Wildcats

METAIRIE, La. (AP) &mdash; All-Star forward Zion Williamson said he won&rsquo;t return to the New Orleans Pelicans&rsquo; lineup until he&rsquo;s confident his body will respond well to the way he wants to play.
&ldquo;Physically, I&rsquo;m fine,&rdquo; Williamson, who injured his right hamstring in early January, said Tuesday. &ldquo;Now it&rsquo;s just a matter of when I feel like Zion.
&ldquo;I can pretty much do everything, but it&rsquo;s just a matter of the level that I was playing at before my hamstring,&rdquo; Williamson continued. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to go out there and be in my own head and affect the team when I can just be on the sideline supporting them more, because I know myself. If I was to go out there, I would be in my head. I would hesitate on certain moves and it could affect the game.&rdquo;
Williamson&rsquo;s extended absence looms particularly large now, with New Orleans hosting Oklahoma City in a do-or-die, Western Conference play-in game on Wednesday night. The loser is done for the season while the winner survives to play at least once more on Friday night for the right to enter the first-round of the playoffs as the conference&rsquo;s eighth seed &mdash; and face top-seeded Denver.
Williamson said he has to overcome &ldquo;a little bit of a mental battle&rdquo; because of a setback in his recovery that prevented him from participating in the All-Star Game.
&ldquo;When I reaggravated it back in February, it was tough. So, when I got to make certain moves, there is that hesitation,&rdquo; Williamson said. &ldquo;I understand the magnitude of these games coming up and I don&rsquo;t want to be out there hesitating or doing something that may affect my team in a bad way.&rdquo;
Williamson&rsquo;s anxiety about re-injury is understandable, given how his first four NBA seasons have gone since he was selected first overall out of Duke in the 2019 NBA draft.
He played in just 24 games as a rookie, mostly because of a left knee injury. He missed all of his third season because of a broken right foot and played in just 29 games during the 2022-23 regular season.
The only time he&rsquo;s appeared in as many as 30 games was his second season, when he played in 61.
When available, the 6-foot-6, 280-pound Williamson has been among the most productive players in the NBA, averaging nearly 26 points and seven rebounds in 114 career games. He can handle the ball and run the floor like a guard or wing player, soar to the hoop for rim-rattling dunks and muscle his way into shooting positions from the post &mdash; often hitting off-balance, short-range shots between multiple defenders.
The Pelicans missed the playoffs during Williamson&rsquo;s first two seasons. When they finally made it last season, he could only cheer on his teammates from the sideline. The promise the club showed late last season gave Williamson enough confidence in the club&rsquo;s future to sign a rookie max extension worth close to $200 million during the next five seasons.
Now another postseason has arrived, and Williamson is again unavailable to play &mdash; for now. Williamson said the decision on his return is not his alone and will be made in concert with the team. On Friday, Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin said Williamson would not likely be ready to play until some time during the first round of the playoffs at the earliest &mdash; and there&rsquo;s no guarantee New Orleans will make it that far.
Meanwhile, Williamson has had to listen to basketball fans and pundits alike question his commitment to stay in shape and his determination to get back on the court.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how else to say it. It just sucks. I love this game,&rdquo; Williamson said. &ldquo;For those people that think that I just want to sit on the sideline just to sit over there, I don&rsquo;t know why people think that.
&ldquo;From my perspective, I just want to play basketball. I want to hoop. I want to play the game I love,&rdquo; Williamson continued. &ldquo;But the reality of it is, whether I check my phone or I&rsquo;m just watching TV, no matter what it is, I can&rsquo;t really escape what the world thinks, what people&rsquo;s opinions are. So, it&rsquo;s frustrating.&rdquo;
Williamson said his series of long absences from the court have taught him that &ldquo;nothing&rsquo;s really guaranteed.&rdquo;
&ldquo;If it&rsquo;s in God&rsquo;s plan to be who I feel like I should be, then it&rsquo;s in his plan,&rdquo; Williamson said. &ldquo;If not, then you&rsquo;ve got to live with it.&rdquo;

“Physically, I’m fine,” said Williamson, who injured his right hamstring in January “Now it’s just a matter of when I feel like Zion."

Pelicans’ Zion Williamson in a ‘mental battle’ to play again

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; With Boston College clutching a double-digit lead over No. 6 Virginia late in the second half, the Conte Forum security staff huddled in a tunnel just off the court to prepare for the onslaught of fans that was all but inevitable.
The crowd knew. The Virginia players knew. Everyone in the building knew the Eagles were on the verge of the biggest win of coach Earl Grant&rsquo;s tenure.
&ldquo;I think they sensed, &lsquo;Boy, I think we&rsquo;re going to get these guys,&rsquo;&rdquo; Virginia coach Tony Bennett said after BC beat the cold-shooting Cavaliers 63-48 on Wednesday night to send the sellout crowd streaming onto the court in celebration.
&ldquo;As this thing wore on, you could feel the crowd get into it,&rdquo; said Bennett, whose team shot a season-low 32% from the field against the BC defense. &ldquo;They put us on our heels. It was a lot for some of our guys. We&rsquo;ve got to learn from that, because of what we&rsquo;ve got coming up.&rdquo;
Makai Ashton-Langford scored 16 points and Jaeden Zackery had all 12 of his points in the second half for BC (14-15, 8-10 Atlantic Coast Conference). It was the Eagles&rsquo; third win over a ranked team this season, but the first over one in the top 10 since beating top-ranked Duke in 2017.
&ldquo;I think we&rsquo;re moving in the right direction,&rdquo; said Grant, who is in his second year since moving to Chestnut Hill from the College of Charleston. &ldquo;I thought the night was a great test. We were excited about the challenge; we were excited going into it. We knew it would be hard, but we wanted to see what we were.&rdquo;
Jayden Gardner scored 16 points for Virginia (21-5, 13-4), which fell into a second-place tie with Pittsburgh in the ACC, one-half game behind Miami. The Cavaliers, who had been as high as No. 2 in the AP Top 25, had won four in a row and 11 of their previous 12 games.
Armaan Franklin, the Cavaliers&rsquo; leading scorer, and fellow guard Reece Beekman combined to go 4 of 18 from the field and miss all six of their 3-point tries. Virginia finished 4 of 21 (19%) from beyond the arc.
The Cavaliers also shot 67% from the free-throw line, including back-to-back misses by Ryan Dunn that earned all 7,000 in attendance a free order of cheesy bacon fries.
That was all the encouragement the crowd needed.
And the players fed off it, too.
&ldquo;The program is going up,&rdquo; Zackery said. &ldquo;Coming in against ranked teams, we feel like that motivates us more because, honestly, at that point, we don&rsquo;t have anything to lose. They&rsquo;re the ones that are ranked. We just come in, play our best.&rdquo;
Virginia led early before BC took the lead for good midway through the first half, using an 11-2 run to open a 26-17 advantage. The Eagles made it a 13-point game early in the second.
Gardner hit back-to-back baskets midway through the second to make it 44-37, but Isaac McKneely missed a 3-pointer that could have made it a four-point game. Zackery responded by driving the lane, bouncing off a defender and rolling it in off the rim before giving a double-armed flex in celebration.
Then, after Kihei Clark missed a layup, Zackery hit a 3-pointer to give BC a 49-37 lead, earning a congratulatory shoulder-squeeze from big man Quinten Post. Bennett called timeout, but the Cavaliers never again got within single digits.
BIG PICTURE
Virginia had beaten Boston College four times in a row and needed only to keep moving up to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The setback against a sub-.500 team will be damaging.
Boston College had already beaten Virginia Tech and Clemson this season when they were ranked. The Eagles haven&rsquo;t beaten three ranked teams in a season since 2008-09.
UP NEXT
Virginia: At North Carolina on Saturday.
Boston College: At Wake Forest on Tuesday.

Makai Ashton-Langford scored 16 points and Jaeden Zackery had all 12 of his points in the second half for the Golden Eagles in the upset.

No. 6 Virginia goes cold, Boston College wins 63-48

METAIRIE, La. (AP) &mdash; New Orleans Pelicans All-Star Zion Williamson has aggravated his previously injured right hamstring, extending the timeline for his return to &ldquo;multiple weeks past All-Star break,&rdquo; basketball operations chief David Griffin said Sunday.
Griffin said Williamson, who has been averaging 26 points per game this season, had progressed to the point where he was able to participate in 3-on-3 drills in practice and was on the court when he experienced his setback.
When asked how Williamson handled the setback emotionally, Griffin said, &ldquo;it&rsquo;s fair to say not terribly well because he was really diligent in his rehab.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Unfortunately this is an injury that has a very high incidence of recurrence,&rdquo; Griffin said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s nothing he did wrong to bring this about. ... It&rsquo;s an injury that&rsquo;s tricky and hard to navigate. I think you&rsquo;ve seen other players around the league have those same re-incidences. It&rsquo;s not unique.&rdquo;
Williamson has missed 20 straight games since his initial hamstring injury on Jan. 2. If he misses the first two weeks after the All-Star break, he will have been out at least 27 games.
Without Williamson, the Pelicans have gone 12-16, but a number of those games were played while high-scoring wing Brandon Ingram also was out.
Ingram is now back in the lineup and has scored 25 or more points in each of his past four games.
The Pelicans enter Monday night&rsquo;s game at Oklahoma City having won three of four, with the lone loss in that stretch coming against surging Cleveland, which is on a six-game winning streak.
The silver lining for the Pelicans is that they have virtually the same core players available now that they had during their playoff run last spring, when Williamson was recovering from a foot injury that sidelined him for all of last season.
The Pelicans also made a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-trade-deadline-2023-news-recapping-all-moves-of-day-basketball-rumors-sorting-out" target="_blank" rel="noopener">move at last week&rsquo;s NBA trade deadline</a>&nbsp;that sent 6-foot-1 reserve guard Devonte&rsquo; Graham to San Antonio for veteran 6-5 guard Josh Richardson, who is in his eighth season and is expected to help New Orleans defensively.
New Orleans is 29-28, placing it seventh in the Western Conference entering Sunday.
&ldquo;We all feel for Z, having to navigate these injuries,&rdquo; Pelicans coach Willie Green said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an opportunity for guys to kind of band together and go out and play our best basketball."
Green, who played in the NBA for 12 seasons, said it will be important for Williamson to &ldquo;get into a good mental space&rdquo; now.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be important for him to continue to attack the rehab to give himself an opportunity to get back on the floor,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;For the rest of the guys... we&rsquo;ve created a standard. We know how we want to play. Guys have to do it and we all have to kind of come together while Z is out.&rdquo;
The run the Pelicans made last spring without Williamson &ldquo;helps our confidence,&rdquo; Green said.
&ldquo;It gives us not only the belief but the results to know that we can do it,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;We just got continue to go do the things we know we&rsquo;re capable of.&rdquo;

Zion Williamson has aggravated his previously injured right hamstring and he'll miss several more weeks after the All-Star break.

Pelicans’ Zion Williamson has setback with hamstring injury

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Clemson wasn&rsquo;t able to escape on the road this time.
Makai Ashton-Langford had two key driving baskets in the closing two minutes and finished with 15 points to help Boston College beat the 20th-ranked Tigers 62-54 on Tuesday night.
&ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t get my guys under control. I couldn&rsquo;t get them to relax. That&rsquo;s my fault,&rdquo; Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. &ldquo;For whatever reason, we just didn&rsquo;t do a good job tonight. I didn&rsquo;t do a good job as a coach.&rdquo;
On Saturday, Clemson escaped with an 82-81 victory at Florida State.
Jaeden Zackery added 13 points for the Eagles (11-12, 5-7 Atlantic Coast Conference). BC held Clemson to one meaningful field goal &mdash; and that came with 18 seconds left &mdash; in the final 13:16.
Hunter Tyson led Clemson (18-5, 10-2) with 22 points and Chase Hunter had 12. The Tigers fell into a tie in the loss column atop the ACC with No. 6 Virginia (9-2 ACC).
&ldquo;It was one of those nights where the other team played better than we did,&rdquo; Brownell said. &ldquo;We had a lot of self-inflicted wounds. We didn&rsquo;t share the ball much. When we got behind, we kind of panicked and hoped Chase and Hunter would bail us out. That&rsquo;s poor coaching.&rdquo;
The Eagles used a 5-0 spurt &mdash; with T.J. Bickerstaff hitting a free throw and getting a driving layup &mdash; to pull ahead 50-45 with just over five minutes to play.
Clemson sliced it to 50-47 before Aston-Langford made his two big baskets. He followed that by making two free throws with 32 seconds left.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s just about digging deep honestly,&rdquo; Zackery said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s just all it was. We&rsquo;ve been kind of talking about it all season that we&rsquo;ve just got to come out and grind.&rdquo;
Trailing by 10 midway into the second half, the Tigers went on a 10-0 spree, tying it at 45 when RJ Godfrey hit both ends of a 1-and-1.
The Eagles had opened a double-digit lead twice in the opening six minutes of the second half, the later 45-35 on Prince Aligbe&rsquo;s foul-line jumper with 14:12 to play.
BIG PICTURE
Clemson: Off to a solid start in conference play, the Tigers were tested on the road for the second straight game after edging Florida State. It hasn&rsquo;t been easy for them away from home with a 4-3 record and with three away matchups against North Carolina, North Carolina State and Virginia to go, they&rsquo;ll need to get it straightened out of they&rsquo;re going to win the ACC regular-season title.
Boston College: The Eagles proved when they play defense that they&rsquo;re a tough out in coach Earl Grant&rsquo;s second season. A little more offense could make them very dangerous for top ACC teams to play.
&ldquo;I just tell the guys that we&rsquo;re just trying to build something,&rdquo; Grant said of his team&rsquo;s defense down the stretch. &ldquo;You are what you repeatedly do. You build habits.&rdquo;
ARRIVING LATE
In the first half, Clemson&rsquo;s man-to-man defense smothered the Eagles&rsquo; offense for the opening 10 minutes, holding them in single digits in scoring until just about the same time the student section finished filling up late, bringing some energy to a very quiet building.
BC&rsquo;s players then responded, closing the half with a 22-4 spree that turned an 11-point deficit to a 30-23 halftime edge.
SIDELINED
Both teams were missing key players. Guard Brevin Galloway, Clemson&rsquo;s fourth leading scorer at 10.6 points per game, was sidelined with an abdominal injury. For BC, guard DeMarr Langford Jr., who logs big minutes at the point, was out with a knee injury.
UP NEXT
Clemson: Hosts No. 23 Miami on Saturday.
Boston College: Hosts Syracuse on Saturday.

Makai Ashton-Langford had two key driving baskets in the closing two minutes and finished with 15 points to help Boston College win.

BC beats No. 20 Clemson 62-54; Tigers’ lead sliced atop ACC

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) &mdash; Grant Sherfield scored a season-high 30 points, and Oklahoma beat No. 2 Alabama 93-69 on Saturday in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge to end the Crimson Tide&rsquo;s nine-win streak.
Jalen Hill added a career-high 26 points, helping second-year Oklahoma coach Porter Moser to his biggest win with the program. Tanner Groves had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
The Sooners (12-9) had lost three straight, but against the Crimson Tide shot 58% from the field.
Rylan Griffen led Alabama (18-3) with 15 points and seven rebounds. Freshman Brandon Miller, who came in averaging 19.5 points per game, finished with 11.
NO. 3 HOUSTON 75, CINCINNATI 69
HOUSTON (AP) &mdash; Jarace Walker had a career-high 25 points and seven rebounds, and Houston rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit to defeat Cincinnati.
Walker, who scored 13 points in the second half, was 10 of 14 from the field. J&rsquo;Wan Roberts added 14 points and six rebounds, and Jamal Shead scored 13 points for Houston (20-2, 8-1 American Athletic Conference).
Houston has won at least 20 games in eight straight seasons under coach Kelvin Sampson.
Landers Nolley II had 24 points, including 6 3-pointers. Vicktor Lakhin added 15 points, and David DeJulius had 14 points and nine assists for Cincinnati (14-8, 5-4).&nbsp;
NO. 4 TENNESSEE 82, NO. 10 TEXAS 71
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Olivier Nkamhoua scored 27 points and Zakai Zeigler had 22 points and 10 assists to lead Tennessee over Texas in an SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Josiah-Jordan James added 14 and Santiago Vescovi had 12 for Tennessee (18-3), which led by as many as 22 midway through the second half.
Sir&rsquo;Jabari Rice scored 21 to lead Texas (17-4). Marcus Carr and Brock Cunningham finished with 11 each.
NO. 5 KANSAS STATE 64, FLORIDA 50
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Keyontae Johnson had 13 points and 11 rebounds against his former team, Markquis Nowell flirted with the first triple-double in Kanas State history, and the Wildcats beat Florida in an SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Nowell finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, and Nae&rsquo;Qwan Tomlin also had 11 points. The Wildcats improved to 18-3 to match the 1972-73 team for the best start through 21 games in school history.
Johnson struggled from the field, going just 5 of 16 and even getting stuffed by the front of the rim during a windmill dunk on a second-half fast break. But it was nevertheless a special night for the senior forward, who collapsed on the Gators&rsquo; sideline due to a heart condition during a game against Florida State just over two years ago.
Colin Castleton scored 13 points for the Gators (12-9). Myreon Jones and Will Richard had 11 apiece.
NO. 6 ARIZONA 95, WASHINGTON 72
SEATTLE (AP) &mdash; Azuolas Tubelis had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Oumar Ballo added 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Arizona used a big second-half run to pull away to win its fourth straight.
Tubelis topped 20 points for the first time in five games and his rebound putback while being fouled with 4:29 remaining gave the Wildcats a 78-63 lead and sent Washington fans headed for the exits.
Kerr Kriisa added 18 points, hitting six 3-pointers, and Courtney Ramey scored 14 for the Wildcats (19-3, 8-3 Pac-12).
Keion Brooks Jr. led Washington with 25 points and Keyon Menifield added 21. But the Huskies (13-10, 5-7) suffered from too many scoring droughts and didn&rsquo;t have an answer for Arizona&rsquo;s 19-1 run in the early stages of the second half.
NO. 7 VIRGINIA 76, BOSTON COLLEGE 57
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) &mdash; Armaan Franklin and Jayden Gardner scored 18 points each and Virginia used a big first-half run to take control over Boston College for its sixth straight victory.
The Cavaliers (16-3, 8-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) trailed 18-15 before starting an 18-4 run over the next 11 minutes. Virginia put the game away with a 16-4 second-half spurt.
Quinten Post scored 24 to lead the Eagles (10-12, 4-7) and Makai Ashton-Langford added 12 points.
Virginia&rsquo;s Isaac McKneely finished with 12 points and Reece Beekman had 11 and eight assists.
NO. 9 KANSAS 77, KENTUCKY 68
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) &mdash; Jalen Wilson scored 22 points, including one in a series of huge 3-pointers down the stretch, and Kansas avoided its first four-game losing streak under coach Bill Self.
Wilson made 9 of 18 from the field and grabbed eight rebounds for Kansas (17-4), which finished even with Kentucky at 49% shooting. K.J. Adams Jr. added 17 points, Dick had 13 and McCullar 11 with 12 rebounds as the Jayhawks edged Kentucky 34-29 on the glass.
Oscar Tshiebwe had 18 points and nine rebounds, and Jacob Toppin and Cason Wallace each added 14 for Kentucky (14-7), which had won its previous four.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 81, NO. 11 TCU 74, OT
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) &mdash; Tolu Smith had 27 points, 13 rebounds and five assists to lead Mississippi State to an overtime victory.
Dashawn Davis added 16 points to help Mississippi State (13-8) snap a five-game losing streak. Shakeel Moore had 11, including six in overtime, while Cameron Matthews had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs. Tyler Stevenson also added 10 points off the Bulldogs&rsquo; bench.
Damion Baugh led TCU (16-5) with 19 points and Emanuel Miller had 13. Shahada Wells and Jakobe Coles each had 12 for the Horned Frogs and Chuck O&rsquo;Bannon had 10.
Davis&rsquo; 3 pointer with 55 seconds left in the second half gave the Bulldogs a 66-64 advantage. Emanuel Miller scored with 32 seconds remaining and then both teams missed chances to win in regulation.
MISSOURI 78, NO. 12 IOWA STATE 61
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) &mdash; Kobe Brown scored 20 points, and D&rsquo;Moi Hodge scored 17 points to help Missouri take down Iowa State in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Brown scored 14 of his points in the first half and led Missouri (16-5) with 12 rebounds. Nick Honor added 12 points and DeAndre Gholston scored 10.
Jaren Holmes led Iowa State (15-5) with 19 points, and Gabe Kalscheur added 14.
The Tigers&rsquo; 78 points were a season-high for an Iowa State opponent in regulation; the Cyclones are 0-3 this season when allowing at least 70 points in regulation.
CREIGHTON 84, NO. 13 XAVIER 67
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) &mdash; Arthur Kamula scored 20 points, Creighton&rsquo;s four other starters finished in double-figures and the Bluejays earned their fourth straight Big East win.
Creighton (13-8, 7-3) steadily built a double-digit lead throughout the game and made 34 of its 60 field goal attempts (56.7%) before a sold-out crowd.
Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 17 points, Baylor Scheierman had 14, Trey Alexander finished with 13 and Ryan Nembhard added 11 for the Bluejays, who avenged a 90-87 loss at Xavier on Jan. 11.
Zach Freemantle led Xavier (17-5, 9-2) with 18 points, followed by Colby Jones and Adam Kunkel with 13.
NO. 14 GONZAGA 82, PORTLAND 67
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Julian Strawther had a career-high 40 points, including eight 3-pointers, and Gonzaga pulled away down the stretch for its 16th consecutive victory over Portland.
Anton Watson added 17 points for Gonzaga (18-4, 7-1 West Coast Conference).
Strawther is the first player to reach 40 points for the Zags since Kyle Wiltjer had 45 against Pacific in 2016.
Portland (11-13, 3-5) was led by Moses Wood with 19 points. Juan Sebastian Gorosito, a freshman, finished with a career-high 17 points.
WEST VIRGINIA 80, NO. 15 AUBURN 77
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) &mdash; Erik Stevenson scored a career-high 31 points and West Virginia withstood a furious late rally from Auburn to win an SEC/Big 12 Challenge matchup.
The Mountaineers (13-8) have won two straight for the first time in a month. Jimmy Bell Jr. added 15 points for the Mountaineers.
Charles Barkley cheered on his alma mater from a courtside seat, but Auburn (16-5) couldn&rsquo;t overcome another slow start. The Tigers have lost two straight for the first time in two years.
Jaylin Williams led Auburn with 18 points. Johni Broome added 15 and Allen Flanigan scored 13.
NO. 16 MARQUETTE 89, DEPAUL 69
CHICAGO (AP) &mdash; David Joplin went 8 for 11 from 3-point range for a career-high 28 points, Tyler Kolek had 24 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds, and Marquette defeated DePaul.
Marquette has won eight of its last nine games, and moved into a tie with No. 13 Xavier atop the Big East.
Marquette (17-5, 9-2) pulled away in the second half. Oso Ighodaro had 10 points, making all five of his shots, and Olivier-Maxence Prosper scored 13 and had 8 rebounds.
Umoja Gibson scored 25 points for DePaul (9-13, 3-8) on 8-of-12 shooting.
NO. 17 BAYLOR 67, ARKANSAS 64
WACO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Keyonte George scored 24 points, including seven in a row down the stretch, and Baylor beat Arkansas in an SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Baylor (16-5) fell behind by as many as eight points in the second half after an early 11-point lead. But the Bears closed it out after Flo Thamba made two free throws for a 55-53 lead with 3:37 left.
LJ Cryer added 20 points and Jalen Bridges had 10 for the Bears, who won their sixth game in a row despite shooting a 34% (20 of 59) from the field. They offset the season-worst shooting from the field by making 21 of 24 free throws, including two by Cryer with 10 seconds left and two by George with 4.3 seconds remaining.
Ricky Council IV scored 25 points for Arkansas (14-7). Davonte Davis had 16 points, but missed the front end of a 1-plus-1 with 2.3 seconds left, though Joseph Pinion got the ball in the right corner only to miss wildly on a 3-pointer as time ran out.
HOFSTRA 85, NO. 18 COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 81
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) &mdash; Aaron Estrada scored 25 points and Darlinstone Dubar added 18 as Hofstra ended College of Charleston&rsquo;s 20-game winning streak.
The Pride (15-8, 8-2 Colonial Athletic Association) were down 28-20 early before rallying past the Cougars (21-2, 9-1), who had not lost since falling to then-No. 1 North Carolina on Nov. 11.
Tyler Thomas had 17 points and eight rebounds for Hofstra.
Ante Brzovic finished with 18 points to lead Charleston.
PITTSBURGH 71, NO. 20 MIAMI 68
PITTSBURGH (AP) &mdash; Blake Hinson tipped in a Jamarius Burton miss with 31 seconds remaining and Pittsburgh rallied past Miami.
The Panthers (15-7, 8-3 ACC) held the Hurricanes (16-5, 7-4) scoreless over the final 2:26 while closing on an 11-0 run to beat a ranked team for the third time this season to bolster its increasingly impressive NCAA tournament resume.
Hinson finished with 21 points for Pitt. Burton had 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists as the Panthers stunned Miami in front of a rare sell-out crowd at the Petersen Events Center.
Jordan Miller led the Hurricanes with 18 points. Isaiah Wong added 14 but Miami committed three of its 12 turnovers in the final 35 seconds as the Panthers stormed back.
NO. 21 FAU 70, W. KENTUCKY 63
BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Brandon Weatherspoon scored 14 points and Florida Atlantic remained undefeated at home.
The victory extended FAU&rsquo;s winning streak to a program-record 20 games, which is now the nation&rsquo;s longest. The Owls&rsquo; 21 victories on the season ties their Division I record set in 2010-11. Western Kentucky (11-11, 3-8 Conference USA) has lost five straight.
Alijah Martin scored eight while grabbing seven rebounds for the Owls (21-1, 11-0).
Jordan Rawls led all scorers with 17 for W. Kentucky. Dayvion McKnight and Emmanuel Akot each had 16.
NO. 22 SAINT MARY&rsquo;S (CAL) 57, BYU 56
PROVO, Utah (AP) &mdash; Logan Johnson had 14 points and freshman Aidan Mahaney scored all 10 of his points, including a fade-away jumper just before the buzzer, in the second half and Saint Mary&rsquo;s (Cal) won its 10th in a row.
Mitchell Saxen had 11 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocks for Saint Mary&rsquo;s (19-4, 8-0 West Coast Conference). Alex Ducas scored 12 points and Augustas Marciulionis added 10.
Dallin Hall was fouled on a driving lay-up attempt with 10.2 seconds left and made 1-of-2 free throws to give BYU a 56-55 lead but Mahaney took the inbounds pass, probed the defense before he drove the lane, stopped near the right block and pivoted away from the basket before hitting the winning jumper over the out-stretched arm of defender Fousseyni Traore.
Hall scored a career-high 23 points on 9 of 14 shooting but made just 3 of 6 from the free-throw line for BYU (14-10, 4-5). Fousseyni Traore added 11 points and eight rebounds.
NO. 24 CLEMSON 82, FLORIDA STATE 81
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Chase Hunter drove the lane and drew a foul, sinking the free throw, to help Clemson escape with a win over Florida State.
Hunter Tyson scored 27 points on 10 of 17 shooting for Clemson (18-4, 10-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), which halted an eight-game road losing streak to Florida State. Hunter finished with 25.
Matthew Cleveland scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half for Florida State (7-15, 5-6), which made a season-high 13 3-pointers. Caleb Mills and Darin Green Jr. each hit four 3-pointers for the Seminoles. Freshman forward Baba Miller had his best game, scoring 11 points and pulling down four rebounds in 20 minutes.

A recap of Saturday's action in men's college hoops includes five upsets in the AP top 15.

Oklahoma's rout of No. 2 Alabama one of many top-15 upsets on Saturday

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Makai Ashton-Langford had 21 points and seven rebounds, hitting a 3-pointer with 36 seconds left in overtime to clinch a win Wednesday night for Boston College over No. 21 Virginia Tech 70-65.
Devin McGlockton added 18 points and seven rebounds for the Eagles (7-6, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who have won back-to-back games to snap a four-game losing streak. It was Boston College&rsquo;s first win over a ranked team since 2020, making it the first for second-year coach Earl Grant.
Sean Pedulla and Justyn Mutts had 18 points apiece for Virginia Tech (11-2, 1-1), which had won six in a row.
NO. 1 PURDUE 74, NEW ORLEANS 53
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Redshirt freshman Trey Kaufman-Renn scored a season-best 24 points to lead Purdue past New Orleans.
Kaufman-Renn hit 8 of 10 shots and 8 of 10 free throws for the Boilermakers (12-0). The only other Boilermaker in double figures was Mason Gillis with 11 points.
The Boilermakers played without 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey, who was sidelined by illness.
Jordan Johnson scored 17 points to lead the Privateers (3-8), who have lost five of their last six games. Tyson Jackson had 14 for New Orleans.
NO. 3 HOUSTON 83, MCNEESE ST. 44
HOUSTON (AP) &mdash; Ja&rsquo;Vier Francis scored a career-high 23 points and had 13 rebounds as Houston routed McNeese State.
Emanuel Sharp added 18 points while going 6 of 9 on 3-pointers for the Cougars (12-1), and Marcus Sasser hit 5 of 10 from long range and scored 17 points. The pair combined to shoot 9 of 14 on 3s in the first half.
Roberts Berze scored 13 points and Christian Shumate added 10 for McNeese State (3-10). The Cowboys lost their fourth straight game.
NO. 7 TEXAS 100, LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE 72
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) &mdash; Freshman Arterio Morris scored a season-best 25 points in just 18 minutes in Texas&rsquo; victory over Louisiana-Lafayette.
Timmy Allen and Marcus Carr scored 17 apiece for the Longhorns (10-1), whose 100 points were a season-high and their most since a 105-59 victory against Northwestern State on Nov. 10, 2017.
Jordan Brown, a 6-foot-11 forward, led Louisiana-Lafayette (10-2) with 20 points.
NO. 8 TENNESSEE 86, AUSTIN PEAY 44
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Olivier Nkamhoua scored 20 points to lead Tennessee to a victory over Austin Peay.
Santiago Vescovi had 18 points, shooting 5 for 5 on 3-pointers, and Jonas Aidoo set a career high with 10 points and matched his career best with nine rebounds as the Volunteers (10-2) cruised in their final tune-up before the start of Southeastern Conference play next week.
The Governors (6-7) were led by Sean Durugordon and Elijah Hutchins-Everett with 11 points each.
NO. 10 ARKANSAS 85, UNC-ASHEVILLE 51
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) &mdash; Jalen Graham scored a season-high 16 points and Arkansas breezed past UNC-Asheville.
Graham, who hadn&rsquo;t played more than 11 minutes in a game this season, logged 19 minutes and shot 8 of 10 from the field as the Razorbacks (11-1) shot 53.3% overall.
Arkansas was missing standout freshman Nick Smith Jr.
Taijon Jones led UNC-Asheville (8-5) with 14 points and Jamon Battle scored 10.
NO. 13 UCLA 81, UC DAVIS 54
LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Jaylen Clark had 18 points and 11 rebounds as UCLA returned from a productive East Coast trip to earn a victory over UC Davis.
Tyger Campbell scored 17 points and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 14 as the Bruins (11-2) won their eighth consecutive game.
Elijah Pepper scored 16 points for the Aggies (7-5), just under his 20-point average per game. Robby Beasley added 14 points and Ty Johnson had 13 points for UC Davis.
NO. 19 KENTUCKY 88, FLORIDA A&amp;M 68
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) &mdash; Cason Wallace scored a career-high 27 points to help Kentucky beat Florida A&amp;M.
Wallace scored the first seven points of the second half for the Wildcats (8-3) as they took a 69-48 lead. The Rattlers (2-8) answered with a 14-0 run, cutting the deficit to seven points on Jaylen Bates&rsquo; 3-pointer. Wallace steadied Kentucky with a jumper and an assist on Antonio Reeves&rsquo; dunk.
Bates led the Rattlers with 21 points and Dimingus Stevens added 13 points.
NO. 20 TCU 75, UTAH 71
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Emanuel Miller had 21 points and seven rebounds and TCU beat Utah.
Mike Miles added 18 points for the Horned Frogs (10-1), and center Eddie Lampkin had 10 rebounds in his return from a back injury.
Gabe Madsen made seven 3-pointers and scored 26 points &mdash; both career highs &mdash; for Utah (9-4). Marco Anthony added 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Branden Carlson had 14 points and eight rebounds. The Utes have lost two in a row.
NO. 23 AUBURN 84, WASHINGTON 61
SEATTLE (AP) &mdash; Jaylin Williams scored 14 of his 18 points in the first half, Johni Broome also scored 18, and Auburn ran away in the second half for a win over Washington.
Chris Moore added 12 points and Wendell Green Jr. added 11 for Auburn (10-2), which shot 21 of 29 (72.4%) in the second half and led by as many as 27.
Keion Brooks Jr. led Washington (9-4) with 15 points and Koren Johnson scored 12.
SAN FRANCISCO 97, NO. 25 ARIZONA ST. 60
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Khalil Shabazz scored 26 points and San Francisco routed Arizona State to end the Sun Devils&rsquo; nine game winning streak.
The Sun Devils had entered the AP Top 25 poll on Monday for the first time since their No. 23 ranking on Dec. 7, 2020.
The Dons opened the game on a 24-2 run, had a 27-point advantage at the break and a 47-point lead with about six minutes left.
Isaiah Hawthorne added 19 points for San Francisco (10-4). Tyrell Roberts scored 14 points.
DJ Horne and Duke Brennan scored 12 points apiece for Arizona State (11-2).

A recap of Wednesday night's men's college basketball slate includes the upset-minded Eagles taking down the Hokies.

Boston College beats No. 21 Virginia Tech 70-65 in overtime

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Immanuel Quickley scored 22 points, Jalen Brunson had 21 and the New York Knicks rolled to their eighth straight victory, beating the depleted Golden State Warriors 132-94 on Tuesday night.
Quentin Grimes added 19 points and RJ Barrett had 18 as New York extended the longest current winning streak in the NBA.
&ldquo;No one has talked about the streak at all,&rdquo; Brunson said. &ldquo;Obviously, we tell each other to keep it rolling. But, we&rsquo;re just trying to be the best team we can be and just focus on one day at a time.&rdquo;
Julius Randle finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds, Mitchell Robinson had nine points and 11 rebounds and Miles McBride added 10 points.
&ldquo;We have a lot of players on this team who are capable of having monster games,&rdquo; Brunson said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not surprising when someone like &lsquo;Quick&rsquo; plays that way or &lsquo;Q&rsquo; having that type of game or even Deuce (McBride) getting double figures. When they do it, it&rsquo;s definitely a plus.&rdquo;
Jordan Poole scored 26 points for the Warriors, who are without Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins and other key players. Jonathan Kuminga had 13, while Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Ty Jerome each had 11.
The Knicks scored the first eight points of the game and never trailed. They led 33-25 at the end of the first quarter.
The Warriors pulled within 35-33, but a 3-pointer by Grimes with 4:17 left in the second quarter gave the Knicks a 60-45 lead. New York led 69-56 at halftime.
&ldquo;Winning naturally gains confidence,&rdquo; Randle said. &ldquo;But, I&rsquo;m not going to put much into a winning streak or whatever. It&rsquo;s still December.&rdquo;
Robinson&rsquo;s free throws put the Knicks up 88-67 with 5:37 remaining in the third quarter. They again went up by 21 on Quickley&rsquo;s free throws with five seconds left in the quarter.
Quickley shot 6 for 10 after going 3 for 20 in the previous two games.
The Knicks led 100-81 heading into the fourth, and the Warriors never got any closer.
Svi Mykailiuk&rsquo;s free throws with 58 seconds remaining gave New York its biggest lead of the night and were the final points of the contest.
&ldquo;The Knicks are in a good groove right now. They totally outplayed us,&rdquo; said Warriors coach Steve Kerr. &ldquo;We sank tonight. We&rsquo;re trying to hang in there and we will. Another game tomorrow.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Warriors: Golden State is now 3-15 in away games this season, 1-8 against the Eastern Conference. &hellip; Donte DiVincenzo (illness, unrelated to COVID-19) and JaMychal Green (health and safety protocols) did not play. &hellip; Curry became the NBA&rsquo;s career leader in 3-pointers made the last time he played at Madison Square Garden (Dec. 14, 2021). He missed his third straight game (left shoulder injury). &hellip; Andre Iguodala has yet to play this season (left hip injury).
Knicks: New York had lost eight straight home games to the Warriors. The Knicks&rsquo; last victory over Golden State was on Feb. 27, 2013, a 109-105 victory in which Curry&rsquo;s 54 points were his career high. &hellip; Obi Toppin has not played since Oct. 10 (fractured right fibula). Coach Tom Thibodeau said he is doing better but was only working in the pool and still not doing anything on the court.
LONE WARRIOR
Kevon Looney is the only Warrior to start all 32 games this season. Poole is the other Golden State player to see the floor in all 32 games, but he has only started 13.
&nbsp;

Immanuel Quickley scored 22 points and the Knicks rolled to their eighth straight victory, beating the Warriors 132-94.

Knicks rout Warriors 132-94, extend win streak to 8 games

NEW YORK &ndash; The NBA debuted its new 2022-23 season tip-off spots, &ldquo;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1bcZhEytR8&amp;ab_channel=NBA">The Nonstop NBA</a>&rdquo; for its brand campaign and &ldquo;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6Z0gm8K1uI">This is HAPPENING</a>&rdquo; for the new NBA App. Both are now streaming across all <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA">@NBA</a> social platforms and on the <a href="https://pr.nba.com/nba-launches-reimagined-app-the-all-in-one-destination-for-nba-fans-of-every-team/">new reimagined NBA App</a>.
2022-23 Brand Campaign &ndash; &ldquo;The Nonstop NBA&rdquo;:
Told through the lens of the ultimate NBA superfan, nicknamed &ldquo;Non-Stop&rdquo;, and featuring an All-Star lineup of NBA players, coaches and legends, the spot celebrates the return of the NBA, showcasing how the game and its culture is constantly evolving.
&ldquo;We got sneaks-on-the-ground on four coasts&hellip;
From a Serbian Serpent moving like Mamba&hellip;
To A Greek-Nigerian-Milwaukeean changing the face of the game&hellip;
to an ice-cold Trae in the heart of Hotlanta&hellip;
To a couple brothers in the Bay with wet jays splashing their way back to try to go back-to-back&hellip;&rdquo;
Reigning NBA Champion Stephen Curry headlines an illustrious cast of NBA talent starring Jayson Tatum, Tyler Herro, Paul George and Joel Embiid, who remind fans about all the exciting on-court elements that they can look forward to this season. From a potential Warriors repeat for Curry to another shot at the Celtics claiming a league record 18th title orchestrated by Tatum, the drama known as the NBA is about to begin its next act.
&ldquo;The Nonstop NBA&rdquo; also features a fan debate at an outdoor basketball court on whose team will be this year&rsquo;s champ, with Embiid proclaiming that it&rsquo;s the 76ers&rsquo; year.&nbsp; From exciting matchups and captivating crossovers to breathtaking buzzer beaters, the nonstop energy of the league extends far beyond the baseline to culture, fashion, music, the metaverse and more &ndash; whether it&rsquo;s Damian Lillard recording in the studio, DeMar DeRozan showing off his impressive sneaker collection or Luka Dončić coming to life in NBA 2K23.
Finally, &ldquo;Non-Stop&rdquo; makes one thing clear &ndash; the NBA has something for everyone, and fans better keep up because &ldquo;in the NBA, what&rsquo;s happening next is happening now.&rdquo;
Click <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1bcZhEytR8&amp;ab_channel=NBA">HERE</a> to view the full campaign video, &ldquo;The Nonstop NBA&rdquo; 
Full cast includes:
<ul>
<li>NBA Players: Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), Paul George (LA Clippers), Tyler Herro (Miami Heat), Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)</li>
<li>NBA Legends: Tim Hardaway Sr., Bill Walton</li>
<li>Coaches: Tyronn Lue (LA Clippers)</li>
<li>Influencers: Crissa Jackson</li>
<li>Non-Stop: Actor Keyon Bowman</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;Created in conjunction with independent creative agency <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.translationllc.com/__;!!PMETyfE!OjCxd7kYYWMkE8rEg5x37IScA9s0eCuMCphhqiO_2s6vv2xXlqzc9MuGTeKdwcXvc35DQRP8iUZZ33Ew1KYRjrg$">Translation</a>, the spot was directed by Calmatic (&ldquo;House Party&rdquo;, &ldquo;Entrepreneur&rdquo; by Pharrell Williams ft. Jay-Z and &ldquo;Old Town Road&rdquo; by Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus).&nbsp; &ldquo;The Nonstop NBA&rdquo; is currently airing on television networks, with additional :30, :15 and :10-second versions running on social and digital channels.&nbsp; The spot will also be translated in 14 additional languages to reach fans globally.
Check out action from behind-the-scenes <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwBjdHqXRcs&amp;ab_channel=NBA">HERE</a>, detailing the making of &ldquo;The Nonstop NBA&rdquo;, featuring soundbites from DeMar DeRozan, Paul George, Tyler Herro, Damian Lillard, Tyronn Lue, Jayson Tatum, Bill Walton and &ldquo;The Nonstop NBA&rdquo; director Calmatic.
&nbsp;2022-23 NBA App Campaign: &ldquo;This is HAPPENING&rdquo;:
Ahead of the 2022-23 season, the league launched the new reimagined <a href="https://global.nba.com/nba-apps/index.html?showNav=false&amp;showFooter=false&amp;adobe_mc=TS%3D1602716228447%7CMCMID%3D02995697633469209167976945683217902546%7CMCORGID%3D248F210755B762187F000101%40AdobeOrg">NBA App</a> to be an all-in-one destination for fans of every team. To celebrate the new app, the league released its campaign, &ldquo;This is HAPPENING,&rdquo; to get fans excited about all the NBA App has to offer.
In the spot, LaMelo Ball and Jordan Poole take fans on a journey through the NBA App, showcasing its capabilities and all it has to offer, from every play on the court with real-time highlights, behind-the-scenes access, press conferences, and all-access shows, because &ldquo;If it&rsquo;s HAPPENING, it&rsquo;s HAPPENING in the NBA App.&rdquo;
Click <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6Z0gm8K1uI">HERE</a> to view the full spot, &ldquo;This is HAPPENING&rdquo; 
Full cast includes:
<ul>
<li>NBA Players: LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets), Jordan Poole (Golden State Warriors)</li>
</ul>
Created in conjunction with full-service creative agency, Mekanism, the spot will air across TV networks and stream on NBA social and digital platforms throughout the season. Download the <a href="https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/nba-live-games-scores/id484672289">NBA App</a> and Sign Up for NBA ID today.
The 2022-23 NBA season tips off on Tuesday, Oct. 18 with a doubleheader on TNT.&nbsp; The Philadelphia 76ers will visit the reigning Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics (7:30 p.m. ET) before the NBA champion Golden State Warriors receive their championship rings and host the Los Angeles Lakers (10 p.m. ET).&nbsp; A full schedule of the season&rsquo;s game is available on <a href="https://www.nba.com/schedule">NBA.com</a> and the NBA App.

Both are now streaming across all @NBA social platforms and on the new reimagined NBA App.

NBA debuts tip-off spots: 'The Nonstop NBA' & 'This is HAPPENING'

Chris Paul returned from a broken right wrist to help the Phoenix Suns wrap up the top seed in the NBA playoffs with a 140-130 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.
Devin Booker led Phoenix with a season-high 49 points and Paul had 17 points &mdash; 15 of them after halftime &mdash; and 13 assists in the Suns' seventh straight victory.
The Suns, who won 11 of the 15 games while their 12-time All-Star point guard was out, lead the NBA with a 60-14 record and are trying to make the NBA Finals for a second straight season after losing to Milwaukee last year.
The Nuggets got 28 points from Nikola Jokic, 23 from rookie Bones Hyland and 21 from Aaron Gordon. They shot 59.3% from the floor, but Phoenix was even hotter, hitting at a 60.5% clip.
Mikai Bridges added 22 points for the Suns, who trailed by nine points early on but took the lead for good on Bridges' basket that made it 115-114 midway through the final quarter.
Booker was 16 of 25 from the field, while Bridges was 8 of 9. Booker, Bridges and Deandre Ayton have played well in Paul&rsquo;s absence and Ayton had a career-high 35 points Wednesday night in a comeback victory at Minnesota. He had 16 on Thursday night.
Paul returned roughly five weeks after breaking his right thumb in a game against Houston on Feb. 16, just before the All-Star break.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s good to have him back,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said about an hour before tip-off. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been working diligently to not just get back but play at a level he wants to play. I&rsquo;m sure the guys are jacked up.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I knew he was close to coming back and I was just hoping that wouldn&rsquo;t be tonight,&rdquo; Nuggets coach Michael Malone said while Paul was warming up at an empty Ball Arena.
The Suns were worried that Paul might miss the remainder of the regular season because of the thumb injury, but the veteran has been active in recent practices in a push to return.
With a nine-game lead over second-place Memphis with eight games left for both teams, the Suns wrapped up the best record in the NBA and home-court throughout the playoffs.
Hyland scored 19 first-half points and sank 5 of 7 long-range jumpers, along the way surpassing Jamal Murray's rookie record of 115 3-pointers in a season, and the Nuggets took a 68-66 lead into the locker room on Jeff Green's 3-pointer.
Booker had 24 points at the break.
TIP-INS
Suns: Have won a season-high seven straight away from home to improve their NBA-best road record to 30-6. Phoenix got off to a slow start, falling behind 9-2 but Paul's first basket tied it at 15 at the 6:33 mark. ... Booker fouled Hyland hard on a shot that wasn't whistled and then got fouled at the other end on a 3-point try. He made all three foul shots while boos rang down from the crowd.
Nuggets: Hyland missed a pair of free throws before scoring the Nuggets' final 10 points of the first quarter. That included a 3-pointer and a three-point play. ... His rushed jumper after losing the handle swished just as the third-quarter buzzer went off, giving Denver a 106-104 lead.
TOAST MALONE
In his first comments since his <a href="https://apnews.com/article/denver-nuggets-nba-sports-denver-michael-porter-jr-5257da9d5318b8041e9f67dd8d8c9584"> multi-year contract extension</a> was announced this week, Nuggets coach Michael Malone said, &ldquo;It's so empowering when you have ownership continue to believe in you. Obviously, seven years in one place in a lifetime in this business. And to know that we have work to do and we&rsquo;ll be here for a while longer. is just really, really exciting for me and my family.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Suns: Host Philadelphia on Sunday.
Nuggets: Host Oklahoma City on Saturday night.
___
More AP NBA: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nba">https://apnews.com/hub/nba</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

Chris Paul returned from a broken right wrist to help the Suns wrap up the top seed in the NBA playoffs with a 140-130 victory.

Paul's back, Booker has 49 as Suns clinch top seed with win in Denver

METAIRIE, La. (AP) &mdash; New Pelicans coach Willie Green sees New Orleans as a team on the cusp of contending &mdash; a conclusion he explains by referencing his past two years with the Phoenix Suns.
&ldquo;This situation actually reminds me a lot of Phoenix,&rdquo; Green said during his formal introduction on Tuesday, highlighting &ldquo;really high-talented players&rdquo; such as 2021 All-Star Zion Williamson and 2020 All-Star Brandon Ingram.
The Pelicans are &ldquo;really close to taking the next step,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;Going into next season, that&rsquo;s our goal. That&rsquo;s our mindset and that makes it a sleeping giant.&rdquo;
In Green&rsquo;s first season with Phoenix as an assistant to Monty Williams, the Suns narrowly missed the 2020 playoffs. This season, they advanced to the NBA Finals and won the first two games of that series before the Milwaukee Bucks stormed back to take the title.
A former NBA player who turns 40 on Wednesday, Green was hired last week to his first head coaching job. He emerged as a top candidate several weeks ago while helping the Suns advance through the playoffs.
David Griffin, the Pelicans&rsquo; executive vice president of basketball operations, said that while researching potential candidates, so many people around the NBA asked if he and Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon had spoken to Green that the question became &ldquo;almost a joke between Trajan and I.&rdquo;
Griffin added that when Green&rsquo;s name came up, he was repeatedly advised, &ldquo;That is the dude, and if you don&rsquo;t get him, you&rsquo;re an idiot.&rdquo;
Griffin said he heard similar things about Tyronn Lue before making him a first-time coach in Cleveland, where they won the 2016 NBA title together with a squad led by LeBron James.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Green is the Pelicans&rsquo; third coach since Griffin took over the front office two seasons ago. Alvin Gentry lasted one season under Griffin and was fired last August. Stan Van Gundy, who was hired in October, left the club in June after the Pelicans again failed to make the playoffs.
Green said he was concerned about the recent rate of coaching turnover in New Orleans and made that known to Griffin during the interview process. Green said he was comfortable with the explanation he received and grew confident that he and New Orleans&rsquo; front office were philosophically aligned.
&ldquo;I was honest about things that I saw or things that happened here. Griff was straightforward with me,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;The different coaching changes &mdash; both coaches are really good coaches, but the fit was important. ... We left the room feeling confident that we all fit together and wanted the same things.&rdquo;
Last season, Van Gundy expressed frustration at his players&rsquo; lack of commitment to his scheme, particularly on defense. New Orleans went 31-41 and ranked in the bottom third in the NBA defensively.
Griffin, who'd hired the 61-year-old Van Gundy for his basketball knowledge, decided he wanted his next coach to be someone who could effectively get through to younger players. Green, now the third-youngest head coach in the league, played 12 NBA seasons, including one in New Orleans under Williams.
Griffin said Green, who also was part of two championship coaching staffs with Golden State in 2017 and 2018, has a &ldquo;demonstrated ability to galvanize a group and engender a spirit and a clarity of purpose that is needed to lead young men.&rdquo;
Green said the best head coaches are not necessarily those who specialize in &ldquo;the Xs and Os.&rdquo;
Rather, he said, &ldquo;The best coaches are people that you know care about you. And connecting with players is no different than just connecting with people. You realize really quickly that you have a lot more in common than you don&rsquo;t.&rdquo;
Green said he also had personal reasons for returning to New Orleans; he and his family enjoyed it during his lone season playing in the city.
His wife, Terrah, and children Ross, 21, Aaliyah, 14, and Mason, 9, were all with Green on Tuesday. Terrah Green said they were eager to revisit New Orleans' renowned restaurant scene and perhaps find a home in the historic, tree-shaded Uptown section.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think tourists really get a chance to understand this city unless you live here,&rdquo; Willie said. &ldquo;After living here for one year, it&rsquo;s impacted us.&rdquo;

After two years as an assistant with the Suns, Willie Green is now the Pelicans' head coach. He sees similarities between the teams.

Mekai