Los Angeles Lakers

The NBA announced an array of new programming and enhancements on the NBA App ahead of the 2023-24 season.&nbsp; The NBA App &ndash; which generated more than one billion video views this past season, more than triple the prior year&rsquo;s total &ndash; will deliver unique experiences through advanced personalization features, enhanced live game viewing options and expanded content offerings that will bring fans closer to the game.
As part of a deepened personalized experience on the NBA App powered by Microsoft Azure AI Services, fans will have the ability to add multiple team and player tabs to their app main screen, allowing fans to seamlessly access real-time content.&nbsp; The new tabs will include the latest news, trending topics, vertical video highlights and updates related to their favorite teams and players.&nbsp; A new &ldquo;Moments&rdquo; experience will allow fans to scroll through unlimited NBA content using a vertical social media-style interface.&nbsp; NBA ID members will also have expanded benefits this season, with the opportunity to collect badges that offer access to rewards for their continued engagement throughout the season.&nbsp; Fans can collect badges through NBA In-Season Tournament and NBA All-Star voting, daily trivia and more.
To keep fans informed on the latest key storylines from around the league, the NBA will distribute a new daily newsletter &ndash; &ldquo;Starting 5&rdquo; &ndash; with current and former NBA players, coaches and analytics experts serving as guest contributors, including the Boston Celtics&rsquo; Jayson Tatum, Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, Basketball Hall of Famer Pau Gasol and more.&nbsp; &nbsp;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oC0l57KodxM?si=6IKSjoK1iQQ_43ia" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
NBA Entertainment will present a wide range of new original content on the NBA App, including &ldquo;Bring it Home,&rdquo; narrated by Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray.&nbsp; &ldquo;Bring it Home&rdquo; offers a behind-the-scenes look into the Nuggets&rsquo; 2022-23 season, which culminated in the franchise&rsquo;s first-ever NBA championship.&nbsp; &ldquo;Pass the Rock&rdquo; will return for season two to provide an in-depth look at the league&rsquo;s up-and-coming stars, featuring Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr., Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero and Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, among others.&nbsp;
The NBA App will feature more than 10,000 additional hours of programming to entertain fans throughout the 2023-24 season, including:
<ul style="font-weight: 400;">
<li>NBA CrunchTime: &ldquo;NBA CrunchTime&rdquo; &ndash; the league&rsquo;s weekly whiparound show taking fans live to crucial moments of each game and providing real-time updates and analysis &ndash; returns with more than 50 episodes, twice as many as last season.&nbsp; Hosted by Jared Greenberg and produced by NBA TV, which is jointly managed by TNT Sports, &ldquo;NBA CrunchTime&rdquo; will debut on Monday, Oct. 30 this season.</li>
<li>Race for the NBA Cup:&nbsp;&ldquo;Race for the Cup&rdquo; will document the inaugural&nbsp;NBA&nbsp;In-Season Tournament, giving fans exclusive access to teams competing for the first NBA Cup from tip-off on Nov. 3 through the championship game in Las Vegas on Dec. 9.</li>
<li>Coaches Corner:&nbsp;&ldquo;Coaches Corner&rdquo; will feature NBA coaches breaking down the X&rsquo;s and O&rsquo;s in interviews and game-film analysis, including sessions with Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones, hosts of the popular &ldquo;The Dunker Spot&rdquo; podcast.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
This season, NBA League Pass &ndash; the league&rsquo;s live game subscription service &ndash; will feature an enhanced live game streaming experience making it easier for fans to switch between multiple broadcast and language options while interacting with dynamic overlays featuring live player stats, scores and betting odds and other content.&nbsp; Returning this season, NBA League Pass subscribers will also have the ability to stream multiple games simultaneously with multi-view.&nbsp;&nbsp;Packages&nbsp;are available on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nba.com/watch/league-pass-stream" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nba.com/watch/league-pass-stream&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1698011649436000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2jyfqyyOx5tXE_yFOCtUP4">NBA.com</a>&nbsp;and the NBA App with a premium commercial-free option available at $149.99 a year (or $22.99 a month), providing access to more than 800 live out-of-market games, the ability to download games for offline viewing and a variety of alternate telecast options, including NBA Strategy Stream, NBABet Stream and NBA HooperVision.&nbsp; Students attending accredited universities and colleges in the U.S. can purchase NBA League Pass at an all-new discounted price.
Later this season,&nbsp;cross-platform Watch Parties will be available to NBA App mobile users.&nbsp; The feature will allow NBA League Pass subscribers to video chat with up to four participants while watching a synchronized video broadcast.&nbsp; The cross-platform approach enables fans globally to watch games together on Apple and Android devices.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The new NBA League Pass, NBA App and NBA ID features were celebrated in the league&rsquo;s tip-off campaign spots, &ldquo;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8--pQYx9ylc" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3D8--pQYx9ylc&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1698011649436000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0HfpjLH9fRGpXuIFORBu-8">So Much Game</a>&rdquo; and &ldquo;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC0l57KodxM" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DoC0l57KodxM&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1698011649436000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0Rsplt7zjnmKhmFvv9SBBM">Everyone&rsquo;s NBA App</a>,&rdquo; spotlighting the true fan excitement when engaging in the live game experience on the NBA&rsquo;s digital consumer products.
The NBA App &ndash; a product of NBA Digital, the league&rsquo;s joint venture with Warner Bros. Discovery Sports &ndash; is powered by Microsoft Azure and free to download&nbsp;<a href="https://global.nba.com/nba-apps/index.html?_branch_match_id=811567537499273278&amp;_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXTywo0MvJzMvWy0tK1EvOz9U3NQ4uCfX2rUgtTQIABsQiVCQAAAA%3D" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://global.nba.com/nba-apps/index.html?_branch_match_id%3D811567537499273278%26_branch_referrer%3DH4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXTywo0MvJzMvWy0tK1EvOz9U3NQ4uCfX2rUgtTQIABsQiVCQAAAA%253D&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1698011649436000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1ujyqMpv6BGQpt5_mC7LPN">here</a>.

The NBA announced an array of new programming and enhancements on the NBA App ahead of the 2023-24 season.

NBA App launches personalization features, new original programming

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; This story would never have been told if Udonis Haslem&rsquo;s mother hadn&rsquo;t moved from Miami to Jacksonville. Or if his stepbrother hadn&rsquo;t been so smart about an airball. Or if Atlanta signed him in 2002. Or if San Antonio did in 2003.
Any of those things happen differently, it all changes. He probably wouldn&rsquo;t be with the Miami Heat right now. Maybe never.
Haslem, the NBA&rsquo;s oldest active player at 42 and a three-time champion, is in the final days with his hometown team. He&rsquo;s the third player to spend a two-decade career with one franchise, joining Dallas&rsquo; Dirk Nowitzki and the Los Angeles Lakers&rsquo; Kobe Bryant.
&ldquo;All I&rsquo;ve ever tried to do is take care of my people, take care of my city,&rdquo; Haslem said. &ldquo;I think that&rsquo;s why I can sit down with the mayor and commissioners, or I can sit down with people in the &rsquo;hood, and be comfortable either way. It&rsquo;s because of the sacrifices that I&rsquo;ve made for this city.&rdquo;
Heat President Pat Riley is more succinct.
&ldquo;Udonis is Miami,&rdquo; Riley said.
Haslem was on the NBA&rsquo;s All-Rookie team in 2003-04. He never was an All-Star, never All-NBA, never even a player of the week out of 438 possible chances. The last time he averaged double figures for a season was 2009.
But ask anyone with the Heat, and they insist Haslem &mdash; the team captain who&rsquo;ll have his No. 40 jersey retired next season &mdash; has been vital for two decades.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s the poster child of a guy who was average, supposedly, and yet he became great,&rdquo; said Chet Kammerer, who has spent 27 years in Miami&rsquo;s player personnel department. &ldquo;And how did he do that? Hard work. Great spirit. Great attitude. Never &lsquo;can&rsquo;t do this,&rsquo; never &lsquo;can&rsquo;t do that.&rsquo; And the success that we&rsquo;ve had, he&rsquo;s had more of a major contribution over the whole 20 years than people know.&rdquo;
Take the night Miami won its first NBA title in Dallas in 2006. Haslem played with a separated shoulder. He had to guard Nowitzki, the Mavericks&rsquo; best player. Nowitzki didn&rsquo;t have a field goal in the fourth quarter; Miami won 95-92, Haslem had 17 points, 10 rebounds and a good cry afterward.
&ldquo;The champagne got me,&rdquo; he said. Everyone knows otherwise; they were tears.
Other players got headlines that night; Dwyane Wade was Finals MVP, Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal won his fourth ring. But without Haslem, there would be no title.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s always had tremendous courage,&rdquo; Riley said. &ldquo;Whatever endeavor, he rises to another level. And you need that. He was for real. He was that kind of man, someone who has tremendous pride being from Miami.&rdquo;
Many Miami kids grow up with football dreams. Haslem was one of them. But when his mother took a job in Jacksonville when he was 9, focus began shifting to basketball. (&ldquo;Football isn&rsquo;t as big there,&rdquo; Haslem said.) When he was around 12, Haslem was on the court with his older stepbrother, Sam Wooten. Haslem shot an airball. Wooten caught the ball and scored.
&ldquo;Nice pass,&rdquo; Wooten said, genuinely. He, and that moment, had tremendous impact on Haslem; Wooten died in 1999 from cancer and Haslem has a &ldquo;R.I.P. Sam&rdquo; tattoo on his neck to pay tribute to his mentor.
Haslem had backboard-breaking dunks as a high school freshman, starred at Miami High, then starred at Florida but struggled with weight and NBA teams passed on drafting him in 2002. Atlanta brought him in for a camp that summer, but signed Ira Newble to its last roster spot instead.
So Haslem played in France, dropping the extra weight by eating only turkey sandwiches. The next summer, he was offered a one-year contract by the Spurs.
&ldquo;We couldn&rsquo;t lose him,&rdquo; Kammerer said.
The Heat offered two years. Haslem signed. He never left. He had multiple chances, often for more money. But he stayed and will remain with the organization in a to-be-determined role; Haslem wants a chance to join the ownership group.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s monumentally important for our organization and our locker room,&rdquo; Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;He embodies everything that we believe in. And he has a way, because of the respect level, that he&rsquo;s able to influence and mentor literally every player in the locker room.&rdquo;
There are many stories of Haslem&rsquo;s toughness. He&rsquo;d dislocate fingers in practice and pop them back in like nothing happened. People still talk about his hard foul on Indiana&rsquo;s Tyler Hansbrough in the 2012 playoffs, after the Pacers caused him to get eight stitches the game before and Hansbrough had just sent Wade flying. He often is the one giving impassioned locker-room speeches at halftime, even before Spoelstra gets a chance. The wall outside Miami&rsquo;s locker room is now a tribute to Haslem moments.
He&rsquo;s not Miami&rsquo;s best player. It could be argued nobody has meant more.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s nobody else like him,&rdquo; Spoelstra said.

Udonis Haslem — the Heat's captain who’ll have his No. 40 jersey retired next season — has been vital for two decades.

Udonis Haslem, Miami Heat reflect on rare 20-year NBA career

The Orlando Magic are still on the outside looking in of the Play-In Tournament in the Eastern Conference, but the franchise is on the rise. The team has already matched its 22-win total from last season and is only getting better behind the young core of Rookie-of-the-Year favorite Paolo Banchero and second-year wing Franz Wagner.
The Magic could be buyers before the Feb. 9 trade deadline and <a href="https://www.actionnetwork.com/nba/nba-trade-intel-knicks-jazz-nuggets-deadline-rumors?source_caller=api&amp;shortlink=qy6dqcj4&amp;af_sub1=602143514&amp;c=af-newsletter&amp;pid=af-newsletter&amp;deep_link_value=action%3A%2F%2Farticle%3Fid%3D602143514&amp;af_adset=nba-trade-intel-knicks-jazz-nuggets-deadline-rumors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">multiple sources have told Matt Moore of The Action Network</a> that "there&rsquo;s real interest from the Magic in Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet." The 28-year-old veteran would bring some needed experience to the team as it looks to take its next step forward.
VanVleet is in the final year of his contract and has passed on a four-year, $114 million extension, the most Toronto can offer him before the offseason. He recently switched representation and the belief is that he's looking to get a long-term deal that averages between $30 million and $35 million per year.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.actionnetwork.com/nba/nba-trade-intel-knicks-jazz-nuggets-deadline-rumors?source_caller=api&amp;shortlink=qy6dqcj4&amp;af_sub1=602143514&amp;c=af-newsletter&amp;pid=af-newsletter&amp;deep_link_value=action%3A%2F%2Farticle%3Fid%3D602143514&amp;af_adset=nba-trade-intel-knicks-jazz-nuggets-deadline-rumors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Moore adds</a> that former No. 3 overall pick Jalen Suggs could be part of a deal along with draft compensation. However, the under-performing Raptors have been very busy leading up to the trade deadline, with teams around the league showing interest in VanVleet along with Pascal Siakam, O.G. Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr.
Following a slow start to the season, VanVleet has picked up his play over the past few weeks. He is now averaging 19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists while shooting 39.7% from the field and 34.7% on three-pointers.

The Orlando Magic could be buyers before the NBA trade deadline and they have a real interest in Toronto's Fred VanVleet.

Magic have "real interest" in Fred VanVleet before NBA trade deadline

Nekias Duncan previews the Hawks, Hornets, Heat, Magic and Wizards ahead of the 2022-23 NBA season.

2022-23 NBA Season Preview: Southeast Division

Nekias Duncan thoroughly breaks down all five teams in the Central Division ahead of the 2022-23 season.

2022-23 NBA Season Preview: Central Division

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

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

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

Many of them NBA big-game beginners, the young Cavaliers took their lumps in Brooklyn the other night and missed their first chance of making the playoffs.
Fortunately, they've got another shot.
Trouble is, Trae Young does, too.
Atlanta's high-scoring All-Star guard will be THE defensive focal point for Cleveland on Friday night as the Cavs host the Hawks in a win-or-start-vacation game. The winner advances to play No. 1 seed Miami in the Eastern Conference's first round.
Young averaged 32.5 points in four games &mdash; his high was 41 &mdash; against the Cavs this season, and Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff didn't waste a breath in bringing him up when asked about the challenges the Hawks present offensively.
&ldquo;Obviously, it starts with Trae Young,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;What he does impacts everybody else and his ability to one, make all the shots from all over the floor, two, to make all the plays with the ball in his hand, the passes and then that pick-and-roll game that they run."
Young started slowly but scored 24 points in Atlanta's 132-103 rout of Charlotte on Wednesday night, a game the Cavs watched live and scouted together.
&ldquo;They played well and they moved the ball well as a team,&rdquo; Cavs guard Rajon Rondo said. &ldquo;Trae accepted the double teams that Charlotte threw at him at the start of the game. He got off the ball extremely well, he shared the ball with his teammates and they made plays for each other.&rdquo;
The Cavs didn't handle Brooklyn's two-headed, Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving monster early in Tuesday night's 115-108 loss, the first taste of playoff-like intensity and physicality for most of Cleveland's players.
The Nets led by 20 points after the first quarter, and although the Cavs fought back and were within six late, the initial onslaught was too much to overcome.
There is no teacher like experience, and Bickerstaff believes his team will grow from the play-in opener.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been tested and I feel like our guys have done a really good job of responding,&rdquo; he said. And when they&rsquo;ve been in a certain situation, they don&rsquo;t make the same mistake twice. They come out and they learn from it and they improve on in the next time out."
Atlanta won three of the four matchups this season with Cleveland, blowing the Cavs out 131-107 in the most recent matchup on March 31. But the Cavs were short-handed in every game and could get back All-Star center Jarrett Allen, who has been sidelined since March 6 with a broken finger.
The team officially listed Allen as questionable on the injury report, a positive step after he missed the past 19 games.
Allen in the middle of Cleveland's defense would be another obstacle for Young, who is not only dangerous as a shooter but in finding Clint Capela and Atlanta's other big mans on lobs at the rim.
PLAYOFF RONDO
With 134 games of postseason experience, Rondo gives the Cavs someone who has seen it all this time of year.
He's been a sounding board for teammates and coaches. Bickerstaff called him a basketball &ldquo;savant&rdquo; before Rondo got nine assists in 26 productive minutes against the Nets.
A two-time champion, the 36-year-old Rondo struggled to describe his postseason metamorphosis.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t really put it into words,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I get a little more time to rest my body. I usually play a lot more minutes. The coaches usually allow me to do what I do best &mdash; manipulate the game and try to do what&rsquo;s best for the team and stay on the same page with my teammates, along with getting W&rsquo;s.&rdquo;
HURTING HAWKS
Atlanta forward John Collins, who hasn't played since March 11 with a sprained finger and foot, won't play along with guard Lou Williams (back).
Also, guard Bogdan Bogdanovic is questionable with a left ankle sprain.
DRE STEPS UP
Hawks forward De&rsquo;Andre Hunter scored 22 points in the play-in victory over the Hornets, with 16 coming during a third-quarter barrage that turned the game into a blowout.
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 draft, Hunter has battled health issues and struggled to develop into a consistent performer over his three-year NBA career. The Hawks hope his performance was a sign that he&rsquo;s ready to step up in the postseason.
&ldquo;He was playing aggressive,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what we need from Dre. He was making plays, getting to the basket, and the way he was guarding got Miles (Bridges) frustrated. It was a great all-around game for Dre.&rdquo;
THE BIG MAN
Cleveland&rsquo;s advantage in the post -- especially if Allen goes &mdash; puts a big responsibility on Capela.
Outside of him, the Hawks don&rsquo;t really have anyone who can match up with Cleveland&rsquo;s front line, which can include three 7-footers at once.
&ldquo;They pose a challenge because of their size,&rdquo; McMillan said. &ldquo;They do a good job of taking advantage of their size with their ability to pound you in the paint. They&rsquo;ve got a of lot of length.&rdquo;
Capela had a big game against Charlotte with 15 points and 17 rebounds, but the Hornets went went with a small lineup most of the game. That won&rsquo;t be the case against the Cavaliers, but the Hawks are confident in their man in the middle.
&ldquo;He was everywhere,&rdquo; Danilo Gallinari said. &ldquo;We know he can do that every single night. He&rsquo;s got our back and can dominate the paint.&rdquo;
___
AP Sports Writer Paul Newberry in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Trae Young averaged 32.5 points in four games — his high was 41 — against the Cavs this season. The Hawks went 3-1 vs. Cleveland.

Cavs get second shot at playoffs, must slow Hawks' Young

Play-In and playoff time are right around the corner in the dwindling NBA season. As such, most of conversations will understandably revolve around the league's premier teams. It's easy for the teams at the bottom to get lost in the shuffle. They generally reach a point where lottery odds take precedence; in some instances, important young pieces are getting shut down like the veterans are.
I wanted to take a moment to highlight some players who are likely flying under the radar. You have to take post-All-Star break stretches with at least two grains of salt, but this is a time for unheralded players to stretch themselves. In a best-case scenario, they wind up showing you something that transfers to the next season.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Here are a few players &mdash; just a few! &mdash; who have caught my eye recently.
KILLIAN HAYES
The Stats: 13.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists (1.4 turnovers), 2.8 steals over last five games&nbsp;
The Skill: Downhill Comfort
It's been a hectic start for Killian Hayes, a high-upside guard project who's had his career derailed by injury woes to this point. Young ball-handlers need live reps to work out the kinks of their game; Hayes hasn't consistently been able to do that, which make his flaws look even worse when he's been on the floor.
Hayes is in the midst of finding himself though. He's one of the most underrated guard defenders in the sport already, boasting off-ball prowess and a knack for getting over or&nbsp;ducking under picks and remaining attached.&nbsp;
Offensively, there's been a bit of a chicken-or-egg ordeal with him. He's shown legit passing chops from the jump, but his ability to create advantages &mdash; via explosive drives or out of fear of his jumper &mdash; hasn't been there. Putting him off-ball has led to teams ignoring him as a threat.
That's what makes Hayes' recent aggression worth paying attention to. This is probably the most I've seen him generate paint touches.
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How about this: Hayes is <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/drives/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;LastNGames=5&amp;TeamID=1610612765&amp;sort=DRIVES&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">converting over 68%</a> of his shots via drive over this five-game stretch. That's wildly impressive, and likely unsustainable. The rising drive volume is the key here. After averaging 6.0 drives per game <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/drives/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;TeamID=1610612765&amp;sort=DRIVES&amp;dir=1&amp;SeasonSegment=Pre%20All-Star" target="_blank" rel="noopener">before the All-Star break</a>, that number has risen to 7.1. Over the last five, it's up again to 8.8.
If Hayes can get downhill more consistently, that should open up more passing windows for him. If you want to zoom out a bit, that should unlock some off-ball opportunities for Cade Cunningham so he doesn't have to create all the time (even though he's probably good enough to do so.)
Don't sell your Hayes stock, folks.
BRANDON WILLIAMS
The Stats: 14.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 8.0 assists (2.8 turnovers), 1.6 steals over last five games
The Skill: Pick-and-Roll Passing
The Blazers are an absolute mess right now, but that's mostly fine. They're playing for lotto odds and hoping to make some "keep Damian Lillard" splashes in the offseason.
In the meantime, can I just say I've oddly enjoyed the dynamic between Brandon Williams and Drew Eubanks? Also, did you know Eubanks was averaging nearly 18 points and 12 rebounds over his last five games? You do now!
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But seriously, Williams has a real feel for pocket passing. There's a pace to him that allows him to operate with slower rollers. I've also seen enough skips in his film to say he can make most of the reads you want from him.
The question becomes: What level of a shooter is he going to be? The three-point shooting has fluctuated in both directions since he's been given more reps, and the pull-up middy <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/pullup/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;LastNGames=5&amp;TeamID=1610612757&amp;sort=PULL_UP_FGA&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hasn't been great either</a>. There's enough craft there to be excited about though. I'm curious to see what he looks like in a more defined role next season.
DAMIAN JONES
The Stats: 16.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists (1.5 turnovers), 1.8 blocks over last six games
The Skill: Playmaking
Damian Jones had stops with Golden State, Atlanta, Phoenix and the Los Angeles Lakers before landing in Sacramento. Go down the line; you don't think the Dubs could use a vertical spacer like this? Think the Suns would rather have Bismack Biyombo than Jones? Would the Lakers turn down young talent to... well actually, nevermind.
Jones has&nbsp;really&nbsp;been balling since newbie Domantas Sabonis has been out of the lineup. Averaging 17 and 8 is nothing to sneeze at, and he's predictably getting busy as a roll man and glass-cleaner.
What's been interesting &mdash; the Kings are putting the ball in his hands a little. You won't confuse him with Sabonis, but he's been allowed to be a handoff hub in Delay sets. And when the Kings are able to draw two to the ball, Jones hasn't looked entirely out of place as a short-roll decision-maker.
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Expectations of "traditional" centers are changing. If you aren't good enough to build the boat around, you'll need to complement stars with something. Some bigs have attempted to expand their range to the three-point line &mdash; something Jones has dabbled with on occasion this season &mdash; while others are becoming more adept as initiators. That Jones is showing flashes in the latter should add to his value moving forward.
ALEKSEJ POKUSEVSKI
The Stats: 14.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 9.0 assists (4.3 turnovers), 0.8 steals over last four games
The Skill: Decision-Making
Let's start right here, because what the heck.
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That is Aleksej Pokusevski getting&nbsp;Chris freakin' Paul&nbsp;on a rip-through foul. After that, you get Pokusevski running a pick-and-roll and freezing Cam Johnson with a jump pass to the corner. The pass accuracy was off, but it's hard not to appreciate the level of manipulation.
It's easy to point to the recent triple-double, but the overarching thing is that Pokusevski looks more comfortable on both ends as of late. The shot is falling for him at nearly a 48% clip &mdash; wildly impressive considering the amount of movement attempts he fires. He's made some real strides on the ball too. He's still trying some wild stuff, but the chaos is more controlled.
Pre-break, Pokusevski had an assist rate of 11.6 and a turnover rate of 16.2. Since then, he's been firmly in the positive (22.0 to 16.7). Both numbers have shot up during this four-game stretch (35.1, 26.2) but, he's still largely been a plus-playmaker statistically.
Skipping steps in pick-and-roll. No-looks in transition. Timely "one more" passes when the ball gets to swinging. The level of ball placement with some of his interior reads should not be possible for a guy his size.
I have been, I am and I will continue to be intrigued by Poku.&nbsp;
STRAY THOUGHTS
<ul>
<li>What Houston Rockets forward KJ Martin brings to the table as a (violent) dunker and weak-side shot-blocker should be well documented at this point. I think he's also firmly proving you can't leave him completely open. I'm not buying him being a 48% shooter from deep like he has been since the All-Star break (on "meh" volume), but the form and touch are to the point where he should be accounted for as a spot-up option.&nbsp;</li>
<li>I'd keep an eye on Markelle Fultz (13.8 points, 5.4 assists, 2.0 steals over his last five) if I were you. The burst looks solid, as does the defense. So much focus has (understandably) been on his injury history and whatever the heck happened with his jumper, but that's one crafty dude with the ball in his hands.</li>
<li>Nothing deep here, just want to say I'm glad Goga Bitadze is showing some signs of life in a weird context. Related: I have no idea what Indiana's big man room is going to look like next season.</li>
</ul>
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Nekias Duncan highlights some young (role) players on struggling teams who are worth keeping an eye on.

Views from the bottom: 4 young NBA players to keep an eye on

Beginning his third season in the NBA, experience has been Nassir Little&rsquo;s greatest teacher.
He admits that, as a young player, being out on the floor was exciting and fast-moving. Getting used to such an environment with reps over the last two seasons, he agrees, has made him feel more comfortable over time.
&ldquo;With anything in life where you do it over and over, it becomes more second nature, less thinking, more instinctual,&rdquo; Little told BasketballNews.com prior to the Portland Trail Blazers&rsquo; 107-104 defeat in Cleveland on Wednesday.&nbsp;
Unfortunately, this was a contest in which Little saw a season-low in minutes played (10:55), and one that resulted in Portland&rsquo;s third straight loss.&nbsp;
On the bright side, though, Little is determined to make his presence felt by controlling what he can control. This all started with a conversation he had with new Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups prior to training camp. It was an open discussion on the team&rsquo;s expectations of him with two particular focuses &mdash; offensive rebounding and &ldquo;playing extremely hard.&rdquo;
&ldquo;He's accepting everything. All the coaching that we give him,&rdquo; Billups said. &ldquo;Very coachable. I think a lot of players in the league, especially young guys, when their shots are not going or when they're not getting shots, their enthusiasm changes. They don't play as hard. I told him very early on, 'We don't know. You might get two shots tonight, you might get eight, depending on how the game is flowing. That can't change how hard you play, how focused you are. And he's done a good job with that.
&ldquo;I think it's something that you expect from him. When you see a guy playing that hard, that's how you build trust. You know that you're gonna be able to trust him every time you put him out there. He's gonna play extremely hard, he's gonna give you all he has. He doesn't have off nights with that. You can have off nights shooting and this and that. When you're playing hard, you don't have off nights with that part of it. So that's something that as a coach, you love to have."
Message received. Even with the recent anomaly, Little ranks 17th in the NBA in offensive-rebound rate (9.7%). Giving a quick tip of the cap to <a href="https://twitter.com/StevieCozens/status/1455336256863305729?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stevie Cozens on Twitter</a>, dig some more and you&rsquo;ll see something quite notable; There are only three players at his position who are in the top-20 of the category.
&ldquo;Offensive rebounding is huge, man. It's getting extra possessions, you know what I'm saying? In a sense, it's like getting turnovers,&rdquo; Little said. &ldquo;So just getting extra possessions, getting extra points... It's one of the best ways to get open three-pointers; we got really good shooters. And that could be like six, nine points a game. That could be a huge difference. So just me trying to impact the game, some way, somehow, and just trying to make myself be assertive. So that's what I do."
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It seems pretty simple to secure the basketball and provide second chances, but don&rsquo;t think for a second that there isn&rsquo;t strategy involved in doing so.
&ldquo;Rebounding is a skill. It's a talent just like scoring the ball, dribbling the ball. It's a talent, and it's more so just having a knack for like where the ball's gonna go,&rdquo; Little explained. &ldquo;I'm familiar with my teammates. I can tell how the ball's gonna come off [the rim], or even if I don't get it, I know what type of positioning I need to get, and I can just have a good sense of tracking where the ball's gonna go based on who's shooting it.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Or even if they make it, I know where it would go probably if they miss. It's just kinda like a feel for it, and yeah, it's effort. It's crashing, waiting 'til a guy turns his head and then taking another route to the basket. They shoot a three, kinda staying out towards the perimeter, things like that. That type of stuff all plays a part."
Billups credits Little&rsquo;s will to outwork the opposition.
&ldquo;Those balls are coming off and he's just going after it. He's a gifted athlete. He's quick, he's fast. Obviously, when he jumps, he's very explosive,&rdquo; Billups said. &ldquo;Most people in the NBA, even us [coaches], when a ball is shot, most people look at the ball. And that's when he starts to do his work. If you're looking at the ball, you can't be hitting me. So he's figuring that part of it out, and he's just beating guys to those opportunities.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Just his intensity,&rdquo; added Blazers teammate Larry Nance Jr. &ldquo;He comes out, grabs a rebound... he hypes himself up. So he's kinda screaming and yelling, and it's impossible to watch him fight that hard for an offensive rebound and be that intense about his play and us be lackadaisical about it. We've got to lift each other up.&rdquo;
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Along with Nance, Little is a part of a Portland bench that leads the NBA with a 50.9% field-goal percentage, and a unit that&rsquo;s boosting the team with just over 37 points per game. Typically when one member of the Blazers&rsquo; All-Star-caliber backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum has gotten a breather, Portland has suffered in the past. This season, not so much.
Anfernee Simons is turning up his volume and cashing in on shots with a career-best 64.6% True Shooting percentage, while the newbie frontcourt of Nance and Cody Zeller has clicked seamlessly on both ends. Then, there&rsquo;s Little&rsquo;s corner catch-shooting success (5-for-8) and aforementioned hustle that makes it all work together.&nbsp;
&ldquo;When Dame and CJ aren't on the court... those guys have the ball in their hands a lot, they make big-time shots,&rdquo; Little said. &ldquo;I think for us, with the coaches being so straightforward with what they want from us, or just getting better looks. You know, we don't have a lot of guys breaking guys down 1-on-1. Ant's coming off screens wide-open just shooting it. Myself, I just shoot it if I catch it. Larry's finishing in the paint, hitting open shots. So we just take good shots as a unit, and I think that's why we have such a high field-goal percentage.
&ldquo;I think Larry and Cody have been great, man. They play hard. Myself, I play hard. We all play hard together. When you have a unit like that out there together, there's no letdown from when the starters come off. So I think it's been very helpful. On the offensive boards, they've been great. Defensively, they've been great. The hustle plays. All the little things. I think we've all done a good job of just chipping in, so it's been good.&rdquo;
Among Portland&rsquo;s four-man lineups to play at least 40 minutes together, the quartet is easily tops on the team with a plus-12.9 net rating.
&ldquo;Energy. I think that's it,&rdquo; Nance said. &ldquo;Nas comes in and plays with so much energy. Obviously, Ant plays with a lot of energy. Cody getting after every ball and myself, that's a lot of what I've prided myself on for the past few years. I think playing with a certain level of intensity. I think we've got some rangy defenders as well. So that group is looking to provide a spark every time we check-in and so far, we're doing a pretty good job of it."
&ldquo;I do expect for that to continue to happen,&rdquo; Billups added. &ldquo;I think when you have a starting unit like ours, you expect to be playing just as good or close to any other starting unit. I feel like we have an advantage coming off of our bench with the pace that they play at, with the speed, with how hard they play. Our two bigs that come off play with great IQ out there; they're ball-movers. Ant's having a great season. Nas. So I expect to have an advantage there most nights coming off the bench."
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Expand the combination to five with Lillard, and it&rsquo;s far and away the Blazers&rsquo; best. Compared to <a href="https://go.nba.com/1u8c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">all other lineups in the NBA that have shared a minimum of 20 minutes</a>, the Lillard-Simons-Little-Nance-Zeller mix has the highest rebounding percentage (66.7%) and second-highest net rating (38.9).&nbsp;
Keep in mind that this success is with a currently-struggling Lillard, too. Despite his jump shot continuing to plague his scoring load, however, his assist numbers are high and he&rsquo;s taking care of the basketball. There is also the fact that Lillard is dealing with a core injury.
But Lillard refuses to use it as an excuse.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I always look at struggles as an opportunity to show my true character,&rdquo; Lillard said to start his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lillard-on-shooting-struggles-opportunity-to-show-my-true-character" target="_blank" rel="noopener">long-winded, open-ended response to his slump</a>. &ldquo;...So personally, I embrace it.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s to no one&rsquo;s surprise to see Lillard take ownership of his own shortcomings &mdash; especially not Little, who&rsquo;s gotten to know the superstar guard and has already heard what was just publicly said behind closed doors.
&ldquo;It ain't nothing new. I've had the pleasure of knowing Dame for a few years now,&rdquo; Little said. &ldquo;I remember even before this, before the season had started, I was just asking him, 'How do you handle bad games?' And the same things that you guys are hearing now, he told me when he was playing some of the best basketball of his life. That's how I know he's such an authentic guy; that, when he was killin' like we all know he does, he was telling me the same things that you guys are hearing now &mdash; how it's part of the game.&nbsp;
&ldquo;You can't want one side of something and then get rid of the other because it's impossible for anything to exist like that. You need to miss in order to make shots, and vice-versa. So it's just a part of the game, and I respect how you don't ever, like, see it on his face with how he interacts with everybody. It definitely is a struggle. He's gonna get through it. But as he's going through it, he doesn't let it affect the way he moves."
Stumbling back to the Northwest at 3-5 following a winless road trip out East, the Blazers are looking to right the ship with some home cooking the next two games. Little will do his part, as will the rest of the team, to pick up its loyal, fearless leader as he&rsquo;s done so many times in the past.
Now that the roles have been reversed, Portland can&rsquo;t wait to see Lillard get back to &ldquo;Dame Time&rdquo; to see this group&rsquo;s true potential.
&ldquo;At the end of the day, Dame, he's our guy,&rdquo; Little said. &ldquo;For us to be as good as we can be, we just need him to be himself. Not to say that he's not, but once he gets that groove, I think we're gonna be good, and I think when we all get going and all get flowing together, I think we're gonna be a really good team."

Spencer Davies chats with Nassir Little to discuss how experience has helped him find a rhythm, Portland's bench and more.

Nassir Little's sheer will, intensity give Blazers a boost

The 2021-22 NBA season tips off in a week-and-a-half, and it&rsquo;s still unclear what the future holds for Ben Simmons. The three-time All-Star has refused to report to the Philadelphia 76ers after requesting a trade and emptying out his Philly home.
While a trade doesn't appear to be imminent, there are a number of potential suitors. <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to Marc Stein</a>, there are five teams that have &ldquo;consistently registered interest&rdquo; in the 25-year-old: the Minnesota Timberwolves, Toronto Raptors, San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers.
Recently, the Sixers <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/blazers-rejected-ben-simmons-trade-involving-six-draft-picks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> asked the Blazers for three first-round picks and three pick swaps in exchange for Simmons, and Portland wasn&rsquo;t interested.
Also, Stein notes that Philadelphia has been &ldquo;unmoved&rdquo; about the possibility of dealing Simmons to the Pacers for a package built around Caris LeVert and Malcolm Brogdon.&nbsp;
"No matter how unrealistic it sounds, Portland's Damian Lillard remains the type of starry target [Daryl] Morey seeks,&rdquo; Stein wrote in <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his Substack newsletter</a>.
It remains to be seen whether Philadelphia will budge and lower their asking price for Simmons, but it seems unlikely that a trade will happen as long as the Sixers are demanding so much in return.

There are five teams that have “consistently registered interest” in the three-time All-Star, according to Marc Stein.

Wolves, Raptors, Pacers, Spurs, Cavs consistently pursuing Ben Simmons

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

2021-22 NBA Season Preview: Pacific Divison

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

2021-22 NBA Season Preview: Southeast Division

ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; When the Atlanta Hawks were excluded from the bubble last summer, Trae Young stewed at home.
He watched games on television, enviously tweeted about what he was missing, and longingly visualized what it would be like to play a starring role when it really matters in the NBA.
Now, he's got his chance.
Talk about rising to the occasion.
Young has joined an extremely rare group of point guards and guided the Hawks to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ny-state-wire-atlanta-hawks-new-york-knicks-nba-sports-1fe8f37d9b9a044c1c9ab3b53d0729c1">a 3-1 lead</a> in their opening-round playoff series against the New York Knicks.
Atlanta will try to wrap it up Wednesday night in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden, where a fan spit on Young as he inbounded the ball the last time he was in New York.
No worries on Young's end. That just shows how much he's gotten under the skin of the Knicks and their fans.
&ldquo;I love it,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;This is a fun series.&rdquo;
He has become just <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1399089061193732099">the fourth player in NBA history</a> to average at least 25 points and 10 assists in his first four career playoff games.
The others: Oscar Robertson, Kevin Johnson, and Stephen Curry.
The 6-foot-1 Young has befuddled the Knicks with <a href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1399725111641624603">a dazzling array of moves</a> and passes. When they sag into the lane, he'll pull up for the jumper. When they crowd him on the outside, he'll take it to the hoop. When others are open &mdash; and the Hawks have plenty of shooters &mdash; Young delivers passes in about every way imaginable.
&ldquo;He really doesn't have a weakness,&rdquo; said interim Hawks coach Nate McMillan. &ldquo;He takes what the defense gives him.&rdquo;
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As good as he is as a shooter &mdash; Young's range is roughly just inside the half-court line &mdash; his passing maybe even better.
He even amazes himself at times.
&ldquo;I always know in my mind where I want to go with the ball," Young said. &ldquo;Sometimes, it trips me out the way it goes. A couple of games ago, I did <a href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1392625937427181569">a behind-the-back pass</a> to Tony (Snell) in the corner. I knew where I wanted to go with it. I just hoped it got there. The fact that it got there, I was pretty tripped out by that.&rdquo;
The charismatic Young has never shied away from the spotlight, making it clear from the day he arrived in Atlanta that he was more than willing to be the face of a team that has largely been a forgotten NBA outpost.
Even though <a href="https://apnews.com/article/atlanta-hawks-washington-wizards-new-york-knicks-nba-sports-2396183616449b68485403a291785c61">the Hawks made the playoffs</a> for the first time since 2017, most of the hype was on the Knicks &mdash; a flagship franchise in the league's biggest media market that ended an eight-year postseason drought of its own.
The underdog role suited Young well. He's often griped about how the Hawks are overlooked, from a lack of national television appearances to him being passed over for a spot in this year's All-Star Game in his home city.
&ldquo;We have been disrespected all this year and overlooked a lot,&rdquo; Young said.
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With Young as the centerpiece of a massive overhaul, the Hawks went 49-100 during his first two seasons in the league. Last year, after the season shut down because of the pandemic, Atlanta was one of eight teams that didn't take part in the Disney World bubble.
It was tough for Young to watch.
&ldquo;I started training the first day everyone got in the bubble and started playing," he recalled. &ldquo;Being at the house late at night, watching those games, seeing all those playoff games, seeing guys in the play-in games, even when they were just playing (the last few regular-season) games, for me it was frustrating. I wish I could have done more to help our team get there. For us to be here now means a lot to me. And this is just the beginning.&rdquo;
Young is seemingly picking up new fans with every stellar performance.
After the Hawks romped to a dominating victory in Game 4, <a href="https://twitter.com/IsiahThomas/status/1399074598562537474">Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas</a> chimed in on Twitter.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s the real deal,&rdquo; Thomas wrote. &ldquo;Let it be known!&rdquo;
McMillan has worked with Young to cut down on his turnovers. After averaging 4.14 per game during the regular season, he's given up the ball only 11 times in four playoff games.
&ldquo;He's showing growth in managing and running a team," the coach said. &ldquo;He has to cut down the turnovers. He's too good of a passer to have five or six turnovers a game. Two is OK. But five or six is a big number for a guy who passes as well as he does.&rdquo;
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Young was picked fifth overall in 2018 out of Oklahoma, going to the Hawks in a draft-night deal that sent All-Star Luka Doncic to the Dallas Mavericks and also brought Atlanta a future first-round pick (which was used for Cam Reddish).
It is a trade that is still hotly debated around the league, but <a href="https://apnews.com/article/tn-state-wire-oh-state-wire-sports-charles-barkley-ca-state-wire-cb12144e9637411983238168bb5677af">neither team is complaining</a> about who they ended up with.
No matter what, Young and Doncic will surely be linked for the rest of their careers.
That's not an issue for Young.
He welcomes the attention. Craves it, actually.
&ldquo;I want to do something special" he said. &ldquo;I want to be different. This is a fun opportunity, a fun stage to really do that.&rdquo;
___
Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at https://twitter.com/pnewberry1963 His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/paulnewberry
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Trae Young is just the fourth player in NBA history to average at least 25 points and 10 assists in his first four career playoff games.

Atlanta's Trae Young shining in first trip to NBA playoffs

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; It's being hyped as the largest indoor event in New York since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, with a crowd of 15,000 expected at Madison Square Garden.
For a long time, like back when Tom Thibodeau was an assistant coach with the Knicks in the late 1990s, playoff games were a routine part of spring time in New York.
Now, after seven silent seasons, Game 1 of a first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night is shaping up as a Garden party.
&ldquo;We know what basketball means to the city and so hopefully we can give them something to be proud of,&rdquo; Thibodeau said. &ldquo;We've got a special group of guys that have worked extremely hard all year long to put us in this position and now the challenge starts all over again.&rdquo;
Julius Randle led the Knicks to a 41-31 finish in their first season under Thibodeau and their first postseason appearance since winning the Atlantic Division in 2012-13.
Atlanta interim coach Nate McMillan was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nyc-state-wire-atlanta-hawks-new-york-knicks-nba-sports-eca6174611ada76f291bf9f01359e5de" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fined $25,000 by the NBA</a> this week after his comments that the league wants to see the Knicks successful. He clarified that he wasn't suggesting any bias from the league during this series and said his players are excited about the atmosphere they will face.
&ldquo;These guys want to play in front of fans," he said. "I know it's going to be a tough place to play, but we&rsquo;re looking forward to the challenge.&rdquo;
The Hawks are ending their own drought with their first playoff appearance since 2017, doing so after charging back from a 14-20 start to this season.
&ldquo;We want to do something special. I&rsquo;ve said that since I got here. I want to be different," star guard Trae Young said. "This is going to be a fun opportunity, a fun stage to really do that.&rdquo;
The Hawks also went 41-31, but the Knicks won the tiebreaker for the No. 4 seed and home-court advantage after sweeping the three-game season series.
Randle was dominant against Atlanta, with 44 points and nine rebounds in a Feb. 15 victory, then 40 points and 11 boards on April 21. He's aware the Hawks will try to make containing the Most Improved Player award finalist a priority.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve just got to be prepared for whatever comes at me,&rdquo; Randle said. &ldquo;Whatever they throw my way, I&rsquo;ll be prepared for it and it&rsquo;s really not about what&rsquo;s happened in the past. Whatever happens in the game, throughout the game, I&rsquo;ve got to make the right plays, be aggressive and still make the right plays.&rdquo;
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PACKING THE PLACE
The Knicks began the season without fans and began allowing 10% percent capacity on Feb. 23. Capacity is set for 15,000 now and the Knicks say Games 1 and 2 are both sold out, with fully vaccinated fans expected to make up 90% of the crowd.
FINE FINISHES
New York won 16 of its final 20 games. Atlanta <a href="https://apnews.com/article/wa-state-wire-new-york-knicks-atlanta-hawks-nba-sports-72cdc51061aa60e1cd2e7d87340da28c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">went 27-11 under McMillan </a> after firing Lloyd Pierce.
SIZING UP THE STYLES
The Hawks averaged 113.7 points, just outside the NBA's top 10 in scoring this season. The Knicks were defense first under Thibodeau, finishing No. 1 in points allowed (104.7), opponent field goal percentage (44%) and opponent 3-point percentage (33.7%). The 1992-93 Knicks were the only other team in NBA history to lead the league in all three categories, according to Elias.
MEN IN THE MIDDLE
Atlanta's Clint Capela led the NBA in rebounding and finished fourth in blocks. Right above him in that category was Nerlens Noel, who moved into New York's starting lineup after Mitchell Robinson's injuries.
Their matchup could be a key in a series with teams who appear evenly matched.
&ldquo;I know we&rsquo;re going to bring the grit, the grind, a New York-style play of basketball, and they can bring Atlanta,&rdquo; Noel said. &ldquo;So I think we&rsquo;ll be all right on that aspect.&rdquo;
CHANGING OF THE GUARD?
Thibodeau said he is giving consideration to putting guard Frank Ntilikina into his rotation as the Knicks prepare to deal with Young.
Ntilikina played in just 33 games but is a good defensive player, and Thibodeau may want to look for a change at point guard after starter Elfrid Payton struggles down the stretch.
___
AP Sports Writer Paul Newberry in Atlanta contributed to this report.

After seven silent years, Game 1 of the Knicks-Hawks first-round series on Sunday is shaping up as a Madison-Square-Garden party.

Knicks, Hawks will face off in front of big playoff crowd

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Hawks forward Cam Reddish is expected to miss the opening round of the playoffs as he continues his extended recovery from an ailing right Achilles. 
The team said Thursday that Reddish has expanded his rehabilitation to include unrestricted individual workouts and limited participation in team practice. 
His status will be reviewed again in 10-14 days. 
“He warmed up with us,” interim coach Nate McMillan said after Wednesday's extended practice. “He's been doing a little shooting. But I haven't gotten anything that he'll be participating in practice with the team anytime soon.”
The Hawks, who made the playoffs for the first time since 2017 as the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, open a best-of-seven series against the New York Knicks on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
The No. 10 pick in the 2019 NB draft, Reddish started out the season in Atlanta's starting lineup, but he hasn't played since Feb. 21. 
Reddish averaged 11.2 points per game before missing the final 42 games of the regular season.
Despite Reddish's slow progress, the Hawks are in relatively good shape for the playoffs after an injury plagued season. 
Forward De'Andre Hunter, who appeared in just 23 games after undergoing knee surgery, returned late in the season and is expected to contribute valuable minutes against the Knicks. 
Besides Reddish, the only other Atlanta player to be ruled out of the series is sparingly used guard Brandon Goodwin, who is out for the season after being diagnosed with a minor respiratory condition.
“Having guys back gives us another level of effort and energy on the court," said guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, among those who missed significant time this season. “We have more bodies. This is the right time of year to have more bodies.”
___
Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at https://twitter.com/pnewberry1963 His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/paulnewberry
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Hawks forward Cam Reddish is expected to miss the first round of the playoffs as he continues recovering from a right Achilles injury.

Hawks F Reddish (Achilles) expected to miss opening round

To tank or not to tank, that is the question that every team will have to face at one point or another.
That&rsquo;s not to say there aren&rsquo;t many routes to contention in the NBA; the Eastern Conference&rsquo;s top-three teams are proof of that.
The Philadelphia 76ers -- the poster boy for tanking -- bottomed out for four-straight years, resulting in a quartet of top-three picks, including back-to-back No. 1 overall picks in 2016 and 2017.
The Brooklyn Nets made 2020 free-agency splashes, signing superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to a combined $305 million over four years (and then traded for James Harden).
The Milwaukee Bucks got lucky to draft centerpiece Giannis Antetokounmpo with the 15th overall pick in 2013, and then, through various trades over the years, acquired Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday.
Now, only a year removed from owning the league&rsquo;s second-best record and two years removed from winning the Larry O&rsquo;Brien trophy -- and currently on the outside looking in at the play-in tournament -- the Raptors are asking themselves: to tank, or not to tank? &nbsp;&nbsp;
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It's a question that Masai Ujiri has been fortunate enough to evade since arriving in Toronto in 2013, when, fortuitously, a Rudy Gay trade to the Sacramento Kings sparked the greatest era in Raptors history. An era that was capped with a championship.&nbsp;
Two years later, five of the eight core championship players are on new teams, including three of the starting five. Fans hope that this season is an anomaly and that the team&rsquo;s bad fortune is a result of lady luck being held by customs at the border. With the roster undergoing so much turnover, the front office is left having to assess the current roster and future of this team.
Even with the NBA changing the lottery odds, tanking remains the most efficient way for a majority of teams to obtain and develop elite young talent -- something the Raptors haven&rsquo;t been able to do since James Dolan goofed into trading for Andrea Bargnani.&nbsp;
But what does it mean to tank? And have the Raptors done a good enough job of it? &nbsp;
In Hamlet&rsquo;s most famous soliloquy, written by Shakespeare, Hamlet asks:&nbsp;
&ldquo;To be, or not to be? That is the question&mdash;
Whether &rsquo;tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And, by opposing, end them?&rdquo; &nbsp;
Asking if it&rsquo;s better to suffer through your bad luck, or to push back against it -- and in his case&hellip; die. But in a less-grim Raptors scenario, shut down the real season and actively tank. So, have the Raptors tanked?
Tanking is often reduced to losing as many games as possible to ensure the highest odds at the draft. Have the Raptors done a good job of that? If we&rsquo;re keeping to Hamlet&rsquo;s extreme binary, most would argue not only have they not tanked, they haven&rsquo;t not tanked either. &nbsp;Which is correct, in the most immediate short-term view of the season.&nbsp;
But what if we took a step back and shifted our focus? What if we changed the lens with which we view the Raptors' decisions from the short term to a long-term view? Instead of prioritizing losses above all else, development becomes the main priority, with losses added as a bonus. The outcome of games matters less than the journey it took to get there. With our new adjusted lens, let&rsquo;s take a look at the back half of the Raptors' season to see how they&rsquo;ve fared.&nbsp;
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Keeping Kyle Lowry at the Deadline
There has been a good deal of criticism levied at the Raptors for holding onto Kyle Lowry. If your plan is to tank, why hold onto your 35-year-old, All-Star-caliber veteran point guard who's on an expiring deal? &nbsp;
Although the question is fair, as <a href="https://twitter.com/william_lou/status/1391058680360099840?s=21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">William Lou of Yahoo Sports&rsquo; Canada points out</a>, the answer isn&rsquo;t so cut and dry. The Raptors are 3-6 with Lowry since the trade deadline, and 6-9 in the 15 games without him.&nbsp;
While Lowry is a free agent, and the Raptors risk losing him for zilch in the offseason, they can also offer him the most money and still include him in sign-and-trades this summer.&nbsp;
With our adjusted focus on the long-term success of the team, holding on to the greatest Raptor in franchise history instead of trading him for a pu-pu platter at the deadline feels like a no-brainer. You haven&rsquo;t closed your opportunities to trade him in the summer, you have him to help the development of your young guys, you&rsquo;ve put yourself in a prime position to retain him should he want to stay and (as an added bonus in the short term), he isn&rsquo;t winning you many games. &nbsp;
Pascal Siakam&rsquo;s Extended Minutes
Since the trade deadline, Pascal Siakam is averaging 36.8 minutes per game, tied with Harrison Barnes for third-most in the league. If the goal is to tank, why play your star extended minutes? &nbsp;
Focusing solely on the short-term goal of losing as many games as possible, playing Siakam nearly 37 minutes a night makes little sense. Shifting your focus to a long-term view, we&rsquo;ll see that wins and losses for a marginal chance at a higher pick matter a lot less than your 27-year-old&rsquo;s continued development. In the last 10 games, Pascal Siakam is averaging 23.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists on 46/35/74 splits.&nbsp;
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The Raptors have managed to find a way to tank but not at the expense of developing their core guys. As the season has progressed, we&rsquo;ve seen Siakam finally return to the player he was prior to the league shutting down over one year ago. He&rsquo;s taken on a higher usage rate without the same major dips in efficiency. He&rsquo;s been more aggressive, more decisive and, in the last five games, averaging over 28 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
Winning Too Much
The Raptors have won nine games since the trade deadline. Many on the #Fade4Cade train contend that that&rsquo;s far too many wins. And even with the short-term lens on, it's hard to see this argument.&nbsp;
Bringing us back to the great Will Lou, of the Raptors' nine wins, <a href="https://twitter.com/william_lou/status/1391060329585594369?s=21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">five were to tanking teams</a>. Those wins include: The Stephen Curry-less Golden State Warriors, who Toronto beat by over 50 points (protect the net rating at all costs), the Cleveland Cavaliers twice, the Orlando Magic and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Outside of the win-by-accident games, the Raptors defeated the San Antonio Spurs in a game that saw Yuta Watanabe, Khem Birch, Malachi Flynn and Chris Boucher all finish in double digits. They took down the Washington Wizards, thanks to a game-winner by newbie Gary Trent Jr. They upset the Brooklyn Nets, which saw Siakam and OG Anunoby combine for 52 points on 18-for-33 shooting, and won over the L.A. Lakers, as Lowry and Siakam combined for 76 points on 27-for-46 shooting. In all of these victories, the Raptors were missing core players and allowing a rookie to play extended minutes in competitive games.
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Since the deadline, the only Raptors to have played one-third of the available minutes have been players with contracts that go beyond next year or guys expected to stay (Gary Trent Jr., Khem Birch and Yuta Watanabe).
Realigning our perspective to a long-term view, we wipe away any anger over losses and recognize that outside of the Tankathon wins, the Raptors won games by relying on their bench depth and young guys to carry a large offensive load. You never waste an opportunity to develop your young talent for a 1-to-2% chance at a more favorable position in the lottery.
And even if you&rsquo;re stubborn in your belief that they have won too much over their last 20 games, the Magic (who own the next-best odds) are 5.5 games back from Toronto. No matter how hard the Raptors pivot toward the bottom of the standings, they were never going to be bad enough to catch Orlando, let alone the other tankers. (The Magic are so deep in the tank, they literally gifted Birch to The North, who is now the Raptors' potential future Hall-of-Fame starting center).
There are a multitude of routes to building a contender. There are also several forms of tanking, and the Raptors have selected one that's far less harsh than the #TrustTheProcess Sixers of yesteryear. And that&rsquo;s because a one-year tank, with a 33% chance at a top-five prospect, isn&rsquo;t going to catapult this team back into contention.&nbsp;
If the goal of this year was to tank to come back next season and once again contend, the Raptors have successfully done that with a promising team of young players to support their core -- with or without Kyle Lowry next season. Going into the year, the Raptors had no bigs and no bench. Since the trade deadline, the Raptors have acquired Birch and Freddie Gillespie, providing them ample opportunity to grow and develop for the future. In addition, the Raptors went younger, trading Norman Powell to the Portland Trail Blazers for Trent. And most importantly, the organization has continued to develop Flynn, Watanabe, Jalen Harris and Paul Watson Jr. while simultaneously distributing big minutes to Anunoby and Boucher to grow into bigger roles.
Tanking for a lottery pick is only one piece of the puzzle for team development, and the Raptors have placed themselves in prime position to acquire a lottery pick and focused their attention on development of their young, long-term prospects at the same time.
Doing that at the expense of playing your veterans is a minor form of tanking that should aid the Raptors in a major way.&nbsp;

Imman Adan breaks down the Raptors' season, and how the team found a way to tank while still developing their core players.

To tank, or not to tank? Analyzing the Raptors' present and future

ATLANTA (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 15 points in his return to the Milwaukee lineup and got plenty of help from his teammates as the Bucks cooled off the surging Atlanta Hawks 120-109 Thursday night.
Antetokounmpo had missed six games with an ailing left knee before <a href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1382841308109234178">getting cleared to play</a> in Atlanta, where he starred in the NBA All-Star Game last month.
He played 25 minutes in his return, hitting <a href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1382846603355119629">7 of 12 shots</a> to go along with five rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block. He didn't have to carry too much of a load as the Bucks put seven players in double figures, led by Jrue Holiday with 23 points.
“Watching this team play six games, I realize this team is really, really good,” Antetokounmpo said. “I just want to help as much as I can.”
While the Bucks had won their last two games without Antetokounmpo, they were thrilled to have him back on the court.
“He's our best player,” Holiday said. “That's the caliber of team we want to be, especially now going into the end of the season. Seeing Giannis out there, he's so dominant, he attracts so many people. He makes the game easier for everybody else.”
The Hawks got as close as 113-105 with just over two minutes remaining, but the Bucks sealed the victory with a sequence in which they claimed three straight offensive rebounds, the last leading to a put-back dunk by Brook Lopez. 
Pat Connaughton finished off Atlanta with a 3-pointer.
Bogdan Bogdanovic led the Hawks with 28 points, hitting six 3-pointers. <a href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1382864842348974080">Trae Young</a> returned after missing two games with a calf injury but had a terrible night, connecting on just 3 of 17 shots. 
“That was the key to the game plan,” said Holiday, one of those charged with guarding the Atlanta star. “I think we did a pretty good job of not giving him any easy, open looks.”
The Hawks lost for only the sixth time in 22 games since Nate McMillan took over as interim coach.
Antetokounmpo added <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-nba-joel-embiid-nba-all-star-game-coronavirus-pandemic-ae2000f148de5275dd68ed6102d33a2c">another good memory</a> from State Farm Arena. He was MVP of the All-Star Game, hitting all 16 of his shots for 35 points — the most baskets without a miss in the history of the midseason showcase.
The Bucks stretched their lead for third place in the Eastern Conference to 5 1/2 games over the fourth-place Hawks.
“We ran into a team with championship ambitions,” said Solomon Hill, who scored 18 points for Atlanta.
Milwaukee led by as many as 14 in the first half, settling for a 64-52 edge at the break.
Getting hot from long range, Atlanta quickly erased the deficit in the third. Bogdanovic knocked down a 3-pointer to put the Hawks ahead 74-73 near the midway point of the period — Atlanta's first lead since the opening minutes.
But, in a game of spurts, Milwaukee quickly regained the momentum and pushed the margin at the end of the third to exactly where it stood at halftime, 94-82. 
The Bucks wrapped up a stretch in which they played nine of 10 on the road.
SQUANDERED CHANCE
The Hawks, who last made the playoffs in 2017, were eager to show how much improvement they've made this season — especially making a rare appearance on national television.
They looked a bit blinded by the TNT spotlight.
“It's our first time really understanding the moment and the implications that it has,” Hill said. “We just lacked it.”
While the Hawks are fourth in the tightly bunched East, Hill noted they could easily drop back to a spot that would force them to take part in the play-in tournament ahead of the playoffs.
“We need these games,” he said “It's going to be a dogfight all the way through."
TIP-INS
Bucks: Lopez had 19 points and 12 rebounds. ... Connaughton made four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points. ... Milwaukee had a 58-46 edge on the boards.
Hawks: F Danilo Gallinari missed his third straight game with a foot injury. ... Atlanta also played again without John Collins, De'Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish, all out with longer-term injuries. ... C Clint Capela had 16 points and 16 rebounds, but no other Hawks player had more than six rebounds. 
UP NEXT
Bucks: Return to Milwaukee on Saturday for just their second home game in the past three weeks. They will host the Memphis Grizzlies to start a four-game homestand..
Hawks: Host the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.
___
Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at https://twitter.com/pnewberry1963 His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/paulnewberry
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 15 points in his return to the Bucks' lineup on Thursday night, as Milwaukee beat the Hawks, 120-109.

Giannis returns, Bucks cool off surging Hawks 120-109

The Miami Heat are considered a leading candidate to trade for Kyle Lowry, along with the Philadelphia 76ers. But the Heat would like to keep Goran Dragic and Tyler Herro on the roster.
Source: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/marc-stein?campaign_id=48&amp;emc=edit_msb_20210323&amp;instance_id=28389&amp;nl=marc-stein-on-basketball&amp;regi_id=77747010&amp;segment_id=54032&amp;te=1&amp;user_id=ac1a8eb08902b60ece1ae501667fcc84">Marc Stein/The New York Times</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Stein says "signals are getting stronger" that Lowry could be dealt ahead of Thursday's deadline. The Raptors are currently 17-26, and Lowry's name has caught fire in the rumor mill during the slide.
Stein also adds: "The success of Miami&rsquo;s pursuit of Lowry could thus hinge on Toronto&rsquo;s interest in a young player like the sharpshooting Duncan Robinson or the rookie Precious Achiuwa packaged with Kelly Olynyk&rsquo;s $12.6 million expiring contract. The Sixers have the edge when it comes to first-round draft picks to sweeten a trade offer."

Miami and Philadelphia are considered the leading candidates to acquire Lowry.

Heat trying to land Kyle Lowry without trading Goran Dragic or Tyler Herro

Even in the strangest NBA All-Star Game of them all, LeBron James was still the perfect captain.
Team LeBron showed off its high-flying and long-range skills during a dominating run to close out the first half, setting up a 170-150 romp over Team Durant in the league's 70th midseason showcase Sunday night.
This one sure was different than the previous 69 All-Star contests.
Determined to pull off an exhibition that is huge for TV revenue and the league's worldwide brand, the NBA staged the game in a mostly empty arena in downtown Atlanta, a made-for-TV extravaganza that was symbolic of the coronavirus era.
Even with intense safety protocols in place, two players didn't even make it to tipoff. Philadelphia stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were ruled out because they got haircuts from a barber who tested positive for COVID-19.
But once the game began, it fell right in line with the three previous All-Star outings with the captain format. The top vote-getters in each conference pick the teams, a duty that James has earned all four years.
He's now 4-0, having defeated Stephen Curry's squad in 2018 and teams selected by Milwaukee's two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo the last two years.
This time, James drafted his two former adversaries to assemble a dominant squad that blew away Kevin Durant's team.
Antetokounmpo was the game MVP after shooting 16 of 16 for 35 points. Curry chipped in with 28 points, while Damian Lillard had 32. James spent most of the night admiring his drafting skill, playing less than 13 minutes and finishing with four points.
The only good thing for Durant: He didn't have to participate in this shellacking, sitting out the game with an ailing hamstring.
Bradley Beal led Team Durant with 26 points.
On a night highlighting Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Team LeBron swept the first three quarters and was first to reach the final target score, earning a total of $750,000 for its charity, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
The game got out of hand late in the second quarter.
With scant defense being played, Team LeBron took turns dunking off alley-oop passes. Chris Paul delivered back-to-back lobs that Lillard and <a href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1368750815263879169">Curry</a> slammed through. Then, it was <a href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1368751503008145408">Paul on the receiving end</a> of a payback pass from Curry.
After showing they could handle shots up close, Team LeBron <a href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1368752817834323968">headed outside</a> in the final seconds of the half.
Lillard pulled up for a 3-pointer from the half-court line. Not to be outdone, Curry knocked down one from virtually the same spot.
The atmosphere at State Farm Arena was downright eerie compared to a normal All-Star Game.
Instead of a packed house, with A-list celebrities crammed into prime courtside seats, this game was attended by a smattering of hand-picked guests. They had plenty of room to spread out in a 17,000-seat venue that was essentially transformed into a giant television studio, with socially distanced spectators kept far from the court.
Towering video screens were set up behind the benches. Vegas-style lights flashed around the arena. Recorded crowd noise blared over the sound system. The entertainment was provided by the host Atlanta Hawks, who didn't have any players in the game but were represented by their cheerleaders, drum line and DJ.
To address fears that one of its biggest events would become a super-spreader for a virus that has killed more than a half-million Americans, the NBA pared down its usual weekend-long ritual of extravagant parties, gridlocked streets and people watching
This All-Star Game was a one-night-only event, with a pair of skill competitions held shortly before the game and the Dunk Contest squeezed into the halftime break. The players flew in Saturday afternoon and were largely confined to a nearby hotel except for their time on the court.
&ldquo;This is when everyone in basketball all over the world comes to one city,&rdquo; James said during a Zoom call before the game. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re able to sit back and go, &lsquo;Wow, this is the game we have built.&rsquo; It&rsquo;s a beautiful weekend for all walks of life, on the floor and off the floor.
"But I'm sitting here in my hotel room, isolated. My family&rsquo;s not here. I&rsquo;m by myself. It&rsquo;s just different, to say the least, compared to previous years.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Team Durant: Zion Williamson of New Orleans started the game in place of Embiid. The Pelicans forward had 10 points.
Team LeBron: Paul had 16 assists. ... Lillard ended the game with another long 3-pointer.
UP NEXT
The 71st All-Star Game will be held Feb. 20, 2022, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. The 2023 game is set for Salt Lake City, followed by Indianapolis in 2024.
___
Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at https://twitter.com/pnewberry1963 His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/paulnewberry
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Team LeBron defeated Team Durant 170-150 in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta, with Giannis Antetokounmpo winning MVP honors.

Team LeBron beats Team Durant 170-150, Antetokounmpo wins MVP

It's the NBA All-Star Game almost no one seemed to want.
Certainly not the players, who scoffed at the notion of playing an exhibition game in the midst of a pandemic.
The city of Atlanta, picked as a replacement for original host Indianapolis, didn't seem so thrilled with the idea, either.
<a href="https://twitter.com/KeishaBottoms/status/1361792881493688324" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The mayor urged fans to stay away</a> from an event renowned for wild parties and packed streets. Police scheduled 12-hour shifts and canceled off days in an attempt to <a href="https://www.11alive.com/article/news/entertainment-news/atlanta-concern-nba-all-star-weekend-parties-covid-violence/85-4cf1545f-7532-4e2c-9dce-f92840ab8057" target="_blank" rel="noopener">crack down on any events</a> that could lead to a surge of COVID-19 cases.
But the league pressed forward, eager to improve its bottom line and its brand by televising the popular midseason showcase around the world.
The NBA's best will take the court Sunday in a one-night-only, hastily arranged event at a mostly empty State Farm Arena, where only a limited number of invited guests will be allowed to watch in person.
&ldquo;All-Star is part of our league. It's no different than all the other games we play,&rdquo; Commissioner Adam Silver said. "It begins and ends with the fans. This is an event the fans love to see. They love to see the players come together.
&ldquo;But,&rdquo; he quickly added, &ldquo;nothing comes without controversy in a pandemic.&rdquo;
The league's biggest stars, led by LeBron James, would have preferred getting some much-needed time off during the six-day break.
<a href="https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-02-04/lebron-james-criticizes-plan-to-hold-nba-all-star-game" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James even went so far</a> as to call it &ldquo;a slap in the face&rdquo; to players who had little time to recover from last year's interrupted season, which was completed in a central Florida bubble, and are still dealing with burdensome protocols intended to stifle the coronavirus as much as possible (but still weren't enough to prevent the postponement of 31 games in the first half).
Now that it's game on, James is trying to make the best of the situation, using the All-Star platform to carry on with his efforts to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-georgia-los-angeles-lakers-lebron-james-nba-all-star-game-5418024f78cfa17acd3aa175fceda916" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expand voting rights &mdash;</a> a fitting gesture with the game being held in a state that was one of the focal points of the 2020 election.
&ldquo;Look what we made happen, what our voices made possible,&rdquo; the Los Angeles Lakers star says in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUW4-WiHUB4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a 51-second ad</a> that was set to air for the first time during the game. &ldquo;And now, look what they&rsquo;re trying to do to silence us, using every trick in the book and attacking democracy itself. Because they saw what we&rsquo;re capable of, and they fear it.&rdquo;
Some things to watch for in Sunday's All-Star Game:
TEAM LEBRON VS. TEAM DURANT
This will be the fourth straight year to feature a format where the two top vote-getters served as captains and drafted their teams from the All-Star selections.
James has handled the duties all four times, going 3-0 in his previous stints &mdash; including <a href="https://apnews.com/article/f795a785b30cc9708ba0cca0d063f452" target="_blank" rel="noopener">last year's 157-155 thriller</a> in Chicago. Brooklyn's Kevin Durant got the nod for the first time, though he won't be able to play in the game because of an ailing hamstring.
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-joel-embiid-los-angeles-lakers-giannis-antetokounmpo-jayson-tatum-78738d16628d75e212e4356ec687d93a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James used the top draft pick</a> on two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who captained the squad that went against Team LeBron the last two years. They are joined in the starting lineup by Stephen Curry of Golden State, Luka Doncic of Dallas and Nikola Jokic of Denver.
Durant selected Nets teammate Kyrie Irving with his first choice, rounding out the starting lineup with Joel Embiid of the 76ers (now ruled out due to COVID contact tracing), 2020 All-Star MVP Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers, Bradley Beal of Washington and Jayson Tatum of the Celtics.
&ldquo;I just try to pick players that can complement one another,&rdquo; James said. "It&rsquo;s the All-Star Game, so there&rsquo;s going to be some shenanigans out there. But for the majority of the game, we&rsquo;re going to try to play the right way and come out with a win.&rdquo;
MAD SKILLZ
With only one night to get in all the events, two competitions will be held shortly before the All-Star Game tipoff.
The Skills Challenge, a test of ball-handling, passing and shooting ability, will feature Doncic, Portland's Robert Covington, Chris Paul of the Suns, Julius Randle of the Knicks, Indiana's Domantas Sabonis, and Nikola Vucevic of the Magic.
Taking part in the 3-point shooting contest are Curry, Tatum, Boston's Jaylen Brown, Zach LaVine of the Bulls, and a pair of Utah guards, Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley.
Conley was a replacement for Phoenix star Devin Booker, who can't participate because of an injury.
HIGH FLYERS
The Slam Dunk showdown will take place at halftime between Portland's Anfernee Simons and a pair of rookies: New York's Obi Toppin and Indiana's Cassius Stanley.
"I've been watching a lot of dunks the past couple of days," Toppin said. &ldquo;I'm going to try to do some stuff that hasn't been done yet in the dunk contest.&rdquo;
He got a few tips from his father, who was a well-known streetball player in Brooklyn.
&ldquo;I talked to him about some of the dunks," Toppin said. &ldquo;He's basically telling me which ones are a little crazy.&rdquo;
GOOD CAUSE
The NBA and the players union are <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-nba-race-and-ethnicity-nba-all-star-game-6193a11b376d1b2a700079d35dc07260" target="_blank" rel="noopener">donating more than $3 million</a> to aid historically Black colleges and universities, much of it decided by the outcome of the game.
Team LeBron will play on behalf of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, while Team Durant represents the United Negro College Fund.
Both organizations will receive $500,000 to start. Another $450,000 will divvied up based on the winners of the first, second and third quarters. Finally, the team that reaches the target score to win the game will ensure $300,000 for its cause.
LEFT OUT
The Atlanta Hawks, who are hosting the game for the third time and first since 2003, were shut out of festivities in their home arena.
Trae Young, a starter in 2020, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-atlanta-hawks-guard-trae-young-biggest-2021-all-star-snub-coach-votes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was snubbed this season</a> despite averaging 26.4 points &mdash; the most of any player not selected for the All-Star Game.
The Hawks also were left out of the skills, 3-point and dunking competitions. Their only All-Star selection was DeAndre Hunter to the Rising Stars, but that was merely symbolic since the game won't be played and Hunter is recovering from knee surgery.
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AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.
Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at https://twitter.com/pnewberry1963 His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/paulnewberry
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The NBA's best will take the court Sunday in a one-night-only, hastily arranged event at a mostly empty State Farm Arena