https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/nba-logos/det.png

Pistons

The Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat renew their playoff rivalry when they meet yet again in the playoffs. The two teams have faced each other three times (2020, 2022, 2023) over the past four postseason actions, with Miami having the advantage overall (2-1).
This year, the Celtics come in as the no.1 overall seed in the East while the Heat match them up as the no.8 seed. However, coming into these playoffs, there will be no expectations for Miami after learning their superstar Jimmy Butler would be out for at least several weeks following his knee injury in their play-in game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
They will be up against a dominant Celtics team that finished the regular season with a 64-18 record and the third-highest net rating of all time at 11.8, just behind the legendary Chicago Bulls teams led by the one and only Michael Jordan.
The Heat have faced the Celtics multiple times over the years and they now probably know some ways to effectively stop them, having schemes to try and limit their offensive executions as well as throwing some counters on offense to have their defense off-balanced.
Without Butler, this would be an uphill climb for Miami after what has been a roller coaster season for them and now facing their rivals who have become overwhelming favorites in this series.
However, there might be some things the Heat could do to make the dominant Celtics bleed a little for them to win some games (or even eventually win the series). Here&rsquo;s a look at those moves:
Duncan Robinson should play more
Along with Butler, Miami is coming into the series also without guards Terry Rozier and Josh Richardson due to their respective injuries. Without those three, the Heat&rsquo;s guard rotation has taken a significant hit with Tyler Herro, Delon Wright, and even forward Caleb Martin having to take a much bigger load offensively.
Enter Duncan Robinson.
Despite his usual suspect defense that has him riding the bench in the playoffs, coach Erik Spoelstra and the Heat could use his gravity as a shooter against the Celtics. Robinson has also steadily improved his playmaking this season, averaging a career-best 2.8 assists for the year. A better effort defensively has also made him a passable team defender, and he can hold his own against some players.
Gone are the days when the only option for Robinson was dribble handoffs for his threes as he has now shown the ability to attack off the catch and even developed the ability to make plays out of those dribble handoffs. Robinson is not the same player that he was before, expanding his game from being just more than a shooter to now being a secondary or third playmaker.
To further hide his defensive deficiencies and lessen the possible mishaps when he&rsquo;s on the floor, Robinson can be set up to match some of the Celtics&rsquo; easiest covers like Sam Hauser for both of their minutes. Robinson could come in at the same time as Hauser to match him up shot for shot, match his production from the three-point line, and try to see it from there.
The Heat should matchup-hunt and punish the Celtics&rsquo; average at-best defenders&nbsp;
Another thing that the Heat could do to tarnish the Celtics&rsquo; seemingly impenetrable team is to target their average-at-best defenders Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, and Luke Kornet. The Heat should hunt for Pritchard and Hauser on switches when they&rsquo;re on the floor and make them near to unplayable. They should also ask for switches on the high pick and roll with Kornet to leave him on an island at the top of the key. If they do this, the Heat could create two on-the-ball advantages that would be very useful in getting other guys open.
Miami has lineups that can exploit these players. Rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr., a prolific post-up player, could hunt Pritchard for post-ups, and then the Heat could surround him with shooters and short-roll decision-makers. If Boston sends two to the ball to help, it is an easy kick out to the open man and now the Heat have a chance to hit their wide-open looks.
If these players do end up getting played off the floor, the Celtics&rsquo; rotation will shrink and their top six guys will have to work as much as they can, exerting more effort than they should and usually do, and then maybe they&rsquo;ll tire out &ndash; which could be largely beneficial for the Heat in the long run. This is when the Heat&rsquo;s depth could come in handy &ndash; when Boston would need to rely only on their top six guys to win games.
Jaime Jaquez would need to be big
Despite being a rookie, Jaquez is about to shoulder a bigger load than he should be, and even with the daunting expectations, he should &ndash; or at least he needs to &ndash; match them.&nbsp;
Will he be able to exceed expectations and perform what&rsquo;s expected of him? That remains to be seen. But if there&rsquo;s any indication from this season with the way he played and carried himself throughout the year, this rookie would step up to the plate.&nbsp;
In the final play in vs Chicago, Jaquez had 21 points on 6 rebounds and 6 assists, leading the Heat to the 8th seed. He scored in a variety of ways, including threes, hard drives to the rim, post-ups, and fadeaway jumpers &ndash; reminiscent of Butler&rsquo;s game.
However, without Butler, Jaquez would have to carry a much bigger load as he will be asked to be one of the main threats. Last year Butler&rsquo;s masterclass saved them vs the much-favored Bucks and Celtics, but now that they don&rsquo;t have him, the Heat would need production from everyone in this series with little to no room for errors or any mental mistakes.&nbsp;
It might be too much to ask for a rookie to handle these kinds of situations, but Jaquez should be equipped and ready for the challenge as Miami enters this series vs Boston.

There will be no expectations for Miami after learning Jimmy Butler would be out for at least several weeks following his knee injury.

2024 NBA Playoffs: How the Heat could make the Celtics bleed

After a long four-month offseason, the 2023-24 NBA season officially kicks off on October 24. Preseason action is currently underway, with teams evaluating their roster and getting ready for the start of the regular season.
There were a few roster rule changes of note this offseason that were introduced as part of the new CBA. Now, each team can sign up to three two-way players (up from two) who are able to play up to 50 games with their NBA team and spend the rest of their season in the G League. Also, offseason rosters were originally limited to 20 players but have since increased to 21.&nbsp;
Each team needs to be at 15 standard contracts prior to the start of the season, which means a few players on guaranteed deals will have to be cut prior to the season. While some teams have a pretty set roster, others (like the Oklahoma City Thunder) will be forced to part ways with talented players to reach their roster limit.&nbsp;
Looking at the Atlantic Division, let's see how each team&rsquo;s lineup is shaping up and what questions they may need to answer before the start of the season.
(This is part one of a six-part series, with more divisional previews coming soon).
<h1>BOSTON CELTICS</h1>
Outside of the top-six players, who will be the most reliable depth option?
After acquiring Jrue Holiday, the Boston Celtics may have the best top-six of any team in the league. While we can add the Holiday trade to their list of aggressive offseason transactions, their depth has taken somewhat of a step back.&nbsp;
They will have to replace four rotation players from last year&rsquo;s Conference Finals team with a few players who don&rsquo;t have much experience in playoff situations. Three players who should definitely see more minutes are Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet. Pritchard has played well on both ends of the floor when given an opportunity, notably shooting 40% from three-point range over his first three seasons. The Celtics rewarded him with a team-friendly extension that should see him take up about 5% of the salary cap over the next four years. Hauser has also been a stellar three-point shooter, knocking down 42% since coming into the league.&nbsp;
The frontcourt is probably the most notable weakness on the team&rsquo;s depth chart. Joe Mazzulla has expressed confidence that <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/2023/10/7/23907608/boston-celtics-depth-sam-hauser-luke-kornet-payton-pritchard-joe-mazzulla-blake-griffin-bus-one-boys" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kornet should be successful on both ends of the floor and will be their go-to backup center to start the season.</a> The preseason will be important in determining who else (i.e. Oshae Brissett, Jordan Walsh, Svi Mykhailiuk, etc.) may stand out for Mazzulla and get an opportunity for playing time behind Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
The Celtics have the least amount of players on guaranteed contracts in the league (10). However, their roster for opening night is likely set unless they want to open up flexibility to sign other veteran players or buyout candidates later this season. If they choose to cut someone, it would very likely be a player on a non-guaranteed deal. Mykhailiuk and Dalano Banton each have a partial $200,000 guarantee that increases to over $1,000,000 if they make the roster. Kornet, Wenyen Gabriel and Lamar Stevens all have non-guaranteed contracts.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 19 players (10 guaranteed, 2 partially guaranteed, 3 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 1 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Jrue Holiday, G/F Jaylen Brown, F Jayson Tatum, F/C Al Horford, F/C Kristaps Porzingis
Projected Rotation Players: G Derrick White, G Payton Pritchard, C Luke Kornet (non-guaranteed), F Sam Hauser, F Oshae Brissett
Projected Reserves: F Jordan Walsh, G/F Svi Mykhailiuk ($200K guaranteed), F Wenyen Gabriel (non-guaranteed), G Dalano Banton ($200K guaranteed), F Lamar Stevens (non-guaranteed)
Projected Two-Way Players: C Neemias Queta, G JD Davison, G Jay Scrubb (Injured)
Projected Roster Cuts: G DJ Steward (Exhibit-10)
<h1>BROOKLYN NETS</h1>
What is Ben Simmons' role?
Ben Simmons has only played 42 games since being acquired by the Nets in February 2022, dealing with physical and psychological hurdles that have made him somewhat of an afterthought. Head coach Jacque Vaughn has expressed confidence that Simmons is now 100% healthy and ready to contribute again at a high level.&nbsp;
He seems to be penciled in as the team&rsquo;s starting point guard, starting in the Nets&rsquo; first preseason game. Though it was just a small 14-minute sample size, Simmons looked a lot like his former All-Star self. Having not played since February 15, he looked athletic, aggressive and confident before sitting out the second half.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He attacked the rim, I think he played with pace, looked pretty natural out there getting up and down the floor, communicating with guys into the flow of the game,&rdquo; Vaughn said, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/10/10/ben-simmons-passes-eye-test-in-nets-preseason-opener/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">praising his $38-million man</a>. &ldquo;Really good to see.&rdquo;
Vaughn has some options when it comes to starting lineups where he could go smaller, with a backcourt of Simmons and Spencer Dinwiddie, or decide to start Dorian Finney-Smith and use Mikal Bridges as a big two-guard.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
Darius Bazley, Harry Giles and Trendon Watford are all on non-guaranteed deals and are vying for the final two roster spots. The Nets also have an open two-way spot, which I believe they could potentially use on a player like <a href="https://www.si.com/college/tennessee/mens-basketball/kennedy-chandler-starring-in-nba-summer-league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Summer League standout</a> and former Memphis Grizzlies second-rounder Kennedy Chandler.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 18 players (13 guaranteed, 3 non-guaranteed, 2 two-way)
Projected Starters: G/F Ben Simmons, G Spencer Dinwiddie, F Mikal Bridges, F Cameron Johnson, C Nicolas Claxton
Projected Rotation Players: F Dorian Finney-Smith, F Royce O&rsquo;Neale, G Cameron Thomas, G Dennis Smith Jr., C Day&rsquo;Ron Sharpe
Projected Reserves: G/F Lonnie Walker IV, C Noah Clowney, F Dariq Whitehead, F Darius Bazley (Non-Guaranteed), C Harry Giles (Non-Guaranteed)
Projected Two-way Players: G Armoni Brooks, F Jalen Wilson, G Kennedy Chandler* (Projected Signing)
Projected Roster Cuts: F Trendon Watford (Non-Guaranteed)
<h1>NEW YORK KNICKS</h1>
Who will be the first option off the bench?
New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau has his fair share of options to headline his second unit. In his third year, Immanuel Quickley had his best season to date, finishing as the runner-up for the Sixth Man of the Year award behind Malcolm Brogdon. Quickley was the primary scorer for the second unit, but he shouldn&rsquo;t have to carry the entire load on offense with the addition of Donte DiVincenzo.&nbsp;
DiVincenzo impressed last season with the Golden State Warriors as a reliable bench shooter and should spot minutes for Quentin Grimes and R.J. Barrett when offensive pushes are needed. Josh Hart could also be the team&rsquo;s sixth man, just like he was during the Knicks&rsquo; playoff run. After being traded from Portland, Hart averaged 30 minutes per game despite coming off the bench most of the time. It is worth noting the Knicks-Villanova connection between Hart, DiVincenzo and Jalen Brunson, who should fit seamlessly together on the floor thanks to their pre-existing chemistry. While unlikely to be the first off the bench, Isaiah Hartenstein also deserves mention since he has been one of the league&rsquo;s better backup centers and could see more time if Mitchell Robinson gets in foul trouble. In terms of rotation issues, Thibodeau should see this as a good problem to have regardless of who he brings off the bench first.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
The Knicks have three spots up for grabs between Ryan Arcidiacono, DaQuan Jeffries, Isaiah Roby and Duane Washington Jr. All are on non-guaranteed deals that won&rsquo;t be fully guaranteed until the league-wide guarantee date on January 10.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (12 guaranteed, 4 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Jalen Brunson, G Quentin Grimes, G/F R.J. Barrett, F Julius Randle, C Mitchell Robinson
Projected Rotation Players: G Josh Hart, G Immanuel Quickley, G Donte DiVincenzo, C Isaiah Hartenstein, G Miles McBride
Projected Reserves: G Evan Fournier, C Jericho Sims, F Isaiah Roby (non-guaranteed), G Ryan Arcidiacono (non-guaranteed), G/F DaQuan Jeffries (non-guaranteed)
Projected Two-way Players: F/C Nathan Knight, G/F Dylan Windler, F Jaylen Martin
Projected Roster Cuts: G Duane Washington Jr. (non-guaranteed), G Charlie Brown Jr. (Exhibit-10), F Jacob Toppin (Exhibit-10)
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/embiid332.jpg" alt="" width="672" height="440" />
<h1>PHILADELPHIA 76ERS</h1>
Will Tyrese Maxey become more of a creator and how can that adjust the rotation?
The Sixers&rsquo; ceiling is contingent on how much Tyrese Maxey can improve this season. Maxey hasn&rsquo;t needed to be the team&rsquo;s primary distributor since James Harden joined the team, allowing him to blossom into a reliable 20-PPG scorer. Regardless of whether Harden&rsquo;s trade situation is resolved, Maxey will need to become a better creator and distributor if he wants to take his game to the next level. Prior to Harden&rsquo;s arrival, Maxey had an impressive 4:1 assist-to-turnover ratio despite his small frame and risk-averse tendencies.&nbsp;
Interestingly, team president Daryl Morey has held off on giving Maxey an extension this offseason, electing to wait until next summer to pay his budding young guard. Maxey will likely demand near max-level money that could harm Philly&rsquo;s flexibility to go after star players next offseason. If he can improve his ball-handling and distribution tendencies, the Sixers&rsquo; offense should benefit tremendously, helping the offensive output of players like P.J. Tucker and Paul Reed and easing the reliance on De&rsquo;Anthony Melton and Patrick Beverley.
Roster Decisions
Two players will likely be fighting for the Sixers&rsquo; final roster spot. The team re-signed veteran Danny Green, who played for the team from 2020 to 2022, to a non-guaranteed deal. They also brought over young big Filip Petrusev, who was drafted by Philadelphia in 2021. Petrusev signed a multi-year deal that was partially guaranteed for $559,782 this season and non-guaranteed next year. Although unlikely, the 76ers could also elect to waive Montrezl Harrell despite his deal being fully guaranteed, as he should miss this season with a torn ACL.
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (14 guaranteed, 1 partially Guaranteed, 1 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Tyrese Maxey, G James Harden, F P.J. Tucker, F Tobias Harris, C Joel Embiid
Projected Rotation Players: G De&rsquo;Anthony Melton, G Patrick Beverley, F/C Paul Reed, F/G Kelly Oubre Jr., F Danuel House
Projected Reserves: C Mo Bamba, F Furkan Korkmaz, G Jaden Springer, G/F Danny Green (non-guaranteed), C Montrezl Harrell (injured)
Projected Two-way Players: G Terquavion Smith, G Ricky Council IV, F Azuolas Tubelis
Projected Roster Cuts: F/C Filip Petrusev ($559,782 guaranteed), G David Duke Jr. (Exhibit-10), G Javonte Smart (Exhibit-10)
<h1>TORONTO RAPTORS</h1>
What style does Darko Rajakovic bring to Toronto and who will benefit the most?
New coach Darko Rajakovic inherits an interesting Raptors team with plenty of talent, but they may be facing a crossroads in terms of how successful they can be as a group. Rajakovic is in his first NBA head coaching gig after three seasons as an assistant with the Grizzlies and is known around the league as a pick-and-roll guru.&nbsp;
The idea of the Raptors being a primary pick-and-roll team became less appealing when they were unable to retain Fred VanVleet in free agency, replacing him with a less reliable shooter in Dennis Schr&ouml;der. Instead, Rajakovic will likely rely on Schr&ouml;der and his newly paid center Jakob Poeltl for more ball movement and playmaking. Rajakovic compared Poeltl to Domantas Sabonis before the Raptors&rsquo; preseason win over the Sacramento Kings on October 9 and could use him in a similar role. If Poeltl can be 70% of what Sabonis was last season, it can be a huge boost to an inconsistent offense.
Roster Decisions
The Raptors have 15 players on guaranteed deals going into the season, but also carry Jeff Dowtin Jr. on a non-guaranteed deal. Dowtin played on a two-way contract with Toronto last season, appearing in 25 games. With the roster full, Dowtin is unlikely to make the regular-season roster but he has still <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/raptors/news/toronto-raptors-praise-jeff-dowtin-jr-as-roster-decisions-await" target="_blank" rel="noopener">impressed the coaching staff this preseason</a>. If any player is in danger of losing their roster spot to Dowtin, it would likely be former first-round pick Malachi Flynn. Dowtin&rsquo;s deal becomes guaranteed for $900,000 on October 21, four days before the team&rsquo;s season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves. I would expect the Raptors to make a decision on Dowtin before then.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (15 guaranteed, 1 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Dennis Schr&ouml;der, F/G Scottie Barnes, F OG Anunoby, F Pascal Siakam, C Jakob Poeltl
Projected Rotation Players: G Gary Trent Jr., F Precious Achiuwa, F/C Chris Boucher, F Jalen McDaniels, G/F Gradey Dick
Projected Reserves: F Thaddeus Young, G Malachi Flynn, F Otto Porter Jr., C Christian Koloko, G/F Garrett Temple
Projected Two-way Players: G/F Ron Harper Jr., G Markquis Nowell, G Javon Freeman-Liberty
Projected Roster Cuts: G Jeff Dowtin (non-guaranteed), F Mouhamadou Gueye (Exhibit-10), C Makur Maker (Exhibit-10)
Other news from around the web: <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/dress-to-impress-why-barbie-and-ken-are-the-hottest-couples-costume-this-halloween/ar-AA1iaTEh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barbie and Ken are the hottest couples costume this Halloween</a>

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

NBA Atlantic Division Preview: Burning questions, rotation projections

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash;&nbsp;Lonnie Walker scored all of his 15 points in a phenomenal fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied late to take a 3-1 series lead with a 104-101 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 on Monday night.
LeBron James scored 27 points and Anthony Davis had 23 points and 15 rebounds for the seventh-seeded Lakers, who moved to the brink of an improbable trip to the Western Conference finals with their eighth consecutive home victory since March.
Los Angeles overcame Stephen Curry's third career postseason triple-double down the stretch largely because of Walker, who has made a seismic impact in returning to the Lakers' rotation in this series after the former starter was stuck on the bench in recent weeks.
Walker went 6 for 9 in the fourth quarter and hit the go-ahead jumper with 1:53 to play. Curry&rsquo;s layup with 1:05 left trimmed the Lakers&rsquo; lead to one point, but Curry missed a long jumper and a 3-point attempt on Golden State&rsquo;s next possession before Walker made two free throws with 15 seconds to play.
Davis then forced a jump ball in the waning seconds, and it went out of bounds off Curry with 1.3 seconds to play.
&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t win this game tonight without Lonnie Walker, that&rsquo;s for sure," James said. "As hard as this game was, it&rsquo;s going to be even harder. We understand that. We know that.&rdquo;
Curry had 31 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists in his 13th career triple-double for the defending champion Warriors, who will have to overcome a 3-1 series deficit for only the second time in franchise history to continue their NBA title defense. Golden State also did it in the 2016 Western Conference finals.
Game 5 is Wednesday night in San Francisco.
Gary Payton II scored a season-high 15 points in his first start of the season for Golden State, but Klay Thompson had his second straight quiet game in Los Angeles, scoring nine points in 41 minutes. Andrew Wiggins added 17 points for the Warriors, who made just 25 combined 3-pointers in their two games in Los Angeles after making 21 apiece in the first two games in San Francisco.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr switched to a three-guard starting lineup to affect the Los Angeles defense that held the Warriors to 97 points in Game 3, and the changes largely worked: Davis, who blocked 11 shots in the first three games, wasn&rsquo;t able to protect the rim with the same ferocity when his defensive matchups required him to go out to the perimeter, and the Warriors capitalized with 52 points in the paint.
The Lakers compensated: They made all 20 of their free throws, and Austin Reaves added 21 points.
But they won with a gritty, timely effort by Walker, who picked up the Lakers&rsquo; slack when D&rsquo;Angelo Russell scored just four points on 1-for-10 shooting after a strong performance in Game 3.
Curry secured the 13th triple-double of his career early in the fourth quarter, adding it to his postseason triple-doubles in the 2017 NBA Finals and again in 2019. But he missed nine of 10 3-point attempts spanning three quarters, and the most prolific 3-point shooter in NBA history finished 3 for 14 from distance.
The rivals split the series&rsquo; first two games last week in the Bay Area, and the Lakers followed up their 27-point loss in Game 2 with a 30-point thrashing of the Warriors in Game 3. Both teams shot poorly to begin Game 4, but Curry&rsquo;s 17 points put Golden State ahead at the half.
The Warriors minimized Davis&rsquo; impact on defense after he dominated long stretches of the Lakers&rsquo; first nine playoff games this spring. After blocking 19 combined shots &mdash; 11 by Davis &mdash; in the first three games of this series, Los Angeles blocked just one shot in Game 4 &mdash; a majestic, swooping swat by James on a layup attempt by Curry in the fourth quarter.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Payton&rsquo;s only previous NBA start this season was for Portland on Feb. 8. He started two playoff games for Golden State last year before signing a three-year deal in the summer with the Trail Blazers, who traded him back to the Warriors in February. Payton&rsquo;s return was slowed by a core muscle injury. ... Kevon Looney started Game 1 against Los Angeles, while JaMychal Green started Game 2 and Game 3. Lakers: In the first quarter, James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar &mdash; who was courtside &mdash; for the most two-point baskets in NBA playoff history. Game 4 was James&rsquo; 276th career postseason game, while Abdul-Jabbar played in 237. James passed Abdul-Jabbar to become the top scorer in NBA history in February. ... Jack Nicholson returned to his courtside seats for the second time in their last three home games. The Lakers&rsquo; 86-year-old superfan headlined another celebrity-studded crowd including Chris Pratt, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, Dave Chappelle, Dustin Hoffman, Kim Kardashian, Colin Jost and Flea.

LeBron James and the Lakers rallied late to take a 3-1 series lead with a 104-101 victory over the Warriors in Game 4 on Monday night.

Lakers rally past Warriors 104-101, take 3-1 series lead

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Anthony Davis had 30 points, 23 rebounds, five assists and four blocked shots, LeBron James added 22 points and 11 rebounds dueling with Stephen Curry in their latest postseason showdown, and the Los Angeles Lakers held off a late flurry by the Golden State Warriors to win an entertaining Game 1 in the Western Conference semifinals 117-112 on Tuesday night.
Jordan Poole missed a 3-pointer to tie it with 9.7 seconds left as the Warriors&rsquo; rally in the closing minutes fell short. Curry&rsquo;s 3 with 1:38 left tied the game, then D&rsquo;Angelo Russell answered right back before Davis blocked a shot by Curry moments later. James missed the first of two free throws with 1:05 to go.
Poole&rsquo;s 3 with 2:48 remaining cut the Lakers&rsquo; lead to 112-109, and James was called for traveling with 1:53 left
For all-time scoring leader James and Curry &mdash; who has the most 3-pointers ever &mdash; this is a new chapter in the long rivalry between the superstars after they faced off in four straight NBA Finals from 2015-2018 while James played for Cleveland.
Curry scored 27 points, Splash Brother Klay Thompson had 25, and Kevon Looney grabbed a career-high 23 rebounds for his fourth game of this postseason with 20 or more. He also had 10 points and five assists. Thompson made a 3 with 5:19 to go that cut the Lakers&rsquo; lead to 112-104.
The defending champion Warriors will try to even the series in Game 2 on Thursday night back on their home floor at Chase Center, where LA fans could be heard chanting &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s go Lakers!&rdquo; after the final buzzer.
Curry&rsquo;s 3 with 9:38 left got Golden State within 99-95, but the Lakers responded with two straight scoring possessions, including James&rsquo; layup with 8:38 remaining.
Davis dominated from the opening tip, making 9 of his first 10 shots, while Russell scored 19 points and dished out six assists against his former team.
James&rsquo; 3-pointer with 5:23 left in the third put the Lakers ahead by 10, 86-76. Then Thompson&rsquo;s snazzy behind-the-back pass led to a dunk by Gary Payton II over James with 3:48 to go as Golden State cut it to 86-80 and forced a Lakers timeout.
The Lakers finished off Memphis in six games Friday night and had a couple of extra recovery days to get ready as Golden State was pushed to the distance by the young Sacramento Kings and won Game 7 on Sunday. The Warriors were the first reigning champion to come back from behind 2-0 and win a playoff series.
Curry went off for a playoff career-high 50 points, an NBA record for a Game 7. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he thought his team had an advantage having just played two days earlier.
But the revamped Lakers took it to Golden State just as they did winning the final three regular-season matchups &mdash; and Los Angeles is a far different team than the one that lost 123-109 here on Oct. 18 to start the season.
The franchises&rsquo; first playoff matchup since 1991 didn&rsquo;t disappoint. They hadn&rsquo;t played on the postseason stage since &ldquo;Run TMC&rdquo; Warriors led by Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin lost in the Western Conference semifinals to Magic Johnson and James Worthy.
Thompson was determined to come out hot in Game 1 after calling his 4-for-19 day in Game 7 on Sunday at Sacramento &ldquo;disgusting.&rdquo; He&rsquo;s been waiting his whole life to play the Lakers on the big stage, too, and scored 18 by halftime with four 3s.
He, Curry and Poole each made six 3-pointers after a season in which all three reached 200 3s and Thompson 301.
Golden State is the sixth seed and the Lakers No. 7, marking the first time a No. 6 seed has home court in the second round since the sixth-seeded Houston Rockets against the No. 7 Seattle SuperSonics in 1987.
Curry dropped to 15-8 against James in the playoffs.
LOONEY ON THE BOARDS
Looney is leading the NBA in rebounds this postseason. He had seven rebounds by the 4:31 mark of the first and 13 by halftime on the way to double-digit rebounds in his sixth straight playoff game &mdash; with four 20-plus rebound performances.
He grabbed 106 rebounds in seven games against Sacramento, including 90 with 34 on the offensive end and 27 assists in the final five games of that series.
TIP-INS
Lakers: Thanks to Davis, the Lakers had 32 points in the paint in the first half to Golden State&rsquo;s 12. The Lakers also were 16 of 17 from the free throw line in the first half and 25 for 29 overall &mdash; Davis making all eight of his attempts.
Warriors: Golden State didn&rsquo;t shoot a free throw until Poole converted a three-point play 38 seconds before halftime. ... The Warriors trailed 65-64 at intermission after a first half with 11 lead changes.

The Lakers held off a late flurry by the Warriors to win an entertaining Game 1 in the Western Conference semifinals 117-112 on Tuesday.

Anthony Davis, James deliver as Lakers top Curry, Warriors in Game 1

Stephen Curry offers a simple answer for all the back and forth between his four-time NBA champion Golden State Warriors and the upstart Memphis Grizzlies over the past two seasons.
For Curry, it&rsquo;s not a feud or a bitter rivalry. The Warriors don&rsquo;t have the same history with the Grizzlies that they do with, say, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Or with LeBron James in whatever uniform he&rsquo;s wearing.
&ldquo;Just a team that is tough to beat,&rdquo; Curry said about the Grizzlies. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re really talented. ... Also a team that you&rsquo;re going to need to play well to beat, but the history isn&rsquo;t there yet.&rdquo;
Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. disagrees.
&ldquo;Every time we touch the floor, it&rsquo;s a rivalry,&rdquo; Jackson said. &ldquo;We saw this team many times. We feel like every single time we&rsquo;re out there with them, it&rsquo;s a rivalry for sure.&rdquo;
There always seems to be some drama, a little something extra when the teams meet: hard fouls, trash-talking or some other theatrics.
Warriors guard Jordan Poole said earlier this week: &ldquo;I guess some days you can call it a rivalry.&rdquo;
Whatever it is, the Warriors and the young, brash Grizzlies are usually must-see TV.
The bad blood between the two really began to percolate during last season&rsquo;s playoffs when Gary Payton II suffered a broken left elbow in Game 2 after a flagrant foul that that got&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/memphis-grizzlies-golden-state-warriors-nba-sports-san-francisco-c76fd29fd389dc57194c175d04f13816" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Memphis&rsquo; Dillon Brooks suspended for Game 3</a>.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Brooks crossed the line and &ldquo;broke the code&rdquo; of NBA conduct.
Ja Morant fired back after limping off in the fourth quarter of Game 3. Warriors guard Jordan Poole grabbed his knee while trying to strip the ball and Morant later posted, and then deleted, video of the play with the words &ldquo;broke the code.&rdquo;
And the ill will has carried over into their first three games this season:
&mdash;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/memphis-grizzlies-golden-state-warriors-nba-sports-ty-jerome-41a9de4ea17e5aa5d238b745d8c1e8f6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Klay Thompson drew a technical in that Christmas night win for standing over and taunting Dillon Brooks</a>&nbsp;as he was down on the court. Thompson called it &ldquo;some good old-fashioned trash talk.&rdquo; Poole was ejected, and even Kerr drew one of Golden State&rsquo;s six technicals in the game.
&mdash;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/memphis-grizzlies-golden-state-warriors-nba-sports-basketball-e5da616ca60fa9856fe50e69263c3770" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Curry was ejected from Golden State&rsquo;s 122-120 win</a>&nbsp;on Jan. 25 after tossing his mouthpiece in frustration, seemingly more with this teammates than with the Grizzlies.
&mdash;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1634007790485110785?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brooks and Green got up close and personal</a>&nbsp;after a steal and bucket in Memphis&rsquo; 131-110 wire-to-wire win a week ago, standing face-to-face with the 2017 NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Green said after the game Brooks was trying to bait him into a technical foul but that he only draws a tech when he wants.
&ldquo;One of us (is) baitable and one of us&rdquo; isn&rsquo;t, said Green, who had said on his podcast before that game that the Grizzlies&rsquo; dynasty would start only after they get rid of Brooks.
Brooks responded after the Grizzlies&rsquo; win: &ldquo;The fact that he was trying to pin my teammates against me. That was a low blow. But that&rsquo;s the type of player he is.&rdquo;
So, no the history isn&rsquo;t there and the Warriors downplay the matchup &mdash; it&rsquo;s clear the Grizzlies have Golden State&rsquo;s attention.
There should be playoff atmosphere Saturday in the teams&rsquo; final regular-season matchup, which has postseason implications.
Morant will still be sidelined as&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/ja-morant-suspended-nba-gun-video-8cc82061f6465f96d6c5d0806d92d7d0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">part of his now eight-game suspension by the NBA</a>&nbsp;for displaying a gun while at a Colorado strip club in the early hours of March 4. Though Memphis routed Golden State last week without Morant.
Golden State needs every road win it can steal down the stretch. The Warriors are 7-27 away from home this season. Curry, who is having another MVP-caliber season, understands the urgency and had&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/kawhi-leonard-stephen-curry-warriors-clippers-ab330413ab5eb55fb06b29e9351ab37a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">50 points Wednesday night in a road loss</a>&nbsp;against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Grizzlies would like to extend the Warriors&rsquo; road woes, not that they need any extra incentives when playing Golden State.
&ldquo;We have all the motivation that we need playing this team just as is, just the history that we got with them,&rdquo; Grizzlies guard Tyus Jones said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s always a battle. It&rsquo;s always an intense matchup.&rdquo;
Green made clear the standard that he uses to gauge whether or not the Warriors and Grizzlies becme a true rivalry: winning titles, not a game here or there.
&ldquo;Clearly we won four times, and I think their organization has zero championships, so I can&rsquo;t consider that a rivalry,&rdquo; Green said.
Maybe not, but their matchups have been very entertaining.

Whether Warriors vs. Grizzlies has become a full-blown rivalry or not, there's no question their match-ups are usually must-see TV.

NBA feud or rivalry? Warriors, Memphis drama is must-see TV

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; D&rsquo;Angelo Russell and the new-look Lakers figured things out on the fly to take down the defending champs on their home floor.
Working to get in sync with his new teammates and eager to complement Anthony Davis and LeBron James, Russell communicated on the court all game long after rejoining his first team where he played from 2015-17. The Lakers picked Russell second overall in 2015 out of Ohio State.
He had 15 points, six assists and five rebounds in his Lakers return after being acquired from Minnesota at the trade deadline, Dennis Schroder scored 26 points, and Los Angeles beat the Golden State Warriors 109-103 on Saturday night in a rivalry missing the star power of injured greats LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
&ldquo;It was a little weird but I&rsquo;m trying to normalize it,&rdquo; said Russell, who also played 33 games for the Warriors during the 2019-20 season. &ldquo;The sooner the better. I&rsquo;ve been in this situation. ... After that first stint you kind of get comfortable again. When you get traded so many times the irony comes back with all these teams and just kind of normalize it.&rdquo;
Schroder made a key layup with 1:17 to play after Donte DiVincenzo&rsquo;s 3-pointer cut the Lakers&rsquo; lead to 105-101. Davis had a double-double of 13 points and 16 rebounds and blocked one of his three shots on a late jumper by Klay Thompson.
<div class="Component-hubPeekEmbed-0-2-533 HubPeek noBorderBottom-0-2-176 compressedEmbed-0-2-177 hubPeekMain" data-card-id="afs:Card:522820401280">
<div class="hubPeekContainerWide-0-2-537" data-key="feed-card-hub-peak">
<div class="title-0-2-538">
&ldquo;Me and D&rsquo;Lo literally talked the entire game, about pick-and-roll, what he sees, what I see, what he like, what I like ... just trying to build that chemistry on the fly, with no practice,&rdquo; Davis said.
Jordan Poole had 29 points and six assists with a key go-ahead three-point play with 6:23 remaining, but the Warriors floundered down the stretch of the fourth quarter again. He was whistled for an offensive foul with 45 seconds left.
&ldquo;They&rsquo;re frustrated we couldn&rsquo;t close out these last two games,&rdquo; coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;We just haven&rsquo;t been able to string together enough wins to create a little momentum and separation in the standings.&rdquo;
Poole scored eight straight points early in the fourth with back-to-back 3-pointers that tied the game at 87 with 10:37 left. He also dished off to Ty Jerome for a layup with 5:01 to play.
James sat out his second straight game with a left foot injury since becoming the NBA&rsquo;s all-time scoring leader Tuesday against Oklahoma City, while reigning NBA Finals MVP Curry was sidelined for a third in a row with a left leg injury.
Also playing his first game for Los Angeles following a trade from Utah, Jarred Vanderbilt contributed 12 points and eight rebounds as the last-place Lakers snapped a three-game losing streak. Fellow new addition Malik Beasley missed all six of his 3s and shot 2 for 9 on the way to four points in his first game for the Lakers after being traded by Utah.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a huge win. I couldn&rsquo;t be more proud of my team,&rdquo; coach Darvin Ham said.
JAMES&rsquo; HEALTH
A scan done on James&rsquo; troublesome left ankle and foot showed no serious issue.
Ham expects to see James back on the floor before the All-Star break. When asked whether James might need to be sidelined through the break, Ham offered, &ldquo;No, I don&rsquo;t think he&rsquo;ll allow us to do that.&rdquo;
General manager Rob Pelinka said earlier Saturday that nothing was seriously wrong for James, who topped former Lakers star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during Tuesday&rsquo;s 133-130 home loss to Oklahoma City.
The game with Golden State marked James&rsquo; seventh sidelined by soreness in the left ankle.
PAYTON II UPDATE
The Warriors hadn&rsquo;t made an announcement regarding Gary Payton II&rsquo;s physical and whether they would go through on an agreed trade with Portland to bring the defensive-minded guard back to Golden State.
&ldquo;Obviously, this whole thing has been strange. It is what it is,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;There is not a whole lot to do or say, so we are just waiting it out and seeing how it plays out.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Lakers: Other new acquisitions Mo Bamba and Davon Reed didn&rsquo;t play. ... The Lakers opened the season at Chase Center with a 123-109 loss on Oct. 18 and Ham has been pleased with the progress, saying &ldquo;I&rsquo;d give us a B. I think it&rsquo;s been good. It&rsquo;s year 1.&rdquo; He also said: &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve shown a lot of resolve. We&rsquo;ve shown a fierce competitive spirit.&rdquo; ... LA improved to 2-9 against the Pacific Division having lost the previous two.
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-529 apnews_article_midarticle_4" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">Warriors: Poole joined Draymond Green (14) with double-digit technicals this season. ... Golden State had won the last two vs. LA and three in a row in the series at home. ... The Warriors have to monitor the number of games for its two-way players, so Anthony Lamb is back with the G League Santa Cruz team. ... The Warriors will still play the Lakers twice at Crypto.com Arena.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>

D'Angelo Russell had 15 points, six assists and five rebounds in his Lakers return as L.A. beat the Golden State Warriors 109-103.

Russell shines in return to Lakers after trade by T-Wolves

"We're a championship team."
That's what Nuggets guard Jamal Murray said, as <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2023/02/03/nuggets-jamal-murray-championship-team/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">part of a larger answer</a> about the team's prospects after Thursday night's 134-117 win over the Golden State Warriors. Murray was a big part of the win, scoring 33 points (9-of-12 from two, 3-of-11 from three), dishing out 8 assists and grabbing 5 rebounds in a little over 30 minutes.
"All that stuff, not being happy, has gotta go out the window or else we&rsquo;re not going to win," Murray said. "It&rsquo;s nice to have a coach that knows that and knows what we&rsquo;re trying to accomplish.&rdquo;
There are a couple of ways to decipher the rest of Murray's words. You can take the "duh" approach and leave it there. Any team with title aspirations &mdash; and the Nuggets, headlined by MVP frontrunner Nikola Jokic while boasting the West's best record, certainly fit the bill &mdash; needs buy-in. Beyond the Xs and Os and rotation decisions, a head coach's primary responsibility is to get buy-in from its players.&nbsp;
Michael Malone has appeared to get that for the most part. You can see that most blatantly with the Nuggets' defensive performance. Per Cleaning The Glass, they're up to 16th in defensive rating on the year, excluding garbage time. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-examining-the-denver-nuggets-poor-defense-nikola-jokic-michael-malone-bruce-brown-michael-porter-jr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In early December</a>, I wrote about how pourous their then-ranked 27th defense was; Coach Malone seemingly lamented it every other game.
If you read a little deeper into Murray's reminder for connectivity, you could interpret it as a message to second-year guard Bones Hyland.
Hyland didn't appear in Thursday night's game. He only played four minutes in Tuesday's win over (what's left of) the New Orleans Pelicans. In fact, here is Hyland's minute count over the Nuggets' past 10 games: 8, 15, 18, 8, 11, 0 (inactive), 24, 21, 4, 0 (DNP).
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
There have been reports of Hyland and Malone not seeing eye-to-eye. It would make sense; young players &mdash; especially young guards &mdash; have to do a lot to earn Malone's trust on both ends of the floor.
Hyland is a microwave scorer, unafraid to pull from 30 feet if he's feeling it. He's drained nearly 38% of his threes on high volume (5.7 attempts in 19.5 minutes) this season. He's also, at this stage of his career, a harmful defender due to his off-ball awareness and shaky screen navigation. Those are hard sells for Malone fundamentally, even while acknowledging how talented Hyland is.
But with the relationship appearing to deteriorate, trade rumors have <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/report-bones-hyland-is-one-of-the-most-likely-players-to-be-dealt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">continued to swirl</a>. Most recently, ESPN's Tim MacMahon essentially called a Hyland trade an inevitability. Brian Windhorst didn't go that far, but it seems the writing is on the wall in Denver.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&ldquo;Bones Hyland is getting traded. It&rsquo;s a matter of where and for what.&rdquo; (via <a href="https://twitter.com/espn_macmahon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@espn_macmahon</a>) <a href="https://t.co/JlUJQI7YnW">pic.twitter.com/JlUJQI7YnW</a>
&mdash; The Trade Deadline (@_TradeDeadline) <a href="https://twitter.com/_TradeDeadline/status/1621550941500473348?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

Beyond the intrigue of the Nuggets potentially moving Hyland this early, figuring out who they'd actually pursue is also challenging.
It's easy to look at the roster and pinpoint&nbsp;what&nbsp;they should pursue. Finding a bigger, more reliable two-way presence on the perimeter would be at the top of the list. As it stands, rookies Christian Braun and Peyton Watson are the only "3s" between 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-8 on the roster. Braun has been in and out of the rotation this season despite his positive flashes, and we've seen virtually nothing from Watson.
If they land on another guard to directly replace Hyland, that player would need to hold their own defensively &mdash; and likely be capable of punching above their weight &mdash; while being able to toggle between on and off-ball duties. Murray has been commanding the second unit when staggered away from Jokic; ideally, you'd want to take some of that creation burden off of him.
The "who" of it is what makes this tough. Hyland isn't just a young trade chip &mdash; he might be the&nbsp;trade chip for the Nuggets considering their first-round pick situation. <a href="https://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Future/Nuggets.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Due to prior trades</a>, the earliest available first-rounder they can move <a href="https://www.denverstiffs.com/2023/1/10/23547887/the-denver-nuggets-trade-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is their 2029 first</a>. Cashing in Hyland for a veteran could still be the move, but it'd be beneficial to add a vet who could move the needle this year and&nbsp;next year, at the very least.
No team wants to "lose" a deal obviously, but there's heightened importance in nailing a trade involving Hyland because of it.
For that reason, I'd imagine the first call would be to the Chicago Bulls. Alex Caruso doesn't fit the wing-with-size archetype, but he doubles as one of the NBA's stingiest and most versatile perimeter defenders. He is one of the best screen navigators in the sport, possesses quick hands that allow him to pester ball-handlers and restrict passing lanes and has the strength and guile to defend bigger wings or forwards when called upon.
A fun stat, per Second Spectrum: Over the past two seasons, possessions featuring a post-up defended by Caruso have garnered just 0.82 points per possession (PPP). Among the 114 players who have defended at least 75 post-ups in that time frame, that mark ranks 11th. Players ahead of him include Pascal Siakam (0.74 PPP), Draymond Green (0.75 PPP), PJ Tucker (0.76 PPP), Onyeka Okongwu (0.78 PPP) and Jayson Tatum (0.8 PPP).
Any questions concerning Caruso come on the offensive end of the floor. He's currently shooting 40.2% from deep, but is only attempting 4.3 threes per 100 possessions, the second-lowest clip of his career. Because of his infrequent trigger &mdash; with more infuriating catch-and-holds sprinkled in this season &mdash; defenses are okay defending him conservatively on the perimeter.&nbsp;
Caruso remains a smart cutter and a tough-as-nails screener, making him an ideal partner for Nikola Jokic whenever they play together. His cross screens consistently help Nikola Vucevic establish deep post position; it's easy to see him doing the same for Jokic. There's also room for him to act as a brush screener whenever the Nuggets want to utilize Jokic as the pick-and-roll ball handler.
Per <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/the-latest-nba-trade-winds?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=99187151&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;utm_medium=email" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marc Stein of Substack ($)</a>, the Bulls reportedly want two first-round picks in a deal for Caruso. Would the Bulls consider Hyland as a first-rounder, and would the 2029 first the Nuggets could actually offer be enough to entice them? If so, Hyland, Jeff Green, Ish Smith and the 2029 first is a package that could get the ball rolling.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
(There would be haggling, of course. The Nuggets would rather add second-rounders &mdash; they have six, including two this year. If they do include the first-rounder, I'm sure they'd ask for protections &mdash; or explore what it would take to get the Bulls to include Andre Drummond in the deal as well. In short, there are conversations to be had here.)
If not the Bulls, the Nuggets should check in with the Washington Wizards again. They just did business over the summer with the wing room; why not see if they could pry Delon Wright out of there? It would take one of Green or Smith along with Hyland for salary-matching purposes. Because of the age gap and team control aspect, the Nuggets may be able to ask for minor draft compensation.
Among available forwards, I wonder if they'd call the Phoenix Suns and check in on Jae Crowder. Because of Crowder's contract status &mdash; he's set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer &mdash; the Nuggets likely wouldn't have to think about including a future first. The Hyland-Green-Smith triumvirate would work salary-wise for Crowder and a minimum piece (maybe Jock Landale or Josh Okogie).
STRAY THOUGHTS
<ul>
<li>If the San Antonio Spurs didn't already have multiple guards they're somewhat invested in, a Hyland-led package for Josh Richardson would be something worth exploring.</li>
<li>Same guard-heavy issue with the Utah Jazz, otherwise a Jarrod Vanderbilt deal would be at the top of the list for me.</li>
<li>The Sacramento Kings and Warriors have reportedly been linked to Matisse Thybulle. The Nuggets have the offensive infrastructure to slot Thybulle in as a cutter and occasional screener. How would we feel about a Hyland/Green for Thybulle/Shake Milton swap? Feels like a third team would be needed to balance things further for the Sixers, but I'd be intrigued.</li>
<li>Hyland for Cam Reddish is the "Man, everybody would hate this" trade that I can't push in good faith.</li>
</ul>

The Denver Nuggets may be on the verge of trading Bones Hyland. Nekias Duncan explores which landing spots make sense for Hyland.

Exploring possible trade destinations for Nuggets' Bones Hyland

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Draymond Green dribbles the ball up court and takes charge of Golden State&rsquo;s backups, directing two-way teammate Anthony Lamb on the wing, dishing the ball to Donte DiVincenzo or finding Jonathan Kuminga down low.
The move Warriors coach Steve Kerr made with Green in November to boost the defending champions&rsquo; then-struggling second unit has worked out well, especially considering those players have been needed in a big way due to injuries over the past month.
Green, who continues to play significant time with the reserves, is regularly praised by coaches around the league for his willingness to sacrifice his starter minutes to help the overall balance, something other stars are also doing around the NBA.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s the modeling part for those guys that&rsquo;s very helpful for them in their game,&rdquo; said Rockets coach Stephen Silas, who called Green &ldquo;one of the most cerebral players in our league who has a voice that those guys will listen to.&rdquo;
In Dallas, Luka Doncic is relied upon to play key stretches with each unit. With Nets star Kevin Durant sidelined by a knee injury, Kyrie Irving is also spending more of his minutes with the Brooklyn backups as coach Jacque Vaughn is forced to get more creative with his lineups.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Some nights we&rsquo;re going to put points on the board very easily, guys are feeling good,&rdquo; Irving said of adjusting without Durant, &ldquo;and some nights we&rsquo;re going to have to really rely on our poise, really rely on our defensive pressure, and let that lead us to wins.&rdquo;
Rick Carlisle recalls fondly how former Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki also used to play with the backups. And when Carlisle played, the now-Pacers coach always cherished the minutes Hall of Famer Bill Walton played with him and the Boston backups.
Hawks coach Nate McMillan took on that role at times, too. McMillan used to play key stretches with the youngsters &mdash; and the stars -- in Seattle, taking great pride in making the others shine, &ldquo;because that was the strength of my game.&rdquo; Gary Payton would move to the wing and McMillan might run the point on the floor with Hersey Hawkins, Sam Perkins and Detlef Schrempf.
&ldquo;I was the guy that would come in and really be that coach out on the floor,&rdquo; McMillan recalled. &ldquo;I was that guy who was initiating and making sure that we set up. Very similar to Draymond, I wasn&rsquo;t providing a lot of scoring but the defense was going to be there, moving the ball, getting the ball to those shooters, all of that.&rdquo;
Those versatile players mean so much, to both the starters and the backups, for their ability to make everyone on the roster better. The Warriors are counting on the experience gained by the young players now making them a far better team come playoff time in April and May.
To this day, Carlisle treasures the time he spent on the court with Walton.
&ldquo;When I was a young player we traded for Bill Walton when I was in Boston and I was a hell of a lot better player when I was on the floor with Bill Walton,&rdquo; Carlisle said. &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t very good but now when you&rsquo;ve got a chance to be on the floor with a Hall-of-Fame-type player like that who has major impact on defense and offense, it&rsquo;s going to change you.&rdquo;
Green gets that. He wants to be part of helping his teammates build a better NBA future by serving as an on-court guide. He has the championship pedigree.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s definitely very important and I think guys do appreciate it. Ultimately, you have to understand a guy&rsquo;s situation and how they fare in their minutes. How the team fares in their minutes can determine their future, so for me I take it very seriously, because how that group turns out is very important,&rdquo; Green said.
&ldquo;So I just view it from a different standpoint of life. I honestly view those minutes even more important than my starter minutes because those guys aren&rsquo;t just set in what their careers are going to be.&rdquo;
These rotations don&rsquo;t work everywhere. Depth is a key part of the success if you ask Hornets coach Steve Clifford &mdash; not to mention the ability to adapt on the fly over the course of a long season with all the ups and downs and tough travel days.
&ldquo;To have long playoff runs like that you&rsquo;ve got to be versatile and flexible in your lineups. I think also part of it has to do with what kind of team you have and what kind of depth you have,&rdquo; Clifford said. &ldquo;You have to have good players, like really good players off the bench, if you can play with only one starter. Usually it&rsquo;s more veteran that way, when you&rsquo;re playing a lot of younger guys usually you&rsquo;re going to have to have a couple starters out there when they&rsquo;re in the game.&rdquo;
Warriors assistant Jama Mahlalela credits Green for doing whatever is needed for the betterment of the team.
It&rsquo;s not a chore for the 11th-year veteran Green.
&ldquo;The way I look at it is you can help impact someone&rsquo;s life,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;and I take that seriously.&rdquo;

Draymond Green continues to play significant time with the reserves and is regularly praised by coaches around the league.

Warriors’ Draymond Green, others sacrifice minutes to boost backups

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; LeBron James said the Lakers had a choice when trailing by 25 points at halftime against the Trail Blazers.
&ldquo;I guess it&rsquo;s only one or two ways, you can either go out and you can lay down and get ready for the next game or you can see what happens in the third quarter, make a game of it," James said. &ldquo;And for us as competitors, and our team and our makeup this year, we&rsquo;re not a lay-down team. That's just not the makeup of our club.&rdquo;
James finished with 37 points and 11 rebounds, and the Lakers rallied in the second half to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 121-112 on Sunday night.
Thomas Bryant added 31 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers in the comeback, tied for second-biggest halftime deficit that the team has erased for a win in franchise history.
Anfernee Simons had 31 points for the Blazers, who have lost three straight. Damian Lillard added 24 points and 10 assists.
The Lakers outscored Portland 40-20 to cut the margin in the third quarter. Troy Brown Jr. made a 3-pointer that got the Lakers within 97-95, before they took the lead on Bryant's 3 with 7:54 left.
James made a pair of free throws with 4:36 left that pushed the Lakers' lead to 107-103. After Lillard made free throws, Dennis Schroder's 3-pointer put Los Angeles up by five again.
Bryant's dunk gave the Lakers a 114-107 lead with 2:23 left and they held off Portland for the win.
Portland was struggling, with wins in just two of the last nine games. The Blazers were coming off a 105-95 loss to the 76ers on Thursday.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uuIK_bVnjP0" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
&ldquo;Right now, we're just not getting it done,&rdquo; Lillard said when asked if the Blazers should try to deal before the trade deadline. &ldquo;I do want to win. I don't think it's a secret that I want to win. I think we've got to do whatever we need to do to be in a position to win."
The Lakers have likewise struggled this season because of injuries, notably to Anthony Davis, who is currently dealing with a foot injury that has kept him out for 19 games.
James was questionable going into the game with a sore ankle but played. James is closing in on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar&rsquo;s NBA scoring record of 38,387 points. James is 233 points away from matching the record after Sunday's game.
Despite the rivalry, the mood was somber at times at the Moda Center following the death on Saturday of longtime broadcaster Bill Schonely who coined the expression &ldquo;Rip City!&rdquo; Schonely was 93.
Schonely called Blazers games for nearly 30 years, starting the team's first season in 1970 and including the team's championship run in 1977. Following his broadcasting career, he was an ambassador for the team until his retirement last year.
The Lakers jumped out to an 18-4 lead early, but Portland caught up, closing to 26-24 on Nassir Little's 3-pointer before the end of the first quarter.
Simons' 3-pointer gave the Blazers a 39-38 lead. Lillard hit a nearly half-court shot to push the lead to 68-46, and the Blazers led 71-46 at halftime. Portland outscored the Los Angeles 35-13 in the second quarter alone.
Beverley and James hit back-to-back layups to get the Lakers within 81-74 and cap a 16-2 Los Angeles run. A driving layup from James made it even closer at 88-82.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been through it a lot. And I just want to try to continue to keep improving, throughout late games and one-possession games, two-possession games when we&rsquo;re down late," James said. &ldquo;And tonight we did a good job of being able to execute defensively and offensively.&rdquo;
It was the third meeting between the Lakers and the Blazers this season. They split the first two.
TIP-INS
Lakers: Davis went through a full-contact scrimmage with the team's &ldquo;stay ready&rdquo; group on Saturday. Davis has missed 19 games with a right foot stress injury and is easing his way back. Coach Darvin Hamm said Davis &ldquo;looked phenomenal.&rdquo; ... James was questionable going into the game with a sore ankle but played. ... The Lakers' 13 second quarter points were a season low.
Trail Blazers: Gary Payton II, who missed the last game with a sore calf, played. ... It was the second of the six-game homestand. ... The Blazers were also mourning the death last week of cameraman John Curry, who had been with the team for 39 years.
UP NEXT
Lakers: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday.
Trail Blazers: Host the Spurs on Monday night.

LeBron James finished with 37 points and 11 boards, and the Lakers rallied in the second half to beat the Blazers 121-112 on Sunday.

LeBron James scores 37, Lakers rally past Trail Blazers 121-112

TORONTO (AP) &mdash; Grant Williams scored a career-high 25 points, Jaylen Brown had 27 and the Boston Celtics overcame the absence of leading scorer Jayson Tatum to extend their winning streak to nine games by beating the Toronto Raptors 106-104 on Saturday.
Already without Tatum, Boston&rsquo;s injury woes worsened when guard Marcus Smart hurt his right ankle in the final minute of the first half and had to be helped to the locker room. He did not return.
Center Robert Williams stayed in the game after Brown collided with his left knee in the opening quarter. At halftime, Williams was ruled out for the second half because of a hyperextended knee.
&ldquo;It says a lot about our team,&rdquo; Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said of the short-handed victory. &ldquo;In the beginning of the game, you could obviously feel that we just didn&rsquo;t have the juice. We just kept playing. We never wavered, we made great plays. Guys did a great job managing the game.&rdquo;
Williams had left knee surgery last March but returned in the playoffs.
Mazzulla said Williams&rsquo; latest injury was &ldquo;nothing serious,&rdquo; adding that X-rays on Smart&rsquo;s ankle revealed no structural damage.
Malcolm Brogdon scored 23 points and Payton Pritchard scored all of his 12 in the fourth quarter. The Celtics are unbeaten since a Jan. 3 defeat at Oklahoma City.
&ldquo;To win in the NBA is hard enough, to win on the road down a bunch of guys is hard to do,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t want to take it for granted, but we definitely have enough on this team, enough in this locker room, to win games whoever is on the floor.&rdquo;
Al Horford scored five points and shot 2 for 10 but had a rebound, a blocked shot and a steal in the final 20 seconds of the fourth quarter.
&ldquo;The box score doesn&rsquo;t tell the story about what he does for us,&rdquo; Mazzulla said. &ldquo;When he takes it to another level defensively, we&rsquo;re a different team.&rdquo;
Grant Williams shot 7 for 13 and made four of six from 3-point range. He went 7 for 8 at the line.
&ldquo;He was great tonight, man,&rdquo; Mazzulla said. &ldquo;He was the trigger for us.&rdquo;
Pascal Siakam had 29 points and 10 assists, Gary Trent Jr. scored 22 points and Precious Achiuwa had 17 points and 11 rebounds in his first start of the season, but Toronto lost its third straight.
A potential NBA MVP candidate, Tatum sat because of a sore left wrist. He&rsquo;s averaging 31.2 points, the third-highest total in the league, and a career-high 8.5 rebounds.
Tatum scored 51 points in Monday&rsquo;s win over Charlotte, then had 34 points and a career-high 19 rebounds in Thursday&rsquo;s overtime victory against Golden State, playing 48 of 53 minutes.
The Raptors were without guard Fred VanVleet, who was scratched shortly before tip-off because of soreness in his right ribs. Coach Nick Nurse said VanVleet is questionable for Sunday&rsquo;s home game against the Knicks.
Toronto&rsquo;s O.G. Anunoby left in the third quarter because of a sore right ankle. Anunoby was initially expected to return but did not play again. Anunoby scored 12 points before departing.
The Raptors attempted a season-low seven free throws against the Celtics, making five.
&ldquo;We just didn&rsquo;t get anything at the free throw line tonight,&rdquo; Nurse said.
Trailing 85-81 through three quarters, the Celtics reclaimed the lead with a 9-0 run to begin the final quarter as Brown, Williams and Pritchard all made 3-pointers.
Trent missed a layup with 21 seconds left that would have tied it at 106. Toronto had one final chance after Boston was called for an offensive foul, but Horford forced a steal and Siakam turned it over at midcourt.
TIP-INS
Celtics: Derrick White started in Tatum&rsquo;s place. &hellip; Brogdon and Luke Kornet started the second half. &hellip; Boston has won 13 of 15.
Raptors: Siakam finished with nine rebounds. &hellip; Barnes had 10 points but didn&rsquo;t score in the second half.
SEE YOU LATER!
The first-place and last-place teams in the Atlantic Division, the Celtics and Raptors don&rsquo;t meet again until a two-game set in Boston, April 5 and 7. The regular season concludes April 9.
&nbsp;

Grant Williams scored 25 points, and the Celtics extend their winning streak to nine games by beating the Raptors 106-104.

Grant Williams has career-high 25, Celtics' streak reaches 9

TORONTO (AP) &mdash; Pascal Siakam scored 27 points, Scottie Barnes had 22 and the Toronto Raptors snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Portland Trail Blazers 117-105 on Sunday.
Gary Trent Jr. scored 19 against his former team and Fred VanVleet and O.G. Anunoby each had 14 as the Raptors halted a five-game losing streak against Portland.
Toronto won for the second time in nine home games, and the fourth time in its past 15 overall.
Damian Lillard scored 14 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter but Portland&rsquo;s road losing streak reached seven.
Jusuf Nurkic had 14 points and 18 rebounds, Anfernee Simons scored 22 points and Josh Hart had 18. Portland has lost three straight and seven of nine.
Jerami Grant scored 14 points as all five Portland starters reached double figures, but the Blazers got just three bench points.
Toronto led 92-76 with 10:40 left in the fourth but Portland cut it to 97-94 on Lillard&rsquo;s basket with 6:17 remaining. VanVleet answered with back-to-back 3-pointers, giving Toronto a 103-94 edge with 5:45 left to play.
Siakam scored 13 points in the first and Toronto closed the quarter on an 11-2 run to lead 34-27.
Portland missed eight straight field goal attempts to start the second and fell behind 48-29, before Hart ended the drought with a dunk. The Trail Blazers made nine of their final 12 attempts in the second, cutting the gap to 58-53 at halftime.
Toronto restored its double-digit cushion with a 14-0 run to start the second half. Siakam scored 10 points in the third and the Raptors took an 89-74 lead to the fourth.
TIP-INS
Trail Blazers: G Gary Payton II, who made his season debut Jan 2, was held out for the third straight game because of a sprained right ankle. Payton had been listed as probable but felt discomfort while warming up. Payton missed the start of the season while recovering from offseason core muscle surgery. &hellip; F Justise Winslow (sprained left ankle) missed his seventh straight game. &hellip; Rookie G Shaedon Sharpe, from London, Ontario, played in Canada for the first time. &hellip; Recorded assists on eight of nine made baskets in the first quarter.
Raptors: Trent failed to extend his career-best streak of scoring 20 or more points to a seventh game. &hellip; Signed G-F Joe Wieskamp to a 10-day contract Saturday. Wieskamp played 29 games with San Antonio last season. &hellip; Barnes had nine rebounds.
&nbsp;

Pascal Siakam scored 27 points, and the Toronto Raptors snapped a three-game losing streak, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 117-105.

Blazers lose 7th straight on road, Raptors win 117-105

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; Bam Adebayo scored 30 points, including a pair of free throws to put Miami up for good with 35 seconds left, and the Heat rallied from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Phoenix Suns 113-112 on Monday night.
Phoenix had three shots to win on its final possession &mdash; a missed layup by Cameron Payne, a jumper from Devin Booker that Jimmy Butler blocked, and then a 3-pointer from Booker that fell short.
Butler finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for Miami. Caleb Martin and Kyle Lowry each scored 15 for Miami, which got back to .500 at 7-7.
Booker led Phoenix with 25 points, and Duane Washington Jr. added 21. Deandre Ayton finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Suns, who shot only four free throws compared to 25 for Miami.
CELTICS 126, THUNDER 122
BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Marcus Smart scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half, and Boston beat Oklahoma City for its seventh straight win.
Boston trailed by 15 in the third quarter but outscored Oklahoma City 37-26 in the fourth.
Jayson Tatum had 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics. Jaylen Brown scored 26, and Al Horford added 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Smart also had eight assists and five rebounds, and reserve Payton Pritchard added 10 points, leading a key surge late in the third and early in the fourth as the Celtics rallied.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 37 points. Lu Dort scored 21 and Aleksej Pokusevski finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds.
HAWKS 121, BUCKS 106
MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; De&rsquo;Andre Hunter scored 24 points and Trae Young had 21 points and nine assists, leading Atlanta over Milwaukee.
Clint Capela added 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Hawks won for the fifth time in seven games. Dejounte Murray also scored 19, and John Collins had 16 points and nine boards.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, who missed the previous two games and three of the past four with left knee soreness, scored 27 points in 31 minutes. The Bucks have lost three of four after a 9-0 start.
It was the third meeting between the teams in 16 days. MarJon Beauchamp had 20 points for the Bucks, who dropped to 7-1 at home.
WARRIORS 132, SPURS 95
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Back in the starting lineup for a night, Jordan Poole scored a season-best 36 points on the debut of his first bobblehead and led Golden State past San Antonio.
Poole shot 13 for 20 and knocked down five 3-pointers. He exited with 8:04 left following his 13th career game of 30 or more points.
Stephen Curry added 16 points, five rebounds and five assists in 27 minutes. It was the second game of a back-to-back for the Warriors after they lost 122-115 at Sacramento on Sunday to fall to 0-7 on the road.
Keldon Johnson had 15 points for the injury-plagued Spurs.
RAPTORS 115, PISTONS 111
DETROIT (AP) &mdash; Dalano Banton scored 27 points and Chris Boucher added 20 as short-handed Toronto snapped a three-game losing streak with a victory over Detroit.
O.G. Anunoby added 19 points and seven rebounds for the Raptors, who played without Fred VanVleet (non-COVID-19 illness), Pascal Siakam (abdominal strain) and Gary Trent (hip).
Rookie guard Jaden Ivey scored 21 for the Pistons, who lost their fourth straight. Bojan Bogdanovic added 18 points.
HORNETS 112, MAGIC 105
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) &mdash; LaMelo Ball had 17 points and nine assists, and Charlotte stopped an eight-game slide by beating Orlando.
Seven players scored in double figures for the Hornets, including their entire starting lineup. Mason Plumlee had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Terry Rozier scored 17, and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 16.
Franz Wagner scored 23 points and Wendell Carter Jr. added 20 for Orlando, but the Magic committed 22 turnovers.
Ball, who missed the Hornets&rsquo; 113-93 loss at Orlando last month because of a sprained ankle, played in only his second game of the season after missing the first 13.
CLIPPERS 122, ROCKETS 106
HOUSTON (AP) &mdash; Paul George scored 22 points in three quarters to lead Los Angeles past Houston.
George, who also had eight rebounds and five assists, spent the fourth quarter on the bench with the game in hand as Clippers coach Tyronn Lue didn&rsquo;t play his starters in the final period on the front end of a back-to-back.
Jalen Green scored 25 points and Kevin Porter Jr. added 20 for the Rockets, who dropped their third in a row.
Reggie Jackson had 17 points and six assists to help the Clippers win for the third time in four games.

Bam Adebayo scored 30 points, and the Heat rallied from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Suns 113-112 on Monday.

Adebayo scores 30 points as Heat rally past Suns 113-112

In his "Blazing the Trail" series, Mat Issa analyzes Chauncey Billups' dual-threat nature and impact on the next generation of point guards.

Blazing the Trail: Chauncey Billups, the basketball cheat code

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Duncan Robinson scored 29 points to lead the Miami Heat to a 111-108 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.
Robinson shot 7 for 11 from the field, including 5 for 7 on 3-pointers. Jamal Cain, an undrafted rookie who played his last college season at Oakland University, scored 19 points, and Nikola Jovic &mdash; the 27th overall pick in the draft &mdash; scored 13 points as the Heat played the game with their reserves.
Dillon Brooks led Memphis with 18 points, while Ja Morant and Desmond Bane each scored 17 with four assists.
The Heat, playing on the road for the second night of a back-to-back, sat their starters, including Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry and Bam Adebayo.
Meanwhile, Memphis was at full strength, except for forward Jaren Jackson Jr., who is out for a couple of more months recovering from a stress fracture in his right foot.
While the Grizzlies played their regular starters, there were some reserves who took the night off, tightening the rotation. Bane played 28 minutes, while Morant and Brooks logged 26 minutes each.
The Heat took their lead with a rally spanning the second and third quarters and held on at the end when both teams had bench players in the game. Memphis missed a pair of 3-point attempts to tie the game in the closing 10 seconds
CELTICS 112, HORNETS 103
In Greensboro, North Carolina, Jaylen Brown scored 19 points, Derrick White finished with 18 points and six assists to lead Boston.
Justin Jackson added 16 for the Celtics, and Payton Pritchard scored 15. Noah Vonleh had 14 points and 13 rebounds.
LaMelo Ball had 23 points and nine assists to lead the Hornets, and Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 18 points on 7-for-14 shooting. Terry Rozier added 14 points as Charlotte remained winless in three preseason games.
The Celtics sat some of their starters, including Jayson Tatum, Al Horford and Marcus Smart. However, Blake Griffin &mdash; signed this week &mdash; finished with seven points and nine rebounds in 16 minutes in his Celtics debut.
MAGIC 110, MAVERICKS 105
Top draft pick Paolo Banchero scored 19 points and Terrence Ross added 16 to led visiting Orlando.
Banchero, the 6-foot-10 forward out of Duke, shot 6 for 13 from the field and had five rebounds. Mo Bamba had 13 points and seven rebounds for the Magic.
Christian Wood scored 23 points on 8-for-12 shooting. Luka Doncic had 16 points in 18 minutes, making 6 of 8 shots from the field, and also had five assists.
KNICKS 131, PACERS 114
Obi Toppin scored 24 points on 10-for-14 shooting to lead host New York.
Toppin was 4 for 7 on 3-pointers as the Knicks improved to 2-0 in the preseason. RJ Barrett scored 18 points, while Jalen Brunson and Immanuel Quickley finished with 17 points each.
Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers with 20 points. Bennedict Mathurin, the sixth overall pick in last summer&rsquo;s draft, had 19 points and Buddy Hield added 13 points.
BULLS 131, NUGGETS 113
DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points on 9-for-15 shooting to lead host Chicago.
Coby White and Javonte Green added 15 points each for the Bulls, while Nikola Vucevic finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.
Bones Hyland had 24 points for Denver, while Michael Porter Jr. scored 20 points. Aaron Gordon added 14 points.
ROCKETS 116, RAPTORS 100
Tari Eason, the seventh overall pick in last summer&rsquo;s draft out of LSU, had 24 points and eight rebounds to lead host Houston.
Jalen Green added 23 points for the Rockets, while Kevin Porter Jr. had 15.
Pascal Siakam scored 18 points for the Raptors. O.G. Anunoby scored 13 points, but missed all five of his 3-point attempts. Dalano Banton had 14 points. Gary Trent Jr., Precious Achiuwa and Chris Boucer each scored 10 points in the game.
PELICANS 107, PISTONS 101
Jose Alvarado scored 28 points and Zion Williamson added 13 for host New Orleans.
Naji Marshall had 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting, including just 3 for 12 on free throws for the Hornets. Alvarado shot 12 for 18 from the field.
Saddiq Bey led the Pistons with 23 points, while Isaiah Steward and Jaden Ivey finished with 14 apiece.

Duncan Robinson scored 29 points to lead the Heat to a 111-108 victory over the Grizzlies on Friday night.

Duncan Robinson scores 29 as Heat beat Grizzlies 111-108

PHILADELPHIA (AP) &mdash; Joel Embiid and James Harden were done with their preseason debuts long before Montrezl Harrell scored the go-ahead basket with 26 seconds left, and the Philadelphia 76ers beat Cleveland 113-112 on Wednesday night in Donovan Mitchell's first game with the Cavaliers.
Embiid had 12 points and six rebounds in 18 minutes before taking a seat after halftime. Harden played 19 minutes and scored nine points, going 3 of 9 from the field but adding five assists.
Tyrese Maxey, who had 20 points in Monday&rsquo;s win over the Nets, continued his good start to the preseason, leading Philadelphia with 21 points in the first half. He went 9 of 11, making all three of his 3-pointers. Harrell, who signed a two-year contract with Philadelphia during the offseason, scored 13 points.
Mitchell scored 16 points in his first game since being traded from Utah, while Darius Garland and Raul Neto each had 12. Dean Wade and Sharife Cooper finished with 11 points apiece.
Cleveland played without second-year big man Evan Mobley, who is expected to be out a couple of weeks with a right ankle sprain suffered this week.
The Cavaliers got an optimistic glimpse of the backcourt tandem of Mitchell with Garland in the first half. Mitchell was 6 of 9 for the game, including 3 of 4 from outside the arc to go with five assists. Garland, meanwhile, made 4 of 7 shots and handed out four assists.
Shake Milton had 12 points for Philadelphia, while De&rsquo;Anthony Melton, picked up from Memphis in a draft night trade, had 11 points, four rebounds and three assists.
DOC UNDER THE WEATHER
Doc Rivers was absent from the game with an undisclosed illness. Assistant coach Dave Joerger, who has head coaching experience with the Grizzlies and the Kings, ran the club.
PACERS 122; HORNETS 97
Aaron Nesmith scored 16 points, rookie Benedict Mathurin, the No. 6 pick in the draft from Arizona, added 15 and Indiana beat Charlotte. Isaiah Jackson finished with 13 points, while Myles Turner and Chris Duarte contributed 12 points apiece. Mathurin was 5 of 10 from the field, despite missing all four of his 3-pointers over 19 minutes.
Terry Rozier led the Hornets with 18 points and P.J. Washington finished with 13. Kelly Oubre Jr. had 11 points and nine rebounds, while LeMelo Ball scored 12 points and handed out seven assists.
RAPTORS 125; CELTICS 119, OT
Pascal Siakam and Precious Achiuwa scored 13 points apiece and Toronto used an early burst in overtime to beat Boston.
Josh Jackson also had 13 points for the Raptors. Siakam recorded six rebounds and Achiuwa seven boards as the Raptors improved to 2-0 in the preseason.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 23 points and Sam Hauser had 22, connecting on 8 of 12 shots, including 5 of 8 from outside the arc. Jayson Tatum finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for Boston, now 1-1 in the preseason.
Payton Pritchard scored 17 points and had five assists
The teams were tied at 110 at the end of regulation after Jeff Dowtin (10 points) converted a 9-footer for the Raptors. Pritchard&rsquo;s 18-footer was off the mark as time in regulation ran out, sending the game to the extra period.
The Raptors outscored the Celtics 11-4 to open overtime and never relinquished the lead.
MAVERICKS 98; THUNDER 96
Jaden Hardy scored 21 points, Christian Wood finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Dallas used a fourth-quarter rally to beat Oklahoma City.
Dwight Powell finished with 13 points and five rebounds for the Mavericks in their opening game of the preseason.
Josh Giddey led the Thunder with 13 points, shooting 6 for 10. Rookie Jalen Williams, the 12th overall pick out of Santa Clara, finished with 10 points.

The 76ers beat Cleveland 113-112 on Wednesday night in Donovan Mitchell's first game with the Cavaliers.

Embiid, Harden help 76ers top Cavs in Mitchell's debut

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

2022-23 NBA Season Preview: Atlantic Division

Dating back to when he was 9 years old, Malcolm Brogdon has made plenty of trips to Africa, a place he <a href="https://www.nba.com/pacers/news/brogdon-helps-bring-clean-water-joy-east-african-communities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">truly loves and is passionate about</a>. This past week marked yet another visit with the NBA for Basketball Without Borders, where he along with several players and coaches from around the league played a part in grooming the next generation of basketball youngsters &mdash; on and off the floor.
&ldquo;I just have a heart for it over here, a heart for the continent and developing these guys and giving them a real opportunity,&rdquo; Brogdon told Basketball News via Zoom.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I think it's always an amazing opportunity when I get to come over here and work with the young talent, because there's a wealth of it in Africa. They don't have the resources and they don't have the nutrition and the development that we have, but once they do, these kids are gonna take off. So I definitely applaud the NBA for being over here and giving them an opportunity.&rdquo;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/0c3a0557.png" alt="" width="700" height="350" />
(Photos via NBA Africa)
Held in Cairo, Egypt, for the first time since the program expanded into Africa, Basketball Without Borders returned after a brief hiatus. (The last event occurred in Dakar, Senegal, in 2019, which Brogdon also participated in at the time.) BWB Africa 2022 brought together over 60 of the top men and women&rsquo;s prospects under the age of 18 to learn and compete.
The camp featured a variety of activities, including movement efficiency drills, offensive and defensive skill stations, three-point contests and 5-on-5 games, plus sessions about life skills and leadership development. In addition, everybody involved was able to explore the country &mdash; most notably seeing the pyramids and going to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/_l5s4228-1-1.png" alt="" width="700" height="350" />
Finding himself coaching for the second consecutive time, Brogdon quips that such a responsibility &ldquo;is a whole different monster than playing.&rdquo; With that being said, the 29-year-old envisions he&rsquo;ll continue to be involved in developing the future talent that comes from Africa.
&ldquo;It's up to guys like myself in the NBA that have a platform and have a name that can come over [to] encourage these guys, shine some light in their life, work with them and learn from them, and allow them to learn from you,&rdquo; Brogdon said.
With BWB Africa coming to a close on Wednesday, Basketball News spoke with Brogdon about his foundation, the Boston Celtics&rsquo; upcoming season and more.
You&rsquo;ve long talked about how important your platform as an NBA player is and how it can be used to help people. Could you speak about your clean water initiative in East Africa and your <a href="https://www.brogdonfamilyfoundation.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brogdon Family Foundation</a> that started two years ago?
Brogdon: "For sure. I have a foundation, the Brogdon Family Foundation. It focuses on two things. One side is education domestically and the other side is clean water internationally. Especially on the clean water side, we've seen a lot of progress over the last couple of years. We're building clean water wells in East Africa &mdash; Tanzania and Kenya. We have over 20-to-25 wells in the ground in those two countries. We're doing a lot of really good work and really impacting people's lives."
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/brogdon1.png" alt="" width="560" height="448" />
It&rsquo;s got to be cool to be able to spend time with Grant Williams out there, especially now that you&rsquo;re teammates with him. Have you gotten the chance to get to know him better and talk ball?
Brogdon: "Yeah, we've talked a lot of basketball. We've spent a lot of time together. We've talked business, we've talked life. I got to meet his mom, she's here. Grant's a great guy. He's a smart guy. He takes the game serious, takes life serious. He's an impressive guy, so I've really enjoyed my time with him."
I&rsquo;m sure you&rsquo;re stoked for camp to start in a few weeks. You seem thrilled to be playing in Boston now. What makes that organization stand out to you?
Brogdon: "Their history, right? I mean, they're the most winning organization in the league, and I think they're more hungry to win than anybody. You can see that with the move they made for me and [Danilo] Gallinari. They want to improve. They want to win a championship. It's all about Banner 18 for 'em. Now that's all it's about for me as well, and I'm excited to be a part of that."
Have you had the chance to talk to Gallo after <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/danilo-gallinari-diagnosed-with-meniscus-tear-no-ligament-damage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his injury</a>?
Brogdon: "I reached out to him. I sent him a text that just said, 'Hey man, praying for you. Get healthy, we need you this year.' He said, 'I appreciate it, brother.' It was short. When you get injured, it's frustrating. You want people to check on you, but a lot of the time, you don't want to talk a lot about it, so I just sent a text out to let him know I was thinking about him and I was praying for him."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
How do you feel you can complement Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown best?
Brogdon: "I think I can just relieve pressure. Whether that's touching the paint, getting 'em easy shots. Whether that's guarding players that they need a break on the defensive end [against] so they can focus on offense.
"But [mostly], being a steady presence on the floor that can help control the end of games, that can help control the flow of the game to make sure that they're getting the ball in their spots, [so] they're never having to overdo it to get a look or run their bodies into the ground. I want to be that guy that can create for 'em."
You're joining a guard room with Marcus Smart, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard. It feels like the lineup combinations could be very fun.
Brogdon: "Yeah. We're talented, we're deep. A year ago, people were talking about, 'The Celtics didn't have depth.' Well, that's not gonna be an issue. I think this year we'll have a wealth of talent coming off the bench, and I'm excited about it. I'm excited. I think we've got smart, more-than-capable guys coming off the bench that are versatile on both sides of the ball, and we can really be dangerous."
What do you admire most about Ime Udoka? What have your conversations with him been like?
Brogdon: "I admire his authenticity, his realness. He's a straight shooter, he's very direct. There's not a lot of gray area with him. You can have coaches that don't want to tell you the truth, that sorta beat around the bush. He's far from that, so I really appreciate that about him. It's hard to find. I've had maybe two conversations with him. I can tell he's a player's coach. He was in the league for a while, he knows how to talk to you, he knows how to relate to you, but he also knows how to coach."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Background on Basketball Without Borders Africa
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">The first Basketball Without Borders Africa camp took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2003.</li>
<li aria-level="1">In total there have been 18 BWB Africa camps, with the most recent camp taking place in Cairo, Egypt, from Aug. 28-31, 2022.</li>
<li aria-level="1">More than 1,400 men and women from more than 30 African countries have participated in BWB Africa.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Camps have been attended and supported by more than 150 NBA and WNBA coaches, players and NBA team personnel.</li>
<li aria-level="1">BWB Africa camps have been conducted in South Africa (2003-2009; 2011-2015; 2017-2018), Senegal (2010, 2019), Egypt (2022) and Angola (2016).</li>
<li aria-level="1">Twelve former BWB Africa campers have been drafted into the NBA: Khalifa Diop (BWB Africa 2018), Christian Koloko (BWB Africa 2017), Pascal Siakam (BWB Africa 2012), Joel Embiid (BWB Africa 2011), Kostas Antetokounmpo (BWB Africa 2015), Chukwudi Maduabum (BWB Africa 2010), Gorgui Dieng (BWB Africa 2009), Christian Eyenga (BWB Africa 2005), Hamady N'diaye (BWB Africa 2004), Solomon Alabi (BWB Africa 2004), Mouhamed Saer Sene (BWB Africa 2004), Luc Mbah a Moute (BWB Africa 2003)</li>
</ul>
Background on Basketball Without Borders
<ul>
<li aria-level="2">Basketball Without Borders (BWB) is the NBA and FIBA&rsquo;s global basketball development and community outreach program that was launched in 2001.</li>
<li aria-level="2">The first-ever BWB camp took place in Europe in July 2001: Vlade Divac (Serbia) and Toni Kukoc (Croatia), together with former teammates from the Yugoslavia national team, reunited in Treviso, Italy, to work with 50 children from the former Yugoslavia.</li>
<li aria-level="2">The NBA and FIBA have staged 65 BWB camps in 40 cities across 30 countries on six continents.&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="2">BWB has hosted more than 3,800 participants from 133 countries and territories.</li>
<li aria-level="2">More than 310 current and former NBA/WNBA players have joined more than 240 NBA team personnel from all 30 NBA teams to share their expertise and knowledge with participants.</li>
<li aria-level="2">The NBA typically hosts four regional BWB camps over the summer (Africa, Europe, Asia, Americas), and in 2015 created the BWB Global camp, which is held annually at NBA All-Star for the top prospects from the previous summer&rsquo;s camps</li>
<li aria-level="2">There have been 105 former BWB campers drafted or signed by NBA or WNBA teams, including a record 41 players on opening-night rosters last season.
<ul>
<li aria-level="2">Notable former BWB campers include Deandre Ayton, Josh Giddey, RJ Barrett, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lauri Markkanen, Joel Embiid, Danilo Gallinari, Marc Gasol, Rui Hachimura, Jonas Valanciunas, Jamal Murray, Nicolas Batum, Pascal Siakam and Awak Kuier.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>

Spencer Davies chats with Malcolm Brogdon about his involvement with BWB Africa, his foundation, next year's Celtics and more.

Malcolm Brogdon Q&A: Fit with Celtics, BWB Africa experience

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

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

For the first time in his soon-to-be-six-year professional basketball career, Derrick Walton Jr. will not be suiting up for an NBA team come training camp. Instead, in three weeks, he will pack his bags and head to Australia, where he&rsquo;ll begin to get acclimated with the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League.
&ldquo;It is new. I kinda came to grips with it probably about two weeks ago,&rdquo; Walton told Basketball News in a phone interview. &ldquo;This is different. I'm usually not really geared all the way up back until September or so. But it's a good setup, I have no complaints. Whatever the situation [or] the schedule is, just know I'mma go in with a wide smile and be ready to go for real.
&ldquo;Overall, just the good things I've heard [from] a lot of people that have already experienced it and just the love that they showed me, I couldn't not acknowledge it. It was very prevalent, and [the Kings] put it on display. So [what I&rsquo;m looking forward to] for the most part, just obviously the style of play, the lifestyle I've been told about and then just people that value me. And we've got a complete, good understanding, so [the decision] was kind of easy for me to be honest.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Walton officially inked a one-year deal with the NBL&rsquo;s reigning champions on July 4 after hearing nothing but good things about the Aussie league from people he&rsquo;s close with and trusts.&nbsp;
R.J. Hunter, a former NBA first-round pick in 2015 by the Boston Celtics who played for Sydney last season, direct-messaged him a while ago about it. Friends from the Detroit area such as Brandon Jenkins and Walton&rsquo;s longtime trainer, Jermaine Jackson, have also given the stamp of approval, while Louisville hero Peyton Siva has done the same.&nbsp;
Walton&rsquo;s motivation to make the move across the world is simple, and not about boosting his stock just to get back to the NBA. He wants to be wanted.
&ldquo;I think, being transparent, I feel like obviously I know I'm an NBA player. I feel like I would be a really good backup point guard. But at this point, I just want to go somewhere where I'm valued,&rdquo; Walton said. &ldquo;And if that comes back full circle, then I would take it. But as far as now, I want to just make sure I'm enjoying the game as much as possible, being in the best situation every single chance I get a chance to be and then overall, I let stuff take care of itself.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I would be lying if I said that's not in my wheelhouse, that I wouldn't be drawn to that, but honestly when I go to Australia, that's my main priority. I don't really want to put my mind anywhere else."
This offseason has been all about staying in the gym to become &ldquo;as dynamic as possible&rdquo; for Walton, who has spent the majority of his career setting up others primarily first and foremost.
&ldquo;Being a floor general is cool, but I think I'mma try to just be a little more diligent and trying to display how I can score the ball,&rdquo; Walton said. &ldquo;I've been working on that a lot more, just trying to be more aggressive for the most part."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Still 🖤 <a href="https://t.co/BuHsqmjKxY">pic.twitter.com/BuHsqmjKxY</a>
&mdash; Derrick Walton (@DerrickWalton10) <a href="https://twitter.com/DerrickWalton10/status/1529290265877520384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

"There's a time in some people's careers that they just go play. I mean, just go play. And I think being in Australia is going to give him that opportunity to just go run a team, 'cause he's as good as there is at running a team," Pistons senior player development advisor and former Michigan head coach John Beilein told Basketball News. "And he can analytically build up some stats that may make him very appealing as he comes back because he's still young. He did it in the G League and he really proved himself while in the G League.&nbsp;
"Roster spots are so rare. And so, he's gonna go over there [to Australia] and make the most of this opportunity. And who knows where it'll lead. It may lead to 10 more years overseas, or it may put him right back to the NBA in a stronger position."
Though forward-looking, Walton appreciates his time in the NBA. For him, being blessed enough to live out a dream he set out for himself as a child is something he is grateful for. Having had stints with the Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons in different capacities, he appeared in 45 regular-season games and drew four starts. (He also averaged 15.9 points, 8.0 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals across 59 career games in the G League.)
"Everything comes with growing. The older I got and each time I dealt with a different situation, I handled it with a little more maturity,&rdquo; Walton said. &ldquo;Probably earlier in my career, I was a little more 'reactive,' but overall I just think I'm a very even-keeled guy for everything I've been through. So it's not too much that's gonna throw me off or knock me off my square now...
"...Be where your feet are and then just try to have as much fun with it. I know me, I'm a completely different player when I feel like the outside factors outside of the court [are] handled. So as much as I just get to focus on what I do on a day-to-day basis, I think my performance only rises. So that's what I pretty much learned for myself."
Three of those NBA starts came with his hometown Pistons last season between Dec. 26 and New Year's Day, when Walton amassed a total of 19 points, 21 assists and 7 blocks on a 10-day contract.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It was dope,&rdquo; Walton said of playing for his city. &ldquo;My family, we all went to my mother's house to eat afterwards. That's a dope feeling. It more so was really dope for me to see my family get to experience it more so than myself, to be honest... As a Detroiter, we're just prideful of our city. I can say I'm prideful to be from here.&nbsp;
"It kinda made me who I am. They show me ridiculous love. And then, it's home. People love me here. It gave me love, so I show love back."
Having a familiar face around the franchise also helped with Beilein being in Detroit. Together, the pair won the Big Ten Tournament twice &mdash; Walton was the 2017 B1G Tourney MVP &mdash; and took home regular-season honors once too.&nbsp;
&ldquo;[Michigan] pretty much allowed me to be a professional before I was,&rdquo; Walton said. &ldquo;Just how to carry myself, the edicate and overall just the ins and outs of being a pro every single day.&nbsp;&ldquo;[John]&rsquo;s a guy that knows my game in and out, so if he'd watch the game or anything, just the nuances or like little, small stuff... It was always good to just get back to home and just know a guy that had seen me at the very purity of the game with being collegiate, just knowing he got my best interest at heart was always dope. And then, we got a good relationship. We won a championship together, so it's always good to see somebody that you raised the banner with."
"There are so many moments with him," Beilein said. "He was the one, of all those guys (former Michigan point guards), I think we had the most fun. But it was also &mdash; we held each other accountable. He wouldn't let me get too programmed. And I wouldn't let him get away with anything but believing in himself and playing with great confidence."
Beilein outlines how amazing Walton played and led the Wolverines during that 2017 conference tourney, particularly after a <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/wolverines/2019/03/07/michigan-basketball-plane-crash/3095406002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">frightening plane crash prior to takeoff on the way to Washington D.C</a>.
"That should tell you everything you need to know about Derrick Walton. He's helping others get off the plane before he dove out the window and cut his knee (and got six stitches). And then, to get up the next day and lead us for four days of incredible basketball. [Everybody needs to see] how special he was for those four days," Beilein said.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wASKoSSVIIU" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
"So there's times when leadership is taken for granted. That one was not what it was &mdash; like, so needed, and he knew it. And he stepped up. He was the best guard in the country for those four days without question. He did the same thing to Louisville, to Donovan Mitchell and people like this. We're playing [against] Louisville; [Walton] commanded that whole game, Oklahoma State, same thing. And then, we lost with real adversity at the buzzer with Oregon in the Sweet 16, so he put on a show there. That was incredible. And he's capable of doing that. He's so unselfish that he'll pass up shots that he can make. But everybody loves coaching him. I know Coach [Dwane] Casey loved coaching him. We won a game or two with him as our point guard last year."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Now, Walton is poised to hang another in Sydney with a squad looking for back-to-back NBL titles. Despite the new challenge, Walton is not worried about transitioning into a new league. He feels at this point of his career that he can get along with anybody when he makes the move to the Land Down Under.
&ldquo;It's all about me just sitting and getting around the guys for probably days at a time. I'm an easy-going guy, man,&rdquo; Walton said. &ldquo;I'm a point guard first, I'm good with people. I'm not really too nervous about adjusting. It's just more so just trying to get down everyday life quick. It's not really a huge adjustment, just a different scenery for me I would just say."
(That change of environment also includes Australia&rsquo;s large habitat of snakes, to which Walton will have to reluctantly get used to: &ldquo;Wait what? They need to keep that away from me! Don&rsquo;t put me near no snakes! Hell nah!&rdquo;)
With so many players going to and from the NBL, Walton is eager to be the next transfer that makes a big impact.
&ldquo;I'm a winner man. I put winning before all,&rdquo; Walton said. &ldquo;I want to win. I want to be a part of winning. I want to be a pivotal part of winning. And I feel like everything else will take care of itself. Individual goals fall in line with winning for me honestly...
&ldquo;... Some situations like this one (that) presents itself, you just can't turn down. So it's like, everybody's situation is different and then, the basketball (competition level) being what it is always makes it better. But I think it's a good combination of both for me."

Spencer Davies speaks with Derrick Walton about the motivation behind his decision to head overseas to the NBL and more.

Wanting to be valued, Derrick Walton Jr. makes no-brainer move to NBL

Early Monday morning, we finally got an update on the month-long, ongoing saga around Kevin Durant&rsquo;s uncertain future with the Brooklyn Nets. According to ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski and The Athletic&rsquo;s Shams Charania, the Boston Celtics have now entered the race to secure Durant&rsquo;s services.
Already on the precipice of winning an NBA championship last season, if the Celtics paired KD alongside Jayson Tatum, it would create instant fireworks and terrorize the Eastern Conference. However, the likely price to pay could be a bittersweet one for Boston, as Jaylen Brown&rsquo;s name is at the center of the negotiation table.
Charania mentioned that the Celtics offered Brown, Derrick White and a future first-round pick for Durant. Brooklyn declined and reportedly countered by asking for Brown, Marcus Smart, another key role player and multiple draft picks. From there, talks are unknown with Durant&rsquo;s trade request looming over the entire offseason thus far.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Boston&rsquo;s late entry into the Durant derby is an interesting twist, to say the least, because they have all the necessary pieces to make a strong offer. From the beginning, the Nets&rsquo; asking price has included a player with star upside, win-now rotation pieces and all of the draft artillery possible from an opposing team. While Boston doesn&rsquo;t check every box, it has arguably the biggest trump card of all with Brown.
Being the second option next to Tatum, Brown has flourished and become one of the most dependable two-way wings in the league. Since 2020, Brown&rsquo;s numbers have indicated he's ready to soar to the moon with more usage (24.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game on 58.0% True Shooting). Away from Tatum, it&rsquo;s fair to assume Brown&rsquo;s scoring outlook would only lead him to become a true No. 1 option for an organization. In Brooklyn, Brown certainly would have that potential runway.
But is this whole process of chasing Durant worth it in the first place for Boston? That&rsquo;s the question internally the Celtics are surely debating, but it&rsquo;s certainly notable that the 25-year-old wing was already included in a proposal. Where there&rsquo;s smoke, fire usually follows in situations like this.
Since Brad Stevens stepped off the court as head coach and became general manager, the Celtics&rsquo; aggressiveness in trying to improve can&rsquo;t go unnoticed. White, who was included in the original Durant proposal alongside Brown, just joined the team midseason after Boston traded a draft pick and a future swap (top-pick protected) in 2028. Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari were massive additions to bolster an already robust unit of depth in Boston. Durant&rsquo;s inclusion would be like Thanos acquiring the last Infinity Stone before he snaps his fingers.
Yes, this deal may hurt the Celtics&rsquo; long-term window, but there&rsquo;s no denying Boston would put itself a head above everyone else in the East with such a huge splash.
With both sides already declining offers and counter-proposals, here&rsquo;s a potential framework that seemingly meets in the middle of those original asking prices.
Celtics receive: Kevin Durant
Nets receive: Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, 2025 first-round pick (unprotected), 2026 pick swap (top-3 protected)
Boston sending out its second-best player in Brown and the Defensive Player of the Year would be a real haul for the Nets to receive at this stage for Durant. In comparison to other potential offers out there from teams known to have interest &mdash; Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors &mdash; Boston presents the best player in the short- and long-term window. (Bam Adebayo and Scottie Barnes are reportedly not available.)
Maybe the Suns can blow Brooklyn away with all of their future draft capital for the next seven years alongside Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson, but is that really beating an offer featuring Brown and Smart? It seems doubtful, and it feels like the only way Brooklyn chooses Phoenix in that scenario is if it simply doesn&rsquo;t want to do business with a division rival.
For Boston, Durant&rsquo;s arrival would present a unique opportunity to trot out all kinds of lineup combinations with plenty of depth left to spare.
Starters: Derrick White, Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, Al Horford, Robert Williams
Second Unit: Peyton Pritchard, Malcolm Brogdon, Sam Hauser, Danilo Gallinari, Grant Williams
Bringing veterans like Brogdon and Gallinari aboard softens the significant blow of losing two key pillars just a tad bit. However, this type of move would seriously test the special chemistry Boston has established over multiple years. The Celtics' young core has grown together, and they were right on the doorstep of winning it all, certainly ahead of schedule. Durant would make them a sure-fire favorite, especially over the next four seasons, but what does it look like afterward? If you&rsquo;re a team operating in a constant win-now state for a title-hungry organization like the Celtics, those are thoughts that honestly go to the back burner.
In the NBA, &ldquo;windows&rdquo; of opportunity to win it are what you make of them. Whether it be shorter or longer than expected, the goal every year should be hoisting the Larry O&rsquo;Brien trophy at the season&rsquo;s end. A Durant and Tatum duo would be an on-court symphony from a scoring perspective, and key glue-guy pieces such as Brogdon, Horford, Gallinari and Williams should still help preserve a strong backbone of a ready-made contender.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
While it could certainly rock the boat from a chemistry perspective &mdash; breaking off 2/3 of the team's prioritized core &mdash; players of Durant&rsquo;s caliber just don&rsquo;t come around often. Durant has already proven his greatness, showing no signs of slowing down after a devastating Achilles injury now well in the rearview mirror.
While this was never an imaginable fit a month ago, Boston and Durant have the makings of a potent partnership. If the future Hall-of-Famer bought in 100% to their philosophy, the Celtics could become an organization with dynasty-type potential, as all of their key pieces would be under contract in this scenario through 2025.
While reserved and mild-mannered, Stevens has shown as the lead executive he&rsquo;s ready to take risks to make the Celtics better. Durant is the biggest possibility yet to test that theory. But the short-term gains outweigh the long-term window &mdash; one that could be extended anyway as Tatum enters his prime years.

The Celtics have entered the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, making a very compelling case as the best option for Brooklyn.