Knights

After a dominant college career, Caitlin Clark is set to bring her act to the pro scene.
As expected, the Indiana Fever picked Clark as its no.1 overall selection in the 2024 WNBA Draft on Monday night at Brooklyn Academy of Music in Brooklyn, New York.
Arguably the best women&rsquo;s college basketball player of all time, Clark will now head to the WNBA to the Fever to team up with last year&rsquo;s first overall selection Aliyah Boston. Clark and Boston will make up one of the league&rsquo;s most exciting young duos as they try to lead Indiana back to the playoffs.
Stanford University standout and 2021 WNCAA champion Cameron Brink went second overall to the Los Angeles Sparks while recently crowned 2024 WNCAA champion Kamila Cardoso from the University of South Carolina was taken by the Chicago Sky as the third overall pick.
Check out the complete recap of the draft below:
Round 1
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Indiana Fever: Caitlin Clark, G, Iowa</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Los Angeles Sparks: Cameron Brink, F, Stanford&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Chicago Sky (via Phoenix Mercury): Kamilla Cardoso, C, South Carolina</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Los Angels Sparks (via Seattle Storm): Rickea Jackson, F, Tennessee</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Dallas Wings (via Chicago Sky): Jacy Sheldon, G, Ohio State</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Washington Mystics: Aaliyah Edwards, F, UConn</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Chicago Sky (via Minnesota Lynx): Angel Reese, F, LSU</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Minnesota Lynx (via Atlanta Dream): Alissa Pili, F, Utah</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Dallas Wings: Carla Leite, G, France</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Connecticut Sun: Le&iuml;la Lacan, G, France</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">New York Liberty: Marquesha Davis, G, Ole Miss</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Atlanta Dream (via Las Vegas Aces): Nyadiew Puoch, F, Australia</li>
</ol>
Round 2
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Chicago Sky (via Phoenix Mercury): Brynna Maxwell, G, Gonzaga</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Seattle Storm: Nika M&uuml;hl, G, UConn</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Indiana Fever: Celeste Taylor, G, Ohio State</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Las Vegas Aces (via Los Angeles Sparks): Dyaisha Fair, G, Syracuse</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">New York Liberty (via Chicago Sky): Esmery Martinez, F, Arizona</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Las Vegas Aces (via Washington Mystics): Kate Martin, G, Iowa</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Connecticut Sun (via Minnesota Lynx): Taiyanna Jackson, C, Kansas</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Atlanta Dream: Isobel Borlase, G, Australia&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Washington Mystics (via Dallas Wings): Kaylynne Truong, G, Gonzaga&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Connecticut Sun: Helena Pueyo, G, Arizona&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">New York Liberty: Jessika Carter, C, Mississippi State</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Las Vegas Aces: Elizabeth Kitley, C, Virginia Tech</li>
</ol>
Round 3
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Phoenix Mercury: Charisma Osborne, G, UCLA</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Seattle Storm: Mackenzie Holmes, F, Indiana</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Indiana Fever: Leilani Correa, G, Florida</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Los Angeles Sparks: Mackenzie Forbes, F, USC</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Phoenix Mercury (via Chicago Sky): Jaz Shelley, G, Nebraska&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Washington Mystics: Nastja Claessens, G, Belgium</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Minnesota Lynx: Kiki Jefferson, G, Louisville&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Atlanta Dream: Matilde Villa, G, Italy</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Dallas Wings: Ashley Owusu, G, Penn State</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Connecticut Sun: Abbey Hsu, G, Columbia&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">New York Liberty: Kaitlyn Davis, F, USC</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Las Vegas Aces: Angel Jackson, C, Jackson State</li>
</ol>

After a dominant college career, Caitlin Clark is set to bring her act to the pro scene.

2024 WNBA Draft Recap: Caitlin Clark goes No.1 to the Indiana Fever

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Taqwa Pinero's knowledge is its own currency, and he's paying it forward

Aliyah Boston scored 23 of her 26 points in the second half, including 14 in the fourth quarter, to help No. 1 South Carolina beat fifth-ranked UConn 81-77 on Sunday.
The Gamecocks (23-0) have won 29 consecutive games since losing to Kentucky in the SEC Tournament title game last year. They&rsquo;ve also won four of the past five meetings with the Huskies, including a victory in the NCAA championship game last season.
South Carolina used its size again to top the Huskies. The 6-foot-7 Kamilla Cardoso and Boston, the reigning AP Player of the Year helped the Gamecocks have a 42-30 advantage on the boards, including grabbing 25 offensive rebounds.
Boston finished with 11 rebounds for the 76th double-double of her career.
Aaliyah Edwards led UConn (21-3) with 25 points.
WASHINGTON 72, NO. 2 STANFORD 67
SEATTLE (AP) &mdash; Elle Ladine scored 21 points and Dalayah Daniels made two key free throws with 8 seconds left, helping Washington knock off Stanford.
Washington (13-9, 5-7 Pac-12) closed the game with a 9-2 run. Lauren Schwartz made two foul shots before Ladine put the Huskies in front with a layup with 1:41 left.
Daniels had 15 points in Washington&rsquo;s first victory over a ranked opponent this season. Haley Van Dyke scored 14.&nbsp;
Haley Jones scored 18 points for Stanford (22-3, 10-2), and reserve Brooke Demetre had 15. Cameron Brink finished with 14 points and six rebounds.
NO. 3 LSU 72, TEXAS A&amp;M 66
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) &mdash; Angel Reese had 26 points and 22 rebounds to help LSU outlast Texas A&amp;M.
Alexis Morris added 22 points before fouling out late to help LSU (23-0, 11-0 Southeastern Conference) remain undefeated ahead of next week&rsquo;s showdown with top-ranked and undefeated South Carolina. It was Reese&rsquo;s 23rd consecutive double-double.
An 8-0 run by Texas A&amp;M (6-15, 1-10) cut the lead to 66-62 with less than two minutes to go. Reese made two free throws before Kay Kay Green made 1 of 2 free throws on the other end to leave LSU up 68-63 with less than a minute left.
Last-Tear Poa added two free throws for the Tigers to push it to 70-63 seconds later. LSU forced a turnover and Reese added a basket to make it 72-63 with 17 seconds left to secure the victory.
Sahara Jones had 14 points for the Aggies, who lost their third straight.
NO. 4 INDIANA 69, PURDUE 46
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Sydney Parrish and Mackenzie Holmes each scored 15 points and Indiana won its 10th straight game, pulling away from Purdue in front of a record Boilermakers crowd.
The announced attendance of 14,876 was the largest for a Purdue women&rsquo;s home game. It marked the first sellout for a women&rsquo;s matchup at Mackey Arena since 2000 and third in program history.
Sara Scalia had 14 points and Chloe Moore-McNeil had 13 points and nine rebounds for the Hoosiers (22-1, 12-1 Big Ten).
Lasha Petree scored 13 points and Abbey Ellis had 10 to lead the Boilermakers (15-7, 6-6).
NO. 6 IOWA 95, PENN STATE 51
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) &mdash; Caitlin Clark had 23 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds to lead Iowa over Penn State.
Monika Czinano scored 14 points and Kate Martin added 11 for the Hawkeyes (19-4, 11-1 Big Ten), who took the lead midway through the first quarter and pulled away in a lopsided second half to win their eighth straight game.
Taniyah Thompson led Penn State (13-11, 4-9) with 11 points while Leilani Kapinus had 10. Kapinus, Makenna Marisa and Shay Ciezki, all averaging double figures this season, combined to go 2 for 15 from the floor in the first quarter.
NO. 7 UTAH 100, OREGON 92
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Alissa Pili scored a season-high 30 points, and Utah moved into a tie for first place in the Pac-12 Conference.
Jenna Johnson added 19 points and Kennady McQueen scored 16 as the Utes (20-2) shot 62.3% from the field. Utah improved to 10-2 in the conference to tie for the top spot with Stanford, which lost 72-67 at Washington earlier in the day.
Endyia Rogers scored 35 points to lead Oregon (14-9, 5-7). Chance Gray added 18 points and fellow freshman Grace VanSlooten had 16 for the Ducks, who shot 50% from the field and made nine 3-pointers two days after going 0-for-16 beyond the arc in a loss to Colorado.
NO. 8 MARYLAND 90, NO. 10 OHIO STATE 54
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) &mdash; Diamond Miller scored 16 of her 29 points in the third quarter, and Maryland earned its most lopsided win over a top-10 opponent.
Abby Meyers added 22 points and Shyanne Sellers contributed 19 for the Terrapins (19-5, 10-3), who rebounded emphatically from their loss at No. 6 Iowa on Thursday night with a 36-point win.
Taylor Thierry scored 21 for Ohio State. The Buckeyes (20-4, 9-4 Big Ten) have dropped four of five since starting the season 19-0.
NO. 16 DUKE 57, NO. 9 NOTRE DAME 52
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Celeste Taylor scored 14 points in Duke&rsquo;s come-from-behind victory at Notre Dame.
Trailing for most of the game&rsquo;s first 28 minutes, the Blue Devils (20-3, 10-2 ACC) took the lead for good in the final two minutes of the third.
Maddy Westbeld led Notre Dame (18-4, 9-3) with 15 points and Sonia Citron scored 14.
LOUISVILLE 62, NO. 11 NORTH CAROLINA 55
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) &mdash; Chrislyn Carr scored 11 of her 17 points in the third quarter and Louisville ended North Carolina&rsquo;s eight-game winning streak.
Hailey Van Lith also had 17 points for the Cardinals (17-8, 8-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who made 9 of 12 free throws in the fourth quarter of a game that was mostly a defensive struggle.
Deja Kelly scored 13 points but was just 3-of-16 shooting for the Tar Heels (17-6, 8-4), Paulina Paris added 12 points and Anya Poole had 10.
NO. 14 UCLA 82, ARIZONA STATE 63
LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Charisma Osborne had 23 points, Londynn Jones added 20 off the bench, and UCLA pulled away in the second half to snap a three-game losing skid.
Gabriela Jaquez added 14 points off the bench for the Bruins (18-6, 7-5 Pac-12), who had a 42-6 advantage in bench scoring.
Tyi Skinner scored 28 points, Treasure Hunt 18 and Jaddan Simmons 10 for the Sun Devils (7-14, 0-12), who have lost 12 straight &mdash; the fifth-longest active streak in the nation.
NO. 18 MICHIGAN 77, MICHIGAN STATE 67
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) &mdash; Leigha Brown scored 19 of her 29 points in the second half and finished two assists shy of a triple-double to lead Michigan over rival Michigan State.
Brown scored 10 in the fourth quarter, eight from the foul line, and Maddie Nolan had two big 3-pointers in the fourth and scored 22 points for the Wolverines (19-5, 9-4 Big Ten Conference). Michigan pulled out a second-straight win without leading scored Laila Phelia, who has a lower leg injury.
Matilda Ekh and Moira Joiner both had 12 for the Spartans (11-12, 3-9), who lost their third straight since coach Susy Merchant had a medical issue and a minor car accident on Jan. 28. Dean Lockwood is the interim head coach. DeeDee Hagemann added 11 points and a season-high nine assists.
NO. 22 ARIZONA 81, SOUTHERN CAL 75, 2 OT
LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Cate Reese scored a career-high 33 points, including four free throws in the last 7.5 seconds of the second overtime, to give Arizona the win over Southern Cal.
Shay Pellington and Jade Loville both had 17 points for the Wildcats (18-5, 8-4 Pac-12 Conference), who picked up a critical sweep in Los Angeles after beating No. 14 UCLA 71-66 in overtime on Friday.
Helena Pueyo had her only two points from the foul line with 15 seconds to go for a 77-73 Arizona lead, the first time it became a two possession game in the second overtime.
Destiny Littleton had 21 points for the Trojans (17-6, 7-5), playing all 50 minutes, as did Kadi Sissoko, who scored 15 points. Rayah Marshall had 17 points, 20 rebounds and six blocks in 48 minutes. Doumbia, a senior transfer from Purdue, had a career-high 17 in 28 minutes off the bench before fouling out in the first OT.

A recap of Sunday's action in women's college hoops includes a star-studded meeting between the Gamecocks and UConn Huskies.

South Carolina wins rematch of NCAA final to stay undefeated

As of Wednesday morning in late January, three games separate fifth place and 13th place in the Western Conference standings. We're more than halfway through the regular season and most of the West playoff spots are still completely wide-open.
Only one of those teams has put together a clean, inspiring month.&nbsp;
The Oklahoma City Thunder are 8-3 in 2023, and though they're tied for 10th in the conference at 23-24, they still sit just one game back of the sixth-place Dallas Mavericks. The Thunder join the Denver Nuggets as <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/league/fourfactors?season=2022&amp;seasontype=regseason&amp;start=01/1/2023&amp;end=01/25/2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of two teams with top-five offensive and defensive ratings</a> (121.9/112.1) this month, per Cleaning the Glass, and they're up to the ninth-ranked DRTG (113.2) on the whole season.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
OKC is far removed from the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes and too good of a basketball team to throw in the towel. Meanwhile, the rest of the West has been riddled with inconsistency, as some of the projected top teams battle injuries, manage rest and, more plainly, underwhelm.
Sneaking into the Play-In Tournament might be selling the youngest team in the league short. Why can't OKC bypass the preliminary round entirely?
The franchise has its superstar. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has maintained his 30-point-per-game pace in every month this season on remarkable efficiency splits for a high-usage point guard.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Here&rsquo;s the complete list of point guards that have averaged 30+ PPG on 50% shooting for a season: - Steph Curry (unanimous MVP season) - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (this season) That&rsquo;s it. <a href="https://t.co/dr1gn1H2r1">pic.twitter.com/dr1gn1H2r1</a>
&mdash; The Lead (@TheLeadSM) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheLeadSM/status/1617564856051437575?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

Gilgeous-Alexander has knocked down 57.9% of his two-pointers this month and is a certified Tier 1 driving threat across the Association. We know that already, though, and instead of rehashing the same points, I'd like to direct you to <a href="https://theanalyst.com/na/2023/01/shai-gilgeous-alexander-oklahoma-city-thunder-all-star-and-on-the-verge-of-superstardom/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mat Issa's excellent breakdown of SGA's unique driving gifts over at The Analyst.</a>
And though SGA is a proven finisher and pull-up scorer, he's actually had some more help this month. According to Cleaning the Glass, 42% of his at-rim buckets have been assisted, up from his 27% rate on the whole season.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/8dml89" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
OKC has done a better job moving the ball around and kicking out to its centerpiece. In turn, he has made quicker decisions to catch and drive himself, which puts an all-world pressure point against a tilted defense. Josh Giddey has taken on more responsibility as a facilitator, but the help is really coming from everywhere, as shown above.
The results show in this table. Here's how often Gilgeous-Alexander has attempted shots at the rim with two dribbles or less, and his efficiency, per PBP Stats:
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">Season</td>
<td>FGM</td>
<td>FGA</td>
<td>FG%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">Freq. (% of total FGA)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">2018-19</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">64</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">100</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">64%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">13.99%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">2019-20</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">93</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">155</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">60%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">15.33%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">2020-21</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">21</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">37</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">56.76%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">6.56%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">2021-22</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">55</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">79</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">69.62%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">7.52%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">2022-23</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">59</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">82</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">71.95%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">9.47%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Those first two seasons, SGA was a complementary player with the Los Angeles Clippers and a second option in OKC next to Chris Paul. Then, he became one of the league's highest-usage No. 1 options. Now, in his third year with the role, Gilgeous-Alexander is having to create less with his dribble, and it's corresponding to an increase in efficiency.&nbsp;
You can even extend out to the mid-range, where he's taking 4.6% of his shots with two dribbles or less (highest of the past three years), and hitting a ridiculous 62.5% of those shots (by far a career-high). So though Gilgeous-Alexander is still doing the vast majority of his scoring work by himself, the supporting cast is starting to make life easier.&nbsp;
Giddey, as mentioned, has been a massive piece to the offensive improvement and the Thunder's overall rise. (Our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-josh-giddeys-rising-aggression" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nekias Duncan detailed what's working for the second-year guard</a> and I highly recommend you check out his breakdown.)
Now, let's slide over to two game-changing role-players: Isaiah Joe and Kenrich Williams.&nbsp;
I wrote last summer that OKC <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-okc-oklahoma-city-thunder-shai-gilgeous-alexander-josh-giddey-luguentz-dort-chet-holmgren-tre-mann-jalen-williams" target="_blank" rel="noopener">needed to improve on its league-worst 32.6% catch-and-shoot three-point clip</a>&nbsp;to really help its offense around Gilgeous-Alexander. The team is up to 15th with a very capable 37.2% hit rate so far this season. Several Thunder players have improved, including significant leaps from Giddey, Lu Dort and (when healthy) Aleksej Pokusevski.
But Joe and Williams have truly turned the tide. They lead the squad in catch-and-shoot three-point percentage and are among the 15 best off the catch in the entire league, per Second Spectrum.
Joe, after being waived by the Philadelphia 76ers in October, has increased his playing time in each subsequent month of the season. He's averaging 12.1 points in 21.1 minutes per game during January while canning 44.6% of his triples. I don't love playing the on/off stats game too often, but it's telling that the Thunder have been 19.9 points better than opponents per 100 possesssions with Joe on the court, per Cleaning the Glass. That ranks third among all NBA players.
The former Arkansas Razorback entered the NBA with perimeter marksmanship as his calling card, and it's unfortunate for the Sixers that they didn't see things through. Joe has very immediately become one of the best shooters in the league in his third season.&nbsp;
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These buckets might not look flashy, but they're invaluable to what OKC wants to accomplish. Gilgeous-Alexander will consistently draw help on his drives, and several other players like Williams and Darius Bazley can attack off the catch or leverage themselves on cuts. All Joe has to do is make the defense pay for helping by relocating and connecting. He's hitting 48.4% of his catch-and-shoot threes, good for fifth among all players with at least 75 such attempts.
Unlike Joe, Williams has not been quite the sure bet. He made 44.4% of his threes in 2020-21, but then just 33.9% in 2021-22, including 34.0% on catch-and-shoot attempts. This year, he's roared back with a 42.9% overall clip and is shooting an eye-popping 52.8% from distance in January.&nbsp;
Most of the resurgence comes via a massive bounce-back year from the corners. The 28-year-old is shooting 54.5% on corner threes after hitting just 35% last season. He's also a bigger threat than Joe to attack a closeout and make the right pass.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/ih2rwj" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Williams isn't some shifty advantage-creator, but he's confident in putting the ball on the floor to the point where he can compress sides of a defense. So far this month, Williams has 27 assists against just 5 turnovers, providing stability moving the ball in addition to his hot shooting.
It's fair to wonder about shooting regression for Williams, Joe and some of the other role-players on OKC's roster. But at the same time, this squad has a top-10 defense that builds on a solid 2021-22 year and gives some cushion if pieces of the offense hit a downturn.&nbsp;
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To reach a top-six seed, the Thunder would currently need to pass the Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, and at least one of the Mavericks or Clippers. That looks daunting on paper; most of those franchises are loaded with playoff experience and have proven themselves already.
The positive: According to Tankathon, Oklahoma City has the easiest remaining schedule in the NBA. The Thunder play the Houston Rockets three times and Los Angeles Lakers three times, plus the Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Hornets, San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors once each in their final 35 games. They only face one of the Tier 1 regular season squads in the Memphis Grizzlies. In addition, OKC has just three back-to-backs left and a massive six-game homestand at the end of February.&nbsp;
On top of that favorable schedule, those aforementioned foes in the playoff race have all been battling their own problems with injuries and inconsistent basketball. We don't need to wave Golden State or Phoenix or LAC through the regular season just because we know they'll be tough outs in the postseason. We also don't need to imagine what the youngest team in the NBA could be anymore.
The Thunder have a legitimate high-level defense, an arriving offense and a cast of supporters that is bolstering their superstar better than ever before &mdash; and they're still getting better.

Ethan Fuller explains why the Thunder have the pieces to bypass the NBA Play-In Tournament and make the postseason this year.

Making the Oklahoma City Thunder's case as a top-6 NBA playoff seed

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks each scored 23 points and the Memphis Grizzlies rallied yet again to eliminate the Minnesota Timberwolves, winning 114-106 in Game 6 on Friday night.
Brandon Clarke added 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Grizzlies, who withstood another quiet night by star Ja Morant and another double-digit deficit entering the fourth quarter.
The Grizzlies advanced in the playoffs for the first time in seven years, this time to meet Golden State. They&rsquo;ll host Game 1 in Memphis.
Anthony Edwards had 16 of his 30 points in the first quarter for Minnesota. Jaden McDaniels had 24 points off the bench, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Morant went 4 for 14 from the field and had 17 points and 11 assists.
With the Grizzlies already the first team in NBA history to win multiple games in the same playoff series by erasing a double-digit-point fourth-quarter deficit, the here-we-go-again feeling was palpable in the building as an 84-74 lead for the Wolves at the third-quarter break quickly vanished.
Bane and Brooks each hit tying 3-pointers midway through the fourth, and Brooks fouled out just 26 seconds after his evened the score at 97.
Bane then swished another one from deep at 3:03 for a 101-99 lead, the first for the Grizzlies since they were up 39-38.
The kill shot came soon after for a Wolves team that, like so many others against the Grizzlies this season, was consistently a step and a jump behind on the glass.
Tyus Jones missed a pair of 3-pointers from the wing on the same possession, but the Grizzlies rebounded both &mdash; and Morant used the second one for a layup and a four-point lead.
After McDaniels, who had the game of his two-year career, hit a 3 with 1:34 left to bring the Wolves back within one, Jones &mdash; the former Timberwolves player and native of Minnesota &mdash; answered with a 3-pointer to bump the lead back to two possessions with 1:09 left.
ANT GOES MARCHING
The Grizzlies have had only one lead after the first quarter in this series, 33-32 in Game 2, and Edwards ensured they didn&rsquo;t get another one. The first overall pick in the 2020 draft with the bravado and the flair for the big moments had nine of his team&rsquo;s first 11 points. He hit a 3-pointer with about a minute left in the period, then blocked Morant's layup with a few seconds left.
The crowd roared when the game operations crew flashed a graphic in the second quarter with a side-by-side comparison of scoring totals of Edwards and Morant, which was 16-0 at the time.
BEVERLEY THRILLS
One of the most vital players for Minnesota in this series &mdash; all season, really &mdash; has been Patrick Beverley with his energy, experience and tenacity. One of the NBA's most notorious pests, who was on the Grizzlies roster last summer for a few days in a stopover between trades that routed him from the Clippers to the Wolves, Beverley has contributed his share of big shots, too.
He knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner to give the Wolves a 69-56 lead with Morant guarding him, grinning at the NBA's Most Improved Player, who flashed back a smile &mdash; and promptly produced with a three-point play on the other end by flipping in a layup and drawing a foul. That sparked a 12-0 spurt by the Grizzlies, which Beverley ended with another 3-pointer.
MUST-WINS IN MINNESOTA
This was the first Game 6 the Timberwolves hosted in their modest postseason history, though they had Game 7 at Target Center in 2004 when they beat Sacramento to close that second round series.
In the Western Conference finals that year, the Wolves also beat the Lakers here in Game 5 before losing in Los Angeles in Game 6. Those are the only two elimination games they&rsquo;ve ever won at home, having lost in those situations in the first round in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002.
Despite the devastation of the two squandered leads in defeat earlier in the series and the untrustworthy history of a franchise in a market that has not enjoyed a major professional league championship in a men&rsquo;s sport since 1991, the fans turned out once again and gave the Wolves a clear advantage.
Former Timberwolves star Latrell Sprewell sat courtside, a few seats down from Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen, a Minnesota native. Local head coaches P.J. Fleck (Gophers football), Ben Johnson (Gophers basketball) and Cheryl Reeve (Lynx) were in the house, too, as fans clutched neon-blue glow sticks for the duration of the night in the packed downtown arena.
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Bane has 27 made 3-pointers in the series. That's already the <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1520222830645989377">most in team history</a> for a single postseason. O.J. Mayo made 20 shots from behind the arc in 13 playoff games in 2011. ... Backup forward Ziaire Williams (right knee soreness) was held out.
Timberwolves: Naz Reid was not with the team for personal reasons, so recent acquisition Greg Monroe got the backup center minutes, his first action of the series.

Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks each scored 23 points and the Grizzlies eliminated the Timberwolves, winning 114-106 in Game 6.

Nick

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