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Pelicans

Chris Paul turns 37 years old next week, but you would have no idea that&rsquo;s the case with the way he slammed the door shut on the New Orleans Pelicans potentially forcing a Game 7.
The Phoenix Suns&rsquo; future Hall-of-Fame point guard put together a masterclass performance, dropping 33 points and 8 assists on 14-of-14 shooting. Paul is the only player in NBA postseason history to attempt at least 14 field goal attempts without a miss, once again putting the Suns on his back when it mattered most.
Paul was the Suns&rsquo; only reliable offensive threat in Game 6, and he was totally okay with that. Easily slicing and dicing through New Orleans&rsquo; aggressive on-ball defense, Paul was able to get to his spots on the floor with no issue.
What was most remarkable is the fluidity and ease with which he disposed of New Orleans' defense. The Pelicans threw a hailstorm at Paul, toying with matchups, personnel, pressure and coverages.
As the game wore on, Paul eradicated each barrier set in front of him.&nbsp;
Jaxson Hayes struggled much of the series to remain an on-court neutral, and Game 6 was a microcosmic view of why (he ended up playing 12 minutes in spite of starting, playing only 13.8 minutes per game for the series).
Jae Crowder didn't shoot well last night, but he was dominant as a screener for Phoenix's offense. He set an absurd number of early offense screens to force inopportune switches and dicatate play immediately in the halfcourt.
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Crowder makes contact with CJ McCollum before five seconds have leaked off the clock, and that was a regularity. Deandre Ayton sets his screen further in to make it difficult for Hayes to recover quickly to the perimeter and switch on the screen; Ayton was demonstrative as a screener last night, an obelisk on the court, always ready to shift the dynamics of the court in a moment's notice.
Ayton flips the screen to open a pocket for Paul, Hayes tries to fight back under as Jonas Valanciunas keeps things in front in drop coverage, and Paul cashes the jumper.
The Pelicans started to prioritize length and mobility as the game went on, pressing Paul tight with Naji Marshall, Herb Jones and Jose Alvarado. Larry Nance Jr., a force in this series, played close to the level of screens as the defense worked to shrink those pockets near the elbow.
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Let's just note how many things the defense does here that they weren't off rip.
We have the three quarters pressure. The big is playing at the level. Ingram is fighting to deny the switch and keep Naji Marshall in front of Paul, as Marshall darts under the Ayton screen. Paul breaks right and jams Marshall into a well-placed rescreen from Ayton. Brandon Ingram stunts off Crowder to jab at the ball, but Paul is unfazed as he switches hands, crossing to his left before pulling up on a dime. Paul starts into his shot prep and Jones stunts from the strongside corner... and it just didn't matter.
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New Orleans did everything they could to stay solid while attacking Paul in every which way, a culmination of adjustments they'd made throughout the first half, and yet Chris Paul still rendered it ineffective. That's soul crushing.
Perhaps the shots he&nbsp;didn't take did an even better job of showcasing how absurd his play was.
Watch this play. The control is unreal. Paul is having his Neo-taking-over-the-Matrix moment. Every dribble is precise, calculated and surgical. He's shifting Ingram constantly.
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The second Ingram's hips turn, Paul flips the ball to Ayton for a quick rise and fire as he was in the midst of his own absurd shooting performance, as he went 10-of-12 from the field on a variety of finishes.
The late-game lob to take the lead was killer. The synergy between Paul and Ayton made a broken possession heartbreaking for New Orleans.
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Just when you think Paul's kept in front and smothered, you're getting yammed on with a well-disguised lob.
If Chris Paul had taken 27 shots last night, I'm not sure he misses. He just hit everything, and some of the bounces he got were ridiculous, displaying his otherworldly touch.
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A triple bounce on the rim after a high-arcing tear drop?
The ball flipping over the rim after hitting the front for the game-sealing bucket?
Just an absurd display of shot-making that felt willed on by divine intervention of some sort. It was one of the greatest offensive performances I've ever seen.
Throughout the Suns&rsquo; hard-fought first-round series against the Pelicans, Paul showcased brilliant moments on multiple occasions. In the end, Paul averaged 22.3 points, 11.3 assists and 1.8 steals on a 66.3% True Shooting.
As Suns head coach Monty Williams mentioned after the Suns&rsquo; close-out victory, this is just an expectation for players with the greatness of Paul.
&ldquo;I just know that great players have a knack for that,&rdquo; Willams said. &ldquo;They know when to and when not to. The game slows down for them, slower than it does for everybody else.&rdquo;
Williams even alluded to how Paul's outing is up there with the greatest performances (if not the greatest) he&rsquo;s witnessed from his superstar point guard. And doing it back where it all started for Paul in the Association made this moment even more special. The roots in New Orleans are still entrenched for Paul, and closing it all out in this manner was simply a breathtaking experience.
&ldquo;Unbelievably special,&rdquo; Paul said of his historical game in New Orleans. &ldquo;You have no idea what it&rsquo;s like for me to walk in here. Everybody that works back here, these people part of my family. &hellip; Chris (an arena security guard), he been here since I was here. Pound him before every game here back when I played in New Orleans, and did the same thing this entire series. My older brother sitting on the baseline. All of these people, it&rsquo;s my family. People sitting courtside been here since I was here.
"There&rsquo;s nothing like playing in this city, man. There&rsquo;s nothing like it. I went to other teams and all that, but the energy here, the way they show much love to the players, to your family. When I walked in, they asked if my parents were here and all that. And then Willie [Green], so many different ties to this team. [Garrett] Temple, Gary Clark was in my AAU program. &hellip; There&rsquo;s so many different ties to New Orleans and there always will be.&rdquo;
While sitting next to Paul, Devin Booker even mentioned how he and his father, Melvin, would drive down from Moss Point, Mississippi, to watch Paul and the New Orleans Hornets in the postseason. This full-circle experience for Paul is one he will never forget, and this trend of becoming an upgraded version of the &ldquo;Point God&rdquo; in close-out situations for the Suns continues to hold true.
Whether it be Paul&rsquo;s historical Game 6 in the Western Conference Finals last season against another former team in the Los Angeles Clippers, or what he just pulled off another year older in New Orleans, there&rsquo;s simply no more denying the greatness of CP3.
BasketballNews.com's <a href="https://twitter.com/MG_Schindler" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Schindler</a> contributed to this article.
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Chris Paul's unbelievable Game 6 performance was the point guard's latest masterclass that put his greatness on full display.

Chris Paul's Game 6 masterclass is his latest moment of greatness

NEW ORLEANS (AP) &mdash; Dejounte Murray could feel his annoyance building as San Antonio coaches repeatedly went back over video of the Spurs' blowout loss to New Orleans in the previous meeting between the two Western Conference play-in hopefuls.
Apparently, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, the NBA's all-time leader in coaching victories, knows something about using bad memories to inspire better performances.
Murray had 15 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds, Keldon Johnson punctuated his 21-point night with a breakaway dunk in the final seconds and the Spurs bolstered their postseason hopes with a 107-103 victory over the Pelicans on Saturday night.
&ldquo;Our two meetings today, I kind of was mad that we kept watching the film of that last game because they beat us really bad from tip all the way to the end of the game,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;We all took that personal.&rdquo;
The Pelicans nearly wiped out a 10-point deficit in the final 3:43 and had the ball, down 105-103, in the final seconds. But the Spurs sent multiple perimeter defenders at CJ McCollum, who opted to pass to Jose Alvarado on the left wing. Alvarado, an undrafted rookie who scored a career-high 23 points, missed his final shot for the lead from the 3-point line.
Jock Landale rebounded and got to the ball to Murray, who found Johnson with a long cross-court pass for the put-away basket in a victory that pulled San Antonio (30-44) one game behind New Orleans (31-43) for the final Western Conference play-in spot.
Pelicans first-year coach Willie Green said that although Alvarado had &ldquo;a good look&rdquo; at his last shot, the coaching in that situation could have been better.
"In hindsight, that's a situation where I probably need to take a timeout and get us organized," Green continued. &ldquo;That's an area where I probably have to get a little better.&rdquo;
Green also sensed the Spurs were playing with the emotion and purpose of a team seeking redemption.
&ldquo;They remembered what happened the last time we played them and you could see they came out with a different force,&rdquo; Green said, calling the Spurs' 16 offensive rebounds and 22 second-chance points &ldquo;the biggest factor&rdquo; in the game.
&ldquo;Normally teams don't rebound the ball like that against us,&rdquo; Green added. &ldquo;It sort of negates what we do well.&rdquo;
Josh Richardson scored 18 points for the Spurs, who trailed 92-90 with less than nine minutes to play before stringing together a pivotal 12-0 run during which Landale scored eight on a pair of 3s and a layup set up by Zach Collins' shot fake and pass from underneath the basket.
&ldquo;We kind of all understood what this game meant to our record and the chase with those guys,&rdquo; Landale said. &ldquo;There was a different level of intensity in the locker room and walking out on the court. ... It was just good to see it all come together down the stretch.&rdquo;
McCollum scored 32 and Jonas Valanciunas had 18 points and 11 rebounds for New Orleans, which led most of the first half. The Pelicans were up by as many as 12 when Larry Nance Jr., in his second game back from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, tipped in Devonte' Graham's missed 3 early in the second quarter to make it 34-22.
The Spurs controlled the rest of the quarter, however, thanks in large part to Richardson, who scored 11 of his points in a four-minute span in the middle of the period.
Richardson's three free throws after he was fouled on a 3-point attempt gave the Spurs a 50-46 lead with 4:30 left in the half.
New Orleans rallied to briefly take the lead when Herb Jones' forceful, fast-break two-handed jam and Alvarado's 3 made it 57-54. But Tre Jones' driving layup and Johnson's tip-in in the final seconds gave the Spurs a 58-57 halftime lead.
TIP-INS
Spurs: Jakob Poeltl and Jakob Primo each scored 12 points, while Landale and Collins each scored 10. ... Poeltl grabbed 11 rebounds. ... Made 22 of 25 free throws. ... Outrebounded New Orleans 49-42. ... Small forward Devin Vassell, who averages 11.9 points per game, was held out with a sore right Achilles tendon.
Pelicans: Brandon Ingram, who leads the Pelicans with 22.8 points per game, missed his 10th straight game with a sore hamstring after being listed as questionable coming in. ... Missed six of 19 free throws and missed 22 of 32 3-point shots. ... Pelicans forward Naji Marshall was called for a flagrant foul when his hand caught Collins in the face early in the fourth quarter.
UP NEXT
Spurs: Visit Houston on Monday night.
Pelicans: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night in the last of three straight at home.

Dejounte Murray had a triple-double as the Spurs bolstered their postseason hopes with a 107-103 win over the Pelicans

Murray's triple-double lifts Spurs over Pelicans 107-103

Isaiah Thomas is back.
Well, not&nbsp;back &mdash;&nbsp;this isn't the 2016-17 campaign in which Thomas carried a Boston Celtics offense to the tune of 28.9 points (on 62.5% True Shooting) and 5.9 assists per game. But Thomas has found a home for the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/charlotte-to-sign-isaiah-thomas-for-the-rest-of-the-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rest of the season</a>, providing the currently-streaking Charlotte Hornets with a nice boost of offense.
Since joining the team three weeks ago, Thomas is averaging a shade under 10 points while draining 48.0% of his threes (3.6 attempts). During the Hornets' five-game winning streak, Thomas is averaging 10.8 points in 14 minutes per contest thanks to some insane shooting from deep (58.8% on 3.4 attempts).
Much like his peak days, Thomas is getting busy in the pick-and-roll.
He remains a pull-up threat, making any sort of "under" coverage nearly untenable. While not as bursty as he used to be, he's able to attack gaps and flow into floaters and push shots. His shot diet has altered since his last full-ish season with the Washington Wizards in 2019-20, with more of his shots coming at the rim or floater range (43% vs 34%) per Cleaning The Glass.
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The Hornets have scored 1.16 points per possession (PPP) on trips featuring a Thomas-led pick-and-roll, per Second Spectrum. That number rises to 1.3 on trips where Thomas and Montrezl Harrell &mdash; a violent rim-runner with an intermediate touch he can use when the rim is cut off &mdash; team up.
That two-man game is the bedrock of Charlotte's second unit, with built-in secondary options if an advantage isn't created.
A favorite as of late: a high ball-screen with Thomas and Harrell that flows into an empty corner handoff.
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Think about the options here. A switch would have Willy Hernangomez on an island against Thomas, and Jose Alvarado (fiesty!) on Harrell. Neither would be great options. Playing drop coverage would likely give Thomas a gap to pull-up into, though Alvarado is a stout on-ball defender that could make Thomas uncomfortable.&nbsp;
They instead opt to blitz, taking the ball out of Thomas' hands. But taking the ball out of his hands simply means putting it into the hands of LaMelo Ball, the Hornets' best player.&nbsp;
Giving LaMelo a roller like Harrell is a tough proposition; doing so with an empty side puts the defense in a bind like this:
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Alvarado peels over to the nail to cut off Ball's drive, but that leaves Thomas open for a catch-and-shoot opportunity. Harrell, of course, is rolling into the empty side with no help present. On the weak side, PJ Washington is in prime position to screen off his man (Naji Marshall, No. 8) or Kelly Oubre's man (Trey Murphy III, No. 25) to create a shot.&nbsp;
The Hornets don't just flow into handoffs after Thomas-led ball-screens; they can pivot to off-ball screens for shooters as well.
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This is nice movement set to get Terry Rozier a look. Jalen Brunson does a great job of staying attached, so it simply flows into a downhill attack with Mason Plumlee filling the lane.
Dwight Powell dropped back pretty far on the initial ball-screen, which ends up giving Rozier a runway to drive into. With Miles Bridges chilling in the left corner, Maxi Kleber is stuck between tagging Plumlee on the roll, or staying home on the shooter.&nbsp;
Having a threat like Thomas is incredibly annoying for defenses.
It's especially annoying when he's the first layer of a multi-pronged attack.
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Nekias Duncan breaks down the ways Isaiah Thomas is impacting the Hornets' offense.

Explain one play: Isaiah Thomas as the Hornets' tip of the spear

Brandon Ingram scored 31 points, Josh Hart hit two clutch 3-pointers in the second half to thwart an Orlando rally, and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Magic 110-104 on Thursday night.
The Pelicans have won four straight and five of six. New Orleans started the season 1-12 but is 11-9 since.
&ldquo;What it really says is how much they trust in each other and trust in the coaching staff,&rdquo; Pelicans coach Willie Green said. &ldquo;They just trust what we&rsquo;re doing and we take that seriously. We come in with a consistent message &mdash; win, lose or draw &mdash; that this is how we&rsquo;re going to play. The guys are buying into that.&rdquo;
Hart scored 22 points and hit two straight 3s after Orlando had climbed within 93-90 with 5 minutes remaining. Devonte Graham added 20 points and five 3-pointers for the Pelicans, who improved to 6-12 on the road. Ingram hit 12 of 23 shots and topped 30 points for the fifth time this season.
&ldquo;Thank God we got the lead to 20 early because they just kept chipping away and getting stops,&rdquo; said Graham, whose final 3-pointer came after Orlando got within 99-97. &ldquo;But (Ingram) does what (Ingram) does and Josh was making big plays and hitting shots and everybody off the bench was contributing.&rdquo;
Cole Anthony returned after missing three games with a sprained ankle to score 22 points for the Magic, who also got 22 points from Gary Harris. Franz Wagner scored 20 points and Wendell Carter Jr., who had missed the previous two games with a right leg strain, had 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Orlando&rsquo;s only lead of the night came at 2-0. New Orleans led by 12 at halftime, and Ingram scored the Pelicans&rsquo; first 12 points of the second half to extend the advantage to 65-45.
Later, Ingram made the Magic pay for trapping him by finding Hart and Graham for open 3s.
&ldquo;They started to blitz Brandon and he did a good job of getting off the ball and making the simple play,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;Our shooters knocked down some big shots for us.&rdquo;
Orlando got within 83-78 by the start of the fourth quarter thanks to a 31-14 burst.
&ldquo;Ingram came out hot early and we made our adjustments to get it out of his hands, and that got us turned up a little bit,&rdquo; Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said. &ldquo;What we were trying to avoid (was) giving up the 3s. But that&rsquo;s what happens sometimes with the traps.&rdquo;
RISING ROOKIE
While Jalen Suggs has been out of action the past three weeks with a fractured right thumb, Wagner, the Magic&rsquo;s other first-round pick, has thrived for the injury-ravaged team.
The No. 8 overall pick out of Michigan came into Thursday ranked third among NBA rookies in scoring (14.9 points per game), fourth in steals (1.1) and seventh in rebounds (4.7).
&ldquo;The thing that sticks out the most, other than his IQ, is his competitive spirit,&rdquo; Mosley said. &ldquo;He wants to do things right at all times and he&rsquo;s hard on himself. It&rsquo;s his IQ and that competitive edge that he carries.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Pelicans: Already hit hard by injuries, New Orleans took a few more hits on Thursday with starters Jonas Valanciunas (non-COVID-19 illness) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (health and safety protocols) and reserve Naji Marshall (protocols) out of action. Valanciunas came into Thursday second in the NBA in rebounds and first in second-chance points per game.
Magic: Mosley said R.J. Hampton is out of the health and safety protocols, but won&rsquo;t return until he gets in time to work on his conditioning. ... Actor Chase Stokes (&ldquo;Outer Banks&rdquo;) and former Magic point guard Carlos Arroyo sat courtside.
UP NEXT
Pelicans: At Oklahoma City on Sunday night.
Magic: At Miami on Sunday night.

Brandon Ingram scored 31 points and Josh Hart hit two clutch three-pointers in the second half to thwart an Orlando rally.

Ingram, Hart lead Pelicans past Magic for 4th straight win

Earlier this week, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/celtics-expected-to-listen-to-trade-talks-surrounding-dennis-schrder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania reported</a> that the Boston Celtics are expected to listen to trade discussions surrounding Dennis Schr&ouml;der.
It makes sense. Schr&ouml;der is entering the prime of his career and producing with the Celtics to the tune of 17.5 points, 4.9 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game. He also signed a one-year contract in the offseason for just $5.89 million, and logic signals that he's intending to turn that into a much larger payday next summer.&nbsp;
Dealing Schr&ouml;der while his value is high before he could leave next offseason seems like proper asset management for Boston. And though I think Schr&ouml;der provides a unique flavor with his rim pressure and pure speed, I get the reality that, with the Celtics likely not on the path to title contention this season, there's a good chance Schr&ouml;der gets thrown into the trade carousel.&nbsp;
The questions to ask: What teams could use a potential one-season rental, and what would the Celtics want back? To answer these, let's quickly log Schr&ouml;der's primary skills shown this season.
The 28-year-old has shifted between a high-usage bench role and a starter for Boston as the team deals with injuries. Schr&ouml;der can get downhill with impressive burst when he wants to. Per Cleaning the Glass, he's making 64% of his at-rim attempts, in the 78th percentile at his position.
Schr&ouml;der has also canned an impressive 56% of his corner threes and been a better off-ball option than I initially anticipated. He still seems more comfortable on the ball, where he can dictate the pace and facilitate. Schr&ouml;der is hitting 33.6% of his overall threes this season, which is right at his career average. He's a streaky but capable long-range shooter who can also pull up in the mid-range with some success. Ultimately, the speed and finishing ability are his signature skills.
In this situation, Schr&ouml;der is one of the perfect acquisitions for a team needing that last piece to push for a title or get over the hump into the playoffs. But the Celtics are in this weird middle ground; they have plenty of intriguing young players and a first-year head coach, but also plenty of veterans who can support a win-now run... Except they aren't doing enough of the "winning now" part.&nbsp;
What does Boston want back in a trade in general? They could opt to add to their pool of prospects or find more experienced players to fill needs. I truly don't know the best route, so I've chosen a few of each. Below are five trades that make sense for the Celtics, the hypothetic partner and Schr&ouml;der himself.
<a href="https://fanspo.com/nba/trade-machine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">All are NBA Trade Machine-approved</a>.
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UTAH JAZZ
Celtics receive: Royce O'Neale, Jared Butler
Jazz receive: Dennis Schr&ouml;der
In this scenario, the Celtics return a low-usage 3-and-D player, which fills a shooting need and takes pressure off of Ime Udoka to put too much responsibility on Aaron Nesmith. O'Neale would be an excellent fit in Udoka's switch-heavy defense as a 6-foot-6 wing, and he's currently knocking down over 40% of his three-pointers. Perhaps the Celtics can get an intriguing guard prospect like Butler out of this too since Utah won't be slotting him in the rotation this season.
For the Jazz, it's all about pushing for a title. They're on the cusp, and Schr&ouml;der could benefit from playing next to or behind Donovan Mitchell. He wouldn't need to be a defensive fulcrum, and could slot in as the primary facilitator off the bench. That would make life much easier for a currently struggling Jordan Clarkson.
ATLANTA HAWKS
Celtics receive: Cam Reddish, Gorgui Dieng, 2022 second-round pick
Hawks receive: Dennis Schr&ouml;der, 2022 first-round pick (lottery-protected)
It's pretty ironic that the Hawks' search for a backup point guard could take things back to where they all began with Schr&ouml;der. Under a new regime, maybe it makes sense for Schr&ouml;der to try again. He'd instantly be second on the depth chart behind Trae Young. The Hawks are 24th in rim frequency and 18th in accuracy, so Schr&ouml;der can absolutely help collapse the defense.
It's been reported that the Hawks want to move Reddish in exchange for a first-round pick, and they can do so here. The Celtics can take a swing on a high-upside prospect who is only 22 in Reddish while maintaining a team option for the following season. They also get back Gorgui Dieng, who I've always been a personal fan of, to slot in as a sensible third big man.
MILWAUKEE BUCKS
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Celtics receive: Pat Connaughton
Bucks receive: Dennis Schr&ouml;der
The second George Hill era has not been as kind in Milwaukee. Hill, at age-35, is shooting just 32.4% from long range and has missed time due to injuries. With Donte DiVincenzo on his way back, Grayson Allen shooting the lights out and Jordan Nwora waiting for more minutes, Milwaukee has a plethora of sharpshooting guard/wing hybrids to work with. They can give one up in exchange for some added rim pressure off the bench.
Boston takes on Connaughton, who can operate as a mircowave scorer and cutter while fitting better with Marcus Smart should the two share the backcourt. Connaughton also graduated from St. John's Prep in Massachusetts, so you have some nice local ties there. He's making $5.3 million over the next two seasons.
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
Celtics receive: Garrett Temple, Naji Marshall, 2023 first-round pick (via Lakers)
Pelicans receive: Dennis Schr&ouml;der
The Pelicans are reportedly going to be buyers this trade season, which is... something. But if that's true, Schr&ouml;der is a good bet for them as a team whose guard signings have largely underwhelmed (and who just lost Kira Lewis Jr. for the season due to a torn ACL). Schr&ouml;der could start for this team and be the downhill threat missing from the current rotation.
Naji Marshall still doesn't get nearly enough love from the Pelicans, so he hopefully would in Boston. The Celtics also add a likely late first-rounder in a draft that could be loaded, and acquire a rock-solid veteran in Temple. None of this severely impacts the all-powerful cap flexibility Brad Stevens is likely hoping to preserve.
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INDIANA PACERS
Celtics receive: Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday
Pacers receive: Dennis Schr&ouml;der, Romeo Langford, Robert Williams III, Josh Richardson, 2022 first-round pick (top-10-protected)
Our Nekias Duncan labeled the Celtics as an intriguing fit in his piece on <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/exploring-trade-destinations-for-domantas-sabonis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">potential destinations for Domantas Sabonis</a>. This is my best attempt at formulating a Sabonis trade without including Jaylen Brown. Boston would certainly love this; it gets a third star-caliber player and ball-moving center, plus a low-usage complementary wing I love in Holiday.
It's trickier to sell this for the Pacers. Part of the appeal is flipping Schr&ouml;der or Richardson for more prospect pieces. But neither of them comes with significant long-term cap hits, which is a plus. Should Indiana opt for the competitive pseudo-rebuild, both veterans are at least capable rotation pieces.
Romeo Langford is an awesome young player and an Indiana native, and Robert Williams (note: he cannot be traded until after Jan. 30) is another awesome young player on a steal of a contract. Maybe some additional draft capital gets this done.

With the Celtics reportedly expected to field offers for Dennis Schröder, where could the speedy point guard end up?

Examining potential trade destinations for Dennis Schröder

The New Orleans Pelicans believe that Jonas Valanciunas will play a crucial role for their team going forward, as he can help unlock Zion Williamson's game by making an impact inside (as a rebounder and shot-blocker) and out (as a three-point shooter who provides spacing). That's why the Pelicans agreed to lock up Valanciunas for two additional years via a $30.1 million extension earlier this week, ensuring that the 29-year-old will remain with New Orleans throughout his prime.
It isn&rsquo;t easy to find a center who can do everything the Pelicans are asking. After all, Valanciunas was the only player in the NBA to average at least 12.0 rebounds per game while shooting 35.0% from three-point range last year, which is why the Pelicans went out and traded for him this offseason.
New Orleans acquired the 29-year-old from the Memphis Grizzlies as part of a three-team deal where the Pels traded away Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe.
Valanciunas was dealt after a career-year in which he averaged 17.1 points, 12.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 0.9 blocks, while shooting 59.2% from the field, 36.8% from three and 77.3% from the free-throw line. His 12.5 rebounds ranked third-best in the NBA, and his average of 4.1 offensive rebounds per game was second-best in the league. He posted a career-high 49 double-doubles, and he grabbed his 5,000th career rebound on Dec. 30.&nbsp;
Now, the Pelicans are hoping he can provide the same kind of versatility and production over the next three years.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He can do a little bit of everything &mdash; post up, early entry, set great screens, great roller, he can shoot the ball,&rdquo; Kira Lewis Jr. said of Valanciunas. &ldquo;He really doesn't have any holes as far as a big man, so he's a big piece to our team&rsquo;s success, and I'm looking forward to how he keeps playing down the season."
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The big man won over head coach Willie Green with his effort and competitiveness during the preseason when he refused to take any plays off. He even got thrown out of the Pelicans&rsquo; exhibition against the Orlando Magic after picking up a pair of technicals.
&ldquo;He's a competitor,&rdquo; Coach Green said. &ldquo;Jonas, he gets in there and mixes it up. Look, he got two technicals in preseason! He got kicked out! I haven't seen that before. I'm not paying his fine, but I don't mind the fact that he's trying to set the tone."
Green is excited to have Valanciunas for the next three years, and he pointed out that JV can also provide veteran leadership (which is something New Orleans lacked last season). The 10-year vet made a similar impact last season in Memphis, where he helped the young Grizzlies win 38 games and make the playoffs.
&ldquo;Jonas brings a veteran presence to our team,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;He can post, he can shoot the ball from outside. More than that, he's a great guy to have around. He's done it for a number of years now and we need his know-how.&rdquo;
The Pelicans have a number of new faces including Valanciunas, Devonte&rsquo; Graham, Trey Murphy III, Tomas Satoransky and Garrett Temple among others. The team will need to develop chemistry as the year goes on &mdash; and Zion is currently out for a bit after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot &mdash; but there&rsquo;s no question that the Pelicans have a high ceiling once they get to full strength. 
&ldquo;There's a lot of new guys, [and] we all are trying to learn each other,&rdquo; Naji Marshall said. &ldquo;Just like Coach Green is trying to learn us, we're trying to learn him, so it's a chemistry thing. As the season goes on, we'll get better... It's all great vibes on and off the court. We just have to learn each other &mdash; how we like the ball, how we move and stuff, just some small chemistry things, easy fixes that come with time and reps."
New Orleans is hoping to end its three-year postseason drought and become a perennial playoff team, with Valanciunas playing a huge role on and off the court.

The Pelicans brought in Jonas Valanciunas for many reasons, but his veteran mentorship and competitive attitude stand out.

Pelicans made right decision to extend Jonas Valanciunas

Just three days into the 2021-22 season, the NBA is already off and running. We've had a wild double-overtime finish at Madison Square Garden, a comeback thriller in Charlotte and we're seeing familiar faces in new places. (People have wasted no time in firing off their hot takes, too.) Steph Curry even went off for a classic performance on Thursday night to spoil another team's season-opener.
With our Evan Sidery debuting his <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"Nothing But Bets" podcast</a> on the Basketball News Podcast Network, we decided to have some fun by predicting how some franchises will fare record-wise in the upcoming campaign, primarily using <a href="https://dknation.draftkings.com/2021/8/17/22629137/nba-win-totals-odds-lines-2021-bulls-lakers-heat-jazz-knicks-warriors-nets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DraftKings' preseason NBA win totals</a>.
In our latest Roundtable, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Which team will hit its &ldquo;Under&rdquo; win total?
Alex Kennedy: The Los Angeles Lakers' projected win total is 52.5, but that seems high to me. Yes, this team is very talented, but given the age of this roster, I feel like they are going to do everything they can to make sure their veterans are ready for the postseason &mdash; even if that means sacrificing a few regular-season games here and there. The Lakers&rsquo; goal is to win a championship, not compete for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
Nekias Duncan: I'm just not feeling it with the Pelicans this year. It's hard to believe in the defense with some of the moves they made this off-season, and it's hard to trust Zion Williamson &mdash; still recovering from a foot surgery we didn't know about until media day &mdash; to stay on the court long enough to drive consistent winning. (DraftKings <a href="https://dknation.draftkings.com/2021/8/17/22629137/nba-win-totals-odds-lines-2021-bulls-lakers-heat-jazz-knicks-warriors-nets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">preseason win total was 38.5</a>.)
Spencer Davies: Like most of the general NBA public, I've bought my ticket to take the "Pelicans are a mess" train. They're down Zion Williamson, who can't buy a break injury-wise and, as a result, can't stay physically prepared. They don't really have an identity quite yet, which makes sense with a new head coach in Willie Green; however, trying to figure things out while battling in the West is not exactly something you can be patient with if you're looking for immediate success. Brandon Ingram will likely continue to keep balling out. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is due for a big jump. Naji Marshall is an underappreciated piece to the puzzle. Kira Lewis Jr. intrigues me. Rookie Trey Murphy III is a sniper. They even have a number of acquired respectable vets to help those guys along &mdash; it just won't be enough to eclipse 38.5 wins (or make the postseason, for the record, in my opinion).
Ethan Fuller: I just don't see how an Indiana Pacers squad that treaded water this summer will be able to keep pace in an Eastern Conference with a much-improved middle tier. The team is missing their top-two wing options in T.J. Warren and Caris LeVert due to injuries and didn't add substantial talent outside of lottery pick Chris Duarte. Indiana will have to storm out of the gates to stay in the playoff picture, and I worry that time is running out on the current rotation. (42.5 <a href="https://dknation.draftkings.com/2021/8/17/22629137/nba-win-totals-odds-lines-2021-bulls-lakers-heat-jazz-knicks-warriors-nets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on DK</a>,)
Moke Hamilton: Tough call, but I think I&rsquo;ll take the New Orleans Pelicans. I&rsquo;ve seen most books have them around the 39-win mark, and although that&rsquo;s probably been adjusted with Zion missing the first couple weeks of the season (at least), I think NOLA is going to disappoint this season. I like some of their acquisitions, including Jonas Valanciunas and Devonte&rsquo; Graham, but the West has is just so much better around them. I think they&rsquo;ll end up closer to 30 wins than 40, unless newly-instilled head coach Willie Green has an ace or two up his sleeve.
Evan Sidery: I&rsquo;m going to roll with the Indiana Pacers here at under 42.5. Although they have a solid roster and a great head coach in Rick Carlisle, injuries have consistently gotten in the way of improvement for them. It's already happening with Caris LeVert and T.J. Warren. I see Indiana struggling to make the play-in tournament as some potentially massive roster changes could be in store next offseason.
Alexander Cohen: The Charlotte Hornets will continue to have buzz around them with the expected improvement of LaMelo Ball, but I would be surprised to see the Hornets win 39 or more games (38.5 on DK). While their consistency in play and availability was sporadic, they lost solid players in Devonte' Graham, Malik Monk, and Cody Zeller over the offseason. They will have to rely on the health of Gordon Hayward and the continued exceptional shooting of Ball and Terry Rozier, which could regress. Kelly Oubre Jr. could fit in beautifully as a stretch-4 with Ball, but if he's not played in that role or doesn't buy into it, they could be in trouble. (And for what it's worth, Oubre suited up at shooting guard and small forward in Wednesday's debut.)
Blake Hairston: Until the Ben Simmons saga is resolved, the Philadelphia 76ers may be hitting under 50.5 wins projected by Caesars (same number at DK). Not having an All-Star caliber player in your lineup is going to hurt. You can only hope the Sixers find a deal for Simmons and get a solid player(s) to fill the void left by Simmons. I have a couple others in mind, but the Sixers are first to mind today.
Mark Gunnels: The Boston Celtics won&rsquo;t win more than 46 games (46.5 <a href="https://dknation.draftkings.com/2021/8/17/22629137/nba-win-totals-odds-lines-2021-bulls-lakers-heat-jazz-knicks-warriors-nets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on DK</a>). Aside from acquiring Josh Richardson and bringing back Al Horford, this team didn&rsquo;t do much to improve their roster in the offseason, and the East continues to get better and better. They&rsquo;re relying on Robert Williams to be their lone rim-protector, but he&rsquo;s yet to prove he can consistently be that guy.

Which team will hit its “under” win total? BasketballNews.com's writers shared their thoughts.

NBA Roundtable: Which team will hit its 'Under' win total?

The NBA announced in a press release today:
NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2021 &ndash; The NBA today announced an extension of its ongoing commitment to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with new programs designed to create greater opportunity for students and alumni, encourage economic advancement and further celebrate their rich traditions.&nbsp; As part of this partnership, the NBA will develop new programs and events focused on the HBCU community &ndash; specifically around professional development, career advancement and increased support and awareness for HBCU athletics and institutions.
The NBA is committed to supporting the growth of the next generation of leaders from the Black community.&nbsp; HBCUs &ndash; which produce 20 percent of the country&rsquo;s Black college graduates but only account for three percent of all colleges in the United States &ndash; have historically been under-resourced, averaging one-eighth the size of endowments of historically white colleges and universities.&nbsp; The NBA&rsquo;s programming will advance educational, career and economic opportunities in collaboration with HBCU networks, and will focus on three areas:
New Fellowship Program for Career Development
Launching in 2022, the NBA and its teams will offer a new paid fellowship program for undergraduate and graduate students.&nbsp; The program, which will be led by the NBA Foundation, will offer HBCU students the opportunity to gain real-life insights and professional experience around the business and operations of basketball.&nbsp; The students will work in positions at the league office and NBA and WNBA teams, and be matched with a league or team employee mentor as part of their experience.&nbsp; Applications for the program will open on&nbsp;<a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="http://careers.nba.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="http://Careers.NBA.com" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">Careers.NBA.com</a>&nbsp;in the coming months.
NBA HBCU Classic
Building off the success of NBA All-Star 2021, the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) will once again highlight the HBCU community during NBA All-Star 2022 in Cleveland. The celebrations will be highlighted by a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) matchup between Howard University and Morgan State University men&rsquo;s basketball teams.&nbsp; The game will be played at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland on February 19, 2022 and will be broadcast live.
During NBA All-Star, more than $1 million will be contributed in support to the HBCU community through the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), UNCF (United Negro College Fund) and academic institutions.&nbsp; Additionally, HBCUs will be showcased through unique content, storytelling and special performances.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Additional Programming
The NBA, G League and Basketball Africa League will leverage their pre-Draft combines and showcase events for HBCU players, coaches and athletic trainers.&nbsp; These engagements will increase exposure and opportunities to pursue professional basketball careers.
The league will expand the NBA&rsquo;s targeted referee development strategy to leverage existing programs and focus on identification, training and educational opportunities for HBCU students and alumni in the officiating pipeline.
The NBA 2K League will host events on HBCU campuses to introduce students to careers in gaming and esports, creating pathways for students to pursue careers in the growing industry. HBCU alumni and Black entrepreneurs will partner with the league as part of the NBA&rsquo;s commitment to onboarding more minority-owned businesses as league licensees.
The NBA will air special alternate game telecasts this season featuring interactive enhancements on League Pass and will work with HBCU schools to provide special experiences around those select games.&nbsp;
These new efforts will bolster the league&rsquo;s support of HBCUs and their students through additional scholarship programs, business case competitions, mentorship, networking and internship opportunities with partners, teams, the NBA Foundation and other members of the NBA family.&nbsp; Former NBA Commissioner David Stern served as a founding member of the TMCF Board of Directors for more than 30 years.
NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer, Mark Tatum: &ldquo;The NBA family recognizes the storied and prominent role that HBCUs have played in our society for decades.&nbsp; We also recognize that within our commitments to increase Black representation across the league and grow the game, we can create educational, athletic and career opportunities through engagement with these institutions.&nbsp; Through continued collaboration with partners like TMCF and UNCF, our teams and members of the HBCU community, we look forward to expanding support of students and alumni in meaningful ways.&rdquo;
Howard University Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Kery Davis: &ldquo;Howard University is incredibly proud to take part in the HBCU Classic during this year&rsquo;s NBA All-Star.&nbsp; The NBA and HBCUs are natural partners because of our rich legacy elevating under-represented communities and our shared passion for cultivating opportunities for people of color.&nbsp; We appreciate the NBA&rsquo;s commitment to supporting our institutions, and we are excited to showcase the on- and off-the-court talent and excellence that has come to define student-athletes from the MEAC and HBCUs.&rdquo;
Morgan State University Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Dr. Ed Scott: &ldquo;As an association, the NBA should be commended for the foresight and willingness to address important issues surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion.&nbsp; The creation of the NBA HBCU Classic is a clear demonstration of the NBA&rsquo;s commitment to promoting HBCUs and showcasing the talented young men and women on our campuses."
Thurgood Marshall College Fund President and CEO, Dr. Harry L. Williams: &ldquo;We are pleased to continue our relationship with the NBA to build upon our commitment to our students, providing them with opportunities for learning, networking and collaborations.&nbsp; We both recognize there is a need for more minority professionals in the industry, and HBCUs have one of the strongest recruiting bases for talent.&nbsp; I appreciate the NBA creating space for our students while identifying meaningful opportunities that bring value to both the NBA and TMCF.&rdquo;
UNCF CEO, Dr. Michael Lomax: &ldquo;The NBA&rsquo;s focus on HBCUs and inclusion of the Black community is outstanding.&nbsp; We particularly appreciate the spotlight the league is providing to our member-institutions.&nbsp; All HBCUs deserve this kind of attention, as they have been underserved and under-recognized for decades.&nbsp; Thanks to support from the NBA, we hope many more doors of opportunity will open for the students HBCUs work so diligently to educate and graduate.&rdquo;

The NBA announced an HBCU Classic game between Howard and Morgan State.

NBA extends HBCU support, announces HBCU Classic game in February

Nekias Duncan previews the Southwest Division for the 2021-22 NBA season.

2021-22 NBA Season Preview: Southwest Division

With NBA training camps open for business, teams are getting back in the swing of things. We are just two days away from the first preseason game between the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers (Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET), meaning the 2021-22 campaign is right around the corner.
While these two teams are commanding the spotlight more than any other squads around the league, there are plenty of franchises that would love to knock them right off their pedestal, or at least have some of that light shone on them.
In our latest Roundtable, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Who is your favorite dark-horse team entering the 2021-22 season? 
Alex Kennedy: The Washington Wizards are my dark-horse team because I really liked their offseason moves. They acquired Spencer Dinwiddie, Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Corey Kispert, Aaron Holiday and Isaiah Todd among others. Dinwiddie and Bradley Beal should form a terrific one-two punch in the backcourt, and it&rsquo;s very possible that Deni Avdija (20 years old), Rui Hachimura (23), Daniel Gafford (23) and Thomas Bryant (24) will make significant strides as they take the next step in their development. Suddenly, Washington has some nice depth and a very solid supporting cast around Beal. Don&rsquo;t be surprised if they exceed expectations.
Nekias Duncan: Do the Milwaukee Bucks count here? It&rsquo;s hard to think of a title-winning team that&rsquo;s been disregarded quite like this one. I get the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets&rsquo; optimism, I do, but the Bucks feel pretty slept on at large.&nbsp;
Ethan Fuller: The Toronto Raptors are going to massively exceed expectations after they faced arguably the most challenging circumstances of any team in 2020-21. They're back in Toronto with a team that screams positive regression. Pascal Siakam is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-which-nba-player-will-have-a-major-bounceback-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a prime bounce-back candidate</a>, Fred VanVleet continues to fly under the radar and the young core might be one of the more underrated groups in the NBA. I'm excited to see guys like OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn take their next steps.
Spencer Davies: I can't just land on one in particular. There's so much love (and rightfully so) for the Lakers and Nets that the possibility of any other teams making it to the NBA Finals would be a shock to many. In the Eastern Conference, watch out for the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics. It seems that the Heat like to sneak up on people when they least expect it, and uh, that shouldn't be the case considering they were in the Finals at this time one year ago in the NBA Bubble. Kyle Lowry's going to prove to be a tremendous pickup if he can stay healthy, and Jimmy Butler seems to perform at his best when he's not being paid attention to. There's also that Bam Adebayo guy, who's somehow a Swiss Army knife with room for growth. As for the Celtics, a new head coach has the potential to inject a sense of freshness into the air. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have already been unleashed, but Ime Udoka may just be the one to kick the door open further. Plus, those contract worries over the last couple of seasons have been put to rest with Marcus Smart. Oh, and Al Horford's back with gang green, too &mdash; never a bad thing to see a familiar face.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_15910981-1_lg.jpg" alt="" width="651" height="479" />
Moke Hamilton: I&rsquo;d probably have to go with the Denver Nuggets. It&rsquo;s tough to pick a dark horse from the Western Conference because there are a ton of teams out there that are worthy of the respect of being called a credible contender... But I think most people are looking at the Lakers, Clippers, Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns as the teams to beat. Denver often gets left out of the conversation, especially since Jamal Murray is still on the shelf. Nonetheless, I like them. If Murray can return to form and Michael Porter Jr. continues to grow, they&rsquo;ll be formidable.
Jackson Frank: Before the injury bug caught them in recent weeks, I would&rsquo;ve loved to slot the Indiana Pacers here, but my pick is the New Orleans Pelicans. I&rsquo;m not sure this means much more than competing for a low playoff seed &mdash; still an improvement, comparatively &mdash; but they seem a bit discounted among preseason projections. The acquisitions of Devonte&rsquo; Graham and Jonas Valanciunas should really help this team approach elite offense territory. Garrett Temple and Tomas Satoransky are steady veterans who can contribute in the rotation. The Pelicans house a bevy of young dudes, and while it&rsquo;s unlikely all of them will experience substantial strides, banking on a few of them to do so is prudent. Jaxson Hayes had an encouraging second half of 2020-21. Nickeil Alexander-Walker fared quite well as a shooter and complementary handler in his 19 starts. Naji Marshall brings versatile defense, playmaking and slashing. Zion Williamson&rsquo;s exploits speak for themselves. Brandon Ingram is a very good second scorer. To cap it off, new head coach Willie Green is an excellent offensive mind, and should serve as a general upgrade over Stan Van Gundy&rsquo;s struggles on the sidelines. I like the Pelicans to take a notable step forward and compete for a playoff spot &mdash; or a little better.
Drew Maresca: What exactly constitutes a dark-horse team? Technically, everyone is a dark-horse team except for the Lakers and Nets. As it relates to the question though, I really like the Nuggets. Nikola Jokic is going to pick up right where he left off, Michael Porter Jr. should immediately begin earning the five-year, $207 million extension he just signed and Aaron Gordon is the same cat he&rsquo;s been for the past few seasons. If Jamal Murray can return at nearly full strength at any point this season, the Nuggets are going to be scary.
Jesse Blancarte: The Los Angeles Clippers. With Kawhi Leonard out indefinitely after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL, the Clippers are no longer considered a championship contender for the upcoming season. However, the Clippers are bringing back their core players and have plenty of wing depth to keep the ship level during the season. With Leonard sidelined, I predict Paul George will have a big season, while other players like Marcus Morris, Terance Mann and Justise Winslow could help fill the void. If Leonard can return in time for the postseason, the Clippers may have a shot at advancing deep into the postseason. &nbsp;
Chris Sheridan: The Charlotte Hornets. If they can get a full healthy season from Gordon Hayward, that will be the key. I love the pickup of Mason Plumlee at center, and we all learned last season what LaMelo Ball can do. They play way under the radar because of their market size.
Alexander Cohen: My favorite dark-horse (and also NBA League Pass) team is easily the Pelicans. David Griffin has received a great deal of mostly-warranted slack for his offseason due to asset management, but I think New Orleans has a good team here. While I&rsquo;m not a fan of letting Lonzo Ball walk, moving on from Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe should both be additions by subtraction. Bringing on Jonas Valanciunas and Devonte&rsquo; Graham &mdash; two dark horses in their own right as top players on their former teams despite LaMelo Ball and Ja Morant being understandably more publicized &mdash; should also be instrumental additions. They provide scoring presences the Pelicans lacked last season, with Graham and Valanciunas being worlds more aggressive than Ball and Adams. The two-man combo of Willy Hernangomez &mdash; who has a similar skill set to Valanciunas &mdash; and Zion Williamson had a staggering net rating of plus-11.9 last season. Factor in those changes with the anticipated improvement of Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jaxson Hayes and Kira Lewis, and the Pelicans should be a thrilling team this year with a healthy Williamson.

Who is your dark-horse team to watch entering the 2021-22 NBA season? BasketballNews.com's writers shared their thoughts.

NBA Roundtable: Who is your dark-horse team for the 2021-22 season?

After 10 grueling days on slippery courts in hot Las Vegas gyms, the NBA <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/breakingnews/kings-offense-mitchells-defense-leads-sacramento-to-title" target="_blank" rel="noopener">crowned a summer league champion</a>. And it was the Sacramento Kings, who went from the worst defense in the Association last season to a stifling unit in a 5-0 summer run.
Does this mean anything about the Kings' outlook for next season? I have no idea. But it was thrilling to watch Davion Mitchell, Louis King and company dismantle the Celtics in a 100-67 rout. Those teams will highlight today's reflection. But there were a number of other squads who played, and a few notables made their final cases for NBA playing time.
Let's get to the last installment of 2021 Studs and Duds from NBA Summer league:
STUDS
Armoni Brooks, guard: Houston Rockets
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Here were all 9 of the threes that Armoni Brooks hit today for the Rockets as he helped complete the come from behind dub! <a href="https://t.co/uuNyGXzhQF">pic.twitter.com/uuNyGXzhQF</a>
&mdash; Aram Cannuscio (@AC__Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/AC__Hoops/status/1427777063424077824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats: 30 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 10-for-19 FG, 9-for-17 3PT
Brooks had the hottest hand in the final day of NBA Summer League. He drained three-pointers from all over the court, including the go-ahead basket with 40.1 seconds remaining. Some of these attempts are deep. Brooks made his NBA debut with Houston last season and quietly averaged 11.2 points per game with a 38.2% three-point clip in 20 games as a rookie. I'll be interested to see if he maintains a place in Houston's rotation this season.
Jaden Springer, guard: Philadelphia 76ers
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Jaden Springer had what was easily his best offensive performance in Summer League today. 21 PTS (8/14 FG, 5/6 FT), 2 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL. Hit a few mid-range pull-ups, had some solid drives through contact, and showed good awareness and instincts with his interior passing. <a href="https://t.co/LdlFh2Z8YY">pic.twitter.com/LdlFh2Z8YY</a>
&mdash; Tom West (@TomWestNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomWestNBA/status/1427746698332446720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats: 21 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 8-for-14 FG, 0-for-2 3PT
Springer's strength and flexibility are mind-boggling for an 18-year-old guard. The No. 28 overall pick finally got some self-creation opportunities in Philly's final game, and he capitalized by showing a methodical ability to get to his spots on the court.
Springer exhibited a floater, some mid-range pull-ups, some smart passing decisions and those aforementioned finishes. His bounce is also underrated; look how well he hangs in the air on some of these shots.
Jarell Martin, forward: Utah Jazz
Box Score Stats: 23 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 8-for-13 FG, 1-for-3 3PT
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBLxNBA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBLxNBA</a> Summer League ☀️<a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyKings?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SydneyKings</a> big man Jarell Martin saved his best for last, putting up 23 points and 12 boards in his final game in Vegas. Catch Summer League on <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPNAusNZ</a> 📺 <a href="https://t.co/REZii8cQst">pic.twitter.com/REZii8cQst</a>
&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1427772212392562689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2021</a></blockquote>
The 27-year-old Martin did what an elder statesman of the summer league should do: completely dominate. Martin had his way with Paul Reed, who is no slouch as a strong interior forward, and just frankly outmuscled all opposition in the double-double effort. But he also had a few nice floaters and runners, as well as that lone three-point make. Martin hasn't played in the NBA since 2018-19, but a performance like this is how you set up a comeback effort.

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Louis King, wing: Sacramento Kings
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Louis King (21 PTS &amp; 5 STL) did it all for the <a href="https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SacramentoKings</a> tonight at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBASummer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBASummer</a> 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/h2JCEIYuN5">pic.twitter.com/h2JCEIYuN5</a>
&mdash; NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1427833008296321025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2021</a></blockquote>
Box Score Stats: 21 points, 3 rebounds, 5 steals, 8-for-18 FG, 4-for-8 3PT
King "kinged" the Kings in the summer league title game and earned the summer equivalent of a Finals MVP for his two-way efforts. The 2019 second-round pick looked fluid and decisive on his perimeter attempts. While he isn't a bulldozer, King also had some nice finishes through contact at the rim.&nbsp;
But I was most impressed by his defensive activity. King jumped passing lanes, kept his hands active even when off the ball, and played stellar team defense. On one possession, he did a great job of contesting without fouling as Aaron Nesmith tried to draw contact on a three-point attempt. The summer in general was a great all-around showcase for King, who evidently deserves an NBA roster spot.
Other notable performers: Josh Christopher (Rockets), MaCio Teague (Jazz), Matt Morgan (Raptors), Davion Mitchell (Kings), Trevelin Queen (Lakers), Antonio Blakeney (Trail Blazers), Carlik Jones (Mavericks), Naji Marshall (Pelicans), Justinian Jessup (Warriors)
DUDS
Payton Pritchard, guard: Boston Celtics
Box Score Stats: 6 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 3-for-9 FG, 0-for-6 3PT
I understand the context of Pritchard's game on Tuesday. He entered the contest having played back-to-back Portland Pro-Am games and a prior summer league matchup. And yes, Pritchard faced Davion Mitchell, arguably the most impressive defensive player this entire summer.
But Pritchard seriously struggled to gain separation from Mitchell and others. He's not an elite athlete and does not have elite guard length, and those two downsides haunted him against the Kings' ball pressure. By the third quarter collapse, Pritchard was resigned to huck up perimeter shots that had little chance of falling. It was a tough end to an otherwise excellent 10 days.
Aaron Nesmith, forward: Boston Celtics
Box Score Stats: 12 points, 6 rebounds, 4-for-10 FG, 2-for-8 3PT
A second catalyst of the Celtics' second-half meltdown was Nesmith, who failed to apply pressure off the dribble as he had in previous games. The second-year wing coughed up six turnovers and missed shots he normally makes. Nesmith was had some pretty miserable defensive possessions, letting his matchup blow by him for layups with little resistance.
Neemias Queta, center: Sacramento Kings
Box Score Stats: 1 point, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 0-for-5 FG
Even in the Kings' triumph, Queta stood out in the wrong ways. The seven-foot center missed every shot he took, and quite frankly, a lot of these were open or slightly contested jump hooks and easy at-rim attempts. Queta played just over 14 minutes as Sacramento went smaller to build up the lead. If he is going to be a non-shooter (which he is at this stage), Queta has to finish at the basket, and that did not happen Tuesday night.

Louis King won Summer League title game MVP as he led the Kings to a championship.

Studs and duds from the final day of NBA Summer League

Prior to the 2021 NBA Draft, I wrote the following about Trey Murphy III: &ldquo;A sniper as a shooter and an effective defender, Trey Murphy III has come into his own at Virginia after transferring from Rice. He doesn't excel in creating for himself, but as a movement and spot-up shooter, he can be incredibly valuable to just about any NBA offense. Considering his size, length, mobility, defense, and ability to stretch the floor, Murphy will be a viable option for teams selecting in the first round.&rdquo;
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In our final 2021 NBA mock draft, we projected Murphy as the 17th pick to the New Orleans Pelicans, which is where he ended up being selected.
Not only did we project the pick correctly, it&rsquo;s looking like the Pelicans made the right call too.
Through four games at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Murphy is averaging an impressive 16.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. He&rsquo;s also shooting 55.8% from the field, 44.0% from three-point range, and he hasn&rsquo;t missed a free throw in six attempts.
Oh, by the way, the Pelicans have won all of those games.
In Murphy&rsquo;s summer-league debut versus the Chicago Bulls, he scored 26 points, shooting 6-9 from three-point range while also grabbing 9 rebounds. Following the game, he and his dad recognized one of my colleagues and stopped him in the concourse of the arena. They told him that they were very thankful for all of the coverage we put together on him leading up to the draft.
That was a classy move, and not something that happens often.
We initially labeled Murphy as a &ldquo;sniper&rdquo; and he has not disappointed in that area throughout summer league, as he has shot the ball extremely well. He has also been consistent on the defensive end, even matching up against top talents like Patrick Williams of the Chicago Bulls (the No. 4 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft), Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers (the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft) and Jonathan Kuminga of the Golden State Warriors (the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft).
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On the offensive end, Murphy should prove to be a valuable asset for the Pelicans since he will be able to serve as a hybrid forward who can shoot the lights out while also providing some finishing and slashing abilities. Every team can use additional floor spacing, especially teams built around a guy like Zion Williamson, whose game is predicated on getting to the bucket.&nbsp;
Although it seems as though Murphy has made some progress with his physical development, he would benefit from gaining additional weight and strength. Early on, his lack of strength could cause some limitations in regards to specific matchups. However, overall, he should be able to provide the Pelicans a lot of flexibility on the defensive end, as he is a very good team defender and on-ball defender. Once he gets stronger, watch out; he could be special on that end of the floor.
&ldquo;Playing against grown men is something that you can't really replicate in college, so [I'm] making sure I live in that weight room," Murphy <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/trey-murphy-iii-is-his-own-biggest-critic-but-he-wont-quit-2021-nba-draft-prospects-virginia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told our Spencer Davies prior to the draft</a>. "But not getting overly strong and losing out on my athletic ability will be important... Overall, just continuing to develop. That's something that's super important to me because I want to [have] a really long career and eventually become an All-Star."
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In recent years, the Pelicans have added a number of big, versatile wings with well-rounded skill sets, including Brandon Ingram, Naji Marshall, and now Murphy and Herb Jones, whom the Pelicans selected No. 35 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. They are clearly valuing lineup flexibility and overall versatility. I don&rsquo;t think Murphy could fit those concepts any better.
&ldquo;As anybody would see, my shooting is what really stands out. I shoot the ball at a really high level, and I defend at a high level as well,&rdquo; Murphy <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/trey-murphy-iii-is-his-own-biggest-critic-but-he-wont-quit-2021-nba-draft-prospects-virginia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told BasketballNews.com</a>. "Those two things right there are gonna be at a premium... I feel like I separate myself because I'm a really high IQ player, and then my athleticism and length is something that is pretty special, too. And I feel like I have a lot of untapped potential in that my best years in basketball are years down the road. So just being able to show what I can do in my limited role at first will be helpful, so I can expand my game later on in my career."
I&rsquo;m hesitant to put conclusive grades on draft picks so quickly, as I&rsquo;m of the belief that players usually need a couple of full NBA seasons to get their footing properly before we can adequately judge them. With that said, I&rsquo;m just so impressed by Trey Murphy III on-and-off the court. I believe that he has a skillset that translates well and is mature enough to step into the NBA and be a productive player right away. Needless to say, I think the Pelicans made a terrific pick.
As I look to cover the 2021 rookie class this upcoming season, I&rsquo;ll surely be tracking Murphy.&nbsp;
The New Orleans Pelicans wrap up their NBA Summer League schedule on Tuesday night versus the Minnesota Timberwolves. While they won't be competing in the championship game (due to their margin of victory), they can leave Las Vegas undefeated if they beat the Wolves.

Trey Murphy III, the Pelicans' No. 17 overall pick, should be able to help New Orleans immediately on both ends of the floor.

Trey Murphy III is showing why he's a perfect fit for the Pelicans

NBA Summer League rolls on, and after four days of action, 28 of 30 teams have competed in multiple games.&nbsp;
We're already seeing prospects figure things out in their second efforts. Viewers also tuned into the first sudden death overtime finish, seeing Max Strus ice things for the Miami Heat in a 97-94 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. We got another when the Utah Jazz beat the Dallas Mavericks, 81-80. In general, games were close and competitive on Wednesday.
Below are some stud and dud performances that defined Day 4:
STUDS
Miles McBride, guard, New York Knicks
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MILES MCBRIDE 🔥 22 PTS 7/9 FG 6/6 3PT 7 REB 5 AST In 28 MINS<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NewYorkForever?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NewYorkForever</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/deucemcb11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@deucemcb11</a><a href="https://t.co/mcO5xPJQBT">pic.twitter.com/mcO5xPJQBT</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1425780055716896770?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats: 22 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 7-for-9 FG, 6-for-6 3PT
McBride was electric for New York in the 91-82 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. The former WVU Mountaineer is already recognized as one of the best guard defenders in his draft class. But McBride is also an offensive threat, and he showed it Wednesday by hitting all six threes off the catch and off movement.
He also made smart passes as the secondary ball-handler next to Immanuel Quickley. McBride likely won't be a true point guard to start his career, but this type of performance shows he can earn playing time in a variety of different roles.
Max Strus, forward, Miami Heat
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MAX STRUS WINS IT IN DOUBLE OT 🥵 <a href="https://t.co/tAHP148iSo">pic.twitter.com/tAHP148iSo</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1425594821909958660?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats: 32 points, 9 rebounds, 1 steal, 9-for-22 FG, 7-for-17 3PT
Strus is a dynamic shotmaker, plain and simple. He obviously showed that on Wednesday. But this final shot &mdash; I mean, can we talk about the sense of swagger? To get the ball off the opening tip-off of sudden death double-overtime, stroll up to the three-point line and call game... That's cold. Strus made one of the highlights of NBA Summer League so far with that play.
Naji Marshall, forward, New Orleans Pelicans
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Naji Marshall with the perimeter lock-down defense on Mann! <a href="https://t.co/8D4aRVcqd3">pic.twitter.com/8D4aRVcqd3</a>
&mdash; Aram Cannuscio (@AC__Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/AC__Hoops/status/1425621246524465157?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
Box Score Stats: 18 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 6-for-12 FG, 3-for-5 3PT
The second-year Pelican did a little bit of everything in New Orleans' 80-65 win over the Thunder. Marshall has a nice handle and good vision as a 6-foot-7 wing. He also made open threes, attacked the basket and beat defenders off the dribble with impressive burst. Then he came back and guarded multiple positions on defense. I'm intrigued by the number of different solid skills the 23-year-old already has with his size and speed.
Ziaire Williams, forward, Memphis Grizzlies
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Ziaire Williams adjusts the ball mid-flight to get finish the baseline drive despite Yurtseven's contest. <a href="https://t.co/7X66aEaEhO">pic.twitter.com/7X66aEaEhO</a>
&mdash; Aram Cannuscio (@AC__Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/AC__Hoops/status/1425571726088343566?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats: 19 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 6-for-10 FG, 4-for-6 3PT
The tenth overall pick in this year's draft demonstrated the shotmaking potential that helped enamor the Grizzlies. Williams canned four three-pointers off the catch &mdash; a major positive, considering he made just 29% of his threes at Stanford. He also attacked the basket, finishing with floaters and the nice contact layup shown above. One of the biggest pre-draft questions with Williams was if he could handle NBA physicality with his thin frame. He did a great job of addressing that on Wednesday.
Other notable performers: Omer Yurtseven (Heat), Cam Thomas (Nets), Jonathan Kuminga (Warriors), Immanuel Quickley (Knicks), Jalen Suggs (Magic)
DUDS
Santi Aldama, forward, Memphis Grizzlies
Box Score Stats: 2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1-for-9 FG, 0-for-5 3PT
Unlike Williams, Aldama did not take a major leap forward on Wednesday for the Grizzlies. He moved into the starting lineup and played 19 minutes, but again struggled with the oppposing strength and could not make his threes. Aldama is now just 2-for-16 from the field in summer league play and 0-for-9 from beyond the arc.
Theo Maledon, guard, Oklahoma City Thunder
Box Score Stats: 5 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2-for-11 FG, 1-for-7 3PT
Just a tough off-day from Maledon, who couldn't buy a three-pointer in what was largely a team-wide slump against the Pelicans. Maledon did attack the basket with mixed success, and as one of the most experienced players on the team, looked comfortable running the offense with rookie Tre Mann. I'm not concerned about this dud; Maledon got to his spots on the court, but just didn't have the touch.&nbsp;
Brandon Knight, guard, Brooklyn Nets
Box Score Stats: 9 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 3-for-12 FG, 1-for-6 3PT
Knight hasn't been a profound negative for the Nets, but he's not making the type of impact he needs to for him to claw back into the NBA. The 29-year-old was inconsistent around the rim and simply off from three &mdash; both areas of trouble as a pro. He is a cumulative 5-for-21 from the floor and 2-for-13 from long range through two contests. Knight has to turn things around in order to leave NBA teams with a positive impression.

Ethan Fuller rounds up the best breakouts and biggest letdowns of Day 4 at the NBA Summer League.

Studs and duds from the fourth day of NBA Summer League

Looking around the NBA, there are quite a few teams with a talented, up-and-coming nucleus. But of all these teams, which franchise has the best young core? We asked our BasketballNews.com writers to share their thoughts.&nbsp;
Which NBA team has the best young core?
Alex Kennedy: Give me the New Orleans Pelicans' young core. Zion Williamson (20 years old) and Brandon Ingram (23) are both All-Stars with insane upside. Williamson could become the face of the NBA if he realizes his full potential. Lonzo Ball (23) is another franchise cornerstone who continues to make huge strides. However, this young core is also deep, with Nickeil Alexander-Walker (22), Jaxson Hayes (20), Kira Lewis Jr. (20), Naji Marshall (23), Wenyen Gabriel (24) and Didi Louzada (21). Steven Adams (27) and Josh Hart (26) aren't as young as the others, but they are great complementary pieces. The Pelicans project to have a top-10 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, so they'll likely add another top prospect to this core; plus, they'll receive multiple first-rounders from the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks over the next few years (due to the Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday trades).
Nekias Duncan: I&rsquo;d go with the Phoenix Suns, narrowly edging out the Memphis Grizzlies for me. Devin Booker is a foundational talent. Mikal Bridges is one of the best wing defenders in the league, while also providing value as a shooter and cutter. Deandre Ayton has serious two-way potential. Those three plus Cam Johnson give you a pretty darn good quartet under 25.
Spencer Davies: If we&rsquo;re talking about the here and now, my answer would be the Atlanta Hawks. Trae Young, De&rsquo;Andre Hunter, Bogdan Bogdanovic and John Collins (if he returns) is a solid core and they're about to get their first taste of playoff basketball. They&rsquo;re all guys with four years of experience or less. This goes without mentioning Cam Reddish, a defensive-minded wing with size who was out for a good part of this year with an injury, and Onyeka Okongwu, the No. 6 overall pick from this past draft who has shown signs of his development with big second-unit minutes. Even Clint Capela just turned 27, and he was one of the most underrated centers in the NBA this season, serving as a perfect partner for Young on lobs and a menace on the glass.
Ethan Fuller: The Oklahoma City Thunder, without any hesitation. OKC has already locked in a surefire star in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The franchise boasts budding role-players and specialists (Lu Dort, Kenrich Williams, Theo Maledon, Svi Mykhailiuk), athletic upside swings (Darius Bazley, Isaiah Roby, Moses Brown) and one player who's in his own tier due to his game-changing potential in Aleksej Pokusevski. That doesn't even account for the 2021 NBA Draft; the Thunder could nab a top prospect with their own pick, and then get another if Houston's pick lands outside the top-four. This is a masterclass in asset accumulation.
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Sharon Brown: Memphis. I believe this team hasn't quite tapped into its potential just yet. Granted, they have exceeded expectations for two years in a row. But I believe veteran leadership on the roster -- plus another go-to player to complement Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson, Jr. -- could put them over the top in the tough Western Conference.
Moke Hamilton: For the sake of this question, I am going to define &ldquo;young&rdquo; as 25 or under. So Joel Embiid (27), Nikola Jokic (26) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (26) don&rsquo;t factor in. I boil this down to the Celtics and Pelicans, and although New Orleans failed to qualify for the postseason, I'll take them. That does assume they re-sign Lonzo Ball this summer, which is no certainty. With Ball, Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, you&rsquo;d be hard-pressed to find another trio that&rsquo;s this young and has that high of a ceiling. The Celtics get an honorable mention here, with Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Robert Williams giving me similar feels, but New Orleans is my easy pick.&nbsp;
Chris Sheridan: If 28 if not considered "old," I will give it to the Atlanta Hawks, whose only 28-year-old player is Bogdan Bogdanovic. Younger than him are Clint Capela (27), John Collins and De'Andre Hunter (23), Kevin Huerter and Trae Young (22), and Cam Reddish (21). They will get their feet wet in the postseason against a decent New York Knicks team with a similar lack of playoff experience among young key players, and it'll serve them well going into next season.
Jonathan Concool: The Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis has the league&rsquo;s youngest team and they have essentially closed the door on the rebuilding process after competing in the league&rsquo;s play-in tournament for the second-consecutive year. With a young core of Ja Morant (21 years old), Jaren Jackson Jr. (21), Brandon Clarke (24), Desmond Bane (22), Dillon Brooks (25), De'Anthony Melton (22), Xavier Tillman (22) and more, Memphis fans must be feeling pretty optimistic about the future. The Grizzlies have nailed their past three draft classes (with some help from the lottery, of course). But finding Bane in the late first round and Tillman in the second round of last year's draft were big wins for the Grizzlies. Memphis finished 38-34 this season, beating out their Vegas win prediction for the second-consecutive year.

Which NBA team has the best young core? BasketballNews.com's writers share their thoughts.

Roundtable: Which NBA team has the best young core?

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Zion Williamson and the mercurial New Orleans Pelicans may yet have something to say about the NBA postseason. 
San Antonio’s recent five-game skid has helped the Pelicans pull within 1 1/2 games of the final Western Conference play-in spot with six games to go.
Meanwhile, the Pelicans have shaken off seemingly back-breaking losses to win three out of four, with their past two victories each requiring fourth-quarter comebacks.
“It says a lot about our character,” Williamson said after Tuesday night's victory over Golden State. “We’ve been resilient all year long and we’re not going to stop now.”
The next challenge for the Pelicans requires taking their banged-up squad on the road for five games against certain or potential playoff teams. The trip starts Friday at Eastern Conference leader Philadelphia, where Pelicans second-leading scorer Brandon Ingram will be out of the lineup with a left ankle sprain. It's also unclear when Ingram will return after that.
The Pelicans held practice Thursday before their departure, but in addition to Ingram, those unable to participate included starting center Steven Adams (toe sprain), who is listed as doubtful against the 76ers.
New Orleans also “had some other guys limited in what they could do in practice, so how much we got accomplished I don’t really know,” coach Stan Van Gundy said. 
As long as Ingram is out, the Pelicans might have to rely more on players such as undrafted rookie forward Naji Marshall, who joined the club as a two-way player but performed well enough since Josh Hart's thumb injury to earn a three-year extension to which he agreed on Thursday. Meanwhile, guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who has been out since spraining his ankle in early April, practiced without contact Thursday and was upgraded to questionable for Friday night's game.
Much could also hinge on the play of guard Lonzo Ball, who scored a career-high 33 points in each of the Pelicans' past two wins, but shot 3 of 18 in Monday's loss to Golden State.
Williamson asserted that Ball's recent high-scoring games, which included production from both the field and foul line, “shows that he's improving.”
“He finds a way to make things happen. I think that says a lot of about him," Williamson said. "I’m glad he’s my teammate. The dude just does what he can to help his team win.”
New Orleans' road trip will continue at Charlotte, Memphis, Dallas and Golden State. The Pelicans' lone remaining home game is their season finale against the Los Angeles Lakers.
But while the upcoming slate looks daunting, the Pelicans sound happy to still be in the postseason conversation after a series of recent and sometimes excruciatingly narrow setbacks.
There was a two-point loss in overtime in Washington in mid-April, a five-point loss at home to the injury-riddled Brooklyn Nets on April 20, a two-point home loss to the Spurs on April 24, a two-point loss at Denver on April 28 and a lopsided loss on Monday night to the Warriors.
The Pelicans could have pulled just one game behind Golden State for a play-in spot had they swept a pair of home games against them this week. Instead, a split left New Orleans three games behind the ninth-place Warriors. But Van Gundy was nonetheless pleased to see his squad refusing to fold when they rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Warriors on Tuesday night.
“To me, the biggest positive is our guys' resilience,” Van Gundy said. "They keep coming back. And every time people are tempted to sort of write them off and expecting a big letdown, it hasn’t happened. So I think that speaks to the character of this group and I don’t know if there’s anything more important.”
For Van Gundy, his team will have a chance if players are committed to performing those tasks beyond simply shooting well that can keep them competitive. 
“Winning teams take care of the ball. Winning teams get back on defense,” Van Gundy said. "They take charges. They dive on loose balls. They block people out. 
“Whether the ball goes in or not and whether the other team makes shots or not — there's things you don't have control over. So, we're not defining winning basketball in terms of the result or the record," Van Gundy added. "We want to play and do the things — focus on the things — that win games. And over the long haul, if you do that enough, it all takes care of itself.”
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Zion Williamson and the Pelicans have six games to make their final push for the postseason play-in tournament.

Zion: Pelicans have 'been resilient all year & we’re not going to stop now'

NEW YORK (May 6, 2021) &ndash; OTE (Overtime Elite) announced today that Brandon Williams, OTE&rsquo;s EVP and Head of Basketball Operations, has made the following hires.&nbsp;
Associate Head Coach, Dave Leitao
With over three decades of leadership and coaching experience, Dave Leitao will assist head coach Kevin Ollie in OTE&rsquo;s mission to develop the whole athlete. Prior to OTE, Leitao served as head coach at DePaul University and at the University of Virginia, where he was named the 2006-07 ACC Coach of the Year. Leitao also served as head coach of Northeastern University and the Boston Celtics G-League Affiliate, the Maine Red Claws. In his 37 years of coaching experience, he has recruited, coached and developed the likes of Overtime&rsquo;s own Kevin Ollie, Hall of Famer Ray Allen, Donyell Marshall, Richard Hamilton, Caron Butler, Ben Gordon, Max Strus (Miami Heat) and Paul Reed (Philadelphia 76ers).
Director of Scouting &amp; Recruiting, Tim Fuller &nbsp;
Tim Fuller will lead the strategic scouting and recruitment team and processes to secure every OTE athlete. Fuller has spent 17 years as an NCAA Assistant Coach at the University of Miami, Wake Forest University, University of Louisville and University of Missouri. He is widely recognized for evaluating, recruiting and developing elite talent including NBA players Chris Paul, Jeff Teague, Al-Farouq Aminu, Jordan Clarkson and Gorgui Dieng.
Director of Basketball Administration, Gabriela Olivares&nbsp;
Gabriela Olivares will have wide-reaching responsibilities, bringing to bear extensive project management, event operations, athlete relations and grassroots marketing experience. Olivares spent nearly 10 years at Nike elevating the profiles and supporting the performance of its world-class sponsored athletes around major competitions such as: FIFA World Cup, FIBA Basketball World Cup, Summer Olympics, and many more. In addition, Olivares led operations for Nike EYBL (Nike Elite Youth Basketball League).&nbsp;
Director of Health, Performance &amp; Development, Dr. Markus Klusemann
Markus Klusemann, a combination of sports scientist and soach, will implement a professional, process driven, evidence based and progressive approach to ensuring optimal high performance of OTE athletes. Dr. Klusemann joins OTE from Munich, Germany where he oversaw the development of elite junior basketball athletes for the Bavarian &amp; German Basketball Federations, after serving in similar positions within the Australian Institute of Sport.
Senior Strategy &amp; Research Specialist, Ivana Seric
Ivana Seric will define and implement an infrastructure that facilitates the use of data to support the processes of basketball operations across coaching, scouting and the health and performance groups. A native of Split, Croatia, Seric played for the U16 and U18 national teams before coming to the US as student-athlete studying applied mathematics at NJIT. After completing her PhD in computational fluid dynamics, she was recruited to the Philadelphia 76ers as a researcher focused on coaching strategy.
About Overtime Elite
OTE is a transformative new sports league that offers the world&rsquo;s most talented young basketball players a better pathway to becoming professional athletes. OTE provides a comprehensive accelerator for elite players&rsquo; professional careers. The league offers a year-round development program combining world-class coaching, cutting-edge sports science and performance technologies, top-notch facilities, and a rigorous, highly personalized academic program that energizes and enhances each athlete&rsquo;s journey from proficiency to pro.&nbsp;

Overtime Elite announced five new hires to its basketball operations staff, including former DePaul head coach Dave Leitao.

Former DePaul head coach Dave Leitao heads Overtime Elite's newest hires

The New Orleans Pelicans have a agreed to a three-year deal worth $5.3 million with Naji Marshall.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1390328027511508994" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania/Twitter</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Marshall currently is on the roster as a two-way player. The 23-year-old has taken on an increased role with the Pelicans over the past month, and has scored in double figures in each of the last two contests. He made his NBA debut with the team back on January 15.

Marshall currently is on the roster as a two-way player.

Pelicans, Naji Marshall agree to three-year contract

Mo Williams played for the Eastern Conference in the 2009 NBA All-Star Game, and he fully understands the enormity of the event&rsquo;s platform.
His team lost that game.
His current team &mdash; and a lot of others &mdash; should be big winners this time around.
Sunday&rsquo;s All-Star Game in Atlanta is generating $3 million for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, through donations to scholarship funds. But the actual value to those schools will far exceed that influx of cash, with almost every All-Star element set to showcase and celebrate HBCU traditions and culture.
&ldquo;Everything&rsquo;s about exposure,&rdquo; said Williams, who played 13 NBA seasons and now is a first-year coach at Alabama State of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. &ldquo;Being that the All-Star Game is putting an emphasis on HBCUs, it gives us exposure, and it helps in a lot of different areas, a lot of different ways, a lot of different schools.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s no different from Super Bowl commercials. People spend millions of dollars to put their commercial on the Super Bowl for the exposure. And, you know, the exposure we&rsquo;re getting this weekend from the NBA All-Star Game, it only can help.&rdquo;
Those Super Bowl ads can be as short as 30 seconds.
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This exposure is going to last several hours &mdash; and cover almost every aspect of the NBA's midseason showcase.
&ldquo;It was part of the reason why we're here in Atlanta," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Saturday. &ldquo;This was an opportunity to focus on the HBCUs."
<a href="https://twitter.com/ByTimReynolds/status/1367556701298253831?s=20">The court was designed in collaboration from artists who attended HBCU schools.</a> The famed bands from Grambling State and Florida A&amp;M will perform during the player introductions. Clark Atlanta University&rsquo;s Philharmonic Society Choir will perform &ldquo;Lift Every Voice and Sing,&rdquo; commonly called the Black national anthem. Gladys Knight, a graduate of one of the nation&rsquo;s oldest HBCUs in Shaw University, will sing &ldquo;The Star-Spangled Banner.&rdquo; <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-nba-all-star-game-washington-philanthropy-83b2179638fc2e3d7b769555cfbb8822">The refereeing crew of Tom Washington, Tony Brown and Courtney Kirkland all are HBCU graduates.</a>
&ldquo;We are here representing HBCUs and trying to shed light on their ability to dream and one day have the opportunity to follow in our footsteps,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;So, this game is mainly about giving people hope and allowing them an opportunity to dream.&rdquo;
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The timing and location &mdash; Atlanta, birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King &mdash; to pay tribute to HBCUs seems right.
During the past year, racial injustice has become perhaps more of a national discussion point than at any time in a generation. It also saw history, with Kamala Harris &mdash; a graduate of Howard &mdash; becoming not only the first woman to be elected vice president but the first HBCU graduate in the White House. Harris is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, one of the Divine Nine fraternities and sororities, groups that the NBA is also paying tribute to Sunday.
NBA players used their platform in the league&rsquo;s bubble restart last summer to speak out against inequality. They were often at the center of the Black Lives Matter movement in response to the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and many more.
&ldquo;You can&rsquo;t talk about Black Lives Matter and not talk about the Historically Black Colleges and Universities,&rdquo; said Charles McClelland, the commissioner of the SWAC and a member of the NCAA Men&rsquo;s Division I Basketball Committee. &ldquo;A lot of these student-athletes have been talking. A lot of these professional athletes have been talking. But the platform really wasn&rsquo;t that great for them to be able to extend that message. This is just in a unique time, and I think we&rsquo;re at the right time, and I&rsquo;m ecstatic that it&rsquo;s happening at this point in time &mdash; because it&rsquo;s so long overdue.&rdquo;
The NBA has just one active player who had the traditional HBCU experience: Portland&rsquo;s Robert Covington, who went to Tennessee State. He was invited to be part of the skills challenge, which will precede Sunday&rsquo;s game and typically is part of All-Star Saturday night; the events were condensed to one night this year because of the pandemic. All-Star Chris Paul, the National Basketball Players Association President and a longtime proponent of HBCUs, played at Wake Forest but is finishing his degree at Winston-Salem State.
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Covington realized the significance of this moment. He could have been on vacation. He went to Atlanta instead.
&ldquo;I just want to leave a legacy,&rdquo; Covington said. &ldquo;I want to leave my mark and I want to let kids know that anything is possible.&rdquo;
That message has resonated in recent months.
Some top basketball recruits have said they were considering bucking offers from traditional powers to attend HBCUs. Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders has taken over as football coach at Jackson State, giving that school instant notoriety. And as the first half of the NBA season wound down, LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers played in a pair of sneakers that paid tribute to Florida A&amp;M &mdash; a school that just finalized a six-year deal with Nike to play in James&rsquo; line of uniforms, apparel and footwear.
This game will provide more boosts.
&ldquo;The exposure, I think, will be incredibly valuable," Silver said.
The Thurgood Marshall College Fund and United Negro College Fund will collect a total of $3 million, if not more. And HBCUs everywhere will share in the investment of time on a huge platform if nothing else.
&ldquo;To highlight the significance of HBCUs, it is a tremendous windfall,&rdquo; McClelland said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not just about the money. The exposure is going to allow students to go to our member institutions, to learn about our history, to learn about our culture. What they&rsquo;re doing for the All-Star Game, we could not pay for and we could not duplicate.&rdquo;
___
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Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta is generating $3 million for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

At the NBA All-Star Game, HBCUs will take center stage

One of the only seasoned NBA veterans who is not an All-Star and is not taking the weekend off is Robert Covington of the Portland Trail Blazers, who is flying 22,600 miles today to be in Atlanta for two things: To compete in the All-Star Skills Competition, and to make a difference for as many HBCU students as possible.
Covington, who attended Tennessee State, an HBCU, is donating $1 million to the school for a new practice facility for the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s teams. This weekend, he is providing a $2,500 scholarship in a contest open to all HBCU students for the HBCU Heroes X Verizon Media Get-That-Job-Fest.&nbsp;
What Covington is doing is personal, and that's not to shortchange what the NBA is doing for HBCUs. Through its advertising partners, the league is&nbsp;providing more than $3 million in initial support to the HBCU community through the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tmcf.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA34OBBhCcARIsAG32uvPUoRH6yxXJDaw5A-wdojOzE-dfFGnD2H6TjZAaCJk8DjqzZGKiRZAaAgXzEALw_wcB">Thurgood Marshall College Fund</a>&nbsp;(TMCF),&nbsp;<a href="https://uncf.org/">UNCF</a>&nbsp;(United Negro College Fund),&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nafeonation.org/">National Association for Equal Opportunity</a>&nbsp;(NAFEO)&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.directrelief.org/issue/health-equity/">Direct Relief&rsquo;s Fund for Health Equity</a>.&nbsp;
But with Covington, the connection to HBCU students is going to be more personal. He is not just bestowing money upon organizations that have been thriving for years, he is trying to make personal connections with young students whose career paths are hindered by their lack of connections and knowledge about how to make a perfect first impression upon a prospective employer.
That is where NBA veteran George Lynch comes in.&nbsp;
Lynch, who played for the 76ers, Lakers, Hornets and Grizzlies, is co-founder of HBCU Heroes, an organization Lynch created after coaching at Clark College in Atlanta. There, he witnessed first-hand the day-to-day complexities that minority students encounter as they make their way through college (including many who are the first member of their family to attend college). Some arrive without laptops; others without the interpersonal skills necessary to move from the college campus into a corporation.
The mission Lynch and Covington are signing up for is to empower HBCU students with concrete advice to compete for internships and careers at Verizon Media and its subsidiaries (including&nbsp;AOL, Yahoo News, Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Life &amp; Entertainment,&nbsp;and more), as well as in corporate America.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll give an example,&rdquo; Lynch told BasketballNews.com in a phone interview. &ldquo;If a student suddenly ran into Elton Brand while waiting for an elevator, what could he say to Brand in the next 30 seconds to have a shot at joining the Philadelphia 76ers? Sometimes, you have 30 seconds to change your life, and you have to be prepared to know what to say.&rdquo;
Preparations are being made for a Zoom call Sunday involving hundreds of HBCU students in the hours leading up to Sunday night&rsquo;s All-Star game. It is well-documented that many of the league&rsquo;s top players were not exactly thrilled to have to participate in this year's All-Star Game, but the league is using the weekend as an opportunity to bring attention to the plight of HBCU students. And that is why Covington is flying cross-country from Portland to Atlanta to be a part of it.
&ldquo;I had to fight my whole life for everything. When I was at Tennessee State, I was driven. I fought even harder in college because I knew I was working my way to the NBA,&rdquo; said Covington, who's currently in his eighth NBA season and one of the league&rsquo;s best 3-and-D players.
&ldquo;TSU helped me realize that dream.&rdquo;
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Tennessee State University, founded in 1912, is located in Nashville and is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee. Notable alumni include Oprah Winfrey and Wilma Rudolph.&nbsp;
&ldquo;While over 60% of HBCU students and low-income, first-generation college students with few (if any) contacts in Fortune 500 companies, a great many excel with exemplary GPAs in difficult disciplines,&rdquo; said Tracey Pennywell, Lynch&rsquo;s co-founder. &ldquo;In fact, 70% of African-American dentists and doctors earn degrees from HBCUs, proving the excellent benefits of an HBCU education.&rdquo;&nbsp;
One problem is that recruiters do not typically visit HBCUs, which is why Lynch and Covington are putting their plan into place along with Verizon. The goal is to give students tips and tricks to build resumes that get them in the door for a corporate interview, how to polish their personal profiles on sites such as LinkedIn, as well as an introduction to QR codes and tech platforms such as Handshake.
An education is one thing. Interpersonal skills that lead to success in the business world are not so easily taught.
"Our partnership with HBCU Heroes is creating life-changing and robust experiences for HBCU students to level the playing field.&nbsp; We aim to create a more connected world where everyone can thrive in their careers," said&nbsp;Ramcess Jean-Louis, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at Verizon Media.&nbsp;
Covington is partnering with the non-profit to support their HBCU &ldquo;Get-That-Job-Fest&rdquo; sponsored by Verizon Media. The exclusive virtual event takes place on Friday, March 12 at 1:00 p.m. ET to assist HBCU students seeking Fortune 500 and big tech jobs and internships. Registration is free, and <a href="https://hbcuheroesinsidetrack.splashthat.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">you can find more info here</a>.
All students who register for the event will be automatically entered to win the Rob Covington HBCU Career Readiness Scholarship of $2,500. The scholarship is to assist students with costs associated with securing internships or jobs including business attire, cameras for virtual interviews, laptops, internet access, and other resources needed, especially during this COVID-imposed virtual period. 
For more information on the scholarship contest, visit <a href="http://www.hbcuheroes.org">hbcuheroes.org</a>.&nbsp;

Chris Sheridan details how Robert Covington will selflessly be spending his All-Star break.

Robert Covington traveling cross-country, donating $1 million to HBCUs

NBA All-Star 2021 will take place on Sunday, March 7 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, reaching fans in 215 countries and territories in more than 50 languages on their televisions, computers, mobile phones and tablets. This marks Atlanta&rsquo;s third time hosting the league&rsquo;s annual global celebration of basketball.
TNT&rsquo;s NBA All-Star coverage in the United States will begin at 5 p.m. ET with TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by CarMax, followed by the Taco Bell Skills Challenge and MTN DEW 3-Point Contest starting at 6:30 p.m. ET. NBA All-Star Game coverage on TNT will begin at 8 p.m. ET, with the AT&amp;T Slam Dunk Contest taking place at halftime. ESPN Radio coverage in the U.S. will begin at 7 p.m. ET.
Below are facts and figures about NBA All-Star 2021:
NBA All-Star Game
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">4 &ndash;&nbsp;The Phoenix Suns&rsquo; Chris Paul is the third player to be named an All-Star with&nbsp;four&nbsp;different franchises, joining Moses Malone and Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">9 &ndash;&nbsp;The LA Clippers&rsquo; Paul George&nbsp;made a record&nbsp;nine&nbsp;3-pointers on his way to 41 points in the 2016 NBA All-Star Game while representing the Indiana Pacers.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">17 &ndash;&nbsp;The Los Angeles Lakers&rsquo; LeBron James has been selected as an NBA All-Star&nbsp;17&nbsp;times, third most in league history behind Kareem Abdul Jabbar (19) and Kobe Bryant (18).&nbsp; James is also set to start the All-Star Game for the&nbsp;17th&nbsp;consecutive year.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">20 &ndash;&nbsp;At&nbsp;20&nbsp;years old, the New Orleans Pelicans&rsquo; Zion Williamson is set to become the fourth-youngest player to play in the NBA All-Star Game, behind Kobe Bryant, James and Magic Johnson.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">27.3 &ndash;&nbsp;The Milwaukee Bucks&rsquo; Giannis Antetokounmpo has the highest scoring average in NBA All-Star Game history at&nbsp;27.3&nbsp;points per game.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">58 &ndash;&nbsp;As part of the game production,&nbsp;58&nbsp;cameras will be positioned around the arena, including more than 30 in robotic form in the tunnel, practice court and locker room.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">70 &ndash;&nbsp;This is the&nbsp;70th&nbsp;edition of the NBA All-Star Game, which was first played in 1951.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">385 &ndash;&nbsp;James is the leading scorer in NBA All-Star Game history with&nbsp;385&nbsp;points.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">7,424,951 &ndash;&nbsp;NBA All-Star Voting 2021 presented by AT&amp;T set a single-day record with&nbsp;7,424,951&nbsp;fan votes cast on Jan. 28.</li>
</ul>
AT&amp;T Slam Dunk Contest
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">1 &ndash;&nbsp;In the final round, the two competitors who advance that far will perform&nbsp;one&nbsp;dunk each and the winner will be determined by &ldquo;Judges&rsquo; Choice&rdquo; instead of individual score.&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">2 &ndash;&nbsp;Two&nbsp;Slam Dunk participants, the Portland Trail Blazers&rsquo; Anfernee Simons and the Pacers&rsquo; Cassius Stanley, have NBA G League experience.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">3 &ndash;&nbsp;Nate Robinson is the only player to win Slam Dunk&nbsp;three&nbsp;times (2006, 2009, 2010).&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">7 &ndash;&nbsp;This year&rsquo;s five Slam Dunk judges (Dee Brown, Jason Richardson, Josh Smith, Spud Webb and Dominique Wilkins) won a combined&nbsp;seven&nbsp;Slam Dunk titles.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">44 &ndash;&nbsp;Stanley recorded a maximum vertical leap of&nbsp;44&nbsp;inches in the 2020 NBA Draft Combine, tied for the third-highest mark since 2000.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">107 &ndash;&nbsp;Slam Dunk competitor Obi Toppin of the New York Knicks led Division I college basketball in dunks last season with&nbsp;107.</li>
</ul>
MTN DEW&nbsp;3-Point Contest
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">3 &ndash;&nbsp;The 3-Point Contest will feature two shots in the deep &ldquo;MTN DEW Zone&rdquo; that are worth&nbsp;three&nbsp;points each.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">6 &ndash;&nbsp;The&nbsp;six-player field&nbsp;will be composed entirely of 2021 NBA All-Stars &ndash; Devin Booker of the Suns, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls and Donovan Mitchell of the Jazz &ndash; making it the first 3-Point Contest in which each participant is a current All-Star.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">7 &ndash;&nbsp;Curry, the 2015 champion, will compete for the&nbsp;seventh&nbsp;time, tying Dale Ellis for the second-most appearances behind Craig Hodges (eight).</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">2,664 &ndash;&nbsp;Curry has made&nbsp;2,664&nbsp;career 3-pointers, second most in NBA history behind Ray Allen (2,973).</li>
</ul>
Taco Bell&nbsp;Skills Challenge
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">2 &ndash;&nbsp;Steve Nash and Dwyane Wade are the only&nbsp;two-time winner of the&nbsp;Skills Challenge.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">5 &ndash;&nbsp;Chris Paul is making his record&nbsp;fifth&nbsp;appearance in the&nbsp;Skills Challenge and his first since 2011.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">22 &ndash;&nbsp;Dončić, who turned&nbsp;22&nbsp;on Feb. 28, is the first player in Mavericks history to be voted as an NBA All-Star Game starter in two consecutive years.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">2013 &ndash;&nbsp;Robert Covington, who entered the NBA in&nbsp;2013,&nbsp;attended Tennessee State, an HBCU in Nashville, Tenn.</li>
</ul>
NBA All-Star in Atlanta
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">3&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;This is the&nbsp;third&nbsp;NBA All-Star in Atlanta, which previously hosted in 1978 and 2003.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">27 &ndash;&nbsp;The Buffalo Braves&rsquo; Randy Smith scored&nbsp;27&nbsp;points to lead the Eastern Conference past the Western Conference 133-125 in the 1978 NBA All-Star Game, the first time that Atlanta hosted.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">300 &ndash;&nbsp;The teams combined for&nbsp;300&nbsp;points in the 2003 NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta, where the Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference 155-145 in the only double-overtime game in All-Star history.&nbsp; Kevin Garnett scored a game-high 37 points and Michael Jordan had 20 points in his final NBA All-Star Game.</li>
</ul>
NBA All-Star Entertainment
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">12&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;All-Star entertainers have earned a&nbsp;combined&nbsp;12&nbsp;GRAMMY Awards during their careers.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">7 &ndash;&nbsp;Gladys Knight, a&nbsp;seven-time GRAMMY Award winner, will sing the U.S. national anthem at NBA All-Star 2021.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">3 &ndash;&nbsp;Three-time GRAMMY Award winner and Florida A&amp;M University alum Common will introduce the Clark Atlanta University Philharmonic Society Choir, which will perform an original rendition of &ldquo;Lift Every Voice and Sing.&rdquo;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">1 &ndash; GRAMMY Award winner and singer-songwriter Alessia Cara will sing the Canadian national anthem.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">1 &ndash; GRAMMY Award winner Anthony Hamilton will perform his song &ldquo;Fine Again&rdquo; in recognition of frontline workers.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">100&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;The nationally-recognized Grambling State University Tiger Marching Band and Florida A&amp;M University Marching&nbsp;100&nbsp;will play during NBA All-Star player introductions from their respective historic campuses.</li>
</ul>
NBA All-Star Around the World
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">1 &ndash;&nbsp;For the&nbsp;first&nbsp;time ever in Canada, TSN, Sportsnet and RDS will televise all the All-Star events.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">2 &ndash; Two&nbsp;international players have been named All-Star Game MVP: Tim Duncan (U.S. Virgin Islands; 2000) and Kyrie Irving (Australia; 2014).</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">4 &ndash;&nbsp;Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers; Cameroon) is one of&nbsp;four&nbsp;players born in Africa to be at least a four-time All-Star, along with Dikembe Mutombo (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Steve Nash (South Africa) and Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria).</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">6 &ndash;&nbsp;A record&nbsp;six&nbsp;European players were named All-Stars this season: Antetokounmpo (Greece), Luka Dončić (Dallas Mavericks; Slovenia), Rudy&nbsp;Gobert&nbsp;(Utah Jazz; France),&nbsp;Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets; Serbia), Domantas Sabonis (Indiana Pacers; Lithuania) and Nikola&nbsp;Vučević&nbsp;(Orlando Magic; Montenegro).</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">9/5 &ndash;&nbsp;There are a record&nbsp;nine&nbsp;international All-Stars, including a record&nbsp;five&nbsp;international players voted All-Star Game starters.&nbsp; The nine international All-Stars are Antetokounmpo, Dončić, Embiid, Gobert, Irving, Jokić, Sabonis, Ben Simmons (76ers; Australia) and Vučević.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">14 &ndash;&nbsp;Fourteen&nbsp;active international players have been named All-Stars during their careers.</li>
</ul>
NBA All-Star on TNT
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">7 &ndash;&nbsp;TNT&rsquo;s announcing team of Marv Albert, Reggie Miller and Chris Webber will call its&nbsp;seventh&nbsp;straight NBA All-Star Game together.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">8&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;Analysts&nbsp;Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal (3), Isiah Thomas (2), Charles&nbsp;Barkley (1), Dwyane Wade (1) and Candace Parker (1) have won a combined&nbsp;eight&nbsp;All-Star MVP awards in the NBA and WNBA.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">19 &ndash;&nbsp;TNT will present the NBA All-Star Game for the&nbsp;19th straight year.</li>
</ul>
NBA All-Star on ESPN Radio
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">25 &ndash;&nbsp;ESPN Radio will broadcast its&nbsp;25th&nbsp;NBA All-Star Game.&nbsp; Commentator Marc Kestecher and analyst Jon Barry will call the game action, with Kevin Winter and analyst P.J. Carlesimo anchoring pregame, halftime and postgame studio coverage.&nbsp; ESPN Radio host and Los Angeles Sparks star Chiney Ogwumike will join the broadcast at halftime as a special guest analyst for AT&amp;T Slam Dunk.</li>
</ul>
Support for HBCUs and COVID-19 Equity Efforts
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">9&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;Throughout the game, members of the Divine&nbsp;Nine&nbsp;fraternities and sororities, a prestigious group of nine historically Black Greek letter organizations, will introduce step teams from Spelman College and Morehouse College.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">37/47 &ndash;&nbsp;As part of this year&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="https://pr.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2021/03/2021-NBA-All-Star-Game-Format-3-4-21.pdf" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pr.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2021/03/2021-NBA-All-Star-Game-Format-3-4-21.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1615047366969000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHdCojJOVRRBY1zllGkbqgXgB87Sg">game format</a>, the two All-Star teams will play for either UNCF (consisting of&nbsp;37&nbsp;member colleges) or Thurgood Marshall College Fund (composed of&nbsp;47&nbsp;publicly-supported HBCUs) as their respective beneficiary, with both providing scholarship funding to further HBCU students&rsquo; higher education.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">3,400 &ndash;&nbsp;The Goodr NBA All-Star Grocery Pop-Up presented by Kaiser Permanente will benefit nearly&nbsp;3,400&nbsp;families in need across 16 locations in Metro Atlanta by providing them with free groceries and household essentials.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">3 Million &ndash;&nbsp;As part of NBA All-Star 2021, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association will commit more than&nbsp;$3 million&nbsp;in initial funds and resources toward HBCUs and support awareness around equity and access to COVID-19 care, relief and vaccines.</li>
</ul>

Here are some interesting facts and figures about the 2021 NBA All-Star Weekend.