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The Phoenix Suns are finalizing a trade to acquire three-time All-Star Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards, <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/37873714/sources-suns-finalizing-trade-wizards-bradley-beal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports</a>.
The trade is expected to include Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, several second-round picks and pick swaps, Woj <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/37873714/sources-suns-finalizing-trade-wizards-bradley-beal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">notes</a>. The deal is expected to be completed in the coming days.
Beal is waiving his no-trade clause to join the Suns. Beal's no-trade clause gave him a lot of power throughout this process, as he could force his way to a specific team even if they didn't have the best offer. This is why the Wizards' return for Beal is significantly worse than what we've seen in other recent blockbuster deals.
No-trade clauses are incredibly rare in the modern NBA, as Beal is the only active player with this kind of clause in his contract (and he's one of just 10 players in NBA history to have one). Even after this trade is completed, Beal will still have the no-trade clause in his contract with the Suns.
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Bradley Beal is forming a new Suns&rsquo; Big 3 with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker <a href="https://t.co/Klz1wmUVLQ">pic.twitter.com/Klz1wmUVLQ</a>
&mdash; Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1670530277104398339?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Beal will join Kevin Durant and Devin Booker in Phoenix, giving the Suns' one of the most talented trios in the NBA (particularly on the offensive end). The Suns will acquire Beal after beating out the other finalist in this sweepstakes, the Miami Heat. Now, Miami will shift their focus to Damian Lillard and trying to acquire him from the Portland Trail Blazers, according to <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1670535333140914178" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes</a>.
Phoenix is coming off of a 45-win season in which they lost in the Western Conference Semifinals to the Denver Nuggets, who went on to win the championship. They're making this splashy addition in hopes of contending next year and taking advantage of their championship window.
Given how little the Suns are giving up in exchange for Beal, it's a relatively low-risk, high-reward move. Phoenix was reportedly planning to cut Paul anyway if they couldn't find a trade partner.
Last season, Beal averaged 23.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 threes with Washington, while shooting 50.6% from the field, 36.5% from three and 84.2% from the free-throw line.

The Phoenix Suns are finalizing a trade to acquire three-time All-Star Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards.

Suns finalizing trade to acquire Bradley Beal from Wizards

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Devin Booker had 36 points and 12 assists, Kevin Durant also scored 36 points and the Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets 129-124 on Sunday to even their Western Conference semifinal playoff series at two games apiece.
Backup guard Landry Shamet made four crucial 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to keep the Suns ahead. Denver lost despite a huge game from MVP runner-up Nikola Jokic, who poured in 53 points on 20-of-30 shooting.
Jokic used his physical play to knock down several big buckets, even&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nuggets-suns-jokic-ishbia-technical-a2c83b6bc613666925579917ddbaecf9">ripping the ball away from Suns owner Mat Ishbia</a>&nbsp;at one point after the ball went out of bounds, which earned the Nuggets All-Star a technical foul.
The series returns to Denver for Game 5 on Tuesday.
The Suns took a 98-92 lead into the fourth quarter after a scoring flurry from Booker, who had 17 points in the third. Phoenix wouldn&rsquo;t trail in the fourth, though Denver didn&rsquo;t go quietly.
The Nuggets trailed 116-106 with 4:55 remaining but never panicked, slowly cutting into the lead. They pulled within 123-120 with 22.4 seconds left but TJ Warren made two free throws to push the margin back to five.
Booker &mdash; averaging 36 points on 60% shooting in these playoffs &mdash; was hot once again, shooting 14 of 18 from the field, including 3 of 4 on 3-pointers. Shamet finished with 19 points, shooting 5 of 8 on 3s.
Jamal Murray added 28 points and seven assists for the Nuggets.
Suns point guard Chris Paul missed his second straight game with a strained left groin suffered during Game 2.
The Suns took a 63-61 lead by halftime. Jokic had 24 points for the Nuggets before the break while Durant had 21 for the Suns.
JOKIC VS ISHBIA
Jokic was assessed a technical foul in the second after a bizarre altercation with Ishbia.
Late in the period, Suns guard Josh Okogie crashed into the seats while trying to save a loose ball. He landed in a group of fans on the baseline that included Ishbia, who grabbed the basketball.
Jokic was trying to get the basketball quickly &mdash; apparently so the Nuggets could start their offensive possession &mdash; when he tried to take the ball away from Ishbia. The ball flew backward into the crowd, and then Ishbia was knocked backward by Jokic&rsquo;s elbow.
There were a few minutes of confusion as officials sorted out the weird scene, and then Jokic was assessed a technical foul.
Ishbia told The Associated Press at halftime that he was &ldquo;fine&rdquo; and more worried about the game than the altercation. He was back in his usual seats in the second half.
AYTON&rsquo;S BIG OVATION
Suns center Deandre Ayton was the subject of scorn from media and fans following his subpar performance in Game 3.
Ayton had just four points and nine rebounds in Game 3 and the former No. 1 overall pick was benched in the fourth quarter in favor of Jock Landale.
But the big man got the fans back on his side during the first offensive possession of the night, grabbing three consecutive offensive rebounds before Booker hit a short jumper as the crowd roared. Ayton finished with eight points and eight rebounds.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. each scored 11 points.
Suns: Booker scored 13 points on 5 of 6 shooting in the first quarter. He scored 18 points in the first quarter of Game 3.

The Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets 129-124 on Sunday to even their Western Conference semifinal playoff series at 2-2.

Booker, Durant both score 36, Suns even series with Nuggets

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Jayson Tatum scored 36 points and the Boston Celtics ended a long road trip on a high note by beating the Sacramento Kings 132-109 on Tuesday night.
Boston bounced back from blowing a 19-point lead in Utah on Saturday night by knocking off one of the top teams in the Western Conference. It won four of six on the road trip.
Jaylen Brown added 27 points and Derrick White scored 20 to help the Celtics open up a one-game lead over Philadelphia in the Atlantic Division.
Domantas Sabonis had 16 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists for the Kings, who lost consecutive games for the first time since Feb. 3-5. De&rsquo;Aaron Fox scored 18 points.
Sacramento fell 1 1/2 games behind Memphis in the race for second place in the Western Conference. The Kings are trying to clinch their first playoff berth since 2006 &mdash; the longest postseason drought in NBA history.
Playing their fifth game in seven nights in their fourth time zone, the Kings offered little defensive resistance for Boston.
The Celtics shot 53.3% from the field, turned the ball over only five times and took control of the game during a torrid shooting stretch coming out of halftime.
Boston hit 10 of its first 11 shots from the field in the third quarter, scoring 27 points in less than six minutes to build the lead up to 14 points on a 3-pointer by White.
The Kings never really threatened after that.
The Celtics scored the final nine points of the first half on 3-pointers by Al Horford and Brown, and a three-point play by Tatum to take a 60-54 lead at the break.
TIP-INS
Celtics: C Robert Williams III (hamstring) returned after missing the past eight games. He had six points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench. He was also called for a technical foul in the third quarter. ... The Celtics had 22 assists before committing their second turnover of the game midway through the third quarter.
Kings: Swingman Kevin Huerter (knee) missed his third straight game. ... Keegan Murray&rsquo;s 3-pointer in the first quarter gave him at least one in 33 straight games, tying the NBA rookie record held by Landry Shamet (2018-19) and Rudy Fernandez (2008-09). ... Sabonis&rsquo; 12 triple-doubles are second in the league this season to Denver&rsquo;s Nikola Jokic, who has 28.
UP NEXT
Celtics: Host Indiana on Friday night.
Kings: Host Phoenix on Friday night.

Jayson Tatum scored 36 points and the Celtics ended a long road trip on a high note by beating the Kings 132-109 on Tuesday.

Jayson Tatum’s 36 points lead Celtics past Kings 132-109

The following is a press release from the Atlanta Hawks:
ATLANTA &ndash; The Atlanta Hawks today announced the team has signed guard Bogdan Bogdanovic to a contract extension, which begins with the 2023-24 season. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
In his third season with the Hawks, Bogdanovic is averaging 14.1 points on .437 shooting, 3.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 28.5 minutes per game. In 43 games (five starts), he is shooting a team-best .401 from three-point range. Bogdanovic is one of only 10 players in the NBA this season to be shooting over .400% from three-point territory, while attempting at least 6.5 triples per game. He has connected on three-or-more from behind the arc 20 times as a reserve this season (24 times total), one of only five bench players in the NBA to have at least 20 such games.
Over his three seasons in Atlanta, the 6-foot-6 guard has posted averages of 15.2 points on .445 shooting (.399 from three), 3.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 29.2 minutes in 150 games. Bogdanovic&rsquo;s .399 clip from three is the sixth-highest mark from deep in the NBA over the past three seasons (min. 1,000 3FGA). He currently ranks 11th all-time for most three-pointers in Hawks history, knocking down 431 in his 150 games played.
In two postseason trips with the Hawks, he has averaged 14.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 assists in 32.0 minutes over 22 games (18 starts).
&ldquo;Bogi brings so many of the qualities we are looking for in a Hawks player. In addition to his elite shooting ability, he has the versatility to thrive as a starter or sixth man, and a competitiveness that is invaluable to our team and culture,&rdquo; General Manager Landry Fields said. &ldquo;We are excited that he will remain a key part of our team going forward.&rdquo;
Prior to signing with the Hawks in November 2020, the native of Belgrade, Serbia played three seasons in Sacramento and totaled 13.5 points, 3.5 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.0 steal in 28.2 minutes (.434 FG%, .374 3FG%, .806 FT%) in 209 games (97 starts). He was awarded the 2018 Mtn Dew Kickstart Rising Stars Challenge Most Valuable Player, competing for Team World.
Over his six seasons in the NBA, Bogdanovic has career averages of 14.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 steal in 28.6 minutes per game in 359 games (156 starts).
Originally the 27th overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft by Phoenix, the 6-foot-6 Bogdanovic played internationally for Partizan (Serbia) and Fenerbahce (Turkey) before coming to the NBA.
&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;
<a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35873955/hawks-bogdan-bogdanovic-agree-4-year-68-million-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski</a>, it is a four-year, $68 million contract extension.

In his third season with the Hawks, Bogdanovic is averaging 14.1 points on .437 shooting, 3.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.

Atlanta Hawks sign Bogdan Bogdanovic to multiyear contract extension

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Devin Booker scored 44 points, Terrence Ross added 24 and the Phoenix Suns beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 132-101 on Wednesday night after losing Kevin Durant to an ankle injury during pregame warmups.
Phoenix has won four straight games, but that was almost an afterthought following Durant&rsquo;s injury.
The game was supposed to be the home debut with his new team. A 13-time All-Star, Durant was added in a blockbuster trade deadline deal with Brooklyn and the Footprint Center was buzzing in anticipation.
But he&nbsp;rolled his left ankle while driving to the basket&nbsp;as he prepared to play. The 6-foot-10 forward immediately hopped up and was walking, but several minutes later, the Suns confirmed that he would miss the game.
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Kevin Durant has been ruled out for tonight's Suns-Thunder game after he slipped during pregame warm-ups. Tonight would've been Durant's first home game as a member of the Suns. Here's the video: <a href="https://t.co/ecYwlq0uQe">pic.twitter.com/ecYwlq0uQe</a>
&mdash; Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1633646088904220674?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2023</a></blockquote>

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With Durant out, Suns fans had to settle for a scoring show by Booker, who had 30 points during the first half.
The three-time All-Star shot 17 of 23 &mdash; making 6 of 10 3-pointers &mdash; from the field and received a standing ovation in the fourth quarter when he checked out of the game for the last time.
Ross also was 6 of 10 from 3-point range. Chris Paul has 18 points and nine assists. He made 4 of 5 3-pointers.
Oklahoma City played without All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander because of &ldquo;abdominal strain injury management.&rdquo; The Thunder were overmatched without him and the Suns pulled away in the second half.
Lindy Waters III led the Thunder with 23 points.
Durant has played three games with the Suns &mdash; all on the road and all wins &mdash; but this was supposed to be his first game at home in front of a sold out crowd. He averaged 26.7 points and 7.3 rebounds in the three games.
His next chance to play at home will be Saturday against the Kings.
Phoenix added Durant and T.J. Warren at the trade deadline, sending Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four first-round picks and other draft compensation to the Brooklyn Nets.
The Suns pushed to a 34-21 lead after one quarter and had a 60-52 advantage at halftime. Booker shot 11 of 15 from the field in the first half while Waters had scored 21 for the Thunder.
TIP-INS
Thunder: Gilgeous-Alexander was one of five players out with injuries. ... Josh Giddey shot just 3 of 12 from the field and finished with 10 points.
Suns: G Landry Shamet (right foot soreness) was not available. ... Hosted a 58th consecutive sellout crowd. ... Chris Paul added 18 points and nine assists. ... Booker&rsquo;s six 3-pointers tied his career-high in the regular season. He&rsquo;s hit that mark 21 times.
UP NEXT
Thunder: Travel to face the Pelicans on Saturday.
Suns: Host the Kings on Saturday.

Devin Booker scored 44 points, Terrence Ross added 24 and the Suns beat the Thunder 132-101 on Wednesday night.

Booker, Ross help Suns rout Thunder after Durant injured

ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Quin Snyder was more than just the first coaching candidate contacted when Atlanta Hawks general manager Landry Fields began looking to replace Nate McMillan.
Snyder was the only candidate interviewed by Fields.
&ldquo;Everything we were looking for, it was check, check, check,&rdquo; Fields said of his conversation with Snyder, the former Utah Jazz coach, who was introduced on Monday as the Hawks&rsquo; new coach. Fields said finding the right fit immediately with Snyder &ldquo;was a big moment.&rdquo;
Snyder will make his Atlanta debut on Tuesday night, when the Hawks play at home against Washington. Joe Prunty, who was 2-0 as the interim coach, will remain on the bench beside Snyder.
The Hawks announced Snyder&rsquo;s hiring on a five-year deal on Sunday night, only five days after McMillan was fired with the team mired in eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
The announcement was not a surprise. Fields confirmed on Wednesday that Snyder was a candidate.
Fields hopes the Hawks, currently in position for a spot in the play-in tournament, can finish the regular season strong under Snyder and earn a playoff spot as one of the top six teams in the East.
The Hawks (31-30) have struggled to reclaim the success they enjoyed under McMillan in reaching the 2021 Eastern Conference finals. The expectation to find that winning formula is now transferred to Snyder in a potentially difficult transition so late in the season.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s always a challenge, but those challenges are often most rewarding and the best opportunity,&rdquo; Snyder said.
He acknowledged that the decision to take over the job now, instead of waiting until after the season, wasn&rsquo;t easy.
&ldquo;As I thought about it, I think the opportunity to come in now, although maybe challenging, is also an opportunity to hopefully go on a run,&rdquo; Snyder said. &ldquo;Also, and I think these things are not mutually exclusive, to begin to build a foundation, a culture.&rdquo;
Snyder, 56, was an assistant on Mike Budenholzer&rsquo;s Hawks staff in the 2013-14 season.
He was 372-264 as Utah&rsquo;s coach from the 2014-15 to 2021-22 seasons, finishing with six consecutive playoff seasons. Even though the Jazz never advanced past the Western Conference semifinals, the winning record would have made Snyder an attractive candidate to other teams who may make coaching changes after the season.
The timing of the Hawks&rsquo; change created an opening for Fields to have exclusive conversations with Snyder.
Fields said that opportunity to be first in line with Snyder had no bearing on his decision to fire McMillan during the All-Star break. Fields said he was motivated to make a move because he believed the Hawks were not fulfilling their potential under McMillan.
&ldquo;We had two separate things going on &mdash; what is the state of our team right now and how we can best serve them and set us up for end of the season success following the All-Star break and then how are we going to position ourselves as an organization,&rdquo; Fields said, adding &ldquo;that doesn&rsquo;t necessitate that Quin was going to take over at midseason. It wasn&rsquo;t a huge factor for us. I knew that first and foremost we had to address our ballclub and that&rsquo;s what we did.&rdquo;
Snyder said the opportunity in Atlanta &ldquo;lined up just right&rdquo; with what he was looking for in his next coaching job after leaving Utah following last season.
New Hawks assistant general manager Kyle Korver played for Snyder in Atlanta and Utah. Korver gave Snyder positive reviews about Fields. Snyder said he believes the Hawks provide &ldquo;the character in the front office&rdquo; he sought.
&ldquo;I wanted to find that type of partnership and I know that&rsquo;s why this situation, I think, is such a good fit for me personally,&rdquo; Snyder said, adding that he and Korver &ldquo;have been friends for a long time. &hellip; His feelings about Landry, everything was affirmed that I had heard about Landry.&rdquo;
Snyder met with Atlanta players on Monday morning. Some players, including Dejounte Murray and Bogdan Bogdanovic, attended the afternoon news conference. The team&rsquo;s biggest star, point guard Trae Young, was not in attendance.

“It’s always a challenge, but those challenges are often most rewarding and the best opportunity,” Snyder said.

New Hawks coach Quin Snyder facing difficult midseason transition

ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Waiting for just the right moment to launch his game-winning shot was no problem for Trae Young. He says he has been envisioning similar shots since he was a kid.
Young waited patiently for Mikal Bridges to fly past him before&nbsp;sinking a buzzer-beating jumper&nbsp;over the reach of Spencer Dinwiddie to lift Atlanta to a 129-127 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, a few hours before the Hawks announced they hired Quin Snyder as their coach.
The Hawks took their final possession with 7.3 seconds remaining after Cam Johnson&rsquo;s 3-pointer tied the game at 127 with 7.8 seconds remaining. Young hit his&nbsp;pull-up 12-foot jumper&nbsp;as Dinwiddie tried in vain to block the shot from behind.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been counting down those seconds since I was 5 years old, 6 years old,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s nothing new.&rdquo;
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TRAE YOUNG 🥶❄️🧊 <a href="https://t.co/fpxYBApcJr">pic.twitter.com/fpxYBApcJr</a>
&mdash; Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) <a href="https://twitter.com/ATLHawks/status/1629972871043768326?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Young finished with 34 points for the Hawks, who recovered after blowing an 18-point lead to overcome four Nets scorers with at least 20 points.
Atlanta, No. 8 in the East, won its second consecutive game under interim coach Joe Prunty after Nate McMillan was fired Tuesday. General manager Landry Fields announced Sunday night Snyder had been hired to replace McMillan. The team scheduled a news conference for Monday to introduce Snyder.
Johnson had 27 points for Brooklyn. Mikal Bridges scored 24 for the Nets, who have lost four of five. Cam Thomas added 22 points and Dinwiddie had 20.
The Nets began the day fifth in the Eastern Conference, only a half-game ahead of the New York Knicks. Coach Jacque Vaughn is trying to find a&nbsp;new winning mix&nbsp;after the team traded Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
&ldquo;You can&rsquo;t feel sorry for yourself,&rdquo; Vaughn said. &ldquo;What we have to do is continue to stay together and believe we can get it done.&rdquo;
Dorian Finney-Smith&rsquo;s 3 for Brooklyn with 48 seconds remaining cut Atlanta&rsquo;s lead to 127-124.
Both wins under Prunty have come against teams above the Hawks in the conference.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s great,&rdquo; said&nbsp;Dejounte Murray, who scored 28 points. &ldquo;Like I continue to tell the players, we have no control over what the front office does. We&rsquo;re going to continue to work and try to build as many wins as we can.&rdquo;
Bogdan Bogdanovic added 22 for Atlanta. Bogdanovic&rsquo;s three 3-pointers early in the second quarter helped Atlanta take a 50-32 lead. Thomas had 11 points in the period, helping the Nets trim the Hawks&rsquo; lead to 64-57 at halftime.
Brooklyn kept its momentum to open the second half, taking a 78-73 lead. Onyeka Okongwu scored the final four points of the third period as Atlanta took a 97-94 advantage into the final period.
&ldquo;We would not give up in the second half even though we were down by double digits,&rdquo; Vaughn said.
STICKING WITH THE STARTERS
Vaughn stuck with his starters after the first five combined for only 34 points as the team set a season scoring low in an ugly 131-87 loss at Chicago on Friday night.
Before the game, Vaughn said he&rsquo;s looking for consistency and a balance of offense and defense. He said Finney-Smith, who had only two points against the Bulls, is &ldquo;one of our best defenders we have on the team.&rdquo;
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s pretty tough to take him out of the lineup when there&rsquo;s other offensive guys he&rsquo;s covering sins up for,&rdquo; Vaughn said of Finney-Smith.
TALKING ABOUT PRACTICE
When asked how many practices he has had with the team since the All-Star break, Vaughn referred to the blowout loss to the Bulls as &ldquo;a scrimmage with referees.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Nets: C Nic Claxton, from the University of Georgia, had four steals, three blocked shots and 11 rebounds. ... G Ben Simmons (left knee soreness) missed his second consecutive game.
Hawks: F John Collins returned with 12 points after missing one game while on concussion protocol. Collins was questionable with lower back tightness and cleared to start after pregame warmups, but his minutes were restricted. Collins logged almost 26 minutes, which Prunty acknowledged was more than planned.
UP NEXT
Nets: Host Milwaukee on Tuesday night.
Hawks: Host Washington on Tuesday night.

A few hours before the Hawks hired Quin Snyder as their new coach, Trae Young lifted Atlanta to a 129-127 win over the Nets on Sunday.

Trae Young's buzzer-beating jumper lifts Hawks past Nets 129-127

After days of negotiating, the Atlanta Hawks have hired Quin Snyder to be the franchise's next head coach, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Snyder's contract will reportedly be for five years.&nbsp;
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ESPN Sources: Quin Snyder has reached agreement on a five-year deal &mdash; including the rest of this season &mdash; to become coach of the Atlanta Hawks. Snyder is expected to be on sidelines as soon as Tuesday vs. Washington. <a href="https://t.co/ZYLx7y4v9V">pic.twitter.com/ZYLx7y4v9V</a>
&mdash; Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1629994101884977154?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2023</a></blockquote>

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According to the report, Snyder is expected to coach the team for the rest of the season and <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35742035/sources-quin-snyder-gets-5-year-deal-coach-hawks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">may make his debut on Tuesday against the Washington Wizards</a>. 
The former Utah Jazz head coach has compiled a 372-264 record overall in the big chair, and helped lead the Jazz to six straight postseason appearances.

After days of negotiating, the Atlanta Hawks have hired Quin Snyder to be the franchise's next head coach, per ESPN.

Hawks to hire Quin Snyder as new head coach on five-year deal

ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Trae Young says he has &ldquo;nothing but love and respect&rdquo; for former Atlanta Hawks coach Nate McMillan and expects to have no input in the hiring of McMillan&rsquo;s replacement.
Young spoke with reporters on Friday for the first time since&nbsp;McMillan was fired on Tuesday&nbsp;with the Hawks in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Young was not available following Wednesday&rsquo;s practice and was excused from Thursday&rsquo;s practice for personal reasons.
Young is preparing for his third full-time coach in five seasons. Asked if he is worried another change impacts the perception of his ability to maintain long relationships with coaches, Young said &ldquo;People are going to say what they&rsquo;ve got to say.
&ldquo;A lot of players have played for a lot of coaches. I don&rsquo;t look at it like that. I&rsquo;m not looking at the next coach who comes in here. I&rsquo;m trying to win a championship, whatever it is, I&rsquo;m just trying to win.&rdquo;
Young, a two-time All-Star, is Atlanta&rsquo;s on-court team leader as the starting point guard while also ranking as the team&rsquo;s top scorer with 26.7 points per game. He dismissed speculation he had a rocky relationship with McMillan.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of moments that people really don&rsquo;t understand that me and him have had and that&rsquo;s OK,&rdquo; Young said after Friday morning&rsquo;s practice. &ldquo;It will get brought up eventually. I know I don&rsquo;t tell everybody everything. I kind of let y&rsquo;all make up rumors about certain things about how I am and how my relationship is with certain people. I just play basketball.&rdquo;
Young said he has talked with McMillan since the firing and added &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not the last time he and I are going to talk.&rdquo;
Hawks general manager Landry Fields on Wednesday said speculation that McMillan was hampered by conflicts with Young were unfair to Young. Fields said McMillan&rsquo;s relationship with Young was not a factor in his decision to make a coaching change.
Fields said he already has launched his search for McMillan&rsquo;s full-time replacement and said&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/atlanta-hawks-nba-sports-playoffs-nate-mcmillan-cb25039415b0a651ff041b515a27a5bd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">former Utah coach Quin Snyder is a candidate.</a>
Young said &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care to have any input&rdquo; in the coaching search.
&ldquo;I trust those guys up top,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Since I&rsquo;ve been here I&rsquo;ve always said that. Nothing has changed for me.&rdquo;
Fields said he believed it was time for a new voice on the Hawks bench and said &ldquo;there was slippage&rdquo; as the team lost four of six games before the All-Star break.
Asked if he believes it was time for a new voice, Young said &ldquo;That&rsquo;s not up to me.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know. I think that&rsquo;s part of it. I think sometimes it&rsquo;s not always going to be easy. Some conversations are not going to go great. That&rsquo;s just part of it. Not every situation is easy and nice.&rdquo;
Young participated in Friday&rsquo;s practice and is expected to start in Friday night&rsquo;s game against Cleveland as the Hawks (29-30) hope for a late-season surge under interim coach Joe Prunty.

Trae Young says he has “nothing but love and respect” for former Atlanta Hawks coach Nate McMillan.

Trae Young expresses ‘love and respect’ for fired Nate McMillan

ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; The Atlanta Hawks returned from the All-Star break &mdash; and a coaching change &mdash; refreshed and motivated.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, playing on the second night of a back-to-back, couldn&rsquo;t match Atlanta&rsquo;s energy and drive.
Trae Young scored 34 points and the Hawks beat the Cavaliers 136-119 on Friday night in their first game under interim coach Joe Prunty.
Dejounte Murray had 15 of his 25 points in Atlanta&rsquo;s high-scoring second period.
Darius Garland led the Cavaliers, who suffered their third straight loss, with 33 points. Donovan Mitchell had 19.
The Hawks played their first game since coach&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/indiana-pacers-atlanta-hawks-portland-trail-blazers-nba-sports-fdb995cad88d7a509b49ca747008f96c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nate McMillan was fired</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday. The team had three practices, including a shootaround session on Friday morning, under Prunty, who had been McMillan&rsquo;s lead assistant.
&ldquo;Each night is a new experience, understanding a team that is fresh and newly motivated,&rdquo; said Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who said that created a challenge for his players &ldquo;being prepared to match that, and I don&rsquo;t think we matched that enough. ... We didn&rsquo;t put up much resistance, especially in the first half.&rdquo;
The Cavaliers lost to Denver 115-109 on Thursday night.
General manager Landry Fields said Wednesday that former Utah coach&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/atlanta-hawks-nba-sports-playoffs-nate-mcmillan-cb25039415b0a651ff041b515a27a5bd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Quin Snyder is a candidate</a>&nbsp;to replace McMillan. Snyder could be hired to take over the team this season.
Atlanta held its big lead of 32 points for the last time at 103-71 late in the third quarter before Cleveland pulled to within 13 points at 108-95 in the final period. Atlanta then reclaimed its momentum.
Murray missed his first five shots before making his next seven in the second period. The Hawks&rsquo; 49 points in the period were their most in any quarter this season. They led 81-57 at halftime, setting another season-high mark for points in an opening half.
&ldquo;I think we were pushing the ball and playing fast and getting some 3s and getting some stops, too,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;It was a big effort tonight on the defensive end, for sure.&rdquo;
Prunty said he worried his players would be rusty after the break and said &ldquo;I was really impressed with our guys and how we started the game.&rdquo;
BEY IMPRESSES
Saddiq Bey, acquired by Atlanta from Detroit on Feb. 9 as part of a three-team trade with Golden State, had 19 points while starting at power forward as a fill-in. John Collins (concussion protocol) did not play. The 6-foot-8 Bey, listed as a guard-forward, is thought to be best suited to play small forward but showed his versatility while filling in for Collins at power forward.
ROAD WOES
The Cavaliers, fourth in the Eastern Conference at 38-25, have good motivation to earn home-court advantage in the postseason. They fell to only 13-18 in road games to offset their 25-7 mark at home.
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: F Cedi Osman (lower back contusion) had 10 points in 17 minutes and G Ricky Rubio (knee management) logged 12 minutes, scoring 2 points after not playing in Thursday night&rsquo;s game. ... The Cavaliers also are being careful with F Danny Green, 35, in his ongoing recovery from left knee surgery. Green&nbsp;signed with the Cavaliers&nbsp;on Feb. 15 after being bought out by Houston and had three points in 11 minutes. Speaking of Green&rsquo;s role in the postseason, coach J.B. Bickerstaff said before the game the goal is &ldquo;to make sure he&rsquo;s ready when we need him most.&rdquo;
Hawks: G Bogdan Bogdanovic passed 5,000 career points while sinking back-to-back 3s early in the second period. It was part of a string of four consecutive Atlanta baskets by Bogdanovic, who had 10 points. .... Onyeka Okongwu recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. ... Collins suffered the head injury in a collision with New York Knicks F Julius Randle on Feb. 15 in Atlanta&rsquo;s last game before the All-Star break.
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Host Toronto on Sunday.
Hawks: Host Brooklyn on Sunday.

Trae Young scored 34 points and the Hawks beat the Cavs 136-119 on Friday night in their first game under interim coach Joe Prunty.

Hawks pull away in first half, rout Cavaliers 136-119

Editor's Note: After this Associated Press article was written yesterday, <a href="https://theathletic.com/4244770/2023/02/23/quin-snyder-atlanta-hawks-head-coaching-job/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of the Athletic reported Thursday morning</a> that the Atlanta Hawks have begun formal discussions with former Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder in "an attempt to swiftly hire" him for the same position. ATLANTA (AP) &mdash;&nbsp;Atlanta Hawks general manager Landry Fields said Wednesday former Utah coach Quin Snyder is among those being considered to replace Nate McMillan.
The Hawks (29-30) fired McMillan on Tuesday. Fields stressed that Atlanta&rsquo;s eighth-place standing in the Eastern Conference is not acceptable for a team that advanced to the conference finals in 2021.
Snyder, 56, was 372-264 as Utah&rsquo;s coach from 2014-22. He guided the Jazz to six consecutive playoff appearances before stepping down after last season.
Fields said Snyder&rsquo;s availability &ldquo;is a factor in the sense that I feel comfortable mentioning his name, but there are other candidates I don&rsquo;t want to mention because they are a part of other teams.&rdquo;
Snyder was a Hawks assistant in 2013-14.
Other possible candidates include Golden State assistant Kenny Atkinson and Milwaukee assistant Charles Lee, both former Atlanta assistants.
Fields said he has started talking with potential candidates and could make a hire this season. Assistant coach Joe Prunty began serving as interim coach at practice Wednesday but may not be involved in the interview process for the full-time position.
&ldquo;To do this now, sort of last minute, there&rsquo;s enough on Joe&rsquo;s plate,&rdquo; Fields said, adding that his message to Prunty is &ldquo;just focus on the task at hand and we&rsquo;ll cover everything else later.&rdquo;
McMillan, 58, went 99-80 as Atlanta&rsquo;s coach, including a 27-11 record as interim in the second half of the 2020-21 season. His success that season in leading Atlanta to the Eastern Conference finals earned him the full-time position.
The Hawks are hoping for a similar late-season revival under Prunty, but players say consistency and accountability must improve.
&ldquo;It ain&rsquo;t on Nate McMillan,&rdquo; guard Dejounte Murray said after practice. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve all got to look in the mirror.&rdquo;
Added center Clint Capela: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s on all of us. ... Consistency, we just have to be better.&rdquo;
McMillan couldn&rsquo;t follow up on the 2021 success. The Hawks lost to Miami in the first round of the playoffs last season after surviving the play-in tournament.
Hawks forward John Collins said McMillan &ldquo;was a great coach&rdquo; but added &ldquo;we need a different type of guidance&rdquo; from the next coach.
When asked if accountability from players was lacking under McMillan, Collins said, &ldquo;Yeah, I definitely feel we can do a better job with that.&rdquo;
Prunty, who has been an NBA assistant coach since 1996, has previous experience as an interim coach. He posted a 21-16 record with Milwaukee after Jason Kidd was fired during the 2017-18 season.
&ldquo;It definitely helps, for sure, but every situation is different,&rdquo; Prunty said. &ldquo;... The reality is it&rsquo;s very difficult to make wholesale changes. There may be things that could be tweaked here and there.&rdquo;
Collins described Prunty as &ldquo;a cool, calm coach, real relaxed.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I feel we&rsquo;re all comfortable with Joe,&rdquo; Collins said. &ldquo;Hopefully, it can be a smooth transition.&rdquo;
Atlanta, which plays at home against Cleveland on Friday night, is struggling to remain in the top 10 in the conference for a return spot in the play-in field. The Hawks lost four of six games before the All-Star break and are only one game ahead of 10th-place Toronto in the East.
Fields said he considered a coaching change for one month and was influenced by back-to-back losses to Charlotte and the New York Knicks before the break.
&ldquo;I do believe there was slippage and I felt that was a need we needed to address,&rdquo; Fields said.
Fields said he did not consult point guard Trae Young or other players before making the move. Fields said speculation that McMillan&rsquo;s efforts were affected by conflicts with Young were unfair to the player and were not a factor in his decision to make a coaching change.
Young was not made available for interviews on Wednesday.
Overall in 19 seasons, McMillan has a 760-668 record with the Seattle SuperSonics, Portland Trail Blazers, Indiana Pacers and Hawks.

Quin Snyder was 372-264 as Utah’s coach from 2014-22. He guided the Jazz to six consecutive playoff appearances before exiting.

Hawks GM Fields says Snyder a candidate to replace McMillan

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Devin Booker scored 32 points, Deandre Ayton had 29 points and 11 rebounds, and the Phoenix Suns beat the Sacramento Kings 120-109 on Tuesday night with superstar acquisition Kevin Durant watching from the bench.
It was the first home game for the Suns since they completed a trade with Brooklyn for Durant, who is recovering from a right knee injury and hasn&rsquo;t played since Jan. 12. He was introduced during a timeout in the third quarter and received a standing ovation. Durant is expected back sometime after this weekend&rsquo;s All-Star break.
&ldquo;I was watching him more than anything,&rdquo; Booker said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think people realize what it is until you&rsquo;re in it. He deserves it, he&rsquo;s a legend in this game. I&rsquo;m glad he&rsquo;s here.&rdquo;
Booker was 13 of 20 from the field and did not attempt a 3-pointer in 29 minutes. It was his highest-scoring game of the four he&rsquo;s played since returning from a left groin strain that sidelined him for 21 games.
&ldquo;I feel good. It&rsquo;s been a long recovery road, something I found peace in and just enjoyed the whole process,&rdquo; Booker said.
Chris Paul had a season-high 19 assists and scored 17 points for Phoenix, which has won 11 of its last 14. Josh Okogie scored 19 points and made a team-high three 3-pointers.
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&ldquo;I think we did a really good job of finding the open man,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said. &ldquo;Overall, it was a well-balanced game for us, complemented by how hard we played from start to finish.&rdquo;
De&rsquo;Aaron Fox led the Kings with 35 points, following up his 36-point performance in a win over Dallas on Saturday.
&ldquo;We just had too many unforced errors and going up against a team like that you can&rsquo;t do that,&rdquo; Fox said. &ldquo;They capitalized on just about every error that we made today.&rdquo;
Domantas Sabonis had 24 points and 15 rebounds &mdash; going 10 for 10 from the free-throw line &mdash; and Kevin Huerter scored 18 for Sacramento, which saw its lead over Phoenix in the Pacific Division shrink to one game.
The Suns led by as many as 13 points in the third quarter, but the Kings closed within four at the end of the period. Sacramento kept it close in the fourth, but Okogie&rsquo;s 3 with 1:42 remaining turned out to be the Kings&rsquo; final basket. Paul responded with a step-back jumper to put the Suns ahead by nine.
DURANT UPDATE
Before the game, Williams said Durant is participating in some drills as he prepares to return.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s in great shape and going game speed like he always does,&rdquo; Williams said, adding that Durant needs to play in more 3-on-3 and similar competition levels before he can return.
DIVISION DOMINANCE
The Suns are 9-0 against Pacific Division opponents, the only NBA team without a loss in its division this season.
INJURY REPORT
Kings: Played without Malik Monk (right ankle sprain) and KZ Okpala (knee soreness).
Suns: Besides Durant, Cameron Payne (right foot sprain) and Landry Shamet (right foot soreness) remain sidelined.
HUERTER ADDED
Huerter has been selected to participate in the 3-point contest this weekend in Salt Lake City. Coach Mike Brown said Huerter is valuable to the Kings for more than just his shooting.
&ldquo;He tries to find other ways to help us win,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;The way he facilitates, plays the two-man game, he&rsquo;s shown that he can shoot at a high level for many years.&rdquo;
MISSING BRIDGES
The Suns gave up a lot to get Durant and Williams said replacing Mikal Bridges, a defensive stalwart at forward, is a challenge.
&ldquo;Josh (Okogie) and Torrey (Craig) have been taking up some of that role. It&rsquo;s something we have to figure out, be open-minded about what these guys can do and not compare to what Mikal did, it&rsquo;s not fair to anybody,&rdquo; Williams said.
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Devin Booker scored 32 points, Deandre Ayton had 29 points, and the Phoenix Suns beat the Sacramento Kings 120-109.

Suns top Kings 120-109 with Durant watching from bench

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Deandre Ayton had 22 points and 11 rebounds, Devin Booker scored 21 points and Chris Paul chipped in 19 as the Phoenix Suns cruised past the Indiana Pacers 117-104 on Friday night.
Playing one day after their blockbuster trade for four-time NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant, the Suns led by as many as 26 and never trailed in a game they outrebounded the Pacers 64-45.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s exciting times for the Phoenix Suns,&rdquo; Booker said. &ldquo;You have one of the best players to ever touch a basketball coming. He&rsquo;s going to fit right in.&rdquo;
Durant, acquired from Brooklyn on Thursday, hasn&rsquo;t played since Jan. 8 when he sustained a knee injury in a game against Miami. Durant, who was not with the Suns in Indiana, is expected to be healthy enough to play at some point after the All-Star break.
Bennedict Mathurin posted 22 points for the Pacers, while All-Star Tyrese Haliburton finished with 18 points and five assists. Indiana, which has lost 14 of its past 16 games, shot 42% from the field and committed 15 turnovers.
&ldquo;Rebounding has been a challenge for us all year long,&rdquo; Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. &ldquo;They had 19 offensive rebounds. Rebounding is an attention-to-detail and effort area.&rdquo;
Phoenix shot 46% and capitalized on ball movement with 25 assists on its 43 baskets. Paul had nine assists and Booker five. Josh Okogie finished with 17 points and six boards, while former Pacer Torrey Craig started at power forward and racked up 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Phoenix, which has won six of its past eight, led 30-24 after the first quarter, 60-47 at halftime and 95-77 entering the final period. The Suns bounced back from Thursday night&rsquo;s loss in Atlanta.
&ldquo;We had a trade, emotions, travel,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said. &ldquo;(Thursday night) on the bus, plane, gave us a chance to get back to normal. Sometimes it takes you a minute to process whatever is going on.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Suns: Film study will play a &ldquo;huge&rdquo; role in determining how to work Durant into Phoenix&rsquo;s offense, according to Williams. &ldquo;Huge as far as us figuring out what&rsquo;s the most important thing to run,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Right now, it&rsquo;s the old (Gregg Popovich) saying: less is more.&rdquo; ... Cameron Payne (right foot sprain) and Landry Shamet (right foot soreness) sat out Friday&rsquo;s game. T.J. Warren, reacquired before the trade deadline, was not yet with the team.
Pacers: Indy native George Hill, acquired Thursday from Milwaukee in a four-team trade, chose to begin a second stint with the Pacers rather than be waived to pursue opportunities to join a contender, president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said in a pregame news conference. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s totally up to you,&rdquo; Pritchard recalled telling the 36-year-old guard. &ldquo;He immediately said, &lsquo;I want to come back and teach.&rsquo; I don&rsquo;t know if he&rsquo;s going to coach, but he&rsquo;s got valuable insights.&rdquo; &hellip; Big man Serge Ibaka, sent to Indiana in the same deal, will be waived, Pritchard said. The 33-year-old has played in only 16 games this season, averaging 11.6 minutes. &hellip; Hill and forward Jordan Nwora, the third player obtained from the Bucks whom coach Rick Carlisle said will receive a &ldquo;great opportunity&rdquo; to play in Indiana, should be ready to suit up for the Pacers next week, Carlisle said.
UP NEXT
Suns: Return home to face the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.
Pacers: Play at the Washington Wizards on Saturday night.

Deandre Ayton had 22 points and 11 rebounds, Devin Booker scored 21 points and the Suns cruised past the Pacers 117-104 on Friday.

Ayton, Booker lead Suns past Pacers a day after Durant trade

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Trae Young rose up for a 3-pointer in the second half that left his hands way too hard, hurtling toward the basket before slamming off the backboard and through the hoop.
Atlanta&rsquo;s star guard shrugged and ran back down the court with a sheepish grin.
Things were going the Hawks way Wednesday night, leading to a blowout victory. Dejounte Murray scored 21 points, Young added 20 points and 12 assists and Atlanta rolled past the Phoenix Suns 132-100.
The Hawks had lost four of five games coming into Wednesday&rsquo;s game, but played much better on both ends of the floor.
&ldquo;We wanted to win really bad and knew it had to start on the defensive end,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;The defense took care of the offense.&rdquo;
The Hawks never trailed, jumping to a 9-4 lead with three 3-pointers. Atlanta never let up, pushing to a 102-67 advantage by the end of the third quarter and leading by 43 points in the fourth.
Just about everyone was hitting shots for the Hawks, who made 52 of 91 shots (57.1%), including 19 of 33 (57.6%) on 3-pointers. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 18 points off the bench.
&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re getting downhill, moving the ball, sharing the ball, things like that can happen,&rdquo; Hawks coach Nate McMillan said. &ldquo;I thought tonight we did a good job moving the ball and getting it to the open man.&rdquo;
Phoenix &mdash; with star guard Devin Booker close to returning from a groin injury &mdash; lost for just the second time in eight games. The Suns were sloppy with 16 turnovers that turned into 31 points for the Hawks and had a dismal shooting night, hitting just 4 of 28 (14.3%) shots from 3-point range.
&ldquo;They were a lot faster then us especially in transition and we just couldn&rsquo;t make a shot for whatever reason,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said.
Mikal Bridges led the Suns with 23 points but shot just 6 of 18 from the field, including 1 of 7 on 3s. Deandre Ayton added 20 points and nine rebounds.
&ldquo;It felt like we were on a treadmill,&rdquo; Ayton said. &ldquo;It felt like we were hamsters running in one spot. The game was going too fast and we were making some points but not putting a dent into the lead.&rdquo;
The Hawks used a 13-0 run early in the second quarter to take a 66-47 lead into halftime. Murray led Atlanta with 15 points before the break while Bridges had 17 for the Suns.
Phoenix shot just 18 of 47 (38.5%) in the first half, including 2 of 16 (12.5%) from 3-point range.
SUNS SIGN LEE
The Suns announced Wednesday that they&rsquo;ve signed guard Saben Lee for the rest of the season.
Lee has emerged as the team&rsquo;s backup point guard over the last three weeks after being signed to back-to-back 10-day contracts. He&rsquo;s filling in for Cam Payne, who remains out with a foot injury.
To make room for Lee on the roster, the Suns released Duane Washington Jr., who played in 31 games this season, starting three. He averaged 7.9 points, but shot just 36.7% from the field.
Lee had six points, three assists, three steaks and three rebounds in 21 minutes against the Hawks.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Onyeka Okongwu made all seven of his shots. He finished with 17 points. ... Former Suns center Frank Kaminsky got a technical foul in the fourth quarter. ... Young reached 3,000 career assists.
Suns: Booker, Payne and G Landry Shamet (foot) were out. ... Hosted a 54th straight sellout crowd.
UP NEXT
Hawks: At Utah on Friday night.
Suns: At Boston on Friday night.

Dejounte Murray scored 21 points, Trae Young added 20 points and 12 assists and the Hawks rolled past the Suns 132-100.

Dejounte Murray scores 21 points, Hawks roll past Suns 132-100

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Deandre Ayton had to do a double-take in the final minutes as his Phoenix Suns pulled away for another win.
His eyes weren&rsquo;t playing tricks. That was Mikal Bridges getting big mid-range buckets during crucial possessions in the fourth quarter, not injured All-Star guard Devin Booker.
Bridges had one of his best games of the season with 29 points, Ayton added 22 points and 13 rebounds and the Suns won for the sixth time in seven games by beating the Toronto Raptors 114-106 on Monday night.
&ldquo;I told Booker &mdash; &lsquo;You know what&rsquo;s crazy? These are your plays,&rsquo;&rdquo; Ayton said, teasing his teammate. &ldquo;These are Mikal&rsquo;s plays now.&rdquo;
The Suns are on a bit of roll despite missing Booker the past several weeks. The 6-foot-6 Bridges has always been a solid player &mdash; mostly known for his defense and 3-point shooting &mdash; but he has morphed into a lead scoring option with Booker on the shelf with a groin injury.
The fifth-year player is averaging 23 points per game over his last nine contests, which has coincided with a Suns revival after an extended midseason swoon. He shot 12 of 19 from the field against the Raptors, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m loving it,&rdquo; Suns guard Chris Paul said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a confidence thing and I think it just keeps building.&rdquo;
Neither team led by more than 10 points in a contest that featured 16 lead changes and five ties.
The Raptors trailed by nine to start the second half but scored 12 straight points in the first 2 1/2 minutes of the third quarter to take a 65-62 lead. Toronto took an 84-82 advantage into the fourth.
The game stayed tight from that point forward until Phoenix pulled away in the final minutes. Bridges had a pair of clutch jumpers before Paul made a 3-pointer to push the Suns ahead 106-102 with 1:30 left. Ayton added a tip-in with 51.4 seconds left to extend the advantage to 108-102.
Paul finished with 19 points and nine assists.
&ldquo;They threw some shots in that we needed to miss,&rdquo; Raptors guard Fred VanVleet said. &ldquo;We fought hard, we competed, but give them credit.&rdquo;
Toronto was led by VanVleet&rsquo;s 24 points and nine assists. Gary Trent Jr. added 21 points while Pascal Siakam had 19.
&ldquo;We were playing really hard, really well,&rdquo; Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. &ldquo;We could have down a few things and shored up the rebounding, but it didn&rsquo;t really bounce our way when it needed to.&rdquo;
Bridges scored 23 points on 9 of 12 shooting to push the Suns to a 62-53 halftime lead.
&ldquo;I felt it for sure,&rdquo; Bridges said. &ldquo;The crowd had me all gassed up. The crowd and our bench. I felt it from both of them.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Raptors: G O.G. Anunoby (wrist) and F Otto Porter Jr. (foot) were out. ... Shot just 9 of 33 (27.3%) from 3-point range.
Suns: Guards Devin Booker (groin), Cameron Payne (foot) and Landry Shamet (foot) were out. ... Hosted a 53rd straight sellout crowd. ... Paul hit a 3-pointer at the first quarter buzzer to give the Suns a 32-28 lead. ... Dario Saric added 11 points over 14 minutes off the bench.

Mikal Bridges had 29 points, Deandre Ayton added 22 and the Phoenix Suns beat the Toronto Raptors 114-106.

Bridges scores 29, Suns pull away late, beat Raptors 114-106

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Luka Doncic&rsquo;s early injury on Thursday night gave the Dallas Mavericks a very valid reason to lose on the road.
Instead, Spencer Dinwiddie responded to the adversity with a season-high 36 points, Dorian Finney-Smith added 18 points and 12 rebounds, and the Mavs held on for a 99-95 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just an all-around great team effort,&rdquo; Finney-Smith said. &ldquo;Once we found out (Luka) was out, we just stepped up.&rdquo;
Dinwiddie&rsquo;s hot shooting helped the Mavs thrive without Doncic, who limped to the locker room early in the first quarter with a sprained left ankle and didn&rsquo;t return. The veteran guard shot 10 of 18 from the field, including 5 of 6 on 3-pointers. He also made 11 free throws.
The 29-year-old didn&rsquo;t shy from taking the lead scoring role after Doncic went down. It was the first game the Mavs won this season when Doncic was injured.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just a shift in mindset in understanding the volume&rsquo;s going to come and I&rsquo;ve got to be more aggressive,&rdquo; Dinwiddie said.
The Mavs led the entire second half but Suns guard Chris Paul made a layup with 19.7 seconds left to cut the deficit to 96-95. The Mavs were able to close it out when Dwight Powell got fouled after grabbing an offensive rebound and sank his two free throws.
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&ldquo;It was the whole group defensively,&rdquo; Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. &ldquo;To hold a team like Phoenix under 100 points is a big deal. The guys in that locker room should be proud.&rdquo;
Dinwiddie made tough shots all night, including a long 3-pointer with a few seconds left in the third quarter to give the Mavs a 76-69 lead going into the fourth. He banked in another 3 with 3:32 left that put them up 95-86.
Cam Johnson and Paul led the Suns with 22 points apiece. Deandre Ayton scored 19 points and grabbed 20 rebounds, but made just 6 of 20 shots. Paul added 10 assists.
&ldquo;I thought we were a bit happy on the farm to be honest with you,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said. &ldquo;We did not bring the same juice, energy and focus we had been bringing.&rdquo;
The Mavs pushed to a 54-48 halftime lead. Dinwiddie led all scorers with 20 points before the break while Johnson had 13 for the Suns.
The Mavericks snapped a six-game losing streak against the Suns in the regular season, though they beat Phoenix in the Western Conference semifinals in seven games in last year&rsquo;s playoffs.
Phoenix had its four-game winning streak snapped.
&ldquo;Tonight was a battle even though Luka went out,&rdquo; Ayton said. &ldquo;I hope he is OK, but those dudes put up a fight man. We were supposed to take advantage of this.&rdquo;
DONCIC HURT
Doncic played just three minutes before limping to the locker room during a timeout. The 23-year-old, who was voted an All-Star for the fourth straight season earlier Thursday, came into the game averaging 33.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.6 assists.
He was trying to make a move close to the basket against Johnson, but stepped on Mikal Bridges&rsquo; foot before passing the ball and limping away. Kidd called for a timeout and the 6-foot-7 guard slowly made his way to the locker room.
Kidd said Doncic was in &ldquo;good spirits&rdquo; after the game.
&ldquo;He looked good, he looked fine,&rdquo; Kidd said. &ldquo;But we&rsquo;ll see how he feels as we go forward.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Mavericks: F Maxi Kleber (hamstring) and F Christian Wood (thumb) were out.
Suns: Guards Devin Booker (groin), Cameron Payne (foot) and Landry Shamet (foot) were out. ... Hosted their 52nd straight sellout. ... Williams used 13 players.
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Spencer Dinwiddie scored a season-high 36 points and the Dallas Mavericks held on for a 99-95 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

Dinwiddie scores 36, Mavs top Suns 99-95 after Doncic hurt

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Cam Johnson didn&rsquo;t need much time on the floor to do some damage.
Johnson scored 24 points in just 18 minutes, Dario Saric added 19 off the bench and the Phoenix Suns won their fourth straight game by beating the Charlotte Hornets 128-97 on Tuesday night.
The four-game winning streak has helped the Suns make a huge jump in the jumbled Western Conference race &mdash; all the way from 12th to sixth. Before the recent winning streak, they had lost 12 of 14.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s the NBA &mdash; you weather storms. It&rsquo;s life &mdash; you weather storms,&rdquo; Johnson said. &ldquo;Things don&rsquo;t always go your way. We&rsquo;ve found that out the past couple years. That doesn&rsquo;t mean you tuck tail, run, sell the farm, hide away forever.
&ldquo;We have a lot of confidence in our group. Top to bottom.&rdquo;
The Suns built a 30-point lead midway through the second quarter, though Charlotte cut it to 58-50 early in the third. Phoenix rebuilt its lead to 98-77 by the fourth before cruising to the comfortable victory.
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-70 apnews_article_midarticle_1" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">Johnson was hot from the outset, scoring 16 points in seven minutes in the first quarter by making all six of his shots, including four 3-pointers. The forward was playing in his third game since returning from a knee injury that kept him out more than two months. He&rsquo;s knocked the rust off quickly, shooting 9 of 11 from the field against the Hornets, including 6 of 7 from 3-point range.</div>
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&ldquo;To see that ball come off his hands as easy as it did tonight was pretty cool,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said. &ldquo;When he&rsquo;s making shots like that, it opens it up for everyone else.&rdquo;
Suns guard Chris Paul added 14 points and 11 assists. Mikal Bridges scored 18 points and Jock Landale had 15. Bismack Biyombo blocked five shots.
Charlotte couldn&rsquo;t overcome its brutal start. The Hornets shot just 6 of 23 (26.1%) in the first quarter. Terry Rozier scored 19 points, but shot just 7 of 21 from the field. Mason Plumlee added 17 points while Jalen McDaniels had 15 points and 10 rebounds.
&ldquo;They shot the ball well,&rdquo; Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. &ldquo;We did not.&rdquo;
The Suns jumped out to 36-15 lead after one quarter, shooting 60% from the field. Phoenix pushed that advantage to 50-20 with seven minutes remaining in the half but the Hornets responded with a 27-8 run to cut it to 58-47 at halftime.
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&ldquo;I loved our defensive intensity to start the game,&rdquo; Williams said.
It was the second straight game that the Suns struggled to hold a big lead, though both games ended in a win. They had a 29-point advantage over Memphis in the third quarter Sunday before hanging on for a 112-110 win.
TIP-INS
Hornets: G LaMelo Ball (left ankle, right wrist soreness) missed his third straight game. G Gordon Hayward (hamstring strain), G Cody Martin (hamstring soreness) and G/F Kelly Oubre Jr. (left hand surgery) were also out.
Suns: C Deandre Ayton (non-COVID illness) missed his third straight game. G Devin Booker (groin), G Cameron Payne (foot sprain) and G Landry Shamet (foot soreness) were also out. ... The team&rsquo;s four-game winning streak is its longest since a six-game stretch in November. ... Hosted a 51st straight sellout crowd. ... Had a 55-39 rebounding advantage.
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Cam Johnson scored 24 points, and the Phoenix Suns won their fourth straight game by beating the Charlotte Hornets 128-97.

Suns win 4th straight, roll past Hornets 128-97

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; The broad-shouldered Ish Wainright looks as if he should be making plays in the NFL instead of the NBA.
For a while, that was the dream.
But Wainright's athletic career is back on the basketball court these days, and he used his surprising skill set to help the short-handed Phoenix Suns win their second straight game by beating the Indiana Pacers 112-107 on Saturday night.
&ldquo;Obviously, you need talent in this league,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said. &ldquo;But playing hard, with talent, it's a great combination.&rdquo;
Josh Okogie led the Suns with 24 points and 10 rebounds while Mikal Bridges added 22 points, but it was a couple clutch plays from Wainright during the final possessions iced it.
The muscular 6-foot-5, 235-pound forward nailed a corner 3 with 1:10 left to push the Suns up by 107-101 and then added a nifty assist on a pass to Jock Landale for an easy basket &mdash; two stellar possessions that kept that feisty Pacers fighting from behind.
Indiana had a chance to tie on its final possession, but Buddy Hield missed a rushed 3-pointer with two seconds left. The Pacers lost despite a triple-double from T.J. McConnell, who had 18 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.
Phoenix and its ragtag roster took an 87-83 lead into the fourth quarter. The Suns were once again missing a big chunk of their staring lineup, including the All-Star backcourt of Chris Paul and Devin Booker. Starting center Deandre Ayton was out with a non-COVID-19 illness.
But the Suns are still playing hard and treading water in the Western Conference.
&ldquo;We're holding it down and just building trust,&rdquo; Wainright said of playing without the team's stars. &ldquo;They're trusting us, so when they get back, we'll trust them.&rdquo;
Both the Suns and Pacers struggled to score in the fourth quarter.
The Suns pushed to a 102-94 lead with 2:49 left but the Pacers scored four points on one possession when Phoenix's Saben Lee was called for a flagrant foul after elbowing Hield in the face. Hield hit both free throws and Bennedict Mathurin made a layup after the Pacers retained possession because of the flagrant foul.
The Pacers eventually pulled to 104-101 but Wainright's corner 3 swung the momentum back in the Suns' favor.
The Suns won despite shooting 41.8% from the field. The Pacers shot just 37.5%.
Indiana was without its leading scorer Tyrese Haliburton, who missed his sixth straight game. The Pacers have lost seven straight.
&ldquo;Getting the next win is going to be challenging,&rdquo; Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. &ldquo;That is how it is in his league.&rdquo;
The Suns had a 59-57 lead at halftime. Bridges led the Suns with 14 points while Bismack Biyombo had 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Mathurin &mdash; who played at Arizona in college &mdash; scored 12 points for the Pacers and finished with a team-high 23.
WAINRIGHT'S JOURNEY
Wainright played four seasons of basketball at Baylor before switching to football, where he was a tight end for one season for the Bears.
He played well enough on the football field that he earned a tryout with the NFL's Buffalo Bills in 2018, but didn't make the final roster. Then it was back to basketball, and he played in Europe for a couple years before signing a two-way contract with the Suns in 2021.
He didn't play much at first, but has slowly earned a bigger role.
&ldquo;It's player development,&rdquo; Williams said. &ldquo;But it's also the player committing to the development. You can come in the gym, jack up shots and collect a check, or you can be intentional about it.&rdquo;
MCCONNELL'S TRIPLE DOUBLE
McConnell had the third triple-double of his NBA career, grabbing a 10th rebound late in the fourth quarter.
&ldquo;Rebounding is kind of one of those things as a guard, if you are not blocking out, you have to guess where the ball is going,&rdquo; McConnell said. &ldquo;Try to chase long rebounds and they kind of came to me tonight. I wasn&rsquo;t hunting for them they kind of landed in my hands.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Pacers: Haliburton was wearing the jersey of San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy while sitting on the bench. Haliburton and Purdy both played in college at Iowa State.
Suns: Paul, Booker, Ayton, F Cam Johnson, G Cam Payne and G Landry Shamet were all out. ... Honored the 1992-93 Suns team that won the Western Conference championship. They lost to the Bulls in the NBA Finals in six games. Several players were in attendance, including 11-time All-Star Charles Barkley, who was MVP that season. ... Hosted their 49th straight sellout crowd.
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Josh Okogie put up 24 points and 10 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns beat the Indiana Pacers 112-107.

Okogie, Bridges lead short-handed Suns past Pacers 112-107

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Cam Johnson got an All-Star level ovation from the home crowd in the first quarter when he came to the scorer's table, returning to the floor after losing 37 games to a knee injury.
He's not the best player on the Phoenix Suns. But he's a very good player, and right now, they need all the help they can get.
Mikal Bridges scored 28 points, Johnson added 19 off the bench and the still very short-handed Suns held off the Brooklyn Nets 117-112 on Thursday night.
&ldquo;I just thought he brought a level of juice to the arena that we hadn't felt in a while,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said. &ldquo;He got up off the bench and you could feel the fans, the community &mdash; &lsquo;That&rsquo;s our guy.'"
Brooklyn fought back from 20 points down in the fourth quarter to make things tight in the final minute.
Kyrie Irving &mdash; who scored 21 points of his 30 points in the fourth quarter &mdash; hit a 3-pointer to cut it to 113-110 with 10.9 seconds remaining, After the Suns hit a free throw, Nic Claxton's dunk with 7.4 seconds made it 114-112, but that's as close as the Nets would get to taking the lead.
&ldquo;Sometimes, the hole is too big to come back from," Irving said.
Deandre Ayton had 24 points and 14 rebounds to help the Suns snap a three-game losing streak. Brooklyn has lost four straight.
Johnson's return is welcome good news for a team that had lost 12 of 14 games coming into Thursday. He had a crucial steal late in the fourth quarter along with four important free throws.
&ldquo;Man, I can't tell you how good it felt to be back out there," Johnson said.
Both teams were missing some of their star players. Brooklyn's Kevin Durant was out with a knee injury while Phoenix was missing its All-Star backcourt of Devin Booker (groin) and Chris Paul (hip).
The Suns controlled most of the game, pushing to a 94-74 lead by the end of the third quarter. The Nets cut it to 107-102 with about 3:30 left, but then had three straight turnovers to blunt their momentum.
Irving also had seven rebounds and seven assists. He was 11 of 27 from the field.
The Suns pushed to a 65-51 halftime lead after shooting 58.5% from the field. Ayton had 17 points, nine rebounds and three assists before the break.
SIMMONS TOSSED
Nets guard Ben Simmons was ejected early in the third quarter after picking up two quick technicals for arguing.
Simmons was called for an offensive foul on a screen and then started arguing with official Eric Lewis as both went down the court. Lewis called him for his first technical and then Simmons was subbed out of the game. As Simmons sat down, he continued arguing and got his second technical.
After he was ejected, Simmons immediately got up and walked back to the locker room. He finished with seven points, four rebounds and six assists.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough,&rdquo; Simmons said. &ldquo;I am a 6-10 guy who likes to guard certain guys. I am going to be physical. I am not going to tone it down because the refs don't want to see the physicality.&rdquo;
NEW OWNER COURTSIDE
Incoming Suns owner Mat Ishbia was courtside Thursday night, sitting close to the same area that outgoing owner Robert Sarver used to sit.
Ishbia agreed to purchase the Suns from the embattled Sarver for $4 billion in December. The sale is still in the process of being completed. Ishbia is a former Michigan State player under coach Tom Izzo, and was a member of the Spartans&rsquo; NCAA championship team in 2000.
The NBA suspended Sarver in September for one year, plus fined him $10 million, after an investigation found he had engaged in what the league called &ldquo;workplace misconduct and organizational deficiencies.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Suns: Paul, Booker, G Josh Okogie (nasal fracture), G Cameron Payne (right foot sprain), G Landry Shamet (right foot soreness) didn't play. ... Had a 25-11 rebounding advantage in the first half ... Hosted a 48th consecutive sellout crowd. ... Saben Lee, who is on a 10-day contract, scored 15 points. ... Has a
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Mikal Bridges scored 28 points, Johnson added 19 off the bench and the still very short-handed Suns held off the Brooklyn Nets 117-112.

Mikal Bridges scores 28 points, Suns beat Nets to snap skid

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Anthony Edwards scored 31 points, D&rsquo;Angelo Russell had 7 and the Minnesota Timberwolves held off the short-handed Phoenix Suns 121-116 on Friday night.
Taurean Prince added 16 points off the bench and fellow reserve Naz Red had 13 points for Minnesota. The Timberwolves won for the fourth time in five games and bounced back from a 135-118 loss in Detroit on Wednesday night.
Damion Lee led Phoenix with 31 points and Mikal Bridges had 24. The Suns were again without stars Chris Paul and Devin Booker, along with Cameron Johnson and backcourt backups Cameron Payne and Landry Shamet.
Deandre Ayton returned after missing two games with a left ankle sprain and had 11 points and 11 rebounds, but the big center struggled against Minnesota&rsquo;s Rudy Gobert. Ayton shot just 5 of 18 from the field.
The Suns are 6-17, the third-fewest wins in the NBA, since ending November with a 15-6 record. They have been without Booker, their leading scorer for much of that stretch.
Edwards scored seven points during a 12-0 run by the Timberwolves in the first quarter that established a 21-9 lead. Minnesota never trailed again, taking the lead out to 24 points against a depleted Phoenix team that had beaten the Wolves in the previous six meetings.
Minnesota won four straight games between a pair of disappointing losses to the Pistons, who were in last place in the East at the time.
Phoenix closed within six in the final minutes, but Edwards helped Minnesota withstand the late run.
TIP-INS
Suns: Booker has missed 17 of the past 18 games with a left groin strain and only played four minutes in the one game he played. The team is 4-14 in that stretch. &hellip; Paul has missed the last four games with right hip soreness. Payne (right foot sprain) has missed the last five games and Shamet (right hip soreness) has missed three in a row. &hellip; Johnson, who&rsquo;s been out since Nov. 4 after knee surgery to repair a meniscus tear, warmed up before the game. &hellip; Phoenix had 19 turnovers leading to 17 points.
Timberwolves: Gobert only took one shot, but he finished with four points and 12 rebounds. ... Minnesota had 15 turnovers that led to 25 points. &hellip; The Wolves scored 64 points in the paint.
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Anthony Edwards scored 31 points, and the Minnesota Timberwolves held off the short-handed Phoenix Suns 121-116.