Lions

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum have been selected to the 2021-22 All-NBA First Team, the NBA announced today.&nbsp;
Antetokounmpo was the only player to receive All-NBA First Team votes on all 100 ballots (500 total points), earning his fourth consecutive selection to the First Team and sixth All-NBA Team honor overall (First Team, Second Team and Third Team). This is the third All-NBA First Team selection each for Dončić (476 points) and Jokić (476 points), the 2021-22 NBA Most Valuable Player.&nbsp; Booker (460 points) is making his debut on the All-NBA Team.&nbsp; Tatum (390 points) joins Booker as a first-time selection to the All-NBA First Team.&nbsp;
With the selection of Antetokounmpo (27 years old), Dončić (23), Jokić (27), Booker (25) and Tatum (24), the All-NBA First Team is made up entirely of players age 27 or younger for the first time in 67 years (1954-55 season).&nbsp; Dončić is the fourth player in NBA history to be named to the All-NBA First Team three or more times before turning 24, joining Tim Duncan, Kevin Durant and Max Zaslofsky.
The 2021-22 All-NBA Second Team consists of Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (414 points), Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (301 points), Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (276 points), Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (274 points) and Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan (184 points).
Embiid, the 2021-22 NBA scoring champion, has been named to the All-NBA Second Team for the fourth time in the last five seasons.&nbsp; Morant, the 2021-22 NBA Most Improved Player, is an All-NBA Team honoree for the first time.&nbsp; This is the 10th&nbsp;All-NBA Team selection for Durant, the eighth for Curry and the third for DeRozan.
The 2021-22 All-NBA Third Team is composed of Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (174 points), Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (169 points), Suns guard Chris Paul (114 points), Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (110 points) and Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (63 points).
This is the second All-NBA Team honor for both Towns and Siakam and the first for Young.&nbsp; James has extended his NBA record for most All-NBA Team selections to 18.&nbsp; Paul has been voted to the All-NBA Team for the 11th&nbsp;time, the second-most selections among active players behind James.&nbsp;
The 2021-22 All-NBA Team was selected by a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters.&nbsp;&nbsp;Players were awarded five points for each vote to the All-NBA First Team, three points for each vote to the Second Team and one point for each vote to the Third Team.&nbsp; Voters selected two guards, two forwards and one center for each team, choosing players at the position they play regularly.&nbsp; Players who received votes at multiple positions were slotted at the position at which they received the most voting points.
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The 2021-22 Kia All-NBA First Team: 🏀 Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee) 🏀 Devin Booker (Phoenix) 🏀 Luka Dončić (Dallas) 🏀 Nikola Jokić (Denver) 🏀 Jayson Tatum (Boston) <a href="https://t.co/D0H6GEDrea">pic.twitter.com/D0H6GEDrea</a>
&mdash; NBA Communications (@NBAPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAPR/status/1529257510481416192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The 2021-22 Kia All-NBA Second Team: 🏀 Stephen Curry (Golden State) 🏀 DeMar DeRozan (Chicago) 🏀 Kevin Durant (Brooklyn) 🏀 Joel Embiid (Philadelphia) 🏀 Ja Morant (Memphis) <a href="https://t.co/qHqDWB42tz">pic.twitter.com/qHqDWB42tz</a>
&mdash; NBA Communications (@NBAPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAPR/status/1529257815654776832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The 2021-22 Kia All-NBA Third Team: 🏀 LeBron James (L.A. Lakers) 🏀 Chris Paul (Phoenix) 🏀 Pascal Siakam (Toronto) 🏀 Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota) 🏀 Trae Young (Atlanta) <a href="https://t.co/uYiQpdkFeh">pic.twitter.com/uYiQpdkFeh</a>
&mdash; NBA Communications (@NBAPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAPR/status/1529258023121825793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The NBA announced the three All-NBA teams for the 2021-22 season.

NBA announces 2021-22 All-NBA teams

In the 2020 Summer Olympics, which took place in 2021 due to COVID, France matched up with Team USA in the men&rsquo;s basketball gold-medal game for the third time.
The first gold-medal meeting between the two nations took place was in 1948, with France <a href="https://www.usab.com/history/national-team-mens/games-of-the-xivth-olympiad-1948.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">losing 65-21 in that final</a>.
Despite having been historically good since then, it took another 52 years for the Frenchmen to return to that stage for a second time; unfortunately, Team USA awaited again. The game was much closer in 2000 than in 1948, but the Americans &mdash; led by Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett, Alonzo Mourning and Ray Allen among others &mdash; outlasted Antoine Rigaudeau, Laurent Sciarra, Frederic Weis and France, 85-75.
(No, that wasn&rsquo;t the game Carter <a href="https://youtu.be/WihbbVEmppI" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dunked on Weis</a>; that was earlier in The Games.)
And in last year&rsquo;s gold-medal game, in the countries' third meeting on that stage, France <a href="https://www.espn.com/mens-olympics-basketball/boxscore/_/gameId/401347899" target="_blank" rel="noopener">got even closer</a>.
France's best Olympic team ever was defeated by the Americans, 87-82. Team USA started Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bam Adebayo, answering the French quintet of Nando De Colo, Evan Fournier, Nicolas Batum, Guerschon Yabusele and Rudy Gobert.
Contributions from the U.S. bench came from Jayson Tatum, Zach LaVine, Draymond Green and Khris Middleton, while Timoth&eacute; Luwawu-Cabarrot, Frank Ntikilina, Thomas Heurtel and Moustapha Fall were key components of France's second unit. The Frenchmen trailed by as little as 3 points with just eight seconds remaining before Durant iced the game with two free throws.
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Now imagine that game with Joel Embiid... playing for France.
The 28-year-old NBA MVP candidate, who was born and raised in Cameroon and has never played for his home national team (despite <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/things-to-monitor-as-the-next-fiba-world-cups-next-qualifying-window-arrives">coming close in 2017</a>), is reportedly <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2022/05/02/joel-embiid-could-change-nationality-play-french-national-team-report">eyeing an opportunity to suit up for France</a>.
Embiid has family in France, and is <a href="https://rmcsport.bfmtv.com/basket/basket-joel-embiid-superstar-de-nba-se-rapproche-de-l-equipe-de-france_AV-202205020664.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">considering changing his nationality</a> in order to play for the Frenchmen in the 2024 Olympic Games, where they&rsquo;d enter as one of the favorites to challenge Team USA again for the gold. According to French basketball general manager Boris Diaw, Embiid is <a href="https://actucameroun.com/2022/05/03/boris-diaw-manager-general-de-lequipe-de-france-confirme-les-demarches-entamees-par-joel-embiid-pour-jouer-avec-les-bleus-en-vue-des-jo-2024/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taking the necessary steps</a>.
(Looks like we won't ever see the Embiid-Pascal Siakam tandem for Cameroon, unfortunately.)
In FIBA, each team is allowed one naturalized player on its roster. Current and recent instances of this include American-born players to suit up for different countries, such as Javonte Green (Montenegro), Matt Costello (Ivory Coast), Anthony Randolph (Slovenia) and Andray Blatche (Philippines). Non-American examples include Congolese center Serge Ibaka playing for Spain, Cuban native Ismael Romero playing for Puerto Rico and French-born Aaron Cel playing for Poland. Another famous occasion where this occurred saw Hakeem Olajuwon playing with Team USA in the 1990s.
Regarding American-born WNBA players, known examples include Bria Hartley representing France, Becky Hammon representing Russia and Leilani Mitchell representing Australia. Non-American examples in the women&rsquo;s game include Bahamian Jonquel Jones playing for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Senegal native Astou Ndour playing for Spain.
Now, it may be long before we see Embiid actually playing for France if this process gets finalized, or less than we think if he decides not to wait for the Olympics.
The next major European basketball tournament is EuroBasket 2022, <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/eurobasket/2022">which will run from Sept. 1-18 later this year</a> across Italy, Germany, Georgia and the Czech Republic. France will be one of 24 teams competing, but seeing Embiid there would be surprising.
The 2023 FIBA World Cup, which France is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/where-things-stand-after-the-second-window-of-fiba-world-cup-qualifiers">currently attempting to qualify for</a>, will take place from Aug. 25 through Sept. 10, 2023. Qualifying for the World Cup will run through next February before the final pool of 32 teams gets decided.
And the 2024 Summer Olympics, assuming we avoid another global pandemic, is expected to actually run that summer. The host of the Games? France, who will automatically qualify for the tournament <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/pr-n34-brazils-national-teams-granted-automatic-places-at-2016-olympic-basketball-tournament" target="_blank" rel="noopener">by rule</a>. Embiid will be 30 years old by the next Olympics.
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Since Embiid is reportedly targeting the 2024 Games, let&rsquo;s look at some players who might be his teammates.
The oldest players from the silver-medal-winning squad last summer were De Colo and Batum, who&rsquo;ll be 37 and 35 by the 2024 Games, so expect many of the same players to run it back if possible. One name that could join the fray is Boston Celtics second-round pick Juhann Begarin, who is just 19 years old and was the No. 45 overall selection last summer. Isma&euml;l Kamagate and Hugo Besson, both of whom are 21, are in the 2022 NBA Draft pool; the same goes for 18-year-old Ousmane Dieng, who is quickly rising up draft boards. There's also plenty of hype surrounding fellow 18-year-old, ASVEL star and 7-foot-2 sensation Victor Wembanyama &mdash; a lock to be a high draft pick in 2023.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft">BasketballNews.com Sr. NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock</a> has Dieng going No. 21 overall, Kamagate at No. 40 and Besson at No. 51.
But really, there&rsquo;s one question we need to answer, and it has to do with a three-time Defensive Player of the Year already on the roster who holds down the 5 position. Could an Embiid and Gobert frontcourt lead France over Team USA?
If you haven&rsquo;t realized, the American pool of bigs is slighter than you think.
Many of the best centers in the NBA aren&rsquo;t American and don&rsquo;t represent America internationally. Examples include Embiid, Gobert, Nikola Jokić (Serbia), Karl-Anthony Towns (Dominican Republic), Nikola Vučević (Montenegro), Kristaps Porziņģis (Latvia), Clint Capela (Switzerland) and Jonas Valančiūnas (Lithuania).
The best centers that have represented Team USA, and/or have Team USA eligibility, have been Adebayo, Green, Jarrett Allen and JaVale McGee. Deandre Ayton (Bahamas) is a player to watch <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2021/06/22/suns-big-deandre-ayton-ideal-team-usa-2024-summer-olympics-paris/5307682001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">who could represent Team USA in the future</a>, along with younger bigs like Evan Mobley and Chet Holmgren.
Assuming health, so the 2024 American team could start either Adebayo, Ayton or Allen, if not 2 of the 3. Team USA is generally harder to guess in advance, but your starting lineup could look like some combination of Ja Morant, Anthony Edwards, Booker, Tatum and Adebayo. Maybe, to match size, Ayton gets in there instead of Edwards.
Maybe a Trae Young, LaMelo Ball, Bradley Beal, Jaylen Brown and Donovan Mitchell sneak into the backcourt instead. Maybe someone we&rsquo;re not projecting to make another huge leap does &mdash; like Jordan Poole, Tyler Herro or Tyrese Maxey &mdash; or maybe Jaden Ivey or Jabari Smith are more ready than we think by 2024. Even so, you&rsquo;d throw, at best, Adebayo, Ayton, Allen, and Mobley at the Embiid-Gobert combo, and that tandem could be backed up by Dieng, Yabusele, and Vincent Poirier for France.
It&rsquo;s a lot to project, no doubt, but giving <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/rankingmen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the No. 4 team in the world</a> a top-four player in the world could be what it takes for someone to snatch the gold medal away from Team USA in the Olympics for the first time since 2004.
But a lot can happen in two years, so we'll table this... for now.&nbsp;
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Bryan Fonseca looks at the potential of Joel Embiid joining France in international competition.

We’re not talking enough about Joel Embiid possibly playing for France

On paper, a matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat is a tantalizing one.&nbsp;
Plenty of star power with Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, James Harden, and Bam Adebayo. Young guards (Tyrese Maxey, Tyler Herro) that can take the top off a defense if its shift too much attention elsewhere.
A pair of Hall-of-Fame coaches who've already shown off their defensive chops in this year's playoffs; the Heat's gameplan against Trae Young was superb, while the Sixers pressed plenty of buttons (zone, coverage alterations vs. Pascal Siakam) in their close-out win on Thursday. Expect a grind in this series.
But injuries -- bleep injuries, honestly -- are here to dampen the fun.&nbsp;
Embiid won't start the series. He's out indefinitely with a mild concussion and an orbital fracture suffered during the late stages of Thursday's matchup. While the Heat turned Young's water off for good earlier in the week, they did so without Butler (knee inflammation) and Kyle Lowry (hamstring). Butler should be back for the beginning of the series, but Lowry's status <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1520800327347458048?s=20&amp;t=35oLEYfpS1Nm_hNQDljqAw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is more problematic</a>. It'll be worth tracking their health moving forward.
At the risk of sounding like an annoying optimist, I'd argue that there's still plenty of intrigue left in this series. I still expect a hard-fought, in-the-mud battle. And that should ramp up when (if?) Embiid returns.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: TRANSITION + EARLY OFFENSE
This is the "selective running" battle if I've ever seen it.&nbsp;
Per Cleaning The Glass, the Heat (14.5%) and Sixers (14.1%) ranked 19th and 20th in transition frequency, respectively. It makes sense once you look at the personnel for each side. Neither squad has an abundance of track stars.
On the Sixers' side, Maxey drives the bulk of it. He generated 1.34 points per possession (PPP) in transition during the regular season, one of the best marks in the NBA, per InStat tracking. That number rose slightly against the Heat (1.35 PPP), largely due to the fact that there's no physical match for Maxey's speed on the roster.
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Embiid can cause some problems in transition himself. He can do the classic big man thing: grab the board, hit the guard, then high-tail it down the middle of the floor for a deep seal. Or, since he's turned himself into a terrifying grab-and-go threat, he also can take matters into his own hands.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Sixers look to bump up their pace in this series. Losing their MVP will necessitate it to a degree. Embiid led the NBA with 72 post-ups within the first 10 seconds of the shot clock, and the Sixers scored well over 1.3 PPP on those trips via Second Spectrum. Nikola Jokic (50) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (38) were the only guys that came close in terms of volume.
That would mean more Maxey early in the clock, but it would especially mean more Harden. Early drag screens to get downhill or force a mismatch has been his MO, and they'll need him to force the issue a little bit more.
I'd wager DeAndre Jordan gets the non-Embiid starts. We can quibble about that, but he does have chemistry with Harden as an early drag screener.&nbsp;
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Jordan isn't nearly the scorer that Embiid is (duh), but he does provide a little more juice as a vertical threat. His ability to slip will be important against Miami's switching.&nbsp;
Miami didn't run often, but they did so efficiently. The Heat were the NBA's most efficient transition team during the regular season, generating 133.4 points per 100 transition plays, per Cleaning The Glass.
What the Heat lack in pure speed, they make up for in processing speed. Neither Lowry nor Butler can beat Maxey in a foot race, but their well-timed outlet passes can appromixate the threat. Add in a willingness to pull from deep, and you have a pretty annoying team to keep tabs on when they decide to push.
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On a similar note, just about everyone is allowed to bring the ball up the floor. Adebayo is a freakish grab-and-go threat in his own right. You'll see PJ Tucker bring it up after misses. This allows the Heat to flow into their array of handoffs early in the clock. Only two teams -- the Sixers and Pelicans -- ran early-clock handoffs at a higher rate than the Heat during the regular season.
You have to match up quickly or run the risk of giving up open triples.
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Lowry pushes early, doesn't have a gap, then kicks it to Dewayne Dedmon. Embiid's deep in a drop, so Duncan Robinson sprints into a handoff. That suddenness is something the Sixers will have to be ready for.
Transition play is going to be an important battleground for this series. Both teams ran selectively, were efficient when they did run, and... quietly gave up a ton of points on the other end. The similarities are pretty wild.
Their transition frequency marks -- the percentage of possessions that started with a transition play -- were nearly identical (15.6% for Miami, 15.4% for Philadelphia). The Heat ranked 21st in PPP allowed after missed shots (1.203), and the Sixers ranked 20th (1.202).
The Heat faced the largest share of transition possessions following a miss (30.9%), which is a point in favor of Philadelphia until you realize they aren't far behind in that, either (29.7%, 25th).&nbsp;
Speed has consistently given the Heat issues. The Sixers are at a similar deficit in terms of overall athleticism, and it doesn't help that they have, let's say, effort issues at times from their stars.
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WHAT TO WATCH FOR: OUT OF BOUNDS
The Heat like to set up movement with their sideline plays. They went to Chicago action -- a pindown that flows into a dribble handoff --&nbsp; pretty frequently during the regular season meeting. This play is going to be a turnover, but you can see the openings Miami can create from this action.
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Beyond that, keep an eye on their post splits if there's plenty of time on the shot clock. Heck, sometimes they'll blend both together.
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The Sixers also went to Chicago action during the regular season series, though their goal was to get downhill more than it was to generate movement threes.&nbsp;
Other than that, there wasn't much creativity. It was an inbound to set up a high pick-and-roll or an inbound to the perimeter while they waited on Embiid to set up shop for a post-up.
I'm honestly curious about Maxey's usage after deadballs. Most of Philadephia's more intricate looks came while Seth Curry was on the roster. I liked this one from the first meeting, an Iverson cut from Curry that flowed into an empty corner ball screen with Embiid.
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I'd like to see the Sixers tap into that kind of stuff with Maxey. If they can give him head starts, good things should follow.
KEY QUESTIONS
1) Will the Heat use the Trae Young Gameplan for James Harden while Joel Embiid is out?
It would be easy to make that leap, right? The Heat stifled a One Man Band in Atlanta and will be facing another one in Philadelphia while Embiid is out. Throwing the same sink at Harden -- a revolving door of different match-ups while mixing in full-court pressure and traps -- seems logical.
But I'd be a little careful if I were Miami.&nbsp;
Part of what made their aggressive gameplan work was the lack of size from Young. Traps hit a little harder when you can't really see over/past them. The Heat did a great job of flustering Young if he tried to set up shop near the sidelines. Harden won't be bothered to the same degree.
The real reason I'd be worried about the traps in particular: the Sixers' other players have been humming this postseason.&nbsp;
Tobias Harris looked as decisive as ever in the first round. If he keeps that rolling, I'd be worried about feeding him a steady dose of catch-and-shoot or catch-and-go opportunities.&nbsp;
The real kicker is Maxey, who, again, has a level of speed the Heat typically struggle to defend. Maxey averaged 21.3 points against the Heat this year on absurd efficiency (67% from two, 40.9% from three on 5.5 attempts).
He deserves your full attention. Sagging off to help elsewhere is an invitation for Maxey to bomb away, and sloppy closeouts will lead to interior buckets more often than not.
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With respect to the Hawks, the Sixers aren't them. Philadelphia has non-stars that can shoot and&nbsp;threaten the paint in a way Atlanta couldn't.&nbsp;
If the Heat's lone matchup against Harden (as a Net) is any indication, there's a balance to be struck between letting him work on an island and completely selling out.&nbsp;
Butler got the bulk of the Harden assignment in that meeting. When Harden was able to draw favorable switches, the Heat were able to peel in to help elsewhere. Something to watch for: a Heat defender digging from the strong side corner, a gambit we saw plenty of in the Hawks series.
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2) Can the Heat stars beat the gap?
If you're ready for round 387 of the "What does this team look like in the half-court?" question, this section is for you!
We just saw Butler rip the Hawks to shreds with a mix of hard-nosed drives, push shots, and where-did-this-come-from three-point shooting. We also saw Adebayo average 12.4 points while shooting 52.4% on twos, which was a significant dip below his regular season mark (56.2%).
Neither guy had much success against the Sixers. Butler averaged 18.7 points while shooting 36.6% from the field. Haters can have fun with the remove-the-free-throws figure if they have extra time on their hands.
(Haters always have extra time on their hands.)
Adebayo was slightly better (14 points on 50% shooting), but he took four total free throws in his two showings against Philly.
And when working in tandem, the Heat generated under 0.43 PPP on trips featuring a Butler-Adebayo pick-and-roll. I don't think I need to explain how bad that is.&nbsp;
With Embiid missing some time, there should be a little more freedom to attack the paint. If I'm Philly, I'd still be comfortable playing that ball screen straight up or even switching it.
Harris mostly did a good job of bodying up Pascal Siakam in round one, and he has the upper body strength to absorb body blows from Butler or Adebayo. Jordan should at least make either guy shoot over the top, even if he isn't (close to) the rim protector he once was.
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One wrinkle we may see: the Heat having someone screen for Adebayo before he sets one for Butler. Forcing Jordan (or Embiid, when healthy) to navigate a screen before settling into coverage could create an opening for Butler to attack.
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3) How will the Heat dole out the perimeter assignments?
This only matters to an extent, since the Heat will likely switch a ton of screens, anyway. But I am curious about this one.&nbsp;
A popular move for the Heat this season has been to place PJ Tucker on a primary ball-handler, which would turn any pick-and-roll with that ball handler and their big into a switch. Tucker on Maxey sounds wild out loud, but it's really a way for the Heat to flatten a Maxey-Embiid ball screen.
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If no screen comes, I'd be worried about Maxey blasting by Tucker off the bounce. Harden may be a more "natural" matchup for Tucker under this line of thinking, but that leads into a Butler-or-Lowry (when healthy) question.&nbsp;
Do you want Butler trying to track Maxey considering his offensive workload on the other end? Does Lowry have a chance against him at this stage of his career, especially coming off a hamstring injury?&nbsp;
I might go unconventional: Lowry on Matisse Thybulle, Tucker on Maxey, Butler on Harris, and Max Strus on Harden.
Miami can use Strus as their innings eater. Give Lowry the free safety role since he's better as a roamer (and charge taker) than an on-ball stopper at this stage. Butler can bang with Harris on post-ups, and he should still have a little leeway to fly around (and dare Harris to continue his streak of decisiveness in the process).
STRAY THOUGHTS
<ul>
<li>I'm curious to see how much zone coverage we get in this series. The Sixers flustered the Raptors a bit during their Game 6 win, if you want the most recent example. We also saw it sprinkled in against the Heat during the regular season series. The sample is small -- 20 possessions, per Second Spectrum -- but the Heat only mustered a 65 offensive rating against the zone. The Sixers had much more success against Miami's zone (1.15 PPP on 61 possessions), though Embiid's presence will definitely be missed.</li>
<li>Lost in Miami's dominant series win over the Hawks: Tyler Herro didn't have a good showing. The scoring wasn't there (12.8 points, 39.1% from the field), and the defense was, well... let's not talk about the defense. He should see more drop coverage in this series, so the opportunity to bounce back is there. But he'll also be one of Harden's primary targets when they share the floor.&nbsp;</li>
<li>On a related note: boy, will this be a feast-or-famine series for Duncan Robinson. His movement shooting will be needed against the Sixers, provided they're in drop. But he'll also 1.) have to cash in those shots, and 2.) stay out of foul trouble on the other end.</li>
<li>On that note, this could be a prime opportunity for Victor Oladipo to carve out more of a role for the Heat. He doesn't present the defensive limitations that Herro or Robinson do, and his ability to get to the rim could be useful.&nbsp;</li>
<li>This keeps nagging at me, so I'll toss it here: what if the Sixers just go small while Embiid's out? The Maxey-Harden-Harris trio with Georges Niang and Danny Green has played two (2) possesions together this season, for example. Why not test it out in spurts?</li>
<li>Please keep Paul Reed as part of the rotation. If you aren't going to go full small-ball, Reed certainly needs to get playing time.</li>
<li>The Twitter barbs between these two fanbases are going to be ... whew. Godspeed, everyone.</li>
</ul>
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Nekias Duncan previews the second-round match-up between the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers.

NBA playoff primer: What you should look out for in Heat-Sixers

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; Joel Embiid feared this would be the case. Turns out, he was right.
The Philadelphia 76ers announced Friday night that Embiid &mdash; the NBA scoring champion and an MVP finalist &mdash; has a right orbital fracture and a mild concussion. Those injuries, for now anyway, have him listed as out on the injury report and will keep him there for the foreseeable future.
The 76ers open an Eastern Conference semifinal series at Miami on Monday night.
<a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/events/?CFID=&amp;CFPARAMS=&amp;GameEventID=567&amp;GameID=0042100136&amp;Season=2021-22&amp;flag=1&amp;title=Siakam%20Offensive%20Charge%20Foul%20(P5)%20(B.Kennedy)&amp;sct=plot">The injuries stem from a hit Embiid took with 3:58 left of Thursday night&rsquo;s game</a> in Toronto, when the 76ers were up by 29 points and well on their way to getting an East first-round-clinching win over the Raptors. He got hit in the face by a driving Pascal Siakam, and immediately took several steps back in obvious pain.
Embiid checked out moments later. Now, nobody knows when he&rsquo;ll play again. He sat down for a postgame interview with NBA TV immediately following the game, and one of the first questions he got was about how he was feeling.
&ldquo;I think he might have broken my face,&rdquo; Embiid said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s all good. It&rsquo;s the playoffs.&rdquo;
Thing is, it wasn&rsquo;t all good. And Embiid&rsquo;s diagnosis was spot on.
Barring a significant change, it would appear Embiid won&rsquo;t be able to start this series &mdash; at minimum. A similar fracture, to his left orbital bone, kept him out for about three weeks late in the 2017-18 season. He needed surgery and missed 10 games, including the first two games of a playoff series against the Heat.
The amount of time he misses now is, obviously, contingent on the severity of whatever is fractured in the bones around Embiid's eye. He wore a specially designed mask in 2018 when he returned, even after surgery. The 76ers did not mention surgery in their statement Friday night, which may indicate one isn't required this time. And there's also the issue of getting through the NBA's concussion protocol, though that may only take a few days.
Embiid led the 76ers with averages of 30.6 points, 11.7 rebounds and assists and 1.5 blocks per game during the regular season. And even though he&rsquo;s bothered by a right thumb ligament injury that will require offseason surgery, he also averaged 26.2 points and 11.3 rebounds in the six games against the Raptors.
He&rsquo;s one of three finalists for MVP, along with Denver&rsquo;s Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee&rsquo;s Giannis Antetokounmpo. And earlier Friday, when the Heat began practice in preparation for the series with the 76ers, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra raved about Embiid.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s extremely skilled,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re talking about somebody that has great physicality and size that can punish you in that regard. But he also has finesse, he has shooting ability, deep range on his shot-making, he&rsquo;s got touch that&rsquo;s uncanny in the paint. And then you have that element of also being able to create and make open shots for other guys, but also be able to draw fouls at any point if you lose concentration.&rdquo;
Embiid &mdash; from Cameroon &mdash; was the first international player to win the scoring title. Embiid also was the first center to win the scoring crown since Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal in 1999-2000.

Joel Embiid faces a devastating injury right as the Easter Conference Semifinals get underway.

76ers' Embiid has right orbital fracture, as East semis loom

TORONTO (AP) &mdash; Joel Embiid had 33 points and 10 rebounds, James Harden added 22 points and 15 assists and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Toronto Raptors 132-97 in Game 6 to end the first-round series Thursday night.
Philadelphia will face Miami in the second round. The top-seeded Heat beat Atlanta in five games.
Tyrese Maxey scored 25 points, going 5 for 12 from 3-point range, and Tobias Harris had 19 points and 11 rebounds, to help the 76ers finish off the Raptors with a blowout after losing the past two games.
Danny Green scored 12 points and shot 4 for 7 from 3-point range as the Sixers finished 16 for 40 from beyond the arc. The Raptors struggled from 3-point range, going 7 for 35.
Chris Boucher had 25 points and 10 rebounds for Toronto, Pascal Siakam fouled out with 24 points, Gary Trent Jr. had 19 and Scottie Barnes 18. Toronto lost in the first round for the first time since being swept by Washington in 2015.
Toronto played without all-star guard Fred VanVleet. He missed his second straight game because of a strained left hip flexor.
Toronto&rsquo;s Precious Achiuwa had 17 points in Game 5 but didn&rsquo;t score Thursday until making a free throw in the fourth quarter. Achiuwa drove for a dunk at the end of the third but the basket was waved off because it came after the buzzer. He shot 1 for 7 and scored three points.
Toronto trailed 70-67 after Siakam made a hook shot with 9:42 left in the third, but Maxey hit three 3-pointers as the 76ers broke the game open with a 17-0 run over the next four-plus minutes, opening an 87-67 lead with 5:20 left in the quarter.
Raptors coach Nick Nurse called timeout after Harden connected from distance with 3:52 left in the third, putting the Sixers up 92-70. Philadelphia took a 99-78 lead to the fourth.
PLAYING VILLAIN
After being called for a foul in the third quarter, Embiid responded to vulgar chants from the fans by cupping his hands around his ears. He did the same while heading to the bench for a fourth quarter timeout.
Boos rained down after Embiid dunked in the fourth, then ran down the court with his arms raised in the airplane celebration he used against Toronto in the 2019 playoffs.
SHOT CHART
Toronto made seven of its first eight field-goal attempts, then missed its next 10. The Raptors shot 12 for 17 in the first quarter, making 5 of 19 after their hot start.
TIP-INS
76ers: Coach Doc Rivers was called for a technical foul in the fourth for arguing that Harden had been fouled on a three-point basket. &hellip; Embiid went 9 for 10 at the free throw line, while Harden was 6 for 6.
Raptors: Siakam had seven of Toronto&rsquo;s 15 assists. &hellip; Former Raptors guard Cory Joseph attended the game.

Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers finished off the Toronto Raptors Thursday night, winning their first-round series.

Embiid scores 33 points, 76ers finish off Raptors in Game 6

Pascal Siakam scored 23 points, Precious Achiuwa had 17 and the Toronto Raptors forced a return home for Game 6 in their Eastern Conference first-round series against Philadelphia, beating the 76ers 103-88 on Monday night.
Yo, Canada! Once holding a 3-0 series lead, the 76ers are headed back north.
The Raptors have won two straight in the series and jumped all over injured Sixers center Joel Embiid and ineffective James Harden to make Thursday night&rsquo;s game a necessity.
Embiid had 20 points and 11 rebounds playing with a thumb injury. Harden scored 15 points on 4-of-11 shooting.
Sixers coach Doc Rivers is dragging the weight of ignominious NBA history with him through customs. Rivers, who led Boston to the 2008 championship, is the only coach in NBA history to blow three 3-1 series leads. The Magic lost to Detroit in the 2003 Eastern Conference first round; the 2015 Clippers blew the series to Houston in the Western Conference semifinals; and in 2020, the Clippers lost to Denver in the West semifinals.
The next season, Rivers was in Philly -- and the Sixers lost three games at home as the No. 1 seed and were eliminated in the second round.
The nerves in Philly are suddenly as tight as the rims.
The Sixers had a miserable first half. They finished with 10 turnovers and shot 35% from the floor. Philly&rsquo;s last bucket in the first quarter was one for the blooper reel: Matisse Thybulle&rsquo;s missed shot bounced off the rim and was accidentally tipped in by Achiuwa.
Whoops.
Maybe it sparked something for the Raptors. They opened the second quarter on a 12-0 run to take control all while the Sixers missed their first nine shots. The Sixers didn&rsquo;t score until 6:51 was left in the half. Scottie Barnes scored eight points in the quarter and the Raptors took a 54-41 lead at the break.
The 76ers were booed off the court, their play a bleak reminder of some recent postseason flameouts.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve generated really good shots most of the series,&rdquo; Raptors coach Nick Nurse said before the game. &ldquo;We haven&rsquo;t shot very well yet. I told the guys today, today would be a good day to go ahead and start making some of those open shots.&rdquo;
The Raptors listened, hovering around 50% for most of the game. They also controlled the boards and scored 20 points off turnovers.
Harden could have used the shooting tip.
Harden played the same night the All-Star he was traded for, Ben Simmons, was inactive for Brooklyn. Harden was barely more visible and missed 6 of 8 shots through three quarters, scoring nine points.
Embiid continued to play with a ligament tear in his right thumb. He looked gassed at times in the third quarter as the Raptors kept attacking the MVP finalist for tough buckets, notably Achiuwa&rsquo;s driving layup that made it 73-60.
TIP-INS
Raptors: All-Star point guard Fred VanVleet sat out with a left hip flexor strain. VanVleet said he was hurt in Game 4 and was unsure if he could play in Game 6.
76ers: Embiid was fined $15,000 for criticizing the officiating in Game 4. ... John Calipari, who coached 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey at Kentucky, was at the game.
TRAINER&rsquo;S ROOM
Embiid will have to wait until after the season for thumb surgery.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no treatment. There really isn&rsquo;t,&rdquo; Rivers said. &ldquo;If there&rsquo;s one thing I know, it&rsquo;s not going to get any worse. There&rsquo;s really no ice, there&rsquo;s no treatment for that until after the season.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
The Sixers will play Game 6 without Thybulle. Thybulle, who sat out Games 3 and 4, is barred from entering Canada because he is not fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Pascal Siakam scored 23 points, Precious Achiuwa had 17 and the Toronto Raptors forced a return home for Game 6.

Raptors top 76ers 103-88 behind Siakam, force Game 6 at home

TORONTO (AP) &mdash; Joel Embiid made a 3-pointer with 0.8 seconds left in overtime to give the Philadelphia 76ers a 104-101 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night and a 3-0 lead in their first-round series.
After 76ers coach Doc Rivers called timeout to save the possession as the shot clock was running down, Embiid took an inbounds pass from Danny Green and hit a turnaround shot from near the sideline before running back to his bench in celebration.
Toronto&rsquo;s OG Anunoby couldn&rsquo;t get a shot off before the buzzer.
Embiid had 33 points and 13 rebounds, helping the 76ers rally from a 17-point deficit. James Harden had 19 points and 10 assists before fouling out in the closing seconds of regulation.
Tyrese Maxey scored 19 points and Tobias Harris had 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Sixers, who can wrap up the series in Game 4 on Saturday.
Anunoby scored 26 points, Gary Trent Jr. had a playoff-high 24, and Precious Achiuwa had 20 for the Raptors.
Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet each had 12 points. VanVleet shot 3 for 13, going 2 for 10 from 3-point range.
Philadelphia never held a lead in regulation, finally grabbing a 99-97 edge on Maxey&rsquo;s shot with 3:27 left in overtime.
Anunoby&rsquo;s 3 briefly put Toronto back on top, but Embiid&rsquo;s basket with 2:36 left made it 101-100 for the Sixers.
Embiid fouled Anunoby with 26 seconds left, and the Toronto forward made the first but missed the second, knotting it at 101-all.
Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes sat for the second straight game because of the sprained left ankle that knocked him out of Game 1. Raptors coach Nick Nurse said Barnes is making progress and could return Saturday.
The 76ers, who shot at least 30 free throws in each of the first two games of the series, went 15 for 20 from the line in Game 3, with Embiid making six of nine attempts.
Trent was limited to 10 minutes of action in Game 2 because of illness, and didn&rsquo;t play in the second half Monday. He played 45 minutes Wednesday, shooting 9 for 19.
Ahead 75-74 through three quarters, Toronto held a 95-90 lead on Achiuwa&rsquo;s basket with 2:03 left.
Maxey scored to make it a three-point game, and Anunoby was called for goaltending on Harden&rsquo;s shot with 1:14 left, cutting it to 95-94. After missing at one end, VanVleet fouled Harden with 49 seconds to play, but the Sixers guard missed his first shot before tying it 95-all with his second.
Harden fouled out with 27 seconds left, sending Achiuwa to the line, but the Toronto forward missed both shots.
Philadelphia had two chances to win it in regulation, but Embiid missed a 3 and Harris couldn&rsquo;t convert after grabbing the rebound.
The 76ers played without guard Matisse Thybulle. Philadelphia&rsquo;s defensive specialist is not fully vaccinated against COVID-19, making him ineligible to cross the Canadian border. Thybulle also missed an April 7 regular-season loss to the Raptors.
The Raptors hosted a postseason game north of the border for the first time since Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals against Golden State. The Warriors won that game, but Kevin Durant injured his Achilles tendon and the Raptors won the series in Game 6.
TIP-INS
76ers: Green had to be restrained by teammates after he was called for a technical foul late in the second quarter. &hellip; Outscored 13-4 on fast break points. &hellip; Made 24 turnovers, leading to 27 points.
Raptors: C Khem Birch made his first start of the series, replacing Achiuwa. &hellip; VanVleet got a technical foul for arguing after he was called for pushing Embiid out of bounds in the second. &hellip; Trent&rsquo;s previous playoff high was 16, set Aug. 29, 2020 with Portland against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Joel Embiid's three-pointer at the end of overtime lifted the Philadelphia 76ers over the Toronto Raptors in Game 3.

Embiid hits winning 3 in OT, 76ers beat Raptors for 3-0 lead

It's not uncommon for high-profile athletes in New York to experience ups and downs throughout their careers. Yet, in just the three seasons Julius Randle has spent as a Knick, he's endured nearly unprecedented swings, from extreme lows to intense highs and everything in-between...
After making the difficult decision to trade away Kristaps Porzingis in February 2019, the Knicks inked Randle to a three-year, $63 million deal the following summer, hoping Randle could carry the team offensively and help them return to respectability.
However, Randle struggled to handle the bright lights of Broadway during his first year in NYC. After averaging over 21 points per game on 52.4% shooting during his sole season in New Orleans, Randle's scoring average dipped to 19.5 points per game on 46.0% shooting in 2019-20. And while his overall counting stats were solid (19/10/3), his inefficiency and defensive lapses contributed to the Knicks' putrid 21-45 record.
In an article he <a href="https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/reputation-julius-randle-new-york-knicks-basketball-nba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">penned for the Players Tribune</a>, Randle acknowledged that he wasn't quite prepared for the pressures that came along with being the top dog in the Big Apple.
"To be honest, I don't think I realized everything that goes into being a No. 1 option in the NBA," Randle <a href="https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/reputation-julius-randle-new-york-knicks-basketball-nba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explained</a>. "Another problem, looking back, is that I think I was so focused on proving myself as a No. 1 option, that I lost sight of some of my other responsibilities to the team."
Randle added: "I know you only get one chance to make a first impression in a city &mdash; and I was so disappointed in myself for how that first season in New York had gone."
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Well, his second impression was incredible.&nbsp;
Randle wasn't just good during his second season in NYC; he authored one of the finest all-around seasons in Knicks franchise history.
The winner of the NBA's Most Improved Player, Randle finished the 2020-21 campaign averaging 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game, ranking in the top-20 in all three statistical categories. Prior that that, the only other players in NBA history to average at least 24 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists over an entire season were Wilt Chamberlain, Nikola Jokić, Larry Bird, Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson.
Randle also averaged 2.3 made three-pointers and 0.9 steals while shooting 45.6% from the floor, 41.1% from downtown and 81.1% from the free-throw line. According to Basketball-Reference, Randle was just the second player ever to average more than 10 rebounds and 5 assists while shooting over 40% from three-point territory and over 80% from the charity stripe. (The only other player in this exclusive club is Bird, who posted those numbers in 1984-85 en route to winning the Most Valuable Player award.)
Knicks fans inside MSG would serenade Randle with boisterous "MVP" chants nearly every time he stepped to the free-throw line over the last two months of the season.&nbsp;
Randle would finish eighth in MVP voting and be named to the All-NBA Second Team alongside Chris Paul, Damian Lillard, Joel Embiid and LeBron James.&nbsp;
Last summer, fresh off his career year, the Knicks inked Randle to a four-year contract extension worth up to $117 million.
Consequently, expectations were sky-high for Randle and his Knicks entering the 2021-22 campaign...
As we know, New York instead finished the year with a disappointing 37-45 record, failing to qualify for the playoffs for the ninth time in the last 10 years.
While Randle's counting stats were once again solid, his offensive inefficiency and porous defense were crippling. After shooting 41.5% on mid-range jumpers in 2020-21, he converted just 33.3% of his mid-rangers this past season. Of the 66 players who attempted more than 500 jump shots this past season, Randle was the least efficient. Every other player in the league who attempted more than three such shots per game converted over 35% &mdash; except for Randle.
Randle also struggled from long distance. After shooting over 41% from behind the three-point arc in 2020-21, that percentage tumbled all the way down to below 31% in 2021-22.
To put Randle's inefficiency in context, consider this: In 2021-22, Randle became the first and only player in NBA history to attempt more than 300 three-pointers and 300 free throws, yet shot below 42% from the floor, below 31% from downtown and below 76% from the charity stripe.
Oh, and his assist average decreased (from 6.0 to 5.1) while committing a career-high 245 turnovers.
Yet, if only his subpar production were an issue, the Knicks front office &mdash; led by team president Leon Rose &mdash; might be far more comfortable bringing Randle back in 2022-23 and hoping he can rebound from a rough year.
However, there are a number of concerns that complicate the situation.&nbsp;
The relationship between the burly power forward and Knicks fans turned toxic at various points over the past six months. During a home game against the Boston Celtics in early January, some New York fans inside Madison Square Garden booed Randle and his teammates after the Knicks fell behind by 25 points. Randle aimed a thumbs-down gesture at the crowd at one point in the fourth quarter. He acknowledged the gesture was directed at the fans after the game (which included a miraculous Knicks comeback, capped by RJ Barrett sinking a miraculous buzzer-beater).
When asked by reporters what it was for, Randle <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/01/06/julius-randle-gives-knicks-fans-thumbs-down-shut-the-f-k-up/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">replied</a>: "To shut the f&ndash;k up."
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Unsurprisingly, the relationship remained rocky the rest of the way. As New York piled up losses and Randle continued to miss shots he had made a year earlier, the crowd continued to get on the team's highest-paid player. Making matters worse, <a href="https://tommybeer.substack.com/p/thibs-needs-to-send-a-strong-message?s=w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Randle's lack of effort</a>, especially on the <a href="https://tommybeer.substack.com/p/thibs-needs-to-send-a-strong-message?s=w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defensive end</a>, drew the intense ire of the fan base.
Poor shooting or effort errors (such as giving up an easy bucket because you close out too hard) are frustrating but forgivable. However, New Yorkers won't tolerate consistently failing to box out or hustle back on defense. And, for long stretches this winter, Randle was guilty of such offenses.&nbsp;
Last month, <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/03/29/julius-randle-could-be-forcing-way-off-knicks-in-james-harden-type-of-way/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marc Berman of the New York Post reported</a> that people around the league felt Randle was "acting in a 'James Harden type of way' that suggests he wants a new place of work next season."
Berman <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/03/29/julius-randle-could-be-forcing-way-off-knicks-in-james-harden-type-of-way/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a> that "some NBA sources believe the Knicks will shop Randle for a package revolving around a center if they lose Mitchell Robinson."
Randle has said publicly he wants to remain in New York, but has also stated that his wife and young son were forced to leave their courtside seats at some home games this season due to unwelcome comments from the crowd. Being traded to a new franchise could allow Randle to start fresh and hopefully re-establish himself as an All-Star.
The best resolution for both the player and the team may be parting ways this summer.&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17643895-1_lg.jpg" alt="" width="585" height="390" />
From the Knicks' perspective, trading away an All-Star less than a year after you ink him to a max extension is never ideal. The front office hoped Randle would be a foundational cornerstone for the remainder of his prime. However, New York must acknowledge that this past season was a mess in more ways than one.&nbsp;
Interestingly, one bright spot over the second half of the season was the awe-inspiring play of Obi Toppin. When a sore quad sidelined Randle in late March, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft stepped in and most definitely stepped up. Fans who had been begging for Toppin to see more minutes finally got their wish.
Toppin started each of the Knicks' final five games and averaged 27.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.8 made three-pointers, 2.8 assists and 1.0 blocks. He shot over 55% from the floor, over 46% from downtown and over 86% from the charity stripe. He was one of just seven players to average more than 27 points and 6 boards per game in April. The other six were Jokic, Embiid, LeBron, Luka Doncic, Pascal Siakam and Kevin Durant. (And of this group, Toppin and Doncic were the only players to knock down more than three treys a night.)
While it's foolish to make too much out of relatively meaningless games late in any season, it's impossible to watch Toppin and not recognize he possesses tantalizing upside. And remember, this is the same dude who was named the NCAA National Player of the Year in 2020 due to his dominant play at Dayton, where he averaged 20.0 points to go along with 7.5 rebounds while shooting a scorching 63.3% percent from the field and 39.0% from behind the arc.&nbsp;
Toppin will be due for a contract extension of his own soon, and the Knicks need to determine if he is worth a hefty investment. Trading Randle would open a spot in the starting lineup for Toppin, who is closer in age to the Knicks' young core of Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes, etc.
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The issue for New York is that it would have to "sell low" on Randle relative to where his league-wide value was just six months ago. Would the Knicks be content to trade him away if they would only be able recoup around 70 cents on the dollar? On the other hand, would another team be willing to trade for the $100+ million remaining on Randle's contract?
My guess is that the all-around skill set Randle showcased in 2020-21 will be more than enough to entice a few general managers.
Keep in mind that even in a "down year" in 2021-22, Randle averaged 20.1 points, 9.9 boards and 5.1 dimes. The only players to exceed those numbers in each category this season were Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo. In addition, although Randle's contract is certainly not a bargain, it's not an albatross by any means &mdash; even with its 15% trade kicker.&nbsp;
More than 50 players in the league will earn more than Randle next season. A contract averaging around $26 million a year is reasonable for a player with Randle's immense talent and proven durability (he's appeared in 207 of a possible 222 games over the last four seasons).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Also, the fact that Randle is under team control for at least three more years (he has a player option for 2025-26) would appeal to several teams, especially small-market clubs.&nbsp;
Furthermore, there are always other GMs looking to move their own high-priced players due to positional log jams or salary constraints.
For instance, <a href="https://theathletic.com/3243084/2022/04/11/whats-next-for-lakers-notes-on-nick-nurse-russell-westbrook-and-more/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">multiple</a> league insiders have <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/indiana-intrigue?s=r" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the Indiana Pacers are "open to trade conversations around Malcolm Brogdon and Buddy Hield this offseason." Brogdon, whose name has been bandied about in trade rumors since Indiana acquired Tyrese Haliburton in February, has three years left on his deal. He and Randle have nearly identical salaries for next season, meaning they could be swapped straight up for each other.&nbsp;
With the Knicks still in desperate need of a point guard, which side would say no to a potential Brogdon-Randle deal?
It's also worth noting that <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10032521-who-will-lead-lamelo-ball-and-promising-hornets-into-their-prime" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report</a> recently reported Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward is "interested in a change of scenery this offseason." A swap sending Kemba Walker, who is still beloved in Charlotte, and Randle to the Hornets in exchange for Hayward works under the cap. Would Charlotte be willing to include draft capital to get a deal done?
We know the Los Angeles Lakers would love to rid themselves of Russell Westbrook, who has just one year left on his current contract. And if we're thinking outside the box, would the Knicks be willing to consider a reunion with Kristaps Porzings?
The point is, if New York is genuinely willing to make Randle available, the franchise will have plenty of interested parties, which could make for a very interesting offseason.&nbsp;
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Tommy Beer analyzes what went awry for Julius Randle in his third season with the Knicks and ponders options for both parties.

Julius Randle and the Knicks should part ways this summer

Joel Embiid took his lumps and powered his way to 31 points and 11 rebounds, Tyrese Maxey showed he was no one-game postseason wonder and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Toronto Raptors 112-97 on Monday night for a 2-0 lead in the first-round series.
Maxey had 23 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Tobias Harris had 20 points and 10 rebounds. James Harden scored 14.
Game 3 in the Eastern Conference series is Wednesday in Toronto.
The Raptors trailed by 27 points but showed some life in the fourth cutting it to 11 until Maxey, the Game 1 star, buried a 3 that got the Sixers rolling again.
OG Anunoby led the Raptors with 26 points. Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet each had 20.
The Raptors came ready to rumble after coach Nick Nurse accused the officials of letting the Sixers get away with hard fouls in Game 1. Not even 2 minutes into the game, Anunoby shoved Embiid, Embiid shoved back and both teams had to be separated as the crowd erupted. Anunoby and Embiid were both whistled for technical fouls.
The Raptors raced to an 11-2 lead and had the first six fouls to none for the 76ers.
All that pushing and shoving may as well been cold water on the Sixers&rsquo; slumbering Big Man.
Embiid, the NBA scoring champion who had only 19 points in Game 1, was fouled hard by Siakam and made a free throw -- one of the 11 he made in the quarter on 12 attempts. He matched his Game 1 total with 19 points in the quarter.
VanVleet scored 17 points in the half and tried to keep the Raptors in the game. Maxey, who had 38 points in Game 1, didn&rsquo;t score until he hit a floater in the lane with 8:03 left in the second. He followed with an acrobatic layup for a 50-42 lead and suddenly the Sixers had some juice. Harden hit a 3 for an 11-point lead.
The half ended with a tense moment.
Harden tried to split two defenders on a drive down the lane in the final seconds of the half and his knee crashed into Embiid&rsquo;s left knee. Embiid&rsquo;s left ankle seemed to buckle and both players went down in a heap. Both stars were sprawled on the backs for several moments: Harden rubbed his neck and head. Embiid limped down the court on the next possession.
Sixers fans held their breath at the half.
Philly&rsquo;s first bucket of the third quarter? How about Harden-to-Embiid on an alley-oop that settled nerves and rattled the rim.
Embiid scored nine more points in the third and Maxey had seven for a 95-73 lead at the end of the third. Embiid had 28 points and 11 rebounds before he picked up his first foul midway through the fourth.
TIP-INS
Raptors: Gary Trent Jr. was a game-time decision with an illness. He did not score and had four fouls in the first half. He did not return in the second.
76ers: Philly native and two-time South Carolina national championship coach Dawn Staley rang the ceremonial bell.
TRAINER&rsquo;S ROOM
Raptors forward Scottie Barnes sat out with a sprained left ankle suffered in Game 1. Barnes did not reveal a timetable for his return but said he was &ldquo;getting better each and every day.&rdquo;
CRYING FOUL
&ldquo;I hope that they&rsquo;ve got enough guts to at least stop the game and look at that stuff tonight. I don&rsquo;t mind physicality. It&rsquo;s the playoffs, we expect it to be physical.&rdquo; -- Nurse, before the game, on the officiating.
UP NEXT
The Sixers head to Toronto and will play the next two games without defensive ace Matisse Thybulle. Thybulle, who received one third-place vote in the NBA defensive player of the year award voting, is barred from entering Canada because he is not fully vaccinated.

Joel Embiid took his lumps and powered his way to 31 points and 11 rebounds and the 76ers beat the Raptors to take a 2-0 series lead.

Embiid scores 31 to lead 76ers to 2-0 series lead on Raptors

Every day, BasketballNews.com gives you NBA betting analysis before tip-off. Make sure you subscribe to our daily podcast, &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6zNxt0NQXPmKuryAdz89m0?si=1038d121100444fd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a>&nbsp;or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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Without further ado, let&rsquo;s dive into our favorite NBA spread bets for the night portion of Monday's postseason slate.
Philadelphia 76ers (-7.5) vs. Toronto Raptors
With Scottie Barnes ruled out for Game 2 and possibly beyond for the Raptors, they&rsquo;re in huge trouble trying to further contain Joel Embiid. Philadelphia showed in Game 1 when its trio of Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey is making shots consistently, Toronto might not have enough firepower to keep up.
For Game 2, we&rsquo;re going back into the well and hammering with emphasis Philadelphia to cover the 7.5-point spread. Expect a monster game from Embiid, plus the Sixers&rsquo; backcourt to win its matchups once again. When the series heads back to Toronto, how will the Raptors be able to stop the Sixers&rsquo; stars?
Pick: Sixers -7.5
Player Props: Joel Embiid over 32.5 points, Pascal Siakam over 25.5 points, Fred VanVleet over 3.5 threes, James Harden over 2.5 threes
Golden State Warriors (-7) vs. Denver Nuggets
Even with a limited Stephen Curry, Golden State had no issues handling the Nuggets in Game 1. Nikola Jokic had a tough go of it, plus Denver&rsquo;s lack of consistent offensive threats showed in a big way. Just like last season going up against the Phoenix Suns, Denver is completely outmatched in this series. The Warriors have ample amounts of versatility, which is already bothering the Nuggets.
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&mdash; Monday, April 18th Denver Nuggets @ Golden State Warriors</blockquote>

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Jokic will need to keep on his Superman MVP cape to keep this one close on Monday night. Jordan Poole, Klay Thompson and Curry should have their way with Denver once more, so lock in Warriors -7.
Pick: Warriors -7
Player Props: Nikola Jokic over 28.5 points, Jordan Poole over 21.5 points, Aaron Gordon over 6.5 rebounds, Klay Thompson over 3.5 threes
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Who are the best bets for Monday night's NBA playoff games? We've got you covered!

Best Bets: BasketballNews' picks and fantasy advice for 4/18/22

Every day, BasketballNews.com gives you NBA betting analysis before tip-off. Make sure you subscribe to our daily podcast, &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6zNxt0NQXPmKuryAdz89m0?si=1038d121100444fd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a>&nbsp;or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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Without further ado, let&rsquo;s dive into our favorite NBA spread bets for the night portion of Saturday's postseason openers. It's playoff time!
Philadelphia 76ers (-4.5) vs. Toronto Raptors
We're kicking off our postseason picks with a bang, as the Sixers taking on the Raptors will be an all-out war. Joel Embiid and James Harden will go up against Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet. There's so much versatility on both ends of the court. As you can tell, I&rsquo;m pumped. From a betting perspective, especially for the season opener, it&rsquo;s hard not to lean in the direction of Philadelphia.
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&mdash; Saturday, April 16th Toronto Raptors @ Philadelphia 76ers</blockquote>

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If Harden shows up alongside Embiid delivering a strong offensive performance, the Sixers should be in great shape. However, if the Raptors get under their skin early, this could go any direction. In the end, settling on the Sixers feels like the right choice. Ride the Embiid train to cash out some coins.
Pick: Sixers -4.5
Player Props: Joel Embiid over 33.5 points, Pascal Siakam over 22.5 points, James Harden over 10.5 assists, Scottie Barnes over 7.5 rebounds
Golden State Warriors (-6.5) vs. Denver Nuggets
This is such an underrated series in my opinion. Nobody seems to be giving Denver any shot, but I feel confident in Nikola Jokic carrying this into a longer series. Jokic matches up well against the Warriors&rsquo; lack of size, but who on the Nuggets will step up next to the likely back-to-back MVP?
We&rsquo;re threading the needle for Game 1 here. If you want to stick to moneyline-only bets, hammer Golden State to win on its home court. On the spread, 6.5 points feels like too much. Bet big on Jokic to keep this one close throughout.
Pick: Nuggets +6.5
Player Props: Nikola Jokic over 29.5 points, Stephen Curry over 25.5 points, Draymond Green over 7.5 assists, Aaron Gordon over 6.5 rebounds
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Who are the best bets for Saturday night's NBA playoff games? We've got you covered!

Best Bets: BasketballNews' picks and fantasy advice for 4/16/22

Throughout Wednesday&rsquo;s contest between the San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans, the Smoothie King Center&rsquo;s atmosphere swelled to unconscionable decibels. Pelicans fans, overwhelmingly clad in red T-shirts, roared in support of their team, one that controlled much of the contest and dispatched the Spurs, 113-103.&nbsp;
They had many reasons to cheer, all of which draw back to the Pelicans&rsquo; remarkable turnaround without superstar Zion Williamson the entire way. After opening the year 14th in the West with a record of 3-16, New Orleans is now 37-46 and stands just 48 minutes away from a first-round series with the Phoenix Suns.&nbsp;
Since this 34-30 run commenced, the Pelicans have been a true joy to watch. The beauty of this club is that its frenzied, impassioned fans could&rsquo;ve been delighted for any number of reasons Wednesday. There is not one singular storyline to embrace. The splendor rings up and down the roster. It&rsquo;s like a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book, and every endpoint is a feel-good tale.&nbsp;
Wednesday&rsquo;s stars were abundant and a matter of a perspective, the resolute theme of this five-month resurgence.&nbsp;
CJ McCollum slithered, shot and boogied to 27 first-half points and finished with 32 on the day. Before being traded from Portland, McCollum would sometimes dissolve in the shadows of Damian Lillard, always a year behind the experience of his backcourt mate and outmatched for individual honors. In New Orleans, McCollum is the elder statesman. Only Garrett Temple is older, and nobody touts more playoff game appearances.&nbsp;
This is his opportunity to be the veteran star, and he&rsquo;s seized it, averaging 24 points, 6 assists, 4&nbsp; rebounds and a steal on 58.0% True Shooting in 26 regular-season games as a Pelican.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
CJ MCCOLLUM LIGHTING THE SPURS UP ⚡️ <a href="https://t.co/JQxecBRX2g">pic.twitter.com/JQxecBRX2g</a>
&mdash; SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1514435528359219203?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2022</a></blockquote>

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His 32-7-6-1 (63.5% TS) performance against San Antonio, punctuated by deft dribbling sequences into drives and silky pull-up jumpers, along with a 7-of-7, 19-point second frame, summarized everything he&rsquo;s brought the last two months. By night&rsquo;s end, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8iu88pq9Rk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he made it clear, he&rsquo;s &ldquo;at home,&rdquo;</a> and he illuminated that comfort during the biggest game of the season.&nbsp;
McCollum&rsquo;s shot-making partner, Brandon Ingram, glimmered Wednesday to the tune of 27-5-5 on ~62% TS. Over the past few months, Ingram has evolved his game, growing as a decision-maker, facilitator and off-ball defender. He&rsquo;s established himself as a bona fide star and one whose impact stretches well beyond scoring, while continuing to pour in buckets at a reliable rate.
After the Spurs jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the first quarter, Ingram played the role of stabilizer, tallying 11 points and two dimes over a seven-minute span and fueling an 18-8 run. To open the second half, he displayed his defensive maturation and helped stymie numerous possessions as a helper.&nbsp;
When San Antonio trimmed the deficit to six with just under five minutes remaining, Ingram snapped a five-minute drought by scoring 6 of New Orleans&rsquo; next 8 points and pushing the lead back to double-digits. For stretches, the Spurs doubled him off of screens, and he seamlessly played the role of a waiter by finding teammates for quality shots.&nbsp;
Ingram's full complement of skills was evident, some of which he rapidly incorporated and were integral to the Pelicans&rsquo; renaissance. He thrived amid his first swim in the waters of postseason basketball.&nbsp;
If McCollum and Ingram were the offensive standouts, Herbert Jones is the unabashed, brilliant defensive standout of the night. Wiggling around screens and applying his 7-foot wingspan to disrupt shots, <a href="https://twitter.com/jackfrank_jjf/status/1514462137208356873?s=20&amp;t=exiOaJHeGESmdkeCybEMEQ">he hounded All-Star Dejounte Murray</a> en route to a 5-of-19 shooting game.&nbsp;
When opportunities arose offensively, he snagged them, knocking down a pair of triples and disappearing behind the defense as a cutter. Once a second-round rookie who played just three minutes in his NBA debut, Jones has, six months later, proven to be a legitimate All-Defensive Team candidate. He finished this game with 12 points, 5 boards, 3 dimes, 2 steals and 2 blocks. An All-Rookie nod awaits him and might come while he&rsquo;s starring defensively in a first-round series, justifiably playing heavy minutes for a team on the rise.&nbsp;
The tone-setters alongside Jones&rsquo; All-Defense exploits were stalwart big Jonas Valanciunas and undrafted rookie Jose Alvarado, who definitively declared that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLBPHnGviVI">yes, he can shoot</a>, in the grandest game of his life.
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With Jones discarding screens like second nature, Valanciunas&rsquo; astute positioning and strength as a drop defender further frustrated Murray in pick-and-rolls. He wielded active hands to disrupt the point guard&rsquo;s rhythm and when the contexts ventured outside of pick-and-rolls, Valanciunas influenced shots around the rim.
As the tension inside eased for him offensively, Valanciunas scored 12 of his 22 points in the third quarter and exited the period with New Orleans leading by 21. He was the Pelicans&rsquo; bedrock this season, playing 2,240 minutes (second-most on the team) and routinely buoying them on both sides of the ball.&nbsp;
When Ingram was sidelined, Valanciunas&rsquo; efficiency as a face-up and post hub carried the offense. If defenses loaded up against him, he sprayed passes to cutters and shooters. He molded his game to fill the shape of whatever holes existed on the roster, something he&rsquo;s done for years. Only a handful of NBA centers are better than Valanciunas. New Orleans does not reach this point without his steady, multifaceted contributions.&nbsp;
The Pelicans didn&rsquo;t just close Wednesday with one rookie in the lineup. They closed with two, as Alvarado usurped Jaxson Hayes for the final spot. He scored 12 points, splashed in three triples, blended in well off the ball offensively and snagged a steal, which led to perhaps the most dynamite portion of the first half.
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Electric sequence from the Pelicans. This team is a joy <a href="https://t.co/bqOCB4YJ1l">pic.twitter.com/bqOCB4YJ1l</a>
&mdash; Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) <a href="https://twitter.com/jackfrank_jjf/status/1514434151897726977?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Formerly a two-way player who didn&rsquo;t crack the rotation until January, Alvarado signed a four-year contract last month (with team options for the last three seasons, unfortunately). His point-of-attack chops defensively and downhill zeal offensively have ignited the Pelicans&rsquo; rotation.&nbsp;
He&rsquo;s emerged as their most important reserve guard. Advanced metrics adore him, and rightfully so. Head coach Willie Green&rsquo;s decision to roll with him down the stretch was a culmination of his play the past three months. Jose Alvarado won&rsquo;t just stick in the closing lineup Wednesday. He&rsquo;ll stick around the NBA for a while.
Collectively, Wednesday&rsquo;s game should be a celebration of the Pelicans' players and coaching staff. A 3-16 start with a remade roster and new coaching staff could bury a team. But everyone involved practiced fortitude. Whatever message Green preached to his players and staff resonated.&nbsp;
They climbed out of the 14th spot, in part because a first-year coach had the moxie and belief to tab two rookies as vital parts of the rotation. Not every coach would embrace that decision, especially one whose imprint is yet to solidify.&nbsp;
Regardless of how Friday&rsquo;s duel with the Los Angeles Clippers concludes, the Pelicans&rsquo; season is a success. Wednesday encapsulated the wide-ranging factors for that success. Everywhere you look, a different fan probably had a different reason to jubilantly clap their hands and voice their approval. It&rsquo;s why this New Orleans team is an absolute charm.&nbsp;
Basketball should be fun in a multitude of ways. That&rsquo;s exactly what these Pelicans are.&nbsp;
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The New Orleans Pelicans did not start the season looking like a playoff team, which is why their success is something to celebrate.

Wednesday was a celebration of how far the Pelicans have come

Jackson Frank breaks down the film and collaborates with Nekias Duncan and Mark Schindler to pick the 2021-22 All-NBA teams.

2021-22 All-NBA Teams: Praising this season's 15 best players

Is every NBA individual award still up for grabs?
Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo seem to one-up each other every single night in the MVP hunt. Suns head coach Monty Williams might be the front-runner for Coach of the Year, but Taylor Jenkins, Erik Spoelstra and Ime Udoka surely have cases. The battle for Most Improved Player is as wide-open as the criteria for the award itself. Perhaps the only trophy settled is Sixth Man of the Year, with Tyler Herro's latest 35-point outburst on Tuesday hammering another nail in the coffin.
Then, there's the Rookie of the Year race. The general consensus is that Scottie Barnes, Evan Mobley and Cade Cunningham have separated themselves from the pack. Yet, the factions for and against each rookie are building their walls as the three continue to raise their games in the spring.
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If you find yourself facing some overblown talking points about your favorite Rookie of the Year candidate, I've rounded up some numbers to help you oust and dispel some discourse circling around NBA conversations.
SCOTTIE BARNES, TORONTO RAPTORS
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Just thought we'd leave this highlight reel of the ROTY here 👀<a href="https://twitter.com/ScottBarnes561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ScottBarnes561</a> <a href="https://t.co/rSIUQjOZFs">pic.twitter.com/rSIUQjOZFs</a>
&mdash; x - Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) <a href="https://twitter.com/Raptors/status/1509956966675890178?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The narrative: Is his role big enough?
This is some garbage of a narrative anyway, but it feels like Barnes' case gets dimished because fans view him as a cog of the Toronto Raptors rather than a pillar. No, Barnes is not a one-way engine like his award competitors, and yes, he plays on a team with a superstar in Pascal Siakam, an All-Star in Fred VanVleet and a rising star in OG Anunoby. But Barnes' role in Toronto's surge to the Eastern Conference's top-six has been instrumental.&nbsp;
Since the All-Star break, Toronto has a clear Big Three in terms of passes per game: VanVleet (57.2), Siakam (55.6) and Barnes (54.2). Barnes ranks third among all rookies in passes per game on the season and first since the break &mdash; even ahead of Cunningham. 
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 186px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 76px;">
<td style="width: 9.25957%; height: 76px;">Category</td>
<td style="height: 76px;">Touches/Game (Season)</td>
<td style="height: 76px;">Touches/Game (post-ASB)</td>
<td style="height: 76px;">Passes/Game (Season)</td>
<td style="height: 76px;">Passes/Game (post-ASB)</td>
<td style="height: 76px;">
Mins/Game (season)
</td>
<td style="width: 4.63117%; height: 76px;">Mins/Game (post-ASB)</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 9.25957%; height: 22px;">Number</td>
<td style="height: 22px;">66.8</td>
<td style="height: 22px;">72.4</td>
<td style="height: 22px;">49.8</td>
<td style="height: 22px;">54.2</td>
<td style="height: 22px;">35.5</td>
<td style="width: 4.63117%; height: 22px;">35.7</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 44px;">
<td style="width: 9.25957%; height: 44px;">Raptors Rank</td>
<td style="height: 44px;">3rd</td>
<td style="height: 44px;">3rd</td>
<td style="height: 44px;">3rd</td>
<td style="height: 44px;">3rd</td>
<td style="height: 44px;">4th</td>
<td style="width: 4.63117%; height: 44px;">3rd</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 44px;">
<td style="width: 9.25957%; height: 44px;">Rookie Rank</td>
<td style="height: 44px;">3rd</td>
<td style="height: 44px;">2nd</td>
<td style="height: 44px;">3rd</td>
<td style="height: 44px;">1st</td>
<td style="height: 44px;">1st</td>
<td style="width: 4.63117%; height: 44px;">1st</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
(Mobile users scroll right to view the full table.)
Though Barnes has a comparatively low usage rate (18.8%) to his peers, this metric doesn't fully capture his involvement in the offense because it only incorporates play-ending events: shots, assists and turnovers. Furthermore, Evan Mobley is the only other rookie in a similarly-significant role for a playoff contender.
Then, on defense, Barnes takes on some of the heaviest loads of any player in basketball. In fact, he has the single-highest <a href="https://www.bball-index.com/defensive-versatility/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">positional defensive versatility</a> score of any player in BBall Index's database for this season.
The No. 4 pick contests over 37% of opponents' at-rim shot attempts when he's on the court; that ranks in the 89th percentile at his positional group. BBall Index lists his most frequent opposing matchups as "versatile bigs," "off-screen shooters," and "slashers." Barnes is integral to a Raptors defense that is top-10 on the season, and per Cleaning the Glass, it's No. 1 over the past two weeks.
Has he been as good of an individual defender as Mobley? No, but he's been pretty darn good for a rookie with a serious burden.
Barnes'&nbsp; impressive counting stats &mdash; including 17.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game with six double-doubles since the All-Star break &mdash; and Toronto's team success have put him in the race. His high-level finishing and rebounding rates give him another boost. Don't paint his success as a product of Toronto's balanced lineup, because that tosses aside the huge responsibility on the young forward's shoulders.
CADE CUNNINGHAM, DETROIT PISTONS
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
CADE CUNNINGHAM EYE MANIPULATION 🔥🔥🔥 I wish we had this from the bench view but COMPLETELY moves Brunson out of the way to get Stew an easy dunk <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pistons?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pistons</a> <a href="https://t.co/aggrjsYtlY">pic.twitter.com/aggrjsYtlY</a>
&mdash; Motor City Hoops (@MotorCityHoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/MotorCityHoops/status/1512064643283312644?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The narrative: Does he impact winning enough?
Well, the Pistons are 10-12 since the All-Star break, and 8-11 in those games when Cunningham plays with a young, poor-shooting, inexperienced roster, but let's add some more proof.
I'm generally not a huge impact-estimator fan, so we're going to skip the PERs, VORPs and Win Share stats of the world. What I do trust as noteworthy is that the Pistons are 5.5 points per 100 possessions better with Cunningham on the floor this season, per Cleaning the Glass.&nbsp;
Cunningham has created 27.8% of his team's assists, which is in the 99th percentile at his position. Approximately 13.3% of his passes have become assists; this ratio is 44th among 282 NBA players and in the ballpark of guys like LeBron James, Marcus Smart, Fred VanVleet and Nikola Jokic. That assist-to-pass ratio is up to 15.0% post-break, putting Cunningham 31st out of 331 qualifying players. Both rates are second among rookies behind only Davion Mitchell.
The top pick carries a ridiculous amount of weight as a creator in Detroit's offense. Cunningham is averaging 16.2 drives per game this season. Only 23% of his made field goals have come via assists, and only 37% of his total shots were assisted &mdash; both in the 97th percentile or higher at his position.&nbsp;
Even with his efficiency peaks and valleys, Cunningham has massively catalyzed one of the worst-shooting squads in the NBA and helped them reached competitive play. And if folks are still hung up on Detroit's overall record, remember that 2 of the last 12 ROTY winners have been on teams over .500.&nbsp;
EVAN MOBLEY, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
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Evan Mobley.... wtf man <a href="https://t.co/uvUACdY48C">pic.twitter.com/uvUACdY48C</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MSchindlerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSchindlerNBA/status/1503022995417280512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The narrative: Was his second half good enough?
Mobley was the a clear-cut best rookie through the first half of the season, so critics have resorted to focusing on his second half. And we don't need to sugarcoat that Mobley has struggled relative to his first half, plus he's missed the last five games with an ankle injury. However, he's still been a phenomenal rookie and overall player without his partner in crime, Jarrett Allen, for a large portion.&nbsp;
Since the All-Star break, Mobley has contested a whopping 9.2 shots within 6 feet of the rim, second only to Nikola Jokic. Opponents are shooting 61.8% against him &mdash; tied for 34th among 68 players (and second among rookies, behind Cunningham) &mdash; contesting at least five such shots per game. Is it a downturn from his 49.1% opponent clip (second in the NBA) from before the break? Sure, but it's still a very solid number for a rookie, and again, Mobley has had to take on different roles without Allen.
On the whole this season, opponents are 4.7% less efficient at the rim when Mobley is on the floor. That drop-off puts him in the 91st percentile among bigs, per Cleaning the Glass. Since Feb. 1, Mobley has a 2.2% block rate (74th percentile among bigs) and 3.2% foul rate (79th percentile among bigs).&nbsp;
His post-break per-game counting stats include 15.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. Mobley is receiving 8.4 paint touches per game, good for ninth in the league, and shooting 68.8% in the paint. These numbers aren't like the massive improvements we've seen from Cunningham and Barnes, but they're still very healthy totals.
To say that Mobley's late-season challenges have taken him out of the race is both untrue and lacking context. He's been tasked with so much more on a Cavaliers team that has struggled on the whole, and Mobley's still treaded water. Plus, it makes little sense from a philosophical standpoint to apply more weight to his "second half" (which isn't truly a half of the season) more than his dominant first half.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>Speaking of rookies: Keon Johnson has been fantastic recently. His jump shot was a major question mark on draft night, and it's looking phenomenal. I'll be tracking his growth in Portland.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
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We gotta talk about how Keon Johnson is hitting half of his pull-up threes post-ASB and 38.2% of his total threes with the Blazers. Shot is looking very very good <a href="https://t.co/IDZgtnVaXI">pic.twitter.com/IDZgtnVaXI</a>
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1511091211846750211?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2022</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>This is just a wild stat for the Tyrese Maxey agenda:</li>
</ul>
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Best single-season 3P% by player 21 or younger (min 290 3PA) per <a href="https://twitter.com/Stathead?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Stathead</a> <a href="https://t.co/m2S0Ei4xaC">https://t.co/m2S0Ei4xaC</a> <a href="https://t.co/06hxAdZ6fO">https://t.co/06hxAdZ6fO</a> <a href="https://t.co/I80kF36kQ5">pic.twitter.com/I80kF36kQ5</a>
&mdash; Mike Lynch (@SportInfo247) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportInfo247/status/1511703177078398984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2022</a></blockquote>
<ul>
<li class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">This is not a stat, but I wanted to sneak in my Rookie of the Year pick: I'm going with Scottie Barnes.</li>
</ul>
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Ethan Fuller has numbers to rebuke perceived weaknesses in the NBA Rookie of the Year race.

NBA Stats Notebook: Fighting narratives in the Rookie of the Year race

Every day, BasketballNews.com gives you NBA betting analysis before tip-off. Make sure you subscribe to our daily podcast, &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6zNxt0NQXPmKuryAdz89m0?si=1038d121100444fd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a>&nbsp;or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Without further ado, let&rsquo;s dive into our favorite NBA spread bets for Thursday's slate.
Toronto Raptors vs. Philadelphia 76ers (-2)
This is going to be a fun one in Toronto, folks. People continue to sleep on how good the Raptors truly are, especially noticing the late spread flip in favor Philadelphia. In the last 12 hours, the line has moved from Raptors -2 to Sixers -2. With plus money now on the table, hammer the home team here. Pascal Siakam is playing at an All-NBA level, plus Fred VanVleet and Scottie Barnes continue to step when called upon. Toronto pulls off another impressive victory in our forecast.
Pick: Raptors +2
Minnesota Timberwolves (-8) vs. San Antonio Spurs
In terms of stylistic matchups, Minnesota versus San Antonio is always entertaining. The Timberwolves want to run-and-gun with a blistering pace, which the Spurs can keep up with. San Antonio can slow it down as well, playing through their point guard ace in Dejounte Murray. As I mentioned this morning on SportsGrid, this feels like a game where Minnesota comes out and makes a statement.
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&nbsp;
&mdash; Thursday, April 07th San Antonio Spurs @ Minnesota Timberwolves</blockquote>

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Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards will be dynamite against the Spurs&rsquo; defense. Hammer an emphatic victory for the Timberwolves by double-digits.
Pick: Timberwolves -8
Denver Nuggets (-4.5) vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Who&rsquo;s ready for another masterpiece performance from Nikola Jokic tonight? The MVP is ready to capture the crown once more, and this feels like thew perfect time to make some jaws drop in Denver. Don&rsquo;t be surprised if Jokic puts up a 30-plus-point triple-double against the Grizzlies, who are already locked into the Western Conference&rsquo;s No. 2 playoff seed. As Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo continue to put up dominant numbers each game, Jokic needs to keep pace in the razor-thin MVP race. Lock-in the Nuggets to pull off the victory as they continue to build rhythm for a potentially deep playoff run.
Pick: Nuggets -4.5
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Who are the best bets for tonight's NBA games? We've got you covered!

Best Bets: BasketballNews' picks against the spread for 4/7/22

Pascal Siakam had 31 points and 13 rebounds, Scottie Barnes added 19 points and 14 rebounds, and the Toronto Raptors clinched a playoff berth by beating the Atlanta Hawks 118-108 on Tuesday night.
Chris Boucher scored 18 points, Gary Trent Jr. had 14, Fred VanVleet 12 and Precious Achiuwa 11. Toronto has won 12 of 16. This victory, coupled with Cleveland&rsquo;s loss at Orlando, ensured the Raptors (46-33) will finish no lower than sixth in the Eastern Conference.
Sixth place is the last guaranteed postseason spot, with teams finishing in the Nos. 7-10 spots headed for the play-in tournament.
Trae Young had 26 points and 15 assists for the Hawks, who lost for the first time in six games and locked themselves into a play-in berth. Atlanta (41-38) and Brooklyn are 1 1/2 games behind seventh-place Cleveland.
Kevin Huerter scored 21 points, De&rsquo;Andre Hunter had 20 and Bogdan Bogdanovic finished with 19. Clint Capela had 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Toronto led 102-92 after Barnes made a 3-pointer with 7:38 left in the fourth quarter, but Atlanta answered with a 10-0 run, tying it at 102-all on Young&rsquo;s basket with 4:29 remaining.
Young gave the Hawks their first lead of the fourth quarter by making one of two from the line with 2:53 to play, but Achiuwa made one to tie it and Barnes ended Toronto&rsquo;s drought of 5 minutes, 45 seconds by converting a putback layup with 1:53 to go.
After Bogdanovic missed a 3, VanVleet connected from distance for Toronto, giving the Raptors a 108-103 lead with just over a minute left.
Young scored nine points in the first and Toronto shot 0 for 8 from 3-point range as the Hawks led 31-27 after one quarter.
After 12 misses from distance to begin the game, Young connected on Toronto&rsquo;s first 3 with 1:12 left in the first half. Siakam scored 10 points in the second as the Raptors led 56-52 at the intermission.
Siakam scored 13 points in the third as Toronto took an 89-83 lead to the fourth.
TIP-INS
Hawks: F Danilo Gallinari sat because of a sore left knee. &hellip; Bogdanovic had nine rebounds.
Raptors: Coach Nick Nurse said F OG Anunoby&rsquo;s sore left thigh is &ldquo;much improved&rdquo; but held the injured forward out for a second straight game. &hellip; VanVleet had nine assists and Siakam had six.
UP NEXT
Hawks: Host Washington on Wednesday night
Raptors: Host Philadelphia on Thursday night.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Pascal Siakam had 31 points and 13 rebounds, Scottie Barnes added 19 points and the Raptors clinched a playoff berth.

Siakam has 31 as Raptors beat Hawks to clinch playoff spot

For years, when people debated an NBA team's best players, they'd often focus on the squad's scoring hierarchy. However, over time, we&rsquo;ve seen players like <a href="https://www.one37pm.com/strength/sports/lamelo-ball-jason-kidd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jason Kidd</a> and Ben Wallace lead teams to great success by providing impact outside of the &ldquo;points&rdquo; section of the traditional box score.
So naturally, this got me thinking: in today&rsquo;s analytically friendly basketball world, how indicative is a rudimentary stat like points per game (PPG) of a team's best player?
To answer this question, I tracked each team&rsquo;s PPG leader for the last three seasons and matched that up against that team's leaders in five one-number metrics (<a href="https://backpicks.com/metrics/historical/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Backpicks BPM</a>, <a href="https://www.bball-index.com/lebron-database/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LEBRON</a>, <a href="https://dunksandthrees.com/epm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EPM</a>, <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/nba-player-ratings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RAPTOR</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://app.cerebrosports.com/portal?tab=Players" target="_blank" rel="noopener">C-RAM</a>).&nbsp;For the sake of this study, the player who led the team in the most of these catch-all statistics in a given season was considered that team's best player.
All of the raw data can be found&nbsp;<a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12mQO4tf8E9fcldAQ-KqXZVxqvNsIJIRA8vyhjTNX7fQ/edit#gid=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
GUIDELINES
For a player's season to be eligible for our exercise, said player must have started at least 45 games for that team during that particular season. That player also could not have been traded at any point during that year.
These restrictions disqualified five teams &mdash; the Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic &mdash; because they didn&rsquo;t roster a single player who fit this criterion and who averaged at least 13 PPG. I felt it would be best to remove them from the collection process to avoid any extra noise.&nbsp;
Before we dive deeper into what I found, there are a few caveats I want to make here. First, all the data was entered manually, and while it was done so meticulously, one must always account for human error. Two, one-number metrics are a useful tool but far from an end-all-be-all when it comes to player evaluation. For instance, I would say Pascal Siakam has been better than Fred VanVleet this year, but many of the metrics I cited would say otherwise. And lastly, the sample size is solid but could always be larger.
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RESULTS&nbsp;
Out of the 85 case studies (yeah, that&rsquo;s what we&rsquo;re calling them) from 2019-22, there were 57 (~67.1%) where a single player was listed as both the team&rsquo;s best player and overall leader in PPG. So, based on this sample, more often than not, a team&rsquo;s best scorer also doubled as their best player.
Here are several other interesting takeaways from the data:
&bull; Only six players have led their teams in all five of the one-number metrics in each of the last three seasons: Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jimmy Butler, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
&bull; These metrics love Jonas Valanciunas, who scored higher than Ja Morant in all five of the advanced stats in their two seasons together. Plus, Valanciunas has scored higher than Brandon Ingram this season in Backpicks BPM, C-RAM, LEBRON and RAPTOR WAR.
&bull; All five of the one-number metrics had Mitchell Robinson as the Knicks' best player, offering a reminder that these metrics tend to love shot-blockers and aren't the end-all-be-all when it comes to talent evaluation.
However, what I found most interesting after all this digging was the circumstances surrounding the 28 examples that didn&rsquo;t fit in this paradigm. With the exception of the 2019-20 Pacers and the 2020-21 Kings (which is ironic given their recent trade), the other 26 case studies fit in at least one of three categories.&nbsp;
By keying in on these categories, we can better understand some of the variables that come into play when assessing who the best players are.
Category 1: Paired with a Two-way Big
Members: Cole Anthony (2021-22), Malcolm Brogdon (2020-21), DeMar DeRozan (2019-20), De&rsquo;Aaron Fox (2020-21), Darius Garland (2021-22), Brandon Ingram (2021-22), Donovan Mitchell (three times), Ja Morant (twice) and Trae Young (2020-21)
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-03-31-at-7-13-48-pm_lg.png" alt="" width="601" height="234" />
This category is made up primarily of guards/lead initiators whose contributions on offense are not large enough to outweigh the (mostly) minimal value they offer on the defensive side of the floor. These players didn't bring enough to the table on defense in their respective seasons to outweigh the two-way impact of their big-men counterparts.
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Category 2: Paired with the Hybrid Playmaker/Scorer
Members: Devin Booker (twice), Miles Bridges (21-22), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (19-20), Pascal Siakam (three times)
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-03-31-at-6-53-21-pm_lg.png" alt="" width="600" height="141" />
I like to think about this category as the <a href="https://fansided.com/2022/03/15/phoenix-suns-pick-and-roll-defense/">Devin Booker/Chris Paul</a> category. Yes, Booker is the scorer, but Paul&rsquo;s playmaking combined with his scoring sets him over the top. No matter how good of a player you are, if you&rsquo;re playing in a good offense, the open shots you create for your teammates are always going to be more efficient. The players in this category are all flanked by guards who create advantages and make plays for others.
Category 3: Young Scorer on Bad/Injured Team
Members: Cade Cunningham (21-22), Spencer Dinwiddie (19-20), Jerami Grant (20-21), Reggie Jackson (21-22), and Kyle Kuzma (21-22)
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-03-31-at-6-55-46-pm_lg.png" alt="" width="599" height="108" />
These players are all younger guys (or at least young to the world of being an offensive number one) who get a ton of scoring opportunities because more suitable offensive alternatives don&rsquo;t necessarily exist. Unfortunately, their inexperience in this new role and lack of gravity-bending teammates lead to them being relatively inefficient, which bogs down their overall impact on the floor.&nbsp;
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 83.6814%; height: 132px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 7.36986%; height: 22px;">Name</td>
<td style="width: 19.9016%; height: 22px;">Relative True Shooting</td>
<td style="width: 22.5898%; height: 22px;">Team Offensive Rating</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 7.36986%; height: 22px;">Cunningham</td>
<td style="width: 19.9016%; height: 22px;">-5.9</td>
<td style="width: 22.5898%; height: 22px;">28th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 7.36986%; height: 22px;">Dinwiddie</td>
<td style="width: 19.9016%; height: 22px;">-2.4</td>
<td style="width: 22.5898%; height: 22px;">22nd</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 7.36986%; height: 22px;">Grant</td>
<td style="width: 19.9016%; height: 22px;">-1.6</td>
<td style="width: 22.5898%; height: 22px;">26th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 7.36986%; height: 22px;">Jackson&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 19.9016%; height: 22px;">-7.5</td>
<td style="width: 22.5898%; height: 22px;">26th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 7.36986%; height: 22px;">Kuzma</td>
<td style="width: 19.9016%; height: 22px;">-1.7</td>
<td style="width: 22.5898%; height: 22px;">21st</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Overall, it's neat that foundational counting measures often provide a bit of a shortcut to identifying the best player on a given team. But one must not get lost in the sauce and forget to examine the circumstances surrounding each team's context because, after all, in our line of work, you can't afford to be wrong one-third of the time!
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How often is a team's scoring leader also their best player? Mat Issa looks back at data from the last three NBA seasons to find out.

NBA Study: Is the top scorer typically the best player on the team?

We're nearing the end of the NBA regular season, which means award ballots will be due pretty soon. And because award ballots will be due pretty soon, the conversation around who deserves what award or team selection will ramp up.
We've seen recent pushes for Devin Booker (and to a lesser extent, Jayson Tatum) to get MVP love; Pascal Siakam is making a compelling case for an All-NBA forward slot, while his rookie companion Scottie Barnes is, at worst, making a serious push for Rookie of the Year. The Defensive Player of the Year award competition seems very much in the air right now.
These conversations fluctuate between fun, informative, nauseating and flat-out toxic &mdash; please check any and all xenophobia at the door, for example &mdash; but the conversations happen for a reason. We're watching (and hopefully enjoying!) the best men-ballers in the world, and want them to be rewarded for their excellence. It's a status thing, as well as a legacy thing, once you zoom out to Hall-of-Fame or GOAT talks.
As someone who doesn't have a ballot (email me whenever you're ready, NBA), I generally love digging into the awards. On the flip side, my level of care for it leads to frustration. While it would be unrealistic and unwise for everyone to follow the exact same rubric, the lack of consensus from the league and/or voters on key factors can get bothersome.&nbsp;
Heading into the final two weeks of the season, I have a few questions that I think the voting pool should come to a general understanding on, even if the selections themselves differ.
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HOW AVAILABLE DO PLAYERS NEED TO BE?
Before digging into specific award questions, I don't think there's a more pressing issue than this one. The combination of injuries and COVID absences have ravaged the NBA over the past couple of seasons. It's hard to blame&nbsp;a player for missing games due to either, but you have to split hairs once award time comes.
I think the voting choices could be made a little easier if there was a baseline expectation in terms of games played or minutes played. For my personal, fictitious ballot, I filtered for 70% of games played last season. I dropped that threshold to 60% this year in light of how wild the absences were at the beginning of the season.
Whatever the marker is &mdash; 50 games, 2,000 minutes &mdash; having something objective in place to limit the pool off rip could be beneficial.&nbsp;
"Voter X" doesn't hate your team and shouldn't get death threats in their DMs; your favorite player simply missed half the season. Sorry!
WHAT TO DO ABOUT NIKOLA JOKIC AND JOEL EMBIID?
The MVP conversation is exhausting enough; they're both worthy candidates for different reasons. It would not &mdash; NOT &mdash; be a "robbery" if Embiid beats out Jokic, or if Jokic beats Embiid. You can disagree, but they've been two of the top three players in the league all year long.&nbsp;
The more pressing concern comes with All-NBA voting. As mentioned, Jokic and Embiid have been two of the top three players in the league this season. They also play the same position (center); more importantly, that is the&nbsp;only&nbsp;position those two have played.
I don't love Basketball-Reference's position estimates because they seem to be height-based more than role-based, but it's telling that Embiid and Jokic have played 100% of their minutes at the 5 by their tally. That number was at 99% for Jokic last season, but reasonable folks are not giving Jokic the forward/center designation because he played 37 seconds with Bol Bol.
But yet, here we are, with Jokic and Embiid being eligible at forward for All-NBA voting.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Small note: I&rsquo;m told that both Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid will be eligible at both forward and center on the All-NBA vote. So both players can make first-team.
&mdash; Mike Singer (@msinger) <a href="https://twitter.com/msinger/status/1507771123806601216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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On the surface, it's a welcome loophole to give both players the First Team selection they deserve. Zoom in even a small percentage, and you'll see that it's a level of fudging that royally screws a forward on the third team. The debate then becomes: Has the NBA's fourth-best center (Rudy Gobert?) been better than the NBA's sixth-best forward (Siakam? Jimmy Butler?). And... probably not? But that shouldn't be the discussion to begin with.
I know, you know, we know that Jokic and Embiid are not forwards in the slightest. If you want to get into the role-played discussion, why is Jokic more of a forward than a guard? Explain it to me like I'm 5.
If you have Jokic over Embiid for MVP, you're admitting Embiid has been the second-best center in the NBA. The inverse is true if you're voting for Embiid. There are some positional gray areas to sort through this year (hi DeMar DeRozan and Luka Doncic); there is no debate about what position Jokic and Embiid play.
The&nbsp;real&nbsp;solution here is for the NBA to change the ballot, either going completely positionless or using the All-Star game format (two backcourt, three frontcourt). I've seen a middle ground mentioned &mdash; two backcourt, two frontcourt, one wild card &mdash; and I'd be cool with that.&nbsp;
Until then, my take is to make the tough choice. One of Embiid or Jokic should be the Second Team center &mdash; because they're centers.
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HOW MUCH SHOULD DEFENSE MATTER FOR ROOKIE AWARDS?
This has been heavily debated due to the outlier (at least until recently) production of Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley.&nbsp;
In years past, Rookie of the Year has mostly been the "who has the best per-game stats" award. Naturally, guards (or wings) have the leg up because they have the ball in their hands; Blake Griffin (2011) and Karl-Anthony Towns (2016) are the only bigs to win the award in the last 15 years.
Mobley has a good enough case with numbers &mdash; roughly 15 points and 8 rebounds with 2.5 stocks (steals plus blocks) is nothing to sneeze at &mdash; but the foundation of his case has been what he's been able to do on the non-glamour end.&nbsp;
He hasn't just been rookie-good; he's made a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/defensive-awards-and-a-celebration-of-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">legit All-Defense case</a> for his work this season. There's been slippage as of late, a natural byproduct of the team falling apart around him (bye Jarrett Allen), but his unique skill set unlocks a lot of what the Cavs have done from a scheme perspective.&nbsp;
While acknowledging that Mobley gets fair usage as an elbow or handoff hub, it's still fair to dub him as a play-finisher. That's in contrast to Barnes, who's had to wear a multitude of hats offensively, and the show-running that Cade Cunningham has assumed in Detroit (with the worst roster context among the serious ROY candidates).&nbsp;
It's become a sort of fundamental debate: Do you value the on-ball responsibility or the defensive aptitude more?
I don't like that question &mdash; too broad for my taste &mdash; but I'd like to get to a point where the defense is factored in, period, before getting to where it's valued in relation to that.
(As an aside: On March 14, I tweeted that I <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1503403710579359749?s=20&amp;t=ewDkbXyUS_MbRcFjhASW_g" target="_blank" rel="noopener">didn't see a real case</a> for a non-Mobley guy to win the award to that point. Barnes has thoroughly shut me up in that time frame; 16-7-5-1-1 while taking on a multitude of tough defensive assignments is pretty darn impressive. Toronto's 6-2 record helps too. I'll take my L.)
WHY CAN'T JA MORANT WIN THE MOST IMPROVED PLAYER AWARD?
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This was a question born from a <a href="https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1YpKkZnAlRPxj?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter Space held by the Basketball News staff </a>on Friday. There seems to be a pretty common sentiment that a player of Ja Morant's stature &mdash; an All-Star, easy All-NBA candidate and fringe MVP candidate &mdash; has been too good&nbsp;to win Most Improved, especially within the context of his draft selection.
I'm not saying Morant would be my choice; to be transaparent, I had Miles Bridges as my front-runner when discussing this on The Dunker Spot (<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dunker-spot/id1547857052" target="_blank" rel="noopener">subscribe</a>!), and I want to take the next week or so to solidify my selections.&nbsp;
But the logic doesn't track for me. If the award is "Most Improved", the criteria should be "who improved the most." If the answer if Morant, who has taken substantial statistical leaps and has improved in virtually every area of his game, why should he be disqualified off rip?
If the spirit of the award is "who made the most unexpected leap", then I'd like for that to be agreed upon and carried out moving forward.&nbsp;
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Nekias Duncan poses key questions to voters ahead of NBA award season.

Laying out 4 questions that need to be answered before NBA award time

Every day,&nbsp;BasketballNews.com&nbsp;gives you NBA betting analysis before tip-off. Make sure you subscribe to our daily podcast &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6zNxt0NQXPmKuryAdz89m0?si=1038d121100444fd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a>&nbsp;or wherever you listen to podcasts. This season, &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; is up thousands of dollars on PrizePicks.
Without further ado, let&rsquo;s dive into our favorite NBA betting plays for Monday's slate.
Charlotte Hornets vs. Denver Nuggets (-3.5)
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The Charlotte Hornets have a forecast 69% chance to win against The Denver Nuggets with a spread of -8.5/8.5 and an over/under of 230.0. The Charlotte Hornets are 1 - 0 against The Denver Nuggets in the 2021-22 Season.
&mdash; Monday, March 28th Denver Nuggets @ Charlotte Hornets</blockquote>

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This is such an underrated game for Monday&rsquo;s slate with the Nuggets and Hornets squaring off in Charlotte. The Hornets played spoiler on Sunday by beating the Nets in Kyrie Irving&rsquo;s home debut. Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic continues to carry the Nuggets in the Western Conference. In this one, we love the Nuggets simply due to the mismatch Jokic presents against Charlotte&rsquo;s bigs. Expect a monster MVP-type outing from Jokic, so hammer Denver here.
Pick: Nuggets -3.5
PrizePicks Power Play: Nikola Jokic over 27.5 points, LaMelo Ball over 20.5 points, Mason Plumlee over 7.5 rebounds, Aaron Gordon over 5.5 rebounds
Toronto Raptors (-7.5) vs. Boston Celtics
Losing Robert Williams is such a crushing blow to the resurgent Celtics, who now suddenly sit at No. 1 in the Eastern Conference standings. Going up against the Raptors right now is a worst-case scenario for the Celtics, especially with all of the injury concerns. Quietly, Toronto continues to rise in the East. Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet should have their way in this matchup as well. Confidently wager on the Raptors to win comfortably on Monday night.
Pick: Raptors -7.5
PrizePicks Power Play: Pascal Siakam over 22.5 points, Fred VanVleet over 18.5 points, Derrick White over 16.5 points, Grant Williams over 6.5 rebounds
New York Knicks vs. Chicago Bulls (-3.5)
If you&rsquo;re looking for a game to watch with a lot of points, this is the perfect one to place money on from a betting perspective. The Knicks are one of the most inconsistent teams in the NBA, but their duo of RJ Barrett and Julius Randle can keep up when they get going on the offensive end. Chicago is trying to finally find its footing again, and maybe a game in Madison Square Garden is the perfect antidote. Behind big outings from DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, lock in a cover from the Bulls.
Pick: Bulls -3.5
PrizePicks Power Play: RJ Barrett over 24.5 points, DeMar DeRozan over 23.5 points, Zach LaVine over 23.5 points, Julius Randle over 21.5 points
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Who are the best bets for tonight's NBA games? Which players should you target in daily fantasy? We've got you covered!

Best Bets: BasketballNews' picks and fantasy advice for 3/28/22

TORONTO (AP) &mdash; Pascal Siakam scored 23 points and the Toronto Raptors routed the depleted Indiana Pacers 131-91 on Saturday night in a game delayed 70 minutes in the first half because of a speaker fire that forced the evacuation of fans.
Scottie Barnes added 19 points, Precious Achiuwa 18, OG Anunoby 16, Chris Boucher 15 and Thad Young 11 as the Raptors posted their biggest margin of victory this season.
Oshae Brissett led Indiana with 21 points. Justin Anderson had 18, Jalen Smith 15 and Buddy Hield 14. The Pacers have lost three straight and five of seven.
No one from the sellout crowd of 19,800 was around at end to see Toronto move past Cleveland into sole possession of sixth place in the Eastern Conference after the Cavaliers lost 98-94 in Chicago. The Raptors are one game behind the fifth-place Bulls with eight games remaining.
Sixth place is the last guaranteed postseason spot, with teams finishing in the Nos. 7-10 spots headed for the play-in tournament.
In the first quarter, two sections of fans behind the basket at the east end of the stadium were cleared and Toronto Fire Services personnel could be seen in the empty aisles, staring at the ceiling.
&ldquo;I was like, &lsquo;Jeez, I wonder why they didn&rsquo;t sell those seats tonight?&rsquo; That was my first thing,&rdquo; Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. &ldquo;Then I saw the firemen standing there.&rdquo;
Later, another section was cleared as play continued. Before long, video surfaced on social media of flames coming out from a speaker hanging above the stands.
Pacers acting head coach Lloyd Pierce said he spoke to lead official Zach Zarba about the acrid smell coming from the burning speaker.
&ldquo;You could definitely smell it,&rdquo; Pierce said. &ldquo;By the time (the game) stopped the smell was tough.
&ldquo;Fifteen years for me, probably the most bizarre situation that we&rsquo;ve been in for a game,&rdquo; Pierce added.
During a timeout, public address announcer Herbie Kuhn announced that the arena was being evacuated at the order of Toronto Fire Services, telling booing fans that the game had been suspended.
Players headed to their locker rooms with 4:05 left in the second quarter and the Raptors leading 66-38.
Brissett, who is from Toronto, had a large crowd of people on hand to watch him play at home but they all had to leave.
&ldquo;I got a whole bunch of texts from friends, family,&rdquo; Brissett said. &ldquo;They were really mad.&rdquo;
During the delay, two workers using ropes and harnesses hung from the ceiling and sprayed a fire extinguisher at the problematic speaker.
Remaining ushers and arena security staff cheered when the Raptors returned to warm up for the restart. The halftime break was cut from 15 minutes to 7 1/2 minutes, and players did not leave the court during the intermission.
&ldquo;It was crazy,&rdquo; Achiuwa said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never been in a game like that.&rdquo;
Toronto guard Fred VanVleet, who missed two games earlier this month because of a sore right knee, did not return following the restart.
This was the latest instance of fan-free basketball for the Raptors, who played to no more than a few hundred fans at home games between Dec. 31 and Mar. 1 because of Ontario government restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anunoby and Siakam combined for 22 points in the first, one more than the Pacers had as a team, and Toronto closed the quarter with a 23-5 spurt to lead 41-21.
&ldquo;We definitely came out really flat,&rdquo; Brissett said.
Ahead 66-38 when the game was suspended, Toronto led 74-46 at halftime.
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HURTING PACERS
Indiana guard Malcolm Brogdon (conditioning) sat for the fourth straight game, while guard Chris Duarte (left big toe) missed his fifth straight, and forward Isaiah Jackson (headache) missed his second straight. The Pacers were also without center Goga Bitadze, who sat because of a sore right foot.
CHECKING ON COACH
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle missed his second straight game for personal reasons. Pierce said he&rsquo;d checked in with Carlisle since a loss Thursday night at Memphis.
&ldquo;We just keep it professional, but he&rsquo;s doing well,&rdquo; Pierce said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s concerned about us but we&rsquo;re concerned about him as well.&rdquo;
SIX PACK
Toronto is 15-4 when six or more players score in double digits.
TIP-INS
Pacers: Smith returned after missing the past two games because of a non-COVID illness. &hellip; Indiana is 9-29 on the road. The Pacers went 3-5 away from home in March.
Raptors: G Gary Trent Jr. (left big toe) sat for the third straight game but is &ldquo;pretty close&rdquo; to a return, Nurse said. &hellip; Signed G Armoni Brooks to a multi-year contract. Brooks had previously signed two 10-day contracts with Toronto.
UP NEXT
Pacers: Host Atlanta on Monday night.
Raptors: Host Boston on Monday night.

Siakam scored 23 and the Raptors routed the Pacers 131-91 in a game delayed due to a speaker fire that forced fans to evacuate.