Golden Eagles

Grant Williams scored a career-high 27 points and hit seven three-pointers, Jayson Tatum added 23 and the Boston Celtics set a Game 7 record with 22 three-pointers to eliminate the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks 109-81 on Sunday in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Boston will face the top-seeded Miami Heat beginning Tuesday in a rematch of the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals. The Heat beat the Celtics in six games in that series at Walt Disney World.
The Celtics trailed early but outscored the Bucks 61-38 in the second half to cruise to the victory. Boston used a whopping 54-point advantage from behind the arc to improve to 25-9 in decisive seventh games.
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The Boston Celtics made 22 threes against the Milwaukee Bucks, which is the most made threes in a Game 7 in NBA history. The previous record was 20 threes by the Los Angeles Clippers in their Game 7 win against the Dallas Mavericks on June 6, 2021. <a href="https://t.co/eX95eqTJ7S">pic.twitter.com/eX95eqTJ7S</a>
&mdash; Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1525974530325458944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The Bucks are now 3-9. They went 4-for-33 (12.1%) from the three-point line. That&rsquo;s the second-worst three-point percentage in a playoff game ever (minimum 30 attempts).
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 points, 20 rebounds and 9 assists. But he was just 3-of-11 in the paint in the second half, including 1-of-6 in the fourth quarter. Jrue Holiday added 21 points and 8 assists. Brook Lopez finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Williams finished 7 for 18 behind the arc as the Celtics finished the comeback after dropping Game 5 at home to fall into a 3-2 hole.
Boston started the second half on an 11-4 run to open a 59-47 lead.
It was 63-53 when Tatum went to the bench after being whistled for his fourth foul. But the Celtics rallied without him, outscoring the Bucks 16-11 the rest of the quarter to take a 79-64 lead to the fourth.
The Bucks led the entire first quarter as Antetokounmpo scored or assisted on 24 of Milwaukee&rsquo;s 26 first-quarter points.
He ended the period with 10 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists to help the Bucks grab a 26-20 lead.
Boston began to claw back in the second quarter, drawing a third foul on Bobby Portis at the 8:49 mark. TV cameras showed him tossing his goggles as he went to the bench area. He&rsquo;d been wearing the goggles since suffering a right eye abrasion in Game 2 of Milwaukee&rsquo;s first-round series against the Bulls.
With Portis on the bench, the Celtics took their first lead of the game on a dunk by Al Horford that punctuated a 12-2 run.
Boston led 45-43 in the final minute of the half when Tatum was called for an offensive foul on Grayson Allen &ndash; Tatum&rsquo;s third foul of the game.
Following an unsuccessful challenge by Celtics coach Ime Udoka, the teams exchanged misses. But after Smart&rsquo;s steal near midcourt, Antetokounmpo fouled Smart as he attempted a last-second, three-point heave. Smart connected on each of his three free throws to give Boston the 48-43 halftime lead.
Celtics center Robert Williams III was available to play after missing three-straight games with soreness and a bone bruise in his surgically repaired left knee, but he didn&rsquo;t play.
TIP-INS
Bucks: There was a pregame moment of silence held for the victims of mass shootings this past week in Milwaukee and Buffalo. &hellip; Khris Middleton missed his 10th straight playoff game with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. &hellip; Milwaukee missed their final 11 three-point attempts of the first half.
Celtics: Were 9-of-22 from the 3-point line in the first half. &hellip; Patriots team owner Robert Kraft sat courtside, along with Patriots quarterback Mac Jones and receiver Kendrick Bourne.

Led by huge output from underrated role players, the Boston Celtics eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks from the 2022 NBA Playoffs.

Grant Williams has 27, Celtics make 22 threes in Game 7 rout of Bucks

Everyone has seen the stat:&nbsp;The Memphis Grizzlies are 20-5 without Ja Morant.
It doesn't make sense... unless it does.&nbsp;
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Are we gonna have a discussion about the fact that many of these beatdowns have happened without Ja Morant? Is there a discussion to be had?
&mdash; Peter Edmiston (@peteredmiston) <a href="https://twitter.com/peteredmiston/status/1524591756901294086?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The discussion is not about whether the Grizzlies are better without Ja Morant. They aren't.
They are different, and different in ways that give Memphis rightful hope that it has a puncher's chance at winning this series against the Golden State Warriors.
The Grizzlies have outplayed the Warriors for the majority of the series. Golden State is up 3-2 due to its experience closing out games versus <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/can-the-grizzlies-overcome-their-youth-against-experienced-warriors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the youth of Memphis</a>. Game 4's ending is evidence that Memphis needs Morant, as the team could not create baskets down the stretch to stave off the Warriors' comeback.&nbsp;
So, without their superstar, how can the Grizzlies complete a 3-1 comeback? What's the formula?
Let's dig in.
DEFENSIVE INTENSITY AND FOCUS
The formula for Memphis in the regular season was defense leading to quick offense. The Grizzlies thrived on creating chaos and led the league in points off turnovers and fast-break points.&nbsp;
In Round 2, Memphis currently leads the NBA with 20.8 points off turnovers per contest. They are fourth in Defensive Rating (108.0), first in steals per game (10.6) and second in blocks per game (6.0). Another indicator of defensive intensity is a team's amount of deflections, a stat in which the Grizzlies lead the NBA with 16.0 per game in the second round as well.
In two games without Morant, Memphis has held the Warriors to an average of 98.0 points and forcing 19.0 turnovers per contest while amassing 32 total deflections during that span. Even more wild is the team's 94.7 DRTG without Morant in this series, holding the Warriors to a 49.1% Effective Field Goal percentage.&nbsp;
In the first two possessions of Game 5, the Grizzlies got exactly what they wanted from the Warriors &mdash; an Andrew Wiggins three and a Draymond Green three. Memphis is clearly forcing someone other than the Splash Brothers to try and beat them. In fact, the first five shots by the Warriors were by players not named Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson, and Curry did not take his first shot until there was 4:43 left in the first quarter.
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At this point in the game, Jordan Poole had been struggling with his shot. Since Kevon Looney isn't much of an offensive threat, Steven Adams plays drop coverage and allows De'Anthony Melton plenty of space to navigate the screen. Dillon Brooks face-guards Curry while Jaren Jackson Jr. is in help position due to the non-shooting threat of Green. Melton is a plus-defender off the bench. and his wingspan creats havoc for opponents, as Poole experienced on this possession.
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Memphis has made it quite clear that its game plan is to funnel the Warriors into the paint. When Green is playing on the perimeter, it allows Adams to cut off the backdoor plays, forcing Thompson into a baseline jumper rather than a layup while having the step on Tyus Jones.
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Jackson blitzes Curry on the screen, forcing Curry to get off the ball making a soft pass to a rolling Nemanja Bjelica. Jones gambles by leaving Thompson and gets the steal, but its the positioning of Desmond Bane and Adams that matters.
Again, Adams is 15 feet away from Green while Bane vacates Wiggins in the corner. Both are in help, and Memphis will either live with a Wiggins three or recover and rotate if the ball were kicked to Green on the perimeter.
In the two games without Morant, the Grizzlies have made life incredibly difficult for Curry, Thompson and Poole.
<ul>
<li>Curry: 14-of-35 (40.0%) and 6-of-22 from deep (31.8%)</li>
<li>Thompson: 13-of-32 (40.6%) and 3 of 3 from deep (23.1%)</li>
<li>Poole: 5-of-18 (27.8%) and 1 of 6 from deep (16.7%)</li>
</ul>
Meanwhile, Poole and Green have combined for 15 turnovers alone during the two games and 37 in the series. Green has more than doubled his total turnovers from the first round against the Denver Nuggets.
Memphis must continue creating chaos on defense and scoring off turnovers in order to have a chance without Morant.
JAREN JACKSON JR. 
Simply put, the Warriors do not roster a player who can guard Jaren Jackson Jr. when he is not settling for perimeter shots. It has been an interesting case study when it comes to the offense of JJJ with and without Morant.
The strength of Ja is getting downhill and attacking the rim; therefore, Jackson must not be occupying that space. JJJ floats around the perimeter for catch-and-shoot opportunities way too often when Morant is on the floor. So it makes sense that Jackson shoots 3.7% better when Morant is not playing, because he gets to the rim more often.&nbsp;
A contributing factor to the team's Game 4 loss was Memphis failing to get the ball to JJJ down the stretch, as he shot just four times in the final eight minutes. Jackson has to be the featured guy for this team to have any hope of advancing.&nbsp;
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Mismatch.
Just call it what it is for the Warriors attempting to guard him. Memphis obviously drew this up to look for Jackson early on a post-up on the young and undersized Jonathan Kuminga. A key to featuring a player is getting him looks early. Look for the Grizzlies to do much of the same in Game 6 (and potential Game 7).
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Thompson has certainly lost a step and is not the perimeter lockdown defender he once was; the 7-foot Jackson is able to get by Thompson on the perimeter, forcing a Klay foul to prevent an easy bucket. As long as JJJ does not resort to only going left when he is headed downhill, he can put immense pressure on the Warriors' defense.
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Memphis has run this action multiple times for both Jackson and Bane, and should continue to do so. When Jaren has it going from deep, it is a massive game-changer for the Grizzlies in any game. Memphis needs a repeat performance from Game 5 Jaren.
AUXILIARY OPTIONS
Bane has been dealing with a bulging disc in his back. The Warriors have obviously game-planned to render Brandon Clarke ineffective on the offensive glass. Melton is still a wild card, and Brooks has been a hot mess.
In order for the Grizzlies to survive and advance, Bane has to be lethal, Clarke needs to be active on the glass, Melton has to show up and Brooks needs to play within himself. In Game 5, those things happened for the most part.&nbsp;
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This should tell you that Bane is closer to 100%. In the previous meetings, he was mostly limited to spot-up shooting. His ability to put the ball on the floor and turn the corner is crucial for Memphis' offense.
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Clarke got loose in Game 5. After four games of focused boxing out on BC, the Warriors allowed him to make a massive impact on the offensive glass. Clarke was the biggest X-factor in the first round for Memphis, and will need the same level impact going forward.
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Melton can be very hit or miss offensively. If he hits his first shot, watch out, because he is about to go on a binge. If he misses the first few, his minutes get cut rather quickly. Melton is a player who thrives off chaos on the defensive end, constantly deflecting balls, blocking shots and racking up steals. His ability to defend off the bench is key for the Grizzlies.
Its a long shot, but the Memphis Grizzlies are capable of coming back from a 3-1 deficit &mdash; even without their superstar. Can the Grizzlies stay locked in and play exceptional basketball for two more games?
Obviously, many things have to go right &mdash; but they did in Game 5.
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Justin Lewis highlights what led to the Grizzlies' win in Game 5 over the Warriors and explains why Memphis can still take this series.

Despite missing Ja Morant, the Grizzlies can still defeat the Warriors

The NBA G League today announced the field of 44 draft prospects who will attend the 2022 NBA G League Elite Camp, which will take place May 16 and 17 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
The 2022 NBA G League Elite Camp gives draft prospects an opportunity to display their skills in front of NBA and NBA G League scouts, coaches and front-office executives over the course of the camp by playing in five-on-five games and participating in strength and agility drills.
Based on performance, select players from the NBA G League Elite Camp will be invited to participate in 2022 NBA Draft Combine, which will be held May 18-22 at Wintrust Arena.
&ldquo;We are thrilled to host this talented group of draft prospects at our NBA G League Elite Camp,&rdquo; said NBA G League head of basketball operations Malik Rose. &ldquo;This is an incredible opportunity for these 44 young men to showcase their basketball abilities in front of both NBA and NBA G League front office personnel.&rdquo;
NBA players who have participated in past NBA G League Elite Camps include New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado, Indiana Pacers forward Oshae Brissett, LA Clippers guard Terance Mann and Miami Heat guard Max Strus.
Here are this year's participants:
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td colspan="2" width="567">NBA Draft-Eligible Players (College/Club)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Abmas, Max (Oral Roberts)</td>
<td width="300">Lee, Hyunjung (Davidson)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Akinjo, James (Baylor)</td>
<td width="300">Lofton Jr., Kenneth (Louisiana Tech)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Aluma, Keve (Virginia Tech)</td>
<td width="300">Manek, Brady (North Carolina)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Bernard, Jules (UCLA)</td>
<td width="300">Martin, Tyrese (Connecticut)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Boeheim, Buddy (Syracuse)</td>
<td width="300">McCormack, David (Kansas)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Bouyea, Jamaree (San Francisco)</td>
<td width="300">McCullar, Kevin (Texas Tech)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Brooks, Eli (Michigan)</td>
<td width="300">McGusty, Kameron (Miami FL)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Brooks Jr., Keion (Kentucky)</td>
<td width="300">Nance, Pete (Northwestern)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Brown, Tevin (Murray State)</td>
<td width="300">Notae, J.D. (Arkansas)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Brown, Gabe (Michigan State)</td>
<td width="300">O&rsquo;Neal, Shareef (LSU)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Burton, Tyler (Richmond)</td>
<td width="300">Randolph, M.J. (Florida A&amp;M)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Days, Darius (LSU)</td>
<td width="300">Rhoden, Jared (Seton Hall)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Devoe, Michael (Georgia Tech)</td>
<td width="300">Samuels, Jermaine (Villanova)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Flanigan, Allen (Auburn)</td>
<td width="300">Sasser, Marcus (Houston)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Foster, Kyle (Howard)</td>
<td>Scheierman, Baylor (South Dakota State)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Freeman-Liberty, Javon (DePaul)</td>
<td>Travers, Luke (Perth Wildcats)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Grady, Kellan (Kentucky)</td>
<td>Turell, Ryan (Yeshiva University)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Green, A.J. (Northern Iowa)</td>
<td>White Jr., Fabian (Houston)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Gresham, Brison (Texas Southern)</td>
<td>Williams, Bryson (Texas Tech)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Gueye, Mouhamed (Washington State)</td>
<td>Williams Jr., Vince (VCU)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Hall, Jordan (St. Joseph&rsquo;s PA)</td>
<td>Wilson, Jalen (Kansas)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Jackson, Quenton (Texas A&amp;M)</td>
<td>Yat, Kok (Overtime Elite)</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

The NBA G League announced the field of 44 draft prospects who will attend the 2022 NBA G League Elite Camp in Chicago.

NBA announces field of 44 draft prospects for G League Elite Camp

CHICAGO (AP) &mdash; Grayson Allen set playoff career highs with 27 points and six 3-pointers, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 17 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls 119-95 on Sunday to take a 3-1 lead in their first-round series.
Jrue Holiday scored 26, and the Bucks made it look easy again after beating the Bulls by 30 and handing them the most lopsided home playoff loss in franchise history. The defending NBA champions led by 22 early in the third quarter and steadied themselves after a push by Chicago. They&rsquo;ll try to wrap up the series in Milwaukee on Wednesday.
Allen delivered another huge effort off the bench, surpassing his previous postseason scoring high of 22 points in Game 3. He made 10 of 12 shots and nailed 6 of 7 3s, with Chicago fans booing just about every time he touched the ball.
Antetokounmpo had seven assists.
Holiday made five 3s. Bobby Portis added 14 points and 10 rebounds in his second straight start with Khris Middleton sidelined because of a sprained left knee, and the Bucks beat the Bulls for the 19th time in 21 games.
Zach LaVine led Chicago with 24 points and 13 assists, DeMar DeRozan scored 23 and Patrick Williams finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Allen made 4 of 5 3-pointers and scored 16 as the Bucks grabbed a 56-41 halftime lead.
It was 54-39 with just over two minutes left after he and Holiday nailed back-to-back 3s. Chicago's Patrick Williams dunked, and Allen missed from up top after making his first four 3s. But he banked in a floater in the final minute to make it a 15-point game.
Portis nailed a 3 and Holiday buried a 30-footer, bumping it to 63-41 in the opening minute of the third. The lead was down to 68-60 midway through the quarter after a 17-3 run by Chicago.
But the Bucks answered by scoring 11 straight. Antetokounmpo had six of those points, including a dunk to make it 79-60, and fed Allen for a 3 after blocking LaVine during that stretch.
TIP-INS
Bucks: Portis and LaVine had to be separated in the closing minutes of the game after they got tangled and had a heated exchange near the Bulls' basketball. Portis wore goggles again to protect his right eye. Portis suffered an abrasion in Game 2 when he was hit by Chicago&rsquo;s Tristan Thompson as they went for a rebound. ... G George Hill (abdominal strain) missed his fifth game in a row. And coach Mike Budenholzer doesn't anticipate him returning on Wednesday. &ldquo;I don't think I'd put him in the day-to-day category,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I think he's gonna need a little more time. Hopefully, it's shorter rather than longer.&rdquo; ... G Luca Vildoza was unavailable because of a non-COVID illness. The 26-year-old Argentinean played eight minutes in Game 3 in his NBA debut, after signing with the Bucks on April 6.
Bulls: G Alex Caruso left the game with a facial injury. ... Chicago has lost six straight home playoff games since beating Cleveland in Game 3 of the 2015 Eastern Conference semifinals. Chicago dropped that series in six games. ... Assistant coach Maurice Cheeks was back after missing Game 3 with a non-COVID-19 illness.
UP NEXT
Game 5 is Wednesday at Milwaukee.

Grayson Allen scored a playoff career-high 27 points to help lead Milwaukee to a Game 4 win over the Chicago Bulls.

Allen scores 27, Bucks beat Bulls 119-95 to take 3-1 lead

Grayson Allen made five 3-pointers and scored 22 points and the Milwaukee Bucks dominated the Chicago Bulls 111-81 on Friday night to take a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series without the injured Khris Middleton.
Giannis Antetokounmpo added 18 points, Bobby Portis had 18 points and 16 rebounds and the defending champion Bucks made it look easy coming off two shaky performances at home.
Coming off two shaky performances at home, Milwaukee quieted a raucous crowd watching Chicago&rsquo;s first playoff game at the United Center in five years almost as soon as it started. The Bucks led by 24 in the second quarter and remained in control the rest of the way.
Middleton is expected to miss the rest of the series after spraining his left knee in Wednesday night in a loss. Game 4 is Sunday in Chicago.
Antetokounmpo scored all but two of his points after the first quarter. The two-time MVP finished with nine assists and seven rebounds.
Jrue Holiday added 16 points to help the Bucks beat the Bulls for the 18th time in 20 games.
Nikola Vucevic led Chicago with 19 points. Zach LaVine had 15 and DeMar DeRozan finished with just 11 after setting a career playoff high with 41 in Game 2.
The Bucks had it going right from the start, racing out to a 60-41 halftime lead even with Middleton sidelined.
Allen helped squash the &ldquo;Let's go Bulls!&rdquo; chants, nailing four 3s and scoring 14 in the half. That had to make it even tougher for fans still upset about his hard foul that resulted in a broken wrist for Alex Caruso during a game in Milwaukee in January. They showered him with boos but couldn't throw him off his game.
Antetokounmpo started a 13-0 run early in the second quarter with a 19-footer and dunk. And Allen finished it with a driving layup that bumped the lead to 46-22.
TIP-INS
Bucks: Portis wore goggles after missing most of Game 2 with a right eye abrasion. He took a hit to the face from Chicago&rsquo;s Tristan Thompson late in the first quarter Wednesday as both players were going after a rebound. ... G George Hill (abdominal strain) missed his fourth game in a row. And coach Mike Budenholzer said he doesn't appear close to returning. ... Milwaukee has won 12 of 13 at the United Center dating to the 2016-17 season
Bulls: The Bulls have not won a home playoff game since beating Cleveland in Game 3 of the 2015 Eastern Conference semifinals. Chicago lost that series in six games. ... Assistant coaches Chris Fleming and Damian Cotter were back with the team after missing the first two games because of COVID-19. Assistant Maurice Cheeks, however, was out because of a non-COVID illness, coach Billy Donovan said.

Grayson Allen's 5 three-pointers led the charge for Milwaukee in a redemptive Game 3 win over the Chicago Bulls.

Bucks rout Bulls 111-81, take 2-1 lead without Khris Middleton

Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton is expected to miss at least two weeks after injuring his left knee Wednesday night in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series with the Chicago Bulls.
The Bucks announced Thursday night that the three-time All-Star had undergone an MRI earlier that day and that they would offer their next status update on him in &ldquo;approximately two weeks.&rdquo;
That likely knocks him out at least for the rest of the Bucks-Bulls series., which is tied 1-1. If the series goes the full seven games, it would end May 1.
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said after he Bucks' <a href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-khris-middleton-bb42c1a45384807389930d633e8217b5">114-110 loss </a> Wednesday that Middleton had a sprained medial collateral ligament. The MRI confirmed that diagnosis.
As the defending champion Bucks spoke after Wednesday's game, they braced for the possibility they could be missing Middleton for a significant time.
&ldquo;You feel for him,&rdquo; Bucks guard Wesley Matthews said. &ldquo;Khris is a huge part of this team, this organization, this city.&rdquo;
Middleton headed into the locker room with 6:49 left in Wednesday's game. His left leg gave out while he tried to plant on a spin move.
The Bucks did get some good news Thursday.
Their injury report for Game 3 doesn&rsquo;t include forward <a href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-5e8b4a65c986d0011732c8674885ee97">Bobby Portis, </a> an indication he should be available to play after missing most of Game 2 with a right eye abrasion. Portis took a hit to the face from Chicago&rsquo;s Tristan Thompson late in the first quarter as both players were going after a rebound.
Milwaukee won&rsquo;t have reserve guard <a href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-george-hill-2ef0b248777b226a9c413a43af717f5a"> George Hill,</a> who still hasn&rsquo;t played in this series due to an abdominal strain.
The Bucks have been through this situation before, dealing with a knee injury to one of their top players during the playoffs. Two-time MVP <a href="https://apnews.com/article/wi-state-wire-basketball-atlanta-hawks-milwaukee-bucks-nba-2cee2412a54d5b0d72890e5716c3e391">Giannis Antetokounmpo hyperextended his left knee</a> in Game 4 of last season&rsquo;s Eastern Conference finals with the Atlanta Hawks.
Antetokounmpo missed the final two games of that series but returned for the next round and was named the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-nba-basketball-milwaukee-bucks-atlanta-hawks-477d3e4a0a7cf768cf2ab47ce24a5aa7">MVP </a> of the Bucks&rsquo; <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-nba-milwaukee-bucks-phoenix-suns-64e76fe1b9f0851dbcf46ad66d90d6de"> NBA Finals victory</a> over the Phoenix Suns.
As he discussed Middleton&rsquo;s injury Wednesday, Antetokounmpo said he could understand what his teammate is going through.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;I know that feeling. You don&rsquo;t want to listen to nobody. You don&rsquo;t want to talk to nobody because you really don&rsquo;t know what it is. Tomorrow you&rsquo;re expecting the worst, hope for the best. At the end of the day, he knows that we are by his side. I don&rsquo;t need to say it to the media. He knows that he&rsquo;s my brother no matter what. We need him to win. We&rsquo;re going to pray, I&rsquo;m going to pray for the best and hopefully it&rsquo;s not too bad and he can join us, because we need him.&rdquo;

Bucks forward Khris Middleton is expected to miss at least two weeks after injuring his left knee Wednesday night in Game 2.

Bucks' Middleton out at least 2 weeks with knee injury

The road back to the NBA Finals has become bumpy for the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks.
Devin Booker strained his right hamstring Tuesday in Phoenix and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-chicago-bulls-nba-sports-mike-budenholzer-598c4ea01c12a5c205da9a5dce63dfa2">Khris Middleton sprained his left knee a night later in Milwaukee</a>, leaving both teams without one of their All-Stars.
That wasn't all they lost. Both teams went on to fall in those Game 2s and find themselves tied as their series switch sites Friday night.
The Suns will be at New Orleans, while the Bucks make the short trip to Chicago.
Miami takes a 2-0 lead into Atlanta in the other game on the schedule Friday.
Milwaukee had to overcome the loss of Giannis Antetokounmpo to a knee injury last season during the Eastern Conference finals, winning the final two games against Atlanta in part because of how well Middleton played.
Now the Bucks will have to find a way without Middleton, who underwent testing Thursday that confirmed the diagnosis of a sprained left MCL. The Bucks said he would be treated daily and his status would be updated in approximately two weeks, which means he will miss at least the rest of the first round.
&ldquo;Obviously, it&rsquo;s a challenge. We kind of know the deal now," Antetokounmpo said. "We&rsquo;ve got to go and get one on the road. It&rsquo;s going to be hard. Nobody says it&rsquo;s going to be easy. But we know what the deal is. Khris is down. But we have a great team, talented team, tough team. Hopefully we can go out here and compete to the highest of our ability.
"Do we thrive in adversity? We&rsquo;ll see. We cannot predict the future but hopefully we can be ready to compete in Game 3.&rdquo;
Middleton and teammate Jrue Holiday flew with Booker to Tokyo last summer for the Olympics, just after the Bucks erased a 2-0 deficit in the NBA Finals to deny Phoenix its first NBA championship.
The Suns returned this season and soared through the best regular season in franchise history, rolling to an NBA-best 64-18 record. But they got just one win to open the postseason before Booker was hurt after scoring 31 points in the first half of Game 2.
Then the Pelicans, who had to win two play-in games just to make the postseason, rallied for a 125-114 victory behind 37 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for Brandon Ingram.
The Suns played through Booker's absence because of hamstring trouble earlier in the season and a stretch without Chris Paul after the All-Star break because of a hand injury, so they also have experience having to get by without a star.
&ldquo;We're going to need everybody throughout this deep playoff run that we hope that we have,&rdquo; Paul said. &ldquo;So it's been a season like that for us. Next man up. Guys stay ready.&rdquo;
Friday&rsquo;s games:
HEAT AT HAWKS
Miami leads 2-0. Game 3, 7 p.m. EDT, ESPN
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: Trae Young matched a career worst by shooting 1 for 12 in Game 1, then established a career high &mdash; of the wrong kind &mdash; by committing 10 turnovers in Game 2. Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler has been at his best for Miami and is coming off a playoff career-best 45 points in Game 2.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. Miami is up 2-0 in the series without Adebayo and Herro doing much yet in the scoring columns. If the Heat get them going, Atlanta is in even more trouble.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: Clint Capela (knee) is definitely out for Game 3 and seems unlikely to play in this series, no matter how long it lasts. His absence has been huge in the first two games of the series. John Collins (finger) has filled in and performed admirably, considering he can&rsquo;t bend one of his fingers and the injury is so painful that he&rsquo;s been noticeably wincing several times so far in the series. But without Capela and with Collins far from 100%, the Hawks aren&rsquo;t themselves. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t really have as much touch as I would like with my finger,&rdquo; Collins said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m doing the best I can.&rdquo;
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Young has to step up his game for the Hawks to have any chance against the top-seeded Heat. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got to be better,&rdquo; said Young, who became only the second player in NBA history after Nate Archibald to lead the league in total points and assists. Young considers this a personal duel against Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, who has thrown out all sorts of defensive wrinkles to slow the Atlanta star. &ldquo;Spoelstra is a top 15 coach of all time for a reason,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not going to let me just outscore &rsquo;em. He&rsquo;s going to make it tough. It&rsquo;s my job to try to out-think him in certain ways.&rdquo;
BUCKS AT BULLS
Series tied 1-1. Game 3, 8:30 p.m. EDT, ABC
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: Chicago's 114-110 victory in Game 2 was just its second win in the last 19 meetings with the Bucks. Milwaukee's defense has to regain control of DeMar DeRozan, who scored 41 points, and Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine, who both had at least 20. All three shot terribly in Game 1.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Bulls guard Alex Caruso. He missed nearly two months of the regular season after breaking his right wrist on a flagrant foul from Bucks guard Grayson Allen that resulted in an ejection and one-game suspension. In the first two games of this series, Caruso has revealed just what the Bulls were missing while he was away. Caruso&rsquo;s defensive tenacity has bothered the Bucks, who have 36 turnovers in this series. Caruso had nine points and a season-high 10 assists in Game 2. The Bulls outscored the Bucks by 16 points in the 38 minutes when he was on the floor.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: Bucks forward Bobby Portis left Game 2 with a right eye abrasion after taking a hit to the face from Chicago&rsquo;s Tristan Thompson while both players were competing for a rebound late in the first quarter. Bucks reserve guard George Hill has missed the first two games of the series with an abdominal strain and isn&rsquo;t expected to return anytime soon.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Holiday: Middleton's absence puts more responsibility on Antetokounmpo and Holiday to carry the load. Antetokounmpo has been as stellar as usual thus far with 30 points, 17 rebounds and 6 assists per game, but the Bucks need Holiday to take better care of the ball. Holiday has totaled 12 assists and 10 turnovers through the first two games.
SUNS AT PELICANS
Series tied 1-1. Game 3, 9:30 p.m. EDT, ESPN
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: Losing Booker might be a problem but losing home-court advantage shouldn't for the Suns. They were an NBA-best 32-9 on the road &mdash; just four fewer wins than the Pelicans had total.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: The Suns' transition defense. Phoenix coach Monty Williams said it was about as bad as it's looked under him in Game 2, when the Suns had 16 fast-break points while shooting nearly 55% from the field
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: Pelicans coach Willie Green said Ingram was fine Thursday at practice after rolling his ankle in Game 2.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Mikal Bridges. Without Booker, the Suns are going to need more offense and will hope the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up is one of the players who can provide it, while also expecting him to lead a stronger defensive effort against Ingram.
___
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami and AP Sports Writers Paul Newberry in Atlanta and Steve Megargee in Milwaukee contributed to this report.

Devin Booker strained his right hamstring Tuesday in Phoenix and Khris Middleton sprained his left knee a night later in Milwaukee.

Injuries make road back to NBA Finals bumpy for Suns, Bucks

Alex Caruso was <a href="https://youtu.be/H7E8OXQI4Ak" target="_blank" rel="noopener">so good as a defender at Texas A&amp;M</a> that he made it to the NBA despite never averaging 10 points per game... as a college guard!
In this day and age, where it&rsquo;s commonplace for Caruso&rsquo;s positional peers to be 20-point-per-game threats on a nightly basis, the 6-foot-5 Aggies alum found the NBA pipeline the long and unsexy way.
We &mdash; the societal we &mdash; haven&rsquo;t figured out how to measure defense through analytics in a way that unquestionably captures one&rsquo;s effectiveness, especially regarding guards. We&rsquo;re in a better place today than when Caruso was in college, but we still struggle to do so. This is why watching basketball is essential. (And sure, the eyes can sometimes lie depending on the beholder too.)
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But when he balled at A&amp;M between 2012 and 2016 as a four-year starter, he was never a go-to offensive option. Caruso was a two-time All-SEC defender and an astute floor general with a suspect hairline (it's coming for us all, man), coach-like leadership and the classic &ldquo;sneaky athleticism&rdquo; tag we bestow on our tall, white homies
Caruso averaged 8.0 points, 4.7 assists, and 2.0 steals during his time at College Station, sporting .455/.340/.685 shooting splits and a Defensive Rating of 93.4 with 8.6 Defensive Win Shares and a 6.1 Defensive Box Plus-Minus.
Offensively, as a senior, Caruso was the fourth option on a Sweet-16-bound Aggies team (once ranked No. 5 in the country), behind future NBA talents like Danuel House Jr., Jalen Jones and Tyler Davis.
(And yet, he helped engineer one of the nuttiest March Madness comebacks you&rsquo;ll ever see.)
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Caruso went undrafted and was one of the 64 college seniors to participate in the 2016 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, which also hosted Bryn Forbes, Dorian Finney-Smith and Abdel Nader among others. An entire season passed before Caruso could make his NBA debut in the 2017-18 campaign, and it wasn&rsquo;t until 2019-20 that he established himself as an NBA rotation guy for a full run.
Caruso played 106 G League games between 2016 and 2019, which included All-G-League Second Team and All-G-League Defensive honors.
So, in the Chicago Bulls' 114-110 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 2, it served as no surprise that Caruso was instrumental in a much-needed victory. The win evened the series at one game apiece, taking advantage of a night where Khris Middleton sprained his MCL and Bobby Portis left with an eye abrasion (hold your jokes). Even still, the Bucks fought back despite being down double-figures for the bulk of the second half, and, without Caruso, this would be a 2-0 series in favor of Milwaukee.
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The Bulls led 87-80 heading into the fourth, and if you pull up a box score, you&rsquo;ll see that Caruso finished shooting 1 of 3 (all threes) with 2 assists and 2 rebounds in over 10 minutes of play in the final period.
If you look at his 38-minute stat line for the night, Caruso had 9 points, 10 assists, 2 steals, 2 boards and 2 blocks, while shooting 3 of 7 from deep (3 of 8 overall). His plus-minus? A game-high plus-16. Like all other metrics, it's an imperfect measurement, but in this instance, it made total sense if you watched.
The dude isn&rsquo;t an All-Star, isn&rsquo;t flashy and doesn&rsquo;t produce gaudy numbers &mdash; which causes people to easily overlook certain players in this age of highlights, fantasy, gambling and "hoooooperzzz!" &mdash; but Caruso is a straight dawg who makes winning plays.
Let&rsquo;s focus on some.
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0:24 &mdash; It's a two-man defense with Patrick Williams against Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo orchestrating a screen-and-roll. Caruso pests Middleton until sending him over for the switch and cuts off the errant pass despite being knocked off balance due to the screen. It&rsquo;s a break and easy two the other way. This is like when, in football, you &mdash; a defensive back &mdash; lose sight of the ball on a go-route and just throw your hands up, so the receiver needs to work extra hard to secure the catch. It doesn&rsquo;t always work, but for Caruso, this time, it did. Activity, activity, activity.
1:17 &mdash; Caruso is matched up with Jrue Holiday at around 16 feet out, near the right wing. Holiday tries to face up, and as he does, he&rsquo;s attempting to read the floor and eye the rim while contemplating his move. Caruso&rsquo;s in the dude&rsquo;s grill the whole time and shoves his right palm as close to Holiday&rsquo;s face as possible without drawing contact, but keeps his left hand active and swipes once Holiday allows an opening for the ball to be stolen. Caruso never stopped being attentive, and wasn&rsquo;t even trying to steal the ball the entire time; he just capitalized on an opening as a smart perimeter defender would.
1:59 &mdash; You just love this. Caruso takes the challenge of a taller, bigger Middleton, who tries to impose his will on an attack. Caruso gets backed down, but &mdash; and this is the key &mdash; is not watching the ball. (I could totally rant right now about how too many players are watching the ball or their opponents eyes on defense, and how it's is an easy way to constantly lose someone due to being easily susceptable to fakes. But I won&rsquo;t get into why keeping your eyes on someone&rsquo;s chest/waste is better. Not today!) Anyway, Caruso perfectly times Middleton&rsquo;s spin and cleanly strips the ball loose. Some coaches might say you&rsquo;re better off swiping up than down to lessen your chances of fouling, but it worked here. He even finished the play once Middleton recovered and forced the pass.
2:31 &mdash; Look at this help block on Brook Lopez. Need I say more?
3:04 &mdash; And finally, we have the game-sealing play. The Bulls are up 114-109 with 10 seconds left, and the Bucks are desperate. Caruso tries to better position himself to outrebound Giannis, but doesn&rsquo;t &mdash; understandably. Still, as Giannis grabs the offensive board, Caruso holds the matchup and immediately tries smothering him. Giannis makes the mistake of pushing his arms/elbows forward, and Caruso drops down to smartly draw the charge, knowing he wouldn&rsquo;t get the block and would risk fouling if he went for the steal. Game over.
Here&rsquo;s a Caruso double-team, for good measure, courtesy of <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-dunker-spot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Dunker Spot's Steve Jones Jr.</a>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-theme="dark">
Caruso causing havoc, great timing on the double here. The shift to throwing bodies at not just Giannis but Jrue/Middleton is key. Bucks can&rsquo;t find a rhythm in 1/2 court. <a href="https://t.co/585MRAXZe6">pic.twitter.com/585MRAXZe6</a>
&mdash; Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) <a href="https://twitter.com/stevejones20/status/1517158473368276992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2022</a></blockquote>

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There&rsquo;s a reason why Los Angeles Laker fans probably miss Caruso horribly right now. Watching him help lead the Bulls in a road win over the defending champs, while their team presumably is doing the same, can't be easy.
You need winning plays in winning time, and Alex Caruso gives you those.
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Bryan Fonseca examines Alex Caruso's huge contribution to the Bulls' Game 2 win in Milwaukee and why it shouldn't surprise us.

Winning plays in winning time: This is who Alex Caruso has always been

DeMar DeRozan scored a career playoff-high 41 points and the Chicago Bulls outlasted the Milwaukee Bucks 114-110 on Wednesday night in Game 2 to tie their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Nikola Vucevic added 24 points and 13 rebounds, while Zach LaVine had 20 points as the Bulls beat the Bucks for just the second time in their last 19 meetings. The series now heads to Chicago for Game 3 on Friday.
The question facing the defending champion Bucks is whether they&rsquo;ll be close to full strength when the series resumes. Bobby Portis left Wednesday&rsquo;s game with a right eye abrasion after the first quarter and Khris Middleton exited with a sore left knee after slipping midway through the fourth quarter.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 33 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists, putting him one assist from his second career playoff triple-double. Antetokounmpo increased his career postseason point total to 1,715 to overtake Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,692) for the most in Bucks history.
Brook Lopez had 25 points for the Bucks. Middleton scored 18 and Jrue Holiday 15.
DeRozan scored eight points during a 13-0 run that began late in the third quarter and gave the Bulls a 96-80 lead with 9:47 remaining. The Bulls still led by 15 before Milwaukee rallied in the final 7 &frac12; minutes.
Lopez converted a three-point play to cut Chicago&rsquo;s lead to 112-109 with 56 seconds left. But after Alex Caruso and Vucevic got offensive rebounds on the Bulls&rsquo; ensuing possession, DeRozan&rsquo;s driving layup made it 114-109 with 18.2 seconds remaining.
After facing an early 16-point deficit in Game 1, the Bulls started much faster this time.
The Bucks committed three turnovers in the game&rsquo;s first 49 seconds and four in the first two minutes as the Bulls built an early 9-0 lead. The Bulls were ahead 29-28 at the end of a first quarter that featured six lead changes.
Chicago maintained a narrow lead before closing the second quarter on a 15-4 run to extend the margin to 65-49.
The Bulls extended the lead to 18 early in the third quarter, before the Bucks rallied with a small lineup featuring Antetokounmpo, Middleton and reserve guards Grayson Allen, Pat Connaughton and Jevon Carter.
Antetokounmpo led the way as the Bucks went on a 15-2 run to cut the Bulls&rsquo; lead to three late in the third period. But the Bulls responded with 13 straight points and stayed in front the reset of the way.
TIP-INS
Bulls: After shooting a season-low 32.3% and going 7 of 37 from 3-point range in a 93-86 Game 1 loss, the Bulls shot 49.4% and went 12 of 25 from beyond the arc Wednesday. DeRozan, LaVine and Vucevic shot a combined 21 of 71 overall and 4 of 22 from 3-point range in Game 1. They were a combined 33 of 62 overall and 7 of 14 on 3-point attempts in Game 2. ... Caruso had 10 assists to go along with nine points. ... Patrick Williams had 10 points and nine rebounds.
Bucks: George Hill missed a third straight game with an abdominal strain. Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said before Game 2 that Hill isn&rsquo;t expected back I the short term and that the team will monitor how the 35-year-old Hill guard progresses over the next &ldquo;handful of days or more,&rdquo; ... The Bucks had 15 turnovers to increase their season total to 36.

DeMar DeRozan's 41 points fueled the Chicago Bulls to a win in Game 2 of its series against the Milwaukee Bucks.

DeRozan scores 41 points as Bulls beat Bucks 114-110 to tie series

Before the 5-minute mark of Game 1&rsquo;s first quarter between the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, Kevin Durant committed 3 turnovers. In last year&rsquo;s first-round series, he averaged 2.8 giveaways, and Brooklyn cruised to a 4-1 series victory over Boston&rsquo;s shorthanded squad.&nbsp;
But these teams are in starkly different spots this season. The Celtics are much better prepared to counter the Nets&rsquo; explosive ethos. They finished atop the league in Defensive Rating, and were a supremely dominant club from late January onward. Durant&rsquo;s trio of early turnovers helped emphasize the radical changes for each side and why the ensuing 43 minutes Sunday were similarly frustrating for him.&nbsp;
By the game&rsquo;s end, the superstar forward logged 23 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 6 turnovers. Boston contained him to a 9 of 24 night from the field and a paltry 43.9% True Shooting. A dash of variance was at play, yet the Celtics also executed a brilliant game plan against him. More 9 of 24 outings should not be expected, but the 33-7-7-2-1 line on 69% TS that KD rolled to in last year&rsquo;s seamless series win should not be expected either.
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What immediately stood out in the Celtics&rsquo; approach was their masterful scout work. They clearly studied Durant&rsquo;s tendencies and imparted them on their defensive personnel, who promptly and impressively adhered to the strategy.
One of the hallmarks in slowing Durant was Boston&rsquo;s timely help. It knew when to ambush him without allowing him to scan the floor and deliver eagle-eyed reads for lucrative shots.&nbsp;
Durant&rsquo;s first turnover summarized that gambit. Jayson Tatum blitzed him a half-second later than an immediate trap might arrive, and stunted at his handle just as Durant brought it back to his left hand (the one closest to Tatum). Boston traditionally switches ball-screens, so it&rsquo;s clear Durant wasn&rsquo;t expecting a trap, and Tatum&rsquo;s imposing frame flustered him into the gaffe.
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Varying the coverage on Durant sat central to the Celtics&rsquo; philosophy. When a screen came his way, they toggled among switching, trapping and dropping against him. Switching remained the dominant tactic, but they mixed it up.&nbsp;
Similarly, <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/201142/head-to-head?Matchup=Offense&amp;SeasonType=Playoffs&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=PARTIAL_POSS" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the primary defender on Durant oscillated</a>. Tatum assumed the grandest portion of the pie, while Grant Williams, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Al Horford all garnered notable time versus the silky scorer.
Superstars love to discern the inclinations of a certain defender or scheme and proceed accordingly. Boston&rsquo;s carousel of schemes and defenders ensured Durant never found comfortable footing. He consistently had to adapt to different looks from a slew of shrewd, effective blueprints.
For instance, Durant excels at passing out of double teams, and Boston clearly monitored that trend. So, the team generally deviated away from hard, obvious doubles and avoided providing him with easy outlets.
Rather, the Celtics committed to late stunts, digs and rotations that occurred once any sort of passing read was much more complicated for him than it would be if a standard double was sent. His shot-making prowess renders a lot of these choices still worthwhile, but there were some missed windows as a result of Boston&rsquo;s scheme &mdash; one predicated on helping once Durant had already determined his decision.
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In the clips above, note where Durant could conceivably pass before the help comes. There aren&rsquo;t many suitable options, especially in conjunction with what Durant could create individually &mdash; at least prior to a second defender entering his airspace. Pristine off-ball positioning amplified the on-ball defense&rsquo;s potency.
The hasty timing extended to Boston&rsquo;s constant disruption of Durant's rhythm. Although his release point is higher than virtually anyone can reach, KD's gather phase is quite slow and elongated, going from near his knees to above his head. If executed properly, there is ample time on that path to intrude.&nbsp;
The Celtics exploited it. Tatum, Smart, Williams and Horford all tout particularly dexterous hands as defensive playmakers. Brown&rsquo;s help on a few possessions bothered Durant as well.&nbsp;
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Horford and Tatum&rsquo;s marriage of size and mobility were particularly valuable against Durant. They crowded his handle, burrowed into his body and limited his chances to cleanly transition into jumpers. Durant's handle is quite good for a 7-footer, but it's still susceptible to being exposed when defenders can get underneath him. Both Horford and Tatum accomplished that periodically.
Durant found some air space when Brooklyn shifted to high ball-screens for him. If one of Tatum or Horford &mdash; each of whom at least approximate his size and mobility (approximate is very loose) &mdash; is the primary assignment in Game 2, there will probably be more of those possessions. Of course, Boston&rsquo;s switch-heavy defense might neutralize those screens, but Tatum and Horford aren&rsquo;t slithering around picks in the manner Smart does.
If Durant can attack with more space &mdash; which high ball-screens should allow for &mdash; better results may follow. Though gaudy three-point volume isn't his usual calling card, he&rsquo;s proven amenable, and leaning into greater pull-up volume could alleviate some of those sticky possessions.&nbsp;
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One of the ripple effects of Boston's physicality with Durant was that it repeatedly sent the Nets to the line. Brooklyn's Game 1 free-throw rate was .308, up from .246 during the regular season. Four of the Celtics&rsquo; five starters amassed 4 fouls. Horford and Williams each had 3.
Durant will also likely just make more shots. Boston influenced a number of his misses, but some of his greatness rests in his impervious nature against contests. That trait will help him get back on track.&nbsp;
If KD's shot diet remains similar with more preferable outcomes, the Celtics will accept it. Durant will too though. The <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/how-to-slow-down-kevin-durant-let-the-reaper-reap" target="_blank" rel="noopener">challenge of slowing him</a> is he&rsquo;ll bury you with a bunch of shots that you&rsquo;ll seemingly live with until you&rsquo;re 10 feet underground and totally oblivious.
Yet, Boston flummoxed him in ways scarcely witnessed over the past half-decade. The normal composure associated with his dead-eye jumper and offensive prowess hardly seemed prevalent in Game 1.
He should right the ship, but Sunday&rsquo;s numbers were not headlined by randomness. The Celtics studied Kevin Durant's game, manipulated his dispositions to their benefit and guarded him beautifully &mdash; much like they&rsquo;ve done all season as the NBA&rsquo;s premier defense.
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Jackson Frank breaks down Boston's brilliant defensive strategy to fend off Kevin Durant and defeat Brooklyn in Game 1.

The Celtics' defense on Kevin Durant showcased greatness in Game 1

This year&rsquo;s MVP race has been a rollercoaster ride all season long. It started with lofty preseason expectations for Luka Doncic, and then an early Stephen Curry takeover was eventually derailed due to the Warriors&rsquo; countless injuries. More recently, we&rsquo;ve seen a historic battle ensue between three of the most special international players in modern NBA history: Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Any one of them could be named this year's NBA Most Valuable Player.
When examining the numbers for Jokic, Embiid and Antetokounmpo in their back-and-forth race over the last month, it&rsquo;s absurd how dominant they truly have been:
Jokic: 32.2 points, 13.6 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.3 blocks; 68.8 TS%, 33.2 USG%
Embiid: 33.4 points, 12.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.6 blocks; 61.4 TS%, 38.5 USG%
Antetokounmpo: 31.7 points, 11.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.3 blocks; 65.2 TS%, 33.9 USG%
Thanks to these three titans, this year's MVP race has been among the most enjoyable in years. Many years, the MVP is all wrapped this late in the spring, but the 2021-2022 season saw truly nip-and-tuck moments occur that helped bend the direction of who could capture the crown. Even this late in the process, there was national surge toward Devin Booker, who certainly deserves his flowers. However, these three generational big men have been incredible on a nightly basis. One of them will almost certainly win the award, and if justice is served, that person will be Nikola Jokic.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Nikola Jokic score 38 points, 18 rebounds highlights vs. La Lakers! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAAPRIL032022?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAAPRIL032022</a>. <a href="https://t.co/gV9U41DAKr">pic.twitter.com/gV9U41DAKr</a>
&mdash; NBA BASKETBALL (@DejoseMark) <a href="https://twitter.com/DejoseMark/status/1510854793459286017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Another virtuoso performance by Jokic on Thursday night &mdash; 35 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists on 16-of-24 FGA &mdash; officially pushed me to 100% confidence that he should be chosen for the accolade. What Jokic has done all season, carrying a short-handed Nuggets team without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., is nothing short of incredible. With even more defensive focus thrown onto Jokic&rsquo;s plate, he&rsquo;s continued to excel and stuff the stat sheet with authority. Even within the wild, resurgent Western Conference, Jokic is keeping Denver above water all by himself.
Incredibly enough, Jokic is putting up even better traditional and advanced metrics than he was last season's MVP campaign, when he had more help around him. A head-to-head comparison of Jokic&rsquo;s last two seasons speaks volumes to the true caliber of player we are witnessing in Denver.
2020-21 Jokic: 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists; 64.7 TS%, 8.8 VORP, 29.6 USG%
2021-22 Jokic: 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, 7.9 assists; 66.1 TS%, 9.8 VORP, 31.9 USG%
What Jokic is accomplishing is pure sorcery, continuing his surge to being the curveball star within the Association. Jokic's archetype is rare: A non-explosive, slower-paced big man who is a special passer that can run an offense around him,. As a former second-round pick, Jokic singlehandedly changed the Nuggets&rsquo; long-term trajectory overnight. Now, he&rsquo;s on the verge of becoming a back-to-back MVP.
In the process of doing whatever he wanted on the court Thursday against the Memphis Grizzlies, even after Jaren Jackson Jr.&rsquo;s elbow caused a deep head cut, Jokic showcased exactly how valuable he is. Whenever Jokic went out of the game, Denver folded, nearly blowing two double-digit leads in short order. The Nuggets are not at a level right now to survive without Jokic, especially since the other two-thirds of their offensive production are on the sidelines indefinitely.
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Becoming the first player in NBA history to amass at least 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a season, Jokic&rsquo;s all-around brilliance simply can&rsquo;t be denied anymore. A generational talent who is one of the most special offensive weapons in the NBA, Jokic instantly takes average ceilings to elite.
Many have tried to drum up narratives away from Jokic, but honestly, he was the right one to push all along. As the most valuable player, Jokic proves on a nightly basis how the entire operation sinks or swims based on his performance. More often than not, it leads to jaw-dropping production and a Nuggets victory.
Nine players in the NBA carry at least a +60% True Shooting percentage on a +25% usage rate. Here&rsquo;s how they rank from highest TS% to lowest:
<ol>
<li>Nikola Jokic: 66.1 TS%</li>
<li>Karl-Anthony Towns: 64.0 TS%</li>
<li>Kevin Durant: 63.5 TS%</li>
<li>Giannis Antetokounmpo: 63.2 TS%</li>
<li>LeBron James: 61.9 TS%</li>
<li>Joel Embiid: 61.2 TS%</li>
<li>Zach LaVine: 60.4 TS%</li>
<li>Trae Young + Stephen Curry: 60.1 TS%</li>
</ol>
Whether it be on-court value or diving into the advanced metrics, there are few, if any, flaws to the argument for voting Jokic as the 2021-22 NBA MVP. If anything, this year&rsquo;s production has vaulted Jokic into all-time historic territory.
Jokic might not be the flashiest superstar, but don&rsquo;t take his greatness for granted. There's a good chance that his greatness is about to be rewarded with an MVP trophy for the second year in a row.
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In a historically-close MVP race, here's why Nikola Jokic deserves to win the award once again.

Why Nikola Jokic deserves back-to-back MVPs

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame today announced the 13 honorees in the Class of 2022 to be celebrated September 9-10 during this year&rsquo;s Enshrinement festivities in Springfield, Massachusetts. The announcement was made in New Orleans, Louisiana, the site of the 2022 NCAA Men&rsquo;s Final Four and was televised live on ESPN2.&nbsp;
This year&rsquo;s class includes two-time NBA All-Star and four-time NBA champion&nbsp;Manu Ginobili,&nbsp;five-time NBA All-Star&nbsp;Tim Hardaway,&nbsp;two-time NCAA National Coach of the Year&nbsp;Bob Huggins,&nbsp;the NBA&rsquo;s sixth-winningest coach of all-time&nbsp;George Karl&nbsp;and longtime NBA referee&nbsp;Hugh Evans.&nbsp;On the women&rsquo;s side, the Hall of Fame is proud to welcome five-time WNBA All-Star, three-time WNBA Champion, and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist&nbsp;Lindsay Whalen,&nbsp;four-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist&nbsp;Swin Cash&nbsp;and NCAA national champion and WNBA Coach of the Year&nbsp;Marianne Stanley.
Distinguished committees focused on preserving all areas from the game also selected five directly elected enshrines. They include&nbsp;Lou Hudson&nbsp;from the Veterans Committee,&nbsp;Larry Costello&nbsp;and&nbsp;Del Harris&nbsp;from the Contributor Committee,&nbsp;Theresa Shank-Grentz&nbsp;from the Women&rsquo;s Veterans Committee and&nbsp;Radivoj Korac&nbsp;from the International Committee.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&ldquo;Year after year, we are constantly reminded of the extraordinary and transcendent efforts of the remarkable men and women who have impacted the game of basketball from a global perspective,&rdquo; said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. &ldquo;The Class of 2022 is ripe with individuals who have had a significant historical impact on the game we love. We congratulate and thank them for everything they&rsquo;ve done to better the sport and look forward to honoring them during Enshrinement this fall.&rdquo;
To be elected, North American and Women&rsquo;s Committee finalists must receive 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee for election into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Direct elect committees are incorporated into the election process to maintain a strong focus on keeping history on the forefront of the voting procedures and to preserve a balance between two eras of basketball.
The Class of 2022 will be enshrined during festivities in Springfield, Mass., the Birthplace of Basketball, on September 9-10, 2022. Here's some more information about each of the inductees:
HUGH EVANS&nbsp;[Referee] &ndash; Evans served as an NBA Official for 28 consecutive years (1973-2001), tallying over 1,900 regular season games, 170 playoff games, 35 NBA Finals games and four NBA All-Star Games. Following his on-court officiating career, Evans worked as the NBA Assistant Supervisor of Officials (2001-03). He is a recipient of the Each One Teach One Community Service Award and is enshrined in the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame as well as the North Carolina A&amp;T Hall of Fame.
MANU GINOBILI&nbsp;[Player] &ndash; Ginobili is a two-time NBA All-Star (2005, 2011) and four-time NBA Champion with the San Antonio Spurs (2003, 2005, 2007, 2014). Over his 16-year NBA career, all with the Spurs, the Argentine guard amassed 14,043 points, 4,001 assists, 3,697 rebounds and 1,392 steals and was honored with the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2008, as well as twice being named to the All-NBA Third Team (2008, 2011). On the international stage, Ginobili helped deliver the first and only Gold Medal in the country&rsquo;s basketball history at the 2004 Olympics, as well as the bronze at the 2008 games. He joins Bill Bradley as the only two players to have won a EuroLeague title (2001), an NBA championship and an Olympic Gold Medal.
TIM HARDAWAY&nbsp;[Player] &ndash; A 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist, Hardaway played 13 NBA seasons scoring a total of 15,373 points while averaging more than 20 points per game for four consecutive seasons. He is the 1990 recipient of the Jack McMahon Award for most inspirational player and a 1997 All-NBA First Team selection. He currently ranks 18th in NBA history with 7,095 career assists. The Chicago native was a member of the men&rsquo;s basketball team at the University of Texas at El Paso (1985-1989) and is known for making his signature move &ndash; the &ldquo;UTEP Two-step&rdquo; &ndash; famous in 1989, the same year he was named WAC Player of the Year.
BOB HUGGINS&nbsp;[Coach] &ndash; Huggins has been coaching in the collegiate ranks for 45 years, including the last 15 as the head coach at West Virginia University. Over the course of his career, Huggins has led his teams to 25 NCAA Tournament berths, including nine appearances in the Sweet Sixteen (1992, 1993, 1996, 200, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2018), four trips to the Elite Eight (1992, 1993, 1996, 2010), and two appearances in the NCAA Final Four (1992, 2010). In 16 years as the head coach at the University of Cincinnati (1989-2005), Huggins led the Bearcats to eight Conference USA regular season championships (1996-2002, 2004), four Conference USA Tournament championships (1996, 1998, 2002, 2004), was a three-time Conference USA Coach of the Year (1998-2000) and was honored as the Conference USA Coach of the Decade in 2005. On the national level, he a was tabbed as the&nbsp;Sporting News&nbsp;National Coach of the Year in 2000 and the&nbsp;ESPN.com&nbsp;National Coach of the Year in 2002.
GEORGE KARL&nbsp;[Coach] &ndash; Karl spent 27 seasons as a head coach in the NBA, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers (1984-1986), Golden State Warriors (1986-88), Seattle Supersonics (1992-1998), Milwaukee Bucks (1998-2003), Denver Nuggets (2005-2013) and Sacramento Kings (2015-2016). During his career, he guided five different franchises to a total of 22 playoff appearances, led the Supersonics to the NBA Finals (1996), was named the NBA Coach of the Year (2013), and was called upon to be an All-Star Game head coach four times (1994, 1996, 1998, 2010). Karl owns a lifetime coaching record of 1,175-824 (.588), ranking sixth all-time in NBA career wins and posted 12 seasons of 50+ victories and three seasons of 60-plus.
SWIN CASH&nbsp;[Player] &ndash; Cash is a four-time WNBA All-Star (2003, 2005, 2009, 2011) and two-time Olympic gold medalist (2004, 2012). A true champion, she was a member of three WNBA championship teams during her 15-year career with the Detroit Shock (2003, 2006) and Seattle Storm (2010) as well as two NCAA National Championships at the University of Connecticut (2000, 2002) and a Gold Medal at the 2010 FIBA World Championships. Cash was recognized as one of the 20 best WNBA players of all time in 2016 as she twice named WNBA All-Star Game MVP (2009, 2011) and twice received All-WNBA Second Team (2003-2004) honors. During her collegiate career, she was named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player and received Kodak First Team All-America honors in 2002 after UConn won their third national title in program history after finishing the season a perfect 39-0. In 2021, Cash was inducted into the Women&rsquo;s Basketball Hall of Fame.
MARIANNE STANLEY&nbsp;[Coach] &ndash; Coaching in the collegiate and professional ranks for a combined 45 years, Stanley currently serves as the head coach of the WNBA&rsquo;s Indiana Fever. In 22 years as a college coach with Old Dominion (1977-1987), Penn (1987-1989), USC (1989-1993), Stanford (1995-1996) and Cal (1995-1996), Stanley compiled a 416-222 (.652) record, including a NCAA National Championship in 1985, three Final Four appearances (1983, 1985, 1996) and back-to-back AIAW National Titles (1979-1980). She has accumulated numerous Coach of the Year honors, including AIAW National Coach of the Year (1979), Virginia Coach of the Year (1979, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985), Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year (1984, 1985), Pac-10 Conference Coach of the Year (1993) and WNBA Coach of the Year (2002). On the national team level, she helped lead the United States to a Goodwill Games Gold Medal (1983) and FIBA World Championship Gold Medal (1986). Stanley has been enshrined in the Women&rsquo;s Basketball Hall of Fame (2002) and the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame (2010).
LINDSAY WHALEN&nbsp;[Player] &ndash; Whalen is a five-time WNBA All-Star (2006, 2011, 2013-2015), four-time WNBA Champion (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017) and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist (2012, 2016). After averaging 11.5 points and 4.9 assists over 15 seasons in the WNBA, she was named to the WNBA First Team three times (2008, 2011, 2013) and was recognized&nbsp;as one of the 20 best WNBA players of all time in 2016.&nbsp;Whalen ranks third all-time in assists (2,345) and led the league in total assists five times (2007, 2011-2015) and assists per game on three occasions (2008, 2011, 2012). During her collegiate career at University of Minnesota, Whalen led the Golden Gophers to the NCAA Final Four in 2004 and was twice named a finalist for the Naismith Award (2003, 2004) and Wade Trophy (2003, 2004). She also received numerous accolades for her on-court performance, including being named to the Kodak/WBCA All-America Team (2003-2004), USBWA All-America Team (2002-2004), AP Second Team All-America Team (2003-2004) and the All-Big Ten First Team (2002-2004).Whalen currently serves as the head coach of the women&rsquo;s basketball program at her alma mater.
LOU HUDSON&nbsp;[Player] &ndash; Recognized posthumously, Hudson was a six-time NBA All-Star (1969-1974) and averaged 20.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in 13 NBA seasons. The athletic shooting guard played 11 seasons with the St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks (1966-1977) and has his jersey No. 23 retired by the franchise. A native of Greensboro, North Carolina, Hudson attended the University of Minnesota where he was part of the first African American recruiting class in school history and went on to receive All-American honors and had his jersey No. 14 retired. He is also a member of the Minnesota Hall of Fame as well as the North Carolina Hall of Fame.
LARRY COSTELLO&nbsp;[Contributor] &ndash; Recognized posthumously, Costello was a six-time NBA All-Star (1958-1962, 1965), a member of the 1967 World Champion Philadelphia 76ers and coached the Milwaukee Bucks to the 1971 NBA title, as well as a Finals appearance in 1974. As a player, he averaged 12.2 points and 4.9 assists per game over 12 NBA seasons, earning All-NBA Second Team in 1961. Known as the last two-handed set shooter, the point guard led the NBA in free throw percentage twice (.881 in 1963; .877 in 1965). As a coach, he was one of the first people to employ a working, accountable assistant coach and employ videotape to analyze the game. He also traveled extensively for the U.S. State Department, lecturing in Germany, Africa, Asia and Europe. Costello is also a member of the Niagara University Hall of Fame, Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame, Greater Buffalo Hall of Fame and the New York State Hall of Fame.
DEL HARRIS&nbsp;[Contributor] &ndash; Harris has dedicated his life to basketball, serving as a coach, mentor and tireless advocate for the game. In his more than 50-year coaching career, he coached every level of the sport, ranging from junior high hoops to the NBA. Harris is deeply respected by players, coaches and executives alike, having earned the Jerry Colangelo Award for Leadership and Character in 2010, the Coach John Wooden &ldquo;Keys to Excellence&rdquo; Award in 2014 and the Basketball Hall of Fame&rsquo;s John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. For over 35 years, he served as both a treasured assistant coach and head coach of several franchises including the Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Chicago Bulls, and New Jersey Nets. Harris led the Houston Rockers to the NBA Finals in 1981 and was recognized as the NBA Coach of the Year in 1995 while at the helm of the Los Angeles Lakers. Harris currently serves as Vice President of the Mavericks G League affiliate, the Texas Legends, while providing game analysis for the Mavericks on Fox Sports Southwest. He is also a member of the NAIA Basketball Hall of Fame and Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
THERESA SHANK-GRENTZ&nbsp;[Player] &ndash; Shank-Grentz was a member of three consecutive AIAW National Championship teams and was a three-time All-American at Immaculata University from 1972-74. The 1974 title game was the first ever live coverage of a women&rsquo;s basketball game in the United States. She scored over 1,000 career points at Immaculata, including a record 104 points and 76 rebounds in the 1973 AIAW Tournament. Shank-Grentz was named the AMF Collegiate Player of the Year in 1974 and has her jersey No. 12 retired by the university. She also scored over 1,200 points as a prep player at Cardinal O&rsquo;Hara High School in Springfield, PA, and was a three-time All-Conference Philadelphia Catholic League.
RADIVOJ KORAC&nbsp;&nbsp;[Player] &ndash; Recognized posthumously, Korac is known as Yugoslavia&rsquo;s first basketball superstar, helping lead the country to the silver medal at the 1968 Olympics after leading all players in averaging 23.6 points per game during the Games. He also led Yugoslavia to silver medals in FIBA World Cup play in 1963 and 1967. He still holds the EuroLeague&rsquo;s all-time single-game scoring record with 99 points in a game vs. Alviks during the 1964-65 season. Korac tragically passed away in a car accident in 1969 at the age of 30 and has been remembered as the namesake of FIBA&rsquo;s Korac Cup in 1971 and Serbia&rsquo;s Korac Cup in 2002. He was named one of FIBA&rsquo;s Greatest Players in 1991, was enshrined in the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007 and was named one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors in 2008.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the 13 honorees in the Class of 2022 to be celebrated September 9-10.

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announces Class of 2022 inductees

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; With Patrick Beverley taking the lead in his first season with the team, the Minnesota Timberwolves are trying to prove they&rsquo;re no longer a pushover.
Keeping their composure after a first-quarter skirmish in which Beverley was ejected, the Timberwolves showed their growth with a dominating win against the defending champions.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 25 points and 11 rebounds, Anthony Edwards scored 25 points and Minnesota pulled away for a 138-119 victory Saturday over the Milwaukee Bucks, who were playing without star Giannis Antetokounmpo due to right knee soreness.
&ldquo;Any time we step on the court, we should win,&rdquo; Towns said. &ldquo;Simple as that. There&rsquo;s no excuse. We don&rsquo;t feel that we should lose to anybody. We feel we can beat anybody. So, every time we walk into the arena, we feel we should win. If we do what we&rsquo;re supposed to do, we feel it&rsquo;s a guaranteed win.&rdquo;
Naz Reid added 14 points off the bench for Minnesota in a matchup that turned testy early.
Beverley and Milwaukee&rsquo;s George Hill were both ejected late in the first quarter after a scuffle started when Bucks center Serge Ibaka and Timberwolves forward Taurean Prince got tied up after a free-throw attempt.
Beverley ran in and pushed Ibaka and Hill countered by pushing Beverley.
&ldquo;I thought they were great,&rdquo; Minnesota coach Chris Finch said of his team&rsquo;s response. &ldquo;Didn&rsquo;t really escalate into anything. We didn&rsquo;t lose our concentration or our effort.&rdquo;
Minnesota won for the 10th time in 11 games by taking control in the third quarter with a flurry of 3-pointers. The Timberwolves shot 22 of 47 from 3, including 9 of 14 in the third.
&ldquo;They&rsquo;re good,&rdquo; Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve got a good thing going right now. They&rsquo;re in a good rhythm. But the turnovers were a big part of them, kind of allowing them to get separation from us.&rdquo;
The Bucks had 14 turnovers, leading to 21 points for Minnesota.
Khris Middleton scored 15 for Milwaukee, which had won eight of nine, and Jrue Holiday added 14 points.
Brook Lopez scored 15 in his third game back after recovering from back surgery and started in place of Antetokounmpo, who was ruled out as the team manages the strain on his knees.
Edwards had 12 points in the first quarter to get the Wolves off to a strong start before tension emerged.
After Beverley and Hill were ejected, Milwaukee&rsquo;s Bobby Portis Jr. and Reid were given matching technical fouls. The Timberwolves weren&rsquo;t afraid to share their newfound confidence, but the defending champion Bucks weren&rsquo;t taking it.
The feistiness was toned down in the second half as Minnesota made any talking a moot point.
Edwards hit three 3s in the third and Towns scored eight in the quarter with a pair of 3s as the Wolves scored 38 in the quarter and led by as many as 24.
&ldquo;We can&rsquo;t control who they play or who is out or whatever, but I thought it was a really focused and really great performance by us, for the most part,&rdquo; Finch said. &ldquo;We played with good energy, got out and ran, really moved the ball well early, which we&rsquo;ve been struggling to do early in games. Generated a lot of really good looks.&rdquo;
BEVERLEY&rsquo;S IMPACT
Beverley has injected some swagger to a Minnesota team that has made the playoffs once in 17 years.
The Timberwolves also have gained confidence with a March run that included a 124-104 win over the Los Angeles Lakers that had Minnesota &mdash; with Beverley playing his usual abrasive role &mdash; eagerly trash talking LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and the Lakers.
&ldquo;The way Pat brought the grit and hunger to this team and the swag, I think it&rsquo;s remarkable,&rdquo; Reid said.
TIP-INS
Bucks: G Pat Connaughton returned for his first game since breaking a bone in his right hand on Feb. 10. He had 15 points off the bench.
Timberwolves: Towns was questionable for the game with a right forearm contusion. There were several moments where the injury appeared to bother the All-Star big man. &hellip; F Jaden McDaniels missed his second game with a left ankle sprain. Reid was back after missing two games with back spasms.
UP NEXT
Bucks: Return home against Chicago on Tuesday.
Timberwolves: At Dallas on Monday.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 25 points and 11 rebounds as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Milwaukee Bucks 138-119.

Towns, Edwards star, Wolves beat Giannis-less Bucks 138-119

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Ja Morant threw down a massive dunk over 7-footer Jakob Poeltl and scored a career-high 52 points, lifting the Memphis Grizzlies over the San Antonio Spurs 118-105 Monday night. 
The arena was still buzzing from Morant's fast-break slam late in the second quarter when Steven Adams delivered a length-of-the-court pass to Morant, who knocked down a buzzer-beater from the left baseline for a 68-58 halftime lead. 
Morant added 13 consecutive points during the fourth quarter to break the game open, following up a career-best 46 points in a win Saturday at Chicago by connecting on 22 of 30 from the field. He hit all four 3-point tries as Memphis won its second straight.
De’Anthony Melton added 15 points for Memphis, while Tyus Jones scored 13.
Morant’s performance was the first 50-point game in Grizzlies franchise history.
Lonnie Walker IV led the Spurs with 22 points, and Dejounte Murray added 21 points and eight assists before being ejected late in the fourth quarter. Poeltl finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
The Spurs loss left coach Gregg Popovich one game short of tying Don Nelson for the most regular-season wins by an NBA coach.
The Grizzlies built the lead to 13 early in the fourth, their largest of the game at that point, but the Spurs were within 104-99 near the midway point of the fourth. That’s when Morant scored 13 straight.
Morant had 29 points in the first half on 12-of-15 shooting. 
TIP-INS
Spurs: G Doug McDermott, listed as questionable with right knee soreness before the game, was available. ... San Antonio went 4-4 on its annual Rodeo Road Trip. ... Walker came off the bench and scored 11 points in six minutes of the first quarter. ... Poeltel and Keldon Johnson, who sat out Saturday’s loss to the Heat with lower back soreness, returned to the lineup. 
Grizzlies: F Brandon Clarke, who was listed as questionable with a left eye abrasion, was available. ... Have won five straight over San Antonio. ... Adams had 14 rebounds.
UP NEXT
Spurs: Entertain Sacramento on Thursday
Grizzlies: Travel to Boston to face the Celtics on Thursday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Ja Morant scored a career-high and franchise record 52 points as the Grizzlies beat the San Antonio Spurs.

Morant dunks over 7-footer, scores 52 as Grizzlies top Spurs

The following is a press release from the NBA:
CLEVELAND&nbsp;&ndash; Fifteen international players from 12 countries, including six international All-Stars and a record-tying four international All-Star Game starters, will participate in NBA All-Star 2022 in Cleveland from Friday, Feb. 18 &ndash; Sunday, Feb. 20.&nbsp; NBA All-Star 2022 will reach fans in 215 countries and territories in a record 60 languages on their televisions, computers, mobile phones and tablets.
Below are international highlights of this year&rsquo;s global celebration of basketball:
INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS
<ul>
<li>The 71st NBA All-Star Game, which tips off on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. ET on TNT, will feature six international All-Stars and a record-tying four international starters.&nbsp; Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks; Greece; ties to Nigeria) and Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets; Serbia) will start for Team LeBron, while Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers; Cameroon) and Andrew Wiggins (Golden State Warriors; Canada) will start for Team Durant.&nbsp; They are joined by Team LeBron reserve Luka Dončić (Dallas Mavericks; Slovenia) and Team Durant reserve Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz; France).</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Clorox Rising Stars, which will take place on Friday, Feb. 18 at 9 p.m. ET on TNT, will feature a new format of four seven-player teams competing in a three-game mini-tournament, with each game played to a Final Target Score.&nbsp; The pool of 28 players includes six international players: Precious Achiuwa (Toronto Raptors; Nigeria), Chris Duarte (Indiana Pacers; Dominican Republic), Josh Giddey (Oklahoma City Thunder; Australia), Alperen Şeng&uuml;n (Houston Rockets; Turkey), Franz Wagner (Orlando Magic; Germany) and Dyson Daniels (NBA G League Ignite; Australia).</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>With their participation in Clorox Rising Stars, Giddey and Daniels, who were teammates at NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia, from 2019-2020, become the first NBA Academy alumni to participate in NBA All-Star.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The Taco Bell&reg; Skills Challenge, which is part of State Farm All-Star Saturday night on Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. ET on TNT, will also feature a new format in which three teams of three players will participate in a four-round competition that tests shooting, passing and dribbling ability.&nbsp; One of the teams is composed of three Antetokounmpo brothers: Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo (Bucks; Greece; ties to Nigeria) and Alex Antetokounmpo (NBA G League&rsquo;s Raptors 905; Greece; ties to Nigeria).</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Eight players competing at NBA All-Star 2022 are from or have ties to Africa: Achiuwa, the three Antetokounmpo brothers, Desmond Bane (Memphis Grizzlies; ties to Nigeria), Ayo Dosunmu (Chicago Bulls; ties to Nigeria), Embiid and Isaac Okoro (Cleveland Cavaliers; ties to Nigeria).</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>New this year, the NBA G League&rsquo;s top young players, including G League Ignite&rsquo;s Daniels and Fanbo Zeng (China), will be on display in the inaugural NBA G League Next Gem Game, which will feature G League Ignite taking on the Cleveland Charge on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. ET on NBA TV, NBA TV International, and in China on Tencent and MIGU.</li>
</ul>
GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION
<ul>
<li>A total of 72 international broadcast partners will televise NBA All-Star 2022.&nbsp; Six international television and radio networks &ndash; from France, Greece, Latin America, Mongolia, Poland and Spain &ndash; will conduct live onsite commentary from Cleveland, and three television networks &ndash; from India, Netherlands and Norway &ndash; will broadcast NBA All-Star remotely for the first time.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Fans outside North America will also be able to watch Clorox Rising Stars, State Farm All-Star Saturday Night and the NBA All-Star Game live and on-demand through NBA League Pass via <a href="https://insights.nba.com/PoliteMail/default.aspx?page=zoU9Gcb3YESIAP7onvjQYw&amp;ref_id=r2DLozbAkESbJ37egIWA4A" target="_blank" rel="noopener">watch.NBA.com</a> and <a href="https://insights.nba.com/PoliteMail/default.aspx?page=BGLjtJbUSEKZ3TxszIgasA&amp;ref_id=r2DLozbAkESbJ37egIWA4A" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the NBA App</a>.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Fans around the world will be able to vote for the MVPs of the Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, Clorox Rising Stars and the NBA All-Star Game via NBA.com, the NBA App and Twitter.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>On Sunday, Feb. 20 from 11 a.m. &ndash; 2 p.m. ET, fans around the world can watch a livestream of All-Star Game players and coaches conducting media availabilities at <a href="https://insights.nba.com/PoliteMail/default.aspx?page=3HYWzdXImUWzU3gUE-9O-g&amp;ref_id=r2DLozbAkESbJ37egIWA4A" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mediaavail.nba.com</a>.</li>
</ul>
CELEBRITIES &amp; INFLUENCERS
<ul>
<li>The Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, which tips off on Friday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, will feature Puerto Rican rapper and singer Anuel AA; Indian American singer/songwriter Anjali Ranadiv&eacute;; Bollywood superstar Ranveer Singh; 2020 Olympic high jump gold medalist Gianmarco Tamberi from Italy; and Cleveland Cavaliers Legend and Brazil native Anderson Varej&atilde;o.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Singh, who in September was named the NBA Brand Ambassador for India, will be one of more than two dozen influencers attending NBA All-Star 2022, where he will post behind-the-scenes social media content and have the opportunity to meet NBA players and legends.&nbsp; Singh will also become the second Bollywood star to play in the Celebrity Game.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Singh headlines a group of international influencers from Argentina, France, India, Japan, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Senegal, South Africa, Spain and the UK who will experience NBA All-Star 2022 in person, receiving exclusive access to the weekend&rsquo;s events and creating All-Star-themed content for fans in their home markets.</li>
</ul>
ALL-STAR CELEBRATIONS ABROAD
In addition to the events in Cleveland, fans around the world will be able to share in the excitement of NBA All-Star 2022 through a variety of international activations and programming:
<ul>
<li>In Canada, the &ldquo;NBA 75th Shop,&rdquo; a digital retail experience that pays tribute to the players and moments that have shaped the growth of basketball across the country, features a <a href="https://insights.nba.com/PoliteMail/default.aspx?page=2icFrxLx0UmWFb58V9B7Vw&amp;ref_id=r2DLozbAkESbJ37egIWA4A" target="_blank" rel="noopener">figurine depicting eight-time All-Star and Raptors Legend Vince Carter</a> at the 2000 Slam Dunk contest and an &ldquo;<a href="https://insights.nba.com/PoliteMail/default.aspx?page=Ss8TfIZrIUqK4tlSdhYWOQ&amp;ref_id=r2DLozbAkESbJ37egIWA4A">ice block</a>&rdquo; commemorating the 2016 Slam Dunk contest in Toronto, the first NBA All-Star held outside the U.S.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>On Feb. 18, Mexican artist Alee Baes is launching exclusive All-Star-themed merchandise and giving away 16 special-edition Wilson basketballs in collaboration with the NBA at the league&rsquo;s official retail location in Mexico, NBA Tienda in Polanco.&nbsp; The collection will also be available at <a href="https://insights.nba.com/PoliteMail/default.aspx?page=ibGQ_qNzG0KhKkx1nZQUsA&amp;ref_id=r2DLozbAkESbJ37egIWA4A" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nbatienda.com</a>, the league&rsquo;s official online destination in the country.&nbsp; In addition, Cavaliers Legend Anderson Varej&atilde;o is filming a number of content pieces while on site in Cleveland that will be shared on the NBA&rsquo;s social media platforms in his native Brazil.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>From Feb. 7-21, Cosmote Sport, the league&rsquo;s broadcast partner in Greece, is running a 24/7 NBA pop-up channel featuring live NBA All-Star events, original programming, classic games, highlights and more.&nbsp; Eleven Sport and beIN SPORTS, the league&rsquo;s broadcast partners in Belgium and France, respectively, are hosting competitions in which winners will attend All-Star 2022.&nbsp; In addition, the NBA Fan Clubs in Greece and Spain are organizing NBA All-Star sweepstakes and quizzes featuring merchandise giveaways and special prizes.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The league&rsquo;s social media platforms in Australia, Japan and the Philippines will produce All-Star-themed programming to promote the weekend&rsquo;s events.&nbsp; The Dime, a recap show on the NBA&rsquo;s Facebook page in Australia, will feature Australian Rising Stars participants Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels.&nbsp; NBA Zoom-In, a show on the NBA&rsquo;s TikTok channel in Japan hosted by Japanese influencer Rikuto, will preview and recap highlights from the weekend.&nbsp; Republika Huddle, the league&rsquo;s social media talk show in the Philippines, will revisit previous editions of NBA All-Star and provide predictions for this year&rsquo;s marquee events.</li>
</ul>

Fifteen international players, including six All-Stars and a record-tying four All-Star Game starters, will represent in Cleveland.

15 international players from 12 countries will be at All-Star Weekend

After a rare instance where a former lottery pick saw his third-year option declined before the regular season, 2020 No. 10 overall pick Jalen Smith is generating buzz around the NBA.
According to <a href="https://www.actionnetwork.com/nba/nba-trade-deadline-rumors-intel-james-harden-ben-simmons-harrison-barnes-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Moore of The Action Network</a>, Smith is a known commodity leading up to Thursday's trade deadline. For teams in need of a big man, Smith could come in and provide an intriguing skillset.
The Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards, San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors are among the teams that have inquired about the former lottery pick.
Smith has been unable to crack the Suns' rotation consistently for his first two seasons as the team is in full-on championship mode. Phoenix simply doesn't have the time to develop Smith while they chase another Finals appearance.
In 27 games this season, Smith has averaged 6.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 13.6 minutes per game. If you stretch that out over a per-36 minute threshold, Smith is amassing 16.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks.&nbsp;
The 21-year-old still has plenty of potential and could become part of a team's long-term plan. It's shocking to see a team decline a prospect's third-year team option, especially with a former lottery pick, but that's exactly what happened with Smith in Phoenix.
Smith is one of the Suns' most enticing trade chips before the deadline, so the probability that he's moved continues to rise. The NBA trade deadline is this Thurday at 3 p.m. ET.

The Suns are in win-now mode, which means former lottery pick Jalen Smith could be on the move before the trade deadline.

Several teams interested in Suns' Jalen Smith ahead of trade deadline

In each of the last three seasons, the Iowa Hawkeyes have posted 20-plus victories with a win percentage over 64% and have earned an NCAA tournament berth twice (2020's was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
A common denominator of their success was the play of the Hawkeye legend, Luka Garza. During his time in Iowa, Garza was one of the most prolific and accomplished players in college basketball, earning Wooden and Naismith awards, multiple Big Ten accolades and All-American status. As Garza progressed over his career, his efficiency took off, and that threat became the engine of Iowa&rsquo;s offense. However, the end of his dominant run through college basketball was inevitable, as his number was raised to the rafters. He entered the 2021 NBA Draft and was selected by the Detroit Pistons with 51st overall pick.&nbsp;
So how did Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery replace an All-American and campus legend? It just so happened that he did it with someone already on the Hawkeyes' roster...&nbsp;
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Born to Be a Hawkeye
Keegan Murray and his twin brother Kris were born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as their father, Kenyon, was also a Hawkeye from 1993-96. After finishing their high school careers at Cedar Rapids Prairie High School, the twins chose to take a post-graduate year at DME Academy in Daytona, Florida instead of jumping right into college. It&rsquo;s clear now that the extra year left Keegan and Kris better prepared for the next level, and they both were able to follow their father&rsquo;s footsteps back to Iowa City and be a part of the success of Luka Garza&rsquo;s final season.&nbsp;
So far this season, Keegan Murray has answered the call as the Hawkeyes' new hyper-productive big man to fill the 6-foot-11, 265-pound void left by Garza &mdash; and at 6-foot-8, 225-pounds, the sophomore forward is similarly turning lots of heads, but with a twist. In 13 games played this season, Murray leads the nation with 24.5 points per game, while adding 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per contest on 59% from the field.
This leap in production is very impressive, but not unexpected. Murray earned All-Big Ten Freshman Team honors last season, recording some unique numbers as a reserve last season. As a freshman, Keegan was one of only five players nationally to amass 200+ points, 25+ blocks, 25+ steals and 15+ three-pointers.
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NBA Outlook
This year&rsquo;s draft is filled with multiple versatile forwards that range between 6-foot-8 and 6-foot-10, including Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith and Patrick Baldwin Jr. Over the first two months of the season, Murray has worked his way into the mix. His playstyle must be endearing to the Iowa faithful, as he plays with an endless physicality in the paint like Garza, yet is graceful when putting the ball on the floor in the half-court and transition.
Additionally, although Murray&rsquo;s three-point percentage looks to have taken a slide after a solid start to the year, his 35-point, 5-for-6 performance from beyond the arc to start 2022 against Maryland should still provide confidence in his jump shot. With translatable mechanics and improved free-throw shooting, there&rsquo;s enough evidence to suggest he&rsquo;ll continue to improve his outside shooting. Murray is on the trajectory of becoming a prototypical versatile forward that has proven to be a hot commodity in the NBA in recent years.
Our Sr. NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock has kept his eye on the Iowa sophomore. Here are his thoughts on the early season play of Keegan Murray:
&ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t do one thing that blows you away, as his game is pretty simple. He&rsquo;s a stretch 4 who has a nonstop motor. The guy makes things happen all game long by playing smart and hard. He&rsquo;s having an incredible season so far for the Hawkeyes. Murray averages over 24 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal per game. At this point, I have a hard time envisioning him slipping too far in the draft, as I think a lot of teams could use him.&rdquo;
While Murray likely hears his fair share of praises, he&rsquo;s probably also beginning to receive questions about how high his ceiling is. In games Iowa has played against high-level programs, his scoring percentages have taken a slight dip.
Murray had a particularly tough outing against No. 17 Iowa State, where he totaled only 9 points. In games against Virginia, Illinois and Iowa State, Murray averaged 15.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks on 41.3% from the field, 22.2% from deep and 58.6% from the free-throw line &mdash; all significant drops from the other 10 games he&rsquo;s been in so far. While most players have off games from time to time, the best players are expected to rise to the occasion against the best competition.
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Key Matchups
The good news is the season is far from over, and the Big Ten seems to be pretty wide open as conference play ramps up. Every game will be a significant test for the Hawkeyes, but Murray has more opportunities to silence some of these questions with critical games left on the schedule.
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On Jan. 13, Murray is taking on Indiana&rsquo;s Trayce Jackson-Davis, a junior with a similar frontcourt scoring role for Indiana. It&rsquo;ll be interesting to watch how Murray approaches a matchup against another 20-point scorer.
The rematch against Purdue on Jan. 27 has to be circled on Murray&rsquo;s calendar, as he missed the first matchup with an ankle injury. Iowa played a competitive game, but Murray feels like he would&rsquo;ve been a difference-maker in the 77-70 loss to the Boilermakers.
The pair of games against Michigan on Feb. 17 and Mar. 3 will be intriguing, with Murray matching up against potential draft picks Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabat&eacute;; both teams will be jockeying for position in the Big Ten Tournament.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have an 11-3 record in the first week of 2022, and a lot of their success can be attributed to Keegan Murray&rsquo;s play so far. Expect Murray to continue to turn heads as the team looks to fight for the top of the Big Ten once again.
Keegan Murray is currently ranked No. 14 on the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com 2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.&nbsp;

Blake Hairston highlights Iowa forward Keegan Murray's massive leap in his sophomore year.

2022 NBA Draft: The rise of Iowa’s Keegan Murray

Alperen Sengun has always been an intriguing prospect to follow since he entered the NBA. Acquired by the Houston Rockets during the 2021 NBA Draft for two future first-round picks likely to convey in 2023 (via the Wizards) and 2025 (via the Pistons), Sengun instantly became an integral piece to the next chapter post-James Harden.
Exiting the Harden era, Houston is in the midst of a full-scale rebuild, building around young players such as No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green and Sengun. With Green sidelined due to injury, Sengun is beginning to take the spotlight and shine under the bright lights.
As a unique, throwback player, Sengun brings a crafty style to the basketball court based around footwork in the post, savvy playmaking and strong rebounding ability. Recently against the Milwaukee Bucks, Sengun's interior footwork was dazzling to watchm as he continously punished his matchup around the basket on countless possessions. Eventually, Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer had to adjust and put Giannis Antetokounmpo on Sengun. A small moment, but one that provides a glimpse into a potential future outcome for the Rockets' rookie.
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Expected to have an adjustment period to the NBA after winning the Turkish League MVP at age-18, not many expectations were laid upon Sengun in Year 1 &mdash; especially as a reserve big man. Recently though, he&rsquo;s flashing an extremely high ceiling that has many within the Rockets organization giddy for his next developmental steps.
Sengun&rsquo;s season averages don&rsquo;t scream "breakout campaign," but, when placed into a per-36 minute workload, it changes the equation: 17.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.1 steals, 1.5 blocks while carrying a 57.9% True Shooting percentage.
Ready for a crazy statistic revolving around Sengun? Here are the only players joining the Turkish rookie amassing at least 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 block per 36 minutes: Giannis and Draymond Green.
If Sengun is allowed to further spread his wings later this season, there&rsquo;s a real trajectory path to him becoming a member of the First-Team All-Rookie lineup. Sure, there will be some ups-and-downs in terms of inconsistency along the way, but the bright spots make up for all of it.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Sengun in 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒎𝒐𝒅𝒆 😤 <a href="https://t.co/jnFP7MpEPa">pic.twitter.com/jnFP7MpEPa</a>
&mdash; Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) <a href="https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1471279315463639048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2021</a></blockquote>

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There is something in the way of Sengun receiving heavy minutes however &mdash; the two bigs currently ahead of him on the Rockets&rsquo; depth chart: Christian Wood and Daniel Theis, a pair of veterans who are heavily mentioned in trade talks around the Association. Our own Nekias Duncan recently wrote a piece regarding <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-trade-destinations-for-christian-wood" target="_blank" rel="noopener">potential destinations for Wood</a>, who would be an instant-impact piece on a legitimate playoff contender. Theis is another piece who could help boost the depth of a contender as well, providing floor-spacing and defensive versatility.
Sengun&rsquo;s ceiling already looks similar to ones we&rsquo;ve seen enter the NBA before. Nikola Jokic, Domantas Sabonis and Nikola Vucevic all play a similar game as the young Sengun. If the Rockets properly construct a versatile roster around Sengun, he could help the organization reap significant benefits soon enough.
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Houston&rsquo;s goal is to construct a sustainable winner with multiple hits on draft picks. Green looks the part of a future 25-point-per-game scorer. Sengun could be the hub of an entire offensive system, a la Sabonis. Kevin Porter Jr. is an offensive spark plug himself. Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate, Josh Christopher and Usman Garuba all look like valuable depth pieces of the next great Rockets era as well. Houston still has considerable distance to being a real threat in the Western Conference playoff picture, but the foundation is coming along together at a quicker pace than expected.
If the Rockets are lucky again in the lottery, could you imagine Auburn&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/jabari-smith" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jabari Smith</a> alongside Sengun providing defense and transition scoring? What about Duke&rsquo;s Paolo Banchero as a frontcourt partner for Sengun? This was initially expected to be a rebuild that lasts awhile, but one or two moves could truly change the whole equation. Having a big man like Sengun as an anchor is a very promising start to it all, and one who can seemingly provide a little bit of everything on the basketball court for the Rockets.
The buzz around Sengun is palpable, and he&rsquo;s slowly but surely making his way up the top rookie ladder. By season&rsquo;s end, Sengun could be alongside Evan Mobley and Cade Cunningham for Rookie of the Year honors &mdash; particularly if he's given more of a runway, with Wood and Theis moved elsewhere.

Alperen Sengun is turning heads with his recent play for the Houston Rockets. Are we seeing the beginning of another star big man?

Alperen Sengun's surge providing hope for Rockets' rebuild

In a <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/32861454/luka-doncic-rick-carlisle-dissolution-their-relationship-comes-next-dallas-mavericks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wide-reaching report from ESPN's Tim MacMahon</a>, he writes that current Indiana Pacers head coach and former Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle had poor relationships with several players and staff members, including Luka Doncic.&nbsp;
According to the story, Carlisle doubted that former Mavs lottery pick Dennis Smith Jr. could be a "productive NBA starter," and said Smith was jealous of Doncic despite their strong bond as teammates.
Carlisle also berated former players such as Salah Mejri and developed a poor relationship with Kristaps Porzingis, who the article says wished to be traded as recently as this past summer.&nbsp;
"It wasn't really about how Rick treated Luka," a player on the 2018-19 Mavericks said. "Luka hated how Rick treated other people."
MacMahon elaborates that Jamahl Mosley, now the head coach of the Orlando Magic, was a popular voice on the Dallas bench and had grown close with Doncic. But Carlisle felt Mosley was coming for his job.
It wasn't the first example of Carlisle's fragmented partnership with team staff.
"Several Mavericks team staffers, from members of the coaching staff to non-basketball employees, told ESPN they felt intimidated and disrespected by Carlisle, who they said could be abrasive and demanding," MacMahon writes.
This culminated in verbal outbursts from Doncic when he would head to the bench last season, and eventually, Carlisle parting ways and heading to Indiana. The Pacers are 12-17 this season.
&nbsp;

Carlisle reportedly had lost the respect of Mavericks star Luka Doncic.

Rick Carlisle had strained relationships with players and Mavs staff

Thus far, the footprint of the Orlando Magic&rsquo;s 2021-22 campaign is buried at the bottom. They tout the league&rsquo;s worst net rating (-11.0) and second-worst record (4-17). Each of their Southeast Division counterparts are above .500 and in the playoff hunt, including a pair of top-three seeds. Along with the Detroit Pistons, they&rsquo;re one of just two Eastern Conference squads more than two games removed from a play-in spot.
Do not confuse short-term struggles as a harbinger for a rebuild spiraling awry, though. Through the season&rsquo;s quarter poll, Orlando is cultivating a crystalized vision of future success.&nbsp;
After a troublesome rookie year, <a href="https://www.one37pm.com/strength/sports/cole-anthony-gravity-orlando-magic-offense?utm_source=link_copy&amp;utm_medium=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cole Anthony is operating with more poise and shot-making prowess</a> to assert himself as a bona fide ball-handler. Despite a thorny beginning, fifth overall pick Jalen Suggs is establishing some footing in recent weeks. New head coach Jahmal Mosley is diagramming creative schemes and deploying the young guys in predominantly optimal settings.&nbsp;
Aside from Anthony&rsquo;s newfound exploits, the crux of all these encouraging developments resides in the Magic&rsquo;s frontcourt of Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr. and Mo Bamba. Together, this trio is showcasing a complementary offensive portfolio to amplify a lead initiator (Anthony or otherwise) and anchor a stingy defense.&nbsp;
Following three years of health setbacks and inconsistent playing time &mdash; mixed in with tantalizing two-way flashes &mdash; Bamba has snagged the starting center gig. His 29.7 minutes per game are nearly double his previous career-high of 16.3 minutes.&nbsp;
Amid those minutes, he&rsquo;s exhibiting heightened defensive activity. His 7-foot-10 wingspan dominated mainstream conversations around him pre-draft, and he&rsquo;s justifying credence in the impact of that physical profile. The dude&rsquo;s length is mind-boggling, and it enables him to influence so many events that most others are simply incapable of.
On attempts within 6 feet of the hoop, opponents are shooting 7.5% worse than their average when Bamba is the primary defender, <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/defense-dash-lt6/?sort=PLUSMINUS&amp;dir=-1&amp;CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*bamba:PLAYER_NAME*E*&amp;Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per NBA.com</a>. He&rsquo;s also stamping his mark on passes, where his 1.2% steal rate ranks in the 54th percentile among bigs, according to Cleaning The Glass (CTG). With Carter (4 vs. 5) and Wagner (3 vs. 4) probably playing down one position respectively, Bamba serves as a safeguard of the backline when they&rsquo;re stretched too thin on the perimeter &mdash; though, they&rsquo;re each quite adept out there.
All this liveliness with a greater minute load hasn&rsquo;t seen him succumb to foul trouble either. Per 100 possessions, his 4.5 fouls are well below his mark of 6.3 during the first three seasons of his career. He&rsquo;s both a better and more discretionary defender, altering plays without jeopardizing his minutes.
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Bamba has certainly emerged as a loud rim-deterrent and defensive playmaker in Year 4, but he&rsquo;s not free of significant concerns. He&rsquo;s prone to unnecessarily biting on shot fakes, as if he forgets about all his height and sprawling length. His fairly delayed load-up period as a leaper prevents him from contesting certain shots.&nbsp;
Similarly, he&rsquo;s just a slow-moving athlete. While he may identify a rotation, he cannot always execute it in a prompt manner. Even then, his processing of plays lags behind that of foremost defensive centers. Bamba&rsquo;s been rather valuable defensively, especially for a 23-year-old, but these warts feel like he&rsquo;s leaving some meat on the bone during his minutes.&nbsp;
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Although he&rsquo;s only drilling 33.7% of his triples, there&rsquo;s clear confidence in the shot, which broadens his offensive utility and shapes the way defenses view him. Wagner, Carter and Bamba each garner attention as floor-spacers. That opens driving lanes and real estate for guys like Anthony, Suggs and R.J. Hampton to maneuver inside the arc.
Bamba&rsquo;s intersection of size and shooting touch is evident when defenses try to pin smaller defenders on him and manipulate his floor-spacing duties against Orlando&rsquo;s offense. His poor center of gravity and underdeveloped core strength mean he&rsquo;s not a reliable post creator, but he&rsquo;s exhibited composure on switches and a capacity for firing over the top against smaller mismatches.
If the towering tandem of Carter and Bamba is to suffice long-term offensively, Bamba incorporating consistent scoring outside of the long ball feels paramount, especially when the opposition tries to defend him like a shooting guard in a 7-footer&rsquo;s clothes.
The more shooting, the better, of course. But with frontcourt players, much of the value can be derived from the mere threat of a jumper drawing rim protectors outside of the paint. If defenses can&rsquo;t hide smaller players on Bamba or Carter because of possible post exploitation, that will force them to station their center(s) on the perimeter, tailing Orlando&rsquo;s gargantuan gunners. Bamba looks like he might be on the way to actualizing that dynamic.&nbsp;
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Whereas Bamba&rsquo;s belief beyond the arc is ahead of his results at this juncture, those facets are in lockstep for Carter. Entering the season, Carter had made 29 long balls in his career. He eclipsed that total in the 19th game this year. From 2018-19 to 2020-21, his three-point rate was .096. Now, it&rsquo;s ballooned to .392, and he&rsquo;s splashing home 39% of his triples.&nbsp;
Stepping into early-clock threes as a trailer and firing in the face of timely closeouts, he&rsquo;s operating with a level of aggression rarely before seen from him. When his quick trigger and fruitful production spur defenders to overcommit or run him off the line, he&rsquo;s displaying off-the-dribble juice and ball skills that have largely been dormant during his NBA tenure, though assuredly were evident at lower levels.&nbsp;
With some shooters, a hurried contest can exile them from the arc and neutralize them. That&rsquo;s not the case for Carter. He&rsquo;ll bomb away if the closeout isn&rsquo;t (nearly) perfect, or drive off the catch when a lane is present. After years of passivity plagued his offense, he&rsquo;s discovered the requisite conviction to thrive, slapping down a career-high 13.3 points per game on a career-best 60.9% True Shooting percentage (5.8 points above the NBA average, also a career-best). There aren&rsquo;t that many non-stars doing all this as a 6-foot-10 big man:
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Carter has long previewed notable passing chops, but that same passivity would rear its head to mute their equity. He&rsquo;d often catch the ball near the elbow and be fixated on facilitating a dribble hand-off without glancing toward the hoop whatsoever.&nbsp;
Orlando is still utilizing him as a stationary passer, and he&rsquo;s more cognizant of the windows that arise after pressuring the defense instead of moonlighting as a statue for a few seconds. He&rsquo;s also putting the ball on the deck, and has fostered a rapport with Bamba. Teams have to respect his interior scoring touch, and when they do, he strikes via distribution.
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Starting at power forward alongside Bamba necessitates a level of defensive mobility that Carter has met. According to Basketball-Reference, more than 70% of his minutes are coming at the 4 this season. In his previous three years, that number never exceeded 20%.&nbsp;
These days, he&rsquo;s asked to function as a perimeter defender much more regularly. Light on his feet with quick hips, he&rsquo;s doing so swimmingly, and is instilling hope that the Carter-Bamba pairing can succeed permanently &mdash; just as it has through the initial portion of 2021-22.
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Perimeter services have solely been a feature of Carter&rsquo;s defense. Where he&rsquo;s really shining is in pick-and-roll coverage and as a helper. He plays 1-on-2 scenarios with patience and precision, wields jazz hands to close off passing angles on the interior and is a poster boy for verticality when contesting shots at the rim. Brawny finishers can steamroll through him for buckets, yet by and large, he&rsquo;s forming a staunch duo inside with Bamba:
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Most enticing among Orlando&rsquo;s youth-laden frontcourt is the rookie, Wagner, who&rsquo;s averaging 12.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 steals and a steal on 51.6% True Shooting (.425/.361/.786 splits). As a prospect, he was hindered by a gun-shy nature from deep, which has hardly been the case for him in the pros.
Across 55 contests at Michigan, he averaged 12.5 points and never scored more than 22 points. Since entering the league, he&rsquo;s averaged 12.7 points and even catalogued a 28-point night.
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The Magic have done well to balance his scoring opportunities on and off the ball. They've merged areas he already excels in with avenues he might excel in down the line if he's afforded chances to refine his creation ability.
Because he&rsquo;s willing to let it fly beyond the arc, Wagner attracts pressuring closeouts and attacks them as a driver by leveraging broad strides and silky touch. Routinely sensing when he&rsquo;s become an afterthought for defenders, he&rsquo;s a perceptively brilliant cutter, and his teammates know to feed him on those plays. His off-ball scoring package allows him to drift into the background and puncture advantages generated by others:
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Wagner is laying the ground floor of some serious self-creation upside too. Orlando entrusts him with on-ball reps, and he&rsquo;s handling them capably &mdash; especially for a 20-year-old just five weeks into NBA action. What he lacks in burst and a dynamic handle, he compensates by way of his 6-foot-9 frame to dislodge defenders, along with his stoic driving cadence to plan each decision as it arrives.&nbsp;
Only 62.7% of his buckets have been assisted this season, a remarkably impressive rate for a rookie, let alone one not billed for his creation prior to the draft. A wing-sized rookie &mdash; who&rsquo;s a plus passer, defender and off-ball scorer &mdash; looking this adept in manufacturing his own points bodes quite well for his prime in half-a-decade and beyond.
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Part of Wagner&rsquo;s initiating potential is linked to his savvy facilitating. Applying his size to tilt defenses or complete reads over the top, he&rsquo;s an excellent interior passer, and is willing to take risks in pursuit of points; that's something many good passers &mdash; especially young ones fearful of seeing their playing time reduced &mdash; don&rsquo;t always adhere to. He and Carter have synergy in ball-screen actions, and Wagner sets up the big fella for an easy score most evenings. All of it is yet another example of how Wagner benefits this squad.&nbsp;
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Aside from improving as a shot-maker, which is an underdiscussed component of virtually every player&rsquo;s ascension, Wagner has to better embrace physicality around the rim. While he&rsquo;s willing to play through it as a driver, contact aversion tends to manifest at the basket, where he&rsquo;s shooting just 53% (16th percentile among forwards, per CTG). On the positive side, 36% off his attempts occur there, but the results themselves are discouraging, and a refined approach can help bridge that disconnect.
More than any offensive facet of his game, Wagner is a vastly advanced defender. He&rsquo;s typically Orlando&rsquo;s designated stopper, and has amassed at least 20 possessions against seven different All-Stars, <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1630532/head-to-head/?sort=PARTIAL_POSS&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per NBA.com&rsquo;s matchup data</a>. Those All-Stars vary in style, too, ranging from Trae Young to Kevin Durant to Julius Randle.&nbsp;
He understands angles to cut drives off, shimmies around screens and brandishes deft hands to force turnovers or nab deflections. The Magic are comfortable playing him at the 3 because of his fluidity and quick hips. His plus-0.7 <a href="https://dunksandthrees.com/epm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus</a> ranks fifth among all rookies, thanks to that multifaceted aptitude. He&rsquo;s a very good defender who will soon be superb.&nbsp;
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Losing a plethora of games and welcoming a dazzling prospect to the fold for a few seasons does not guarantee prosperity simply because one is patient. The recipe for those prospects to develop beyond prospects &mdash; a word rich with promise but short on immediate results &mdash; is more nuanced.&nbsp;
They warrant suitable roles that amplify their strengths, teach them to rectify their weaknesses and prompt them to expand their arsenals without eschewing structure altogether. And that is what&rsquo;s transpiring in Orlando. The victories have conveyed how this team can and will eventually win on a consistent basis.&nbsp;
Anthony may be the brightest gem of the rebuild at this stage (Wagner might object). Yet, none better reflect the importance of stability than Wagner, Carter and Bamba, all of whom, in divergent, well-fitting roles, are making clear that Orlando&rsquo;s footprint should only temporarily be buried at the bottom of the NBA.

Jackson Frank analyzes the Magic's up-and-coming frontcourt of Mo Bamba, Wendell Carter Jr. and Franz Wagner.