Buckeyes

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

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

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

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

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

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

The NBA announced the All-Rookie teams on Monday afternoon.
The All-Rookie First Team consists of Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams, Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler, Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray and Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin.
Banchero, who won the 2022-23 Rookie of the Year award, was the lone unanimous First-Team selection.
The All-Rookie Second Team features Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren, Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason, Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey, Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. and San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan.
The following players also received votes: Andrew Nembhard (Pacers), Shaedon Sharpe (Blazers), AJ Griffin (Hawks), Christian Braun (Nuggets), Jaylin Willams (Thunder), Jaden Hardy (Mavericks), Malaki Branham (Spurs), Dyson Daniels (Pelicans), Mark Williams (Hornets) and MarJon Beauchamp (Bucks).
Here are the complete results:
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On Tuesday, the NBA will announce the All-Defensive Teams. On Wednesday, the league will announce the All-NBA Teams. And on Thursday, they'll announce the Teammate of the Year award.

The NBA announced the All-Rookie teams on Monday afternoon.

Paolo Banchero, Jalen Williams headline NBA All-Rookie Teams

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Kyrie Irving sat for the last two games as part of a plan by the Dallas Mavericks to get back a draft pick sent to the New York Knicks in a trade four years ago.
Now they wait to see if the eight-time All-Star will re-sign in free agency, or be a failed two-month rental from a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-dallas-mavericks-nba-sports-disaster-planning-and-response-7749902360cabe682d60dd63e8b16786" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blockbuster deal with Brooklyn</a>.
&ldquo;I think I said this before, he&rsquo;s at peace,&rdquo; coach Jason Kidd said, striking an optimistic tone after Irving declined to meet with reporters for a season-ending interview. &ldquo;He likes it here.&rdquo;
The Mavs sat Irving and five other regulars in a meaningless, reserve-filled finale against San Antonio on Sunday, losing 138-117 to Sandro Mamukelashvili and the Spurs.
Irving and fellow All-Star Luka Doncic were among those who didn&rsquo;t play with&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/mavericks-playoffs-nba-investigation-tanking-7ac5f76590adafd9df1c7c590a78d346" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dallas being investigated by the NBA</a>&nbsp;for similar roster decisions two days earlier against Chicago.
The Mavericks still had a shot at the final Western Conference play-in spot before blowing an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter of a loss to the Bulls.
The Spurs sat nine players, but they&rsquo;ve been out of contention for months and were already locked in to the best draft lottery odds at 14%, along with Detroit and Houston, in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes.
The loss gave Dallas the 10th-worst record and lottery chances of 4.5%, which is part of the reason the NBA opened an investigation when Doncic was pulled early and Irving and four other regulars didn&rsquo;t play at all against Chicago.
The Mavs and Bulls were tied for the 10th-best record going into the game. Dallas gets the pick if it&rsquo;s in the top 10, but otherwise surrenders it to the Knicks from Dallas&rsquo; 2019 trade for Kristaps Porzingis.
The pick would give Dallas a bit of collateral if Irving decides not to re-sign.
The mercurial Irving said when he was introduced in Dallas after the trade that he didn&rsquo;t want to talk about his future until after the season. When that time came, he still wasn&rsquo;t talking.
The Mavs were in the middle of the playoff race when they created the first pair of All-Star starters in franchise history, but Doncic and Irving were just 5-11 together with both missing multiple games because of injuries.
Dallas won its first two games with Irving but went 7-18 the rest of the way, missing the playoffs for the first time since Doncic&rsquo;s rookie year in 2018-19 after reaching the West finals last season.
&ldquo;I know you guys will talk about the record, which is fair and not fair, between the two players of Luka and (Irving),&rdquo; Kidd said. &ldquo;But there&rsquo;s also other participants. So let&rsquo;s put everybody in that fish bowl, not just those two. He&rsquo;s excited to work with Luka. He believes that we have a chance to win.&rdquo;
Doncic has three years remaining before the player option on the $215 million rookie max extension he signed two summers ago. He said he wants to see where the superstar pairing can go.
&ldquo;I wish we could continue that chemistry, relationship,&rdquo; said Doncic, who finished second in the scoring race at a career-best 32.4 points per game. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not going to happen in a day, in a week. It&rsquo;s a building process.&rdquo;
Mamukelashvili had 23 points. Dominick Barlow scored 21 points, and Malaki Branham added 20 for the Spurs.
Rookie Jaden Hardy led Dallas with 25 points, and Theo Pinson had a triple-double with 23 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists.
The Spurs ended a seven-game losing streak against Dallas, leading by as many as 31 points in the first half.
The Mavericks started three players for the first time this season, with the other two having just eight starts between them. Of the 17 players in the game for both teams, 15 scored in double figures.
TEXAS 3 MISSTEP
The Dallas loss to Chicago clinched the first NBA season in which all three Texas teams missed the playoffs. The Mavs were the last of the three to join the league, in 1980-81.
Houston and San Antonio were buried at the bottom of the West standings for months. The Spurs missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season after qualifying the previous 22 years. The Rockets are on a three-year drought.

The Mavs will now shift their focus to Kyrie Irving's free agency and whether he'll re-sign in free agency or be a failed two-month rental from the Nets.

Mavs turn focus to Kyrie Irving after reserve-filled loss to Spurs

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

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

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

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

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

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

The most important word in NBA All-Star break might actually be "break."
For one week, the entire league recalibrates itself for the home stretch of the regular season and catches up on the aches, pains and more significant injuries that stem from competing hard every single day. Rookies can also breathe after being thrown into the fires of their first year as a pro.
Young talent can thrive coming out of the break. Bottom-feeding teams are ready to turn minutes over to those with less experience and more upside after the trade deadline. Contenders have a better understanding of how rookies could slot into a playoff-seeking rotation. And regardless of the ethics, a stellar final impression can heavily impact All-Rookie narratives.
So who might surprise us with a strong close to the season?
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Here are five under-the-radar rookies worth monitoring for a leap forward &mdash; "under-the-radar" excluding lottery draft picks and players already firmly in the Rookie of the Year conversation (i.e. Walker Kessler):
Malaki Branham, San Antonio Spurs
Malaki Branham is barely under the radar at this point; he's leading all rookies with 18.1 points per game in February. But he is one of my favorite players in this rookie class, and since he fits my criteria, I'm seizing the chance to spotlight him.
According to PBP Stats, 136 players have attempted at least 50 "self-created" mid-range shots this season (attempts after possessing the ball for at least two seconds). Branham is converting on a ridiculous 56% of those shots, ranking third behind only Kevin Durant and Seth Curry.
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Malaki Branham logged his sixth consecutive start Monday at Cleveland and played well, scoring 18 points on 8-of-11 in the loss. Branham is a natural shot-creator who is also excellent moving off-ball. He&rsquo;s going to be a very good NBA player and an important piece for the Spurs. <a href="https://t.co/kbfm5KivkL">pic.twitter.com/kbfm5KivkL</a>
&mdash; Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/UsherNBA/status/1625337236152799232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2023</a></blockquote>
The No. 20 overall pick hardly wastes time and effort when he attacks off the dribble. While Branham has showcased his chops as an on-ball scorer, he's also 26-for-29 on assisted shots within 10 feet of the rim this season, per PBP Stats, and Synergy says Branham is shooting 76.5% on cutting field goal attempts.&nbsp;
Branham's relatively low output from the perimeter at Ohio State drew question marks around the NBA Draft. Could he stretch his mid-range prowess beyond the arc? This season, Branham has made just 33.3% of his catch-and-shoot threes, but since February, he's at a scorching 18-for-41 (43.9%) on 4.6 &nbsp;attempts per game.&nbsp;
Right now, he's purely been a bucket. We're still waiting to see a bit more of the off-dribble playmaking, which I believe was underrated in college. Branham also is, well, a contributor to the Spurs' league-worst defense. But the 6-foot-5-inch wing is playing in a low-stakes environment by NBA standards and is clearly growing more comfortable with each passing game. If you told me he would lead rookies in post-All-Star scoring, I'd believe you.

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Christian Braun, Denver Nuggets
The No. 21 overall selection in this past year's draft hung around the back end of the Nuggets' rotation for most of the season, but has received 23.3 minutes per game this month. Christian Braun is averaging 7.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals across nine February contests on a scintillating 64.5% True Shooting clip.&nbsp;
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Holy crap Christian Braun! The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Nuggets?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Nuggets</a> rookie summoning his inner Nikola Jokic, on the baseline cut takes the entry pass from Joker and instantly dishes it back out to Michael Porter Jr. for the corner 3-pointer. Such a damn impressive heads up play.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MileHighBasketball?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MileHighBasketball</a> <a href="https://t.co/p01V1g6PIi">pic.twitter.com/p01V1g6PIi</a>
&mdash; Joel Rush (@JoelRushNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoelRushNBA/status/1625539664571699201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Braun is a quintessential connector for the Nuggets right now. Over 53% of his shots have come at the rim, mostly off of secondary drives or cuts, and he'll also spot up from the corners frequently. He's not a lead playmaker, but he'll keep the ball moving; plus, he's had just six bad-pass turnovers all season, per PBP Stats.&nbsp;
The Nuggets also like to use Braun's size at 6-foot-7, 218 pounds to guard up the lineup. According to BBall Index, the Kansas product has spent over 62% of his playing time defending point guards and shooting guards. And, while he's not the point-of-attack defender, he's useful in taking away complementary options and being an additional pest.
Denver's lack of trade-deadline additions on the wing (and top billing in the West) means Braun is expected to contribute to a deep playoff run. A stable three-point shot would go a long way (46.7% in February, 37.1% on the season), along with continued growth on defense. But Braun is the rare rookie on a pressure-packed team, and thriving would say a lot about his impact.
Tari Eason, Houston Rockets
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Per Cleaning the Glass: only 5️⃣ NBA players have block and steal rates both above 1.5% 🏀 - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) - Jaren Jackson Jr. (MEM) - Larry Nance Jr. (NOP) - Kyle Anderson (MIN) - Tari Eason (HOU) <a href="https://t.co/Fi0pGOHnbL">pic.twitter.com/Fi0pGOHnbL</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1628828512206348291?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Tari Eason's 1.5% block rate and 2.2% steal rate place him in an elite group of defensive havoc-wreakers this season. He's averaging 4.52 bad-pass steals or deflections per 75 possessions, per BBall Index, which puts him in the 95th percentile at his position.
Eason is already a unique event-creator on defense with his length and mobility. He also inhales rebounds on both ends of the glass. The former LSU forward secures offensive boards on 10.6% of Houston's misses, a rate that ranks second among all non-bigs in the league.&nbsp;
Those two impact areas carry the weight for Eason's All-Rookie case; he's still finding his niche on offense. He has to create more for himself than expected, and he's making a paltry 40.7% of his unassisted shots at the rim. The Rockets' offense has been a mess all season long. Ideally, Eason could start his career capitalizing on more cuts, lobs and spot-ups, but it's unclear if he'll find that balance this season.
Still, his defensive impact and rebounding activity warrant a prime spot in the rotation of a young, losing team, and Eason is talented enough to make it work.
Jaylin Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder
The pesky Thunder continue to stick around in the playoff race, and Jaylin Williams &mdash; not to be confused with Jalen &mdash; has been the most recent young head-turner with his charge-taking. Check out this graphic from Dom Samangy:
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Former Razorback, Jaylin Williams, is currently LEADING THE NBA in charges drawn per minute played and has the highest charge rate in 7 years since the NBA started tracking &ldquo;hustle stats&rdquo; in 2016. He currently draws a charge every 22 minutes of play! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ProHogs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ProHogs</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/Jay_MWilliams_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Jay_MWilliams_</a> <a href="https://t.co/bOM9XcqynU">pic.twitter.com/bOM9XcqynU</a>
&mdash; Dom Samangy (@DSamangy) <a href="https://twitter.com/DSamangy/status/1628448922770329601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Williams is such a fun, unique player. He's not racking up blocks or steals as a rim-protector, but he rebounds, takes charges and positions himself well on defense for a rookie.
Then, on offense, he's warped his impact from the pre-draft projections coming out of Arkansas. Williams' perimeter shot-making was more of an intriguing developmental pathway than a bread-and-butter skill entering the 2022 NBA Draft. The second-rounder is shooting a red-hot 47.7% from long range this season, including (checks notes) 55.6% since Jan. 1. In contrast, he's barely scoring around the rim; just 29% of his shots are coming within 4 feet of the basket.
Add in an 11.1% assist rate (66th percentile among bigs) and 3.1 screen assists per 75 possessions (80th percentile), and Williams is upending a lot of the traditional images for low-usage young centers.&nbsp;
OKC moved on from Mike Muscala and forward Darius Bazley at the trade deadline. Williams' playing time has fluctuated this season, but he's averaging 21.8 minutes per game in February and has started 11 of 17 games in the new year. He'll be a big part of this stretch run for a Thunder team capable of contending.
Mark Williams, Charlotte Hornets
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mark williams size blk + lob radius, good stuff <a href="https://t.co/8lVqlyksUH">pic.twitter.com/8lVqlyksUH</a>
&mdash; ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) <a href="https://twitter.com/bjpf_/status/1627041357041897472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2023</a></blockquote>

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The Hornets traded away Mason Plumlee and are well out of the playoff picture. It's time to give the young guys some runtime, and that begins with Mark Williams, who has started the last four contests. The No. 15 overall pick is averaging 7.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 15.9 minutes per game this season.
Williams has thrived in more of the traditional finishing-center archetype. He's tallying 4.4 screen assists per 75 possessions (88th percentile) and posting a monster 3.7% block rate and 2.0% steal rate. (He missed the minute qualifier for Eason's previously mentioned stat). The 7-foot-1-inch center takes 78% of his shots around the rim, the majority via assists, and he makes 70% of those attempts.&nbsp;
Let's expand on the interior defense a bit because Williams' small-sample impact numbers are insane. Pulling from BBall Index's data, here's a look at how he's affecting shots around the basket.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 132px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.6251%; height: 22px;">Category</td>
<td style="width: 16.3185%; height: 22px;">Value</td>
<td style="width: 35.0481%; height: 22px;">Percentile rank (among C's)</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.6251%; height: 22px;">% of teams' at-rim shots contested by Williams</td>
<td style="width: 16.3185%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.4714}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00%&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">47.14%</td>
<td style="width: 35.0481%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.96}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0%&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}" data-sheets-formula="=percentrank('Data Pull'!C[134]:C[134],R[0]C[-1])">96th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.6251%; height: 22px;">At-rim contests per 75 poss.</td>
<td style="width: 16.3185%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:10.82}">10.82</td>
<td style="width: 35.0481%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.987}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0%&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}" data-sheets-formula="=percentrank('Data Pull'!C[135]:C[135],R[0]C[-1])">99th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.6251%; height: 22px;">Blocks per 75 poss.</td>
<td style="width: 16.3185%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:2.63}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.0&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">2.6</td>
<td style="width: 35.0481%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.97}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0%&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}" data-sheets-formula="=percentrank('Data Pull'!C[136]:C[136],R[0]C[-1])">97th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.6251%; height: 22px;">% of Williams' contests that become blocks</td>
<td style="width: 16.3185%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.2429}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00%&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">24.29%</td>
<td style="width: 35.0481%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.857}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0%&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}" data-sheets-formula="=percentrank('Data Pull'!C[137]:C[137],R[0]C[-1])">86th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.6251%; height: 22px;">Opponent FG% at rim vs. expected FG%</td>
<td style="width: 16.3185%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:-0.116}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;+#,##0.00%;-#,##0.00%&quot;}">-11.60%</td>
<td style="width: 35.0481%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.987}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0%&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}" data-sheets-formula="=1-percentrank('Data Pull'!C[138]:C[138],R[0]C[-1])">99th</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
(Scroll right to view full table on mobile)
These are massive data points for any player, much less a rookie.
When Williams is on the court, Charlotte allows 6.6 fewer points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass. He's already changing the tone for a squad that has historically had issues fortifying the floor. Hopefully we get to see more of that in this stretch run.
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THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>Not a stat, but I do want to give honorable mention shoutouts to AJ Griffin of the Atlanta Hawks and AJ Green of the Milwaukee Bucks. Both are talented rookies ready to join their team's rotations; I just wonder what minutes are available. Griffin now has to compete with Saddiq Bey in Atlanta's wing room in addition to the other established talents on the roster. Green seems to take a back seat when the Bucks are fully healthy.</li>
<li>Synergy's Todd Whitehead made these neat visualizations of pick-and-roll defense that I highlighted at the beginning of the year, and he's got some interesting takeaways now:</li>
</ul>
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When I made this chart back in November, I was interested to see that the teams with the best process (ones taking away opponents rolls/cuts to the rim, corner 3s, and shooting fouls) weren't necessarily the ones with the lowest PPP allowed (👀Boston, for example). <a href="https://t.co/5VVpnVCyYW">https://t.co/5VVpnVCyYW</a> <a href="https://t.co/aWBfcmOA9T">pic.twitter.com/aWBfcmOA9T</a>
&mdash; Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrumpledJumper/status/1626670052769669120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2023</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>Another post-All-Star stats check-in courtesy of Tom Bassine:</li>
</ul>
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Updated starter and bench majority lineup team strengths. Denver still builds their leads through starter lineups with Jokic. Chicago bench stands out. <a href="https://t.co/1Uh8HSWSfs">pic.twitter.com/1Uh8HSWSfs</a>
&mdash; Tom Bassine (@tvbassine) <a href="https://twitter.com/tvbassine/status/1629102353210126336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Ethan Fuller highlights five under-the-radar rookies who could make an impact in the NBA season's final months.

NBA Stats Notebook: 5 players who could break into the All-Rookie race

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

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

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

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

Embiid’s double-double leads 76ers past Spurs, losers of 8 straight

SAN ANTONIO (AP) &mdash; Domantas Sabonis scored a season-high 34 points and had 11 rebounds and the Sacramento Kings beat San Antonio 119-109 on Wednesday night, handing the beleaguered Spurs their seventh straight loss.
&ldquo;If they are going to be down there trying to guard him one-on-one, &lsquo;Hey, yo, go score,&rsquo;&rdquo; Kings guard De&rsquo;Aaron Fox said. &ldquo;If you have to shoot the ball 10, 15 times in a row, do it.&rdquo;
Sabonis finished 15 for 20 from the field.
Fox added 31 points, 10 assists and had just one turnover for Sacramento, which has won two straight and nine of 12 to remain atop the Pacific Division.
The Spurs, who have lost 12 of 13, were led by a season-high 22 points from rookie Malaki Branham. But already without Devin Vassell, the Spurs lost starters Tre Jones and Jeremy Sochan to injury in the first quarter.
Even without three of its top six scorers, San Antonio kept pace with Sacramento&rsquo;s league-leading offense for most of the game. Josh Richardson added 19 points for the Spurs in his return after missing three games with a sore left knee.
&ldquo;They do it every game,&rdquo; San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. &ldquo;They stick with it and they play hard every game. One out of every 10 or so, we might lay and egg, but everybody else does the same thing. I have always been pleased with their effort and their stick-to-itiveness.&rdquo;
Sacramento, which matched its season average of 119.5 points per game, went on a 14-2 run in taking a 49-37 lead midway through the second quarter.
The Kings were 8 for 27 on 3-pointers, but compensated for the poor outside shooting with a season-high 74 points in the paint.
Sabonis ignited the inside dominance, scoring 17 points primarily in the paint in the first quarter while shooting 7 for 9.
&ldquo;In the first quarter, they were trying to play him one-on-one and not allow him to spread the ball,&rdquo; Fox said. &ldquo;Obviously, he&rsquo;s a super unselfish guy, but if they are going to guard him like that, we all tell him, go score the ball because at some point they are going to have to start helping.&rdquo;
The Spurs pulled within three points twice in the third quarter and cut the deficit to 89-88 two minutes into the fourth on Doug McDermott&rsquo;s cutting layup. But the Kings responded each time with a short run to maintain their advantage.
&ldquo;Stopping them from getting in the paint,&rdquo; Sacramento guard Malik Monk said. &ldquo;After they made a little run, we locked in. Went to the timeout, said, &lsquo;We can&rsquo;t let them in the paint,&rsquo; and we did that. That&rsquo;s how we held the lead.&rdquo;
Monk added 22 points while playing 33 minutes off the bench.
TIP-INS
Kings: Sabonis&rsquo; previous high was 31 points against Denver on Dec. 28. ... Sacramento did not have a single player listed on its injury report. ... The Kings clinched the season series with their third victory over The Spurs. The series finale is April 2 in Sacramento. The Kings&rsquo; last loss to the Spurs was 136-117 on Nov. 10, 2021, in San Antonio.
Spurs: Popovich said there was no update on Sochan and Jones&rsquo; status after the game. Sochan exited with 5:11 remaining in the first quarter after clutching at his lower back. Sochan was fouled while fighting for position under the rim against Fox. Jones left with 2:58 remaining in the first after injuring his left foot. ... G Romeo Langford missed his fifth straight game with left adductor tightness. &hellip; C Zach Collins had 14 points on 7-for-9 shooting.
ALL-STAR NODS
Sabonis and Fox put up double-doubles in their final game before All-Star reserves are announced Thursday.
Sacramento coach Mike Brown hopes their outings serve as a punctuation to their selections given how well both have played for the surprising Kings this season.
&ldquo;I hope so,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got to think people would take into consideration your record. To me, Fox and Domas are clear All-Stars, but at the end of the day, it&rsquo;s not just my decision.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Kings: At Indiana on Friday.
Spurs: Host Philadelphia on Friday.

Domantas Sabonis scored a season-high 34 points and had 11 rebounds and the Kings beat the Spurs 119-109 on Wednesday.

Sabonis’ double-double helps Kings power past Spurs 119-109

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

Best of Basketball News: Spotlighting our top content from 2022

Nikola Jokic is about to start his chase toward something that hasn&rsquo;t been done in nearly 40 years.
A player winning back-to-back NBA MVP awards is rare, something that&rsquo;s happened only 13 times in league history. And having done that last season, Jokic &mdash; the cornerstone of the Denver Nuggets &mdash; is now trying for something even more unusual: winning it three years in a row.
The only players who have pulled off that feat are Bill Russell (1961, 1962, 1963), Wilt Chamberlain (1966, 1967, 1968) and Larry Bird (1984, 1985, 1986).
The Nuggets aren't keeping that fact a secret from Jokic.
&ldquo;No, I challenged him,&rdquo; said Nuggets coach Michael Malone, who flew to Serbia last summer to surprise Jokic with his second straight award.
Jokic is obviously among the favorites. Until this past season, there had never been a stretch of four consecutive international MVPs in the NBA. Jokic changed that, winning each of the last two awards after Milwaukee&rsquo;s Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) won in 2019 and 2020.
And right now, it would seem almost likely that the MVP streak for non-U.S.-born players goes to five in a row, with Jokic, Antetokounmpo, Dallas&rsquo; Luka Doncic (Slovenia) and Philadelphia's Joel Embiid among the favorites. Embiid was born in Cameroon and holds French and now U.S. citizenship.
<a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba?tab=player-awards">FanDuel Sportsbook</a> says Doncic is the favorite, just ahead of Embiid and Antetokounmpo. Jokic is fourth in terms of lowest odds, tied with Brooklyn&rsquo;s Kevin Durant and just ahead of Memphis&rsquo; Ja Morant, Boston&rsquo;s Jayson Tatum and Golden State&rsquo;s Stephen Curry.
POP STUFF
San Antonio&rsquo;s Gregg Popovich has faced 163 different coaches so far in his legendary career. That list should reach at least 166 this season, with him slated to oppose Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham, interim Boston coach Joe Mazzulla and former Spurs assistant Will Hardy &mdash; now the coach in Utah &mdash; all for the first time.
There have been 322 coaches in NBA history, not including Popovich, who have coached at least 10 games. Popovich, the NBA&rsquo;s all-time wins leader, has faced more than half of them &mdash; 50.3%, or 162.
Popovich turns 74 on Jan. 28, and he's the oldest active head coach in the NBA.
It's no secret that Popovich enjoys talking about and, of course, sipping fine wine. But six of the players on San Antonio's season-opening roster probably won't have much to say about that topic; Jordan Hall is 20 and the Spurs have five other players &mdash; Joshua Primo, Blake Wesley, Dominick Barlow, Malaki Branham and Jeremy Sochan &mdash; who are still 19 as this season begins.
The Spurs' group of 19-year-olds, incidentally, are five of the NBA's 17 youngest players who made rosters or got two-way deals to start the season.
SPO WATCH
Miami&rsquo;s Erik Spoelstra &mdash; whose tenure with the Heat is the second-longest of any current coach in his current job, behind only San Antonio&rsquo;s Gregg Popovich &mdash; should move into the top 20 on the NBA&rsquo;s all-time wins list this season.
Spoelstra starts the season with 660 wins, behind No. 22 Mike Fratello (667), No. 21 Mike D&rsquo;Antoni (672) and No. 20 Red Holzman (696). No. 19 John MacLeod (707) is within legitimate reach for Spoelstra this season as well.
Philadelphia&rsquo;s Doc Rivers enters the year No. 9 on the list with 1,043 wins, which is 55 behind No. 8 Larry Brown. Indiana&rsquo;s Rick Carlisle has 861 wins, three back of No. 14 Jack Ramsay.
FIT TO BE TIED
For only the second time in the last 23 seasons, the Western Conference didn&rsquo;t win the season-long series against teams from the Eastern Conference.
In the regular season, the East went 226-224 against the West &mdash; bolstered by a 3-0 record on the final day with Chicago topping Minnesota, Boston rolling past Memphis and Atlanta defeating Houston.
Throw in Golden State&rsquo;s 4-2 mark against Boston in the NBA Finals, and the final games-won tally for the full season was West 228, East 228.
The only other time since 1998-99 that the East won the regular season series vs. the West was 2008-09, going 231-219. In the other 21 regular seasons over that span, before last year, the West had gone 5,149-3,910 vs. the East &mdash; a .568 winning percentage.
AGE GAME
The youngest player in the league entering this season is Detroit&rsquo;s Jalen Duren, who was born Nov. 18, 2003.
Yes, that means he wasn&rsquo;t born yet when some current players were already in the league. LeBron James and Udonis Haslem both played their 11th career games on the day Duren was born.
That isn&rsquo;t the only age quirk this season.
The 42-year-old Haslem is older than five current head coaches &mdash; New Orleans&rsquo; Willie Green, Memphis&rsquo; Taylor Jenkins, Oklahoma City&rsquo;s Mark Daigneault, Utah&rsquo;s Will Hardy and Boston interim coach Joe Mazzulla. Golden State&rsquo;s Andre Iguodala is older than than the last four names on that list; James is older than the last three.
There are 19 players currently on rosters who are older than Hardy (including Jazz players Rudy Gay and Mike Conley) and 23 players older than Mazzulla (including Boston forward Al Horford).
ODDS ARE
Oklahoma City has been favored in five games over the last two seasons. That&rsquo;s the fewest games in a two-year span by any team over the last decade; Philadelphia was favored in a combined six games over the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons.
That said, the Thunder were a great bet last season. They covered in 63% of their games, just behind Memphis (64%) for the best such rate in the NBA. The worst was Portland, which covered 38% of the time.
This much is certain: The team that was favored in more games than anyone else last season won&rsquo;t have that same distinction this year.
Last year, the Utah Jazz were favored in 73 of the 82 regular-season games, ahead of Phoenix (70), Milwaukee (66), Golden State (62), Boston (61) and Miami (59). With Donovan Mitchell now in Cleveland and Rudy Gobert now in Minnesota, the Jazz won&rsquo;t be favored anywhere near that often this season.
LEBRON CLIMBING
LeBron James isn&rsquo;t just on target to become the NBA&rsquo;s all-time scoring leader this season; he&rsquo;s 1,325 points behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and at his average career scoring pace would need about 49 games to move into the No. 1 spot.
He&rsquo;s also set to keep moving up a bunch of other lists, including:
&mdash; Assists: James is seventh right now with 10,045, behind No. 6 Magic Johnson (10,141), No. 5 Mark Jackson (10,334) and No. 4 Steve Nash (10,335). That would put him behind only John Stockton (15,806), Jason Kidd (12,091) and Chris Paul (10,977 entering this season).
&mdash; Games: James has been in 1,366, currently 14th-most all-time. He needs to appear in 27 games to pass Tim Duncan (1,392) for 10th on the NBA career list, and could potentially catch Kevin Willis (1,424) for eighth.
&mdash; 3-pointers: James is 11th in NBA history with 2,140, three behind Portland&rsquo;s Damian Lillard and the retired Paul Pierce, who enter this year tied for ninth.
&mdash; Seasons: James is entering Year 20. He&rsquo;ll be the ninth player to appear in 20 seasons.
SPEAKING OF 20
Miami&rsquo;s Udonis Haslem will be the 10th player to appear in 20 seasons, assuming that LeBron James gets into a game before Haslem does.
Haslem is one of only three players to spend 20 years with one team, joining Dallas&rsquo; Dirk Nowitzki (21) and the Lakers&rsquo; Kobe Bryant (20).
If Carmelo Anthony, who is unsigned, gets into a game this season, that'll mark Year 20 for the former Syracuse great as well.
REMEMBERING RUSSELL
All players will wear Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Russell's No. 6 on the right shoulder of their jerseys this season, commemorating the life of the 11-time NBA champion with the Boston Celtics and civil rights activist who died this summer.
Also, all courts in the NBA will have a &ldquo;6" on the sideline near the scorer's table. And no player who isn't already wearing No. 6 will be allowed to wear it ever again; Russell is the first to have his number retired across the entire league.
Among those still wearing the No. 6 jersey because they were wearing them previously: LeBron James, Washington's Kristaps Porzingis and Chicago's Alex Caruso &mdash; who wanted to change numbers as a tribute to Russell this season, but said he had his request denied.
POINTS MARK
The NBA is 26,324 points away from reaching 14 million all-time.
A record 291,912 points were scored last season, including playoffs. There have been years where more points were scored on average per game &mdash; 16 of them, actually. NBA games saw an average of 220.6 points last season, 16 points per game less than the record of 236.6 set in 1961-62.
At last year's pace, the 14 millionth point would be scored roughly 120 games into this season. or sometime in early November.

The AP highlights important milestones, numbers and records in the NBA that could be achieved in the 2022-23 season.

NBA 2022-23: 10 things to know about the upcoming season

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Iowa has had a first team All-American in three consecutive seasons, two for Luka Garza and one for Keegan Murray, raising the natural question about who the next star will be for the Hawkeyes and how quickly he can emerge.
Kris Murray, predictably, has everyone who follows the program staring straight at him.
The third-year forward has the sleek frame at 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds, the unflappable demeanor on the court and the track record of sharp improvement after increasing his scoring average by more than nine additional points per game.
But the tendency for comparison is unavoidable for the human brain, never more in the analysis of sports, and the fact that Kris Murray is Keegan Murray&rsquo;s identical twin brother will hover over him as long as he puts on a Hawkeyes uniform.
&ldquo;If he didn&rsquo;t look the same as me, we probably wouldn&rsquo;t be having this conversation,&rdquo; Kris Murray said at Big Ten media day in Minneapolis. &ldquo;Nobody expected Keegan to make the jump he did when Luka left. I think that&rsquo;s kind of the big difference. We have a really balanced team this year.&rdquo;
Keegan Murray, who averaged 23.5 points to lead the conference last season, left Iowa after his sophomore year to enter the NBA draft. He was the fourth overall pick by Sacramento.
&ldquo;It was a good thing having Keegan in every single way, so I&rsquo;m not taking away anything from him,&rdquo; sixth-year reserve Connor McCaffery said. &ldquo;But that&rsquo;s a lot of shots that were in that lineup that you have to make up. So now it&rsquo;s different guys coming in, every day in practice.&rdquo;
One look across the Big Ten this fall reveals a trend of departed stars, rosters still in a rather awkward state caused by the eligibility waiver for the pandemic season, the relaxed rules around transfers playing right away and, as always, the allure of an NBA career.
Only eight of the top 25 scorers in the conference in 2021-22 returned to their teams. Just nine of the top 25 most-used players in terms of minutes per game are back.
There are some established standouts on the consensus title contenders like Indiana&rsquo;s Trayce Jackson-Davis, Michigan&rsquo;s Hunter Dickinson and Purdue&rsquo;s Zach Edey who will headline every game they play in 2022-23, but there is a wide-open stage in the league for less-heralded players like Kris Murray, Wisconsin&rsquo;s Tyler Wahl or Rutgers&rsquo; Cliff Omoruyi to step up onto it.
The Big Ten had three top-10 draft picks, with Keegan Murray, Purdue&rsquo;s Jaden Ivey (No. 5) and Wisconsin&rsquo;s Johnny Davis (No. 10). Seven other players were drafted, including two each from Ohio State (Malaki Branham and E.J. Liddell) and Michigan (Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabate).
The transfer portal, of course, had exits around the conference with potential instant-impact arrivals such as Michigan&rsquo;s Jaelen Llewellyn (Princeton), Minnesota&rsquo;s Dawson Garcia (North Carolina) and Illinois&rsquo; Terrence Shannon Jr. (Texas Tech).
But the Big Ten has long been shaped by a core of established head coaches who have remained as committed as they can be in this era to running developmental programs.
Michigan State&rsquo;s Tom Izzo lost his top three scorers from last season but declined to pursue any transfer replacements &mdash; even with a nonconference schedule he called &ldquo;the most brutal&rdquo; he&rsquo;s ever had. The Spartans play Gonzaga, Kentucky, Villanova and Notre Dame, plus a trip to Oregon for the Phil Knight Invitational that matches them up against Alabama and likely two other tough opponents depending on how the bracket unfolds.
&ldquo;I choose the route I choose. I stand behind it,&rdquo; Izzo said. &ldquo;Chemistry, camaraderie, culture, loyalty are all really, really important to me. It&rsquo;s worked. New era? Maybe it won&rsquo;t work. But I like where we are right now.&rdquo;
Established coaches who have produced consistent success have more of a latitude to be patient, to be sure. Purdue&rsquo;s Matt Painter, Wisconsin&rsquo;s Greg Gard and Iowa&rsquo;s Fran McCaffery have all followed a similar philosophy. Ohio State&rsquo;s Chris Holtmann will lean on freshmen as much as ever, with prized rookies Bruce Thornton, Brice Sensabaugh, Roddy Gayle Jr., Felix Okpara and Bowen Hardman putting the Buckeyes at the top of just about all the Big Ten recruiting rankings.
This season, then, ought to serve as a test case of sorts for several of the conference&rsquo;s top teams as they put the value of stability up against some of the other powerhouse programs across the country who might be relying more on game-ready transfers.
&ldquo;We all make jumps year after year,&rdquo; Kris Murray said. &ldquo;The thing about Iowa basketball is we&rsquo;re always improving.&rdquo;

One look across the Big Ten this fall reveals a trend of departed stars, but there are more players set to shine this season.

Next wave of Big Ten stars primed to shine after many exits

SAN ANTONIO (AP) &mdash; San Antonio is going to have a difficult time adding to the NBA-record career victories held by Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
Take it from him.
&ldquo;To be a championship program, you have to have a couple of superstars on your team. We have all known that for a long time. That doesn&rsquo;t exist right now,&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s not a knock on these players, it&rsquo;s just a fact. To avoid that fact seems kind of senseless to me. What we have is a bunch of guys that can all be parts of a championship team if the other pieces arrive at some point.&rdquo;
The Spurs have talent. They are just young and inexperienced.
Forward Keldon Johnson, who celebrated his 23rd birthday Tuesday, is the team&rsquo;s leader along with 26-year-old center Jakob Poeltl and 22-year-old Devin Vassell. San Antonio also has four promising 19-year-olds in rookies Jeremy Sochan, Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley, along with Josh Primo, who is entering his second season.
The Spurs open their 50th season in San Antonio on Oct. 19 at home against the Charlotte Hornets.
&ldquo;We are going out there to win,&rdquo; Johnson said. &ldquo;I feel like we are capable of winning. We are not backing down from anybody. I feel like whoever we are playing, that is who we are going to go after. We aren&rsquo;t taking a back seat to no one, and that&rsquo;s for all 82 games.&rdquo;
The Spurs will of course surely add to Popovich&rsquo;s 1,344 career victories, but it be more difficult following the offseason trade of Dejounte Murray, the team&rsquo;s starting point guard and lone All-Star.
Over the past six years, the Spurs have lost Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, DeMar DeRozan and Murray to retirement, trades or free agency.
San Antonio is projected to miss the playoffs this season and instead vie for something more coveted than an eighth seed in the Western Conference. Victor Wembanyama, the 7-foot-2 center from France, is projected to be the top pick in next year&rsquo;s NBA draft. The Spurs, Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder are expected to scramble for the league&rsquo;s worst record and the best statistical chance for the top pick.
The last time San Antonio held the No. 1 pick they selected Duncan, who guided the Spurs to five championships and league-record tying 22 straight postseason appearances.
MEET THE NEW BOSS
Johnson has emerged as team leader as much out of necessity as his play on the court. Entering his fourth season with the team, Johnson and Poeltl are the longest-tenured players with the Spurs.
&ldquo;I definitely feel like a leader,&rdquo; Johnson said. &ldquo;Whether it&rsquo;s leading by example or being vocal. I think with these young guys, I can definitely speak my opinion and show them the right way.&rdquo;
RETURNING
Johnson and Primo missed the first three preseason games due to injury, but both were expected to play the final two contests in preparation for the season opener. Primo suffered a strained left MCL at the start of training camp and Johnson dislocated his right shoulder during a pre-camp workout.
KID GLOVES
The tough love Popovich meted on Parker in his rookie season has become notorious. Both can laughingly reminisce about the screams that drove Parker to tears as an 18-year-old, but don&rsquo;t expect a repeat of that treatment for the Spurs&rsquo; teenagers.
&ldquo;No, luckily that was a phase in the past,&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;Because as I have told you often, I would be in jail if I treat anyone now like I treated Tony. For sure, I would be in jail.&rdquo;
ZACH IS BACK
Zach Collins played 28 games last season for the Spurs after missing all but 11 games the previous two seasons due to shoulder and foot injuries.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s still hesitant with his shot,&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a good shooter. We want him to shoot it, but he doesn&rsquo;t seem totally confident yet. But, I think he feels much healthier than he did last year. More confident in his body.&rdquo;
The 6-foot-11 center averaged 7.8 points and 5.5 rebounds while starting four games in his first season in San Antonio.
NOT FORGOTTEN
The Spurs traded Murray to Atlanta in the offseason for three first-round picks and forward Danilo Gallinari, who signed with Boston after being waived by San Antonio.
Murray was 19 when he was drafted by the Spurs out of Washington in 2016. The 26-year-old was mentored as a player and a person by Popovich.
&ldquo;He and his daughter, watching him grow as a father, and watching the things he would do in that regard, are much more in the front of my mind than the triple-doubles that he got or anything like that,&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;So, the basketball sort of fades when you get to know these people over time, and he was here a good time.&rdquo;

The San Antonio Spurs have talent. They are just young and inexperienced.

Young Spurs eagerly await 'other pieces' in transition year

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Jaylen Brown scored 24 points and Jayson Tatum added 16 on Sunday as the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics opened under new coach Joe Mazzulla with a preseason 134-93 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
Sam Hauser finished with 14 points for Boston, connecting on 5 of 6 from the field, including four 3-pointers, part of the Celtics making 22 from outside the arc. Malcom Brogdon, picked up in a trade with Indiana, had 11 points.
Kelly Oubre Jr. led the Hornets with 17 points, while LaMelo Ball scored 14, albeit on 5 of 19 from the field. Ball also had seven rebounds and four assists. Terry Rozier finished with 11 points, and Jalen McDaniels had 10.
The Celtics returned to the court three months after coming within two wins of an unprecedented 18th NBA title. Since then, coach Ime Udoka was suspended for the entire season after allegations of an inappropriate relationship in the workplace.
The Hornets are now under coach Steve Clifford, in his second run with Charlotte after James Borrego was fired following the season.
Charlotte connected on 35% of its overall shots and made only five of 33 shots from 3-point range. Boston led 68-46 at halftime and stretched the lead to as many as 46 in the second half.
RAPTORS 114, JAZZ 82
Chris Boucher scored 11 points and Precious Achiuwa added 10 to lead Toronto past Utah in Edmonton, Alberta, on Sunday night.
Josh Jackson also had 10 points for the Raptors on 4-for-5 shooting from the field.
Lauri Markkanen led the Jazz with 20 points, and Collin Sexton and rookie Walker Kessler each contributed 11 points. Kessler, the No. 22 overall pick from Auburn, was 5 of 7 from the field in 13 minutes.
The Raptors' starters played limited time, none of the first five logging more than 18 minutes.
The game was the first look at the changes for the Jazz, who traded key pieces like center Rudy Gobert, Royce O&rsquo;Neale, Donovan Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic during the offseason. Even former coach Quin Snyder is gone, making way for Will Hardy.
Markkanen, one of several players who came from Cleveland in the trade for Mitchell, helped the Jazz stay within 50-49 at the half with 17 first-half points. But Toronto would outscore Utah 32-15 in the third quarter to take control.
ROCKETS 134, SPURS 96
Rookies Jabari Smith, the third overall pick in this year's draft, and Tari Eason, the No. 17 selection, each scored 21 points Sunday night as Houston defeated San Antonio in the preseason opener for both teams.
Smith, a 6-foot-10 forward from Auburn, connected on 8 of 15 shots, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range over 24 minutes. Eason was 9 of 13 from the field. Josh Christopher added 15 points, and Eric Gordon and Alperen Sengun totaled 13 points each for the Rockets.
Devin Vassell led the Spurs with 13 points, and Isaiah Roby scored 12. Zach Collins finished with 11 and rookie Malaki Branham, the 20th overall pick from Ohio State, added 10 points, making all but one of his five shots, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range.

Jaylen Brown scored 24 points and Jayson Tatum added 16 as the Celtics opened under new coach Joe Mazzulla with a preseason win.

Brown, Tatum, three-point shooting lead Celtics past Hornets

SAN ANTONIO (AP) &mdash; Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker may be walking through that door at the San Antonio Spurs' practice facility, but they are only coming to visit.
In their place on the court is a bunch of fresh-faced youngsters who may want to wear a name tag to curry favor with 73-year-old coach Gregg Popovich.
&ldquo;I walked into the film room today, and there was this young kid sitting there, and I said, &lsquo;Who the hell are you?&rsquo;&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;Seriously. He said &hellip; I forgot his name already. I don&rsquo;t know anybody.&rdquo;
The franchise that won five NBA championships and matched a league record with 22 straight postseason appearances now has the equivalent of summer interns walking the halls.
Duncan, Parker and Ginobili have long retired and the team&rsquo;s plans for life after The Big Three were sidetracked following the trades of young stars like Kawhi Leonard in 2018, Derrick White last season and Dejounte Murray this offseason.
Instead, the 50th edition of the Spurs is the youngest in franchise history. They are so young that 19-year-old Josh Primo has become a mentor to Jeremy Sochan, Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley &ndash; the 19-year-olds San Antonio drafted in the first round this year.
Still, it&rsquo;s an opportunity to teach that Popovich seems to relish.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s still around here smiling and excited each and every day,&rdquo; said forward Keldon Johnson, who will turn 23 in mid-October. &ldquo;We are already excited, high energy, yelling and things like that, but to see him come along with us and smiling is something big.&rdquo;
Popovich considered last season a chance to develop his young roster. That plan is amplified this season with at least 10 players 25 or younger.
&ldquo;I probably shouldn&rsquo;t say this, but I&rsquo;ll say it anyway, what the hell: Nobody here should go to Vegas with the thought of betting on us to win that championship,&rdquo; Popovich said.
The Spurs do return veterans Jakob Poeltl at center, Doug McDermott at forward and Josh Richardson at guard. And some players are not giving up on the playoffs.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m excited for us,&rdquo; Spurs guard Devin Vassell said. &ldquo;I think we can surprise a lot of people. I think that as long as we play together, and we play the right way, we&rsquo;ll have a chance to win every game.&rdquo;
STILL IN SHOCK
Murray&rsquo;s offseason trade to Atlanta caught his teammates by surprise. He became an All-Star last season and blossomed into the team&rsquo;s leader at just 25.
Spurs general manager Brian Wright said the opportunity to acquire three first-round picks and a potential fourth in a pick swap was too good to pass up.
&ldquo;Man, it was tough because he was like a big brother my first year,&rdquo; Primo said. &ldquo;He taught me so much. He was a great leader for me. Hearing it, I was shocked in a lot of ways. I had to understand that it is a great opportunity for him, but also for the rest of us. So, it works out for both parties.&rdquo;
INJURY REPORT
Johnson suffered a right shoulder posterior dislocation after getting &ldquo;tangled up&rdquo; with a teammate last week during workouts at the Spurs&rsquo; practice facility. Johnson will miss the start of training camp but expects to play in San Antonio&rsquo;s season opener Oct. 19 against Charlotte.
STARTING OVER
Popovich said Poeltl will start at center for the Spurs but was non-committal about who else will join the six-year veteran.
Johnson should return to the starting lineup once he is healthy and Vassell started at guard following White&rsquo;s trade to Boston last season. McDermott also returns after starting all 51 games he played last season.
Primo is expected to vie with two-year veteran Tre Jones to start at point guard.
BIGGEST FAN
Seeing Becky Hammon win the WNBA Championship in her first season as head coach of the Las Vegas Aces was &ldquo;one of the greatest days of the summer for me and the coaches,&rdquo; Popovich said.
Hammon spent eight seasons as a Spurs assistant.
After attending Game 2 of the WNBA Finals in Las Vegas, Popovich cheered from his San Antonio home as the Aces beat the Connecticut Sun to claim the franchise&rsquo;s first championship.
&ldquo;In a larger sense, I miss the heck out of her,&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;She was there at every meal on the road when she was here and helped me be a better coach. She is a lovely person. Just any time we are able to spend with her is a real joy.&rdquo;
OOPS
Popovich was sporting a clean-shaven look after having a beard last season. The change wasn&rsquo;t intentional, he admitted.
&ldquo;I was trying to make it look like I was really trying to take care of it and I did something and half of it was gone and I had to shave it all off,&rdquo; Popovich said.

As the San Antonio Spurs enter its 50th season, coach Gregg Popovich relishes the chance to develop his young roster.

Popovich, Spurs face unknown with another youthful roster

A lot can change in a week.
Seven days ago, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren had the second-best odds to win the 2022-23 Rookie of the Year award. Now, one week later, Holmgren is out for the season after he suffered a Lisfranc injury to his right foot while playing in The CrawsOver Pro-Am in Seattle.
With the No. 2 overall pick no longer in the Rookie of the Year race, who are the current favorites for the award entering the 2022-23 season? How did the odds change after Holmgren's injury?&nbsp;
On <a href="https://www.betonline.ag/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BetOnline</a>, Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero still has the best odds at 3/2. Banchero has been the favorite all offseason, and his odds moved from 3/1 to 3/2 following Holmgren's injury.
Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray has the second-best odds. While he was previously listed at 9/1, his odds are now 5/1 following Holmgren's injury.
Rounding out the top five are Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (11/2 odds, up from 15/2), Houston Rockets big man Jabari Smith Jr. (8/1 odds, down from 7/2) and Bennedict Mathurin (9/1 odds, up from 12/1).
The only other players who saw their odds increase over the last week were Houston Rockets wing Tari Eason (who moved from 66/1 to 33/1), Dallas Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy (who moved 50/1 to 40/1) and Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic (who moved from 80/1 to 66/1).
Interestingly, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams actually saw his ROY odds dip after Holmgren's injury, moving from 22/1 to 25/1. Washington Wizards guard Johnny Davis' odds also dropped a bit, going from 18/1 to 33/1.
Here's a look at the complete Rookie-of-the-Year odds from <a href="https://www.betonline.ag/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BetOnline</a>:
<table style="font-weight: 400; width: 262px;" width="276">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 159.262px;">
Paolo Banchero
</td>
<td style="width: 74.05px;">
3/2
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 159.312px;">
Keegan Murray
</td>
<td style="width: 74.0687px;">
5/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 159.325px;">
Jaden Ivey
</td>
<td style="width: 74.0687px;">
11/2
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 159.331px;">
Jabari Smith Jr
</td>
<td style="width: 74.0687px;">
8/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 159.331px;">
Bennedict Mathurin
</td>
<td style="width: 74.0687px;">
9/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 159.331px;">
Jalen Williams
</td>
<td style="width: 74.0687px;">
25/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 159.331px;">
Shaedon Sharpe
</td>
<td style="width: 74.0687px;">
25/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 159.331px;">
Jalen Duren
</td>
<td style="width: 74.0687px;">
33/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 159.331px;">
Johnny Davis
</td>
<td style="width: 74.0687px;">
33/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 159.331px;">
Mark Williams
</td>
<td style="width: 74.0687px;">
33/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 159.331px;">
Tari Eason
</td>
<td style="width: 74.0687px;">
33/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 159.331px;">
Dyson Daniels
</td>
<td style="width: 74.0687px;">
40/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 159.331px;">
Ochai Agbaji
</td>
<td style="width: 74.0687px;">
40/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 159.331px;">
Jaden Hardy
</td>
<td style="width: 74.0687px;">
40/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 159.331px;">
AJ Griffin
</td>
<td style="width: 74.0687px;">
50/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 159.331px;">
Ousmane Dieng
</td>
<td style="width: 74.0687px;">
50/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 159.331px;">
Jeremy Sochan
</td>
<td style="width: 74.0687px;">
50/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 159.331px;">
Nikola Jovic
</td>
<td style="width: 74.0687px;">
66/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 159.331px;">
Malaki Branham
</td>
<td style="width: 74.0687px;">
80/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 159.331px;">
Marjon Beauchamp
</td>
<td style="width: 74.0687px;">
100/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 159.331px;">
Dalen Terry
</td>
<td style="width: 74.0687px;">
100/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 159.331px;">
TyTy Washington
</td>
<td style="width: 74.0687px;">
100/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 159.331px;">
Jake LaRavia
</td>
<td style="width: 74.0687px;">
100/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 159.331px;">
Walker Kessler
</td>
<td style="width: 74.0687px;">
100/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 159.331px;">
Blake Wesley
</td>
<td style="width: 74.0687px;">
125/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 159.331px;">
Christian Braun
</td>
<td style="width: 74.0687px;">
125/1
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
While Holmgren's injury is obviously unfortunate, he isn't the first high-profile prospect to miss his entire rookie season with an injury. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/holmgren-isnt-the-first-lottery-pick-to-suffer-a-seasonending-injury" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Here's a look at six other lottery picks who went through the same thing.</a>

Following Chet Holmgren's injury, who are the favorites to win the 2022-23 NBA Rookie of the Year award? How did the odds change?

How did Chet Holmgren's injury affect NBA Rookie of the Year odds?

Is the NBA ready to add an expansion team? Evan Sidery explores what kind of team you could build in a present-day expansion draft.

NBA Expansion Mock Draft: What would a new expansion team look like?

NBA Summer League is one giant laboratory for young players and coaches. Within the Thomas &amp; Mack Center and Cox Pavilion, we can grasp at a multiverse of futures, both for individuals and the league at large.
The San Antonio Spurs think they've found an innovative talent in their fractal of possible outcomes. Blake Wesley turned heads in Las Vegas with his ball-dominant role, and Spurs summer league coach Mitch Johnson believes the rookie is indicative of a movement at the guard position.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
"Blake Wesley and Josh Primo are the modern day guards," - M. Johnson <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/porvida?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#porvida</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nba?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nba</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nbatwitter?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nbatwitter</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/gospursgo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#gospursgo</a> <a href="https://t.co/32cje9PMl0">pic.twitter.com/32cje9PMl0</a>
&mdash; JeffGSpursKENS5 (@JeffGSpursZone) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffGSpursZone/status/1545886937692753920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Though it was just Summer League, Wesley relished the chance to break himself in as an orchestrator.
"I see myself as a point guard, so going into the NBA I feel I'm gonna be a point guard," Wesley told Basketball News over the phone. "A big key to the Spurs is [being] 6-foot-5, long [and] athletic, so to get guys open is gonna be good for me. I'm gonna get to the paint and find guys."
Wesley handed out at least four assists in all but one of his Summer League contests; he cleared that bar just seven times in 35 contests while a freshman at Notre Dame. The summer Spurs put the ball in his hands early and often, and Wesley showed ease with making plays out of his drives.&nbsp;
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/35o17c" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
In his best moments, Wesley recognized how defenses collapsed around him when he exploded down a lane. He read drop and help defenders, and uncorked some lasers out to perimeter shooters. In the second highlight of the above clip, we're already seeing how Wesley can draw nail help and hit the shooter one pass away.
<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/xmv8ox" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
This pass was bonkers. For Wesley to arrive at this dime, he has to shrug off his initial defender, force help to come over, recognize where the next defensive rotation will be and then&nbsp;wrap the ball around all of them to hit an open Robert Woodard II.
Summer League was expectedly imperfect for a rookie getting his first taste of NBA action. Wesley averaged 17.0 points, 4.0 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 steals in those five games. He also gave away 2.8 turnovers per game and shot just 27.6% from two-point range (and 34.4% from distance). But the No. 25 pick felt like he belonged with the league's top young talent.
"I felt good," Wesley said. "It was a good experience &mdash; a lot of people [in] their first game. [I was] playing against other rookies, other veterans and stuff like that, guys older than me, bigger than me. So to be out there was fun."
Wesley's been an NBA player for barely a month, and still must get ingrained with Gregg Popovich and the rest of the coaching staff. He says that Johnson and Josh Primo, last year's No. 12 overall pick, have helped him make the pro transition smoothly.
"I feel like everybody [has helped], but those two guys, Josh Primo and Coach Mitch have helped me a lot," Wesley said. "Josh Primo helped me a lot during training camp and stuff like that, and then Mitch taught me a lot during Summer League. They gave me the ball, they gave me the keys, so I just have to facilitate for everybody else.
Wesley and Primo's off-court rapport translated to on-court chemistry. The duo shared lead ball-handling dutues and connected several times for some impressive buckets.
<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/r75nab" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Wesley has also spent his first month jelling with his rookie teammates, including fellow first-round picks Jeremy Sochan and Malaki Branham. Sochan and Wesley were already friends and nearly EYBL teammates on Indy Heat before the COVID-19 pandemic <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jeremy-sochan-a-citizen-of-the-world-sets-his-course-for-the-nba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">forced Sochan back to his home in England.</a>&nbsp;
"I knew Jeremy for a long time, and I know Malaki now. We're all close; we all hang out," Wesley said.&nbsp;
The 19-year-old has a couple of months to get ready for the NBA regular season. Wesley already can't wait to face Ja Morant, another uber-athletic guard, and LeBron James, who is nearly twice his age.&nbsp;
'It's gonna be crazy," Wesley said. "I'm 19, he's like, 35." (Wesley actually undersold the 37-year-old James).
The young guard should receive some trial-by-fire minutes on San Antonio's young roster. Dejounte Murray's departure to Atlanta opens a hole in the backcourt. Wesley isn't an exact stylistic match, but at 6-foot-5 with length and an ability to breeze to the paint, he and Murray share some similarities.&nbsp;
Wesley won't overreach though.
He knows his first jop his to learn from Popovich and his teammates, and find his niche as an NBA playmaker.
"I'm gonna go in and do my role," Wesley said. "Whatever Pop tells me to say or tells me to do, I'm gonna do it. They want me to go in there and be a point guard, so I'm gonna have to keep my point guard skills, get better, get stronger and be ready to work."

Blake Wesley dished out 4 or more assists in all but one of his NBA Summer League games with San Antonio.

Blake Wesley is ready to sharpen his point-guard skills with Spurs

RJ Nembhard Jr. had 16 points and six assists, Isaiah Mobley added 15 points and 10 rebounds, and the Cleveland Cavaliers held off the Atlanta Hawks 94-90 on Saturday in the NBA Summer League.
Mobley, a second-round pick in this year's draft, grabbed six rebounds on the offensive end and added four assists for the Cavaliers (3-2). Fellow second-rounder Luke Travers pitched in with 14 points and five boards. Cam Young scored 15 points. First-round pick Ochai Agbaji did not play.
Tyrese Martin scored 21 to top the Hawks (2-3). Chaundee Brown Jr. added 17 points. Chris Clemons finished with 16 points, while Tyson Etienne scored 13.
Atlanta's top pick A.J. Griffin &mdash; 17th overall &mdash; did not play.
PISTONS 102, MAGIC 86
Jules Bernard had 22 points and nine rebounds, Charlie Moore had 21 points and eight assists, and Detroit cruised past Orlando.
Bernard sank all three of his 3-point attempts for the Pistons (3-2). Braxton Key added 15 points, while Stanley Umude scored 13. Detroit sat first-rounders Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren for the finale.
Justin James had 18 points to lead the Magic (2-3). Tommy Kuhse added 13 points, while Zavier Simpson and Daniel Oturu scored 10 apiece.
Orlando dropped its final three games without top pick Paolo Banchero. The Magic decided to pull Banchero from the event just hours before a showdown with No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren and Oklahoma City.
TIMBERWOLVES 89, HORNETS 86
Kevon Harris scored 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting to help Minnesota fend off Charlotte.
Harris hit all four of his 3-pointers for the Timberwolves (2-3). Wendell Moore Jr. had 15 points, while second-round pick Josh Minott scored 12. Marial Shayok had seven points, 10 rebounds and four steals.
JT Thor finished with 28 points and five steals for the Hornets (2-3). Justin Minaya scored 10 points and Mark Williams, the 15th overall pick, had eight points and seven rebounds.
Thor completed a three-point play, then buried a 3-pointer to get the Hornets within 88-86. Jacob Gilyard sank 1 of 2 free throws with 4.9 seconds left and Minott blocked Bryce McGowens' 3-pointer to end the game.
SPURS 90, GRIZZLIES 87
Malaki Branham made five 3-pointers and scored 23 points to help San Antonio turn back Memphis.
Branham, the 20th overall pick, was 5 of 8 from distance to help the Spurs (1-4) notch their first win in their final try. DJ Stewart added 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Robert Woodard II had six points to go with 10 rebounds.
Kenneth Lofton Jr. paced the Grizzlies (2-3) with 27 points and 12 rebounds. First-rounder David Roddy added 19 points. Ronaldo Segu and Kennedy Chandler scored 13 and 10, respectively.
Lofton sank a 3-pointer with 2:07 remaining to give Memphis an 87-86 lead. Branham answered with a 3 and Blake Wesley &mdash; the No. 25 pick &mdash; hit 1 of 2 free throws with 4.1 seconds left to cap the scoring. Dakota Mathias missed a 3-pointer on the game's final shot.
BULLS 119, 76ERS 104
Marko Simonovic scored 26 points, Malcolm Hill added 23 and Chicago breezed past Philadelphia.
Simonovic made 11 of 15 shots and grabbed eight rebounds to help the Bulls (4-1) close out with three straight wins. Carlik Jones scored 15 points but had seven of Chicago's 15 turnovers. Dalen Terry, the 18th overall pick, had three points, two assists and two rebounds in nine-plus minutes.
Charlie Brown Jr. led the 76ers (2-3) with 21 points. Grant Riller scored 19. Trevelin Queen had 16 points and seven of Philadelphia's 21 turnovers. Filip Petrusev scored 14.
NETS 102, CELTICS 95
Cam Thomas scored 25 points, David Duke Jr. added 24 and Brooklyn knocked off Boston.
Thomas added six assists for the Nets (3-2), while Duke handed out five. Kessler Edwards scored 15 points and Day'Ron Sharpe had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Juhann Begarin topped the Celtics (3-2) with 25 points. Mfiondu Kabengele scored 18. Second-rounder JD Davison &mdash; Boston's only pick in the draft &mdash; totaled 17 points and 10 rebounds.
KINGS 92, ROCKETS 81
Jeriah Horne scored 20 points to lead Sacramento over Houston
Jared Rhoden pitched in with 15 points and seven rebounds for the Kings (3-2). Sacramento chose to sit No. 4 overall pick Keegan Murray for the finale.
Tari Eason, the No. 17 pick in the draft, had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets (2-3). TyTy Washington Jr. scored 15 points, while Daishen Nix had 14 points and seven boards. No. 3 overall pick Jabari Smith Jr. had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
LAKERS 95, MAVERICKS 84
Cole Swider scored 16 points to spark Los Angeles past Dallas.
Swider sank 4 of 6 from 3-point range for the Lakers (3-2). Jay Huff had 13 points, Javante McCoy scored 12 and Scotty Pippen Jr. 11.
A.J. Lawson had 19 points to lead the Mavericks (0-5) &mdash; the only team without victory in the event. Moses Wright scored 17 with six boards. Jaden Hardy scored 15 but had seven of Dallas' 19 turnovers. Lawson turned it over six times. Jerrick Harding had 11 points and five assists.
HEAT 86, CLIPPERS 83
Kyle Allman Jr. scored 26 points, sinking a go-ahead 3-pointer with 31 seconds left, and Miami rallied past Los Angeles.
Allman added seven rebounds and six assists for the Heat (2-3). Dru Smith had 22 points and Jamal Cain pitched in with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Miami outscored Los Angeles 31-20 in the final quarter
Reggie Perry, Jay Scrubb and Xavier Moon all scored 16 for the Clippers (2-3).

Check out this recap of Saturday's NBA Summer League action.