Crusaders

Blake Stern previews the NBA's Central Division, breaking down each team's projected lineup and burning question entering the year.

NBA Central Division Preview: Burning questions, rotation projections

<a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/chris-paul-trade-golden-state-jordan-poole-d26c307001fd0cc6ce5835bdb09b0030" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Paul has already been traded</a>&nbsp;twice this offseason, ending up with Golden State.&nbsp;<a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/wizards-suns-trade-bradley-beal-55adab5fa31d5dfbc35b83223743d9c6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bradley Beal</a>&nbsp;is now with Phoenix,&nbsp;<a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/hawks-jazz-trade-collins-gay-a6567f15f798ebf9fc99612ad00e4a7f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Collins</a>&nbsp;was sent to Utah, and&nbsp;<a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/celtics-wizards-kristaps-porzingis-marcus-smart-grizzlies-94e7fa907d2523a354665b8c6ce0908c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kristaps Porzingis</a>&nbsp;is about to start anew with Boston in a deal that sent Marcus Smart to Memphis.
They have new places to call home. It&rsquo;s time to see if&nbsp;<a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/mavericks-kyrie-irving-luka-doncic-nico-harrison-9a3d80b6c325195faedde1a6324a4e51" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kyrie Irving</a>,&nbsp;<a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/draymond-green-option-nba-482b28f097e3c99a934fff1ea46137b8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Draymond Green</a>,&nbsp;<a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-milwaukee-bucks-khris-middleton-197ecec12092f80f9988bf6d6670680e" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Khris Middleton</a>&nbsp;and dozens more will be on the move in the next few days.
As proven by the run of trades in recent weeks, and big news from James Harden on Thursday, NBA teams aren&rsquo;t waiting for free agency to make moves. The window of offseason player movement begins Friday at 6 p.m. EDT, when teams are permitted to start talking to free agents &mdash; with the caveat that most deals cannot become official until July 6.
&ldquo;Obviously, money&rsquo;s a thing. I mean, that&rsquo;s just for anybody,&rdquo; said Miami guard Max Strus, a free agent who&rsquo;s in line for a big payday, going from $1.8 million last season to potentially $12 million a year or more. &ldquo;These are moments that you work for, and these are opportunities that could be life-changing &mdash; so you can&rsquo;t ever take that out of it. But I love playing basketball and that&rsquo;s always going to be the first thing for me.&rdquo;
Money and fit. That&rsquo;s what players like Strus will be seeking, and that&rsquo;s what teams will be weighing over the next few days &mdash; especially with a new&nbsp;<a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-labor-players-0cf524b13e459eeb5853dad9a455e0e0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Collective Bargaining Agreement</a>, and new rules designed to at least slightly curb spending by the deeper-pocketed teams, set to go into effect on Saturday.
That&rsquo;s part of the reason some trades have been made in recent days and more are almost certainly coming. The Warriors gave up Jordan Poole to get Paul from Washington in part because Paul&rsquo;s contract expires in a year and Poole is on the books for four years (at more than $30 million annually on average), and Atlanta sent Collins to Utah for Rudy Gay for similar reasons.
Harden could be the next big name on the move. He decided not to enter free agency and exercised his $35.6 million option for the coming season Thursday, with Philadelphia now likely to trade the 10-time All-Star and three-time scoring champion,&nbsp;<a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/76ers-james-harden-free-agency-d9f9a6fa001d68e58f04cd60251802ab" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press.</a>
&ldquo;I think a lot can be made of all the challenges that are coming our way, whether it be aging roster, the new CBA with some of the limitations there, anything else you can bring up,&rdquo; Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re aware of all those things. But we also feel like we&rsquo;re in a great, great place, because we&rsquo;ve got a competitive owner willing to spend ... so we feel confident we can navigate it.&rdquo;
Another potential trade: Plenty of eyes remain on Portland and whether Damian Lillard will ask to be dealt elsewhere &mdash; to Miami or Brooklyn, specifically &mdash; or remain with the Trail Blazers for a 12th season.
In the interim, there will be some massive deals struck &mdash; some possibly reaching $200 million.
Green turned down a $27.5 million option with Golden State to seek a longer deal. Milwaukee has decisions to make with both Middleton and Brook Lopez, two key members of their championship in 2021.
&ldquo;Both of those guys specifically are core to who we have been,&rdquo; Bucks general manager Jon Horst said. &ldquo;Ultimately, what matters is we&rsquo;re hopeful to have them back. We&rsquo;ve been really good and they&rsquo;re a big part of that and we want to try to keep them.&rdquo;
There&rsquo;s also intrigue in Dallas with regard to Irving&rsquo;s future.
Irving&rsquo;s talent is unquestioned. He averaged 27 points in 20 games with the Mavericks after getting traded there for the stretch run last season. For his career, he&rsquo;s averaged 23.4 points, is an eight-time All-Star and won a title alongside LeBron James in Cleveland in 2016.
He and Luka Doncic could form one of the league&rsquo;s most powerful 1-2 punches. Irving also is coming off a season where he was suspended by Brooklyn for eight games after the team said it was dismayed by his repeated failure to &ldquo;unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs.&rdquo; And that saga came after many others involving Irving, who has raised eyebrows for things ranging from saying the Earth is flat to not getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
Still unclear: How many years, and how much money, Dallas will commit to keep him.
&ldquo;Obviously, he&rsquo;s someone that we&rsquo;ve already told everybody that we want to re-sign and we&rsquo;re excited about,&rdquo; Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison said.
The new champions have a big decision looming as well.
Denver&rsquo;s biggest free agency issue is versatile guard Bruce Brown, who was tremendous off the bench for the Nuggets during their run to the NBA title. All the Nuggets can offer Brown is one year at $7.8 million; other teams, such as the Los Angeles Lakers, may be prepared to offer more. Denver can give Brown a longer, richer deal next summer &mdash; so it&rsquo;s up to Brown to decide whether to bet on himself or get more money now.
At the team&rsquo;s championship parade, Nuggets coach Michael Malone made clear that Denver intends to keep Brown.
&ldquo;Is Brucie B going anywhere? Hell no,&rdquo;&nbsp;<a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://youtu.be/oqwc1vg1mCY?t=242" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Malone shouted, as the crowd roared in approval.</a> &ldquo;Hell no. Hell no. We&rsquo;re running this ... back.&rdquo;
The next few days will tell if Malone is right.

It’s time to see if Kyrie Irving, Draymond Green, Khris Middleton and dozens more free agents will be on the move in the next few days.

Busy NBA offseason continues with free agency starting today

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra practically snickered when asked about neutralizing the effective two-man game played by Denver Nuggets teammates Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
&ldquo;Yeah, where do you start? You have two guys that can score 50 in a playoff game. One guy is a triple-double machine that loves to get guys involved,&rdquo; Spoelstra said.
&ldquo;You go down the list of myriad of things you can do defensively, you have to check off some things that you don&rsquo;t really want to do because of both their ability to score and Jokic&rsquo;s ability to create something off-script.&rdquo;
Spoelstra knows what the Heat are up against; it&rsquo;s nothing new for Denver. The Nuggets&rsquo; potent duo has been nearly unstoppable in powering Denver&rsquo;s 13-3 run through the playoffs, including a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-finals-2023-heat-nuggets-jokic-278674ca5c096db5880b812c7cc348dc">104-93 win in Game 1</a>.
A win Sunday night would make them just the second team this century to win its first 10 home games in a single postseason. The Nuggets&rsquo; run to what they hope is their first NBA championship is being fueled by Jokic and Murray.
They&rsquo;re entering the pantheon of pick-and-roll royalty of standard-bearers John Stockton and Karl Malone. But the Nuggets do it with a different twist.
Whereas Malone set up almost all of the screens for Stockton when they were Utah Jazz teammates, Denver&rsquo;s version is ambidextrous, doubling the difficulty of deciphering much less defusing it.
&ldquo;Three, four years ago, the No. 1 pick-and-roll combo in the entire NBA was Nikola and Jamal,&rdquo; Nuggets coach Michael Malone recalled. &ldquo;And most people would just assume that it was Nikola setting for Jamal. It was actually the opposite. It was Nikola handling and Jamal setting.
&ldquo;The reason it was so effective, aside from the obvious &mdash; two really talented players &mdash; is that Jamal is big, strong, physical and not afraid of contact. Some guys like to slip out of every screen because they don&rsquo;t want to make that contact, they don&rsquo;t want to give themselves up,&rdquo; the coach added. &ldquo;Jamal from early in his career here, he&rsquo;s shown that he&rsquo;s willing to go and set a screen on a big guy, small guy, doesn&rsquo;t matter, because he&rsquo;s tough.
&ldquo;The second part of that is he also knows that if Nikola has the ball and he screens, his man has to help, which will give him separation. If you want to simplify the game of basketball, it comes down to separation.&rdquo;
Both Murray and Jokic are three-level scorers who can shoot 3-pointers, make midrange jump shots and drive to the basket. Their Game 1 performance put them in some elite company.
Heading into the series opener, only Michael Jordan in 1991 and Russell Westbrook in 2012 had at least 25 points, 10 assists and five rebounds in an NBA Finals debut. Jokic and Murray added their names to that list Thursday night &mdash; Murray had 26 points, 10 assists and six rebounds and Jokic extended his NBA record with his ninth triple-double in these playoffs, getting 27 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds.
The only other pair of teammates to have 25 points and 10 assists in an NBA Finals game was Magic Johnson and James Worthy, who did it for the Los Angeles Lakers against Boston in Game 1 in 1987.
Murray and Jokic have been refining their on-court relationship since Murray&rsquo;s rookie season in 2016, a year after Jokic joined the Nuggets as the now-hard-to-fathom 41st overall draft pick. Murray was backing up Gary Harris and Jokic was coming off the bench behind Jusuf Nurkic.
&ldquo;We would actually come into the game together, and we would run post-ups or just simple give-and-goes ... and I&rsquo;d say then we kind of developed a chemistry,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;Soon we both started, we started playing off each other. We started to figure out where we like the ball, when we liked the ball, when I&rsquo;m going to pass, when he&rsquo;s going to pass, when he&rsquo;s driving, when to relocate, where to relocate.&rdquo;
Heat guard Kyle Lowry, who is in his 16th NBA season, is hard-pressed to come up with a better point guard/big man combo.
&ldquo;Jamal and Jokic, they&rsquo;re deadly because they both can score and pass the ball,&rdquo; said Lowry, noting he played against the San Antonio Spurs&rsquo; &ldquo;great combination&rdquo; of Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re big targets, and they have a great feel for each other.&rdquo;
Nuggets guard Ish Smith has been on a record 13 teams in 13 NBA seasons and said he has never seen anything quite like Denver&rsquo;s duo. Smith said what makes Jokic and Murray so effective is both players are the antithesis of superstars who&rsquo;d rather go 1-on-1 in isolation.
&ldquo;It wouldn&rsquo;t work if Nikola was selfish and, &lsquo;I need the ball,&rsquo; and Jamal was a guy that was like, &lsquo;I need the ball all the time,&rsquo;&rdquo; Smith said.
The Heat know they have to at least slow down the Nuggets.
&ldquo;We have proven that we can win and overcome regardless of how the game is going,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. &ldquo;Ideal situation would be if it&rsquo;s on our terms and we are controlling the tenor of the game, but we have also won games where we haven&rsquo;t been able to do that for the entire game.&rdquo;

The Nuggets’ potent duo has been nearly unstoppable in powering Denver’s 13-3 run through the playoffs.

Nuggets’ 2-man game of Jokic, Murray setting new pick-and-roll standard

Philadelphia 76ers center and league scoring champion Joel Embiid earned his first NBA MVP trophy Tuesday night, topping two-time winner Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.
The 29-year-old from Yaound&eacute;, Cameroon, averaged 33.1 points to win his second straight scoring title, averaged 10.2 rebounds and tied a career high with 4.2 assists per game. Embiid played in 66 games, the second-highest total of his career, but again has been hit with injuries in the playoffs. Embiid has been&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/76ers-embiid-injury-b72b1fe4e0cea17fc478be83c5c4534d">sidelined with a sprained right</a>&nbsp;knee that cost him one game of the playoff sweep against Brooklyn and the opening game of the Eastern Conference semifinals against&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/76ers-celtics-nba-playoffs-0f96443546f1fdbeae8aeaa4ce146c76">Boston, which was won by Philadelphia on Monday night.</a>
Jokic finished runner-up and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks was third. Embiid received 73 first-place votes. Jokic received 15 first-place votes, and Antetokounmpo got 12.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a long time coming,&rdquo; Embiid said. &ldquo;A lot of hard work. I&rsquo;ve been through a lot. I&rsquo;m not just talking about basketball. I&rsquo;m talking about my life. My story. Where I come from. How I got here and what it took for me to be here.&rdquo;
The&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/sixers/status/1653538793180332033?s=46&amp;t=-ELqRXA-wk5r0LdHkAiIBg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">76ers watched on TV in Boston and erupted in applause and started chanting &ldquo;MVP! MVP!</a> &rdquo; as the big man buried his head in his hands as he sat in a chair. Embiid was in tears as teammates James Harden, Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey mobbed him in celebration.
Embiid then vowed &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be back&rdquo; for the playoff series against the Celtics.
But as for Game 2 on Wednesday night?
&ldquo;We shall see,&rdquo; Embiid said.
Embiid has been determined to win -- and campaigned for -- the MVP trophy for years. The third overall pick of the 2014 draft, Embiid missed his first two full seasons with injuries before settling in as one of the top big men of his generation. He was at his best this season when he totaled three 50-point games, including a career-high 59 against Utah in November. He had 13 total 40-point games.
When Embiid totaled 52 points and 13 rebounds in a win against the Celtics in April, coach Doc Rivers boldly declared, &ldquo;The MVP race is over.&rdquo;
Embiid certainly didn&rsquo;t argue that night with his coach or Sixers teammates who stumped on his behalf.
&ldquo;They&rsquo;re probably right,&rdquo; Embiid said. &ldquo;But we have bigger goals in mind.&rdquo;
Embiid is the first 76er to win league MVP since Allen Iverson in 2001. Julius Erving in 1981, Moses Malone in 1983 and Wilt Chamberlain from 1966-1968 are other 76ers to win NBA MVP awards.
Embiid&rsquo;s injury could be the deciding factor in the 76ers&rsquo; chase for the NBA championship. The Sixers are trying to win their first NBA title since 1983 and advance past the second round for the first time since 2001 &mdash; which was the last time a Sixer won the MVP award.
Allen Iverson was named league MVP in 2001. Other 76ers to capture the league&rsquo;s top individual award: Julius Erving, 1981; Moses Malone, 1983; and Wilt Chamberlain, 1966-1968.
Embiid, who graduated from a Florida high school and played a season in college at Kansas, has been every bit the dominant force in the NBA over the past seven seasons. Once the poster child for load management, Embiid has played 134 regular-season games the last two seasons and his 30.6 points last season made him the first international player ever to win an NBA scoring title. He&rsquo;s a six-time All-Star and was runner-up each of the last two seasons to Jokic.
Antetokounmpo won in 2019 and 2020. Jokic in 2021 and 2022.
Now, the award belongs to Embiid, who didn&rsquo;t pick up a basketball until he was a teenager in Africa, when a friend informed him that very few 7-footers succeed in soccer.
A few months later, Embiid was lured to a basketball camp in the capital of Yaounde run by NBA veteran Luc Mbah a Moute, one of just two players from Cameroon to have played in the NBA. Mbah a Moute persuaded Embiid&rsquo;s parents to let him move 6,000 miles to Florida, and helped enroll him at Montverde Academy, one of the best high school programs in the country. He played just 28 games in his lone season at Kansas before leaving for the NBA.
&ldquo;I am absolutely thrilled for Joel on winning the MVP award. He is the real deal and deserves every bit of recognition that comes his way,&rdquo; Rivers said. &ldquo;He embodies everything that the honor stands for. His drive to improve is unmatched, and like the saying &lsquo;a dream doesn&rsquo;t become reality through magic, it takes hard work&rsquo;, he&rsquo;s put in the work.&rdquo;
Embiid, who became an American citizen last year, was known early in his career for sucking down Shirley Temples but has worked with sports dietitians to develop healthier eating habits and streamlined his workouts.
Sixers fans can enjoy him for years. Embiid&rsquo;s four-year, $196 million contract extension doesn&rsquo;t kick in until next season and takes him through 2026-27.
The affable center became the face of the 76ers&rsquo; rebuilding effort more commonly known as The Process. He embraced the nickname and is introduced before every home game as Joel &ldquo;The Process&rdquo; Embiid.
He can now add MVP.
Billboards went up around Philadelphia of Embiid with the slogan &ldquo;MVPIID&rdquo; and Sixers fans serenaded him with &ldquo;MVP!&rdquo; chants from pregame introductions all the way to his final free throw attempts.
Embiid, who shares with his long-time girlfriend a son named in the honor of his late brother, holds career averages of 27.2 points and 11.2 rebounds in 394 career starts. He&rsquo;s a four-time All-NBA selection and three-time All-Defensive Team selection.
This is the fifth consecutive year an international player has been MVP, extending the longest streak in NBA history. It&rsquo;s also the second time that international players finished 1-2-3 in MVP voting; the first time was last season.
Embiid becomes the second winner from Africa, joining Hakeem Olajuwon, the Nigerian who won for Houston in 1994.

Philadelphia 76ers center and league scoring champion Joel Embiid earned his first NBA MVP trophy on Tuesday night.

NBA MVP: 76ers’ Joel Embiid wins league’s top individual honor

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Reserves Cole Anthony and Bol Bol each scored 17 points to lead the Orlando Magic to a 115-104 win over the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.
Wendell Carter Jr. led seven Magic scorers in double figures with 19 points, and Orlando&rsquo;s bench outscored the Nuggets&rsquo; reserves 56-10. Orlando is in 13th place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 23-33.
Aaron Gordon had a season-high 37 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Nuggets. Nikola Jokic had 29 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, and combined with Gordon to score all 29 of Denver&rsquo;s points in the third quarter.
After missing their first five shots and falling behind 12-0, the Magic shot 63% (27 for 43) for the rest of the first half. They led by 16 points before Gordon and Jokic helped Denver cut its deficit to 10 points &mdash; 65-55 &mdash; halftime.
Gordon (17 points) and Jokic (12) handled all the scoring for the Nuggets in the third quarter, and a 3-pointer by Gordon pulled them to within three late in the period.
But Gordon and Jokic spent he first 3:34 of the final period on he bench, and Anthony and Bol led a rally that pushed Orlando&rsquo;s lead back to 107-88 with 6:05 remaining.
Bol scored 12 straight points before leaving the game with 4:36 remaining. Anthony finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: G Jamal Murray missed a third game with right knee inflammation, and coach Michael Malone indicated it is unlikely Murray will play again until after the All-Star break. ... F Zeke Nnaji missed a second game with a strained right shoulder.
Magic: G Jalen Suggs started his first game since Nov. 25, replacing Gary Harris (groin) in the starting lineup. ... The Magic shot 9 for 27 from 3-point range and are 23 for 75 (31%) over the last three games, including two wins.

Cole Anthony and Bol Bol each scored 17 points to lead the Orlando Magic to a 115-104 win over the Denver Nuggets.

Subs Anthony, Bol key Magic’s win over West-leading Nuggets

PHILADELPHIA (AP) &mdash; Joel Embiid won the battle of MVP candidates with 47 points and 18 rebounds as the Philadelphia 76ers extended their winning streak to seven games with a 126-119 win over Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.
Jokic and Embiid have finished first and second in voting for the NBA&rsquo;s Most Valuable Player award over the last two seasons. Both are among the top candidates for MVP as this season hits the halfway mark, although Embiid was not named among the All-Star starters from the Eastern Conference.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m used to it and it&rsquo;s not the first time,&rdquo; Embiid said. &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s more of a motivation to go out there and try to win the whole thing. That&rsquo;s the only way that I&rsquo;ll get that respect.&rdquo;
Jokic gave Embiid a nod for his play.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s really talented,&rdquo; Jokic told the Denver Post of Embiid. &ldquo;Really shifty.&rdquo;
James Harden had 17 points and 13 assists, and Tobias Harris scored all 14 of his points in the second half after being shut down by Denver&rsquo;s defense in the first half.
&ldquo;We were able to figure some things out and get some stops,&rdquo; Harris said. &ldquo;Guys stepping up and making shots was huge for us to cut the deficit in the fourth quarter to try and make something happen.&rdquo;
Jokic had 24 points, eight rebounds and nine assists for Denver, which has lost three of its last four games. Jamal Murray chipped in 22 points and Michael Porter added 20.
<div class="taboola_readmore">&nbsp;</div>
&ldquo;We turned it over and they just turned up the pressure on us,&rdquo; Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. &ldquo;They got to the basket way too easy with their attack mentality. And we just got way too careless with the basketball.&rdquo;
Embiid has scored 40 or more points nine times this season and 35 times in his career. In addition to the All-Star snub, Embiid was also given a $25,000 fine by the NBA on Friday for an on-court demonstration after-basket celebration during Wednesday night&rsquo;s win over Brooklyn.
&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s keep offending Joel by fining him and not putting him among the All-Star starters,&rdquo; Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers said sarcastically.
The Nuggets began the day with the second-best team field goal percentage at 50.7% and tops in 3-point percentage at 39.5%. In the first half, they overwhelmed Philadelphia&rsquo;s perimeter defense, shooting 65.9% (29 for 44) from the floor and 10 of 17 (58.8%) from beyond the 3-point line. The hot shooting helped the Nuggets to a 73-58 lead at halftime.
Embiid started to take over toward the end of the third quarter, putting together a 16-point quarter on 5-of-6 shooting that keyed a 14-0 run that allowed the Sixers to close within 99-98 early in the fourth.
In the final quarter, Philadelphia wore down a Nuggets team playing the final game of a three-game, week-long trip. P.J. Tucker- who had switched defenively to Jokic and slowed him down in the second half- followed a Harden missed 3-pointer with a tip-in with over a minute left to stretch the lead to five. Embiid then hit a 3-pointer to restore an eight-point lead.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always like to think I am a closer and I am,&rdquo; Embiid said. &ldquo;Taking the last shot or taking a last second shot with the clock ticking is fun for me. I love getting into those types of possession where you have to make the plays. That&rsquo;s where you find out who is who and who is made up for those kinds of moments.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Jamal Murray did start after being listed as questionable with a left hip sprain. Murray missed the game at Milwaukee on Wednesday night. There were times in the third and fourth quarter where Murray appeared to try to stretch things out, but remained in to score 22 points.
76ers: For the second straight game, Embiid did start after being listed as a game-time decision with left foot soreness. Embiid had missed the final game of Philadelphia&rsquo;s five-game trip in Sacramento last Saturday night. .. Philadelphia was issued a third-quarter technical foul for only having four players on the floor.
UP NEXT
Nuggets: Start a three-game homestand against New Orleans on Tuesday.
76ers: Play the first of back-to-back home games against Orlando on Monday.

Joel Embiid had 47 points and 18 rebounds as the 76ers got a 126-119 win over Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets on Saturday.

Joel Embiid scores 47 as 76ers beat Nikola Jokic, Nuggets 126-119

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

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Kevin Durant scored 24 points, and the Nets held Giannis Antetokounmpo scoreless in the fourth quarter to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 118-100 on Friday night, winning their eighth straight to match their longest winning streak since moving to Brooklyn a decade ago.
Nic Claxton made his first nine shots and finished 9 for 10 for a season high-tying 19 points for the Nets, who own the NBA's longest current winning streak and have won 12 of their last 13 games.
&ldquo;We just want to keep it up,&rdquo; Nets guard Kyrie Irving said. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t want to take our foot off the gas pedal.&rdquo;
After scoring 91 points in the first half Wednesday against Golden State, the third-highest total in NBA history, the Nets had to win a different type of game against a Bucks team that came in with an NBA-leading 22-9 record.
Royce O'Neale scored 17 points and Ben Simmons had 12 points, 11 rebounds and eight of Brooklyn's 30 assists.
&ldquo;That shows us a locked-in team right there,&rdquo; Durant said.
Claxton, Brooklyn's 6-foot-11 center, came in as the league's leading shooter at 73.8%.
Antetokounmpo finished with 26 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, but didn't take a shot in the fourth as neither he nor Durant reached their usual scoring averages that place both in the top six in the league.
Brook Lopez added 23 points, but the Bucks committed 18 turnovers that led to 24 points.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to take better care of the ball," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to make better decisions. We can&rsquo;t just have possessions without shots. It&rsquo;s on me. I think I&rsquo;ve got to coach them better and we&rsquo;ve got to work to take care of the ball better.&rdquo;
The Nets started 8 of 10 from 3-point range and improved to an NBA-best 9-1 in December. They also won eight in a row in February 2021.
The Nets led 60-47 at halftime, with their 50% shooting nowhere near the 71% they had against Golden State while taking a 40-point lead on Wednesday. But it was an impressive effort against a Bucks team that came in second in the league, holding teams to about 45%.
The Bucks were within 10 nearly midway through the fourth quarter. But Irving, back after a one-game absence, had 14 points in the fourth after scoring four points on 1-of-9 shooting through three quarters and soon it was back over 20 again.
TIP-INS
Bucks: Antetokounmpo appeared to hurt his hand in a fall but Budenholzer said an X-ray came back clean. ... Khris Middleton missed his fourth straight game with right knee soreness. ... Jevon Carter was in the starting lineup for the first time since Saturday. MarJon Beauchamp had filled the spot usually occupied by Middleton in Milwaukee&rsquo;s last two games.
Nets: Joe Harris missed the game with right knee soreness. Coach Jacque Vaughn said Harris would have been the first sub off the bench before reporting pain.
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAY
Other than 2019, the season he missed with injury, Durant isn't scheduled to play on Christmas Day for the first time since 2009. He would like a city rivalry matchup with the Knicks in the future but was aware the uncertainty created by his trade request in the summer made the Nets unattractive when this schedule was put together.
&ldquo;I probably am responsible for us not playing on Christmas with what went on this summer,&rdquo; he said this week. &ldquo;But hey, it is what it is. We play on the 26th, that&rsquo;s close enough.&rdquo;
&nbsp;

Kevin Durant scored 24 points, and the Nets beat the Milwaukee Bucks 118-100 on Friday night for their eighth-straight victory.

Nets beat Bucks, tie longest win streak in Brooklyn at 8

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?

JD Davison had 28 points and 10 assists, Juhann Begarin added 19 points and the Boston Celtics beat the Memphis Grizzlies 108-91 on Thursday for their third straight victory in the NBA Summer League.
Davison, the 53rd pick in the draft, made 5 of 6 field goals in the first half and scored 19 points to help Boston (3-1) take a 51-39 lead. Davison finished 9 of 14 overall, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range.
Justin Jackson added 16 points, Brodric Thomas had 13, and Trevion Williams finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Ziaire Williams scored 21 points for Memphis (2-2). David Roddy and Kenny Lofton Jr. each had 16 points. The Grizzlies were just 3 of 20 from distance.
HAWKS 87, SPURS 86
Tyson Etienne scored 18 of his 21 points in the second half, including a <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1547700565617938437">go-ahead layup with 14.3 seconds left</a>, and Atlanta handed San Antonio its fourth straight loss.
Atlanta (2-2) scored 14 straight points to make it 85-81 with two minutes remaining.
Sharife Cooper added 15 points and Tyrese Martin scored 13 for Atlanta.
Blake Wesley scored 20 points for San Antonio (0-4).
CAVALIERS 82, PISTONS 79
Cameron Young scored 15 points, RJ Nembhard Jr. added 14 and Cleveland beat Detroit.
Stanley Umude made a layup with 58 seconds left to give Detroit its first lead, 77-76, since 7-5. Ochai Agbaji made two free throws at the other end as Cleveland retook the lead with 45.3 left. The Cavaliers made 6 of 6 free throws in the final minute and Young blocked a 3-point attempt in the final seconds.
Agbaji had 12 points and seven rebounds for Cleveland (2-2).
Jules Bernard scored 14 points for Detroit (2-2).
The Pistons missed their first 12 3-pointers until Braxton Key beat the halftime buzzer to cut Cleveland's lead to 45-26. The Pistons had 13 turnovers and just 10 field goals in the first half.
BULLS 89, HORNETS 73
Dalen Terry scored 20 points, Marko Simonovic had 17 points, 13 rebounds and four assists and Chicago eased past Charlotte.
Malcolm Hill and Makur Maker each scored 11 points for Chicago (3-1).
Bryce McGowens led Charlotte (2-2) with 15 points. Jalen Crutcher and JT Thor had 10 points apiece.
KNICKS 102, MAGIC 89
Miles McBride had 23 points and five assists, Quentin Grimes scored 22 with six rebounds and New York breezed past Orlando.
Jericho Sims, the only pick the Knicks (3-1) haven't traded away in the last two drafts, added 12 points and 10 rebounds. New York, which will have three protected first-round picks in next year's draft, chose Sims with the 58th selection (out of 60) in the 2021 draft.
Tommy Kuhse had 25 points and five steals to pace the Magic (2-2). Justin James scored 16 and Zavier Simpson added 10 points and nine assists.
Paolo Banchero, the top pick in this year's draft, was among eight Orlando players who did not play.
BUCKS 100, MAVERICKS 89
Lindell Wigginton scored 25 points, Sandro Mamukelashvili added 19 and Milwaukee eased past Dallas.
Milwaukee (3-1) first-rounder MarJon Beauchamp &mdash; 24th overall and the Bucks' only pick &mdash; finished with 11 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Moses Wright led Dallas (0-4) with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Jerrick Harding added 16 points and five assists.
TRAIL BLAZERS 85, ROCKETS 77
Keon Johnson hit four 3-pointers and scored 25 to lead Portland over Houston.
Second-round pick Jabari Walker had nine points and nine rebounds for Blazers (3-1).
No. 3 overall pick Jabari Smith Jr. had 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Rockets. Tari Eason &mdash; the 17th pick &mdash; added 17 points and seven boards. Daishen Nix scored 15.
NETS 102, TIMBERWOLVES 83
Cam Thomas scored 26 points, Day'Ron Sharpe added 20 points and 10 rebounds and Brooklyn rolled to a win over Minnesota.
Thomas made four 3-pointers for the Nets (2-2). Sharpe sank 8 of 10 shots and grabbed four offensive boards. David Duke Jr. totaled 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Kessler Edwards scored 15 with nine rebounds.
Wendell Moore Jr. led the Timberwolves (1-3) with 16 points. Josh Minott had 14 points and 12 rebounds. Kevon Harris and Terrell Brown Jr. each scored 10.

JD Davison had 28 points and 10 assists in Boston's third straight win in Summer League.

JD Davison leads Celtics past Grizzlies in Summer League play

Tre Mann had 15 points and seven assists to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to an 86-80 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night in the NBA Summer League.
Oklahoma City's three first-round picks draft all contributed to the victory.
No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren had eight points, five rebounds, five steals and three assists before fouling out. No. 12 pick Jalen Williams added 12 points, while No. 11 pick Ousmane Dieng &mdash; acquired in a draft-day trade with the Knicks &mdash; had 12 points and seven rebounds.
Sacramento's Keegan Murray &mdash; the fourth overall choice &mdash; had 29 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Jared Rhoden added 16 points and eight rebounds. Keon Ellis had 14 points and five assists.
BUCKS 87, TIMBERWOLVES 75
Sandro Mamukelashvili had 18 points and 15 rebounds to lead Milwaukee Bucks past Minnesota.
Mamukelashvili, who was coming off a 28-point game Monday, also had four of Milwaukee's 25 assists on 30 field goals.
MarJon Beauchamp made four of Milwaukee's 15 3-pointers and finished with 15 points. Rayjon Tucker, Lindell Wigginton and Zylan Cheatham each scored 14 points.
Kevon Harris scored 16 points for Minnesota. Terrell Brown Jr. added 14 points, Wendell Moore Jr. had 13 and Marial Shayok 11.
HORNETS 91, CAVALIERS 80
Bryce McGowens made five 3-pointers and scored 24 points as Charlotte beat Cleveland.
Mark Williams, Brady Manek and LiAngelo Ball each scored 12 points, and Kai Jones added 11 for Charlotte (2-1).
Ochai Agbaji scored 24 points, with four 3-pointers, for Cleveland (1-2). Cameron Young added 11, Amauri Hardy had 10 and Isaiah Mobley grabbed 11 rebounds. The Cavaliers were 5 of 25 from distance.
PELICANS 106, WIZARDS 88
Deividas Sirvydis scored 25 points, going 6 of 10 from 3-point range, to help New Orleans beat Washington.
New Orleans trailed at halftime, but outscored Washington 28-15 in the third quarter to take the lead for good.
Jared Harper made 10 of 14 free throws and had 18 points and six assists for New Orleans (2-1). Daeqwon Plowden added 16 points and Dereon Seabron had 13.
Vernon Carey Jr. made his first five shots and scored 11 points for Washington (1-2). Tyler Hall also scored 11 points and Tahjere McCall added 10.
RAPTORS 80, JAZZ 74
D.J. Wilson had 22 points and nine rebounds, Jeff Dowtin added 19 points and Toronto handed Utah its first loss.
<a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1547380055629877248">Dowtin made a contested layup with 45.6 seconds left</a> for a four-point lead. Utah missed 3-pointers on its next two possessions and Dowtin sealed it with two free throws.
Jared Butler scored 12 points, Leandro Bolmaro added 11 and Darryl Morsell had 10 for Utah (2-1).
76ERS 75, HEAT 71
Trevelin Queen scored 16 points, Tyler Bey added 14 and Philadelphia held off Miami.
Malik Ellison had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Philadelphia.
Javonte Smart topped Miami with 20 points, and Haywood Highsmith had 17 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
NUGGETS 80, CLIPPERS 75
Matt Mitchell had 17 points and six rebounds to help power Denver past Los Angeles.
Nuggets first-rounder Christian Braun &mdash; 21st overall &mdash; had eight points to go along with 12 rebounds, five assists and three blocks.
Jay Scrubb led the Clippers with 18 points.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Tre Mann had 15 points and seven assists to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to an 86-80 victory over the Kings on Wednesday night.

Mann leads Thunder past Kings 86-80 in Summer League play

Quentin Grimes had 24 points and eight assists, Jericho Sims scored 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field and the New York Knicks overcame Moses Moody's 34 points to beat the Golden State Warriors 101-88 on Friday night at the Las Vegas Summer League.
Moody was 8 for 13 from the floor and 15 of 17 from the free throw line. Mac McClung added 17 points for the Warriors.
Jonathan Kuminga, picked No. 7 overall by Golden State in the 2021 draft, had four points and five of the Warriors&rsquo; 23 turnovers. The 6-foot-9, 19-year-old made 2 of 10 from the field, 0 of 4 from 3-point range and 0 of 4 from the free throw line.
Feron Hunt had 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting for the Knicks. Miles McBride had 14 points and seven assists, and DaQuan Jeffries scored 12 points. Sims had 10 rebounds.
BULLS 100, MAVERICKS 99, OT
Marko Simonovic had 27 points, 13 rebounds and blocked three shots to help Chicago beat Dallas.
Simonovic, a second-round pick in 2020, made 10 of 17 from the field and 7 of 8 from the free throw line. The 6-foot-11 center from Montenegro &mdash; trailing on the fast break &mdash; caught a bounce pass from Carlik Jones near the top of the key, took a dribble and threw down a two-hand dunk with 21 seconds left in regulation to make it 90-all and, eventually, force overtime.
A.J. Lawson and Jaden Hardy &mdash; a second-round pick in June&rsquo;s draft after spending last season with the G League Ignite &mdash; finished with 28 points apiece for the Mavericks. Lawson made 10 of 16 from the field and 6 of 11 from 3-point range.
PACERS 96, HORNETS 84
Bennedict Mathurin, picked No. 6 overall in last month's draft, scored 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting and Chris Duarte added 16 points to lead Indiana.
Terry Taylor had 11 points, Duane Washington Jr. scored 10 and Isaiah Jackson &mdash; a first-round pick, along with Duarte, in the 2021 draft &mdash; finished with nine points, 12 rebounds and four blocks for the Pacers.
Bryce McGowens led the Hornets with 17 points. LJ Figueroa went 6 of 6 from the field &mdash; including two 3-pointers &mdash; and finished with 16 points. Nick Richards added 15 points and 11 rebounds and Kai Jones had 12 points and nine rebounds, but went 0 for 10 from 3-point range.
CAVALIERS 99, SPURS 90
RJ Nembhard Jr. scored 20 points and Amar Sylla had 19 points and eight rebounds to lead Cleveland past San Antonio.
Ochai Agbaji, picked 14th overall in last month's draft, hit four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points. Malik Osborne added 13 points and Cam Young scored 10 for the Cavaliers.
Blake Wesley and Josh Primo &mdash; first-round picks by the Spurs in 2022 and 2021, respectively &mdash; scored 20 points apiece. Malaki Branham, picked No. 20 overall in June, had 15 points.
BUCKS 94, NETS 90
Lindell Wigginton had 17 points and seven assists, Sandro Mamukelashvili also scored 17 points and Milwaukee held off Brooklyn.
Mamukelashvili hit a 3-pointer and then made a driving floater before he found MarJon Beauchamp &mdash; who made multiple plays down the stretch &mdash; for a corner 3 that gave the Bucks a 93-82 lead with 1:17 to play.
Beauchamp finished with 16 points and A.J. Green added 15 for Milwaukee.
Cam Thomas led Brooklyn with 31 points and David Duke Jr. scored 22. Day&rsquo;Ron Sharpe had eight points, 10 rebounds, three steals and a block.
TIMBERWOLVES 85, NUGGETS 78
Josh Minott had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Kevon Harris scored 13 points to lead Minnesota to the win.
Minott, a second-round pick in June's draft, was 8 of 15 from the field, 2 of 3 from 3-point range and 4 of 4 from the free throw line. Wendell Moore Jr., picked No. 26 overall out of Duke, and David McCormack added 10 points apiece for the Timberwolves.
Christian Braun &mdash; who, along with McCormack, help Kansas to the 2022 NCAA title &mdash; led Denver with 18 points. A first-round pick last month, Braun shot 7 of 10 from inside the arc and just 1 of 7 from 3-point range. Collin Gillespie and Matt Mitchell scored 10 points apiece for the Nuggets.
SUNS 104, LAKERS 84
Louis King scored 20 points, Ish Wainwright added 17 on 5-of-9 shooting &mdash; all from 3-point range &mdash; and Phoenix trailed for just 10 seconds.
Phoenix took the lead for good when Duop Reath converted a three-point play to make it 18-15 with 1:55 left in the first quarter. Wainwright was fouled as he hit a 3-pointer and made the free throw to make it 57-45 with 7:38 left in the third quarter. The Lakers trailed by double figures the rest of the way.
Scotty Pippen Jr. led Los Angeles with 19 points and three steals. Paris Bass had 14 points, Cole Swider hit three 3s and finished with 11 points and Mason Jones had 10.
Max Christie &mdash; the Lakers' lone draft pick (No. 35 overall) in 2022 &mdash; had nine points and eight rebounds but made just 1 of 6 from the field.

Quentin Grimes had 24 points and eight assists, Jericho Sims scored 16 points and the Knicks overcame Moses Moody's 34 points.

Grimes, Knicks top Warriors 101-88 despite Moody's 34 points

The NBA announced the 76 players who are expected to attend the 2022 NBA Draft Combine, which is scheduled for May 18-20 at Wintrust Arena and the Marriott Marquis in Chicago.
The 2022 NBA Draft Combine is an important step in the draft process for NBA prospects, leading up to 2022 NBA Draft on June 23.&nbsp;
Players will have interviews with NBA teams and participate in five-on-five games, shooting drills and strength-and-agility drills from May 18-20. Coverage of the 2022 NBA Draft Combine begins Thursday, May 19 on ESPNews from 3-5 p.m. ET and transitions to ESPN2 from 5-7 p.m. ET. The coverage continues on Friday, May 20 from 1-2 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and 2-5 p.m. ET on ESPNews.
Additionally, a select number of standout players from the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-announces-field-of-44-draft-prospects-for-g-league-elite-camp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA G League Elite Camp</a>, which takes place May 16-17 at Wintrust Arena, will be invited to participate in the 2022 NBA Draft Combine.
Here is the complete list of expected attendees for this year's NBA Draft Combine (and check out <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's 2022 NBA Mock Draft</a> to see where each player is projected to go):&nbsp;
<table style="font-weight: 400;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td colspan="2" width="832">
Player (College/Club)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Ochai Agbaji (Kansas)
</td>
<td width="442">
Jake LaRavia (Wake Forest)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Patrick Baldwin Jr. (Milwaukee)
</td>
<td width="442">
Justin Lewis (Marquette)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Paolo Banchero (Duke)
</td>
<td width="442">
E.J. Liddell (Ohio State)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Dominick Barlow (Overtime Elite)
</td>
<td width="442">
Bennedict Mathurin (Arizona)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Marjon Beauchamp (G League Ignite)
</td>
<td width="442">
Matthew Mayer (Baylor)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Hugo Besson (New Zealand Breakers)
</td>
<td width="442">
Bryce McGowens (Nebraska)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Malaki Branham (Ohio State)
</td>
<td width="442">
Leonard Miller (Fort Erie Intl. Academy [Canada] )
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Christian Braun (Kansas)
</td>
<td width="442">
Josh Minott (Memphis)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Kendall Brown (Baylor)
</td>
<td width="442">
Aminu Mohammed (Georgetown)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
John Butler Jr. (Florida State)
</td>
<td width="442">
Iverson Molinar (Mississippi State)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Julian Champagnie (St. John&rsquo;s)
</td>
<td width="442">
Jean Montero (Overtime Elite)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Kennedy Chandler (Tennessee)
</td>
<td width="442">
Wendell Moore Jr. (Duke)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Max Christie (Michigan State)
</td>
<td width="442">
Keegan Murray (Iowa)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Kofi Cockburn (Illinois)
</td>
<td width="442">
Andrew Nembhard (Gonzaga)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Dyson Daniels (G League Ignite)
</td>
<td width="442">
Scotty Pippen Jr. (Vanderbilt)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Johnny Davis (Wisconsin)
</td>
<td width="442">
Gabriele Procida (Fortitudo Bologna [Italy] )
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
JD Davison (Alabama)
</td>
<td width="442">
Orlando Robinson (Fresno State)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Moussa Diabate (Michigan)
</td>
<td width="442">
David Roddy (Colorado State)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Ousmane Dieng (New Zealand Breakers)
</td>
<td width="442">
Ryan Rollins (Toledo)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Khalifa Diop (Gran Canaria [Spain] )
</td>
<td width="442">
Dereon Seabron (North Carolina State)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Jalen Duren (Memphis)
</td>
<td width="442">
Shaedon Sharpe (Kentucky)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Tari Eason (LSU)
</td>
<td width="442">
Jabari Smith (Auburn)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Keon Ellis (Alabama)
</td>
<td width="442">
Terquavion Smith (North Carolina State)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Michael Foster Jr. (G League Ignite)
</td>
<td width="442">
Jeremy Sochan (Baylor)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Collin Gillespie (Villanova)
</td>
<td width="442">
Matteo Spagnolo (Cremona [Italy] )
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
AJ Griffin (Duke)
</td>
<td width="442">
Julian Strawther (Gonzaga)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Jaden Hardy (G League Ignite)
</td>
<td width="442">
Dalen Terry (Arizona)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Ron Harper Jr. (Rutgers)
</td>
<td width="442">
Drew Timme (Gonzaga)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga)
</td>
<td width="442">
Jabari Walker (Colorado)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Harrison Ingram (Stanford)
</td>
<td width="442">
TyTy Washington Jr. (Kentucky)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Jaden Ivey (Purdue)
</td>
<td width="442">
Peyton Watson (UCLA)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana)
</td>
<td width="442">
Blake Wesley (Notre Dame)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Nikola Jovic (Mega [Serbia] )
</td>
<td width="442">
Alondes Williams (Wake Forest)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Johnny Juzang (UCLA)
</td>
<td width="442">
Jalen Williams (Santa Clara)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Ismael Kamagate (Paris [France] )
</td>
<td width="442">
Jaylin Williams (Arkansas)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Trevor Keels (Duke)
</td>
<td width="442">
Mark Williams (Duke)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Walker Kessler (Auburn)
</td>
<td width="442">
Trevion Williams (Purdue)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="390">
Christian Koloko (Arizona)
</td>
<td width="442">
Fanbo Zeng (G League Ignite)
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

The NBA announced the 76 players who are expected to attend the 2022 NBA Draft Combine, which takes place May 18-20 in Chicago.

NBA announces 76 prospects who will attend 2022 NBA Draft Combine

The NBA playoffs are fast approaching and as the season winds down, there are a total of 21 teams fighting for 16 playoff spots across the two conferences.
Every game matters.
Injuries have had a major impact on this season. In the Western Conference, a number of potential playoff teams are missing key pieces, including the Golden State Warriors (Stephen Curry and James Wiseman), Denver Nuggets (Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr.), Los Angeles Clippers (Kawhi Leonard and Paul George), Memphis Grizzlies (Ja Morant), Los Angeles Lakers (Anthony Davis), New Orleans Pelicans (Zion Williamson) and Portland Trail Blazers (Damian Lillard).
There are fewer injured stars in the Eastern Conference, but Jarrett Allen (CLE), Ben Simmons (BKN), Lonzo Ball (CHI), Gordon Hayward (CHA) and Colin Sexton (CLE) are currently sidelined.
Between now and the start of the playoffs on April 12, some important players are expected to return to their respective teams, which could alter the NBA landscape in a major way.
<h2>WESTERN CONFERENCE</h2>
DENVER NUGGETS
On March 15, the Nuggets assigned Jamal Murray to their G-League affiliate (the Grand Rapids Gold) to get some additional work at practice. This sent waves through social media, as fans anticipated Murray's long-awaited return to the Nuggets' lineup. However, just a few days later, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said that Murray is "not close" to suiting up.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Denver Nuggets HC Michael Malone says Jamal Murray is "not close" to rejoining the lineup, per <a href="https://twitter.com/HarrisonWind?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HarrisonWind</a> <a href="https://t.co/7leLWbJe5W">pic.twitter.com/7leLWbJe5W</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1505676501303320576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
It seems unlikely that Murray will be able to play during the regular season, but perhaps he'll be able to return at some point during the postseason.
Michael Porter Jr. is also on the mend, but the reports about his availability have been all over the place. There were rumblings that his rehab didn't go great and that he was further away than Murray. Then, there was a rumor that he's <a href="https://theathletic.com/3198516/2022/03/21/nuggets-hopeful-jamal-murray-and-michael-porter-jr-could-be-back-by-playoffs-but-no-immediate-return-on-the-horizon/?source=nbatw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">due back very soon</a>.

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

A little over a week ago, Malone was asked about the possibility of Murray and Porter returning, and he <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/malone-michael-porter-jr-and-jamal-murrays-wont-be-back-soon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, "There is no immediate return on the horizon for either one of those players."
Denver is currently the sixth seed in the Western Conference, trying to stave off the Minnesota Timberwolves and avoid the Play-In Tournament.&nbsp;
Nikola Jokic has played at an MVP level (again) and the absence of these two stars has allowed for Bones Hyland to emerge as a legitimate rotation player as a rookie. Adding even one of these two players back into the fold would make the Nuggets a significantly more threatening first-round opponent for the Grizzlies, Warriors or Mavericks.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
Since the acquisition of CJ McCollum on February 8, the New Orleans Pelicans rank No. 10 in offensive rating and No. 6 in net rating. While the Pelicans won't be getting All-Star power forward Zion Williamson back at any point this season, they did just have another impact player return to their lineup.
Larry Nance Jr. was acquired as part of the McCollum trade and he made his Pelicans debut a few days ago. The 29-year-old is a seamless fit on the offensive end and he'll give New Orleans some defensive versatility.
Even though we all wanted to see how this team would look with a healthy Zion, they have a solid core with McCollum, Brandon Ingram, Jonas Valanciunas, Herb Jones, Devonte' Graham, Nance and Co. &mdash; making them a scary opponent in the Play-In Tournament.

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

New Orleans likely won't catch the Clippers for the eighth seed, but they could steal homecourt advantage in the 9-10 game against the Lakers, as they are currently a half game behind L.A.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
With LeBron James on roster, there always seems to be this lingering feeling that the Lakers will catch their stride and figure this thing out. But without Anthony Davis, it seems unlikely that Los Angeles will be able to escape the Play-In Tournament.
There has been no official word on a potential return date for Davis, but the Lakers would need him available if they hope to play beyond April 12.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Anthony Davis continues to do on-court shooting, per Frank Vogel, and is progressing each day: &ldquo;Anthony has had a good week &hellip; He&rsquo;s had a productive week.&rdquo;
&mdash; Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) <a href="https://twitter.com/LakersReporter/status/1504943043669106699?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

The presence of Davis would inject a tiny sliver of hope that he and James could will this team to victory and into a revenge series against the Phoenix Suns in the first round.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
Stephen Curry is expected to be out until mid-April at the earliest, which is a huge blow to the Warriors. Fortunately, Curry has <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/breakingnews/warriors-curry-expects-to-return-by-start-of-playoffs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that he should be back in time for the first game of the playoffs.
The team has reintroduced Klay Thompson back into the fold, and Draymond Green is back in the lineup too. While Golden State's star-studded trio has only played three games together this season, at least the Warriors should have all three vets together for the postseason (barring any setbacks or new injuries).
Unfortunately, Golden State won't be at full strength, as James Wiseman was recently <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/warriors-james-wiseman-ruled-out-for-remainder-of-the-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled out</a> for the remainder of this season. The sophomore is still recovering from a torn meniscus that he suffered last April. Wiseman's size and versatility would have helped the Warriors, especially when facing the likes of Nikola Jokic, Rudy Gobert and Jaren Jackson Jr.
Golden State has been struggling without Curry, dropping four of their last five games (including surprising losses to the Orlando Magic, San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks). Golden State surrendered the No. 2 seed to the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Warriors could slip to fourth in the Western Conference, leading to a potential second-round matchup against Phoenix (instead of Memphis or Utah).&nbsp;
Still, assuming the Warriors have their Big Three, they will be dangerous in the playoffs.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
Recently, Clippers head coach Ty Lue was asked about Kawhi Leonard and Paul George potentially returning prior to the playoffs, and he didn't shoot down the possibility.
"If guys are able to [return], they are gonna do it," Lue said. "But the most important part is making the sure the players are taken care of and making sure they're ready to go and fully healthy."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Ty Lue says he&rsquo;ll keep the door open on Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and/or Norman Powell returning if it&rsquo;s less than a week until the playoffs. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Clippers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Clippers</a> <a href="https://t.co/iebGp2sRcp">pic.twitter.com/iebGp2sRcp</a>
&mdash; Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1505958728125739011?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Leonard has been sidelined since last postseason, and Clippers fans have been holding out hope for a late-season comeback. ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33579571/nba-playoffs-injury-updates-steph-curry-zion-williamson-anthony-davis-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> that Leonard may be able to return if the Clippers make it out of the Play-In Tournament.
George has been sidelined due to a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, and there is no timetable for his return. Recently, he has <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33579571/nba-playoffs-injury-updates-steph-curry-zion-williamson-anthony-davis-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> made progress and been cleared for 4-on-4 and shooting drills, so a return still seems possible.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
<h2>EASTERN CONFERENCE</h2>
CHICAGO BULLS
The Bulls skyrocketed to the top of the East standings early in the season thanks to a supernova DeMar DeRozan and stellar defense. Two key cogs of that defense were Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso, who have played just 35 and 36 games, respectively. Chicago also played most of the season without forward Patrick Williams, who's another important rotation player.&nbsp;
The absence of those two elite perimeter defenders caused the Bulls to slip to the East's five seed, and they are just one game ahead of the sixth-seeded Toronto Raptors.&nbsp;
Caruso returned on March 12 and Williams returned on March 21. But if Ball is able to return to the starting lineup, that could significantly affect the outcome of a series against the Celtics or 76ers.
However, here's the bad news:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Lonzo Ball will stop running on his knee for the next 10 days, per Billy Donovan. They&rsquo;ve been trying to ramp him up but he hasn&rsquo;t responded well
&mdash; Jamal Collier (@JamalCollier) <a href="https://twitter.com/JamalCollier/status/1506033717608865798?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Ball may not be needed for Chicago to avoid the Play-In Tournament, but his return is crucial in order for the Bulls to make a deep run in the playoffs.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
Colin Sexton is not coming back this season. In fact, it's possible that he has played his final game as a Cavalier since he's set to become a restricted free agent.
However, one of the main reason that the Cavaliers have exceeded expectations this season is the play of Jarrett Allen. Ricky Rubio was also a key cog in the Cleveland machine, but his injury back in December led to the acquisition of Rajon Rondo... who is also currently out with an ankle injury.&nbsp;
Allen's presence defensively next to Evan Mobley is crucial to the success of the Cavs. Cleveland's opponents take the ninth-most shots at the rim in the league, but they shoot the worst percentage. Their perimeter defense funnels opponents to the rim because of the three 7-footers they have on the floor.&nbsp;
For Cleveland to pull off a first-round upset, Allen must be present and continuing his career-year.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Unfortunately, injuries are a part of the game and oftentimes play a major factor in the postseason. This year is proving to be no different, as the field seems wide open due to injuries and the players who are returning could have a major impact on who is eventually crowned champion.
BROOKLYN NETS
After arriving in Brooklyn, Ben Simmons began ramping up his conditioning and preparing to make his season debut, but then his back started giving him trouble. Initially, it was being described as back soreness, but he was recently diagnosed with a herniated disc and he needed an epidural for the pain.
Nets head coach Steve Nash has said that surgery isn't currently being considered. Simmons is working with a physical therapist and trying to get healthy enough to make his Nets debut. Nash told reporters that he's "fully expecting" Simmons to play at some point this season.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33520712/brooklyn-nets-hold-hope-ben-simmons-return-couple-regular-season-games" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that Brooklyn hopes to have Simmons for a "couple" regular-season games so that he can start shaking off the rust and getting acclimated prior to the postseason.
Whenever he returns, the Defensive-Player-of-the-Year runner-up will provide a huge boost for the Nets. Last season, Simmons averaged 14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.6 steals with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com. <a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Several NBA playoff teams are hoping to get back key contributors in time for the postseason. Justin Lewis examines these situations.

Examining 11 impact players whose return could alter NBA playoffs

Nekias Duncan dives deep into the rise of guard-screening in the NBA through the lens of NBA players, coaches and more.

Changing of the guard: The future of screening is here

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Nikola Jokic had 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists and the Denver Nuggets beat Brooklyn 124-104 on Sunday to extend the Nets&rsquo; losing streak to eight games.
Jokic has an NBA-best 14 triple-doubles this season. He scored 23 points in the second and third quarters when Denver went from trailing by seven to leading by 21.
The Nuggets held Brooklyn to 29 points in the second half to end a three-game skid.
&ldquo;We rebounded better in the second half, we made them take tough shots. The defense was much, much better,&rdquo; Jokic said.
Will Barton had 21 points and Aaron Gordon had 17 points and nine rebounds in his return from a two-game absence.
Nets guard James Harden missed his second straight game with left hamstring tightness. Brooklyn coach Steve Nash said the team is being cautious with the former MVP.
Nash was asked before the game if it&rsquo;s accurate the team won&rsquo;t trade Harden before Thursday&rsquo;s deadline and gave a definitive answer.
&ldquo;Yes, that&rsquo;s correct,&rdquo; he said.
Kyrie Irving finished with 27 points and 11 assists and Cam Thomas had 20 for Brooklyn. The losing streak is the longest since the Nets lost seven in a row from Dec. 26, 2019, to Jan. 7, 2020. They finished 0-5 on the trip.
&ldquo;The common thread is not having everyone and us finding ways to get better,&rdquo; Patty Mills said. &ldquo;It has been tough but no excuses. We&rsquo;ve got to hang our hat on our ability to rely on each other.&rdquo;
Brooklyn continues to play without Kevin Durant, LaMarcus Aldridge and Nic Claxton due to injuries, and Joe Harris has not played since Nov. 14 with an ankle injury.
The mounting injuries have contributed to the Nets falling into the first play-in position in the Eastern Conference.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not going to panic, there&rsquo;s still plenty of games after the all-star break when Kevin gets back,&rdquo; Nash said. &ldquo;Hopefully have Kevin and James. You&rsquo;re talking about five guys. That&rsquo;s your starting lineup, potentially.&rdquo;
Denver led 76-75 at halftime and outscored the Nets 31-16 in the third quarter to take a 107-91 lead. Jokic came out late in the third sitting on nine assists and looked like he would finish an assist shy of another triple-double until Brooklyn cut the deficit to 109-99.
Jokic checked back in and fed Barton for a layup for his 10th assist.
The Nuggets stayed a game ahead of Minnesota to remain in the sixth position in the Western Conference with 10 days left before the All-Star break.
&ldquo;This is a challenging time for every team, every coach, and every player,&rdquo; Denver coach Michael Malone said. &ldquo;We have five games until the all-star break. We&rsquo;re tired of each other. I see this team more than I see my wife and kids.&rdquo;
FANCY DRIBBLING
Irving showed off his skills in the second quarter when he bumped into Denver forward Aaron Gordon and fell to the court. Irving never stopped dribbling as he got up, and then hit Day&rsquo;Ron Sharpe with a bounce pass as Sharpe went baseline to the bucket.
Sharpe lost the ball as he went up for a shot and the Nets didn&rsquo;t finish off Irving&rsquo;s artwork.
BIG-MAN DECISION
DeMarcus Cousins&rsquo; second 10-day contract with Denver expired after Sunday&rsquo;s game and a decision looms on whether to sign him for the rest of the season. Cousins said he is comfortable with this team and wants to stay on the roster.
&ldquo;I would love to be here,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s a great fit. Both sides benefit from it and I think can be the extra piece to push us over the top.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Nets: Durant is still rehabbing his sprained MCL but has started to get on the court for basketball activities. ... Blake Griffin scored all of his 19 points in the first half.
Nuggets: Gordon returned to the lineup after missing two games with a hamstring injury. ... G Austin Rivers went to the locker room in the first half with a slight limp and was accompanied by team trainer Steve Short. He did not return.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
UP NEXT
Nets: Host the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night.
Nuggets: Host the New York Knicks on Tuesday night

Nikola Jokic had 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists and the Nuggets beat Brooklyn 124-104 to extend the Nets’ losing streak.

Jokic has triple-double, Nuggets hand Nets 8th loss in a row

College basketball is just around the corner, and when the season tips off on Nov. 9, the scouting season will truly kick into high gear.
BasketballNews.com Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock and his team of scouts have already been watching prospects in U.S. professional programs (G League Ignite and Overtime Elite) as well as abroad, and have made stops at college pro days and exhibition games. So even though the collegiate season has yet to start, they have already been hard at work scouting some must-watch players.
I asked Babcock some questions about what he has observed in the collegiate preseason, what he expects from the early stretches of play, and more. Be sure to also check out the BasketballNews.com <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Tzfp7VlBM1U" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
1. From a scouting perspective, how much do you take away from college basketball preseason?
Well, I evaluate hundreds of prospects every year. I&rsquo;m in the information-gathering business, and there is an extensive process to be able to gather enough information and come to a conclusive evaluation of a player prior to their draft. During the preseason &mdash; depending on who I&rsquo;ve seen before &mdash; I know some players better than others, how many times I&rsquo;ve seen them and in what setting. If I&rsquo;m seeing a player for the first time, it&rsquo;s the first step in my evaluation process.&nbsp;
In those cases, I&rsquo;m really just trying to get a feel for the player&rsquo;s skill set, body type, movements and personality &mdash; essentially creating a platform to work off in order to be able to do a deeper dive on the player. If I already know the player decently, I try to get a pulse of where they&rsquo;re at in their development. Both scenarios are important to me. I carefully put together my travel and my day-to-day efforts to make sure I gather enough information on all of the relevant prospects by draft night. To make a long story short, I value seeing prospects in all different types of settings, including practices and scrimmages during the preseason.
2. What were the most significant changes you made to your recently updated Big Board?
I&rsquo;d say the biggest change was including some additional freshmen who I&rsquo;m somewhat on the fence about. I recently included Max Christie from Michigan State, Moussa Diabate from Michigan, and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield from Tennessee. Projecting how a true freshman will do right off the bat can be extremely challenging. I spend a lot of time evaluating high-school prospects in an effort to get a head start on the evaluation process.&nbsp;
I&rsquo;m confident that all of the freshmen we currently have on our Big Board have the tools to be NBA prospects this year, but there are so many variables that can affect their imminent draft status: How will they adapt to their new setting? What role will they play for their team? Different things along those lines. I make it a point to track freshmen closely because oftentimes it can go either way.
3. What opening week games would you consider to be must-watch for scouts?
I&rsquo;m kicking the season off with a bang. I&rsquo;m heading to New York City for the State Farm Champions Classic to see Kansas versus Michigan State, and then Kentucky versus Duke at Madison Square Garden. Obviously it&rsquo;s great from a scouting standpoint because I&rsquo;ll see a bunch of top prospects. But even just as a basketball fan, I&rsquo;ll get to see some of the best coaches in the country go head-to-head: Bill Self versus Tom Izzo, and then John Calipari versus Coach K. It doesn&rsquo;t get any better than that.
4. After seeing Kentucky and TyTy Washington recently, what type of impact do you expect from him?
I&rsquo;ve spent a lot of time watching TyTy over the course of the last year. I feel like he&rsquo;s one of those players who I&rsquo;m constantly higher on than the consensus. My latest trip to Kentucky kept that idea intact. In fact, I walked away even higher on him than I was before. Kentucky had a brutal season last year, but I&rsquo;m expecting for them to bounce back this season &mdash; and I think TyTy is going to lead the charge for them. They&rsquo;ll go as TyTy goes. That said, I think he&rsquo;s going to be a star player for them and subsequently become a lottery pick come June.
5. Which prospects moved the needle the most this preseason?
There are a few guys in my book who have impressed me and helped themselves recently &mdash; Max Christie from Michigan State, Oscar Tshiebwe from Kentucky and MarJon Beauchamp from the G League Ignite.
6. What college freshman not currently on your Big Board could possibly be included sometime soon?
I&rsquo;ve got my eye on a few. Nolan Hickman and Hunter Sallis from Gonzaga, Harrison Ingram from Stanford, Trevor Keels from Duke and Bryce McGowens from Nebraska. There are some others too, but those are names that come to mind first.
7. How does this year&rsquo;s G League Ignite team compare to last year&rsquo;s?
Last year, the Ignite produced two lottery picks in Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga. This year, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/babcock-takeaways-from-the-g-league-ignites-season-opener" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I&rsquo;m expecting</a> Jaden Hardy to be a high lottery pick, but I don&rsquo;t expect any of the other guys to be taken quite that high. However, I think they have more depth and overall talent top-to-bottom. We are currently projecting that Dyson Daniels will be a first round pick, Michael Foster is not far off and MarJon Beauchamp is doing some really good things early for them too.
8. Which international prospects have risen for you in recent weeks?
One player to keep an eye on is Ismael Kamagate, who is playing for Paris. He&rsquo;s a big, athletic rim-protector and rim-runner. Our international scout, and a former NBA scout, Jason Filippi, recently watched Kamagate and had the chance to interview him. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-qa-french-big-man-ismael-kamagate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">His Q&amp;A is up on BasketballNews.com</a>. Jason walked away impressed with Kamagate. He&rsquo;s not currently on our Big Board but I wouldn&rsquo;t be surprised if we ultimately included him.

Ethan Fuller checks in with Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock ahead of the 2021-22 college basketball season.

2022 NBA Draft: NCAA basketball season preview with Matt Babcock

Lou Dunbar is a Harlem Globetrotters legend.&nbsp;
A showman who has been with the organization since 1977 &mdash; as a player, coach and director of player personnel. Dunbar, a college All-American at the University of Houston, is often considered a precursor to Magic Johnson, because of his size &mdash; 6-foot-10 and unique ability as a ball-handler.&nbsp;
Over 79 career games with the Cougars, he scored 1,765 points.&nbsp;
Dunbar played a year of pro basketball abroad before calling it quits on a &ldquo;straight&rdquo; basketball career. He was working at a jewelry story in Houston, when he signed a free agent deal with the Rockets. It was a deal that ultimately didn&rsquo;t lead to an NBA career, but it did open the door to the Globetrotters.&nbsp;
Nicknamed "Sweet Lou" as a Globetrotter, Dunbar has a gregarious presence that radiates, even over the phone. When he tells a story, he often punctuates it with an infectious chuckle. Separate from our conversation regarding <a href="https://www.independent.com/2021/10/15/the-day-santa-barbara-police-racially-profiled-three-harlem-globetrotters/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">being racially profiled by Santa Barbara Police</a>, here's a look into a talk we had recently:
Who were your basketball heroes growing up?
Lou Dunbar: My first one was Wilt Chamberlain. Coming up I wore the number 13 because of Wilt &ndash; I loved Wilt. Going into high school, Elgin Baylor. I switched my number to 22 because of Elgin Baylor.&nbsp;
Did you ever meet Wilt?
Dunbar: My coach, Tex Harrison played with Wilt; they were roommates. I met him through Tex Harrison in Hawaii &ndash; he used to live over there. We went out for lunch or dinner. From what I saw, Wilt was a great guy.&nbsp;
Why do you think that generation of players is so overlooked or forgotten today?
Dunbar: Nobody knows who they are. You have to be a student of the game. You can&rsquo;t just be a student of this era. Everything they told Wilt he couldn&rsquo;t do, he did it. Look at the record books, he&rsquo;s in every category &ndash; then you have guys like Oscar Robertson. Back then they played real basketball, wasn&rsquo;t none of that crying. You come to the well, if you want to drink, you better be ready to drink.&nbsp;
Even guys like David Thompson who came out when I came out; David Thompson was something special; but you don&rsquo;t hear people talking about him &ndash; David Thompson was a beast, man. He invented the alley-oop &mdash; he and a little guy, Monte Towe. My senior year of college we went on an All-Star tour; every game we played, David Thompson got an alley-oop the first play of the game &ndash; he was great at going backdoor, he&rsquo;d fake up top to the free throw line and go backdoor and Monte Towe would throw that alley-oop.
Who were the guys that showed you the ropes when you first became a Globetrotter?
Dunbar: My first year I played with Meadowlark Lemon and Curly Neal. I tell these young guys today the opportunity they have is so much different than when I came up. They used to use my young legs for the first dunk of the game and then after that I&rsquo;d sit and watch like I had bought a ticket.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Meadowlark gave me one of the greatest compliments I had being a Globetrotter: he said I picked this up better than anybody who ever played with him &ndash; I knew all the positions on the floor.&nbsp;
My second year I played with Geese Ausbie and Marques Haynes.&nbsp;
As far as being a showman, Meadowlark was guy who did stuff by timing. Every show, you know Meadowlark was about to do this, or that. Geese, we never knew where he was &ndash; he was spontaneous, I loved that about Geese. He was hilarious; he just went off the cuff. I picked up a little of everything from both of those guys.&nbsp;
What made you come back to the Trotters year after year?
Dunbar: This is not for everybody. Tex Harrison used to say that all the time. Nobody travels like the Globetrotters: most of time we play seven days a week and sometimes twice on Saturday and Sunday. It&rsquo;s not an easy gig so you have to have some love for the game and this organization to be able to do it day in day out.&nbsp;
Regardless of how many games we played a week I loved what I did. I had the best job in the world. It was kind of like Santa Claus. We put smiles on people&rsquo;s faces every day. A lot of people get up and say man, I don&rsquo;t want to go to work.
You are a Houston guy. Did you ever play at the Fonde Rec Center?
Dunbar: Come on man. You can&rsquo;t come to Houston and not do that. Once we got off the road that&rsquo;s where we went to play. I recruited Moses Malone coming out of high school, he was down there. All the pros &ndash; John Lucas &ndash; everybody; whose who in the game of basketball and they went to the Fonde Rec Center.&nbsp;
I still play downtown.&nbsp;
With the Globetrotters, we do fool around a bit, but when we come back home, we go to Fonde and get it on.
How do you think you&rsquo;d have been as an NBA player?
Dunbar: I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;d have been bad. I went that route and was tired. I played a year in Europe &ndash; came back signed a free agent contract with the Houston Rockets and was in LA in the summer pro with those guys. They would play me sparingly. I thought I did alright when they played me.&nbsp;
There comes a point in your life when you have to move on.
People from the Globetrotters asked me to come to training camp and everything else is history. I&rsquo;ve enjoyed what I have done. I think I left a stamp on some people&rsquo;s lives.&nbsp; It&rsquo;s been a good run. It&rsquo;s like everything else you have your good times you have your bad times. I can tell you the good outweigh the bad. I&rsquo;d never trade it for anything in the world.

Nicknamed "Sweet Lou" as a Globetrotter, Dunbar has a gregarious presence, that radiates, even over the phone.

Q&A with Harlem Globetrotters legend 'Sweet Lou' Dunbar

Four NHL teams have overcome 3-0 deficits in a best-of-seven playoff series, including the 1942 Stanley Cup champion Toronto Maple Leafs. The Boston Red Sox pulled off MLB's only such comeback against the New York Yankees in 2004.
The Denver Nuggets are the 143rd NBA team to go down 3-0 in a best-of-seven playoff series and nobody's ever overcome such a daunting deficit to win four straight.
The Nuggets say their only aim is to send the series back to Phoenix with a win in Game 4 Sunday night in Denver.
&ldquo;The last thing I want to see is the Phoenix Suns pushing a broom across our home court,&rdquo; Nuggets coach Michael Malone said Friday night after Denver's <a href="https://apnews.com/article/denver-nuggets-phoenix-suns-nikola-jokic-entertainment-nba-8b5618ad45575b05f160c02baced3296">116-102 </a> loss to the Suns.
Malone has said all along the Nuggets could show growth this season after losing a year ago to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
&ldquo;We have had a tremendous season, tremendous. I said going into this year you can't judge a season by the end result. ... But the one thing I don't want is for us just to go out quietly into that good night," Malone said. "I hope we show some real fight and resolve and force this series to go back to Phoenix for Game 5.&rdquo;
If not, Nikola Jokic will become the first MVP to get swept in a playoff series since the league adopted the best-of-seven format for all rounds beginning in 2003.
&ldquo;We just need to go out there and fight and give everything we&rsquo;ve got,&rdquo; Jokic said.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Only three MVPs (Steph Curry in 2015, LeBron James in 2012 and &lsquo;13 and Tim Duncan in 2003) have won it all since 2003 when it&rsquo;s taken 16 playoff victories to raise the Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy.
Curry came up just short again in 2016 when James led the Cavaliers to a Game 7 win in the NBA Finals. Since then, MVPs are just 31-24 in the playoffs with none of them even reaching the Finals.
That includes two MVPs who exited in the first round: Russell Westbrook in 2017 and Dirk Nowitzki in 2007.
Here's a look at Sunday's slate of games:
NETS AT BUCKS
Game 4, 3 p.m. EDT, ABC
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: This series features the NBA&rsquo;s two highest-scoring teams from the regular season but has been noteworthy for its defense so far. The Bucks scored a league-high 120.1 points a game in the regular season but have averaged just 93 points in this series. Milwaukee scored a season-low 86 points in a 39-point Game 2 loss and matched that total in a 86-83 Game 3 win. The Nets had their lowest scoring output of the season in Game 3. Kevin Durant has led the way for Brooklyn by averaging 30.3 points, 8 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 2 steals and 1.3 blocks.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Nets guard/forward Joe Harris. His shooting accuracy has been a reliable indicator of how this series has gone. Harris shot 12 of 23 overall and 8 of 16 from 3-point range over the first two games. He was 1 of 11 overall and 1 of 7 from beyond the arc before fouling out of the Nets&rsquo; Game 3 loss.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: The Brooklyn Nets again won&rsquo;t have James Harden (hamstring) but could have forward Jeff Green (plantar fascia strain) for Game 4. Coach Steve Nash says Harden and Green are &ldquo;progressing well.&rdquo; Bucks guard Donte DiVincenzo is out for the rest of the season after tearing a ligament in his left ankle during their first-round series with Miami.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Although the two-time MVP is averaging 28.3 points and 12 rebounds in this series, he has shot just 3 of 16 from 3-point range and 6 of 19 on foul shots. The free-throw issues are somewhat surprising because Antetokounmpo closed the regular season by shooting 72.5% from the line after the All-Star break. He had a 10-second violation on a Game 3 free-throw attempt, the second time that&rsquo;s happened to him in this postseason.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
SUNS AT NUGGETS
Game 4, 8 p.m. EDT, TNT
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: The Suns have won six straight games since falling behind the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers 2-1 in the opening round. Phoenix point guard Chris Paul has bounced back from his ailing shoulder that forced head coach Monty Williams to sit him in the fourth quarter twice against the Lakers. In the fourth quarters against the Nuggets, Paul is 12 for 13 from the floor, including 4 for 4 on 3-pointers with eight assists and no turnovers. In Game 3, he had 27 points to go with Devin Booker's 28.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Nuggets guard Monte Morris, who responded to a challenge from Malone to be more of a factor in Game 3 after two mediocre performances in Phoenix. He scored 21 points in 30 minutes off the bench and was the only Denver player to shoot 50% or better (8 for 12) besides Zeke Nnaji (1 for 1).
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: In Game 3, Nuggets' Will Barton played 28 minutes and scored 14 points in his second game back from a serious hamstring injury. P.J. Dozier (adductor) is still out. The Nuggets rallied around fallen teammate Jamal Murray, who tore his left ACL on April 12, going 13-5 down the stretch and beating the Trail Blazers in five games in the opening round. But they seem to have hit the wall in this round, showing how much they really miss their dynamic scorer who twice pumped in 50 points in the bubble in last year's playoff run.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Michael Porter Jr., who hasn't been the same since tweaking his surgically repaired back just before halftime of the series opener. MPJ went 5 for 13 from the field in Game 3 for 15 points. He's shooting 36% from the floor and 38% on 3s in this series after marks of 54.2 and 44.5 in his breakout regular season.
__
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The Nuggets are the 143rd NBA team to go down 3-0 in a best-of-seven series and nobody's ever come back to win four-straight.

Nuggets face daunting deficit; Nikola Jokic faces ignominious exit

Damian Lillard caught fire on Tuesday night, scoring a franchise-playoff-record 55 points in the Portland Trail Blazers' 147-140 win over the Denver Nuggets. Denver now leads the first-round series 3-2.
Lillard forced two overtime periods, finishing with 55 points, 12 threes, 10 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks and 1 turnover while shooting 70.8% from the field, 70.6% from three-point range and 90% from the free-throw line.
Lillard's 12 threes set an all-time playoff record for made triples, and he also becomes the first player in NBA history to score 55 points in fewer than 25 field-goal attempts, as noted by <a href="https://twitter.com/TommyBeer/status/1399943591330467842" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our Tommy Beer.</a>
In the two overtime periods, Lillard scored 17 points on eight field goal attempts, while the rest of the Blazers combined for two points on 12 attempts. Nikola Jokic finished with 38 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 blocks. Here is the game recap from The Associated Press:
***
DENVER (AP) &mdash; Michael Porter Jr.&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 1:33 left in the second overtime helped the Denver Nuggets squelch an epic comeback by the Portland Trail Blazers with a 147-140 win Tuesday night in Game 5 of the playoff series.
The Nuggets won despite Damian Lillard&rsquo;s franchise playoff record 55 points and NBA playoff record 12 3-pointers, including long distance shots that forced overtime and the second OT. He eclipsed the mark of 11 set by Golden State&rsquo;s Klay Thompson at Oklahoma City on May 28, 2016.
Lillard scored 17 of Portland&rsquo;s 19 points in the two overtimes, but he didn&rsquo;t score again after his 12th 3-pointer in 17 attempts put the Blazers ahead 140-138 with 3:47 left.
And his teammates didn&rsquo;t score again, either.
Nikola Jokic, who scored 38 points and came one assist shy of a triple-double, tied it at 140 with a layup and Porter broke the tie with a 3 from the left corner with 1:33 left.
The Blazers still were within three points until a pair of costly mistakes sent them back to Portland for Game 6 on Thursday night trailing the Nuggets 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
First, Robert Covington missed a dunk with 41 seconds left and then CJ McCollum stepped out of bounds with 9.1 seconds left and Lillard setting up for another 3.
Monte Morris, who scored 28 points off the bench, hit a pair of free throws with 8.8 seconds to seal it, and Shaq Harrison added two free throws with 3.8 seconds remaining.
Lillard broke his own franchise scoring record, a 50-point outburst against Oklahoma City on April 23, 2019.
Lillard&rsquo;s 3-pointer with three seconds left in regulation tied it at 121. His 3 with 6.4 seconds left in the first overtime tied it at 135 and that capped Portland&rsquo;s comeback from a quick nine-point deficit in the extra period after Denver hit a trio of 3s.
The Nuggets made three quick 3-pointers in the first overtime, two by Morris and another by Austin Rivers, to surge ahead 132-123. Portland missed its first five long balls in the extra period before Lillard sank three in the final minute to force a second overtime.
By holding on, Denver improved to 187-1 in games since April 2, 2008, in which they led at any point by 22 or more, including the postseason.
The game looked like a blowout for Denver when the Nuggets went up 54-32 on Paul Millsap&rsquo;s layup with 7:52 left in the second quarter.
Denver was still ahead 59-39 with 51/2 minutes left in the second quarter only to watch the Blazers use a 23-6 run to pull to 65-62 at halftime.
McCollum&rsquo;s buzzer-beating 11-foot jumper made it a one-possession game at the break. During Portland&rsquo;s big run, the Nuggets went without a basket for more than four minutes as the biggest crowd of the season &mdash; 10,500 &mdash; went from exuberant to edgy.
Portland took its first lead at 83-82 on Lillard&rsquo;s free throw after Jokic was whistled for a technical for arguing for a call.
MORE PORTER
Michael Porter Jr.&rsquo;s shots went down from 21 to 13 to 11 to three in Games 1-4, prompting the Nuggets forward to declare: &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t let myself be as small of a factor as I was the last couple of games.&rdquo; In Game 5, he put up 13 shots and scored 26 points. He also pulled down a dozen boards.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
ORDER ON THE COURT
Nuggets coach Michael Malone had a strong reaction to the spate of bad fan behavior across the NBA, saying it &ldquo;tarnishes the game.&rdquo;
&ldquo;People are acting the fool. That&rsquo;s my reaction. And it&rsquo;s almost like it&rsquo;s a copycat thing now: who can one-up the other person?&rdquo; Malone said. &rdquo;... I think some people are coming out of this COVID pandemic and maybe they just are trying to express themselves. But that&rsquo;s not the way to do it. Let the players play the game, enjoy the game and keep your (rear) in the seat, keep your water bottles in your lap and please don&rsquo;t spit or use any racist language to any player.
&ldquo;Not just our players but any player. That tarnishes the game. And the playoffs are the best time of the year for NBA basketball. Let&rsquo;s get back to spotlighting the players that we have across the league.&rdquo;
Portland coach Terry Stotts called it &ldquo;kind of a disturbing or disappointing trend. On second thought, &ldquo;hopefully, it&rsquo;s not a trend,&rdquo; Stotts said. &ldquo;Hopefully it&rsquo;s just isolated incidents.&rdquo;
TIP-INS:
Trail Blazers: Portland missed its first eight shots &mdash; the first four were from long range &mdash; and the Blazers&rsquo; first basket came on a goaltending call on Porter, giving Norman Powell the basket at the 6:55 mark. ... Lillard bounced back from his 10-point performance on 1-of-10 shooting in Game 4 to hit 17 of 24 shots, including 12 of 17 from long range and 9 of 10 from the stripe.
Nuggets: Denver&rsquo;s first basket of the second half came at the 9:51 mark on Aaron Gordon&rsquo;s dunk. ... The Nuggets were 5-for-7 from 3-point range in the first quarter when they took 38-25 lead. ... In a three-second sequence in the second quarter, Jokic blocked consecutive shots by Norman Powell and Nurkic. ... The Nuggets went 5 for 7 on 3s in the extra periods to Portland&rsquo;s 4 of 12.
___
More AP NBA:&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://apnews.com/hub/NBA">https://apnews.com/hub/NBA</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

Damian Lillard caught fire on Tuesday, scoring 55 points. But it wasn't enough to lift the Blazers over the Nuggets in a pivotal Game 5.

Marlon