Titans

With just days left until the 2024-25 NBA season tips off, the Eastern Conference teams are settled, prepped, and ready for action. The offseason moves are done, rosters are set, and almost everyone&rsquo;s locked in for what&rsquo;s shaping up to be an intense race. From title contenders to dark horses, the East is packed with teams ready to make noise. So, let&rsquo;s dive into the top 15 teams in the East as we gear up for this brand-new season&mdash;no fluff, just what you need to know.
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">New York Knicks The Knicks made significant moves this offseason, adding Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges while retaining key pieces like Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby. With depth, defense, and firepower, they look primed for a deep playoff run. After a 50-win season in 2023-24, they now have realistic championship aspirations and could be the biggest threat to the Celtics in the East.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Boston Celtics The defending champions kept their core intact, extending Jayson Tatum and Derrick White. With Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Jrue Holiday leading a formidable lineup, the Celtics are aiming to repeat as NBA champions. Despite concerns about Al Horford&rsquo;s age and frontcourt health, Boston remains the favorite heading into the 2024-25 season.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Milwaukee Bucks The Bucks didn&rsquo;t make major changes but added depth with Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince, and Delon Wright. After an injury-plagued season from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, Milwaukee looks to bounce back under returning head coach Doc Rivers. With questions surrounding Lillard&rsquo;s form and Middleton&rsquo;s durability, the Bucks remain playoff contenders, but how far they go will depend on health and chemistry.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Philadelphia 76ers The 76ers had a big offseason, adding Paul George, Andre Drummond, and Caleb Martin to support Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Maxey&rsquo;s rise as a star solidifies Philly&rsquo;s title hopes, and Embiid&rsquo;s MVP-level play is crucial for their success. With an improved supporting cast, the Sixers could be serious challengers in the East, but Embiid&rsquo;s health remains the key.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Cleveland Cavaliers After a solid 48-win season, the Cavs focused on continuity by keeping their core of Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. New coach Kenny Atkinson brings fresh leadership, and Cleveland hopes to build on last season&rsquo;s playoff run. With a healthier roster and improved coaching, the Cavs could reach 50 wins and challenge the top teams in the East.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Indiana Pacers The Pacers had a quiet offseason but retained Pascal Siakam and made a key addition in James Wiseman. Tyrese Haliburton&rsquo;s breakout season makes Indiana a team to watch, and they&rsquo;re looking to build on their deep playoff run. With improved chemistry and young talent, Indiana could surprise as a top-five team in the East.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Orlando Magic The Magic are banking on internal growth, led by Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. After winning 47 games and making the playoffs last season, they added veteran Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for shooting and leadership. With a young core developing, Orlando could win 50 games if they continue their upward trend and improve their perimeter shooting.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Miami Heat The Heat had a quiet offseason, adding Alec Burks while re-signing key players like Bam Adebayo. With Jimmy Butler&rsquo;s future uncertain and health concerns for both Butler and Tyler Herro, Miami could face challenges in a competitive Eastern Conference. However, Adebayo&rsquo;s All-NBA-level play will keep them in the playoff hunt.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Atlanta Hawks The Hawks overhauled their roster after a disappointing 36-46 season, headlined by trading Dejounte Murray and acquiring the No. 1 pick, Zaccharie Risacher. With Trae Young remaining the focal point, the Hawks are banking on Risacher&rsquo;s development and contributions from new additions like Larry Nance Jr. and Dyson Daniels. This team looks poised to contend for a Play-In spot but lacks the co-star power needed for a deep playoff run.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Charlotte Hornets The Hornets enter the season with fresh energy, thanks to the hiring of new coach Charles Lee and the re-signing of Miles Bridges. With LaMelo Ball back healthy and Brandon Miller continuing to impress after an All-Rookie season, Charlotte&rsquo;s young core could surprise many. If Ball stays on the floor and their youth develops quickly, the Hornets might find themselves contending for a Play-In spot and shaking off years of underachievement.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Detroit Pistons The Pistons are looking to turn the page on a tough 2023-24 season and have made moves to fast-track their rebuild. With Cade Cunningham healthy, new leadership under J.B. Bickerstaff, and rookie Ron Holland adding spark, Detroit could outperform expectations. If Cunningham returns to form and the team gels quickly, don&rsquo;t be surprised if the Pistons emerge as a dark horse in the East.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Toronto Raptors The Raptors are in transition, keeping their young core of Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley intact. After a poor finish to last season, Toronto is betting on Barnes&rsquo; continued growth and the addition of Davion Mitchell to improve their fortunes. While their ceiling might be a Play-In appearance, the Raptors are hoping their trio can take a big step forward.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Chicago Bulls The Bulls traded DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso, adding Josh Giddey and Jalen Smith to the mix. Zach LaVine&rsquo;s injury history remains a concern, but the Bulls are counting on Coby White&rsquo;s emergence and the potential of lottery pick Matas Buzelis. Chicago is likely to be a competitive team some nights, but they may struggle to rise above the Play-In threshold.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Brooklyn Nets The Nets are entering a rebuild after trading Mikal Bridges and Lonnie Walker. With a young roster led by Nic Claxton and Cam Thomas, Brooklyn&rsquo;s focus is on player development. Ben Simmons remains a question mark, but the team&rsquo;s recent moves set them up for future success with significant draft assets. A playoff berth seems unlikely as they look to position themselves for a high draft pick.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Washington Wizards The Wizards continue their rebuild with the addition of Alex Sarr, the No. 2 overall pick. With Malcolm Brogdon and Saddiq Bey joining the squad, Washington hopes to see growth from young talents like Bilal Coulibaly. However, they&rsquo;re still far from playoff contention and will likely be looking at another lottery-bound season.</li>
</ol>

Let's dive into the top 15 teams in the East as we gear up for this brand-new season.

2024-2025 NBA Eastern Conference Power Rankings: A new number one arises at the top

Pascal Siakam made his Indiana Pacers debut on Friday night, but the Portland Trail Blazers spoiled the party by beating Indy, 118-115, at the Moda Center.
The Blazers, who currently have the second-worst record in the Western Conference, captured a rare win behind big performances from veterans Jerami Grant and Malcolm Brogdon.&nbsp;
Grant finished with 37 points on 14-of-28 from the field, while Brogdon filled the stat sheet with 30 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists.&nbsp;
Grant and Brogdon carried the offensive load for Portland, who were without young stars Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe in the game. Then, in the second half, the Blazers lost 2023 No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson after he suffered a nasal contusion. Henderson had 10 points at halftime.
The 29-year-old Siakam, who was traded to Indiana from the Toronto Raptors, scored 21 points on 65% shooting from the field. Siakam's Pacers debut coincided with Tyrese Haliburton's return from a hamstring injury, and the two are starting the process of developing chemistry and learning to play together.
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Haliburton, who played for the first time since Jan. 2, racked up 21 points and 17 assists with 0 turnovers. This marked his sixth career 20+ point, 15+ assist game with no turnovers &mdash; the most in NBA history.
Indiana's stars played well, as Myles Turner also contributed 29 points and 12 rebounds with 6 triples, including one to cut the lead down to 3 points. However, the Pacers just could not get it done at the end with their comeback being a little too late.
The Pacers are now 24-18 (tied for the sixth-best record in the East) and will head to Phoenix to face the Suns and try to get their first win of the Siakam era.

Pascal Siakam made his Indiana Pacers debut on Friday night, but the Portland Trail Blazers spoiled the party by beating Indy, 118-115.

Blazers spoil Siakam's debut, Haliburton's return with win over Pacers

After a long four-month offseason, the 2023-24 NBA season officially kicks off on October 24. Preseason action is currently underway, with teams evaluating their roster and getting ready for the start of the regular season.
There were a few roster rule changes of note this offseason that were introduced as part of the new CBA. Now, each team can sign up to three two-way players (up from two) who are able to play up to 50 games with their NBA team and spend the rest of their season in the G League. Also, offseason rosters were originally limited to 20 players but have since increased to 21.&nbsp;
Each team needs to be at 15 standard contracts prior to the start of the season, which means a few players on guaranteed deals will have to be cut prior to the season. While some teams have a pretty set roster, others (like the Oklahoma City Thunder) will be forced to part ways with talented players to reach their roster limit.&nbsp;
Looking at the Atlantic Division, let's see how each team&rsquo;s lineup is shaping up and what questions they may need to answer before the start of the season.
(This is part one of a six-part series, with more divisional previews coming soon).
<h1>BOSTON CELTICS</h1>
Outside of the top-six players, who will be the most reliable depth option?
After acquiring Jrue Holiday, the Boston Celtics may have the best top-six of any team in the league. While we can add the Holiday trade to their list of aggressive offseason transactions, their depth has taken somewhat of a step back.&nbsp;
They will have to replace four rotation players from last year&rsquo;s Conference Finals team with a few players who don&rsquo;t have much experience in playoff situations. Three players who should definitely see more minutes are Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet. Pritchard has played well on both ends of the floor when given an opportunity, notably shooting 40% from three-point range over his first three seasons. The Celtics rewarded him with a team-friendly extension that should see him take up about 5% of the salary cap over the next four years. Hauser has also been a stellar three-point shooter, knocking down 42% since coming into the league.&nbsp;
The frontcourt is probably the most notable weakness on the team&rsquo;s depth chart. Joe Mazzulla has expressed confidence that <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/2023/10/7/23907608/boston-celtics-depth-sam-hauser-luke-kornet-payton-pritchard-joe-mazzulla-blake-griffin-bus-one-boys" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kornet should be successful on both ends of the floor and will be their go-to backup center to start the season.</a> The preseason will be important in determining who else (i.e. Oshae Brissett, Jordan Walsh, Svi Mykhailiuk, etc.) may stand out for Mazzulla and get an opportunity for playing time behind Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
The Celtics have the least amount of players on guaranteed contracts in the league (10). However, their roster for opening night is likely set unless they want to open up flexibility to sign other veteran players or buyout candidates later this season. If they choose to cut someone, it would very likely be a player on a non-guaranteed deal. Mykhailiuk and Dalano Banton each have a partial $200,000 guarantee that increases to over $1,000,000 if they make the roster. Kornet, Wenyen Gabriel and Lamar Stevens all have non-guaranteed contracts.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 19 players (10 guaranteed, 2 partially guaranteed, 3 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 1 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Jrue Holiday, G/F Jaylen Brown, F Jayson Tatum, F/C Al Horford, F/C Kristaps Porzingis
Projected Rotation Players: G Derrick White, G Payton Pritchard, C Luke Kornet (non-guaranteed), F Sam Hauser, F Oshae Brissett
Projected Reserves: F Jordan Walsh, G/F Svi Mykhailiuk ($200K guaranteed), F Wenyen Gabriel (non-guaranteed), G Dalano Banton ($200K guaranteed), F Lamar Stevens (non-guaranteed)
Projected Two-Way Players: C Neemias Queta, G JD Davison, G Jay Scrubb (Injured)
Projected Roster Cuts: G DJ Steward (Exhibit-10)
<h1>BROOKLYN NETS</h1>
What is Ben Simmons' role?
Ben Simmons has only played 42 games since being acquired by the Nets in February 2022, dealing with physical and psychological hurdles that have made him somewhat of an afterthought. Head coach Jacque Vaughn has expressed confidence that Simmons is now 100% healthy and ready to contribute again at a high level.&nbsp;
He seems to be penciled in as the team&rsquo;s starting point guard, starting in the Nets&rsquo; first preseason game. Though it was just a small 14-minute sample size, Simmons looked a lot like his former All-Star self. Having not played since February 15, he looked athletic, aggressive and confident before sitting out the second half.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He attacked the rim, I think he played with pace, looked pretty natural out there getting up and down the floor, communicating with guys into the flow of the game,&rdquo; Vaughn said, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/10/10/ben-simmons-passes-eye-test-in-nets-preseason-opener/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">praising his $38-million man</a>. &ldquo;Really good to see.&rdquo;
Vaughn has some options when it comes to starting lineups where he could go smaller, with a backcourt of Simmons and Spencer Dinwiddie, or decide to start Dorian Finney-Smith and use Mikal Bridges as a big two-guard.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
Darius Bazley, Harry Giles and Trendon Watford are all on non-guaranteed deals and are vying for the final two roster spots. The Nets also have an open two-way spot, which I believe they could potentially use on a player like <a href="https://www.si.com/college/tennessee/mens-basketball/kennedy-chandler-starring-in-nba-summer-league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Summer League standout</a> and former Memphis Grizzlies second-rounder Kennedy Chandler.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 18 players (13 guaranteed, 3 non-guaranteed, 2 two-way)
Projected Starters: G/F Ben Simmons, G Spencer Dinwiddie, F Mikal Bridges, F Cameron Johnson, C Nicolas Claxton
Projected Rotation Players: F Dorian Finney-Smith, F Royce O&rsquo;Neale, G Cameron Thomas, G Dennis Smith Jr., C Day&rsquo;Ron Sharpe
Projected Reserves: G/F Lonnie Walker IV, C Noah Clowney, F Dariq Whitehead, F Darius Bazley (Non-Guaranteed), C Harry Giles (Non-Guaranteed)
Projected Two-way Players: G Armoni Brooks, F Jalen Wilson, G Kennedy Chandler* (Projected Signing)
Projected Roster Cuts: F Trendon Watford (Non-Guaranteed)
<h1>NEW YORK KNICKS</h1>
Who will be the first option off the bench?
New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau has his fair share of options to headline his second unit. In his third year, Immanuel Quickley had his best season to date, finishing as the runner-up for the Sixth Man of the Year award behind Malcolm Brogdon. Quickley was the primary scorer for the second unit, but he shouldn&rsquo;t have to carry the entire load on offense with the addition of Donte DiVincenzo.&nbsp;
DiVincenzo impressed last season with the Golden State Warriors as a reliable bench shooter and should spot minutes for Quentin Grimes and R.J. Barrett when offensive pushes are needed. Josh Hart could also be the team&rsquo;s sixth man, just like he was during the Knicks&rsquo; playoff run. After being traded from Portland, Hart averaged 30 minutes per game despite coming off the bench most of the time. It is worth noting the Knicks-Villanova connection between Hart, DiVincenzo and Jalen Brunson, who should fit seamlessly together on the floor thanks to their pre-existing chemistry. While unlikely to be the first off the bench, Isaiah Hartenstein also deserves mention since he has been one of the league&rsquo;s better backup centers and could see more time if Mitchell Robinson gets in foul trouble. In terms of rotation issues, Thibodeau should see this as a good problem to have regardless of who he brings off the bench first.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
The Knicks have three spots up for grabs between Ryan Arcidiacono, DaQuan Jeffries, Isaiah Roby and Duane Washington Jr. All are on non-guaranteed deals that won&rsquo;t be fully guaranteed until the league-wide guarantee date on January 10.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (12 guaranteed, 4 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Jalen Brunson, G Quentin Grimes, G/F R.J. Barrett, F Julius Randle, C Mitchell Robinson
Projected Rotation Players: G Josh Hart, G Immanuel Quickley, G Donte DiVincenzo, C Isaiah Hartenstein, G Miles McBride
Projected Reserves: G Evan Fournier, C Jericho Sims, F Isaiah Roby (non-guaranteed), G Ryan Arcidiacono (non-guaranteed), G/F DaQuan Jeffries (non-guaranteed)
Projected Two-way Players: F/C Nathan Knight, G/F Dylan Windler, F Jaylen Martin
Projected Roster Cuts: G Duane Washington Jr. (non-guaranteed), G Charlie Brown Jr. (Exhibit-10), F Jacob Toppin (Exhibit-10)
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<h1>PHILADELPHIA 76ERS</h1>
Will Tyrese Maxey become more of a creator and how can that adjust the rotation?
The Sixers&rsquo; ceiling is contingent on how much Tyrese Maxey can improve this season. Maxey hasn&rsquo;t needed to be the team&rsquo;s primary distributor since James Harden joined the team, allowing him to blossom into a reliable 20-PPG scorer. Regardless of whether Harden&rsquo;s trade situation is resolved, Maxey will need to become a better creator and distributor if he wants to take his game to the next level. Prior to Harden&rsquo;s arrival, Maxey had an impressive 4:1 assist-to-turnover ratio despite his small frame and risk-averse tendencies.&nbsp;
Interestingly, team president Daryl Morey has held off on giving Maxey an extension this offseason, electing to wait until next summer to pay his budding young guard. Maxey will likely demand near max-level money that could harm Philly&rsquo;s flexibility to go after star players next offseason. If he can improve his ball-handling and distribution tendencies, the Sixers&rsquo; offense should benefit tremendously, helping the offensive output of players like P.J. Tucker and Paul Reed and easing the reliance on De&rsquo;Anthony Melton and Patrick Beverley.
Roster Decisions
Two players will likely be fighting for the Sixers&rsquo; final roster spot. The team re-signed veteran Danny Green, who played for the team from 2020 to 2022, to a non-guaranteed deal. They also brought over young big Filip Petrusev, who was drafted by Philadelphia in 2021. Petrusev signed a multi-year deal that was partially guaranteed for $559,782 this season and non-guaranteed next year. Although unlikely, the 76ers could also elect to waive Montrezl Harrell despite his deal being fully guaranteed, as he should miss this season with a torn ACL.
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (14 guaranteed, 1 partially Guaranteed, 1 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Tyrese Maxey, G James Harden, F P.J. Tucker, F Tobias Harris, C Joel Embiid
Projected Rotation Players: G De&rsquo;Anthony Melton, G Patrick Beverley, F/C Paul Reed, F/G Kelly Oubre Jr., F Danuel House
Projected Reserves: C Mo Bamba, F Furkan Korkmaz, G Jaden Springer, G/F Danny Green (non-guaranteed), C Montrezl Harrell (injured)
Projected Two-way Players: G Terquavion Smith, G Ricky Council IV, F Azuolas Tubelis
Projected Roster Cuts: F/C Filip Petrusev ($559,782 guaranteed), G David Duke Jr. (Exhibit-10), G Javonte Smart (Exhibit-10)
<h1>TORONTO RAPTORS</h1>
What style does Darko Rajakovic bring to Toronto and who will benefit the most?
New coach Darko Rajakovic inherits an interesting Raptors team with plenty of talent, but they may be facing a crossroads in terms of how successful they can be as a group. Rajakovic is in his first NBA head coaching gig after three seasons as an assistant with the Grizzlies and is known around the league as a pick-and-roll guru.&nbsp;
The idea of the Raptors being a primary pick-and-roll team became less appealing when they were unable to retain Fred VanVleet in free agency, replacing him with a less reliable shooter in Dennis Schr&ouml;der. Instead, Rajakovic will likely rely on Schr&ouml;der and his newly paid center Jakob Poeltl for more ball movement and playmaking. Rajakovic compared Poeltl to Domantas Sabonis before the Raptors&rsquo; preseason win over the Sacramento Kings on October 9 and could use him in a similar role. If Poeltl can be 70% of what Sabonis was last season, it can be a huge boost to an inconsistent offense.
Roster Decisions
The Raptors have 15 players on guaranteed deals going into the season, but also carry Jeff Dowtin Jr. on a non-guaranteed deal. Dowtin played on a two-way contract with Toronto last season, appearing in 25 games. With the roster full, Dowtin is unlikely to make the regular-season roster but he has still <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/raptors/news/toronto-raptors-praise-jeff-dowtin-jr-as-roster-decisions-await" target="_blank" rel="noopener">impressed the coaching staff this preseason</a>. If any player is in danger of losing their roster spot to Dowtin, it would likely be former first-round pick Malachi Flynn. Dowtin&rsquo;s deal becomes guaranteed for $900,000 on October 21, four days before the team&rsquo;s season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves. I would expect the Raptors to make a decision on Dowtin before then.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (15 guaranteed, 1 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Dennis Schr&ouml;der, F/G Scottie Barnes, F OG Anunoby, F Pascal Siakam, C Jakob Poeltl
Projected Rotation Players: G Gary Trent Jr., F Precious Achiuwa, F/C Chris Boucher, F Jalen McDaniels, G/F Gradey Dick
Projected Reserves: F Thaddeus Young, G Malachi Flynn, F Otto Porter Jr., C Christian Koloko, G/F Garrett Temple
Projected Two-way Players: G/F Ron Harper Jr., G Markquis Nowell, G Javon Freeman-Liberty
Projected Roster Cuts: G Jeff Dowtin (non-guaranteed), F Mouhamadou Gueye (Exhibit-10), C Makur Maker (Exhibit-10)
Other news from around the web: <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/dress-to-impress-why-barbie-and-ken-are-the-hottest-couples-costume-this-halloween/ar-AA1iaTEh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barbie and Ken are the hottest couples costume this Halloween</a>

Blake Stern previews the Atlantic Division, breaking down each team's projected lineup and a burning question entering the season.

NBA Atlantic Division Preview: Burning questions, rotation projections

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; The Brooklyn Nets finished the same way without Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving as they did with them.
The Nets were&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/76ers-nets-embiid-nba-playoffs-2023-1af8f663fe3c8af10138dcf461762a9d">swept out the playoffs</a>, the first team sent home for the summer for the second straight year.
The team that took the floor against the Philadelphia 76ers struggled to score, couldn&rsquo;t rebound and is miles away from title contention. But that team probably won&rsquo;t be around next season.
Brooklyn got back plenty of draft picks in the trades of Durant, Irving and James Harden, and will have options to quickly get to a better place than they are now &mdash; or were with their superstars.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s not many teams, many organizations I think have ever blown up a superstar-studded group that possibly was in championship contention in one year and have the possibility of championship contention again the very next season,&rdquo; guard Spencer Dinwiddie said Sunday.
Only three teams own more first-round picks than the Nets between now and 2030, general manager Sean Marks said, giving them flexibility to draft players or package picks in a trade for an established star. He wouldn&rsquo;t predict a quick rise in the standings, but it can&rsquo;t be ruled out.
&ldquo;We have a young group here that is wanting to compete, so we&rsquo;re going to be going after it every year,&rdquo; Marks said.
It wasn&rsquo;t like this last summer, and Marks said the Nets have &ldquo;a bright pathway.&rdquo;
The Nets were as high as second in the Eastern Conference before Durant got hurt&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-dolphins-heat-nba-sports-kevin-durant-20e5ed9c2ce3b02eaa075fde1cb8d751">in early January</a>. After&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-phoenix-suns-nba-sports-basketball-3932b34f477549895cce131490bec86d">Durant</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-new-york-knicks-dallas-mavericks-clippers-nba-ea90e45174274a917654448db9554dfc">Irving</a>&nbsp;were traded within days of each other in February, Brooklyn hung on to finish sixth.
With four new starters who were together only two months, the Nets knew they were fighting inexperience and a tough veteran team like Philadelphia in the postseason.
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s part of the business and I think situations like we were put in this year prepare us for anything that can come up this summer, no matter what it is,&rdquo; said Cam Johnson, who will be a restricted free agent.
Dinwiddie was on the Nets team that lost to the 76ers in the first round in 2019, then watched as Brooklyn looked to rebuild by signing Durant and Irving. He came back to the organization from Dallas in February in the deal for Irving, just days before Durant was dealt to Phoenix in the deal that brought back Johnson and Mikal Bridges.
&ldquo;I think you&rsquo;re looking at a team that kind of mirrors a Milwaukee without Giannis. So if you think you can go get a Giannis, then are you probably a very, very good team at that point? Likely,&rdquo; Dinwiddie said of the current Nets structure. &ldquo;If you don&rsquo;t, you do have a bevy of draft picks and probably several guys that can net you more draft picks. So, I mean, really, they can go either route. And I mean, shoot they could also choose to stand pat and roll the dice.&rdquo;
Bridges, last year&rsquo;s runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year, showed star potential as the No. 1 scoring option in Brooklyn. Center Nic Claxton had by far his best season. Johnson looked like a keeper in his first season as a starter. Marks said Ben Simmons, shut down early again because of back problems, is expected to be ready by September.
They will certainly be joined by newcomers. After that, Claxton hopes the Nets can be stable for a time and let the next group find success.
&ldquo;Especially going into a playoff series, I mean teams have been together, they&rsquo;ve been in the trenches together for maybe five-plus years, and then you throw in a whole new team,&rdquo; Claxton said. &ldquo;But, not making no excuses, just it would be nice going forward if we could maybe just start to build something here.&rdquo;

The Nets were swept, but they have a nice core and plenty of draft picks from trading Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden.

Despite sweep, Nets can build quickly after Durant, Irving deals

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Luke Kennard made a franchise-record 10 3-pointers to match his career high with 30 points, Desmond Bane added 25 points and the Memphis Grizzlies clinched a playoff spot after building a 31-point halftime lead and coasting to a 151-114 victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday night.
Ja Morant scored 18 points and had eight assists in his second game after serving an eight-game league-imposed suspension after he posted a video in which he is shown waving a gun at a Denver-area strip club. Morant, as he did in his first game back Wednesday also against the Rockets, again came off the bench. He entered with 5:08 left in the first quarter.
Jaren Jackson Jr. also scored 18 points and had seven rebounds and two blocks for Memphis, which made a franchise-best 25 3-pointers and had the second-most points in team history. The Grizzlies won their 11th straight at home and moved within three games of idle Denver, which holds the top spot in the Western Conference.
Tari Eason had 21 points to lead Houston, while Kevin Porter Jr. and Jabari Smith Jr. each had 20.
CELTICS 120, PACERS 95
BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Jayson Tatum scored 34 points, setting a franchise record with his 40th 30-point game this season, and Boston rolled past Indiana.
Tatum passed Hall of Famer Larry Bird, who had 39 30-point games during the 1987-88 season.
Jaylen Brown added 27 points and seven rebounds, and Derrick White finished with 22 points and nine assists for the Celtics, who have won four of five and improved to 27-9 at home this season.
Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton had 20 points, nine assists and six rebounds in his first game back from a six-game absence with a combination of a bruised left knee and sprained right ankle. Myles Turner added 20 points and six rebounds.
LAKERS 116, THUNDER 111
LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Anthony Davis had 37 points and 14 rebounds, Dennis Schr&ouml;der added 13 of his 21 points in the second half and the Los Angeles Lakers got a vital victory for their playoff hopes.
Lonnie Walker scored 20 points in an impressive return to the rotation for the Lakers, who have won three straight to move even with Minnesota in seventh place in the Western Conference standings. With Davis leading the way on both ends of the court, Los Angeles (37-37) also reached .500 for the first time this season after holding off the Thunder despite the injury absences of LeBron James and D&rsquo;Angelo Russell.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey scored 27 points apiece for Oklahoma City, which lost for only the fourth time in 12 games down the stretch. The Thunder (36-38) dropped into a tie with Dallas for 10th in the West.
WARRIORS 120, 76ERS 112
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Jordan Poole scored 33 points and swished a key 3-pointer with 1:18 to play off a pretty pass by Draymond Green, Stephen Curry added 29 points and eight rebounds and Golden State rallied past Joel Embiid and Philadelphia.
Embiid checked back into the game with 8:26 left and scored 13 straight on the way to 46 points, but the Warriors came back from 11 down for their ninth straight home win &mdash; and one of the most important yet as they fight for playoff positioning.
Embiid shot 13 for 23, made 19 of 22 free throws and had nine rebounds, eight assists and two steals. He helped Philadelphia take an 88-79 lead going into the fourth. He had his streak of scoring 30 or more points in a franchise-record 10 straight games snapped in Wednesday&rsquo;s 116-91 win at Chicago but made up for it.
WIZARDS 136, SPURS 124
WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Corey Kispert scored 26 points and sank six 3-pointers, Deni Avdija added 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Washington pulled away for a win over San Antonio.
Delon Wright added 24 points and Kristaps Porzingis 23 for the Wizards, who missed three-time All-Star Bradley Beal (left knee sprain) for a second game but snapped a four-game skid.
Washington sank 15 of 30 attempts beyond the arc one game after setting season lows for number and percentage of 3s made in Wednesday&rsquo;s loss to West-leading Denver.
Keldon Johnson scored 30 points for San Antonio, which played without 2022 ninth-overall draft pick Jeremy Sochan (sore right knee) for the third time in four games.
RAPTORS 118, PISTONS 97
TORONTO (AP) &mdash; Pascal Siakam scored 32 points, Chris Boucher had 19 points and 13 rebounds and Toronto routed Detroit for its eighth win in nine home games.
Fred VanVleet added 18 points and O.G. Anunoby 17 as Toronto completed its first four-game sweep of Detroit since the 2017-18 season. The Raptors also improved to 7-0 when holding opponents below 100 points
Jaden Ivey scored 20 points and Marvin Bagley III and James Wiseman each had 14 for Detroit, but the Pistons lost for the 16th time in 17 games.
HORNETS 117, MAVERICKS 109
DALLAS (AP) &mdash; P.J. Washington Jr. scored 28 points and Gordon Hayward added 25 as undermanned Charlotte built a 21-point lead and held on to beat Dallas.
The Hornets, who were eliminated from the Eastern Conference playoff race last week, earned a split of a back-to-back after losing by 19 points on Thursday night at New Orleans and finishing with only seven healthy players.
Luka Doncic had 34 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Mavericks, who lost their third straight and for the sixth time in eight games. Kyrie Irving scored 18 points after missing one game with a toe injury. He and Doncic played together for the first time since March 8. The Mavericks are 3-7 with both in the lineup.
BUCKS 144, JAZZ 116
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Grayson Allen scored a season-high 25 points to lead Milwaukee past Utah.
Allen made five 3-pointers and shot 57% from the field to help the Bucks lead wire-to-wire. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points and 11 assists, and Pat Connaughton scored 22 points while making six 3-pointers. Jrue Holiday added 18 points and seven assists, and Brook Lopez had 17 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks.
Milwaukee made 22 3-pointers and shot 56% from the field to fuel its third straight victory.
Simone Fontecchio scored a career-high 26 points in his third career start to lead the Jazz.
BULLS 124, TRAIL BLAZERS 96
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Zach LaVine scored 33 points and Chicago dominated short-handed Portland.
Nikola Vucevic added 23 points and 15 rebounds for the Bulls, who have won six of their last eight games and sit in 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings with nine regular-season games remaining.
Portland, which has lost seven of its last eight games, was led by rookie Shaedon Sharpe, who matched his career high with 24 points. The Blazers&rsquo; lone win during the recent stretch came against the Utah Jazz 127-115 on Wednesday. Portland was at 13th in the Western Conference standings, well out of the playoff picture.
Regular Portland starters Damian Lillard (calf tightness), Jusuf Nurkic (sore right knee), Jerami Grant (quad contusion) and Anfernee Simons (sore right foot) did not play against the Bulls.
KINGS 135, SUNS 127
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Kevin Huerter led all scorers with 29 points and Sacramento beat Phoenix.
Huerter added nine rebounds and five assists for the Kings (44-29), who are in third place in the Western Conference behind Denver and Memphis. Domantas Sabonis finished with 27 points, nine rebounds and nine assists for the Kings.
Sacramento&rsquo;s De&rsquo;Aaron Fox exited the game with 7:16 left in the third quarter with right hamstring soreness. Fox finished with 19 points in 21 minutes.
Devin Booker finished with 32 points for the Suns (38-36). Terrence Ross scored a season-high 30 points off the bench and hit six 3-pointers.

A recap of Friday night's slate of NBA action includes Memphis punching its ticket to the postseason.

Grizzlies earn playoff berth as Kennard makes 10 3-pointers

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Mikal Bridges was considered a defensive star and complementary offensive player in Phoenix before abruptly having his five-year run there ended when he was shipped to Brooklyn as part of the trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Suns.
Bridges gave his new team another glimpse of the go-to potential he could grow into.
Bridges scored 38 points and the Nets overcame a 28-point deficit to stun the Boston Celtics 115-105 on Friday night.
He has reached 30 or more points in three of Brooklyn&rsquo;s last six games. Bridges also had 10 rebounds, playing nearly 43 minutes.
&ldquo;I think we kind or realized over a couple of games that offense wasn&rsquo;t really our problem,&rdquo; Bridges said. &ldquo;I feel like our offense is pretty good. But our defense, we got stops and stayed together possession-by-possession. ... We just kept and stayed together.&rdquo;
It was Brooklyn&rsquo;s first victory over Boston in four meetings this season.
Bridges played through pain in the second half after knocking knees with Derrick White, hitting on the same spot he did in a similar collision with Jalen Brunson in Wednesday loss to the Knicks.
&ldquo;I think when I got traded it was kind of at the right time because when everybody was out in Phoenix I had to take up another role offensively and be more aggressive,&rdquo; Bridges said. &ldquo;By the time I got traded I was in a great rhythm and was confident.&rdquo;
Fellow former Sun Cam Johnson added 20 points. Dorian Finney-Smith finished with 17.
It is the largest comeback by a Boston opponent since the Los Angeles Clippers also rallied from 28 down to beat Boston 123-112 at TD Garden on Feb. 9, 2019.
The Celtics have lost two out of three and lost more ground on East-leading Milwaukee, which was idle Friday. Boston, which made 26 3-pointers in a 139-96 win over the Nets on Feb. 1, went just 9 of 30 from beyond the arc on Friday.
&ldquo;They beat us in every analytical category possible,&rdquo; Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. &ldquo;If we don&rsquo;t commit to the margins, no matter how hard we play, we&rsquo;re not going to win.&rdquo;
Jaylen Brown led Boston with 35 points. Jayson Tatum, who was celebrating his 25th birthday, added 22 points and 13 rebounds.
Boston led by 28 in the first half before being outscored 69-43 over the second and third quarters.
The Nets scored just 23 points in the first 16 minutes of the game, allowing Boston to go up 51-23 with 7:23 left in the first half.
It evaporated in a rash of pull up jumpers and one-and-done possesses for the Celtics as Brooklyn mounted a 57-23 run to nudge in front 80-74 with 3:56 in the third quarter. The lead was 106-90 early in the fourth.
During one wild sequence, the Nets secured four offensive rebounds and had five shots on a single possession before the Celtics were finally able to corral the ball, triggering a fast break and layup by Derrick White. It was one of the few highlights for Boston the rest of the way.
The Nets&rsquo; frantic rally also saw the Celtics lose big man Robert Williams for the night after he left early in the third with left hamstring tightness.
A 3-pointer by Marcus Smart got Boston as close as 110-102 with just over four minutes to play. But Finney-Smith answered with a triple of his own on the Nets&rsquo; next possession.
The lead grew as high as 51-23 early in the second, but the Nets chipped it down 64-55 at halftime.
NEW INJURY FOR SIMMONS
Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said Ben Simmons began experiencing some back soreness this week while starting to increase his activity to strengthen the sore left knee that has kept him sidelined since the All-Star break restart. There isn&rsquo;t a timeline for him to return, and there hasn&rsquo;t been discussion of sitting him down for the remainder of the season.
TIP-INS
Nets: Outscored the Celtics 40-27 in the second quarter, shooting 65% (15 of 23) from the field. Bridges had 15 points in the period. &hellip; Johnson, who celebrated his 27th birthday, was whistled for three fouls in less than three minutes of action. It contributed to the Nets putting Boston in the bonus at the 8:48 mark of the opening quarter.
Celtics: Finished with 19 turnovers, leading to 21 Brooklyn points. ...Went 0 for 6 from 3-point line in third quarter. &hellip; Al Horford played his 1,000th career regular-season game. He&rsquo;s only the 11th active player to reach that plateau. After his milestone was announced to the TD Garden crowd, he capped the ensuing possession with a 3-pointer to put Boston in front 16-5.
UP NEXT
Nets: Host Charlottes on Sunday night.
Celtics: Host New York on Sunday night.

Mikal Bridges scored 38 points and the Brooklyn Nets overcame a 28-point deficit to stun the Boston Celtics 115-105 on Friday night.

Mikal Bridges scores 38 points, Nets rally to stun Celtics 115-105

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Kyrie Irving grew up in New York and New Jersey, so he knows better than most whether the Knicks against the Nets is a real rivalry.
&ldquo;If the NBA calls it rivalry week, then it&rsquo;s a rivalry,&rdquo; Irving said.
Only a one-sided one.
Irving scored 21 of his 32 points in the final 9 1/2 minutes, carrying Brooklyn to its ninth straight victory over the Knicks, 122-115 on Saturday.
Irving&rsquo;s sixth straight game of 30 or more points gave him a career high and the Nets an NBA franchise record. He didn&rsquo;t seem headed that way when he was only 4 for 14 with 11 points early in the fourth quarter.
But he took over from there to make sure the Nets turned away every Knicks rally, including a deep 3-pointer with 50 seconds to play after New York was within five. The All-Star guard also had nine assists and six rebounds.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s why it&rsquo;s so great to have the basketball in his hands,&rdquo; Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said. &ldquo;He can attack by himself, he can draw and kick and the defense has to react.&rdquo;
Joe Harris added 16 points and Nic Claxton had 13 points, 12 rebounds and six assists for the Nets. The NBA leader in field goal percentage shot 6 for 6. Royce O&rsquo;Neale and Seth Curry chipped in 14 points apiece as Brooklyn finished 22 for 40 from 3-point range.
Jalen Brunson scored 26 points and RJ Barrett had 24 for the Knicks. They had won consecutive games against Eastern Conference contenders Cleveland and Boston.
But they can&rsquo;t find a way to beat Brooklyn. The teams separated by about five miles made for a natural addition to the NBA&rsquo;s &ldquo;Rivals Week&rdquo; schedule, now a decade since the Nets played their first season in Brooklyn following their move from New Jersey.
But the Knicks haven&rsquo;t defeated the Nets in Tom Thibodeau&rsquo;s 2/12 seasons and their last victory was on Jan. 26, 2020, when Kevin Durant still wasn&rsquo;t playing for the Nets and Irving left Madison Square Garden after learning of Kobe Bryant&rsquo;s death that afternoon.
&ldquo;For me, I love beating the Knicks and playing against them, but all in all, it&rsquo;s just about the objective and that&rsquo;s to win the ballgame,&rdquo; Irving said. &ldquo;Nothing personal.&rdquo;
The Knicks got the first basket of the fourth quarter, getting within five points as their fans were fully into the game after being held largely silent for 2 1/2 quarters. But Irving hit his next three shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, as Brooklyn went up 104-90.
&ldquo;He made some tough plays. Those were deep 3s that he made on us,&rdquo; Thibodeau said.
New York would later get within three, but Curry hit a 3 and Irving made a pair to keep Brooklyn safely ahead.
Playing without Durant and Ben Simmons, the Nets led by as much as 19 before the Knicks cut it to 88-81 after three.
TIP-INS
Knicks: Thibodeau said starting center Mitchell Robinson, who had surgery Jan. 19 to repair a broken right thumb, is running and other work can do, but won&rsquo;t know more about when he can return until after he is examined again, which was expected to be three weeks after the procedure. ... Thibodeau said he didn&rsquo;t feel any extra pressure after owner James Dolan said during a radio interview this week that he expected the Knicks to make the playoffs. &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re doing all you can each and every day, you never feel pressure,&rdquo; Thibodeau said.
Nets: TJ Warren also missed the game with a bruised shin, an injury that coach Jacque Vaughn thought was a knee injury. ... The Nets&rsquo; longest winning streak against the Knicks is 11 in a row from 1984-86.
HALL OF FAME FANS
Former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who coached Irving, Barrett, Curry and Knicks reserve Cam Reddish, was at the game. Thibodeau was also one of his assistant coaches with the 2016 U.S. Olympic team. Former New York Yankees relief pitcher Mariano Rivera was also in attendance.
UP NEXT
Knicks: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
Nets: Host the Lakers on Monday night.

Irving scored 21 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, carrying the Nets to a ninth straight win over the Knicks, 122-115, on Saturday.

Kyrie Irving has 32 points, Nets beat Knicks for 9th straight time

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton cranked up the offense during Friday night's final stretch. Everyone else embraced doing the dirty work on defense.
Together, it was an unbeatable combination.
With Haliburton scoring seven of his 15 points in the final six minutes, Myles Turner protecting the rim and Aaron Nesmith stealing extra possessions, the Pacers used shutdown D to rally past the Portland Trail Blazers 108-99.
&ldquo;We were flying around,&rdquo; coach Rick Carlisle said. &ldquo;You have to double-team (Damian) Lillard and we trapped him in the backcourt a couple times. But the one constant is Myles around the basket. There are very few guys who have that presence around the rim and allow you to play with a smaller lineup. Myles was always there.&rdquo;
Even if the numbers weren't eye-popping.
On a night when Bennedict Mathurin scored 19 points and Haliburton had 12 assists, Turner finished with 17 points and eight rebounds as Indiana scored the final nine points and finished the game on a 15-2 run.
The surprising Pacers have won five straight home games and seven of their last nine overall.
Portland was led by Anfernee Simons with 20 points. Lillard had 19 points and eight assists, and Jusuf Nurkic added 14 points and 19 rebounds &mdash; not enough for the Trail Blazers to avoid their third loss in four games.
&ldquo;We just haven't been good enough down the stretch in this stretch of games,&rdquo; Lillard said. &ldquo;We haven't made shots, we've had turnovers, and teams have been able to outplay us in those closing runs. That's when we have to be our sharpest.&rdquo;
Instead, it was the Pacers who took advantage after Portland overcame an eight-point deficit in the third quarter to take an 82-81 lead into the fourth. The Trail Blazers started that period fast, too, jumping ahead 88-83.
And when the Pacers tied the score at 93 on Mathurin's layup with 7:54 to go, Portland answered with four straight points.
That's when Indiana turned up the pressure, allowing just two free throws and no baskets over the final six minutes. Haliburton broke a 97-all tie with a short runner and, after Lillard's free throws tied it, Nesmith's basket with 2:06 to go gave Indiana the lead for good.
TIP-INS
Trail Blazers: Josh Hart fell just short of his first career triple-double. He had 12 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. ... Portland had a 52-42 rebounding advantage, which was offset by 18 turnovers. ... The Trail Blazers went 9 of 33 on 3-pointers after entering the game tied for the NBA's third-best 3-point shooting percentage.
Pacers: Isaiah Jackson finished with 12 points. ... Buddy Hield scored 11 and made two 3s, his 17th consecutive game with multiple 3s. ... Backup forward Jalen Smith did not play. ... Indiana has won a league-high nine times this season after trailing by double digits.
&ldquo;Basically, we needed our best perimeter defenders in the game and that's (Andrew) Nembhard and Nesmith,&rdquo; Carlisle said. &ldquo;Fortunately, Nesmith got his hands on some balls for us.&rdquo;
HOME COURT
Indiana is 14-7 at home, a dramatic improvement over the past two seasons. And with one of this season's bigger crowds watching Friday night, Carlisle thought it made a difference.
&ldquo;When you're a team like us, playing in Portland three or four weeks ago, or them playing here and the crowd really gets into it, it's hard,&rdquo; Carlisle said. &ldquo;It's really, really hard.&rdquo;
SECOND LOOK
Portland coach Chauncey Billups essentially said he would re-evaluate his late-game strategies after losing for sixth time in eight games &mdash; this time by the largest margin during that span. But Lillard said it's not Billups who needs to make changes.
&ldquo;I think as a player, you take responsibility for what happens,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;A lot of it is not new. We know what it takes to win games, it's just not easy.&rdquo;
&nbsp;

Tyrese Haliburton scored 15 points, and the Indiana Pacers used shutdown D to rally past the Portland Trail Blazers 108-99.

Turner, Haliburton leads Pacers past Trail Blazers 108-99

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

Best of Basketball News: Spotlighting our top content from 2022

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Brook Lopez hit a wide-open layup off an inbounds play with seven seconds to go and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Dallas Mavericks 106-105 on Friday night.
The Bucks held on despite Giannis Antetokounmpo fouling out with 2:55 remaining. The Greek Freak finished with 28 points to end an eight-game run with at least 30 points.
Luka Doncic had 33 points and 11 assists and put Dallas ahead on a layup with 29 seconds to go.
But the Mavericks couldn&rsquo;t make their free throws late &mdash; they were a woeful 10 for 24 for the game &mdash; leaving the door open for the Bucks to win a fourth consecutive game while ending Dallas&rsquo; three-game winning streak.
Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s sixth foul came when he tried to close out on a 3-pointer by Tim Hardaway Jr., who missed all three free throws to keep Milwaukee in front by one.
Dorian Finney-Smith missed two more free throws after Doncic had put Dallas in front 105-104. The Bucks inbounded from near their bench, and Lopez slipped behind a screen for the easy bucket on the throw-in from George Hill.
76ERS 132, LAKERS 122, OT
PHILADELPHIA (AP) &mdash; Joel Embiid had 38 points and 12 rebounds, De&rsquo;Anthony Melton scored a career-high 33 points and Philadelphia recovered to beat Los Angeles after blowing a nine-point lead in the final 30 seconds of regulation.
Anthony Davis had 31 points and 12 rebounds, while LeBron James scored 23 points for the Lakers. James (sore left ankle) and Davis (illness) both missed a loss in Toronto on Tuesday night.
Russell Westbrook had 12 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, joining Magic Johnson as the only Lakers with a triple-double off the bench.
The Lakers were down 12 with 2 1/2 minutes remaining in regulation but rallied on clutch buckets and costly fouls by the Sixers.
PELICANS 128, SUNS 117
NEW ORLEANS (AP) &mdash; Zion Williamson capped a season-high 35-point performance with a 360-degree, one-handed dunk in the final seconds that upset Phoenix players, and New Orleans beat the Suns in a matchup of the top two teams in the Western Conference.
Players and coaches from both teams swarmed around one another angrily as officials frantically stepped in to separate them before both teams finally walked off opposite ends of the court, with Williamson gesturing triumphantly to roaring fans before disappearing down the tunnel to the locker room.
Jose Alvarado came off the bench to add 20 points for New Orleans, which had to hold on in the opener of a two-game series after the Suns hit 15 of their 22 3-pointers in the second half to erase a 16-point deficit.
Deandre Ayton had 25 points and 14 rebounds. The Suns (16-10) lost for the fourth time in five games to fall 1 1/2 games behind New Orleans (17-8) atop the Western Conference standings.
TIMBERWOLVES 118, JAZZ 108
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; D&rsquo;Angelo Russell scored 20 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, Rudy Gobert had 22 points and 13 rebounds in his return to Utah and Minnesota beat the Jazz.
Rudy Gobert was traded Minnesota over the summer. The French center spent his first nine NBA seasons with the Jazz.
Malik Beasley scored 23 points to lead Utah. Jordan Clarkson added 21 points and Mike Conley had 17 points and six assists in his first game back after being sidelined for nine games by a left leg injury.
NETS 120, HAWKS 116
NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Kevin Durant scored 34 points, Kyrie Irving had 33 points and 11 rebounds and Brooklyn finished a seven-game homestand by beating Atlanta.
TJ Warren added 14 points and Ben Simmons returned from a four-game absence with a left calf strain with six points, seven rebounds and six assists as the Nets won for the ninth time in 12 games overall.
They hadn&rsquo;t played seven straight home games since moving to Brooklyn a decade ago and they took advantage, losing only to the NBA-leading Boston Celtics while surging into fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
Trae Young had 33 points and nine assists for the Hawks, while Bogdan Bogdanovic rebounded from a miserable game at the Knicks two nights earlier with 31 points.
KINGS 106, CAVALIERS 95
CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Harrison Barnes scored 20 points, Domantas Sabonis had 18 points and 18 rebounds and Sacramento rallied to beat Cleveland.
Kevin Huerter made two 3-pointers in 56 seconds late in the fourth quarter, fueling a 21-2 game-ending run by Sacramento. The Cavaliers had held their largest lead at 93-85 on Caris LeVert&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 5:40 remaining.
LeVert had 22 points, six rebounds and six assists for Cleveland, which had its seven-game home winning streak snapped.
KNICKS 121, HORNETS 102
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Julius Randle scored 33 points, RJ Barrett added 26 and New York beat Charlotte for its third straight victory.
Jalen Brunson had 11 points and 11 assists for the Knicks. They evened their record at 13-13.
Terry Rozier scored 24 points for Charlotte. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 22 points on his 27th birthday.
GRIZZLIES 114, PISTONS 103
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Jaren Jackson Jr. had 20 points and four blocks and Memphis beat Detroit for its fifth straight victory.
Brandon Clarke added 17 points for Memphis, missing only one of his eight shots. Dillon Brooks had 16 points, and Ja Morant finished with 15 points and 12 assists.
Bojan Bogdanovic led the Pistons with 19 points, Marvin Bagley III scored 14 points, and Kevin Knox II and Isaiah Stewart finished with 13 points each.
PACERS 121, WIZARDS 111
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Buddy Hield scored a season-high 28 points, Tyrese Haliburton had 23 points and 11 assists and Indiana beat Washington.
Bennedict Mathurin added 18 points, Oshae Brissett 16 and Myles Turner 14.
Kristaps Porzingis led Washington with 29 points on 11-of-13 shooting. Kyle Kuzma added 27 points, and Jordan Goodwin had 19.
MAGIC 113, RAPTORS 109
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Franz Wagner scored 34 points and Orlando turned to rookie Pablo Banchero in the final minutes to hold off Toronto after the Raptors had wiped out a 20-point deficit in the second half.
Banchero finished with 23 points and six rebounds. Pascal Siakam had 36 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Raptors.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A recap of Friday night's NBA action features a thrilling battle between Milwaukee and Dallas.

Bucks beat Mavericks 106-105 after Antetokounmpo fouls out

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum have been named the NBA Players of the Month for October and November.
Booker is among the league leaders with 29 points per game, including a 51-point outburst against the Chicago Bulls on Nov. 30. The Suns' All-Star is averaging a career-best 5.3 rebounds and is shooting 37.8% from three-point range and has led the Suns to a Western Conference-best 15-6 record.
Tatum has started the season off strong, coming in at 31.6 points a game, which ranks second in the NBA. The Celtics' All-Star is also averaging 7.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists for the NBA-leading 18-4 Celtics.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The Kia NBA Players of the Month for October &amp; November! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KiaPOTM?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KiaPOTM</a> West: Devin Booker (<a href="https://twitter.com/Suns?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Suns</a>) East: Jayson Tatum (<a href="https://twitter.com/celtics?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@celtics</a>) <a href="https://t.co/bo6D6n20J2">pic.twitter.com/bo6D6n20J2</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1598424744117739520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Here were the other nominees:
West: Stephen Curry (Warriors), Anthony Davis (Lakers), Luka Dončić (Mavericks), De&rsquo;Aaron Fox (Kings), Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons (Trail Blazers), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Nikola Jokić (Nuggets) and Ja Morant (Grizzlies)
East: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks), O.G. Anunoby (Raptors), DeMar DeRozan (Bulls), Kevin Durant (Nets), Joel Embiid (76ers), Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner (Pacers), Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers) and Franz Wagner (Magic)

Devin Booker and Jayson Tatum have been named the NBA Players of the Month for October and November.

Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum named NBA Players of the Month

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Buddy Hield scored 26 points to lead four Indiana players with 20 or more, and the Pacers beat the Brooklyn Nets 128-117 on Friday night.
&ldquo;He's unafraid,&rdquo; Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. &ldquo;He puts the ball in the basket. You have to choose to look at things that guys do well.&rdquo;
Myles Turner added 23 points, Tyrese Haliburton had 21 and Bennedict Mathurin finished with 20 for the Pacers. Halburton also had 15 assists.
Kevin Durant scored 36 points, including 20 in the fourth quarter for the Nets. Ben Simmons made all eight shots and scored 20 before fouling out in the final minute. Kyrie Irving also had 20.
Mathurin, who scored 16 points in the fourth quarter, sank a 3-pointer from the corner to give the Pacers a 99-96 lead, their first since the middle of the first quarter. The Pacers expanded the lead to 108-98 with a 3-pointer by Hield with 6:43 left in the fourth quarter.
Brooklyn closed the deficit to 110-107 when Durant sank a 3-pointer, was fouled and converted the four-point play. But Indiana pulled away again.
Nic Claxton, who had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Nets, was called for a flagrant foul for shoving Haliburton, who had to be restrained from going after Claxton. Haliburton sank two free throws to push the lead to 120-111 with 3:38 to go.
&ldquo;I think we have a mature group,&rdquo; Turner said. &ldquo;We may be young, but we lock into the details of the game. We don&rsquo;t allow ourselves to get rattled. We got Tyrese back there, the head of the snake. It seems like he always has his composure in key moments and he keeps us calm.&rdquo;
Turner said that was important in the fourth quarter
&ldquo;There were some chippy plays,&rdquo; Turner said. &ldquo;They were trying to get our heads a little bit. They kept composure and didn&rsquo;t allow that to mess up the flow of the game.&rdquo;
The Pacers outscored the Nets 40-23 in the final period.
&ldquo;They were becoming the aggressor and shifted the momentum in their favor,&rdquo; Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said.
The Nets shot 61% to take a 65-57 lead at halftime. Irving set the pace with 14 points, followed by Simmons with 12. The Pacers made nearly 48% of their shots in the first half.
For the game, the Nets shot 53% while the Pacers shot 50%. But the big difference was at the free throw line, where the Pacers sank 30 of 38 while the Nets were 8 of 10.
&ldquo;We wanted to get them off their 3-point line, but I&rsquo;m not sure how disciplined we were when they got to the rim of not fouling,&rdquo; Vaughn said. &ldquo;(We) have to have discipline when they get to the rim and just be vertical. A lot of times guys are going to miss those shots and we rewarded them with fouls. You&rsquo;re on the road, you can&rsquo;t expect any calls. For us, it&rsquo;s a good lesson to be more disciplined in how we approach the defensive end of the floor.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Nets: Yuta Watanabe was sidelined with a right hamstring strain for the second consecutive game. &hellip; Simmons scored in double figures for the sixth straight game. In the three games prior to the streak, Simmons had a combined total of 10 points.
Pacers: Andrew Nembhard missed his third consecutive game with a bruised left knee. &hellip; After a long discussion with the referees during a timeout in the third quarter, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle was issued a technical. Durant missed the free throw. ... Haliburton had four of the Pacers' 13 steals. In contrast, the Nets had two steals.
&nbsp;

Buddy Hield scored 26 points to lead four Indiana players with 20 or more, and the Pacers beat the Brooklyn Nets 128-117.

Pacers have 4 players with 20-plus points, beat Nets 128-117

Before every season, I do my best to predict how I think the season will unfold &mdash; where teams will finish and who&rsquo;ll win each individual award. Heck, I even try my hand at predicting the All-NBA/Rookie/Defensive Teams.
Those efforts are generally meaningless; you can never truly account for injuries or transactions, for example, which makes it nearly impossible to truly nail these things down. Still, it&rsquo;s incredibly fun to take a look at the landscape of the league and make educated guesses.
Normally, I&rsquo;d thread my predictions on Twitter since it&rsquo;s a quick and easy way to get those thoughts out into the world. The issue is explaining controversial picks with a character limit; if you&rsquo;ve been on the app for any amount of time, you know how quickly discussions can go left.
Instead, I&rsquo;ve turned my predictions into an article. It&rsquo;ll be easier to track my predictions, and I have the space to explain my reasoning in a more thorough manner.&nbsp;
If you want to laugh at last year's edition &mdash; in which I had the Milwaukee Bucks beating the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals &mdash; you can do so <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/202122-nba-season-and-award-predictions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
If you want deeper thoughts on your favorite team, read our season previews for the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-23-nba-season-preview-atlantic-division-boston-celtics-brooklyn-nets-new-york-knicks-philadelphia-76ers-sixers-toronto-raptors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Atlantic Division</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-23-nba-season-preview-northwest-division-denver-nuggets-minnesota-timberwolves-oklahoma-city-okc-thunder-portland-trail-blazers-utah-jazz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Northwest Division</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-23-nba-season-preview-central-division-chicago-bulls-cleveland-cavaliers-detroit-pistons-indiana-pacers-milwaukee-bucks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Central Division</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/202223-nba-season-preview-pacific-division" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pacific Division</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/202223-nba-season-preview-southeast-division" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Southeast Division</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/202223-nba-season-preview-southwest-division" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Southwest Division</a>.
Without further ado, here&rsquo;s how I see things going this season.
Individual Awards
Most Valuable Player: Joel Embiid (PHI)
Defensive Player of the Year:&nbsp;Bam Adebayo (MIA)
Rookie of the Year: Paolo Banchero (ORL)
Sixth Man of the Year: Jordan Poole (GSW)
Most Improved Player: Precious Achiuwa (TOR)
Coach of the Year: Ty Lue (LAC)
- This kinda has to be the year for Embiid, no? Back-to-back second-place finishes set the stage for him to grab one if he proves healthy. This is arguably the most talented cast he's had around him. If he's healthy and commits defensively like he said he wants to, an MVP-DPOY combo isn't out of the question.
- Adebayo is the&nbsp;switch big in the NBA, one of a handful of players that can legitimately defend all five positions. Missed games hurt his case last season, but I think the award is his if he plays 65-plus games.&nbsp;
- Banchero should lead all rookies in scoring &mdash; well, unless Bennedict Mathurin pulls it off. The bucket-getting, plus playmaking chops, on a team that I think will be better than most people expect should give him a clear pathway to the award.
- I have a couple of sleepers-that-aren't-sleepers; keep an eye on <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-feature-intreview-bruce-brown-feeling-secure-in-new-role-denver-nuggets-nikola-jokic-jamal-murray-brooklyn-nets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bruce Brown</a> and Brandon Clarke. Ultimately, Poole should lead all bench players in scoring &mdash; and do so efficiently &mdash; while racking up wins on one of the best teams in the league.
- Lue's been a top-three coach for a while now. Getting a 10-plus win improvement (even if it's health-related) while sorting out the rotation of a roster with 13 NBA-level talents would be a pretty strong case.
Team Awards
ALL-NBA FIRST TEAM:&nbsp;Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid
ALL-NBA SECOND TEAM:&nbsp;Trae Young, Ja Morant, Paul George, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic
ALL-NBA THIRD TEAM:&nbsp;Devin Booker, Jimmy Butler, Pascal Siakam, LeBron James, Bam Adebayo
ALL-DEFENSIVE FIRST TEAM: Marcus Smart, Mikal Bridges, Draymond Green, Bam Adebayo, Joel Embiid
ALL-DEFENSIVE SECOND TEAM: Jrue Holiday, Herb Jones, Jimmy Butler, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Rudy Gobert
ALL-ROOKIE FIRST TEAM: Jaden Ivey, Bennedict Mathurin, Keegan Murray, Jabari Smith, Paolo Banchero
ALL-ROOKIE SECOND TEAM:&nbsp;Jalen Williams, Jake LaRavia, Jeremy Sochan, Tari Eason, Jalen Duren
- For the All-NBA Teams, apologies are due, but not limited to: Kawhi Leonard (rest days, deep class), Rudy Gobert (deep class), Karl-Anthony Towns (deep class), Anthony Davis (injury, deep class), Chris Paul (deep class, likely regression), Kyrie Irving (deep class), Brandon Ingram (deep class), Zion Williamson (missed time), Bradley Beal (team record), Jaylen Brown (deep class) and Anthony Edwards (deep class).
- Until the ballot becomes positionless &mdash; or at least until they give us two backcourt and three frontcourt options like the All-Star ballot &mdash; a center will get screwed. I think Embiid gets MVP this year, so Jokic falls to the Second Team. They aren't forwards, and won't be played as forwards. I'm not goin'.
- This will be the Herb Jones year if he's healthy. Should've been last year, but I'll save that rant for another day. While we're on second-year players, it wouldn't shock me at all if Evan Mobley makes serious noise in this regard too.
- The All-Rookie First Team seems pretty straightforward. A solid mix of talent and opportunity on the board.
- The LaRavia pick might be spicy, especially if the defense doesn't come along quickly enough. I do think there's enough shooting and connective playmaking there that he could earn consistent ticks in Memphis.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Eastern Conference
TOP SIX
<ol>
<li>PHILADELPHIA 76ERS</li>
<li>BOSTON CELTICS</li>
<li>MILWAUKEE BUCKS</li>
<li>MIAMI HEAT</li>
<li>CLEVELAND CAVALIERS</li>
<li>TORONTO RAPTORS</li>
</ol>
- This should be a darn good year for the Sixers. Talented top-four &mdash; I'm really here for this decisive version of Tobias Harris &mdash; and more defensive talent on the roster.
- I get the depth/age concerns for the Bucks, but, like, Giannis. Top-10 offense and defense should be in play for them.
- Questions at the 3 aside, the Cavs should be incredibly annoying to deal with. All that size defensively, then the pull-up chops on the other end from Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell? Whew.
PLAY-IN TERRITORY
<ol start="7">
<li>BROOKLYN NETS</li>
<li>ATLANTA HAWKS</li>
<li>CHICAGO BULLS</li>
<li>NEW YORK KNICKS</li>
</ol>
- Seventh feels right for Brooklyn considering the strength of the conference and the early absences of Joe Harris and Seth Curry. I must say, though, I like what they're establishing scheme-wise. A top-four seed wouldn't surprise me at all.
THE REST
<ol start="11">
<li>ORLANDO MAGIC</li>
<li>WASHINGTON WIZARDS</li>
<li>DETROIT PISTONS</li>
<li>CHARLOTTE HORNETS</li>
<li>INDIANA PACERS</li>
</ol>
- I'm prepared to take my L, but I'm high on the Magic this year. There's so much skilled size on the roster. The defense should be solid, and there's enough playmaking and shot creation to make things interesting offensively.
- Already making a change from the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-dunker-spot/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-145-southeast-division-preview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Southeast Division preview pod</a>; I think the Hornets will be worse than the Wizards. Post-pod, I felt I was too harsh on Washington. Since then, we've gotten a LaMelo Ball ankle turn and a James Bouknight arrest, and we've still heard nothing on the Miles Bridges front (he shouldn't be there). They're closer to the bottom for me now.
- I entered training camp ready to plant the "Pistons make the Play-In" flag, but I feel really uneasy about their switching scheme. That, and the half-court offense is going to take some time to come together. Next year, though!
Western Conference 
TOP SIX
<ol>
<li>GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS</li>
<li>PHOENIX SUNS</li>
<li>DENVER NUGGETS</li>
<li>LA CLIPPERS</li>
<li>MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES</li>
<li>DALLAS MAVERICKS</li>
</ol>
- An uptick of shooting from Curry, a healthier version of Klay Thompson and growth from the youth should lead to bundles of regular-season wins.
- Despite the ugly postseason ending and offseason hoopla, the Suns have a formula (and talent, obviously) to churn out regular-season wins. Let's not overreact.
- Early spoiler: I think the Clippers have the most talented roster in the league. I think star maintenance and lineup tinkering have them closer to No. 6 than No. 1 in the standings.
PLAY-IN TERRITORY
<ol start="7">
<li>MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES</li>
<li>NEW ORLEANS PELICANS</li>
<li>LA LAKERS</li>
<li>PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS</li>
</ol>
- The Pels! They should be electric offensively. Defensively, they have pieces I like &mdash; hello Mr. Jones, Jose Alvarado and Larry Nance Jr. &mdash; but we'll see how they hold up as a unit.
- I have some real questions about the Lakers' shooting talent and the Westbrook fit &mdash; and how long he'll even be there. There's an obvious upside for more if things break right.
- It hasn't been from a lack of effort, but trying to build a defense around a Damian Lillard-Anfernee Simons-Jusuf Nurkic core is just a tough thing to do.&nbsp;
THE REST
<ol start="11">
<li>SACRAMENTO KINGS</li>
<li>HOUSTON ROCKETS</li>
<li>OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER</li>
<li>UTAH JAZZ</li>
<li>SAN ANTONIO SPURS</li>
</ol>
- If the Fightin' KZs Kings are able to defend well enough &mdash; and by that, I mean, like 21st in Defensive Rating &mdash; don't be surprised if they nab 10th. The offense should be good enough to make a push.
- The Rockets are a year of development (and roster consolidation) away from making a Play-In push, I think.
Eastern Conference Playoffs
PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT
Nets &gt; Hawks for 7th.
Bulls &gt; Knicks for 9th.
Hawks &gt; Bulls for 8th.
- A sad end for the Bulls here, but this is simply the strength of the conference. It'll be tremendous fun watching Young try to create space against Alex Caruso or Ayo Dosunmu at the point of attack.
FIRST ROUND
(1) Sixers &gt; (8) Hawks in 5.
(4) Heat &gt; (5) Cavs in 6.&nbsp;
(2) Celtics &gt; (7) Nets in 7.
(3) Bucks &gt; (6) Raptors in 6.&nbsp;
- With the Sixers adding to their defensive personnel and the Hawks looking a little worse in the shooting department, I think the chances of an(other) upset are pretty slim.
- The Nets fare better the second time around against Brooklyn, but I still don't think they have enough defenders to deal with Boston. Should be the best series of the first round, though.
- Bucks-Raptors will be a slugfest; ultimately, I don't know if the Raptors will have the half-court juice to pull things out.&nbsp;
SECOND ROUND
(1) Sixers &gt; (4) Heat in 6.
(3) Bucks &gt; (2) Celtics in 7.
- A pair of second-round sequels with the results flipped! Having Khris Middleton back &mdash; and a little more size, shooting and playmaking with Joe Ingles &mdash; gives the Bucks the boost they need to squeeze by. If Philly's healthy, I struggle to see Miami containing all three of Embiid, Harden and Maxey.
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
(3) Bucks &gt; (1) Sixers in 6.
- Bucks steal home court in Game 1 and close the deal at home in Game 6. They have the size to make Embiid think and a defender in Holiday to either hound Maxey or absorb some of Harden's strength-based drives.
Western Conference Playoffs
PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT&nbsp;
Pelicans &gt; Wolves for 7th.&nbsp;
Lakers &gt; Blazers for 9th.&nbsp;
Wolves &gt; Lakers for 8th.
- I went back and forth on the Lakers-Wolves game. Still don't feel great about it, but I think the Wolves take care of business at home.
FIRST ROUND
(1) Warriors &gt; (8) Wolves in 4.
(4) Clippers &gt; (5) Grizzlies in 6.
(3) Nuggets &gt; (6) Mavericks in 6.
(2) Suns &gt; (7) Pelicans in 6.
- Clippers-Grizzlies feels like Storm-Mystics from this year's WNBA playoffs; there's no way one of these teams should be knocked out of the first round. I'd worry about the Grizzlies' half-court offense against LA's defense.
- Sign me up for all the half-court goodness Luka and Jokic would provide. Denver's just better if they're healthy.
-&nbsp;I wouldn't be shocked at the Suns/Pelicans result being flipped, but I have too many questions about New Orleans' defense right now to give them a series win.
SECOND ROUND
(4) Clippers &gt; (1) Warriors in 6.
(3) Nuggets &gt; (2) Suns in 7.
- Might be the most controversial pick on the board, but I trust the Clippers' length and switchability to make life a little difficult in the half-court. With Kahwi in the fold, they should be able to mismatch hunt late and eke out a close series.
- Deandre Ayton has defended Jokic well in the past; I think the added/healthy firepower around him may make the Nuggets' offense too much to deal with.
WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
(4) Clippers &gt; (3) Nuggets in 6.
- A bubble rematch! Jokic likely wrecks havoc, but I think the depth and shooting of the Clippers shine through.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
NBA Finals
(3) Bucks &gt; (4) Clippers in 6.
- Deepest team in the league facing an experienced group headlined by the best player in basketball. I think interior size swings it for Giannis and the Bucks.

Nekias Duncan gives his way-too-early predictions for the 2022-23 NBA season.

Nekias Duncan's 2022-23 NBA season and award predictions

This marks the first time that NBA opening-night rosters have at least 120 international players in consecutive seasons

NBA features 120 international players from 40 countries, 6 continents

CHICAGO (AP) &mdash; Zion Williamson scored 13 points and grabbed four rebounds over 15 minutes in his return after a lost season with a broken foot, and the New Orleans Pelicans held on to beat the Chicago Bulls 129-125 on Tuesday night.
Devonte&rsquo; Graham led the Pelicans with 21 points and five assists. Willy Hernangomez and rookie Dyson Daniels, the eighth overall pick in last summer&rsquo;s draft, had 15 points apiece. Dyson had 12 points in the fourth quarter as New Orleans won with a late push.
DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 21 points, and Javonte Green had 18. Nikola Vucevic finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Rookie Dalen Terry scored 11 points.
The Pelicans built a 73-50 lead at halftime with a significant portion of the scoring coming from the bench, a testament to New Orleans&rsquo; depth. And the Pelicans were without Brandon Ingram, who sat out with a sore toe.
Williamson was the only New Orleans starter to reach double figures. Jaxson Hayes added 14 points off the bench.
KNICKS 117, PISTONS 96
RJ Barrett scored 21 points, Jalen Brunson had 16 points and five assists in his debut as the Knicks point guard, and New York used a third-quarter push to beat Detroit.
Julius Randle added 15 points for the Knicks, shooting 6 for 10 and contributing six rebounds and four assists. Immanuel Quickley finished with 13 points and Miles McBride had six steals as the Knicks forced 22 turnovers, leading to 26 points.
Rookie Jaden Ivey from Purdue, the fifth overall pick in the draft, started at guard and scored 16 points in 22 minutes for Detroit. Ivey connected on 6 of 9 shots in his preseason debut. Isaiah Livers scored 13 points, while Bojan Bogdanovic, who came over from Utah, and Killian Hayes added 11 apiece.
Brunson, who played for Dallas last season, signed a four-year contract in the offseason as the Knicks continue their search for a point guard. Brunson got off to a nice start with six points and three assists in the first quarter.
A 33-21 third quarter put the Knicks in control as both teams moved to their reserves in the second half.
Jalen Duren, the 13th overall pick, grabbed 14 rebounds for the Pistons.
TIMBERWOLVES 121, HEAT 111
Anthony Edwards scored 24 points, connecting on 9 of 15 shots in 23 minutes, to lead Minnesota over Miami.
Taurean Prince added 19 points, while Bryn Forbes scored 15 for the Timberwolves, who played without frontline players Karl-Anthony Towns and newly acquired Rudy Gobert.
Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro led the Heat with 22 points apiece, while Caleb Martin scored 12. Omer Yurtseven finished with 11 points and nine rebounds after starting at center for Miami.
Towns is still recovering from a throat illness that eventually required hospitalization. Gobert is resting after playing for France last month.
Meanwhile, Miami played without Jimmy Butler, last year&rsquo;s leading scorer at 21.4 points per game, and Victor Oladipo.
The Timberwolves benefitted from 51% shooting, including 13 of 33 from outside the arc. Miami was limited to 43% and 9 of 34 from 3-point range. Fifteen Heat turnovers led to 25 Minnesota points.
JAZZ 118, TRAIL BLAZERS 101
Jordan Clarkson scored 19 points, Mike Conley finished with 16 on 6-of-9 shooting, and Utah beat Portland.
Both Conley and Clarkson were 3 of 5 from outside the arc, with the Jazz shooting 46% from 3-point range. Collin Sexton scored 13 points and Kelly Olynyk finished with 12 points and six rebounds.
Damian Lillard led Portland with 21 points. Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant scored 13 points apiece, while Jusuf Nurkic finished with 12 points as the Trail Blazers lost for the second time in as many nights.

Zion Williamson returned to the court after missing a season as the Pelicans beat the Bulls in their pre-season opener.

Zion Williamson scores 13 points in return after missing season

James Harden and Joel Embiid are beefing over who has been the most unbeatable Sixer during 1-on-1 competition at training camp. The smack talk escalated this week after a recent practice, each one badgering the other over who really is the alpha dog in Philly.
Who&rsquo;s the better scorer? Rebounder? Nah, the thorny topic in this instance: gaming.
Harden tells Embiid he can beat him in FIFA.
&ldquo;Of course,&rdquo; Harden said.
&ldquo;He said &lsquo;OF COURSE,&rsquo;&rdquo; Embiid said, unable to stifle his laughter.
&ldquo;How many games we play?&rdquo; Embiid said. &ldquo;Five games?&rdquo;
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t remember,&rdquo; Harden retorted. &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t played in four years. I used to be really, really good.&rdquo;
So The Beard pokes reporters to quiz Embiid about his skills in Madden. Embiid insisted he doesn&rsquo;t play the football video game on a regular basis, but conceded of Harden, &ldquo;he&rsquo;s good.&rdquo;
&ldquo;But give me two weeks,&rdquo; Embiid said, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be the best.&rdquo;
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-76ers-nba-sports-basketball-joel-embiid-84c7239b1fd373687d0e4efba7688623" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Embiid already is the 76ers' go-to guy</a> once the controllers go down and the basketball is tossed up. The question that looms over the Sixers is can they get the two to mesh in their first full season together so they can contend for a title -- especially when Harden has to defer to last season's MVP runner-up?
No longer needed to average 30-plus points a game as he did when he starred as one of the NBA&rsquo;s great isolation scorers, Harden is now the No. 2 in the Philadelphia's 1-2 punch. Embiid is the reigning NBA scoring champion and the face of the franchise.
The 33-year-old Harden, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/houston-rockets-sports-basketball-ap-top-news-north-america-9ab9bfc14fff43f4979c661edde8385d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the 2018 MVP</a>, is trying to prove he&rsquo;s recovered from lingering tightness in his left hamstring last season that decimated his explosiveness and forced him into &ldquo;tough times, lot of dark moments.&rdquo; He took less money to return to the Sixers and dropped some weight over the summer. He's in better condition and serving as a mentor of sorts to blossoming talent, like Tyrese Maxey.
&ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got to be a leader,&rdquo; 76ers coach Doc Rivers expressed to Harden after Thursday&rsquo;s practice. &ldquo;Get them to do it right.&rdquo;
Rivers told Harden he needs to act as a facilitator, and &ldquo;be the aggressive James&rdquo; like he was at the end of practice.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to come. It&rsquo;s going to take a while," Rivers told the veteran. "But when it clicks, James, we&rsquo;re going to be unbeatable. Unbeatable. But you&rsquo;ve got to keep your spirit up.&rdquo;
Spirits up, even with the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-76ers-nba-sports-basketball-los-angeles-a297da25dd2fb953d20f6c8800dc6e3c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wine connoisseur&rsquo;s new role</a>.
&ldquo;You&rsquo;ve been the President,&rdquo; Rivers said.
&ldquo;I ain&rsquo;t the President no more,&rdquo; Harden replied.
Hey, VP isn&rsquo;t so bad. And given Embiid&rsquo;s injury history, Harden just might have to rise again to the elite level he reached in eight-plus years with the Houston Rockets, where he was a three-time scoring champion and league assists leader. The seven-time All-NBA player was also named last year a member of the league&rsquo;s 75th anniversary team. But his reputation was smudged when he in large part orchestrated trades out of Houston and Brooklyn over a 14-month span that eventually parked him in Philly at last year&rsquo;s trade deadline.
The Nets had acquired Harden from the Rockets in a January 2021 trade, with the idea that he would form a Big 3 with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The expected title never materialized and the Nets gave up on a disgruntled Harden <a href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-76ers-brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-james-harden-2fea364a5cc35aa3515508d518cc08bc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">and traded him</a> for Philly&rsquo;s own disgruntled Ben Simmons.
Harden has mostly kept quiet on his previous two trade demands.
&ldquo;For the most part, I&rsquo;m to myself,&rdquo; Harden said. &ldquo;Media, whoever, they talk and say their little jabs or shots at me and I never respond because I know who I am and what I&rsquo;m about.&rdquo;
Harden averaged 21 points in 21 games with the Sixers. It was the postseason that struck reasonable doubt that all the NBA miles on his body might taken a toll.
The fake beards fans wore when the Sixers acquired Harden and crazed excitement stirred by his arrival dimmed in the postseason. Harden had four turnovers, four baskets and did not score in the second half in a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-76ers-miami-heat-nba-sports-butler-7adab9036a51147926e92d9650810e64" target="_blank" rel="noopener">season-ending Game 6 loss</a> to Miami. He scored just 14 points in a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-heat-philadelphia-76ers-nba-sports-joel-embiid-a7e7f3ef3a0cb646317e685a44975400" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Game 5 blowout loss</a> at Miami. Harden said several issues that kept him from his full potential in Philadelphia were resolved this summer over meaningful conversations with Rivers and Embiid.
&ldquo;I think me learning them, and vice versa, them learning me and who I am and what I&rsquo;m about, this summer was really good for that,&rdquo; Harden said.
In Harden&rsquo;s 2017-18 MVP season, he joined Michael Jordan as the only players to average at least 20 points, eight assists, five rebounds and 1.7 steals in a season. He led the league in scoring, 3-pointers and 50-point games with four and led the Rockets to an NBA-best 65 wins.
&ldquo;If you start judging him, well he averaged 30 at Houston, but he only averaged 20 here, that&rsquo;s insane,&rdquo; Rivers said. &ldquo;We have a lot of guys that can score. At Houston, he had to score. All the time. Here, the No. 1 option is Joel. James has never been the second option.&rdquo;
At least not since his early years in Oklahoma City. If he adapts in Philly, it could go long a way toward bringing the Sixers their first championship since 1983.

James Harden is prepared to adapt in Philadelphia as a leader and Joel Embiid's right-hand man.

James Harden knows he's no longer the man in Philadelphia

The NBA released its full regular-season schedule Wednesday afternoon, and the collective public had absolutely no idea what games were coming!
*Aggressive winking*
The schedule release announcement had more leaks than a pre-Flex Seal screen boat. Now that the full picture is out in the open, we can break down the marquee matchups of the season and piece together a timeline of games to watch should injuries be avoided and fortune fall our way.
Opening night of the 2022-23 regular season is Oct. 18. It features an Eastern Conference showdown between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors at 10 p.m. ET, and kicks off a week where several different squads dot the national TV landscape.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The first week of the season will feature 11 national television games across three networks, including two doubleheaders each on TNT and ESPN and three games on NBA TV. <a href="https://t.co/O9So5il0Cs">pic.twitter.com/O9So5il0Cs</a>
&mdash; NBA Communications (@NBAPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAPR/status/1559979736125906944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2022</a></blockquote>
We already knew about many of these games, though, and we were already aware of <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2022-nba-christmas-day-schedule-lakers-vs-mavericks-warriors-vs-grizzlies-headline-five-game-holiday-slate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the loaded Christmas Day slate from prior reports</a>. I'm going to gloss over those and highlight some of the more recent takeaways from Wednesday's unveiling.
One of the primary areas of interest with schedule releases is the breakdown of nationally-televised games. Brett Siegel of SI Fastbreak tallied up the <a href="https://www.si.com/fannation/nba/fastbreak/news/2022-23-nba-schedule-team-by-team-nationally-televised-games-lakers-warriors-nets-knicks-celtics-nba-schedule" target="_blank" rel="noopener">national schedules for each team</a>, and I went back to <a href="https://uproxx.com/dimemag/lakers-most-national-tv-games-2021-2022-nba-season-schedule-release/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">last year's count from UPROXX's Bill DiFillippo</a> to check out the shifts.
The Memphis Grizzlies have skyrocketed up the league market landscape. They're appearing in 28 national TV games, far more than double the 11 they had in 2021-22. Ja Morant's <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ja-morant-has-been-playoffs-most-popular-player-across-nbas-socials" target="_blank" rel="noopener">social-media impact is well-documented</a>, and it seems the NBA wants to put him and the exciting young Grizzlies in the spotlight.&nbsp;
Memphis saw the largest bump, but the Minnesota Timberwolves were close behind, quadrupling their national broadcast schedule with 16 games compared to four last season. It's understandable; Minnesota has a walking highlight player in Anthony Edwards, and the franchise made the largest addition to date this summer by trading for Rudy Gobert.
Also on the rise are the Cleveland Cavaliers. Their nine national TV games are small in the grand scheme of the league, but Cleveland only had four such appearances on last season's initial schedule drop and zero outside of NBA TV. This season, the Cavs add three showings on ESPN and two on TNT, and Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-jarrett-allen-qa-cleveland-cavaliers-offseason-basketball-without-borders-asia-camp-evan-mobley-darius-garland-robin-lopez-ricky-rubio" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jarrett Allen</a> should make for some electric primetime showcases.
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cavs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cavs</a> have 9 national TV games: - 11/7 at Clippers (NBA TV) - 12/6 vs. Lakers (TNT) - 12/26 vs. Nets (NBA TV) - 2/2/23 vs. Grizzlies (TNT) - 2/10/23 at Pelicans (ESPN) - 3/1/23 at Celtics (ESPN) - 3/10/23 at Heat (NBA TV) - 3/15/23 vs. 76ers (ESPN) - 3/21/23 at Nets (NBA TV) <a href="https://t.co/5bSrq0AqSs">https://t.co/5bSrq0AqSs</a>
&mdash; Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1559982279912558594?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Meanwhile, the New Yorks Knicks' national schedule took a nosedive after they failed to back up a 2021 playoff appearance. New York has just 16 such games on the calendar right now vs. 29 of those contests a year ago. But one broadcast matchup has already captured attention &mdash; a Nov. 15 contest against the Utah Jazz on TNT. What's the implication of this scheduling given the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/report-jazz-knicks-reengage-in-donovan-mitchell-trade-talks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">swirling trade rumors around Donovan Mitchell</a>?
Speaking of the Jazz &mdash; Utah won't be on nearly as many screens around the country. The Jazz went from 28 national TV games in 2021-22 to four this upcoming season. Yeesh.
The Golden State Warriors earned a league-high 42 nationally-televised games, beating out the Lakers (39), Celtics (37), 76ers (34) and Phoenix Suns (34). Every team has at least one game on a national cable station this season after four squads were confined to NBA TV last year.
After another frenetic offseason, seeing stars face their former teams always makes for entertainment. Rudy Gobert and the Timberwolves host the Jazz on Oct. 21, and they'll travel to Utah for the first time Dec. 9. New Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray will host the San Antonio Spurs on Feb. 11 and visits the Lone Star State on March 19.&nbsp;
Folks are still waiting to see Ben Simmons return to Philadelphia (and an NBA court in general). The 76ers and Brooklyn Nets face off several times as divisional opponents: Nov. 22 (at Philly), Jan. 25 (at Philly), Feb. 11 (at Brooklyn) and April 9 (at Brooklyn). Feb. 11 will also mark James Harden's first game on the road against his former team in the Nets.
In a battle of this year's top-two draft picks facing off, Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic will hit the road to take on Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Nov. 1, and that game will be televised on TNT.&nbsp;
Lastly, travel is always a key component of understanding the league schedule. Every squad has between 12 and 15 total back-to-back situations this season, and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/breakingnews/nba-schedule-has-less-miles-and-lebron-chasing-more-history" target="_blank" rel="noopener">teams will travel about 5% fewer miles than in 2021-22</a>. Here's a team-by-team breakdown from Ed K&uuml;pfer:
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NBA 2022-23: Miles to be traveled by each team <a href="https://t.co/WZ7UuNVlz5">pic.twitter.com/WZ7UuNVlz5</a>
&mdash; Ed K&uuml;pfer (@EdKupfer) <a href="https://twitter.com/EdKupfer/status/1560000305135321090?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2022</a></blockquote>

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We still have two months to nitpick these schedules to infinity, but it's a good reminder that the NBA regular season is circling back around at a brisk pace.

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With the NBA releasing its schedule for the upcoming season, Ethan Fuller highlights the most notable matchups and moments.

Takeaways from the NBA's 2022-23 regular-season schedule release

By mid-January, LeBron James could be the NBA&rsquo;s scoring king.
The NBA schedule was released Wednesday, all 1,230 games that are set between Oct. 18 and April 9 taking place in four countries with Mexico and France playing host to regular-season contests along with the U.S. and Canada.
There are the usual highlights &mdash; <a href="https://apnews.com/article/golden-state-warriors-nba-sports-stephen-curry-klay-thompson-ae5dda0cafbdf59296bdb45001e47c4d">Stephen Curry and Golden State</a> will raise another title banner on opening night, as is the NBA's customary perk for champions; <a href="https://apnews.com/article/kobe-bryant-memphis-grizzlies-brooklyn-nets-los-angeles-lakers-charlotte-hornets-847e28d4335e726bfa869cd1d6c91b85">a five-game slate of games on Christmas</a> yet again; the traditional games in Atlanta and Memphis as part of the leaguewide commemoration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This year brought a twist, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-nba-sports-voter-registration-827945d5b94f984baa992d71809a1c6b">with Election Day now a newly created off day in the NBA.</a>
And now that the list of games is out, the numbers show that James could catch Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the final two weeks of January &mdash; assuming James doesn&rsquo;t have to miss games and scores at his usual pace. James enters this season No. 2 on the all-time list, 1,325 points behind Abdul-Jabbar.
&ldquo;We have obviously a very large ecosystem of league office staff, team staff, players, arena staff that are truly driving to this process,&rdquo; said Evan Wasch, who, along with Gene Li and Tom Carelli, is on the NBA team of executives who build the schedule. &ldquo;So, we are just one small piece.&rdquo;
Wasch, Li and Carelli spent weeks putting a 1,230-piece jigsaw puzzle together, mindful of things like team wishes to have games on certain dates, total miles traveled, even carbon footprint.
The big headline from their work: Teams will travel a bit less, about 5% fewer miles in the air on average over last season.
The NBA made that happen by adding to the instances of teams having no travel between road games, something that&rsquo;ll happen 88 times this season &mdash; up 66% from last season. There are 55 instances of teams playing consecutive road games against the same opponent, and 33 instances of teams playing two games in a row against the two teams from Los Angeles or New York.
Add it all up, and NBA teams will combine to fly about 50,000 fewer miles this season.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a player health component, and there&rsquo;s also a sustainability component there,&rdquo; Wasch said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s a 5% decrease from where we&rsquo;ve been. We&rsquo;ll take it.&rdquo;
Among the countless storylines entering the season is James, and his pursuit of more NBA history.
If he continues scoring at his typical pace &mdash; 27 points per game for his career, 30 points per game last season for the Los Angeles Lakers &mdash; he would need between 44 and 49 games to pass Abdul-Jabbar.
Games 44 through 49 for the Lakers fall in the second half of January. They happen to be at home for most of that stretch, a coincidence since it precedes the annual spot in the calendar where the Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers need to vacate their home arena while it gets ready to play host to the Grammy Awards.
Other revelations from the schedule:
BACK-TO-BACKS
Minimizing the instances of having games on back-to-back days is still a point of emphasis for the NBA, and the average number of them dipped another 1.5% this season &mdash; the average going from 13.5 per team last season to 13.3 per team this season.
Since 2014, the average is down 31.1%. Teams faced an average of 19.3 of them per season then.
No team has fewer than 12 back-to-backs this season. No team has more than 15.
ATTENDANCE RECORD
The San Antonio Spurs&rsquo; magic number on Jan. 13 &mdash; 62,047.
If the Spurs&rsquo; game against Golden State that night draws at least that many fans, it&rsquo;ll set an NBA regular-season record. The Spurs will play that game in San Antonio&rsquo;s Alamodome, not their typical arena, and it&rsquo;ll be set up to accommodate at least 65,000 fans.
The biggest crowd at an NBA regular-season game is 62,046, who gathered to watch Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls meet the Atlanta Hawks at the Georgia Dome on March 27, 1998.
The biggest crowd in league history was 108,713, that group gathering for the 2010 All-Star Game at the home of the NFL&rsquo;s Dallas Cowboys in North Texas.
The Alamodome record for an NBA game is 39,554 on June 18, 1999, when New York visited San Antonio for Game 2 of that year&rsquo;s NBA Finals.
INTERNATIONAL REACH
The NBA has scheduled 45 games that will be shown live in prime time across Europe, the Middle East and Africa on Saturdays and Sundays.
Many of those games feature at least one prominent international player, including two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic of Denver, two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of Milwaukee, reigning scoring champion Joel Embiid of Philadelphia and All-NBA first-teamer Luka Doncic of Dallas.
INTERNATIONAL GAMES
San Antonio has a &ldquo;home" game against Miami in Mexico City on Dec. 17. Detroit has a &ldquo;home" game with Chicago in Paris on Jan. 19.
WELCOME BACK
Some prominent NBA names missed the entirety of last season for a variety of reasons. Among those who were in that group and are expected back this year, assuming they&rsquo;re ready to go when their teams play Game 1:
Kawhi Leonard and John Wall, now teammates with the Clippers, would open their season Oct. 20 &mdash; a &ldquo;road&rdquo; game against the Lakers.
Denver&rsquo;s Jamal Murray would return Oct. 19 at Utah. Brooklyn&rsquo;s Ben Simmons and New Orleans&rsquo; Zion Williamson also would be in line to come back Oct. 19 when the Nets host the Pelicans.

The NBA schedule was released Wednesday, all 1,230 games that are set between Oct. 18 and April 9.

2022-23 NBA schedule has less miles, and LeBron chasing more history

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

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

As we officially put the finishing touches on &ldquo;Bet Week&rdquo; here on BasketballNews.com, NBA over/under win total projections have been released for every team.
Which numbers stand out most to hammer one way or another from a betting perspective? In this piece, I unveil my over/under predictions for every team in the Western Conference. All odds are provided by DraftKings Sportsbook.
Phoenix Suns: Over 52.5 (-110)
Even if the Suns don&rsquo;t acquire Kevin Durant, they remain in an advantageous position to finish near the top of the Western Conference standings. Phoenix still has a stacked rotation, with the biggest difference being Dario Saric&rsquo;s return to the backup big role in place of JaVale McGee. If Devin Booker and the Suns&rsquo; formidable young core continue taking steps forward, it&rsquo;s hard to envision much of a drop-off occurring in the win-loss column.
Phoenix&rsquo;s postseason exit was one of the ugliest we&rsquo;ve seen in recent memory, but a loss like that could rattle this group enough to come back similarly to the team's Finals experience in 2021. I&rsquo;m hammering the over here, as the Suns remain one of the most dangerous squads in the Association. If Durant comes, that&rsquo;ll be the ultimate cherry on top.
Los Angeles Clippers: Over 52.5 (-110)
A fully healthy Clippers squad with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will always stay in the conversation among the league's elite tier. Last season, we were all robbed of seeing this dynamic duo in action together, but all the time off leads me to believe we should see them play more than usual. If so, the over/under of 52.5 wins is one I&rsquo;m comfortable placing the over wager upon.
Los Angeles not only has a loaded rotation similar to Phoenix, but it has a historically potent wing tandem ready to go on a revenge tour. As one of my favorite bets in the West, lock in the Clippers&rsquo; over with the utmost confidence.
Golden State Warriors: Over 51.5 (-115)
The defending champions check in third in the West, which feels like an undersell of what they just accomplished. Stephen Curry is still playing at an all-time level, and Klay Thompson began to find his footing throughout the Warriors&rsquo; run to a championship.
Feeling confident in the over also has to do with the development of the team's younger, up-and-coming players. Though dependent upon how much more Golden State will go into the luxury tax long-term, Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins look to be entrenched long-term pieces. Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and James Wiseman are the ultimate wildcards for Golden State. Even if only one takes off from a development perspective in 2022-23, 51.5 wins is a number to hit the over on.
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Denver Nuggets: Over 49.5 (-140)
Nikola Jokic enters this season as a trendy dark-horse selection for MVP as the back-to-back award winner, which is incredible to even think about. The Nuggets have stayed competitive amidst their countless injury issues because of Jokic&rsquo;s greatness.
Now, with Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. eventually expected back at 100%, Denver is a team many bettors are hammering the over on with -140 moneyline odds on 49.5 wins. Frankly, I&rsquo;m in lockstep with the sportsbooks because Denver was a team that sneakily improved on the margins this offseason. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was an underrated acquisition from the Washington Wizards, and he&rsquo;s earned a new multi-year extension upon his arrival.
If Murray and Porter&rsquo;s health cooperate alongside the all-world talent that is Jokic, 50 wins for the Nuggets just feels right to say. Even above that mark is an appropriate projection, because Jokic elevates the floor that much on his own.
Memphis Grizzlies: Under 48.5 (+105)
Ja Morant qualified as our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/best-bets-for-202223-nba-most-valuable-player" target="_blank" rel="noopener">under-the-radar MVP selection</a> during &ldquo;Bet Week,&rdquo; but the loss of Jaren Jackson Jr. early on looms large for the Grizzlies. Although he flies under the radar a little bit too often, JJJ is an anchor to a defense that&rsquo;s done a complete 180 over the last year.
A lot will be on the plate of Morant, which he won&rsquo;t have a problem with, but what about the rest of the West? The Clippers and Nuggets are healthy now, plus the Suns and Warriors will remain in the title race as well. If Morant can carry the Grizzlies in similar territory without JJJ, his MVP argument could become very valid.
I&rsquo;m going to tread lightly on Memphis and select the under here with plus-money value. Morant will put up spectacular numbers once more, and Desmond Bane should continue to emerge in the backcourt. For my current projection, the Grizzlies will slot in as a No. 5 or No. 6 seed.
Dallas Mavericks: Under 48.5 (-105)
The argument against the Mavericks is almost identical to the one I just presented for Memphis. Luka Doncic enters as the heavy betting favorite for MVP, but will he alone be enough to lift Dallas into truly elite territory? That&rsquo;s one of my biggest questions entering 2022-23, because players like Doncic and Morant fit the billing of talents who can lift teams all on their own.
Months away from it now, it&rsquo;s still stunning to think back to the Mavs&rsquo; Game 7 shellacking of the Suns in the West semifinals. Once Doncic figured out Phoenix&rsquo;s defense, it was game over. Could Doncic do this to the rest of the league? There&rsquo;s no doubt he will put up monster numbers, but the Mavericks fit into the same tier as the Grizzlies right now around 47-48 wins.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Over 47.5 (-140)
I&rsquo;ll continue to bang the Minnesota drum until proven otherwise because I&rsquo;m all-in on the Timberwolves taking a huge step forward. Anthony Edwards checks every box for a young superstar, and their new addition in Rudy Gobert will augment a talented rotation. Karl-Anthony Towns being flanked by Gobert makes up one of the most unique frontcourt combinations we&rsquo;ve ever seen in the modern NBA, but this type of move is a risk an organization like Minnesota must take. Towns and Edwards are ready to win big soon, so adding an elite rim-protector like Gobert allows those gifted scorers to focus on that end.
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Bookmark this if you want, but here&rsquo;s perhaps my biggest hot take: Minnesota will win the Northwest Division and become a top-four seed. With how everything stacks together for Minnesota, this is a team well-positioned to take a leap similar to the one we&rsquo;ve seen from Phoenix and Memphis in recent years.
Los Angeles Lakers: Under 45.5 (-105)
Unless Kyrie Irving is walking through the door anytime soon, I&rsquo;m taking the money and running as quickly as possible on the Lakers' under here. LeBron James and Anthony Davis will do their usual damage, but this roster is nowhere close to being finished. Also, there&rsquo;s no way anyone can truly believe the Lakers are a Finals contender with their ongoing saga surrounding Russell Westbrook. From the very beginning, Westbrook&rsquo;s fit was super clunky alongside LeBron and AD. Now, the triple-double king continues to be the main target of trade rumors, many of which are linking him to the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs as a pure salary-dump option.
Indiana is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lakers-would-be-foolish-not-to-accept-pacers-lifeline-to-extend-their-title-window" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offering the Lakers a lifeline to fix the Westbrook situation</a>. The Pacers are willing to take on the $47 million owed to Westbrook while also sending Los Angeles back two starters in Myles Turner and Buddy Hield. The current hold-up in trade negotiations reportedly is draft pick compensation. Los Angeles refuses to offer its 2029 first-round pick on top of the 2027 selection, which the Pacers believe is more than a fair price to pay.
In the meantime, I&rsquo;m going to take the Lakers under 45.5 wins while it remains at plus value. Until any resolution is reached on the roster, I&rsquo;m betting against L.A.
New Orleans Pelicans: Over 44.5 (-140)
Compared to almost any other team in the NBA, New Orleans projects supremely well long-term if Zion Williamson&rsquo;s health cooperates. Williamson and Brandon Ingram have each shown on separate occasions they can be the No. 1 option for New Orleans. CJ McCollum and Jonas Valanciunas are ideal veteran pieces in the starting unit as well. Well-balanced on both ends of the court, the Pelicans have completely bought into what head coach Willie Green brought over from Monty Williams in Phoenix.
With Williamson, Ingram and McCollum, the Pelicans should be a team projected closer to 50 wins. I absolutely love the over here on 44.5 wins, so don&rsquo;t be surprised if New Orleans finishes as a playoff lock instead of a Play-In Tournament competitor.
Portland Trail Blazers: Under 40.5 (-110)
Kudos to Damian Lillard because he will not leave the Blazers hanging anytime soon. He&rsquo;s all-in on winning in Portland, which reminds me so much of Reggie Miller with the Pacers a few decades back. Portland re-signed Jusuf Nurkic and Anfernee Simons, but two notable splashes occurred this offseason. Jerami Grant is the Blazers&rsquo; first true wing threat in years, and the ultimate wildcard from the 2022 NBA Draft fell into their laps at No. 7 overall. What if Shaedon Sharpe hits his ceiling? That&rsquo;s something Portland has in their back pocket, because Sharpe&rsquo;s scoring prowess forecasts very well alongside Lillard. They'll just have to hope he can get healthy and stay healthy.
The West remains a tough customer though. So, with that being said, the Blazers fall into the category of a feisty team that&rsquo;s competitive most nights on their way to a sub-40-win campaign. It's certainly not the outcome Blazers fans hope for, but there&rsquo;s a large number of teams ahead of them at the moment.
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Sacramento Kings: Over 32.5 (-120)
The Kings actually had a good offseason. Yes, you&rsquo;re reading that right. Keegan Murray at No. 4 overall looks to be a lights-out scorer with an extremely high floor. Ideally, Murray can become the third piece to a long-term trio in Sacramento alongside De&rsquo;Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. Also, don&rsquo;t forget about the Kings adding much-needed help on the perimeter with Kevin Huerter via trade and Malik Monk via free agency.
I had to double-take upon finding this fact, but the Kings have only exceeded 33 wins once over the last 14 years (2018-19 was that season).
Luckily for Sacramento, I&rsquo;m projecting them to finish with at least 33 wins for 2022-23. If the Kings underachieve once more, I wonder what the future looks like for an organization that stays in topsy-turvy mode.
Utah Jazz: Under 31.5 (-110)
Assuming Donovan Mitchell is eventually traded, this number will crumble down into the 20s. Utah is in the midst of a full-scale rebuild attempt for the first time in over a decade, and all signs point to Mitchell&rsquo;s exit soon enough from Salt Lake City. Gobert being dealt within the division to Minnesota for a historic amount of draft capital shook up the trade market for good, as it&rsquo;s holding up potential blockbusters revolving around Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Mitchell.
Moving forward, there&rsquo;s no reason why you should feel confident about betting the Utah over unless Mitchell keeps them above water staying around until February. If not, you&rsquo;re putting an awful lot of faith into the hands of Bojan Bogdanovic and Jordan Clarkson to carry the roster. (If they're there.)
The smart route is to go with the under for the Jazz. Lock in with extreme confidence that Jazz executive Danny Ainge eventually tears it all down within a few months.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Under 26.5 (+100)
Until the Thunder stop their tanking ways, I can&rsquo;t willfully bet an over on them. Following their aggressive draft night &mdash; obtaining three lottery picks headlined by No. 2 overall selection Chet Holmgren, who many viewed as the best overall player &mdash; maybe that "tanking" buzzword is in their rearview mirror.
OKC&rsquo;s roster is young, but the talent screams out as a team that could propel itself forward in a huge manner. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey profile as a super fun long-term backcourt pairing. Luguentz Dort is a pitbull defender who continues to improve his outside shot, which earned him a lucrative five-year extension.
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The Thunder could easily make me look foolish selecting the under, but something along the lines of 25 or 26 wins feels spot on. Can Sam Presti resist the temptation of not tanking for Victor Wembanyama or Scoot Henderson in 2023?
Houston Rockets: Over 23.5 (-125)
The Rockets have one of the most interesting young cores to monitor heading into next season. Jalen Green began to turn the corner over the last month of the season, averaging 22.3 points on a 59.9% True Shooting percentage. Jabari Smith Jr., Houston&rsquo;s No. 3 overall selection from the 2022 draft, projects as a score-first wing/big hybrid who should excel alongside Green and Kevin Porter Jr. Alperen Sengun, a throwback Turkish big man, is an underrated prospect with an unlimited ceiling once the small aspects of his game are figured out.
Houston is nowhere close to being competitive, but that&rsquo;s totally okay. The team controls the Brooklyn Nets&rsquo; draft for the next season years, so the Rockets are set up arguably as well as anyone right now with the chaos surrounding that whole situation. If the youth jells together and the organization obtains another top pick in next year&rsquo;s draft, be on the lookout for this core to ascend.
For the over/under, 23.5 wins feels a little low, in my opinion. I&rsquo;m projecting the Rockets with 25 victories, so give me the over at -125 odds on DraftKings.
San Antonio Spurs: Under 22.5 (-110)
Once Dejounte Murray was traded to the Atlanta Hawks, it sounded the alarm that the Spurs are finally waiving the white flag on competing for wins effective immediately. San Antonio obtained three future first-round picks for Murray, a haul for a team pressing the reset button at the perfect time.
Las Vegas projects the Spurs with the worst over/under for next season, and there&rsquo;s no real reason to go against them there. Keldon Johnson will put up numbers following his long-term extension, but inexperience is the main theme for San Antonio. The Spurs should be on their way to 20 wins or less, so hammer the under.

Evan Sidery goes over win totals for the Western Conference. Who stands out?