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Timberwolves

As the 2024-2025 NBA regular season draws to a close, several compelling narratives have emerged, captivating fans and analysts alike. From intense playoff races to individual accolades and future prospects, the league is buzzing with anticipation. Here's an in-depth look at the most significant storylines to follow:
<h2>Can Anyone Beat the Top 4 Teams in the East in the First Round?</h2>
The Eastern Conference has been dominated by four powerhouse teams this season: the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Milwaukee Bucks. Each team would likely secure a top-four seed, thus establishing themselves as formidable opponents. The Cavaliers, under the leadership of their dynamic young core, have clinched the Central Division title for the first time since the 2017-2018 season. The defending champion Celtics continue their quest for a record 19th title, showcasing depth and resilience. The Knicks, who have secured at least a play-in spot and eventually the third seed, have been reflecting their consistent performance. The Bucks, with Giannis Antetokounmpo and their experienced roster, remain a perennial threat.&nbsp;
Despite the dominance of these teams, the question remains: can lower-seeded teams pull off an upset in the first round? While the top four have displayed consistency, the unpredictability of the playoffs means that matchups, injuries, and momentum can significantly influence outcomes. Teams like the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, and Orlando Magic have the potential to challenge higher seeds, especially if they capitalize on favorable matchups or exploit any vulnerabilities. However, given the current form and depth of the top four, any first-round upset would require exceptional performances from the challengers.​
<h2>How Far Can the Luka-LeBron Pairing Go in the Playoffs?</h2>
In a blockbuster mid-season trade, the Los Angeles Lakers acquired young superstar Luka Doncic and paired him up with LeBron James. This dynamic duo has generated significant buzz, with fans eager to see how the combination of James' veteran leadership and Doncic&rsquo;s youthful brilliance translates on the court. Early returns have been promising, but James has been down with an injury, and the Lakers are awaiting his return in time for the playoffs.
Despite their offensive firepower, questions linger about the team's depth and defensive capabilities. The Western Conference is stacked with formidable opponents, and the Lakers will need consistent contributions from their supporting cast to advance deep into the playoffs. Additionally, managing LeBron's minutes to preserve his health for the postseason will be a delicate balancing act for head coach JJ Redick. The potential for this pairing is immense, but actualizing it will require strategic adjustments and unwavering focus.​
<h2>The Emergence of the Jimmy Butler Warriors as a Threat in the West</h2>
The Golden State Warriors made a significant splash by acquiring Jimmy Butler, aiming to bolster their roster and return to championship contention. Butler's tenacity on both ends of the floor has seamlessly integrated with the Warriors' established core, creating a formidable lineup. His defensive prowess and clutch scoring have added a new dimension to the team's dynamics, complementing the sharpshooting of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.​
This revamped Warriors squad has seen a resurgence, climbing the Western Conference standings and positioning themselves as legitimate contenders. The synergy between Butler and the existing roster has revitalized the team's defensive intensity and offensive versatility. As the playoffs approach, the Warriors' blend of experience, star power, and newfound grit makes them a daunting matchup for any opponent. Their trajectory suggests that they are peaking at the right time, poised to make a deep postseason run.​
<h2>What's Next for the Phoenix Suns if They Don't Make the Playoffs?</h2>
The Phoenix Suns, who were Western Conference champions just a few seasons ago, now face the grim reality of potentially missing the playoffs. Currently trailing in the standings with an abysmal record, the team's inconsistent performances have raised concerns among fans and management alike.&nbsp;
Should they fail to secure a postseason berth, the Suns will need to reassess their roster and strategic direction. Key players may find themselves on the trading block as the front office evaluates the team's long-term goals. Additionally, head coach Mike Budenholzer&rsquo;s system and approach may come under scrutiny, prompting another potential change in coaching strategies or personnel. The offseason could usher in a period of significant transformation for the franchise as they strive to return to their winning ways.​
<h2>The Cavs as a Legitimate Threat in the East</h2>
The Cleveland Cavaliers have orchestrated a remarkable improvement this season, evolving from a mid-tier team to a formidable force in the Eastern Conference. Their impressive 15-0 start set the tone for a campaign filled with promise and resilience.&nbsp;
Central to their success is the development of their young core, with players like Darius Garland and Evan Mobley stepping into pivotal roles. The team's defensive tenacity, combined with a balanced offensive attack, has made them a challenging opponent for any contender. As the playoffs loom, the Cavaliers' blend of youthful exuberance and strategic discipline positions them as a dark horse capable of upsetting established powerhouses in the East.​
<h2>Who Finishes 2nd in the West?</h2>
The battle for the second seed in the Western Conference is intensifying as the regular season draws to a close. 6 teams are all in the hunt and are all vying for this coveted spot, each bringing a unique set of strengths to the table. Securing the second seed not only guarantees home-court advantage in the first round but also sets a favorable path through the playoffs.​
The Nuggets, led by Nikola Jokić, have showcased consistent performance throughout the season. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies have navigated injuries to key players, to bounce back this season and rely on their depth and coaching adjustments to stay competitive. The Warriors, rejuvenated by the addition of Jimmy Butler, are surging at the right time. The final stretch of games will be decisive, with head-to-head matchups likely determining the final standings. Fans can expect a thrilling race to the finish as these teams vie for playoff positioning.​

As the 2024-2025 NBA regular season draws to a close, several compelling narratives have emerged.

The biggest storylines to monitor as NBA regular season reaches its end

The 2024 NBA Free Agency underway. Here's everything you need to know about the makings and the moves around the NBA.

2024 NBA Free Agency Tracker: All the signings and deals in the offseason

With the Eastern Conference All-Star starters set, let&rsquo;s look at the players who deserve a reserve slot for the East All-Star team this season. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/picking-the-nbas-western-conference-allstar-reserves" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Check out our Western Conference All-Star reserve picks here</a>.
Guard: Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
This pick is a no-brainer. Brunson is the head of the snake for a New York Knicks team that&rsquo;s been the best in the NBA since the turn of the calendar, going an NBA-best 14-2 in January. If not for falling short in fan voting (ranking just fifth), he would have been an All-Star starter. The 6-foot-2 guard ranked third and second in player and media voting, respectively, earning the respect of his peers and the media alike due to his ongoing stellar season. He&rsquo;s currently averaging 27 points, 6.5 assists and 4 rebounds per game for the third-place Knicks. Brunson is surefire and deserving All-Star.
Guard: Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
Equally as deserving as Brunson, Mitchell is the second player (and guard) I'd select as an East reserve. He&rsquo;s averaging 27.7 points, 6.3 assists and 5.5 rebounds per outing and is leading one of the hottest teams in the NBA, as the Cavs recently went on an eight-game winning streak. What makes this recent stretch even more impressive is that Mitchell did this without All-Star backcourt mate Darius Garland and forward Evan Mobley, who have been out with injuries. Despite surfacing in some trade rumors early in the season, Mitchell put his head down and went to work, earning himself an All-Star spot this season.
Forward: Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
Celtics forward Jaylen Brown has certainly picked up right where he left off last season after recently signing his lucrative $300 million extension. Brown has been the second-best player on the best team in the NBA, averaging 22.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists a game. He provides ample support for Celtics teammate and All-Star starter Jayson Tatum and at times carries the offensive load when Tatum is not on the floor. Boston would not be the juggernaut they are without the 6-foot-6 Brown&rsquo;s perimeter defense, dynamic three-level scoring and improved pick-and-roll decision-making.
Forward: Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic
Blossoming into a true alpha for the Magic this season, Banchero has turned heads with his play. The 2022 No. 1 overall pick is averaging 23 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists and he has yet to miss a game (47 games played). Banchero is one of only three players with the same numbers this season while shooting 38% from three, with the other two being All-Star starters LeBron James and Luka Doncic. The Magic are in the thick of a tight Eastern Conference playoff race, and Banchero has been a big reason why. The 6-foot-10, 250-pound forward has produced in clutch moments and had a number of dominant performances despite being just a sophomore in this league. Without him, Orlando would be a totally different team.
Center: Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat&nbsp;
Although the Miami Heat have been in a slump as of late, Bam Adebayo has shown up night in and night out while producing the same type of efficiency and numbers he's known for. Adebayo is averaging 20.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.1 blocks and a steal while serving as a two-way anchor for the Heat. A lot of Miami's offensive possessions have been initiated by Adebayo, whether it be dribble handoffs, screening actions or him going to work from the free-throw line. He is having a career-year in terms of scoring while still playing at a high level on defense. For a Heat team that's been missing key players all season long, Adebayo has been rock-solid and that will likely earn him another All-Star nod.&nbsp;
Wildcard: Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
A Most Improved Player candidate, Maxey has taken his game to new heights this season. He&rsquo;s bumped up his scoring average from 20.3 to 25.7 points a game, and transitioned into a full-time point guard after James Harden&rsquo;s departure. Maxey has learned to balance his scoring and facilitating, emerging as a perfect No. 2 option alongside reigning MVP Joel Embiid. Their partnership has been lethal, averaging the most combined points by a duo this season. Maxey&rsquo;s ascension to a legit second option this season didn't go unnoticed, as he earned the respect of his fellow players and media, ranking second and fourth, respectively, in their voting ballots. This all adds up to the first All-Star berth for the 6-foot-3 guard.
Wildcard: Trae Young, Philadelphia 76ers
Even though the Atlanta Hawks have been underperforming, it's hard not to notice Young&rsquo;s exploits this season. He is the only player in the league averaging 26 points and 10 assists, and he has the most 30-point, 10-assist games (13). Although Young finished second in fan voting among East guards, he'll likely need to earn a wildcard spot in order to make the East team. Sure, one can argue Young&rsquo;s stats do not impact winning and somone like Boston&rsquo;s Derrick White deserves the nod over him because his team is atop of the standings. But I believe Young's sheer excellence this season has earned him a spot. 
Snubs: Julius Randle (Forward, New York Knicks); Derrick White (Guard, Boston Celtics); Kristaps Porzingis (Center, Boston Celtics); Jimmy Butler (Forward, Miami Heat)&nbsp;
Probably the toughest cut was Julius Randle, who was having a good season with the now third-place Knicks before dislocating his shoulder. He might still be named an All-Star and then a replacement would be named in his place, which would allow Randle and his replacement to be recognized. White&rsquo;s impact on winning for the top-ranked Celtics stands out and should warrant an All-Star spot if the East didn't have several star guards who are putting up ridiculous stats. Porzingis and Butler, on the other hand, have missed a considerable amount of games, which weakens their case.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/picking-the-nbas-western-conference-allstar-reserves" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Check out our Western Conference All-Star reserve picks here.</a>

With the Eastern Conference All-Star starters set, let’s look at the East players who deserve a reserve slot this season.

Picking the NBA's Eastern Conference All-Star reserves

LaMelo Ball is 22 years old, has improved his scoring average in each of his three NBA seasons, launches (and makes) 30-footers at a higher rate than most other players, throws passes that nearly shatter the simulation we exist in and already has an All-Star appearance under his belt. 
So why does most of the NBA world agree that he&rsquo;s still a borderline star, and not yet the full-fledged franchise cornerstone he&rsquo;s clearly capable of being?&nbsp;
In one word (a curse to some) it all comes down to Ball&rsquo;s efficiency. He&rsquo;s never produced highly efficient buckets like the upper-echelon point guards &ndash; Damian Lillard, Steph Curry and recently Shai Gilgeous-Alexander &ndash; consistently do. Rather, Ball&rsquo;s efficiency has been middling (a 54.7 career True Shooting percentage isn&rsquo;t exactly alarming, but it doesn&rsquo;t satiate either.)&nbsp;
Ball has actually been a good three-point shooter his whole career (37.7% on 7.5 attempts) and nearly 50% of his shots over the past two seasons have been from deep, but the shooting inefficiencies start to become apparent as he gets closer to the hoop, bucking conventional wisdom that tells you the closer you get to a basket, the easier scoring should become. But there are large men standing in there, so maybe that has something to do with it. I don&rsquo;t know; I just write words.&nbsp;
Anyway&hellip; according to Cleaning The Glass, Ball has shot 53%, 54%, and 54% at the rim (within four feet) in his first three seasons, respectively. That&rsquo;s hovering around the 25th percentile of all point guards, not where you&rsquo;d expect &ndash; or hope &ndash; a player of his size and craftiness to be.&nbsp;
Being a bad rim finisher, on its own, is not a flaw that will nullify a player&rsquo;s potential to be an elite scorer &ndash; just look at Trae Young, who has been a mediocre rim finisher most of his career, but compensates with an incredible floater. The problem for Ball is that he&rsquo;s more likely to attempt a shot at the rim than he is to attempt anything from the midrange, even though he&rsquo;s shown some proficiency in the midrange area:&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Even more LaMelo Ball: makes Chris Duarte disappear with this quick spin + the iso finish and touch to get it over Turner at the rim, again <a href="https://t.co/pOv2d6c80U">pic.twitter.com/pOv2d6c80U</a>
&mdash; Brian Geisinger (@bgeis_bird) <a href="https://twitter.com/bgeis_bird/status/1476361613603217409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2021</a></blockquote>
In his first two seasons, Ball was in the 61st and 56th percentile for all midrange shots among point guards, according to Cleaning The Glass. (His midrange numbers dropped pretty drastically across the board last year, but that can mostly be blamed on three ankle sprains that limited him to 36 games).&nbsp;
In the &ldquo;short mid,&rdquo; which is from four-to-14 feet, Ball was right in the middle of the pack (55th percentile as a rookie and 52nd percentile as a sophomore). From the &ldquo;long mid,&rdquo; he&rsquo;s been even better, shooting 45-of-111, good for the 62nd percentile of all point guards his sophomore season. None of those numbers are jaw-dropping, but they are far better than his numbers at the rim.
But despite the solid numbers from the midrange, Ball was only in the 20th, 36th and 20th percentile, respectively, in midrange attempts among point guards his first three years. Essentially, he&rsquo;s good in the midrange, but doesn&rsquo;t shoot from there often.&nbsp;
He should shoot there more often. At 6-foot-7, Ball possesses a mix of size, touch and creativity that very few other players do, and the deep floaters, runners and funky fadeaway midrange jumpers are all perfect examples of that creativity.&nbsp;
Exhibit A:&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
LaMelo has absurd range on his floater <a href="https://t.co/q2yiibCl7h">pic.twitter.com/q2yiibCl7h</a>
&mdash; Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/UsherNBA/status/1689792830208716800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2023</a></blockquote>
Exhibit B:&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
LaMelo's dexterity is elite. The ability to transition from dribble to floater with one hand the entire way while his other hand fends off Claxton requires tremendous skill. <a href="https://t.co/Hnm8XAAi6J">pic.twitter.com/Hnm8XAAi6J</a>
&mdash; Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) <a href="https://twitter.com/jackfrank_jjf/status/1452530076067655680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2021</a></blockquote>
So, the key to Ball making another leap as a scorer could rely on him keeping his rim attempts about level with his rim attempts from last season (48th percentile, about four attempts per game) while increasing the midrange attempts to career-high levels. He doesn&rsquo;t need to be leading the league in midrange shots per game, but getting up to around the 65th percentile of midrange attempts among point guards could do wonders for his efficiency &ndash; assuming the actual shooting percentages stay the same with higher volume.&nbsp;
Ball shouldn&rsquo;t completely eliminate his rim attempts is because 1) he should keep working to improve skills that he struggles with, obviously, and 2) Ball driving consistently does still yield positive results a lot of the time. Last season, Ball was 10th in the NBA in assists on drives, according to NBA.com. (Luka Doncic, Ja Morant, Tyrese Haliburton, Darius Garland and Young are some of the names in front of him on the list).
Driving to the rim with the threat of a pass is an area Ball excels in, and if there&rsquo;s no chance that he&rsquo;ll take a drive all the way to the rim and attempt a shot, then defenses have one less outcome to worry about when he has the ball. Ball&rsquo;s ability to draw defenses and then find teammates on dropoff passes is always a treat to watch:&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
one of the man ways lamelo ball is unlike any other passer is how he manipulates the ball, defenders just have no idea where he is gonna pass when he dangles the ball in front of them <a href="https://t.co/P4EIlRZ2tK">pic.twitter.com/P4EIlRZ2tK</a>
&mdash; ben (@bjpf_) <a href="https://twitter.com/bjpf_/status/1629587437092585475?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2023</a></blockquote>
LaMelo Ball driving creates good things, and he should continue to put pressure on the defense by getting into the lane. But by decreasing the frequency of actual rim attempts, and increasing the frequency of his midrange prowess &ndash; even including shots that are bad looks for most, like one-legged midrange runners or floaters from the free-throw line &ndash; LaMelo can help himself evolve from a volume scorer into a rounded, efficient scoring weapon.

Quinn Everts breaks down how LaMelo Ball can improve his efficiency by attempting more midrange shots.

LaMelo Ball's next evolution might include more time in the midrange

With the NBA&rsquo;s 2023 free-agency period pretty much wrapped up, why not take a look at how projecting next year's free-agent market? Obviously, a lot can change between now and then, but let&rsquo;s examine each team&rsquo;s cap situation and how much cap room they project to have next summer.&nbsp;
Next year&rsquo;s free-agency class could feature some big names, including Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam, Tyrese Maxey (restricted), Paul George, LeBron James, James Harden, Jrue Holiday, OG Anunoby and DeMar DeRozan.&nbsp;
For the purposes of this exercise, I&rsquo;m going to separate teams into four spending-power tiers: Cap Space Teams, Non-Tax MLE Teams, Luxury Tax Teams and Second Apron Teams. Also, let's assume that the salary cap will be set at $149,623,000 and the luxury tax will come in at $181,823,000, the maximum 10% jump from this upcoming season set under the new CBA.
CAP SPACE TEAMS
Teams in this tier are currently projected to have cap space next summer. They have spending access to their cap space, Bird Rights, the Room Exception (projected at $8,495,000) and the Veteran Minimum Exception.
San Antonio Spurs ($77,195,776 under the cap) If Victor Wembanyama is 70% as good as he&rsquo;s hyped up to be entering this season, one would figure that the Spurs will spend big or at least make a meaningful impact on the free-agent market next summer. They project to have an enormous amount of cap space, so it&rsquo;s very possible we&rsquo;ll see San Antonio take on some more bad contracts in trades to give them even more draft capital. Also, they&rsquo;ll want to retain Devin Vassell, who will be a restricted free agent next offseason once the Spurs extend his qualifying offer.
Philadelphia 76ers ($73,034,842 under the cap) The Sixers are perhaps the most interesting team in terms of their 2024 offseason outlook. By letting Tyrese Maxey hit restricted free agency next summer rather than extending him this year, Philadelphia gave themselves serious cap flexibility. Tobias Harris and James Harden both have expiring contracts, so the Sixers will have to use their cap space to replace their production. A Harden trade would obviously change their projected cap room, but it remains to be seen what they&rsquo;ll get back for the former MVP and how much it&rsquo;ll impact their books.
Toronto Raptors ($60,339,034 under the cap) After losing Fred VanVleet, the Raptors are walking a tightrope when it comes to whether they&rsquo;ll compete or rebuild. They face some tough decisions. Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby are both set to hit free agency next summer, so Toronto needs to decide whether they want to extend or trade their best players. Not to mention, Precious Achiuwa and Gary Trent Jr. also need new contracts.
Orlando Magic ($58,010,944 under the cap) Orlando has a lot of options for next summer, but the Magic may start with retaining many of their own players. Franz Wagner will likely receive a big contract extension, while Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony will be up for new contracts. Given that Orlando has a logjam in their backcourt &ndash; with Fultz, Anthony, Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black &ndash; it&rsquo;ll be interesting to see what they do with Fultz and Anthony. The Magic will still have plenty of room to add quality talent for yearly average values over the NTMLE.
Detroit Pistons ($57,781,166 under the cap) Detroit may approach the 2024 offseason similar to how Houston approached this summer, as a young team hoping to use its massive cap space on good veterans in order to take bigger steps toward playoff contention. With that said, the first priority for the team will be agreeing to a contract extension with Cade Cunningham.
Utah Jazz ($50,315,319 under the cap) The Jazz find themselves in a unique position where they could go in two directions. After committing a three-year deal to Jordan Clarkson, they can use their cap space to give 2023 Most Improved Player Lauri Markkanen a contract extension. If they want to have significant cap space for next summer instead, they can hold off on giving Markkanen an extension until free agency is settled.
Washington Wizards ($47,123,801 under the cap) Despite their cap space next year, don&rsquo;t expect Washington to be a big player in 2024 free agency. In the beginning stages of a rebuild, the Wizards will probably keep their sights on collecting more draft capital. They do have an interesting decision coming up with recent trade acquisition Tyus Jones, whom they&rsquo;ll likely want to keep long-term.&nbsp;
Charlotte Hornets ($41,300,515 under the cap)&nbsp; They may lose some 2024 cap space if they eventually re-sign PJ Washington this offseason, but watch out for Charlotte to be one of the many small-market teams with money to spend next summer. With LaMelo Ball in the first year of his max contract extension, Charlotte may cash in on a marquee player to keep their young star happy.
Brooklyn Nets ($33,048,185 under the cap) The Nets do have the potential to have significant cap space next summer if they choose not to re-sign most of their own free agents. However, the Nets will more than likely focus on exploring the trade market and retaining big man Nic Claxton before reaching next year&rsquo;s free agency. Spencer Dinwiddie and Royce O&rsquo;Neale will also hit free agency next offseason.
Indiana Pacers ($20,488,005 under the cap) Indiana could get to an even higher number in cap space if they decline Bruce Brown&rsquo;s $23 million team option next season. If Brown has a good year, the Pacers would likely keep him on a long-term deal that would consume a good chunk of their space. Other impending free agents they might like to keep include Obi Toppin, Aaron Nesmith and Jalen Smith.
Oklahoma City Thunder ($10,264,814 under the cap) The Thunder will likely continue to utilize the strategy of taking on short-term, bad-money contracts in exchange for draft capital. As they inch closer to contention, they will be looking at some big-money extensions for many of their young pieces, including one for Josh Giddey next year.&nbsp;
NON-TAX MLE TEAMS
Teams in this tier are currently projected to be over the salary cap but under the luxury tax. They have spending access to Bird Rights, the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception (projected at $13,644,000), the Bi-Annual Exception (projected at $4,968,000) unless used in 2023-24, and the Veteran Minimum Exception.
Chicago Bulls ($19,465,689 under the cap) The Bulls could potentially operate as a cap-space team if they elect to let DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Williams walk in free agency, but that seems unlikely. In addition, the Bulls could potentially create more space if Lonzo Ball&rsquo;s knee injury is considered career-ending by an NBA/NBPA-appointed physician. (Ball would still be paid, it just wouldn&rsquo;t count against the cap).&nbsp;
Sacramento Kings ($210,669 under the cap) The Kings used up most of their cap space by signing Domantas Sabonis to a big four-year extension that ties him with the team through 2028. As long as they are competitive, they will likely pursue quality pieces with their Non-Tax MLE to support Sabonis and De&rsquo;Aaron Fox. They will also likely try to keep Malik Monk and look at extension options for Davion Mitchell.
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New Orleans Pelicans ($487,911 over the cap) The Pelicans are fairly set with their core of CJ McCollum, Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram under contract through 2025. Ingram and McCollum are both extension-eligible this offseason, but the Pelicans may wait on dishing out extensions to maintain flexibility under the tax. New Orleans must also monitor Jonas Valanciunas&rsquo; free agency and a possible extension for Trey Murphy III.&nbsp;
Atlanta Hawks ($1,658,172 over the cap) Similar to the Kings, the Hawks wiped away their cap space when they signed Dejounte Murray and De&rsquo;Andre Hunter to four-year, $120 million and four-year, $90 million extensions, respectively. Already pushing past the salary cap, the Hawks may face a money crunch as they broach the luxury tax line. Retaining restricted free agents Onyeka Okongwu and Saddiq Bey next offseason may be tricky.
Los Angeles Clippers ($5,018,261 over the cap) The Clippers are in an interesting spot with George and Leonard both needing new deals, which they will likely get despite their inability to stay on the floor. Many veterans with big salaries will come off the books next year, like Marcus Morris, Nic Batum and Robert Covington. The question is whether the Clippers will continue to commit significant capital to a roster that hasn&rsquo;t met its lofty expectations.
Miami Heat ($7,751,630 over the cap) The Miami Heat are in a holding pattern with their roster as they engage in a Mexican standoff with the Blazers on a Damian Lillard trade, which could see them skyrocket into the deep tax. Outside of the Dame situation, Jimmy Butler will likely look for another big extension this offseason, which will pay him max money deep into his late 30s. They will also have to contend with potentially losing Caleb Martin, who has a player option for 2024-25.
Houston Rockets ($8,734,919 over the cap) The biggest spenders of this past offseason, the Rockets made big moves for Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks. Houston could get back into the cap-space tier again if they choose to part ways with Kevin Porter Jr. and his non-guaranteed $15.9 million salary. Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun will also be up for extensions.&nbsp;
Cleveland Cavaliers ($11,399,749 over the cap) The Cavs are pretty set going into the 2023-24 season and beyond with two max guys (Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell) and key guys on fairly big deals (Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert and Max Strus). They will likely give Evan Mobley a big extension next offseason, which could push them into the luxury tax in the near future. For next offseason, their only notable free agent is Isaac Okoro.
New York Knicks ($11,400,861 over the cap) This morning, the Knicks inked Josh Hart to a four-year contract extension that pushed them over the cap for 2024-25. Their main concerns for next summer are Immanuel Quickley and Isaiah Hartenstein, who are both up for new contracts. They will likely be able to avoid the tax by declining their team option on Evan Fournier or trading his expiring contract for another expiring deal.
Dallas Mavericks ($13,566,153 over the cap) The Mavericks are not likely to seek pathways to cap space next summer after doubling down on their trade for Kyrie Irving by re-signing him to a three-year, $120 million deal. They should look to retain Josh Green, who will be a restricted free agent. Luka Doncic&rsquo;s happiness looms over all of the Mavs&rsquo; moves, as ESPN&rsquo;s Tim McMahon <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/mavs-fear-luka-doncic-may-request-trade-unless-they-build-contender">reported in April</a> that the Mavericks are worried about Doncic potentially seeking a trade elsewhere as soon as next year.
Los Angeles Lakers ($15,380,636 over the cap) The Lakers had a pathway to almost two max slots in the unlikely scenario that they decided to pivot from the LeBron-AD era. However, that option is out the window with them inking Davis to a three-year supermax extension that will keep him with the team through 2028. LeBron James&rsquo; decision to stay with the team or leave will ultimately dictate how the Lakers approach spending next offseason.
Portland Trail Blazers ($20,567,876 over the cap) Portland is in the midst of turning the page to a new era as they look to accommodate franchise cornerstone Damian Lillard&rsquo;s trade request. If they do end up trading Lillard, expect their cap numbers to come down slightly, but not enough to get any meaningful space. Whether Lillard is traded for the Miami package or something else, Portland shouldn&rsquo;t be a major player in free agency for a while.&nbsp;
LUXURY TAX TEAMS
Teams in this tier are currently projected to be over the salary cap and luxury tax. They have spending access to Bird Rights, the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception (projected at $5,500,000), and the Veteran Minimum Exception.
Minnesota Timberwolves ($14,474,085 under the tax) The Timberwolves have paid the luxury tax only once since 2007. They should be a tax team once again, with Karl-Anthony Towns' supermax extension and Anthony Edwards' max extension kicking in. In addition, Minnesota will need to use significant capital to keep players like Jaden McDaniels, Mike Conley and Kyle Anderson, all of whom will be free agents in 2024.
Golden State Warriors ($9,696,462 under the tax) While the Warriors are currently under the tax, they are likely going to re-sign 2024 free agent Klay Thompson to a long-term deal at a lower number or at least use his Bird Rights to acquire another piece at a similar number. Golden State can cut some costs by releasing Chris Paul after the season, as his $30 million salary for 2024-25 is non-guaranteed.
Milwaukee Bucks ($6,142,529 under the tax) The Bucks re-signed Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez to big-money deals, committing to the players who won them the 2021 title. Another one of those players, Jrue Holiday, is set to reach free agency and will likely demand max money. In addition, Giannis Antetokounmpo becomes eligible for a supermax extension of up to three years in October and can sign a four-year supermax extension next offseason.
Denver Nuggets ($6,732,627 over the tax) The defending champs have their core of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon locked in through the 2025 offseason. They&rsquo;ve already lost Bruce Brown and Jeff Green this summer and will be forced to work around the edges with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope potentially heading for free agency next summer.
Boston Celtics ($7,306,800 over the tax) The trade for Kristaps Porzingis pushed the Celtics into the luxury tax for the first time since 2018, and that was before they signed Jaylen Brown to a five-year supermax extension. With Jayson Tatum&rsquo;s own supermax extension on the horizon next year, the Celtics figure to be a tax team, and potentially a second apron team, for the foreseeable future.
SECOND APRON TEAMS
Teams in this tier are currently projected to be over the salary cap, luxury tax and second luxury tax apron ($17.5 million over the tax). They have spending access to just Bird Rights and the Veteran Minimum Exception. The second apron was introduced in the new CBA and prevents teams from using the Taxpayer MLE, trading first-round picks seven years away, signing buyout free agents and taking back more salary than they send out in trades among other restrictions.
Memphis Grizzlies ($13,829,477 over the tax) For the first time under owner Robert Pera, the Grizzlies will be paying the luxury tax. While Memphis probably won&rsquo;t reach the second apron, they are not likely to have enough spare capital to use their Tax MLE and be able to fill out their roster without going over it. Their core of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. are locked up to big money, long-term deals that will keep Memphis among the league's biggest spenders for likely the next decade-plus.
Phoenix Suns ($27,039,607 over the tax) Phoenix is by far the most limited team when it comes to spending, and they will be for the next few seasons after trading for Bradley Beal&rsquo;s behemoth contract. With four max contracts, including two supermax contracts, the Suns have blown through the second apron. Like this past offseason, the supporting cast around their core four will be mostly minimum-salary contracts.

How much cap room is your favorite NBA team projected to have next summer? Blake Stern breaks down where all 30 teams stand.

Which NBA teams project to have the most cap space in 2024?

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

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

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

After monitoring the NBA awards races all season, Nekias Duncan shares his final selections for DPOY, ROY, MIP, 6MOY and more.

Nekias Duncan's 2022-23 NBA award selections: DPOY, 6MOY, MIP, more

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Karl-Anthony Towns hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 11 seconds to play after Kyle Anderson stole a pass by Draymond Green, and Minnesota held off Golden State.
Jordan Poole gave Golden State the lead on a 3 with 1:28 left, moments after Towns had connected from deep. Poole had a game-high 27 points.
The Warriors had a chance with 9.9 seconds left but Stephen Curry couldn&rsquo;t corral Poole&rsquo;s errant pass, then Curry missed a contested 3 from the baseline just before the final buzzer.
Towns had 14 points and five rebounds in his second outing following a 52-game absence with a strained right calf.
The Warriors had their nine-game home winning streak snapped and missed a chance to boost their playoff positioning. A victory also would have clinched Sacramento&rsquo;s first postseason berth since 2006. The Kings will try to end the longest playoff drought in NBA history Monday night at home against Minnesota.
BULLS 118, LAKERS 108
LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; LeBron James scored 19 points off the bench in his return from a monthlong injury absence, but Zach LaVine had 32 to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 118-108 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
DeMar DeRozan added 17 points for the Bulls, who easily overcame James&rsquo; return with an impressive performance in their seventh win in nine games. LaVine hit 11 of his first 14 shots to lead an offensive effort that snapped the Lakers&rsquo; three-game winning streak despite the return of the NBA&rsquo;s career scoring leader.
James sat out 13 games with right foot soreness, missing four weeks during the Lakers&rsquo; run at a playoff berth.
For only the second time in his 20-year, 1,958-game NBA career, James wasn&rsquo;t a starter. He came in midway through the first quarter.
The Lakers still were without D&rsquo;Angelo Russell, who missed his second straight game with a right hip injury. Los Angeles went 8-5 in James&rsquo; absence.
CAVALIERS 108, ROCKETS 91
CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Jarrett Allen had 24 points and 14 rebounds, Donovan Mitchell scored 22 and Cleveland beat Houston to clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2018.
It&rsquo;s also the first time Cleveland has made the playoffs without LeBron James on the roster since 1998.
The Cavaliers are closing in on locking up the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference &mdash; and home-court advantage in the first round. They&rsquo;ve won 9 of 11.
Evan Mobley added 19 points and Darius Garland had 17 for Cleveland.
Jalen Green scored 30 to pace the Rockets, who have lost five straight.
GRIZZLIES 123, HAWKS 119
ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Ja Morant scored 27 points in his return to the Memphis starting lineup and the Grizzlies held off Atlanta for their sixth consecutive win.
Desmond Bane added 25 points for Memphis, twice delivering fourth-quarter baskets after the Hawks pulled within one.
Memphis is second in the Western Conference despite a 15-22 road record. But the six-game winning streak, the NBA&rsquo;s longest active streak, includes two victories away from home.
Morant received a big cheer from the Atlanta sellout crowd during pregame introductions. He came off the bench in his first two games after serving an eight-game NBA suspension for posting a video in which he was shown waving a gun at a Denver-area strip club.
Trae Young led the Hawks with 28 points and 10 assists, one day after he was ejected for throwing the ball at an official during a 143-130 win over Indiana.
CELTICS 137, SPURS 93
BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Jaylen Brown scored 41 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead Boston over San Antonio.
The Celtics were without star forward and leading scorer Jayson Tatum, who was sidelined with a bruised left hip. But they still moved within 1&frac12; games of Milwaukee for the Eastern Conference&rsquo;s best record with their seventh victory in nine games.
Malcolm Brogdon added 20 points and nine assists for Boston, and Derrick White had 19 points with eight rebounds.
Zach Collins had 21 points with seven rebounds for the Spurs, who finished an 0-4 road trip.
CAVALIERS 108, ROCKETS 91
CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Jarrett Allen had 24 points and 14 rebounds, Donovan Mitchell scored 22 and Cleveland beat Houston to clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2018.
It&rsquo;s also the first time Cleveland has made the playoffs without LeBron James on the roster since 1998.
The Cavaliers are closing in on locking up the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference &mdash; and home-court advantage in the first round. They&rsquo;ve won 9 of 11.
Evan Mobley added 19 points and Darius Garland had 17 for Cleveland.
Jalen Green scored 30 to pace the Rockets, who have lost five straight.
RAPTORS 114, WIZARDS 104
TORONTO (AP) &mdash; O.G. Anunoby scored 29 points, Fred VanVleet had 28 and Toronto never trailed in a win over Washington.
Pascal Siakam had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Jakob Poeltl added 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Ninth-place Toronto clinched the three-game season series with the Wizards and maintained a three-game lead over 11th-place Washington in the Eastern Conference standings. Both teams have seven games remaining.
Scottie Barnes scored 13 points in his return to the starting lineup after missing two games because of a sore left wrist as Toronto won for the ninth time in 10 home games.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 26 points for the short-handed Wizards, who have lost four straight road games. Washington played without guard Bradley Beal (left knee) for the third straight game, while forward Kyle Kuzma (right ankle) sat out for the fourth consecutive game. Washington was also without guard Monte Morris (left groin).
HORNETS 110, MAVERICKS 104
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) &mdash; The Charlotte Hornets overcame a 40-point outing from Luka Doncic for their second win over Dallas in three days, another costly blow to the Mavericks&rsquo; playoff hopes.
Gordon Hayward scored 22 points and P.J. Washington added 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Hornets, who have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Doncic picked up his 16th technical foul of the season in the third quarter, meaning he will face a one-game suspension Monday night unless the technical is rescinded by the league office.
Kyrie Irving had 18 points for Dallas.
MAGIC 119, NETS 106
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Cole Anthony had 21 points to lead eight Orlando scorers in double figures, and the Magic overcame Mikal Bridges&rsquo; 44 points in a victory over Brooklyn.
Franz Wagner added 19 points and 10 rebounds for Orlando. Wendell Carter had 18 points and six rebounds, and Jalen Suggs returned from an injury with 16 points to help the Magic win their third straight. Paolo Banchero finished with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Bridges came up one point short of his career high. Cam Thomas added 18 points for the Nets, who lost for the sixth time in seven games.
THUNDER 118, TRAIL BLAZERS 112
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points and Oklahoma City beat depleted Portland.
Jalen Williams had 23 points and Isaiah Joe added 20 off the bench for the Thunder (37-38), who moved into a tie for ninth place in the Western Conference with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Shaedon Sharpe led the Trail Blazers with a career-high 29 points, and Nassir Little scored a season-best 28 off the bench. The loss was Portland&rsquo;s eighth in 10 games. The Blazers (32-42) are four games back of 10th place in the West and the final spot in the play-in tournament.
Portland was playing without four of its five regular starters as guards Damian Lillard (right calf) and Anfernee Simons (right foot), forward Jerami Grant (left calf) and center Jusuf Nurkic (right knee) all sat out.

A recap of Sunday's action in the NBA includes Karl-Anthony Towns burying a clutch triple to snap Golden State's home winning streak.

Towns makes two late three-pointers, lifts Timberwolves over Warriors

Nekias Duncan checks back in with this year's NBA award races with an in-depth look at who leads the pack through the end of February.

2022-23 NBA award front-runners Vol. 2: MVP, DPOY, ROY, more

Since the 2013-14 season, the NBA has used player-tracking technology to collect all kinds of interesting data, including a player&rsquo;s average speed, distance traveled, number of touches and more.
Second Spectrum is the NBA&rsquo;s &ldquo;official optical tracking provider,&rdquo; and they&rsquo;ve installed a player-tracking system in the catwalk of every NBA arena. Using multiple cameras, state-of-the-art machine learning and computer-vision techniques, the software identifies and locates every player and the ball 25 times per second. If something happens on the court, the player-tracking system catches it, and the data gets uploaded to <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/speed-distance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA.com</a>.
That&rsquo;s how we know that five players &mdash; Mikal Bridges, Miles Bridges, Tyrese Haliburton, Tyrese Maxey and Scottie Barnes &mdash; ran more than 200 miles throughout the course of last season. And for the second-straight season, Fred VanVleet led all players in average distance traveled, running 2.82 miles per game.&nbsp;
Which players are currently covering the most distance this season? And which players have the fastest and slowest average speed? Let&rsquo;s take a look:
MOST MILES PER GAME
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 50.933%; height: 220px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">LaMelo Ball</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.8 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Fred VanVleet</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.77 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Terry Rozier</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.74 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Mikal Bridges</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.73 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Pascal Siakam</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.72 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Dejounte Murray</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.69 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Tyler Herro</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.69 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Scottie Barnes</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.68 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">C.J. McCollum</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.64 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Zach LaVine</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.64 miles per game</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
MOST TOTAL MILES
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 50.7996%; height: 220px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Mikal Bridges</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">163.7 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Anthony Edwards</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">159.6 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Buddy Hield</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">156.2 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Franz Wagner</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">155.3 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Julius Randle</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">154.1 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Scottie Barnes</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">153 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Evan Mobley</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">151.5 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Jalen Brunson</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">150 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">P.J. Washington</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">149.2 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Domantas Sabonis</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">148.9 miles</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Clearly, a player's role and their team's style of play influence how many miles they're running each game.
FASTEST AVERAGE SPEED
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 50.933%; height: 220px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Wendell Moore Jr.</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.71 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Luka Garza</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.62 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">T.J. McConnell</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.62 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Jordan McLaughlin</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.61 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Blake Wesley</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.59 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Caleb Martin</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.58 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Cody Martin</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.57 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Sam Hauser</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.57 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Dalano Banton</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.56 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Aaron Wiggins</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.55 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
SLOWEST AVERAGE SPEED
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 50.7996%; height: 209px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">Chris Paul</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.55 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">Joel Embiid</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.55 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">James Harden</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.56 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">DeAndre Jordan</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.59 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">Eric Gordon</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.63 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">Luka Doncic</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.66 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">Kevin Durant</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.67 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">John Wall</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.7 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 11px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 11px;">Kyle Lowry</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 11px;">3.7 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">LeBron James</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.72 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
If you're interested in checking out all of the NBA's tracking data, <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/speed-distance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">it can be found here</a>.

The NBA uses player-tracking technology to find out every player’s average speed, average distance traveled and much more.

Tracking data shows which NBA players run the most miles per game

Russell Westbrook may be on the move, again.
Following Westbrook's inclusion in <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/woj-lakers-timberwolves-jazz-agree-to-threeway-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a three-team deal</a> between the Lakers, Timberwolves and Jazz, Westbrook and the Jazz are expected to reach agreement on a buyout.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
In three-team deal being discussed between Lakers, Wolves and Jazz, a buyout for Russell Westbrook in Utah would be the likely path, league sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBAonTNT</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BleacherReport</a>.
&mdash; Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1623425850543681540?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

While the trade value for Westbrook was on the lower side &mdash; his limitations, in addition to a gargantuan salary ($47 million) made trading for him a tough sell without pick compensation attached to him &mdash; Westbrook's market on the buyout market should be more robust.
He isn't the superstar he once was, operating in a primary bench role for the first time in his career. Westbrook remains a productive player, though: 15.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.0 steals are marks matched by three other players in the NBA this season &mdash; Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic and James Harden.
More specifically, Westbrook still lives at the rim.
A whopping 44% of his shots come at the rim, a 94th-percentile mark among combo guards, per Cleaning The Glass. He ranks eighth in total drives (792), with the Lakers generating roughly 1.04 points per possession (PPP) on trips featuring a Westbrook drive, per Second Spectrum.
The Lakers have played at the <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/advanced?dir=A&amp;sort=PACE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">second-highest pace</a> in the league this year. They've gotten in transition more often with Westbrook on the floor, a trend that has held in literally every season of Westbrook's career.
His ability to generate paint touches, with or without a screen, is still valuable to offenses. Once there, Westbrook has proven able to spray the ball out to the perimeter, or drop slick interior feeds. He's <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/passing?CF=PASSES_MADE*LE*50:POTENTIAL_AST*GE*12&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=POTENTIAL_AST" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of four players</a> averaging at least 12 potential assists per game while averaging 50 or fewer passes. To the interior feed point, Westbrook ranks third in the league in at-rim assists.
<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/ltp1uf" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
That he's been able to do it with this volume, within a Laker offense that doesn't feature ideal spacing for drivers, should spark intrigue around what he could do in a better context.&nbsp;
While Westbrook has generated paint touches at a high level, his efficiency as a scorer has declined from peak form. For the second season in a row, he's converted just 58% of his shots in the rim. He's made a career-low 29% of his shots from floater range. Some of that is due to the roster construction during his Laker tenure, but the interior touch has been shaky independent of that.
There's also the matter of the jumper. His 32% clip from mid-range ties a career-low (2018-19), while he's drained a paltry 29% of his threes. A year after knocking down 44% of his threes from the corner (on admittedly low volume), he's down to 27% this year.&nbsp;
Teams aggressively gap him when he's off the ball. He can make hay as a cutter from the wing, but that isn't something you can build the boat around. Slotting him in the dunker spot, or using him as a screener, have seemingly been brought up as ideas more than we've seen it in practice. That could change in a new spot, but I'd temper expectations there.&nbsp;
So, which teams make sense for Westbrook? Let's go down the list.
NAH, WE'RE GOOD &mdash; PLAYOFFS/IN EDITION (13)
Teams: Atlanta, Boston, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Golden State, Indiana, Memphis, New Orleans, New York, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Portland, Sacramento
This is pretty straightforward. All of these teams either have a star-caliber point guard, a deep point guard room or both.
NAH, WE'RE GOOD &mdash; DEVELOPMENT EDITION (5)
Teams: Charlotte, Detroit, Houston, Orlando, San Antonio
This is also straightforward. These teams are young and have more incentive to give their guards a runway rather than bringing Westbrook into the fold.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
CAN'T SAY I SEE IT (4)
Teams: Brooklyn, Minnesota, Toronto, Washington
The Nets didn't seem super interested in Westbrook before Kyrie Irving was ultimately moved; the picks were the real assets, and there were rumblings of Westbrook being rerouted in such a deal. In light of Durant being moved, I really don't see the point now.
The Wolves just made their own point-guard swap, bringing the veteran Mike Conley into the fold. You could make the argument for Westbrook bolstering their second unit, running ball screens with Naz Reid &mdash; or Karl Anthony-Towns, when he's back and if they're staggered together. Ultimately, trying to sort through touches with Westbrook and&nbsp;Rudy Gobert&nbsp;and&nbsp;Edwards&nbsp;and&nbsp;Towns is probably too much.
The Raptors with an actual point guard who could consistently generate paint touches and feed their talented forwards &mdash; all of which offer intrigue as screeners &mdash; would be nice. But I don't think Westbrook should be that option in light of the spacing issues the Raptors already face.&nbsp;
We've frankly done the Westbrook-in-Washington thing. He'd be an upgrade over the current point guards there, but I don't think that would be worth exploring.
HEAR ME OUT, THOUGH (2)
Teams: Milwaukee, Phoenix
This may be an unpopular opinion, but the Bucks could probably use another shot creator. Among perimeter players, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton are kinda it.
Jevon Carter has taken a step as a pull-up shooter &mdash; did you know he's draining nearly 37% of his pull-up threes this year? &mdash; but he's not someone that can carry a unit. Grayson Allen and Pat Connaughton &mdash; whichever is replaced by Middleton when he returns to the starting lineup &mdash; are complementary pieces, not players who can handle significant on-ball usage.
All I'm saying is a second unit headlined by Westbrook and Sixth-Man-of-the-Year candidate* Bobby Portis (when he returns) could be good stuff. Joe Ingles could help balance things out with his blend of playmaking and shooting. Being able to have two of Holiday, Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Westbrook on the floor at all times would be quite the luxury.&nbsp;
If the Suns were interested in Irving &mdash; and were possibly, maybe, allegedly, reportedly willing to involve Chris Paul in a deal to get it done &mdash; it stands to reason that they'd be in the market for more shot creation.
At the very least, the Suns need to pressure the rim more than they do.
Shout out to their increased work on the offensive glass &mdash; fifth in offensive rebound rate after ranking 21st last season &mdash; as well as the on-ball aggression they got from Mikal Bridges before moving him in a deal for some Kevin Durant dude.
They still rank 25th in drives per 100 possessions, 27th in free throw rate and 29th in rim rate (percentage of field goal attempts coming at the rim).&nbsp;
Westbrook could help in all of those areas.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
THE FAVORITES (3)
Teams: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami
Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes has reported that <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1623503500088070146?s=20&amp;t=CvvJPgcuaCLuvtoLr_Nfbg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Bulls</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1623494584524505088?s=20&amp;t=CvvJPgcuaCLuvtoLr_Nfbg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Clippers</a> are expected to show interest in Westbrook, provided he's bought out.
I'll start here: without the Haynes report, I'd probably have Chicago in the "can't-see-it" section. I still want to put them there, but it's telling that we heard about their interest so early.
I get&nbsp;why there would be interest. Much like Phoenix, the Bulls have a mid-range heavy shot profile while ranking toward the bottom of the league in drives. Adding Westbrook to the fold could help that, while also taking some of the creation burden off of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine.
Nikola Vucevic could be a versatile screening partner for Westbrook, or someone that could space the floor while giving him room to work. If the pick-and-roll partnership between Westbrook and Thomas Bryant can be fruitful &mdash; 1.06 PPP on direct plays, per Second Spectrum, a quality number &mdash; then surely he and Vucevic could make music together.&nbsp;
And ultimately, the Bulls' offense has underwhelmed this year. They're in the bottom third of the league in offensive rating; their 114.5 offensive rating with DeRozan, LaVine and Vucevic on the floor would only rank 15th league-wide. Constantly being flanked with a passive guard &mdash; either the budding Ayo Dosunmu or the versatile Alex Caruso &mdash; puts a bit of a cap on the offensive ceiling of this group.
I'm not convinced Westbrook would be a great answer in practice, but I understand the logic behind how he could be.&nbsp;
The Clippers seem to be the natural fit for Westbrook for a multitude of reasons. They could also use his rim pressure, and could especially use the juice he provides in transition. There are enough shooters on the roster, including their two best players, to create a favorable context for Westbrook. On a personal note, it'd be pretty convenient for Westbrook, who wouldn't have to move at all.&nbsp;
If there's such a thing as a darkhorse favorite, the Heat would be it. They're the worst offense of this group of teams &mdash; 25th in offensive rating (112.2) when removing garbage time. Both on and off the floor, the Heat feel like a team that could use an outside jolt.
The biggest drawback to the fit is the spacing. Erik Spoelstra is one of the most creative minds in NBA history, but constructing a workable offense around Westbrook, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo would be quite the challenge.&nbsp;
A challenge doesn't mean it'd be impossible.
We've seen Westbrook and Anthony Davis generate good looks <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/explain-one-play-lakers-go-low-against-the-bucks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on low pick-and-rolls</a>; it's not hard to envision Westbrook and Adebayo doing the same. Westbrook could receive screens from, or be the screener for, Butler. In a vacuum, Westbrook's paint-heavy style could complement the pull-up chops of Tyler Herro in the backcourt.
All the Heat may need is a slight boost; even with their offense and the injuries they've had to sort through, they're a playoff team right now while playing in a league-leading 38 clutch games. Westbrook doesn't have to be a superstar; he simply needs to be an additive. There's enough in the tank to talk yourself into it.

Nekias Duncan explores the Russell Westbrook buyout market.

Exploring potential landing spots for Russell Westbrook after buyout

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Anthony Edwards scored 31 points and Jaylen Nowell added a career-high 30 to lead Minnesota to a 143-118 win over Utah on Wednesday night amid word the&nbsp;Timberwolves, Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers were part of an eight-player swap&nbsp;hours ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
&ldquo;It was crazy, the last six hours,&rdquo; Edwards said. &ldquo;But, I mean, we&rsquo;re here to play basketball at the end of the day. We can&rsquo;t really feed into that &mdash; we have nothing to do with that. (My teammates) did a great job of staying locked in and they kept me locked in.&rdquo;
Playing loose, the Timberwolves set a season high with 79 points in the first half and led 107-80 midway through the third quarter, helped by 64% shooting from the field and 61% from 3-point range.
While not speaking directly about a trade that hadn&rsquo;t been announced, Minnesota coach Chris Finch detailed the difficulty if playing while the roster was in flux.
&ldquo;We just talked briefly about things before taking the floor. These things, it&rsquo;s unfortunate timing, you don&rsquo;t ever get to pick your timing. Maybe in some ways, it was good that we could just play a game and not have to overthink things. But guys were ready,&rdquo; Finch said.
Luka Garza scored a career-high 25 points and the Timberwolves made 23 3-pointers at a 54% shooting clip, tying their highest output of the season.
&ldquo;It was definitely strange,&rdquo; Garza said of the deal happening just before the game. &ldquo;But I don&rsquo;t want to ever look back in my time in NBA and be like, I didn&rsquo;t make the most of what was my childhood dream.&rdquo;
The three-team trade was confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday night by a person with knowledge of the deal, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams hadn&rsquo;t announced the major deal made ahead of Thursday afternoon&rsquo;s trade deadline.
In the deal, the Timberwolves sent D&rsquo;Angelo Russell to the Lakers, where he played his first two NBA seasons from 2015-17. Utah shipped Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Mike Conley to Minnesota and dealt Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley to the Lakers. The Jazz received Russell Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson and Damian Jones from the Lakers, as well as a first-round draft pick in 2027.
The Jazz were short-handed in the game without four players who have logged significant minutes this season, as the teams were just shells of their former selves.
The Timberwolves were also missing a host of regulars as Rudy Gobert (groin), Kyle Anderson (back) and Austin Rivers (suspension) were held out, and Karl-Anthony Towns is still sidelined with a right calf strain.
Lauri Markkanen scored 21 points and Collin Sexton had 20 in Utah&rsquo;s worst home loss of the season. Their worst road loss of the season was a 26-point defeat to Milwaukee on Dec. 17.
&ldquo;Credit to Minnesota, they made a lot of shots and we missed a lot of make-able shots,&rdquo; Utah coach Will Hardy said of his team making just 31 of 65 shots in the paint. &ldquo;They made 23 3s at 54% and that was too hard for us to overcome.&rdquo;
This Jazz have assembled a formidable collection of draft capital, including key pieces from Minnesota in last summer&rsquo;s Gobert deal.
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Utah has 15 unprotected or lightly protected first-round picks to use through 2029, along with a talented under-25 group of Markkanen, Walker Kessler, Sexton and Ochai Agbaji and more than $60 million under the salary cap if they buy out Westbrook, as expected.
Conley was Utah&rsquo;s only true point guard &ndash; and one of the last holdovers from the Donovan Mitchell and Gobert era. Now, Sexton will have the opportunity to prove he can be an effective starting playmaker on a winning team.
Meanwhile, the Timberwolves will see if they can thrive with a veteran, pass-first point guard like Conley, who is averaging a career high 7.7 assists this season.
Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson said they have something special coming their way in Conley.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a leader, great point guard and a guy that makes everybody&rsquo;s life easier on the court,&rdquo; Clarkson said. &ldquo;That guy was like Yoda, honestly. He had so many stories and he had such an enlightenment about him. You just listened to him. &hellip; He can communicate with anyone.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: After two overtime games, Minnesota has won two games by more than 25 points and lost one by 34. &hellip; The Timberwolves had 27 fast-break points to just two for the Jazz. &hellip; Luke Garza made a career-best four 3-pointers.
Jazz: In the first quarter, Rudy Gay passed Jason Kidd for 88th on the NBA all-time points scored list with 17,530. &hellip; Udoka Azubuike matched his season-high of four points with two rim-rattling dunks.
</div>

Anthony Edwards scored 31 points and Jaylen Nowell added a career-high 30 to lead Minnesota to a 143-118 win over Utah

T’wolves top Jazz in matchup of teams trading with Lakers

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Nikola Jokic posted his 19th triple-double of the season by halftime and the Denver Nuggets rode a 49-point first quarter to a 146-112 rout of the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night.
Jokic finished with 20 points, 16 assists and 12 rebounds. It was the second time in his career the big man has notched a triple-double by halftime. Jokic took a seat late in the third quarter with the Western Conference leaders ahead by a large margin.
Denver led 49-19 after the first quarter &mdash; including a 32-2 run &mdash; as the Nuggets shot 79.2% from the floor. The 49 points tied for the second-most in a quarter in the franchise&rsquo;s NBA history. Michael Porter Jr. led the way by scoring 19 of his 30 points in the opening period.
Aaron Gordon added 24 for the Nuggets, who set season highs in points and assists (44).
Anthony Edwards and Luka Garza both had 19 points for Minnesota. The frustration for the Timberwolves flashed with D&rsquo;Angelo Russell getting ejected after picking up two technical fouls in third quarter. He had 10 points.
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-525 apnews_article_midarticle_1" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">On Sunday in Minnesota, the Timberwolves cruised past Denver 128-98, but the Nuggets were without four starters in Jokic, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jamal Murray and Gordon.</div>
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-525 apnews_article_midarticle_1" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle"> Murray missed the game Tuesday due to inflammation in his right knee. He was sidelined all last season as he recovered from a torn ACL in his left knee.</div>
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TIP-INS
Timberwolves: F Kyle Anderson was sidelined with back spasms. ... G Austin Rivers served the second of his three-game suspension for his part in last Friday&rsquo;s fight between Minnesota and the Orlando Magic.
Nuggets: F Zeke Nnaji was out with a sprained right shoulder. ... G Bruce Brown appeared to turn his ankle early in the game, but returned and finished with nine points. ... It was Jokic&rsquo;s 95th career triple-double.
TRADE TALK
Nuggets guard Bones Hyland didn&rsquo;t play as his name surfaces in trade speculation. The trade deadline is Thursday.
&ldquo;Bones is one of my favorite players,&rdquo;&nbsp;Porter told the media&nbsp;contingent during the morning shootaround. &ldquo;I wish he would stay here. I wish it could be figured out.&rdquo;
KAT APPEARANCE
Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns joined the team on the trip, but there&rsquo;s no timetable for his return from a strained right calf.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s good for him to get back in the mindset of being around the team, start to fall into the rhythm of what that is,&rdquo; Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. &ldquo;Just having him around has been great.&rdquo;
</div>

Nikola Jokic posted his 19th triple-double of the season and the Denver Nuggets routed the Minnesota Timberwolves 146-112.

Jokic posts triple-double by halftime, Nuggets rout Wolves

On January 15, after a 112-102 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving was asked about Kevin Durant's absence. More specifically, he was asked how the circumstances (and the locker room) differ from last year. This is what he had to say.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Kyrie on why KD's absence is different this year: "Well I'm consistently in the lineup, that helps. We also don't have anyone who is halfway in in the locker room."
&mdash; Alec Sturm (@Alec_Sturm) <a href="https://twitter.com/Alec_Sturm/status/1614805186589110277?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2023</a></blockquote>

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There was a hint of irony to the response in light of his&nbsp;absence for large portions of last season due to New York's vaccine mandate, as well as the suspension he served this season due to sharing antisemitic content. Secondarily, it felt like a clear shot at former Nets guard James Harden, who ultimately requested a trade before last year's deadline.&nbsp;
On January 15, Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10063026-ball-is-in-the-nets-court-as-kyrie-irving-seeks-long-term-extension" target="_blank" rel="noopener">relayed word from Irving's agent</a>, expressing their desire to reach an agreement on a long-term extension in Brooklyn. From the piece:
<blockquote>
"Around Kyrie and staying with the Nets? I have reached out to the Nets regarding this," his agent Shetellia Irving told Bleacher Report. "We have had no significant conversations to date. The desire is to make Brooklyn home, with the right type of extension, which means the ball is in the Nets' court to communicate now if their desire is the same."
</blockquote>
It would appear the desire isn't mutual. With no extension agreed to, Irving has reportedly requested a trade from the Nets ahead of the February 9 trade deadline.
Zooming out, that's three separate trade requests the Nets have received from stars over the past calendar year. And before digging into potential destinations from Irving, it's worth taking the step back to acknowledge how wild things have been in Brooklyn during the 7/11 Era.&nbsp;
(Also, the clock is going to start back ticking on Durant, no? Irving requesting the trade now is unfortunate timing. Depending on what they could get back, this deal could take the Nets out of the contention conversation through absolutely no fault of Durant's. Considering Irving's role in Durant's trade request in the summer &mdash; he wants, or wanted, his guy there with him long-term &mdash; it would be understandable if he got antsy again.)
Irving has been tremendous on the court this season, averaging 27.1 points (career-high 56.9% on 2s, 37.4% on 3s), 5.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds. His blend of ball-handling, pull-up shooting and finishing is almost unrivaled in the league &mdash; and in league history. And to Irving's credit, his buy-in on the defensive end is as consistently high as it's ever been in his career.
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Irving's availability and contract status &mdash; he'll be an unrestricted free agent this summer &mdash; will complicate his trade value. The receiving team, if he's moved, will have to be confident in retaining Irving long term. And from there, they'd have to be confident that Irving, who hasn't appeared in 70 games since the 2016-17 season, will be consistently available. His injury history and off-the-court controversies in back-to-back seasons make that a tough bet on the surface.
Of course, the bet being tough &mdash; and likely untenable for some franchises &mdash; doesn't mean it won't be made at all. There will be teams that check in on Irving and push their chips to the middle of the table.
We have to start the conversation with the Los Angeles Lakers. They were linked to Irving in the summer, when it felt like both Durant and Irving could be moved. There's an obvious link between Irving and LeBron James. The two played in Cleveland together for three years, winning a title in 2016. LeBron also stood up for Irving during his suspension earlier this season.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
💭 I told you guys that I don&rsquo;t believe in sharing hurtful information. And I&rsquo;ll continue to be that way but Kyrie apologized and he should be able to play. That&rsquo;s what I think. It&rsquo;s that simple. Help him learn- but he should be playing. What he&rsquo;s asked to do to get back on
&mdash; LeBron James (@KingJames) <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1590781218790211584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

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We don't have to spend much time here. The Lakers would build a package headlined by Russell Westbrook and one or both of their future first-round picks (2027, 2029) for Irving. That doesn't mean the Nets would get Westbrook; three-team frameworks would likely be discussed, and it's worth noting that Haynes reported earlier on Friday that the Lakers and Utah Jazz <a href="https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/10064005-nba-insider-buzz-lakers-know-they-need-another-trade-jazz-enter-westbrook-chat.amp.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">re-engaged in talks surrounding Westbrook</a>.
Beyond the Lakers, there are a few teams that come to mind that make on-court &mdash; and I stress on-court &mdash; sense for the star guard.
Priority number one for the Dallas Mavericks, for example, is finding a legitimate co-star to pair with Luka Doncic. He's clearly good enough to handle a gargantuan offensive load; he leads the NBA in points (second in scoring average, 33.4) and ranks fifth in assists (8.2). Only the Cavs play at a slower pace than the Mavericks this season, mostly due to Doncic's surgical cadence in the half-court.&nbsp;
Spencer Dinwiddie and Christian Wood (when healthy) have filled in well as secondary scorers. Dinwiddie is averaging nearly 18 points a game while bombing away from three (40.3% on a career-high 6.4 attempts). Wood's inside-out dynamic has helped him become the second half of the NBA's most prolific pick-and-roll duo, per Second Spectrum tracking.
Neither of them garner the same defensive attention that Irving does, nor can they take over games in the way that Irving can. A framework built around former-Net Dinwiddie and currently-in-the-rumor-mill Dorian Finney-Smith could intrigue the Nets.
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The Miami Heat were reportedly on Irving's summer list of teams he'd be okay getting signed-and-traded to, per ESPN's Adrain Wojnarowski. A certified third star alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo could lift their ceiling, especially one as dynamic offensively as Irving. As of writing, the Heat rank 25th in overall offensive rating, excluding garbage time, and 22nd in half-court offense.
While Tyler Herro has taken steps as a creator and first-time starter &mdash; 20.3 points (49.9% on 2s, 37.3% on 3s) and a career-high 4.4 assists is nothing to sneeze at &mdash; his ability to generate traction downhill and deal with in-your-jersey defenders on an island pale in comparison to Irving. Among teams that may show interest in Irving, Herro may be the best young piece that could be offered in a deal &mdash; though his inclusion would be complicated due to the <a href="https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2018/10/hoops-rumors-glossary-poison-pill-provision.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"poison pill" element</a> of his current contract status.
Because Herro's rookie extension (4/120) hasn't kicked in yet, the Heat and Nets would be dealing with different cap numbers in a potential trade. For the Heat, they'd be sending out Herro's current-year salary ($5.7 million). The Nets (or a third team receiving Herro) would be accounting for $25.1 million &mdash; the average of Herro's total salary owed.
Without Herro, Miami would likely try to use Kyle Lowry as the headliner to a package. With <a href="https://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Future/Heat.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">somewhat limited pick ammo</a> and young prospects -- how much would Nikola Jovic appeal to this version of Brooklyn? -- the Heat feel more like a long shot compared to Los Angeles and Dallas.
STRAY THOUGHTS
<ul>
<li>The Suns and Nets were linked during the Durant Sweepstakes, but I wonder if they'd check in on Irving. This would be a deal centered around Chris Paul, which begs the question: how much more would Brooklyn want? Would a Paul + Cam Johnson package appeal to both parties, in light of Phoenix's need for half-court scoring?</li>
<li>The Clippers will always &mdash; or at least should &mdash; be mentioned in these kind of conversations. Their roster is littered with quality players on mid-level salaries, making them an appealing keep-us-competitive option for the Nets.</li>
<li>I'm sure the Knicks are content with Jalen Brunson, but hey. Just ... hey, I'm sure they'll think about it. Even if the answer is ultimately, "Nah, we're good", I find it hard to believe they wouldn't think about it.</li>
<li>Normally there's a "won't happen, but these pieces make sense" team to choose from in trade discussions like this, but I'm struggling with this one. Would the closest be something surrounding an Irving-Zach LaVine swap? Like, sure?</li>
</ul>

Kyrie Irving has requested a trade from the Nets. Nekias Duncan looks at which teams make sense as a possible landing spot.

Exploring possible trade destinations for Nets' Kyrie Irving

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; The shots splashed through the net like they almost always do for the Golden State Warriors.
However, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson didn't launch any.
Jordan Poole scored 32 points, Ty Jerome added 22 and the Warriors dropped 23 3-pointers while Curry and three other starters sat on the bench in a 120-114 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night.
Poole (5) and Jerome (3) combined for eight 3-pointers as the defending NBA champs ended a five-game trip with an improbable win.
&ldquo;We kind of hung on for dear life down the stretch, but got it done,&rdquo; Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "It was just one of those nights. You play 82 games, so you know you&rsquo;re going to have a few of these.&rdquo;
Following Golden State's stinging three-point overtime loss Thursday night in Boston, Kerr rested Curry along with fellow first-teamers Thompson, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins.
It didn't matter. Even with their top players on the bench in street clothes, the short-handed Warriors came out firing and barely slowed down.
&ldquo;The biggest thing is, even without our guys, we expect to win,&rdquo; said Jerome, who is on a two-way contract with Golden State and Santa Cruz. "Everyone that played was good tonight and that&rsquo;s awesome for us.&rdquo;
Darius Garland scored 31 points to lead the Cavs, who were without star Donovan Mitchell because of a strained groin and suffered their most embarrassing loss this season. Caris LeVert added 22 points and Evan Mobley 17 for Cleveland.
Afterward, Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff didn't mince words in describing his team's dismal performance.
&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t respect the game. It&rsquo;s that simple,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve got champions over there, and we thought some of those guys were out so we were going to take it lightly and we got what we deserved."
Golden State made a season-high 14 3-pointers in the first half &mdash; tying the most ever by a Cavs opponent for a half &mdash; to take a 64-59 halftime lead.
Although Bickerstaff stressed limiting Golden State's outside attack at halftime, his team didn't get the message as the Warriors made five 3s in the first five minutes to open a 20-point lead.
The Cavs, who have 11 comeback wins when trailing by double digits, fought back and pulled within 114-110. But Jerome dropped the Warriors' final 3-pointer with 1:39 left.
&ldquo;They&rsquo;re good basketball players, and if you&rsquo;re going to disrespect them, they&rsquo;re going to make you pay," Bickerstaff said. "We came out of the gate soft and disrespectful and they were out there shooting warmup shots with no contest, no challenges, nobody in their space and they gave us what we deserved.&rdquo;
MEMORY LANE
Kerr has an emotional attachment to Cleveland.
He played in the city from 1989-92 and his oldest son was born here. It's also where he won NBA titles as a coach in 2015 and 2018 as the Warriors and Cavs met four straight times in the finals.
&ldquo;This building will always be special for us,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Just coming in here, feeling the vibe, feeling the juice from those days. They were incredible games. Just an amazing rivalry, two great teams. The level of play was just so high. I will always think of those Finals when I come in here.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Warriors: Donte DiVincenzo added 17 points and Kevon Looney had 17 rebounds. ... Golden State opened 7 of 8 on 3-pointers. ... The 23-year-old Poole reached 500 career 3-pointers, surpassing Thompson as the youngest player in team history to reach the plateau. ... F Jonathan Kuminga (right foot sprain) returned after missing eight games and scored 10. F JaMychal Green (right lower leg infection) saw his first action in 15 games and had 13 points.
Cavaliers: G Ricky Rubio got the night off as part of the maintenance plan for him after returning from knee surgery. He's averaging 5.3 points and 13.1 minutes in four games back. ... Mobley is one of three players averaging 14.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 blocked shots while shooting better than 50.0% from the field. 76ers C Joel Embiid and Lakers C Anthony Davis are the others. &hellip; Cavs assistant coach Luke Walton went 39-4 as Golden State&rsquo;s acting head coach in 2015-2016 while Kerr recovered from back surgery.
&nbsp;

Jordan Poole scored 32 points, and the Golden State Warriors earned a 120-114 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Without Curry, Warriors make 23 3-pointers and beat Cavs

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Anthony Edwards scored 26 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves got a huge boost from their bench in a 110-102 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night.
Naz Reid scored 17 of Minnesota&rsquo;s 56 bench points, while Jalen Nowell had 16. Luka Garza added nine for the short-handed Wolves.
Minnesota was without Rudy Gobert for the second half due to right groin soreness, and Jaden McDaniels picked up his fifth foul just 2:37 into the second half.
That presented opportunities for Minnesota's other big men to play a bigger role.
&ldquo;I thought Naz really came alive in that second half,&rdquo; Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. &ldquo;I thought he played well all game, but he really stepped up in Rudy&rsquo;s absence, gave us some emotional play as well with the big dunks.&rdquo;
Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen both scored 19 points for Cleveland, and Darius Garland added 15. Donovan Mitchell, who was questionable for Saturday&rsquo;s game with an illness, finished with 14 points on 5-of-16 shooting.
Cleveland led 80-77 after three, but the Wolves controlled the fourth quarter and led by as much as 13. Minnesota fed off the energy of Reid, who had three big dunks to bring Target Center fans to their feet.
Garza joked postgame that Reid dunked on Cleveland's entire roster Saturday.
&ldquo;Put the ball in the rim. If I&rsquo;ve got to put them in the rim, they've got to go in the rim, too,&rdquo; Reid said. &ldquo;The mentality is to win, so if that's what I've got to do to win, that's what I'm going to do.&rdquo;
Garza provided a lift down low for Minnesota, playing tough defense against Mobley. Garza also hit a 3-pointer early in the third to tie the game at 80, eliciting chants from the home crowd.
&ldquo;The crowd feeds into it, and I try to pick up off that momentum and help us continue what they started on that run,&rdquo; Garza said.
The Wolves have won six of their last seven games, including two straight on back-to-back nights.
Cleveland finished 2-3 on its five-game road trip.
&ldquo;I just think tonight, we had too many mental lapses,&rdquo; said Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff. &ldquo;We didn't play well enough to win. The Timberwolves outplayed us. I think it's that simple."
After the Wolves got within three early in the third, Cleveland went on an 11-2 run to take a 65-53 lead. Minnesota later used a 10-0 run of its own to cut Cleveland&rsquo;s lead to 69-65. Austin Rivers and Edwards both hit from 3-point range during that stretch.
&ldquo;I think this is one of our more mature wins,&rdquo; Finch said.
Minnesota outscored Cleveland in the paint, 60-52. The Cavs entered Saturday's game with the best defensive rating in the league (109.2) but struggled against the Wolves' offense down the stretch.
&ldquo;Those were just breakdowns,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;Giving up 33 points in the fourth quarter, our defense wasn't at its usual.&rdquo;
STANDING O FOR LOVE AND RUBIO
Former Timberwolves Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love checked into Saturday&rsquo;s game together and received a nice ovation from the crowd in Minneapolis. Love spent his first six seasons in Minnesota, while Rubio &mdash; playing in his second game of the season after returning from a torn ACL &mdash; played seven total seasons with the Wolves. That included a one-year return during the 2020-21 season, Finch&rsquo;s first as coach.
&ldquo;He was great to coach, a true professional,&rdquo; Finch said. &ldquo;I know he made a lasting impression on Anthony (Edwards). He still talks about some of the things that Ricky had said to him. Loved coaching him.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Mobley was slow to get up in the second quarter after drawing a charge from Edwards and was helped to the bench, but he later returned.
Timberwolves: Edwards was charged with a technical foul late in the third quarter. &hellip; Saturday was the 11th game this season for Edwards with at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists.
&nbsp;

Anthony Edwards scored 26 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 110-102.

Edwards, bench lift Wolves to 110-102 victory over Cavs

Giannis Antetokounmpo set a career high <a href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-philadelphia-76ers-washington-wizards-indiana-pacers-sports-82805995222618cd69855bdb39934d90">with 55 points</a> last Tuesday in Milwaukee's victory over Washington &mdash; and it wasn't even the week's top scoring performance in the NBA's Central Division.
That belonged to Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell, with <a href="https://apnews.com/article/kobe-bryant-chicago-bulls-cleveland-cavaliers-sports-nba-basketball-4000f884c911930cd172baa93ca42650">a staggering 71</a> the previous night.
The NBA these past few weeks has featured an almost nightly display of one-upmanship among the game's greatest scorers. Whether it was <a href="https://apnews.com/ef2ccddb44dd42fa14ebed5f8344c5a2">Mitchell's extraordinary effort</a> for the Cavaliers or Dallas' Luka Doncic reaching 50 points three times in a nine-day span, everywhere you turn, it seems like another player is putting up a huge total.
&ldquo;I think there are a lot of layers to it. You just see night after night, guys are having enormous offensive games,&rdquo; Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s fun to watch as a fan, of course. Frustrating when you&rsquo;re trying to game plan to stop some of these guys because they&rsquo;re scoring at all levels &mdash; the paint, the 3s, getting to the line.&rdquo;
Ten different players have already scored 50 points in a game this season: Antetokounmpo, Mitchell, Doncic, Joel Embiid, Devin Booker, Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Pascal Siakam, Darius Garland and Stephen Curry.
Before 2016-17, no more than eight different players had ever had a 50-point game in one season, according to Sportradar. Since then, at least 10 have done it every season, including a record 14 in 2021-22. Some of this is to be expected in what has become a very high-scoring era. NBA teams were averaging 113.8 points per game entering Monday night, which if it continues would be the highest mark for the league since 1969-70. But the overall scoring environment tells only part of the story.
In that 1969-70 season, teams averaged 116.7 points, but only two players had a 50-point game. In 1984-85, the highest-scoring season of the 1980s, teams averaged 110.8 points. But only five players &mdash; Bernard King, Larry Bird, Purvis Short, Kevin McHale and Moses Malone &mdash; produced a 50-point game that season.
So what's happening lately is not just higher scoring league-wide. The top players are also producing huge games with remarkable frequency. Expansion may play a role. The number of teams is 30% higher than it was in 1985. More teams means more games, so it makes sense that there are more examples of a player scoring 50.
But the sport has changed in other ways, too.
&ldquo;Guys come into this league, and the most impressive thing is the skill set &mdash; the handle and the shooting," Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. "What&rsquo;s lacking, I think, is the foundation, the institutional knowledge that players used to have when they came into the league after a few years of college. Sometimes the defense isn&rsquo;t great. Transition defense is at an all-time low in this league.&rdquo;
Nowadays, basically every top scorer has some degree of proficiency from 3-point range, whereas back in the '80s, some stars largely ignored the shot and nobody attempted all that many.
&ldquo;Guys are taking 15 or 16 3s in some games,&rdquo; Los Angeles Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. "Teams are encouraging guys to take those shots, and if you take so many shots, and if you get hot and make some, you can score a lot of points.&rdquo;
So current players have a variety of ways they can accumulate points in a hurry, and the 3-point shot affects the game even beyond that. With so many players capable of making open 3s, teams can space the floor in a way that punishes defenses for double teams.
&ldquo;You have to pick and choose the guys you try and double team and get the ball out of their hands because they are not great passers, but there are some guys who can score, but can also pick you apart with their passing,&rdquo; Lue said. &ldquo;So, when you have guys like that, you want to let those guys try and get theirs and take everyone else out, but sometimes it can backfire on you as well.&rdquo;
When King scored 60 points on Christmas in 1984, he didn't attempt a single 3. Even this year, Antetokounmpo didn't make any when he scored 55. But Mitchell attempted 15 and made seven in his 71-point game.
&ldquo;I think that 3-point line, as we&rsquo;ve seen over the years, has definitely changed the game,&rdquo; Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. &ldquo;Now you&rsquo;re getting more guys to embrace that. The volume of attempts creates those opportunities. It&rsquo;s pretty rare that guys are shooting 2 repeatedly to get to that 50-point mark. It&rsquo;s definitely the evolution of our game to see more of that. I would expect that trend to continue.&rdquo;
___
AP Sports Writer Pat Graham contributed to this report.

Ten different players have already scored 50 points in a game this season. Before 2016-17, no more than eight had done it in one year.

Three-point shooting leads to more NBA scoring binges

We should be paying attention to what's happening in Oklahoma City.
I mean beyond the "they own 4,837 picks over the next five years" jokes. A little deeper than the "Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been a top-12 player this year" take, though it's certainly worth pointing out the fifth-year guard is averaging 31-5-6 on wild efficiency (61.4 TS) and improved defense.
Whether you're looking at NBA.com or Cleaning The Glass (they filter out garbage time), the Thunder are, once again, mere tenths-of-a-point away from laying claim to a top-10 defense &mdash; without a true rim protector.
(Get well soon, Chet Holmgren.)
The offense, while underwhelming statistically (21st in ORTG), has real structure despite a general lack of shooting. It's not easy to generate quality looks with only one rotation player shooting above <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_stats_per_game.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">league-average from three </a>(35.7%) on at least three attempts (Isaiah Joe, 44.4% on 3.9 attempts).
We've crossed over into a new calendar year, and the Thunder are only two games outside of the final play-in spot. There are good things happening here.
On the topic of good things happening, it's worth noting the growth we're seeing from Josh Giddey.&nbsp;
He showcased the outlines of an interesting-yet-flawed player last season. A 6-foot-8 playmaking wing who may already be a top-six skip passer in the league &mdash; and undoubtedly one of the best inbound passers we've had come through in a minute, as niche as that sounds &mdash; with limited burst and a shaky jumper to boot.
(A fun fact on the skip pass front: per Second Spectrum, only Luka Doncic tossed more skip passes per 100 possessions than Giddey did last season. They rank first and second again so far this year.)
The concern around Giddey was fair: as elite of a court-seer as he is, how much will it matter if he 1) can't puncture defenses to create passing windows and 2) shoot well enough to make defenses press up in the first place?
It's encouraging, then, that we're at least getting signs of those questions being answered.&nbsp;
Zooming out, GIddey has improved most of his box-score numbers from his rookie campaign &mdash; and has done so in fewer minutes.
<ul>
<li>2021-22 (31.5 MPG): 12.5 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 6.4 APG (3.2 TOs), 49.2% on 2s, 26.3% on 3s&nbsp;</li>
<li>2022-23 (30.6 MPG): 15.3 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 5.3 APG (3.1 TOs), 51.1% on 2s, 33.7% on 3s</li>
</ul>
Zoom in a bit &mdash; let's start from the beginning of December &mdash; and the brow starts to raise: 16.7 points (51.9% on 2s, 45.1% on 3s), 8.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists (2.7 TOs).
Over his last five games, it looks even better: 20.4 points (58.6% on 2s, 40% on 3s), 7.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists (1.8 TOs).&nbsp;
There's been real intention from Giddey to get all the way downhill. His drives per game are actually down from last season &mdash; 11.9 in his rookie campaign, 11.3 this year &mdash; but there's been more exploration when he attacks. After attempting 4.6 shots off of drives last season, that number is <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/drives?Season=2022-23&amp;TeamID=1610612760&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=DRIVES" target="_blank" rel="noopener">up to 5.6 this year</a>. He <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/drives?Season=2021-22&amp;TeamID=1610612760&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=DRIVES" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed on nearly half</a> (49.7%) of his drives last year; that's down to 38.5% this season.&nbsp;
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From the film, two things pop for me. First, the handle is a little tighter &mdash; though you still wouldn't confuse him for an And-1 legend. Early nail help doesn't thwart him as easily as it did last season, which has allowed some of those early kick-outs or strips to turn into deeper drives.
Beyond that, the added strength &mdash; and the way he's channeling that strength &mdash; has led to more fruitful attacks. Though Giddey is a tall ball-handler, he almost always attempts to gain lower ground on his defender. If he's able to get a hint of leverage, he often uses his shoulder to create space inside. The video below features makes and misses, but it should highlight how Giddey is attempting to win on drives.
<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/vdwvij" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Last season, the Thunder generated 0.89 points per possession (PPP) on trips featuring a Giddey drive. That ranked a not-nice 69th out of 70 players to drive at least 500 times. You couldn't really use the "he's kicking to non-shooters" excuse for the low effieciency.
<ul>
<li>Giddey shot off drives (252): 0.9 PPP</li>
<li>Giddey pass off drives (326): 0.97 PPP</li>
</ul>
We've seen signs of growth this season, with Thunder possessions featuring a Giddey drive generating 0.93 PPP. That's 65th out of 73 players with at least 250 drives at this point &mdash; still not good, but trending up.
<ul>
<li>Giddey shot off drives (192): 1.0 PPP</li>
<li>Giddey pass off drives (148): 0.93 PPP</li>
</ul>
The encouraging thing is you can attribute the low passing numbers to the shooting, where Giddey has somehow gotten worse luck than last year. Lu Dort and Tre Mann, Giddey's most frequent pass-to options, have shot a combined 22-of-79 (27.8%) from three off of passes from Giddey. That's <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1630581/passes-dash?PerMode=Totals&amp;Season=2021-22" target="_blank" rel="noopener">way down</a> from last season's 56-of-138 (40.6%) clip.
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Still, the desire to get downhill and make plays is evident. A whopping 40% of Giddey's shots have come at the rim, per Cleaning The Glass &mdash; up from 29% last season. That's come with a decline in three-point rate (30% to 21%) and long mid-range rate (7% to 4%).
It isn't perfect, of course. Giddey is shooting much better from three, but he still hasn't hit the threshold where defenses will change how he's guarded. The newfound aggression still hasn't materialized at the free-throw line. After averaging a paltry 1.5 free-throw attempts last season, he's at [checks notes] 1.5 this season. He's taken 10 over his last five games, with seven of those coming against the Hornets.&nbsp;
But Giddey&nbsp;is taking steps to solve his woes as a scorer. The newfound aggression hasn't solved everything yet, but the fact that there's aggression to applaud is the key right now.

Nekias Duncan dives into the recent scoring surge from Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey.

Examining Josh Giddey's rising aggression

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Anthony Edwards scored 13 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, Rudy Gobert had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Portland Trail Blazers 113-106 on Wednesday night.
Luka Garza added 14 points off the bench for Minnesota, which saw another halftime lead slip away in the third quarter but held on for its second straight win after a six-game skid.
&ldquo;I thought defensively we were great pretty much all night long,&rdquo; Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. &ldquo;We gave them a lot of different looks and to close out the game, a lot of winning plays really.&rdquo;
Jerami Grant scored 20 of his 26 points in the first half for Portland, which trailed by as much as 13 in the opening half while Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons combined for three points.
Lillard finished with 27 points and Simons had 16 for the Trail Blazers, who had 18 turnovers that led to 22 points for the Timberwolves.
&ldquo;I was never really happy from the start of the game,&rdquo; Portland coach Chauncey Billups said. &ldquo;Our mindset from the very start wasn&rsquo;t right. It just wasn&rsquo;t right. That&rsquo;s our inconsistency. Sometimes, we come out with the right type of mindset, set the tone, be the aggressor on both sides of the floor. When we don&rsquo;t, you come back and you want to counterpunch, you put yourself in a tough spot.&rdquo;
Minnesota has had no trouble getting ahead, such as in Monday&rsquo;s win against Western Conference-leading Denver. Holding those leads has been the issue, like when the Timberwolves led NBA-worst Detroit by 18 in an eventual loss Saturday.
With Lillard and Simons finding their way, the Trail Blazers erased a seven-point halftime deficit early in the third quarter.
&ldquo;I think we&rsquo;re just really inconsistent right now,&rdquo; Lillard said. &ldquo;Not only from game to game but from quarter to quarter. We&rsquo;re just not able to sustain that level of focus, that level of urgency, the energy.&rdquo;
Jusuf Nurkic gave the Trail Blazers a 92-91 lead with 9:33 remaining in the fourth.
Veteran teammates have implored the young Edwards to take control of games at certain points and he did so again. He scored six points as the Wolves went on an 11-3 run to pull back in front for good, and the offense ran through Edwards late in the fourth.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m always ready for the fourth,&rdquo; Edwards said. &ldquo;When the fourth come, I&rsquo;m like, &lsquo;Man, it&rsquo;s showtime now.&rsquo; So, I&rsquo;m getting kind of used to it now.&rdquo;
LEANING ON LUKA
Garza provided the early boost, scoring 11 points in the first quarter. When the seldom-used, second-year player replaced Gobert, Minnesota went on a 14-1 run for a 25-12 lead. Garza had nine points during the run, capping it with a wide-open 3-pointer.
&ldquo;His offense was carrying us there for a little bit and we were feeding him,&rdquo; Finch said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a very gifted offensive player, but defensively he was outstanding.&rdquo;
PRINCELY RETURN
Minnesota's Taurean Prince returned after missing 20 games with a right shoulder subluxation. His impact was limited due to foul trouble, but he finished with 11 points in 21 minutes. The seven-year veteran also provided energy and defense off the bench.
&ldquo;I feel like I bring a presence that&rsquo;s infectious,&rdquo; Prince said. &ldquo;So, I guess that&rsquo;s something that plays to a benefit when I&rsquo;m able to play.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Trail Blazers: Grant missed time in the second half with a left quad contusion but finished the game. ... Gary Payton II, who made his season debut on Monday, was held out with a right ankle sprain. Payton had recovered from offseason core muscle surgery. Justise Winslow missed his fifth straight game with a left ankle sprain. ... Nurkic and fellow center Drew Eubanks each fouled out.
Timberwolves: D&rsquo;Angelo Russell returned after missing Monday&rsquo;s game due to an illness. ... Naz Reid missed his second straight game with back spasms and Bryn Forbes was out with right shoulder soreness. ... Minnesota entered the day being outscored by a league-high 122 points in the third quarter.
&nbsp;

Anthony Edwards scored 32 points, Rudy Gobert had 17 and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Portland Trail Blazers 113-106.

Edwards scores 32, helps Wolves close out Blazers 113-106

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Evan Mobley's 14-foot jumper with four seconds left &mdash; off an assist from Donovan Mitchell &mdash; helped the Cleveland Cavaliers rally for a 90-88 victory Wednesday night over the Phoenix Suns, who lost their fourth straight.
Mitchell finished with just 20 points two nights after scoring 71. But on Cleveland's final possession, he drove and fed Mobley, who calmly knocked down his shot in his return after missing two games with a sore ankle.
The Suns had a chance to tie it, but Mikal Bridges missed a jumper in the final second. Mitchell snared the rebound and fired the ball to the other end in celebration.
Caris LeVert scored 21 points to lead the Cavs, who spent most of the night chasing the Suns. Mitchell was just 6 of 20 from the field (3 of 12 on 3s) after his historic performance on Monday.
Chris Paul scored 25 points and Deandre Ayton added 15 points and 18 rebounds for Phoenix, which went just 1-5 on a trip and dropped to 4-12 since Dec. 5. The Suns have struggled without injured All-NBA guard Devin Booker, out with a groin strain.
Cleveland was without All-Star guard Darius Garland, who missed his third straight game with a sprained right thumb.
Before the game, Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff acknowledged the possibility of an &ldquo;emotional hangover&rdquo; for his players following Mitchell's memorable night.
That was certainly the case in the first half as the Cavs came out flat and missed their first 15 3-point attempts while scoring a season-low 33 points before halftime.
The Suns weren't much better, but they had Paul, who scored 14 points in the second to give Phoenix a 10-point halftime lead.
SUNNY DISPOSITION
Despite the Suns' recent slide, which only worsened without Booker, coach Monty Williams has been pleased with his team's togetherness. Practices have stayed spirited and he's seeing a team determined to fix things.
&ldquo;We're just waiting for the breakthrough,&rdquo; he said. "No splintering. We keep plugging away and that has been our mentality from the jump. That's what I keep telling the guys, 'keep pushing.&rdquo;
SCORING BINGE
While Mitchell&rsquo;s 71-point outburst is the highest in the league this season, 40- and 50-point games have become a regular occurrence. Dallas superstar Luka Doncic recently scored 60.
Bickerstaff believes the scoring spike is a combination of factors, including defensive rules that allow offensive freedom and a generation of elite players who began working on their individual skills at a young age.
&ldquo;The league is in a wonderful place as far as talent,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It literally seems like every night you&rsquo;re seeing somebody do something spectacular."
TIP-INS
Suns: Booker has missed five straight games since reinjuring the groin Dec. 25 at Denver. He missed the three games before that Christmas night game with groin soreness. The team expects him to miss several more weeks. ... G Cameron Payne didn't play in the second half due to right foot discomfort. ... Bridges played in his 348th consecutive game, the league's current longest Ironman streak. He has never missed a game as a pro or at Villanova.
Cavaliers: Mitchell added 11 assists Monday, meaning he accounted for 99 points &mdash; the second most in league history behind Wilt Chamberlain's 104 in 1962. ... Garland took part in the team's morning shootaround, wearing a protective wrap on his thumb. It's possible he'll return later this week. ... Cleveland is 6-0 in overtime games, already a team record for a season. Dating to last season, the Cavs have won their last eight OT games.
&nbsp;

Evan Mobley's 14-foot jumper with four seconds left helped the Cleveland Cavaliers rally for a 90-88 victory over the Phoenix Suns.