mdash; BBall Index (@The_BBall_Index) <a href="https://twitter.com/The_BBall_Index/status/1607566421503918080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Above all else, Claxton&rsquo;s been essential for a Brooklyn team that struggles to secure boards. He&rsquo;ll do plenty of damage when he gets a <a href="https://go.nba.com/du5jf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">putback opportunity</a> too (1.51 PPP).
&ldquo;I'm trying to get as many rebounds as I can. I know that's an area where sometimes we struggle, so I take it upon myself to crash the glass offensively and defensively,&rdquo; Claxton said.
Don&rsquo;t look now, but at 22-12, the Nets are the hottest squad in the NBA. They&rsquo;ve ripped off nine-straight wins, including two over contending Eastern Conference teams. It&rsquo;s the longest winning streak the franchise has had since 2006. Brooklyn head coach Jacque Vaughn has amassed a league-best 20-7 record since taking over on Nov. 1, and has this group laser-focused on the task at hand.
&ldquo;We're definitely taking steps in the right direction. You can never be satisfied, but we had a rough start to the season. But these last several games have been heading in the right direction,&rdquo; Claxton said of the Nets, who have lost just one contest in December. &ldquo;We've just gotta take it game-by-game and worry about us. The East is definitely loaded, but we've just gotta control what we can control and keep getting better as a team.
&ldquo;This is a different swagger, different energy. I think we're really hanging our hat on defense. Our defensive principles have been really solid, and that's something that just travels no matter where you are. I think us really focusing on defense, and obviously, we've got some of the most talented players and best shooters in the world.&rdquo;
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Vaughn&rsquo;s been around from the onset of Claxton&rsquo;s pro career, as an assistant and as a head coach. A big believer in his capabilities, he admits that Claxton becoming the player he is now had to be a two-way street coming into this season.
&ldquo;It's okay to remind a player of how important they are for the organization's success and how that player has to put in the work to help us, and to help himself get to that position,&rdquo; Vaughn stated. &ldquo;And so, I thought Nic always saw how good he could be, but the steps of getting there (is a different challenge). And so, now he's taking those steps and he's getting rewarded for it.&rdquo;
Stronger, smarter and as self-assured as he&rsquo;s been in his four NBA seasons, Nic Claxton took it upon himself to improve in all facets. Alongside the incredible firepower of Durant and Irving, and a rejuvenated Ben Simmons, he's undoubtedly been a serious reason as to why the Nets have been able to move full speed ahead.
&ldquo;A lot of growth. I think the biggest part is being available every night. That's something that can be overlooked at this stage of a person's career, is availability. So he's showing that he can start and produce on a nightly basis against starters, which is a tough task,&rdquo; Vaughn said.
&ldquo;So that is the preparation that he had leading up until this year, what it looked like for him in the summertime, how he approached it as a professional &mdash; whether it was his diet, whether it was his strength training, whether it was how he recovered in the offseason. Those things are in line with being a professional, and he's getting rewarded.&rdquo;

Spencer Davies speaks with Nic Claxton about his incredible fourth-year improvements, Brooklyn's red-hot winning streak and more.

Nic Claxton's approach reaping rewards with surging Nets

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) &mdash; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 27 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Portland Trail Blazers for the second time in three days, 101-98 on Wednesday night.
Gilgeous-Alexander had a good week against Portland &mdash; he hit a winning basket as time expired against the Trail Blazers on Monday, also in Oklahoma City, to highlight a 35-point performance.
It was the third straight win for Oklahoma City. The streak follows a five-game losing skid.
&ldquo;I thought the guys really did a nice job of carrying over the lessons from last game,&rdquo; Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. &ldquo;We knew they (Trail Blazers) were going to be better, and I thought they were. And I thought we were better, too.&rdquo;
Damian Lillard, who entered the game averaging 28.3 points, finished with 16 points on 6-for-19 shooting for the Trail Blazers. Anfernee Simons, who started the night averaging 23.2 points, scored 12 on 4-for-11 shooting.
It was the third time this season the Thunder allowed fewer than 100 points.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a five-man defense," Daigneault said. "We were a five-man defense tonight, and I was very impressed with the execution.&rdquo;
Jerami Grant led Portland with 17 points.
Lillard missed his first six shots and didn&rsquo;t score until halfway through the second quarter. Still, the Trail Blazers led 54-49 at halftime despite Gilgeous-Alexander's 18 points.
The Thunder led 99-98 in the closing seconds. Oklahoma City's Josh Giddey rebounded his miss, but Lillard tied him up and forced a jump ball that Portland won.
Lillard missed a difficult 18-foot fadeaway with Lu Dort guarding him, and the Thunder rebounded with 0.9 seconds remaining.
&ldquo;It was a tough shot,&rdquo; Portland coach Chauncey Billups said. &ldquo;He probably lost his balance on it and just had to heave something that was too late. He was committed to it at that point.&rdquo;
Dort continues to add to his reputation as a top perimeter defender.
&ldquo;The guy&rsquo;s just a monster defensively,&rdquo; Daigneault said. &ldquo;Lillard&rsquo;s a monster offensively. He&rsquo;s such a good player. It&rsquo;s just another vintage game for him (Dort) and we start to get used to them. He&rsquo;s probably had about five of these this year where he&rsquo;s played against a top-notch opponent and just does his thing.&rdquo;
Dort appreciated the help he got defending Lillard throughout the night.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not easy,&rdquo; Dort said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a great player. I felt like it was another challenge, honestly. We won the last game down to the wire, and I kind of knew he would come out a little more aggressive. I felt like it wasn&rsquo;t just me, it was my teammates. I just felt like we did a good job of being there.&rdquo;
Gilgeous-Alexander made two free throws with 0.3 seconds left, and Portland couldn't get a shot off on its final possession.
QUOTABLE
Billups on Portland attempting nine free throws the entire game: &ldquo;That really doesn&rsquo;t happen with us. Nine free throws for the whole game. We attack all night. I guess we didn&rsquo;t get fouled tonight.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Trail Blazers: C Jusuf Nurkic returned after missing Monday&rsquo;s game with right calf soreness. ... Lillard was issued a technical in the third quarter. He also was called for one on Monday against the Thunder. ... F Justice Winslow left the game with a left ankle sprain in the third quarter and did not return.
Thunder: Giddey returned after missing two games due to illness. ... F/C Jeremiah Robinson-Earl sat out with a sprained right ankle. ... Oklahoma City improved to 9-7 at home this season. ... Jalen Williams scored 15 points and Lu Dort added 14 for the Thunder.
&nbsp;

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 27 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 101-98.

Gilgeous-Alexander scores 27 as Thunder top Portland again

PHILADELPHIA (AP) &mdash; Tobias Harris scored 24 points and a spirited Philadelphia 76ers team playing without Joel Embiid and James Harden spoiled Ben Simmons' homecoming with a 115-106 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night.
Simmons had 11 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-76ers-brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-basketball-e1486c00b397693d8fb17eb79de0b718">tune of steady boos</a>. Kyrie Irving scored 23 points and Kevin Durant had 20 before coach Jacque Vaughn pulled his starting lineup with 3 minutes left in the game.
The expected marquee matchup was dimmed with Embiid out with a sprained left foot, Harden still out with a tendon strain in his right foot and starting guard Tyrese Maxey also out with a broken left foot.
Embiid vs. Simmons will have to wait.
Simmons vs. 76ers fans was pretty good.
Simmons was heckled, drew a flagrant foul, shushed the crowd on a layup, and even Jordan-shrugged after hitting free throws. Of most importance for a player who has battled mental health issues, Simmons played with poise as boos rained on him for the bulk of his 32 minutes.
He already had three assists when he went to the free-throw line early in the game. Simmons was booed but never looked rattled and sank both baskets. Simmons had a reverse layup minutes later for his first bucket.
Sixers fans were mostly well-behaved &mdash; save for a couple of short-lived &ldquo;(expletive) Ben Simmons!&rdquo; chants &mdash; and mostly saved the four-letter words for tape on the back of their old No. 25 jerseys.
Simmons and second-year Sixer Georges Niang tussled late in the first half and Niang gave his former teammate a light stiff-arm to the body that earned a technical foul.
Harden couldn&rsquo;t believe the call from the bench. Sixers owner Josh Harris looked appalled.
Simmons missed the technical free throw and the crowd roared as much as it did all game. Simmons, though, hit the court for a steal and knocked the loose ball to Durant for a bucket.
The Sixers still took a 63-57 lead into the break.
It wasn&rsquo;t all jeers, all game. Simmons did make 76ers fans go wild over him when he missed consecutive free throws in the second half and triggered a free fast-food chicken promotion.
Simmons averaged 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists over four seasons with Philadelphia, which drafted him out of LSU, where he played only one season. His omnipresent headaches, such as his refusal to shoot beyond 15 feet, outweighed his otherwise gifted defensive and playmaking talents. Simmons&rsquo; relationship with the Sixers deteriorated following the 2021 playoffs and he demanded a trade.
Simmons made a surprise return to the Sixers shortly before last season opened but was promptly kicked out of practice and suspended for one game. The punishment didn&rsquo;t matter; the No. 1 pick of the 2016 draft never had any intention of playing.
And he never played for the Sixers again.
Playing against them, well, that seemed like much more fun.
TIP-INS
Nets: Seth Curry scored 14 points. He was involved in the Simmons trade but his part in the deal was a bit more personal. He is 76ers coach Doc Rivers&rsquo; son-in-law.
76ers: Harris grabbed his right ankle and hobbled to the locker room in the third quarter. He gave Sixers fans a scare but returned and hit a jumper that made it 85-82.
UP NEXT
Nets: Continue a three-game trip Wednesday at Toronto and Friday at Indiana.
76ers: Embiid will miss Wednesday&rsquo;s game at Charlotte.

Tobias Harris scored 24 points and a spirited 76ers team without Joel Embiid and James Harden spoiled Ben Simmons' homecoming.

76ers spoil Simmons' homecoming with 115-106 win over Nets

PHILADELPHIA (AP) &mdash; Yup, <a href="https://apnews.com/3b7616ff19d673b9e743001089e39631">Ben Simmons got booed</a>.
One of the most reviled former players in Philadelphia&rsquo;s sports history got the hostile homecoming the Brooklyn Nets guard expected in his first game in the city since his former team acquiesced to his trade demand in February.
Simmons was voraciously booed from the moment he stepped on the Wells Fargo Center court for warmups against the 76ers to the first time he brought up the ball against his former franchise.
&ldquo;This is a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=va6nRaZ9eRg">Vince Vaughn earmuffs</a> night,&rdquo; Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said to laughter.
Oh yes, Sixers fans cursed, they turned old No. 25 jerseys into art projects and the scorned mostly let the mercurial guard have it for their belief he turned his back on the franchise that made him the No. 1 pick in 2016.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t worry about everyone&rsquo;s feelings,&rdquo; Simmons said before Tuesday&rsquo;s game.
Simmons played his first game in Philadelphia since a June 20, 2021 Game 7 loss to Atlanta in the Eastern Conference semifinals. He passed up a wide-open tying dunk late in the loss that triggered passive criticisms from coach Rivers and Joel Embiid that unraveled the relationship. Simmons also had back issues and later said mental health woes played a role in his trade demand in the summer of 2021 that led to a contentious few days in training camp. Simmons was sent home for good, filed a grievance after the Sixers said he breached his contract (it was later settled in a confidential agreement) and then shipped to Brooklyn in a trade for All-Star James Harden.
Embiid and Harden sat out with injuries, as did Tyrese Maxey, the genial guard that became in instant fan-favorite as Simmons replacement.
Simmons, who watched from the bench as he recovered from a back injury when the Nets played in Philly in March, told reporters at shootaround he had no hard feelings toward Embiid and other former teammates.
&ldquo;We had a lot of highlights. We had lot of great times,&rdquo; Simmons said. &ldquo;I got a lot of love for Jo, too. Obviously, didn&rsquo;t work out. That&rsquo;s life. Not everything works out in your favor.&rdquo;
Ask if he might seek out Embiid, Simmons cracked, &ldquo;Yeah, we&rsquo;re going to do our secret handshake.&rdquo;
The trio of sidelined Sixers starters made the nationally televised game a bit anticlimactic.
Well, at least on the court. Philadelphia&rsquo;s starting lineup of Tobias Harris, P.J Tucker, Montrezl Harrell, De&rsquo;Anthony Melton and Shake Milton was not what most fans who listed lower-level tickets in the $900 range expected when they listed this one.
Booing Simmons about made it worth any price.
Hey, at least the <a href="https://twitter.com/APgelston/status/1595193281574752256">local duct tape business was booming</a>. Sixers fans needed only a sharpie and the adhesive to salvage their old No. 25 Simmons jerseys. Most fans wrote some kind of profanity on the tape -- one hopeful fan waiting in a penned off area before the maincourse opened had his vulgarity ripped off by a security guard -- while one went deep in the great Philly insult well and wrote <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8VBehdpOpI">&ldquo;Crumb Bumb</a> &rdquo; over Simmons name.
Nets players laughed in the pregame layup line when Simmons jogged out to boos.
&ldquo;I had a lot of great moments here. This is where I became a man, I feel like,&rdquo; Simmons said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always had a lot of respect for Philly in that way. I&rsquo;ve got a lot of love for Philly.&rdquo;
It wasn&rsquo;t all loathe and basketball in the City of Brotherly Love.
Sydney Reiver, of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, held a sign from the third row that read &ldquo; <a href="https://twitter.com/APgelston/status/1595193924150329344">BEN IM UR #1 FAN</a>, PLEASE SIGN MY JERSEY&rdquo; and caught the guard&rsquo;s attention after warmups. Simmons walked toward the stands and <a href="https://twitter.com/APgelston/status/1595202650630389761">posed for a photo</a> with the teenager wearing his Brooklyn No. 10 jersey. She had missed out on meeting him when he played in Philadelphia and decided to send him a direct message in Instagram that she would be at the game. The 14-year-old ninth-grade student said she &ldquo;was upset&rdquo; when Simmons was traded but thrilled she finally met her favorite player.
&ldquo;He was like, &lsquo;what&rsquo;s up,&rsquo;&rdquo; she said.
Reiver attended the game with her dad; the family has had season tickets for 41 years.
Simmons had more friendly faces in Brooklyn&rsquo;s locker room, a point Vaughn has made with the three-time All-Star. Whatever the outcome, Simmons has a home with the Nets.
&ldquo;What I want to see is his teammates have his back, embrace him, enjoy this moment,&rdquo; Vaughn said.

One of the most reviled former players in Philadelphia’s sports history got the hostile homecoming the Nets guard expected.

Boo Simmons: Nets guard jeered in first game in Philly

CHICAGO (AP) &mdash; DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points, Zach LaVine added 22 and the Chicago Bulls stopped Boston&rsquo;s nine-game win streak, beating the Celtics 121-107 on Monday night.
Patrick Williams scored a season-high 17, and the Bulls made it look rather easy against the team with the NBA&rsquo;s best record. They led by 13 at halftime, got it up to 21 in the third quarter and withstood a push to come away with the victory after dropping four straight and five of six.
Jayson Tatum led Boston with 28 points. Jaylen Brown scored 25 and Malcolm Brogdon finished with 23 points, shooting 5 of 6 on 3-pointers.
PELICANS 128, WARRIORS 83
NEW ORLEANS (AP) &mdash; Brandon Ingram scored a season-high 34 points on the night Zion Williamson returned from a three-game absence, and New Orleans routed depleted Golden State.
Playing one night after winning on the road for the first time this season at Houston, the Warriors scratched Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins from the lineup.
Williamson played 23 minutes in his first game back from a bruised right foot, scoring nine points.
Devonte Graham had 19 for the Pelicans, who took the lead for good less than two minutes into the game and led by as many as 45. Jonas Valanciunas had 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Jordan Poole scored 26 for Golden State, which fell to 1-9 on the road.
BUCKS 119, TRAIL BLAZERS 111
MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 37 points and Milwaukee pulled away in the second half to beat Portland.
Antetokounmpo shot 16 of 24 to go with seven rebounds and six assists in 35 minutes. Milwaukee improved to 12-4 overall and 9-1 at home.
Bucks guard Jrue Holiday scored 13 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, and Grayson Allen added 17 points and eight rebounds. Holiday had the first nine Milwaukee points in the period.
Anfernee Simons paced the Trail Blazers (10-7) with 29 points. Jusuf Nurkic added 16 points and 10 rebounds, but Portland lost its third straight game.
CLIPPERS 121, JAZZ 114
LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Norman Powell scored a season-high 30 points, Reggie Jackson added a season-best 27 and Los Angeles rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat Utah.
Ivica Zubac had 14 points and 14 rebounds as the Clippers extended their winning streak to three.
Los Angeles was without Paul George after he strained his right hamstring during Saturday&rsquo;s win over San Antonio.
Jordan Clarkson led Utah with 26 points and Lauri Markkanen had 25 points and 10 rebounds. The Jazz have dropped four of their last six after starting the season 10-3.
CAVALIERS 114, HAWKS 102
CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Donovan Mitchell had 29 points and nine assists, and Darius Garland scored 26 to send Cleveland past Atlanta in their first meeting since the play-in tournament last season.
Trae Young had 25 points and 10 assists, and Onyeka Okongwu had a season-high 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks. Key offseason acquisition Dejounte Murray scored 11 on 4-of-18 shooting.
Atlanta claimed the final playoff berth in the East with a 107-101 win at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on April 15, extending Cleveland&rsquo;s postseason drought to four years. The Cavaliers have not made the playoffs without LeBron James since 1998.
Garland also had nine assists and tied his career high with eight turnovers. Cedi Osman scored a season-best 23 off the bench as Cleveland won its third in a row following a five-game losing streak. The Cavaliers are 7-1 at home.
PACERS 123, MAGIC 102
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Bennedict Mathurin scored 22 points and Indiana blew out Orlando for its fifth consecutive victory.
Tyrese Haliburton had 18 points and 14 assists for the Pacers. T.J. McConnell added 19 points and 10 assists. Oshae Brissett scored 18 as Indiana's bench accounted for 71 points.
Franz Wagner led the Magic with 20 points and Gary Harris had 18.
TIMBERWOLVES 105, HEAT 101
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Karl-Anthony Towns had 25 points and Anthony Edwards scored 10 of his 22 in the third quarter as Minnesota outlasted shorthanded Miami.
Down to eight players due to injuries and rest on the second night of a back-to-back, the Heat led by 15 in the first half before Edwards sparked a third-quarter run.
Jaden McDaniels added 18 points for the Timberwolves, who won their fourth straight.
Kyle Lowry led the Heat with 21 points and Max Strus had 19. Bam Adebayo, playing in back-to-back games while dealing with a knee injury, had 17 points and 14 rebounds for Miami, which has lost four in a row.
Jimmy Butler missed his third straight game with a knee injury for the Heat, who were also without Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson and Gabe Vincent.
KNICKS 129, THUNDER 119
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) &mdash; Jalen Brunson had a season-high 34 points while RJ Barrett and Julius Randle scored 25 each to lead New York over Oklahoma City.
Just eight days ago, the Thunder beat the Knicks in Madison Square Garden, scoring 145 points &mdash; including 79 in the opening half. But this time, New York held Oklahoma City&rsquo;s offense in check for the bulk of the game.
Randle also pulled down 11 rebounds. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 30 points and Lu Dort added 24.

A recap of Monday night's slate highlighted by the Bulls' big win to snap the Celtics' streak.

DeRozan helps Bulls halt Celtics' 9-game winning streak

PHILADELPHIA (AP) &mdash; Against another short-handed team, the Timberwolves again came up big on the road.
Anthony Edwards scored 25 points, D&rsquo;Angelo Russell had 19 and the Minnesota Timberwolves survived a late scare and won their third straight game, 112-109 over the undermanned Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.
&ldquo;We took a lot of bad shots, I definitely did, but we got the win, though,&rdquo; Edwards said of a 7-of-21 effort.
The 76ers have already played without James Harden for two weeks because of a right foot tendon strain and they added starting guard <a href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-76ers-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-07d7e2cdecde3ad6195022cec2cf35f1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tyrese Maxey to the injury list</a> with a broken left foot suffered Friday. P.J. Tucker suffered an unspecified injury against the Timberwolves and Joel Embiid injured his left ankle/foot following a late-game collision with a teammate.
Embiid, the reigning NBA scoring champion, said well after the final buzzer he was still in pain and he hobbled off the dais following his press conference.
&ldquo;Hopefully, somehow it feels better, but we&rsquo;ll see,&rdquo; Embiid said.
Maxey and Harden averaged 20-plus points on the season, and their losses left Embiid to carry the load among a lineup that in one stretch included him, Danuel House Jr., De&rsquo;Anthony Melton, Shake Milton and Georges Niang.
&ldquo;No one feels sorry for you. So I&rsquo;m not going to feel sorry for us either,&rdquo; coach Doc Rivers said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to find a way to win. I know that sounds nuts. But we just have to. And we&rsquo;ll figure it out.&rdquo;
The 76ers need more time.
Embiid had 32 points, nine rebounds and made 18 of 20 free throws. Milton had 27 points and Melton 19.
Without two top scorers, the Timberwolves pounced early on the Sixers and stretched a winning streak with all three wins on the road. They won at Cleveland, Orlando and moved to .500 at 8-8.
The Magic played without rookie Paolo Banchero and center Wendell Carter Jr., their two leading rebounders and two of their top three scorers. Cleveland played without injured All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not in a position where we feel like we can afford any letdowns,&rdquo; Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re just starting to play well ourselves.&rdquo;
Embiid gave the Sixers a scare with 5:33 left in the game when he tripped over fallen teammate Georges Niang and crumbled to the court. Embiid rolled his left ankle and lay on his back as he was checked out by a trainer.
Embiid hobbled to the bench but stayed in the game. He limped the rest of the game and hit the court again &mdash; on a steal and then he followed with a 3 that pulled the Sixers to 105-102.
Edwards buried a 3 that stretched the lead to six.
Melton, though, hit a 3 with 30 seconds left that inched the Sixers within one but he missed a driving layup in traffic on the next possession that was their best last-gasp effort to complete a comeback from 20 points.
Niang airballed a desperation 3 at the horn.
&ldquo;Sometimes the clock in your head goes faster than what you actually have,&rdquo; he said
Minnesota led by 15 points in the fourth and was outscored 19-7 over the final 8:46 of the game.
&ldquo;We were able to hold on, make enough shots, make a couple of big plays to win a game like that,&rdquo; Finch said. &ldquo;It shouldn't have come down to that.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: Finch played at Franklin &amp; Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he was an NCAA Division III All-American in 1991 and 1992. He played the same time the 76ers used to hold training camp at the college. &ldquo;Team of my youth but no longer,&rdquo; Finch said.
76ers: Tobias Harris (sore left hip) sat out.
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: Host Miami on Monday night.
76ers: Welcome back former Sixer Ben Simmons when Brooklyn hits town Tuesday night.

Anthony Edwards scored 25 points, and the Timberwolves survived a late scare to beat the Sixers 112-109 on Saturday night.

Timberwolves hang on, top undermanned 76ers 112-109

Offenses have never been more lethal than they are in this era. With primary ball-handlers becoming larger, the collective shooting range expanding and teams leaning further into the importance of spacing, it&rsquo;s becoming even more difficult to keep the ball out of the basket.
With the game expanding, screening has become even more important. A well-placed off-ball pick can free a movement shooter for a triple or a catch-and-drive. On-ball screens can make shifty ball-handlers even harder to deal with in pick-and-roll and open the door for dump-offs, lobs and fruitful catch-and-shoot opportunities.&nbsp;
Screeners come in all sizes these days, ranging from the burly centers to mismatch-causing smalls. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/changing-of-the-guard-the-future-of-screening-is-here" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I can&rsquo;t overstate how important guard-screening has become</a>, especially late in games.
This season, I want to keep tabs on who is &mdash; and isn&rsquo;t &mdash; getting the job done as screeners. Every week, I&rsquo;ll be highlighting a handful of the most powerful (and shameful) screen-setters in the league.
Let&rsquo;s get into volume three.
*All stats are through games played between November 12 and November 18, unless noted otherwise.*
BIG OF THE WEEK: ROBIN LOPEZ
It hasn't been the best time for the Cleveland Cavaliers. After jumping out to an 8-1 start, they've lost five of their last six games &mdash; the win coming in double overtime against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.&nbsp;
However, we're not here to talk about the Cavs at large, or their defense falling off a&nbsp;cliff over the last week and a half.&nbsp;
We're here to talk about Robin Lopez absolutely mauling dudes.&nbsp;
For all the joy derived from the sweeping hooks over either shoulder, the foundation of Lopez's offensive value is his ability to clear runways. With Jarrett Allen missing two of the three games the Cavs played this past week, Lopez filled in and made life easier for the guards, particularly Darius Garland.&nbsp;
Watching Lopez spring Garland free was a hidden treasure of an otherwise wonky stretch of basketball. The Garland-Lopez ball screen was good for an absurd 1.33 points per play (PPP), per Second Spectrum.
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Lopez was the most effective on-ball screener in the league this week. He generated contact on 86.7% of screens, the highest clip among 63 players to set at least 40 screens. Second Spectrum also tracks "die-on" percentage, essentially the rate in which the player screened gets wiped out by a pick. Lopez's 8.9% clip also lapped the field.
Quality work from the Other Lopez.
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POINT GUARD WHO'S ACTUALLY A FORWARD TURNED BACKUP CENTER OF THE WEEK: BEN SIMMONS
Confusing and otherwise outdated positional designations aside, I found myself optimistic on the play of Ben Simmons this week. He isn't close to being the All-NBA player he was at his healthiest, but it feels like the aggression is coming back, one game at a time.&nbsp;
By virtue of his team and (shifting) role, screening has become a more important piece to Simmons' game. After setting roughly nine on-ball picks per 100 possessions in the 2020-21 season, Simmons has more than doubled that volume this season (21.5 per 100). He's connecting on 72.5% of his screen this season, and had some fun reps this past week.
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The next step for Simmons, and something we saw inklings of this week, will be rolling harder after the screen. He has serious short-roll passing chops, but he has to make himself available for them.&nbsp;
SMALL OF THE WEEK: MONTE MORRIS
Prying star players open is an important, but often thankless job. Prying other role players open is very much a thankless job. Leave it to Monte Morris, Professional Point Guard, to make no bones about it.
His job is to make his teammates better, whether that's orchestrating a ball screen, lifting up the arc when Bradley Beal or someone else runs a ball screen, making timely cuts or being a lead blocker as part of Washington's continuity-based offense.&nbsp;
<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/vix5qn" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Did you know the Wizards generated 1.5 PPP on possessions featuring an off-ball screen from Morris this week? Now you do!
YOU SHOULD HAVE THE FACILITIES FOR THIS, BIG MAN: DEANDRE JORDAN
Aye man, you just have to be better than this.
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There are more clips, but we can leave it there.
DeAndre Jordan is on the roster to make life easier for folks &mdash; particularly on the floor. His screen-setting and vertical presence is supposed to be a change-of-pace from what Nikola Jokic (or Jeff Green or Zeke Nnaji) provides at the 5 spot.
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Frankly, Jordan hasn't done enough. Among the aforementioned 63-man group that set at least 40 on-ball screens this week, nobody did a worse job at connecting on them than Jordan did (35.4% contact rate). To shoot him some bail, the guards were feeling reject-heavy this week, particularly when defenses tried to ICE them &mdash; meaning the on-ball defender forced the ball-handler down the sideline.
Of course, we also got this rep he slipped out of.
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Even in the high/middle ball screens, it was more likely that Jordan turned and ran early or screened with his arm (yes, singular) than anything else. Considering some of the issues that have popped up for him defensively, he can't afford to miss on the little things like this.&nbsp;
WE SEE YOU TOO: BOL BOL
As the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-celebrating-bol-bol-start-to-the-season-orlando-magic-jamahl-mosley-anthony-davis-giannis-antetokounmpo-oregon-ducks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resident Bol Bol fan</a>, I'm practically begging him to at least pretend to seek out contact sometimes. There's only so much impact he can have with his frame, but finding a defender's hip more frequently would do a world of good for him.
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At the very least, if he's going to slip as often as he does, use the eight feet of arms and make himself a target. To slip and still have his arms by his side doesn't do anyone any good.&nbsp;
Screen Time will be back next Saturday! <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/screen-time-vol-3-highlighting-the-nbas-best-and-worst-screeners" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Check out last week's edition of Screen Time here</a>.

Nekias Duncan breaks down film of the best and worst screeners in the NBA over the last week.

Screen Time Vol. 4: Highlighting the NBA's best and worst screeners

This isn't the Boston Celtics offense that many have come to know and, at various points, loathe.
The Celtics wield the best offensive rating in basketball. They're off to a 10-3 start this season and have scored 110 or more points in 11-of-13 contests. And most impressively, in a year where transition play is on the rise and the leaguewide halfcourt offensive rating is actually down from the past two seasons, Boston has been historically unstoppable.
According to Cleaning the Glass, the C's are averaging 107.6 points per 100 possessions of halfcourt offense. That would be by far the highest number in the history of the site's database, which tracks back to 2003-04. The gap between Boston and second-place Dallas (101.7) is equal to the gap between the Mavericks and the 14th-place Chicago Bulls.&nbsp;
The Celtics are shredding opponents nearly every single night, even as their top-ranked defense from last season is still working out early-season kinks.&nbsp;
It's not like Boston completely overhauled its roster. Malcolm Brogdon was a key offseason signing, as was Sam Hauser (we'll touch on both of them), but the core of the rotation is the same. Payton Pritchard, the best shooter on last year's team, no longer receives regular minutes.&nbsp;
As far as passing &mdash; the Celtics hand out 275.5 passes per game, which ranks tied for 22nd in the NBA, according to Second Spectrum. They average 3.18 seconds per touch (ranked t-15th) and 2.41 dribbles per touch (ranked t-10th). So the ball isn't constantly buzzing around the court &mdash; instead, the Celtics are emphasizing purposeful ball movement with their spacing and driving.
&ldquo;We want to put pressure on the rim, we want to finish at the basket,&rdquo; Al Horford said <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/11/11/sports/celtics-set-tone-early-wire-to-wire-win-over-nuggets/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">after Friday's win against the Denver Nuggets</a>. &ldquo;At the same time, we have to have good spacing around [Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown] in case that doesn&rsquo;t happen. We play inside-out. We get those threes. It&rsquo;s just the way our lineups are. We have five shooters out there, so we&rsquo;re really spreading it out.&rdquo;
The success obviously starts with Jayson Tatum's career year. The 24-year-old is in the midst of his most efficient season ever, averaging a career-best 132.1 points per 100 shot attempts to power his 31.4 points per game. He's shooting 38.7% from long range and decreasing his turnover rate despite being a notoriously slow-starting player.&nbsp;
Tatum's most eye-popping statistic so far is his absurd 79% finishing rate at the rim. Most of those buckets are self-created, where he has taken yet another step forward as a decisive driver while adding hints of a floater game. However, I'd like to steer over to his assisted attempts at the basket. Tatum is 25-for-29 (86.2%) on shots within 10 feet where he held the basketball for less than two seconds. That's unsurprisingly a career-high, per PBP Stats, and it also comes on his highest frequency of attempts in the last four seasons.&nbsp;
<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/seac2c" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
It is always easier to accelerate without dribbling a basketball. Boston has used that knowledge by giving Tatum off-ball screens to let him loose and having him surprise teams with delayed cuts (Adam Taylor of CelticsBlog <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/2022/11/9/23448847/why-the-boston-celtics-utilized-delayed-cuts-against-the-memphis-grizzlies-jayson-tatum-jaylen-brown?_gl=1*dkhxh0*" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote a nice article about those</a>). You'll also see him work as a screen-and-slipper in the above reel.
The goal is to either manufacture a driving lane for Tatum or force a switch onto a bad matchup in bad positioning. Jaden Ivey doesn't stand a chance in his effort against a speeding Tatum. Help defenders aren't even prepared to rotate in some of the other clips.
You'll notice one possession where Marcus Smart feeds a cutting Tatum out of a post-up &mdash; leading us to the next hidden offensive development.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Marcus Smart up to 48 assists and just six turnovers in his last five games. Easily the best stretch of his career on that front.
&mdash; Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrianTRobb/status/1591619131719270400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Smart's point guard wizardry has been on full display this season. Quietly, he's also become a post hub for the Celtics. According to Second Spectrum, Smart is posting up 1.6 times per game this season. That might not seem like much, but it it's actually 44th among all NBA players and second among all guards. Also, it's close to double his volume from 2021-22.&nbsp;
What's happening on those plays? In 21 total post touches, Smart has converted 6-of-8 shot attempts, passed the ball 11 times for four assists, and coughed up a single turnover. His 19.0% assist rate out of the post is third among all players with at least 10 total post-ups this season.
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Smart knows when to bully his way to the basket against weaker guards. He can then finish through them or turnaround and hit short jumpers. He's also more of a quarterback out of the post, directing cutters and disguising his true intentions, as shown when he hits Horford and Jaylen Brown for assists.&nbsp;
Speaking of Horford &mdash; his own marksmanship has made some of the spacing he spoke about particularly effective. He's taking over half of his shots from behind the arc and drilling them at a 48% clip. And, after scarcely shooting corner threes for most of his career, the 36-year-old has exploded to start the season:
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">Year</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">Corner 3PT Frequency</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">Corner 3PT%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">2018-19 (Celtics)</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">3%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">29%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">2019-20 (76ers)</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">5%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">27%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">2020-21 (Thunder)</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">5%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">22%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">2021-22 (Celtics)</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">13%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">40%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">2022-23 (Celtics)</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">27%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">48%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
According to PBP Stats, the Celtics lead the NBA with 13.5 three-point assists per game. Horford headlines the beneficiaries. &nbsp;
&ldquo;Mentally, I&rsquo;m getting in that mindset of I&rsquo;m shooting more threes and that&rsquo;s just what it is," Horford told Bobby Manning of <a href="https://www.clnsmedia.com/al-horford-thriving-in-shooting-role-as-celtics-offense-soars/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CLNS Media</a>. "The game continues to change, and for me, it&rsquo;s just trying to find a way that I can change too.&rdquo;
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Boston's five-out sets turn Horford into a lethal corner weapon. The Celtics use guard and wing screens frequently (exemplified with Smart in the first clip) that give a plus passer the space to make reads in the middle of the floor. Defenses have to collapse to some degree, which means Horford gets more space.&nbsp;
Then, you have dynamic individual drivers like Tatum, Brown and Brogdon who can fold defenses on their own and make corner kick-outs to Horford. Even Tatum's off-ball gravity pays off for Horford; look at how he makes a mid-air exta pass off of his designed play to a Horford three-pointer in the third clip.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Horford's success is a testament to Boston's ability to create open looks for their center, as well as his own improved consistency from long range. Brogdon's addition has helped generate those chances for Horford and others.
When the Celtics acquired Brogdon from the Indiana Pacers this summer, his swing skill for the franchise was his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/news/authors/ethan-fuller?page=4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unstoppable driving prowess</a>. The trait has blended seamlessly into Boston's new-look offense. Brogdon leads the team in drives per game and is shooting a strong 53.8% on driving shot attempts. His 14.0% assist rate on drives places him eighth among 64 high-volume drives in the NBA (with at least eight drives per game).&nbsp;
<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/dk3tcf" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
In these two examples, Brogdon draws in&nbsp;three&nbsp;Memphis Grizzlies defenders before making the appropriate kick-out. His physicality and ball control almost guarantees a paint touch. Then, he can get all the way to the basket if he has a lane, or send a pass back to the perimeter. Or option three: the Celtics continue to move well off the ball and he finds a cutter, like so:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Malcolm Brogdon automatic paint touch ✔️ Jaylen Brown read and react cut into a lane ✔️ This is what the Celtics should love to see <a href="https://t.co/KRebKViDXE">pic.twitter.com/KRebKViDXE</a>
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1589010044456079360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Brogdon and the rest of Boston's attacking players need perimeter threats to make a driving, swinging offense hum. Grant Williams is a surefire sharpshooter at this point, and guys like Tatum, Horford and Derrick White have also started hot. But the latter three have a streaky history and are likely to cool off.
Sam Hauser might just be legit.
The second-year forward was a two-way player for Boston who primarily spent last season with the Maine Celtics (long live the Red Claws!). The franchise expressed confidence throughout the offseason that he could make the leap, though, and he slid right into the rotation spot that would have presumably been occupied by Danilo Gallinari.&nbsp;
Hauser has silenced all doubters so far. He's hitting 45.6% of his three-pointers, good for 15th in the NBA, and has canned some spectacular difficult shots. One of the key weaknesses Boston stumbled upon in last year's playoffs was that, despite Grant Williams shooting the lights out, defenses rarely keyed in on Celtics role-players beyond the arc. No one threatened enough to pull attention from Tatum and Brown.&nbsp;
This year, Hauser can build a resume worthy of defensive attention.&nbsp;
The 24-year-old is averaging 1.54 points per possession on spot-up plays this season, which slots him seventh among 220 qualifying players. Hauser exudes confidence, barely appearing to think before he pulls the trigger (in a good way):
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He's not really a Duncan-Robinson-type who flies around screens or a Payton-Pritchard-type who steps into pull-ups. Hauser just constantly relocates and capitalizes on the space he receives while Boston's other players bend the defense. Notice how several of these attempts are open &mdash; for now, defenses still would rather contain Boston's star drivers instead of Hauser's three-ball.
That's going to change if he keeps lighting up the arc. If Hauser can remain a playable defensive piece and be enough of a threat to attack closeouts, in addition to his volume and efficiency from deep &mdash; look out. Defenses will have no choice to play the numbers game and focus more on Hauser, and that will in turn make driving the ball easier for the Celtics.
Boston ultimately has so many critical offensive developments compounding on top of each other. The Celtics' juggernaut vibe exists because the players recognize each other's strengths and have learned how to reverberate off each other. It's still very, very early; defenses will build up a film database and send counters, and the true test for this team will be how it adapts throughout the year.&nbsp;
But a hot start under a new coach is always welcome, and the stampede of complementary successes makes this Celtics offense appear built for the long haul.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>I barely even mentioned Grant Williams! He deserves a shout-out because he is averaging a ludicrous 155.7 points per shot attempt, according to Cleaning the Glass. That's the best mark among 229 NBA players who have logged at least 200 minutes this season.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Yesterday, we ran a stats-based check-in with our followers on Twitter, offering up neat numbers for players who have not received enough love this year. Here are two highlights:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Romeo Langford is crushing it in the short mid-range 🔥 He&rsquo;s taken 28% of his shots there and made 62% of them. Both rank in the top 10% among wings, per Cleaning the Glass. <a href="https://t.co/Jp2csrcbnB">https://t.co/Jp2csrcbnB</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1591442747948515329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2022</a></blockquote>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
46 NBA players have self-created over 50 shots within 10 feet of the basket, per PBP Stats. De&rsquo;Aaron Fox is the only one making more than 70% of those attempts 😳 <a href="https://t.co/0mrPzObsVl">https://t.co/0mrPzObsVl</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1591443447755726849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Check out <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-stats-notebook-the-sun-is-still-rising-on-anfernee-simons-portland-trail-blazers-damian-lillard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">last week's NBA Stats Notebook about Anfernee Simons' hot start</a>!&nbsp;

Ethan Fuller breaks down some of the statistics behind the Boston Celtics' league-leading offense.

NBA Stats Notebook: A deep dive into the Celtics' dominant offense

Portland didn't call time. Josh Hart called game.
Hart&rsquo;s 3-pointer as time expired off a pass from Damian Lillard gave the Trail Blazers a 110-107 victory over the Miami Heat on Monday night, capping a perfect offensive finish from Portland.
The Blazers trailed for most of the final three quarters, then went 8 for 8 from the floor in the game's last 6:07.
&ldquo;It's good to have games like this, especially early in the season, that are close games that come down to the wire and force you to execute," Hart said.
Execution was no issue for the Blazers. They shot 13 for 17 in the fourth quarter, the second-best final 12 minutes by any NBA team so far this season. Only New Orleans &mdash; 14 for 18 against the Los Angeles Clippers on Oct. 30 &mdash; had a better fourth quarter.
Anfernee Simons scored 25 for Portland, Jerami Grant added 23 and Lillard finished with 19 points in his first game back after a four-game absence with a right calf strain. Hart and Justice Winslow each scored 12.
Hart's buzzer-beater capped a wild final few moments. Max Strus made a 3-pointer for Miami with 6.2 seconds remaining to tie the game. The Trail Blazers opted not to call timeout and Lillard dribbled most of the way downcourt before finding Hart in the left corner near the Heat bench.
Hart hit the shot, and the Blazers ran off their bench to chase him in celebration.
&ldquo;I saw Josh waving his hands," said Lillard, who was thinking he'd take the shot before seeing Hart. &ldquo;Easy play."
At 7-3, Portland is off to its best start since 2018-19.
&ldquo;Dame made a great pass and Josh made a great shot,&rdquo; Miami guard Kyle Lowry said.
Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Strus all had 16 for Miami. The Heat (4-7) got 15 from Lowry and Gabe Vincent, and 10 apiece from Caleb Martin and Dewayne Dedmon.
Simons was called for fouling Adebayo with 10.2 seconds left, but the Blazers argued that the Heat center actually was guilty of using his arm to hook Simons on the play. After review, the referees agreed and gave Portland the ball.
Simons made two free throws with 8.5 seconds left to push the lead to three before Strus tied it. And then Hart ended it.
&ldquo;Lillard and Simons were terrific in creating those triggers," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;They made a ton of timely plays in that fourth quarter. It felt like we could not get a stop."
TIP-INS
Trail Blazers: Portland snapped a four-game losing streak to Miami and hasn&rsquo;t lost consecutive games yet this season. ... The Blazers lost the lead with 10:39 left in the first half on a 3-pointer by Duncan Robinson, and trailed for the next 32:17 until Lillard tied the game with 2:20 left.
Heat: It was the 2,999th game in Heat history, including playoffs. ... Tyler Herro (sprained left ankle) and Udonis Haslem (personal reasons) were out, joining the still-sidelined Victor Oladipo (left knee) and Omer Yurtseven (left ankle). ... It was the start of a four-game homestand for Miami. The Heat won&rsquo;t have another one of those until late December.
SHOOT IT
Robinson&rsquo;s first 3-pointer on Monday was the 400th of his career, including playoffs, at FTX Arena. Mario Chalmers has the arena record with 418. Robinson now has 402.
SCHEDULE QUIRK
The Heat and Blazers played four times in 2022; last season&rsquo;s two meetings were in January. The only other time Miami and Portland had four games in the same calendar year was 1989.
UP NEXT
Trail Blazers: Visit Charlotte on Wednesday.
Heat: Host Charlotte on Thursday.

The Blazers trailed for most of the final three quarters, then went 8 for 8 from the floor in the game's last 6:07.

Kobi