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76ers

With the 2024-25 NBA season just days away, the Western Conference is locked, loaded, and ready for battle. The offseason drama has settled, rosters are finalized, and every team is gearing up for what promises to be a fierce and competitive race. From reigning contenders to rising underdogs, the West is stacked with talent and ambition. Let&rsquo;s break down the top 15 teams in the West as we head into this thrilling new season&mdash;no frills, just what you need to know.
<ol>
<li> Minnesota Timberwolves The Timberwolves are turning a new page after trading away longtime cornerstone Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo and are now fully embracing Anthony Edwards as the franchise cornerstone. The T-Wolves&rsquo; mix of young talent and veteran leadership gives them a balanced roster around Edwards. Rudy Gobert remains a defensive anchor as a 4-time DPOY, Edwards is primed for a superstar leap, and if the supporting cast, including Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid, steps up, the Wolves could be ready to take the top spot in the West.</li>
<li> Oklahoma City Thunder The Thunder&rsquo;s rebuild is no longer a long-term project; they&rsquo;re ready to compete now. However, due to Isaiah Hartenstein&rsquo;s injury to start the season, we&rsquo;re placing the Thunder at no.2 for now. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is already an All-NBA guard and arguably a top 5 player in the league. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams figure out to be the dynamic inside-out duo around SGA. Add in Hartenstein and Alex Caruso, the two new acquisitions this offseason with their capable role players Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe, this young core is as versatile as it is exciting. OKC&rsquo;s depth and versatility on both ends of the floor could propel them into serious title contention.</li>
<li> Phoenix Suns The Suns have loaded up for a title run, and with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal leading the charge, Phoenix has one of the most dangerous offensive trios in the league. They have added their most significant hole which is the PG spot with a solid pick up in Tyus Jones, and they have one of the best offensive coaches in the league in Mike Budenholzer. The Suns&rsquo; questions lie in their depth and health, but if they can manage those concerns, they&rsquo;re built for a championship push. Their offensive firepower is unmatched, and if they click, the Suns will be a team no one wants to face.</li>
<li> Memphis Grizzlies Memphis has weathered their offseason storms and enters the season with a gritty identity intact. Ja Morant is back after his injury and suspension last year and he will now play with last season&rsquo;s addition Marcus Smart. Together with the continued growth of Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane, the Grizzlies are primed to be competitive and come back from their prime two seasons ago where they won 50+ games. Memphis&rsquo; defensive dominance paired with offensive firepower ensures they can be one of the top teams in the West with a deep bench with solid role players.</li>
<li> Denver Nuggets After falling short to Minnesota in 7 games last playoffs, the Nuggets will enter the season with their core mostly intact. Nikola Jokić remains the most dominant center and the best player in the game. With Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. healthy, the Nuggets are poised for another deep run. But perhaps their biggest loss this season was losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to free agency and that might be a hit so they&rsquo;re currently ranked at no.5 to start the year. It could be a lot to ask for young players like Christian Braun or Julian Strawther to fill the void left by KCP, so it will be interesting to see how Denver handles his loss this season.</li>
<li> Dallas Mavericks Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving experiment is back after a successful season last year, where Dallas entered the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011 &ndash; when they won the title. The two stars can mesh to create one of the league&rsquo;s most potent offenses and with the continued internal development of young players like Dereck Lively, the Mavs can build on that Finals appearance. With newcomer Klay Thompson set to provide historic spacing for their dynamic duo, Dallas has the talent to climb the standings and challenge the top teams in the West.</li>
<li> New Orleans Pelicans The Pelicans&rsquo; fate will always hinge on Zion Williamson&rsquo;s health. When Zion plays, New Orleans is a force to be reckoned with. Now paired with newly-acquired point guard Dejounte Murray, they have a balanced attack capable of competing with any team in the conference with Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum still on the fold. If Zion stays on the floor, the Pelicans could find themselves rising up the ranks, but his availability remains the biggest X-factor.</li>
<li> Golden State Warriors The Warriors are clinging to their championship window with Stephen Curry still playing at an elite level. The addition of capable veterans in Kyle Anderson, Buddy Hield, and DeAnthony Melton gives them depth and personnel that can play in their offense to surround the core of Curry and Draymond Green for their foundation. Health and age are concerns, but if their veterans stay intact, Golden State can&rsquo;t be counted out.</li>
<li> Sacramento Kings The Kings struggled a bit last season after making their long-awaited playoff return two seasons ago, and they&rsquo;re looking to build on that momentum. They have signed DeMar DeRozan and he should bring a new wrinkle to their motion and three-hunting offense. DeRozan&rsquo;s mid range ability should be a welcome addition to Sacramento&rsquo;s offense. De&rsquo;Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis still lead an explosive offense, but defense remains a question mark. Sacramento&rsquo;s high-flying, fast-paced style makes them a regular-season juggernaut, but they&rsquo;ll need to tighten up defensively if they want to make a deep playoff run.</li>
<li> Los Angeles Lakers The Lakers are counting on LeBron James and Anthony Davis staying healthy for a full season. With the front office standing pat on making moves this offseason, the Lakers&rsquo; success will hinge on their superstar duo. If LeBron and AD can avoid injury, Los Angeles will be a formidable playoff team, but health is always a looming concern with this group.</li>
<li> Houston Rockets The Rockets added veterans Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks to guide their young core last season and this season could be the time for them to step up. They finished strong last year behind defensive minded coach Ime Udoka and the result could be a team that surprises many. Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun have star potential, and younger players Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson add even more excitement. The Rockets also drafted Reed Sheppard with the 3rd pick and Houston is hoping to lay the foundation for success and could push for a Play-In spot this season.</li>
<li> San Antonio Spurs Victor Wembanyama enters his second season, and the Spurs are fully embracing their rebuild around the budding star. While Wembanyama showed flashes of brilliance as a rookie, San Antonio is still in the development phase. But with the addition of Chris Paul, the Spurs now have a capable PG to feed Wemby and the other guys, possibly unlocking a new level to their games. With their young core, the Spurs may not be a playoff team yet, but their future looks incredibly bright with Wembanyama leading the way.</li>
<li> Los Angeles Clippers The Clippers&rsquo; fortunes rest on the health of Kawhi Leonard&mdash;again. After losing Paul George for nothing, Leonard is left to fend LA off by himself in their new arena at Intuit Dome. Gone are the days when LA has the talent to compete with anyone as they&rsquo;re just but a shell of themselves. Leading the way for the injured Leonard will be a 34-year-old James Harden and that might be too much to ask of the aging superstar. However, if Kawhi can return healthy and he can avoid the injury bug, the Clippers will be in the playoff mix, but that&rsquo;s a big &ldquo;if&rdquo; for this squad.</li>
<li> Portland Trail Blazers With Damian Lillard long gone, the Blazers will fully commit another season to their rebuild. Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons, and Shaedon Sharpe form a promising young core, but Portland will likely spend this season focusing on player development. While they won&rsquo;t be in playoff contention, the Blazers are positioning themselves well for the future, with an eye on growth and improvement.</li>
<li> Utah Jazz The Jazz are continuing their rebuild, with Lauri Markkanen emerging as a cornerstone player. While they have some intriguing young pieces like Taylor Hendricks and Keyonte George, Utah isn&rsquo;t ready to compete just yet. This season will be about development and finding which young players can be part of their long-term plans. The Jazz may not win many games this year, but they&rsquo;re building toward a brighter future.</li>
</ol>

Let’s break down the top 15 teams in the West as we head into this thrilling new season.

2024-2025 NBA Western Conference Power Rankings: A race at the top to start the year

SINGAPORE INDOOR STADIUM, SINGAPORE &ndash; The NBA G League United squeaked past the Tasmania JackJumpers, earning a tight 76-74 win to advance to the title game of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2024 Saturday afternoon here.
The Americans overcame the tough challenge from the Australians who were playing back-to-back following their win vs Lebanese side Al Riyadi yesterday.
The G League Squad led by nine at the half, 44-35, as they shot 45 percent from the field.
However, Tasmania had a furious second-half run behind American imports Milton Doyle and Jordon Crawford. The 5&rsquo;6 guard hit a big three with under two minutes left to give the JackJumpers a 72-68 lead.
GLU&rsquo;s Brodric Thomas answered with a three to tie the game at 72-all, but Crawford once again showed up for Tasmania by scoring another clutch bucket in isolation with under a minute left &ndash; a running hook shot in the middle to give his team the lead, 74-72.
In the end, Thomas was the hero for United. First, he got fouled on a three and made 2 of 3 FTs to tie the game at 74-74. In the next possession, Doyle turned the ball over gave GLU back the ball, and then he got fouled on a drive again. Thomas made two more clutch free throws for United&rsquo;s two-point advantage.
United broke the JackJumpers&rsquo; play supposed to be set on the post for center Will Magnay for the final tally.&nbsp;
Former NBA player Charlie Brown Jr. put up 23 points on 6/11 shooting to spearhead GLU&rsquo;s attack while Thomas and Deonte Burton added 12 and 11 markers respectively.
&ldquo;We got a little shaky sometimes but that&rsquo;s what great teams do &ndash; they win games,&rdquo; Juan Toscano-Anderson, who scored just 7 points but was instrumental on defense, said post-game. &ldquo;We figured out a way to win, ugly win or pretty win: still a win.&rdquo;
NBA G League United will now face Spanish side Unicaja for tomorrow&rsquo;s title game. Unicaja have also booked their place in the Finals after securing their second win yesterday.
The Tasmania JackJumpers will face Al Riyadi in the third-place match after the latter&rsquo;s win in the second game vs Angola&rsquo;s Petro de Luanda, 80-75.

The NBA G League United squeaked past the Tasmania JackJumpers, 76-74, to win and advance to the FIBA ICC title game.

FIBA ICC 2024 Day 3: NBA G League United escapes Tasmania to secure title game slot

The 2024 NBA Free Agency underway. Here's everything you need to know about the makings and the moves around the NBA.

2024 NBA Free Agency Tracker: All the signings and deals in the offseason

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

PHILADELPHIA (AP) &mdash; Scrambling for a loose ball late in the fourth quarter and the outcome of Game 3 still in the balance, Grant Williams was accidentally stomped&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1654667918641340416?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">face-first into the court</a>&nbsp;by Joel Embiid&rsquo;s wayward foot.
Much like the Celtics after their Game 1 debacle, a bloody, shaken Williams absorbed the beating and came back to help stick it to the suddenly shaky 76ers.
&ldquo;That was kind of nasty,&rdquo; Celtics guard Jayson Tatum said.
So, too, is what the Celtics have done to Embiid, James Harden and the rest of the Sixers while seizing control of the series.
Tatum scored 27 points, Jaylen Brown had 23 and Boston spoiled Embiid&rsquo;s MVP coronation, beating Philadelphia 114-102 Friday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Game 4 is Sunday in Philadelphia.
Williams didn&rsquo;t score a point in 23 minutes, but his toughness in shaking off the sneaker to the back of his head symbolized the way Boston has continued to fight after a Game 1 embarrassment.
&ldquo;I was like, &rsquo;Dang, I really got curb-stomped,&rsquo;&rdquo; Williams said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just thankful he didn&rsquo;t like fully just lean his weight onto it. He definitely got me pretty badly. But then I think he felt that he landed on something, so he picked his foot up. It hurts a little bit.&rdquo;
Embiid had 30 points and 13 rebounds in his second game back from a sprained right knee after receiving his MVP trophy in a pregame ceremony.
Boston gave 76ers fans little reason to cheer again.
The Sixers pulled within five on De&rsquo;Anthony Melton&rsquo;s 3-pointer to get the crowd back into the game for all of 20 seconds before Malcolm Brogdon countered with a 3 to give Boston a 100-92 lead. Al Horford crushed the Sixers again &mdash; as he has most of his career &mdash; when he buried a 3 for a seven-point lead.
Embiid, forced to try and win it alone without any serious offensive help, missed a pull-up 18-footer and Tatum drained a jumper that all but put the game away. Tatum hit one more 3 for good measure and the Celtics won their second straight.
&ldquo;We just held the ball too long, too much,&rdquo; Embiid said. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t start our actions fast enough. That&rsquo;s why it looks so slow. We&rsquo;re not scoring the ball. We&rsquo;re not making shots.&rdquo;
Embiid was flanked by his parents and teammates as he received the MVP trophy from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver before Game 3. Sixers fans roared as Embiid hoisted the trophy high over his head. Then the moment turned touching. Embiid&rsquo;s young son, Arthur, ran onto the court and into the arms of his father.
<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1654634059199393792?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Embiid held his son</a>, who wore a &ldquo;My dad is the MVP&rdquo; T-shirt, and wiped tears from his eyes as fans chanted &ldquo;MVP! MVP!&rdquo;
&ldquo;Honestly, he&rsquo;s the main reason why I&rsquo;m really here,&rdquo; Embiid said. &ldquo;Becoming a father really changed my whole life. I just wanted to show him a good example.&rdquo;
The good times didn&rsquo;t last long.
Boston spiked any emotional carryover from the ceremony and raced to a quick 10-point lead.
The Sixers spent the rest of the game playing catch-up. All the energy spent to come back and take brief leads quickly evaporated and the Celtics snagged them right back.
Embiid gamely tried to carry the Sixers on one good knee, but got almost no help from Harden and Tyrese Maxey. Harden&rsquo;s 45-point effort in a Game 1 upset in Boston seemed more an aberration than a sign of things to come. Harden followed his 2 of 14 in a Game 2 loss with 3-for-14 shooting for 16 points.
Harden&rsquo;s 5-for-28 shooting the last two games is the&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1654675131971563520" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">worst for him over any two-game span</a>&nbsp;in his career, regular season or playoffs, in which he&rsquo;s attempted at least 20 field goals.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re just trying to make him work as much as we can,&rdquo; Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. &ldquo;Trying to keep him off the free-throw line. Guys are just working to take away those details.&rdquo;
Harden failed to pick up the Sixers in the third, when he could have changed the game.
He did hit P.J. Tucker for a 3 that pulled the Sixers to 74-72. Harden then missed two straight jumpers and fouled Brown on a tough layup. Brown made the free throw and the Celtics were back up by eight.
Harden oddly passed up plenty of easy looks and layups and also committed five turnovers.
Embiid had scored 53 points against the Celtics in an early-April matchup, but could never get cooking in Game 3. The Celtics double-teamed Embiid from the jump and he looked gassed by the end of the third. Without a teammate he could trust to make shots, Embiid took the scoring load on himself and scored 12 points in the third when he played the entire quarter.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t get the ball enough,&rdquo; Embiid said. &ldquo;Not to score, but also to make plays for my teammates. They had a tendency of doubling quite a bit tonight, so I thought we could have used that to our advantage. When we did, we also missed a lot of wide-open 3s.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Celtics: Tatum added 10 rebounds. ... Boston 16 of 45 3-pointers.
76ers: Made 12 of 12 free throws in the first quarter. ... Made 16 of 37 3s.

Jayson Tatum scored 27 points, Jaylen Brown had 23 and Boston spoiled Embiid’s MVP coronation, beating Philadelphia 114-102.

Tatum, Brown spark Celtics past 76ers 114-102 in Game 3

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey each scored 31 points and Tobias Harris added 24 as the Philadelphia 76ers routed the Indiana Pacers 141-121 on Saturday night to match their season high with an eighth consecutive victory.
In a matchup of teams missing All-Stars &mdash; Philadelphia&rsquo;s James Harden and Indiana&rsquo;s Tyrese Haliburton &mdash; the 76ers shot 61% from the field, led by as many as 24 points and never looked back after overcoming an early eight-point deficit.
Embiid, who set a franchise record with his ninth straight outing of at least 30 points, chipped in seven assists and seven rebounds. Philadelphia legends Allen Iverson and Wilt Chamberlain each had eight-game runs of 30 points or more.
&ldquo;Embiid is right now probably the (NBA) MVP with what their team is doing and how he&rsquo;s just elevated his game,&rdquo; Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s as a difficult a guy to plan for as there is in the game. He had 31 points and made it look like he wasn&rsquo;t even trying to do it. He&rsquo;s a walking cheat code.&rdquo;
De&rsquo;Anthony Melton started in Harden&rsquo;s place and finished with 14 points, five assists, five rebounds and six steals, while Maxey had seven assists.
&ldquo;I was really happy,&rdquo; Sixers coach Doc Rivers said. &ldquo;Everybody contributed. Joel at times was our point guard. He probably had 15 hockey assists, and that was just terrific. Low turnovers. Against a high-scoring team on the road, you had to do that.&rdquo;
Aaron Nesmith led the Pacers with 25 points and six rebounds, Andrew Nembhard scored 20 points, and Myles Turner finished with 20 points. Indiana shot 51% from the field, but never led after the first quarter and dropped to 6-4 in its last 10 games.
Philadelphia, in third place in the Eastern Conference, led 34-24 entering the second period, 72-61 at halftime and 106-95 entering the fourth before breaking it open with a 9-0 run to start the final frame. Harden missed the game due to &ldquo;injury recovery,&rdquo; according to the team.
&ldquo;The thing about Harden being out is now the ball is going to be in Joel&rsquo;s hands a lot more and Maxey&rsquo;s hands a lot more, and we didn&rsquo;t do enough things to make it hard on them,&rdquo; Carlisle said. &ldquo;Bad game for us. We just didn&rsquo;t play well. Disappointing.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
76ers: Starting power forward P.J. Tucker was sidelined by a sore left ankle. &hellip; Georges Niang, drafted by the Pacers in 2016, was one of two double-figure bench scorers for Philadelphia. He and Paul Reed had 10 each. &hellip; The 76ers, who improved to 22-12 on the road, were outrebounded 47-35.
Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin, averaging 16.6 points, second-most among rookies, sat out with a sprained right ankle. &hellip; Shane Steichen, hired last month as the Indianapolis Colts&rsquo; new head coach, attended the Pacers&rsquo; pregame shootaround along with wide receivers coach Reggie Wayne. &hellip; Carlisle said &ldquo;a little longer&rdquo; timetable remains for the return of Haliburton, who missed his fourth straight contest.
UP NEXT
76ers: Host the Chicago Bulls on Monday night.
Pacers: Begin a four-game trip Monday night at the Charlotte Hornets.

Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey each scored 31 points as the 76ers routed the Pacers 141-121 on Saturday night.

Joel Embiid, Maxey net 31, 76ers top Pacers for 8th straight win

PHILADELPHIA (AP) &mdash; Joel Embiid made a fadeaway jumper from the foul line with 1.1 seconds left to give the Philadelphia 76ers a 120-119 comeback victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.
Embiid scored 39 points, shaking off a double-team from Jusuf Nurkic and Damian Lillard on the winner. The basket gave Philadelphia its first lead of the game they trailed by 21 points late in the first half.
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Joel Embiid with the SPINNING GAME-WINNER🚨😮&zwj;💨<a href="https://t.co/BEIYd6ONqB">pic.twitter.com/BEIYd6ONqB</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1634381709729845250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Portland&rsquo;s last-second after a timeout was tipped away on the inbound play, with Lillard&rsquo;s shot coming after the horn.
James Harden added 19 points for Philadelphia despite struggling from the floor. Tyrese Maxey and DeAnthony Melton each had 13 to help the 76ers win their fourth straight game.
Anfernee Simons led Portland with 34 points on 8-of-12 shooting from 3-point range. Jeremi Grant had 24 points and Lillard 22.

Joel Embiid made a fadeaway jumper with 1.1 seconds left to give the 76ers a 120-119 comeback victory over the Blazers on Friday.

76ers edge Blazers 120-119 thanks to Joel Embiid’s late jumper

Only 18 times in NBA history has a player averaged 20-plus points, 10-plus assists and 5-plus rebounds per game across an entire season. James Harden and Nikola Jokic are on pace to join the list this year.
Three NBA players &mdash; Russell Westbrook, Oscar Robertson and Isiah Thomas &mdash; have put up at least 20 points and 10 assists per game over four or more separate seasons in their career. Harden is on pace to be the fourth.
Harden missing out on his 11th NBA All-Star appearance is simply a travesty. Maybe it's because the scoring volume is down, or because he's no longer the top bucket-getting option on his team. Whatever the case may be, he deserves applause for the way he has adapted with age and in a new role to help Philadelphia reinvent its path to contention.&nbsp;
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6 threes for <a href="https://twitter.com/JHarden13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JHarden13</a> and call it a SZN HIGH! <a href="https://t.co/OZF4WCWR1i">pic.twitter.com/OZF4WCWR1i</a>
&mdash; Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) <a href="https://twitter.com/sixers/status/1620969675780935684?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2023</a>
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Harden is currently posting 21.0 points, 10.9 assists and 6.4 rebounds per contest. His mark of 14.9 field goal attempts per game is the lowest since his days on the Oklahoma City Thunder, but his overall efficiency is on par with his prime years in Houston &mdash; albeit in different forms. And with a dominant scorer in Joel Embiid by his side, Harden has reached new heights as a table-setter.
At 33 years old, Harden doesn't attack the basket with the same ferocity as his peak years. Only 24% of his shot attempts are coming at the rim (career-low), per Cleaning the Glass, and he's driving the basketball 13.3 times per game (lowest since 2013-14), according to Second Spectrum. They're still high numbers for most NBA players, but low by Harden's standards. His straight-line speed, probably still underrated in his heyday, has been sapped a great deal.
That's okay. Harden has been&nbsp;relatively&nbsp;confined to the perimeter, and he's made it work with a 38.8% three-point clip, his best since 2011-12. One key reason for the jump: Harden is canning a red-hot 47.7% of his attempts off the catch, which make up over one-eighth (12.7%) of his total shot diet, according to PBP Stats. That's the largest share of catch-and-shoot treys he's logged since 2016-17 and almost double last year's frequency.&nbsp;
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James Harden&rsquo;s reaction to making three catch-and-shoot 3s was pretty funny. And then, more serious: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been working on it, so that&rsquo;s pretty exciting. You don&rsquo;t do too much, just catch-and-shoot it. You put the work in, I work on it every day.&rdquo; <a href="https://t.co/bH9p2iGTNX">pic.twitter.com/bH9p2iGTNX</a>
&mdash; Rich Hofmann (@rich_hofmann) <a href="https://twitter.com/rich_hofmann/status/1620982628995448832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2023</a>
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This isn't to say Harden has completely disavowed his iso-ball ways. According to Synergy, he takes the third-most isolation possessions per game (6.2) in the NBA. But those possessions are less taxing because he has a co-superstar beside him; Embiid actually logs a slightly higher isolation volume (6.3). And Harden doesn't have to will himself to the basket at his age &mdash; Embiid is also collapsing defenses.
The Harden-to-Embiid assist combination is the most popular connection in the league this season. The Beard has hit up The Process 150 times, per PBP Stats, including 71 Embiid buckets at the rim. Their 40-assist lead on the second-most prominent combo of Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield (110) is as large as that duo's edge between it and the 31st-ranked coupling (a tie between Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett, Killian Hayes and Bojan Bogdanovic, and Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton).&nbsp;
Meanwhile, though much less often, Embiid is the most frequent passer when Harden picks up an assisted bucket. They've teamed up 19 times this season, including 11 Harden makes from beyond the arc.
The Embiid-Harden pick-and-roll has boosted their ascension to perhaps the most dynamic two-man action tandem in the league. But Harden's comfort in Philly is also boosting the supporting cast &mdash; most exemplified in Tobias Harris.&nbsp;
Harris, now 30 years old, has quietly settled into an efficient complementary role while Harden, Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Shake Milton initiate most offensive possessions. He's shooting a career-best 58% from two-point range. Harris' at-rim frequency (34%), field goal percentage (69%) and assisted-make rate (62%) are all the highest of his four-plus seasons with the Sixers, according to Cleaning the Glass.
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Less than a minute into the second half, James Harden records his 71st career triple-double with this dime to Tobias Harris 🔥<a href="https://t.co/uC4MpbmmYv">pic.twitter.com/uC4MpbmmYv</a> <a href="https://t.co/VEgsAzQYG2">https://t.co/VEgsAzQYG2</a>
&mdash; ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1612200618436730880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2023</a></blockquote>

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The scoring opportunities get easier with Harden on the floor. The former MVP sends 18.1% of his passes to Harris, who in turn makes 59.2% of his ensuing twos and 37.7% of his threes. Harris has typically averaged 8-10 drives per game over the course of his prime years vs. his 6.7 drives this season. The creation burden has been lessened and the efficiency has increased.
It helps that the Sixers added De'Anthony Melton to space the floor and act as a secondary ball-handler, and Maxey certainly gives them another sharp driving punch. But Harden has made everyone, including Harris and Embiid, better since finding his comfort level on the team.
Harden's average of 92.7 touches per game ranks third in the NBA and is still on par with his typical touch rate throughout his career. He's still the ignition for Philly's ninth-ranked offense and a matchup nightmare when he's on the floor, even if the picture looks a little different.&nbsp;
Whether it's the lack of All-Star recognition or the general lack of buzz, Harden's superstardom has taken a back seat in the national consciousness. Don't make that same mistake.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>A cool blocked shot locations graphic from Edoardo Vergani. Look at Bol Bol!</li>
</ul>
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NBA: Blocked shot location of the 12 players with most blocks during this season! What pops out? Let me know! <a href="https://t.co/shFXLWFonW">pic.twitter.com/shFXLWFonW</a>
&mdash; Edoardo Vergani (@ed_vergani) <a href="https://twitter.com/ed_vergani/status/1621863738931400705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2023</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>Brandon Miller is such a fascinating NBA Draft prospect:</li>
</ul>
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Brandon Miller is putting up unprecedented versatility and efficiency in his jumpshot diet for a college big wing. Here's how he compares to some other 6'7+ shooters - Jabari Smith, Keegan Murray, Saddiq Bey, Brandon Ingram, and Khris Middleton. <a href="https://t.co/DUNsKNXfb4">pic.twitter.com/DUNsKNXfb4</a>
&mdash; Mark (@MarkC_NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkC_NBA/status/1621229412091039744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2023</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>The Pacers are an absolutely chaotic basketball team, as shown in this table from Tom Bassine:</li>
</ul>
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Net rating in each quarter. Best by Q: 1 - Nuggets 2 - Pacers 3 - Thunder 4 - Cavs <a href="https://t.co/0dKf9ChDbI">pic.twitter.com/0dKf9ChDbI</a>
&mdash; Tom Bassine (@tvbassine) <a href="https://twitter.com/tvbassine/status/1622230703017525249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2023</a></blockquote>

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James Harden is on pace to be the third player to average 20 points and 10 assists in five seasons. Ethan Fuller praises his play.

NBA Stats Notebook: Giving James Harden the flowers he deserves

"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).
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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;
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&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>

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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.
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(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

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Tyrese Maxey scored 15 of his 32 points in the third quarter and the Philadelphia 76ers, playing without Joel Embiid and James Harden, completed a perfect five-game road trip by beating the Sacramento Kings 129-127 on Saturday night.
Maxey also had seven assists and six rebounds to help the 76ers overcome a 21-point deficit.
Embiid and Harden rested foot injuries but the rest of the 76ers snapped Sacramento&rsquo;s six-game winning streak.
Tobias Harris, Montrezl Harrell and Georges Niang all had 17 points for the Sixers.
&ldquo;That was a resilient win by our guys,&rdquo; 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. &ldquo;Everyone who played did something to help us win tonight. It&rsquo;s a team win.&rdquo;
De&rsquo;Aaron Fox had 31 points and nine assists for the Kings (26-19). Harrison Barnes had 27 points, going 6 for 9 from 3-point range. Kevin Huerter added 20 points.
&ldquo;They have some good players,&rdquo; Huerter said. &ldquo;This is a team that, when healthy, you can put against anyone in the East.&rdquo;
The Kings built a 71-50 margin on a 3-point basket by Huerter with 3:10 left in the second quarter. The 76ers went on a 14-3 run but the Kings held on to lead 74-64 at the half.
The 76ers surged back to tie the game at 86 on a three-point play by Harrell with 6:59 left in the third quarter. The Kings regained the lead when Barnes scored the next five points but the 76ers mounted a 16-5 run to end the quarter with a 102-96 lead.
Maxey scored 12 of the 76ers&rsquo; first 16 points in the third quarter.
&ldquo;I was telling them (76ers) I was gonna come out aggressive in the third,&rdquo; Maxey said. &ldquo;I think in the first and third quarter I was letting them (Kings) dictate what shots that I was taking. (In the third), I dictated what we needed. I think I did that for most part of the third quarter.&rdquo;
The 76ers opened a 107-96 lead early in the fourth until the Kings rallied back to cut the lead to one point on two occasions, the last when Keegan Murray made a 3-pointer to make it 127-126 with eight seconds left to play.
After Maxey made two free throws on the next play to extend the lead by three points, Matisse Thybulle fouled Barnes on his three-point attempt. Barnes missed the first, made the second, and then intentionally missed the third shot but the 76ers got the rebound to end the game.
The 76ers swept the series 2-0, including a 123-103 victory in Philadelphia on Dec. 14. The last time the Kings beat the 76ers was 115-108 on Feb. 2, 2019, in Sacramento.
&ldquo;Give them a lot of credit,&rdquo; Kings coach Mike Brown said. &ldquo;They came in here and took this game from us.&rdquo;
EMBIID AND HARDEN SIDELINED:
Embiid, the league&rsquo;s second-leading scorer, sat out with left foot injury recovery, while Harden was sidelined due to right foot tendon strain management. Harrell and Maxey started in place of the two All-Stars.
TIP-INS
76ers: The 76ers are 18-4 since starting the season 12-12. They have won nine of their first 11 games in January. &hellip; Shake Milton had 15 points, seven assists and six rebounds off the bench.
Kings: Chimezie Metu went to the locker room in the second quarter with a left leg injury and did not return. ... Domantas Sabonis has recorded 22 straight double-doubles. ... Fox&rsquo;s four assists early in the first half passed Bob Davies for the eighth spot on the Kings' career list with 2,251.
&nbsp;

Tyrese Maxey scored 15 of his 32 points in the third quarter and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Sacramento Kings 129-127.

76ers, without Embiid and Harden, edge Kings for 5-0 trip

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Joel Embiid made a jumper with 5.7 seconds left to lift the Philadelphia 76ers to a 118-117 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night.
&ldquo;I made a tough shot but it shouldn&rsquo;t have come to that after we were up by so much,&rdquo; said Embiid, who finished 30 points and seven rebounds.
James Harden had 31 points and 11 assists to lead Philadelphia. Tyrese Maxey scored 21 points and Shake Milton added 17.
The fourth quarter belonged to Harden, who had 18 points and made six baskets during that stretch. He accounted for 16 straight points for the 76ers over 3&frac12; minutes to keep the Jazz from going ahead until late in the fourth quarter.
&ldquo;I saw opportunities,&rdquo; Harden said. &ldquo;Fourth quarter, they made some shots. There was an opportunity to take advantage of it and I did.&rdquo;
Jordan Clarkson had 38 points and nine rebounds for Utah. Talen Horton-Tucker chipped in a season-high 20 points off the bench. Mike Conley added 14 points and eight assists, while Walker Kessler finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Clarkson scored 17 in the fourth, helping fuel a late rally.
&ldquo;We ain&rsquo;t scared of the moment, I can tell you that,&rdquo; Clarkson said. &ldquo;We have been in close games the whole year. We fight, we scrap.&rdquo;
After trailing by double digits for much of the game, Utah took its first lead at 115-114 on Kessler&rsquo;s tip-in basket with 33 seconds left.
Harden and Clarkson subsequently traded go-ahead buckets before Embiid&rsquo;s jumper put Philadelphia ahead for good. Clarkson missed a 3-pointer on Utah&rsquo;s final possession.
&ldquo;I think our team showed a lot of fight again, as we always do, executed some things really, really well as the game went on,&rdquo; Jazz coach Will Hardy said.
Lauri Markkanen was sidelined with a left hip contusion and the Jazz struggled early to fill the void left without their leading scorer.
Philadelphia shot 65% from the field over the first 12 minutes after making 14 of its first 19 shots and scored a season-high 41 points in the first quarter.
Clarkson cut the deficit to two on a jumper before the 76ers answered with a 13-2 run to break open the game. Maxey scored three straight baskets, including back-to-back 3-pointers, to punctuate the spurt that gave Philadelphia a 22-9 lead midway through the first quarter.
&ldquo;I swear the first six minutes, everything we did (worked),&rdquo; 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. &ldquo;Guys were in the right spot. The cuts were right. The passes were right.&rdquo;
Utah shot just 37.5% from the field and trailed by as many as 20 points during the first quarter.
The Jazz rallied in the third and cut Philadelphia&rsquo;s lead to 81-80, after Clarkson and Conley made back-to-back baskets to spark a 14-3 run.
BLAST FROM THE PAST
The Delta Center is returning.
Delta Air Lines re-purchased naming rights for the Utah Jazz home arena and it will be renamed the Delta Center starting on July 1, 2023. Vivint previously held naming rights as part of a 10-year deal signed in October 2015 until opting out of the contract, opening the door for Delta to become the rare company to resume its naming rights role.
Putting the Delta name back on the arena comes as part of a new multi-year partnership that includes numerous other sponsorship and branding rights with the team.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re already getting a lot of attention from the league, and around sports, for how the growth of Utah is catching up with the brands that are coming in,&rdquo; Jazz owner Ryan Smith said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not a small market in terms of that. &hellip; We&rsquo;ve outgrown the narrative.&rdquo;
The arena previously carried the Delta Center moniker for 15 years from when it opened in October 1991 until Delta decided to not renew its naming rights deal after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2005.
TIP INS
76ers: Tobias Harris (left knee soreness) was inactive. &hellip; De&rsquo;Anthony Melton tied his season high with two blocks.
Jazz: Horton-Tucker beat the first quarter buzzer with a 3-pointer from halfcourt. &hellip; Utah outscored Philadelphia 19-6 in second chance points and 20-10 in fast-break points.
&nbsp;

Joel Embiid made a jumper with 5.7 seconds left to lift the Philadelphia 76ers to a 118-117 victory over the Utah Jazz.

Embiid's jumper gives 76ers 118-117 win over Jazz

PHILADELPHIA (AP) &mdash; Joel Embiid had 42 points and 11 rebounds, James Harden scored 27 and the Philadelphia 76ers beat a New Orleans Pelicans team that lost Zion Williamson to a strained right hamstring, 120-111 on Monday night.
Williamson scored 26 points on 10-of-12 shooting through three quarters before he left for the locker room in the fourth. Williamson pulled up on a fastbreak and handed off the ball late in the third. Williamson, averaging 26 points, gingerly ran to the corner and lingered on the court for a bit before he was lifted from the game. Williamson&rsquo;s career has been defined by injuries and dominance, notably a career-best 42 points last week against Minnesota.
There was no immediate word if Williamson would miss any time.
Without Williamson, the Pelicans couldn&rsquo;t keep up with the 76ers.
Embiid pushed the lead in the fourth on a driving, crashing layup and spun around like a top on his rear end for dramatic effect. He sank the free throw for a 106-96 lead. He did walk gingerly to the bench moment later but stayed in the game.
De&rsquo;Anthony Melton buried a 3 for the 76ers for a 113-107 lead and Harden came right back and hit another 3 to seal their 10th straight home win.
It&rsquo;s a shame for NBA fans the teams don&rsquo;t each other again this season. CJ McCollum hit a franchise-best 11 3s and Williamson added 36 in the Pelicans&rsquo; 127-116 home victory on Friday night. It was the second banger in four nights, only this time in Philly.
McCollum scored 26 points.
Williamson, Harden and Embiid all put on a show through the first three quarters. Even 76ers reserve Georges Niang hit five 3s off the bench to get the home crowd roaring as the public address announcer bellowed &ldquo;Bang, bang, Niang!&rdquo;
Embiid, playing with a sore lower back, continued his pursuit of a second straight scoring title with 15-of-24 shooting and he made all 10 free throws. Harden was crafty in the second quarter when he scored 10 points on and-1s. He had a four-point play in that run and two three-point plays, including a layup that saw him scoot past the stanchion and high-five fans.
TIP-INS
Pelicans: Coach Willie Green spent the first seven seasons of his playing career with the Sixers. The Sixers weren&rsquo;t all that good during Green&rsquo;s tenure but he deeply appreciated playing with Hall of Famer Allen Iverson.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s only one AI. He had a way with people,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;He had a big heart. Sometimes that could be misunderstood. We all loved him as teammates.&rdquo;
76ers: G Tyrese Maxey, normally a starter, received a rousing ovation when he checked in late in the first quarter. Maxey had 12 points as the Sixers ease back in the lineup after he missed six weeks with a broken foot.
&nbsp;

Joel Embiid had 42 points and 11 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 120-111.

Embiid leads 76ers past Pelicans, Williamson hurts hamstring

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) &mdash; Joel EmbIid had 16 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for his fifth career triple-double and the Philadelphia 76ers never trailed in beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 115-96 on Saturday night.
Tobias Harris hit his first seven shots and scored 23 points for Philadelphia. Harris scored 16 points in 16 minutes in the first half to help the 76ers take a 69-43 lead.
&ldquo;I realized I didn&rsquo;t miss a shot in the first half and then I came out in the second half and missed my first shot so that was done with,&rdquo; Harris said. &ldquo;In the second half, we were a little slow and sluggish, but in the fourth quarter, I thought we had more energy and life to get stops and close out the game the way that we wanted. When you&rsquo;re up like that and have that type of cushion you can get a little relaxed.&rdquo;
With James Harden sitting out because of injury management on his right foot, Tulsa product Shake Milton got the start for Philadelphia and scored 18 points. DeAnthony Melton added 17 points. Their production, along with Harris&rsquo; hot start impressed Sixers coach Doc Rivers.
&ldquo;It was big for us. It set the tone. Especially the way we played last night, getting the cushion helped us,&rdquo; Rivers said. &ldquo;We had lost two in a row. Our team doesn&rsquo;t like that. We knew we were missing guys so I think our guys had the proper amount of fear going into this game. That&rsquo;s a good thing.&rdquo;
Josh Giddey led Oklahoma City with 20 points and nine rebounds. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 14 points on 4-of-15 shooting.
TIP-INS
76ers: P.J. Tucker and Tyrese Maxey also sat out for Philadelphia. Tucker is dealing with a left knee issue. Maxey rested on the second night of a back-to-back after returning from a fractured right foot.
Thunder: Lost to the 76ers for the sixth straight time dating to January 2019. ... With forward Alexsej Pokusevski sidelined by injury, the Thunder started rookies Jaylin Williams and Jalen Williams together for the second game in a row.
UP NEXT
76ers: Host New Orleans on Monday night.
Thunder: Host Boston on Tuesday night.

Joel EmbIid had 16 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists as the 76ers never trailed in beating the Thunder 115-96 on Saturday night.

Embiid has triple-double in 76ers' road victory over Thunder

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Joel Embiid scored 35 points, James Harden had 29 points and 13 assists and the Philadelphia 76ers blew by the New York Knicks in the final quarter, extending their winning streak to eight games with a 119-112 victory Sunday.
Georges Niang hit four 3-pointers in Philadelphia's fourth-quarter surge and finished with 16 points, while De&rsquo;Anthony Melton added 15 as the 76ers got off to a good start on a four-game road trip after sweeping a seven-game homestand.
The Sixers never led through three quarters, then outscored the Knicks 24-9 to open the fourth, turning a one-point deficit into a 116-102 lead.
Julius Randle scored 35 points and Jalen Brunson had 23 points and 11 assists for the Knicks, who have lost three straight following an eight-game winning streak.
Embiid scored 15 points in the third quarter and Harden took over the game when Embiid went to the bench, with a four-point play and another 3-pointer that trimmed it to 96-95. He made another 3 in the opening minute of the fourth to tie it at 98, then found Niang for a 3 that gave the 76ers their first lead with 10:37 to play.
Niang hit consecutive 3s midway through the period before Embiid had two baskets and Harden made one and set up the other in a 8-0 flurry that put it away at 116-102.
Embiid, the NBA's scoring leader, started slowly and the Knicks led 37-25 after one. They were still up eight when Embiid scored with 6.2 seconds remaining, and when Brunson lost the ball as New York tried to get a final shot, Shake Milton scooped it up and banked in a 50-footer at the buzzer that made it 63-60.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
SHAKE MILTON TO END THE HALF 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/rlU9Uniplr">pic.twitter.com/rlU9Uniplr</a>
&mdash; NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1607077323677007872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 25, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

TIP-INS
76ers: Coach Doc Rivers said PJ Tucker had some kind of pain or injury that was affecting his hand, but he wasn't worried about it yet. ... Rivers said the 76ers brought two busloads of families to the game.
Knicks: The Knicks fell to 23-32 in their league-high 55 Christmas appearance. ... The Knicks played their final home game of 2022. They take a three-game road trip to Texas next week that begins with Brunson's return to Dallas on Tuesday.
60-POINT PERFORMERS
Bernard King, who set the Christmas record with 60 points in 1984, was at the game. That stood as the Knicks' single-game scoring record until a 62-point performance on Jan. 24, 2014, by Carmelo Anthony, the former All-Star who was seated next to him and <a href="https://twitter.com/nyknicks/status/1607065947625373696?s=20&amp;t=cPUVMFL83z5QRNzSZX83Ag">got a huge ovation</a> when shown on the overhead videoboard in the first quarter.
UP NEXT
76ers: At Washington on Tuesday.
Knicks: At Dallas on Tuesday.

Joel Embiid scored 35 points, James Harden had 29 points and 13 assists and the 76ers blew by the Knicks 119-112 on Sunday.

Embiid, Harden help 76ers blow by Knicks to win 8th straight

MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Anthony Davis scored a season-high 44 points, LeBron James overtook Magic Johnson on the NBA&rsquo;s career assists list and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 133-129 in a thriller Friday night.
Davis and James helped give Lakers coach Darvin Ham a triumphant return to Milwaukee. Ham worked on Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer&rsquo;s staff from 2018-22, and the former colleagues shared a big hug before the game.
Ham, an assistant coach on Milwaukee&rsquo;s 2021 championship team, also played for the Bucks from 1999-2002.
The Lakers withstood a 40-point night from Milwaukee&rsquo;s Giannis Antetokounmpo, who also had seven rebounds and five assists. The Lakers also spoiled the seasondebut of Milwaukee&rsquo;s Khris Middleton, who had 17 points and seven assists in his return from offseason wrist surgery.
During a fourth quarter that featured three ties and six lead changes, James put the Lakers ahead for good by sinking a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 3:22 left.
James finished with 28 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. He improved his career assist total to 10,144 and moved into sixth place on the list, ahead of Johnson (10,133).
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
LeBron James has officially passed Magic Johnson for the 6th most assists of all-time. History for the 👑 <a href="https://t.co/tE5s3gSqSg">pic.twitter.com/tE5s3gSqSg</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1598871221659381760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

HEAT 120, CELTICS 116, OT
BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Bam Adebayo scored 28 points, Tyler Herro had 26 and Miami completed a split of two games in Boston, beating the Celtics after Boston's Jaylen Brown banked in a long 3-pointer to force overtime.
Heat scoring leader Jimmy Butler returned to the lineup and had 25 points in 36 minutes after missing the previous seven games with a sore right knee. He added 15 rebounds.
Kyle Lowry chipped in with 20 points before fouling out in OT for the Heat, who sent Boston to just its second loss in 16 games.
Brown sent the game to overtime by banking in his long 3 with 1.7 seconds to play in regulation. He finished with 37 points.
Boston star Jayson Tatum scored just 14 points on a cold shooting night, going 5 of 18 from the floor, including 0 of 7 on 3-point attempts. He had 49 points in the Celtics&rsquo; 134-121 victory on Wednesday night.
ROCKETS 122, SUNS 121
PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Jalen Green scored 21 of his 30 points in the second half and Houston overcame a 16-point deficit to stun short-handed Phoenix.
Houston won after blowing a six-point lead in the final two minutes. Devin Booker and Cameron Payne made back-to-back 3-pointers to tie it at 121, but the Rockets pushed ahead by a point when Green made one of two free throws with 28.8 seconds remaining.
That set up a frantic final possession that included four missed shots by the Suns, including a 16-foot jumper by Booker at the buzzer.
It was one of the few blemishes for Booker, who led the Suns with 41 points on 15-of-25 shooting. The three-time All-Star is in the midst of one of the best scoring stretches of his career. He had 44 points at Sacramento on Monday night and 51 against Chicago at home Wednesday night.
JAZZ 139, PACERS 119
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Lauri Markkanen had 24 points and 13 rebounds to help Utah rout Indiana.
Rookie center Walker Kessler scored a career-high 20 points on 7-of-7 shooting and had 11 rebounds for Utah. Jordan Clarkson had 19 points and Collin Sexton added 18 as the Jazz shot 55% from the field and matched a season high for points.
Myles Turner scored 18 points for Indiana. The Pacers lost for the third time in four games on their trip.
HAWKS 117, NUGGETS 109
ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Dejounte Murray scored 34 points, rookie A.J. Griffin tied a career high with 24 subbing for injured Trae Young and short-handed Atlanta beat Denver.
Denver star Nikola Jokic, the two-time defending NBA MVP, had just four points in the first half on 2-of-5 shooting, but finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
The Hawks were riddled with injuries before the game with Young, their leading scorer, sidelined by soreness in his right shoulder and John Collins out at least two weeks and De&rsquo;Andre Hunter out at least one week. In all, Atlanta had eight players listed on the injury report.
HORNETS 117, WIZARDS 116
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Terry Rozier scored 25 points, Kelly Oubre Jr. added 22 and Charlotte held off a second-half rally by Bradley Beal and Washington to hand the Wizards their fifth loss in six games.
P.J. Washington had 21 points and Mason Plumlee added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Hornets. They have won three of their last four.
Beal scored 33 points, but turned the ball over twice and missed an open jumper in the final minute with Washington trailing by one.
NETS 114, RAPTORS 105
NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Kyrie Irving scored 27 points and Brooklyn built a huge lead in beating Toronto for its fourth victory in a row.
Brooklyn led by 36 points midway through the second quarter and held a 93-72 advantage at the start of the fourth.
Kevin Durant had 17 points and Nic Claxton added 15 for the Nets.
Pascal Siakam scored 24 points for Toronto.
PELICANS 117, SPURS 99
SAN ANTONIO (AP) &mdash; Zion Williamson scored 30 points and matched a career high with 15 rebounds and New Orleans past San Antonio, with the Spurs without coach Gregg Popovich.
Jonas Valanciunas added 21 points and 11 rebounds for New Orleans, which has won three straight and eight of 10 to remain atop the Southwest Division ahead of Memphis.
San Antonio has lost 10 straight, matching the franchise&rsquo;s longest losing streak set in 1987.
Popovich was at the AT&amp;T Cente.r but missed the game due to a minor medical procedure. He will also miss a home game Sunday against Phoenix. Former Philadelphia coach Brett Brown coached the Spurs in Popovich&rsquo;s absence.
GRIZZLIES 117, 76ERS 109
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Ja Morant had 28 points and eight rebounds, Jaren Jackson Jr. added 22 points and four blocks &mdash; one in the closing minute &mdash; and Memphis beat Philadelphia.
Dillon Brooks finished with 17 points to help Memphis win for third time in four games.
Joel Embiid had 35 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for Philadelpia. Tobias Harris added 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Shake Milton had 17 points and six assists.
The Grizzlies led by 18 early in the fourth, but the 76ers had another push left, cutting the Memphis lead to single digits with about five minutes left and to 111-106 with three minutes to go.
CAVALIERS 107, MAGIC 96
CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Donovan Mitchell scored 34 points, Evan Mobley had 19 points and 13 rebounds and Cleveland beat Orlando.
Mitchell poured in 16 points in the first nine minutes, outscoring Orlando himself by one, and the Cavaliers never relinquished control. Cleveland eventually led by 20 in winning for the 10th time in 11 home games this season.
Rookie forward Paolo Banchero scored 22 points for NBA-worst Orlando. They have lost seven straight to fall to 5-18.

Anthony Davis and LeBron James lifted the Los Angeles Lakers past the Milwaukee Bucks 133-129 in a thriller on Friday night.

Anthony Davis, LeBron James help Lakers beat Bucks, 133-129

On his third team in five seasons as an NBA pro, De&rsquo;Anthony Melton has made quite the first impression on the Philadelphia 76ers organization that traded for him on draft night this past June.
&ldquo;I think De'Anthony's a very easy guy to play with,&rdquo; Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said Wednesday in Cleveland. &ldquo;He doesn't talk a lot. It's pretty quiet, but [he] competes. And he does, he just plays right. He defends. And I think guys who defend always have a little more longitude to do whatever. Guys respect that.&nbsp;
&ldquo;You want to get respect in a locker room? Go stop somebody and you'll get it, and I think De'Anthony has that.&rdquo;
The truth is that Melton has always had that. Constantly seeking out the basketball on the defensive end of the floor, he is like a free safety on fastbreaks and a cornerback in passing lanes, baiting the opposing team into a cross-court pass or an ill-advised decision. That&rsquo;s because his first interceptions came on the gridiron and not a hardwood floor.
&ldquo;I played football my whole life growing up. So yeah, just doing that, I've had instincts,&rdquo; Melton told Basketball News at Philadelphia&rsquo;s morning shootaround. &ldquo;I don't know, that's just who I am. I played everything &mdash; receiver, QB, running back, safety, D-end and corner.&rdquo;
Melton is a hound with a nose for the ball, which explains his <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2023_advanced.html#advanced_stats::stl_pct" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA-leading 3.8% steal percentage</a>. On top of that, he ranks second in the league with 2.2 steals per game and is <a href="https://go.nba.com/idcdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tied for third among his peers</a> with 3.7 deflections per contest.
(Only Toronto Raptors lockdown wing OG Anunoby has more takeaways a night, while Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George and Charlotte Hornets swingman Kelly Oubre are slightly ahead in the deflection average department).&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
While those are impressive numbers, it's what Melton does with his activity that catches your eye. If he doesn&rsquo;t rip it away from his man, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound guard battles for a rebound among taller, bigger guys. Even just getting a hand on the ball and tipping it out to a teammate helps.
&ldquo;It's important. One of the most dangerous shots is an offensive-rebound three,&rdquo; Melton said. &ldquo;So limiting those is important, especially when you play defense for 20-something seconds, then you're mad that you gave up a rebound and now you've gotta go another 14, you know what I mean? It's just toiling on your body.&rdquo;
And when he succeeds in retrieving the rock via a board or swipe, De&rsquo;Anthony launches it down the floor without hesitation as soon as he sees a teammate streaking in transition.
More often than not, it turns into two points.
&ldquo;It's just something I've been doing from the beginning of my career,&rdquo; Melton said. &ldquo;Just trying to get the ball ahead and get an easy basket, especially when you limit them to one shot. A lot of times, you've got the big down here, so it's not a shot-blocker at the other end of the floor. Having a guard get the rebound, it's important 'cause you can throw it up, you could push it early and just get easy baskets.&rdquo;
When asked about the most valuable thing that he brings to the Sixers, Melton pointed to those instincts and his &ldquo;ability to play hard and do whatever it takes to win the game.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Adding to that, providing depth to an ailing roster has been crucial. For one month, Philly&rsquo;s been missing All-Star guard James Harden because of a strained foot; luckily, he's due back soon. Making matters more difficult, Tyrese Maxey hasn't played since Nov. 19 due to a similar injury. His return is still a couple of weeks away.
When Melton initially came in, he was spelling both of them alongside fellow fifth-year guard Shake Milton. But with their teammates on the shelf, the two have taken their blossoming relationship from the bench to the starting five.
&ldquo;I think it's been huge for both of us,&rdquo; Melton said. &ldquo;Even Shake, you see his growth and his confidence grow through these last few games. But just staying aggressive and being confident, I think that's the biggest thing that you can have in this league. When you have those two things, you've just gotta rely on your work.&rdquo;
As a duo, Melton and Milton have looked out for one another and found ways to impact the game in different ways. Shake is averaging nearly 22 points per game on 56.3% from the field over the last seven contests, and has knocked down 13-of-20 shots featuring a dish from Melton. According to NBA.com, De&rsquo;Anthony has <a href="https://go.nba.com/g1ubq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed to him 109 times</a> during that span, assisting on nine of his field goals.
&ldquo;We constantly have conversations. I'm constantly talking to him in terms of my game and his game and what I've seen he can do too,&rdquo; Melton said. &ldquo;So just constant communication, open door between us. What we see, what's open, what's not. What do I see, what does he see, how we feel like they're playing each other [defensively].&nbsp;
&ldquo;Just talking to each other. It could be calming each other down, picking each other up. Just being there for your teammate, that's the most important thing. We want to go out there and play hard and play for our families.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Shake Milton and De'Anthony Melton combined for 25 of the Sixers' 52 1st Half PTS ... These boys understand the assignment, hear me??? <a href="https://t.co/iqFiODhccc">pic.twitter.com/iqFiODhccc</a>
&mdash; Brock Landes (@LandesBrock) <a href="https://twitter.com/LandesBrock/status/1596309411160797184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

As for his own scoring, Melton&rsquo;s been in a bit of a shooting slump as of late; still, he&rsquo;s knocking down 35.5% of his threes and 37.7% of his catch-shoot triples on the season. De'Anthony also recorded double-figure scoring games in each of his first six starts, averaging 4.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.5 steals a night over that stretch.
Noting the experience they&rsquo;re gaining together presently, Rivers envisions the one-two punch of Melton and Milton for his rotations when the Sixers are fully healthy.
&ldquo;I think it'll be huge later,&rdquo; Rivers said. &ldquo;It'll give us opportunities to put second groups out on the floor without any of the key guys on the floor, and that's something we were not doing early in the year. There's always something [positive] that happens when injuries like this happen, and that may be one of 'em.&rdquo;
Coming from the Memphis Grizzlies, Melton was already used to playing with a superstar in Ja Morant. In Philadelphia, that remains unchanged with Joel Embiid.
At the same time, one&rsquo;s a point guard and one&rsquo;s a center.
&ldquo;It's a lot different 'cause now it's like the double [team]'s not coming from the top, it's coming to the bottom. And he's just so dominant and he can get almost any shot he wants. It is different, but... it's Joel Embiid, it's him time,&rdquo; said Melton, who will come back to Memphis with the Sixers on Friday evening.
Coming into training camp, Embiid voiced his desire for Philadelphia to be the top defense in the NBA. To this point, he and his teammates have for the most part lived up to that billing, and it&rsquo;s even more impressive because of the adversity the squad has faced with guys out.
Next man up turned into next men up, and those men have done their jobs.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It's important for us because, I mean, Jo said it at the beginning of the year &mdash; we're trying to become the No. 1 defense, and it's gonna help our offense,&rdquo; Melton said. &ldquo;It's gonna make our offense a lot easier, getting easier buckets, so now, late in the game, we've got to our go-to guys and they're fresh.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
De'Anthony Melton is still in an adjustment period with his new ball club, especially with the injuries piled up. Thrust into the starting lineup and playing over 33 minutes a night since, it is the highest workload he&rsquo;s seen consecutively since becoming an NBA player.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I don't think he loves that part, being the primary ball-handler at times. That's why we try to put [Furkan Korkmaz] on the floor with him or Shake on the floor,&rdquo; Rivers said. &ldquo;We'll leave Shake on the floor by himself, but we won't leave De'Anthony. We usually have two guards on the floor.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I think that it's something I'm getting used to. I feel like my role, it's changed a little bit, but not really though,&rdquo; Melton said. &ldquo;They want me to be aggressive either way, so, whatever comes with that, they feel like and have the confidence in me to make the right play.&rdquo;

Spencer Davies catches up with De'Anthony Melton and talks about getting acclimated in Philadelphia, his defensive prowess and more.

Nose for the ball: De'Anthony Melton brings natural instincts to 76ers

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Caris LeVert scored 22 points off the bench, Darius Garland had 21 points and nine assist and the Cleveland Cavaliers routed the Philadelphia 76ers 113-85 on Wednesday night.
Donovan Mitchell added 18 points and six assists for Cleveland, which led by a season-high 33 points in the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers are 9-1 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the third-best home mark in the NBA.
All-Star center Joel Embiid led Philadelphia across the board with 19 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Shake Milton scored 14 points. The 76ers had their three-game win streak snapped in the opener of a three-game trip.
Cleveland built multiple 30-point leads in the second half before pushing it out to 109-76 on LeVert's 3-pointer. LeVert also had six rebounds and four assists, and Evan Mobley scored 16 first-half points and grabbed eight rebounds.
Philadelphia&rsquo;s starting backcourt of All-Star James Harden and Tyrese Maxey remains out with injuries. The 76ers had won five straight over Cleveland.
The Cavaliers played without All-Star center Jarrett Allen, who missed his third consecutive game with a low back bruise.
Cleveland scored 44 points in the second quarter, two shy of its franchise record, to carry a 69-48 advantage into the break. Mobley went 8 of 10 from the field in the first half, soundly outplaying Embiid.
Embiid missed a pair of technical free throws and was whistled for one of his own in his second game back after missing four straight with a sprained left mid-foot.
Two-way forward Mamadi Diakite made his first NBA start for Cleveland, scoring six.
STEPPING UP
76ers G De&rsquo;Anthony Melton was acquired from Memphis over the summer to add depth off the bench, but has started 12 games since Harden was hurt.
Melton, who is averaging 11.0 points and 3.3 assists, extended the NBA&rsquo;s longest active streak of games with multiple steals to seven.
&ldquo;De&rsquo;Anthony is a very easy guy to play with, but I don&rsquo;t think he loves being the primary ballhandler at times,&rdquo; coach Doc Rivers said. &ldquo;We told him if you want to get respect in the locker room, go out and stop somebody. De&rsquo;Anthony has done that.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
76ers: Harden (right foot tendon strain) missed his 13th consecutive game and G Jaden Springer (right quad strain) sat out his eighth in a row. &hellip; Maxey (left foot fracture) was injured against Milwaukee on Nov. 18 and could return in mid-December. &hellip; Two-way G Julian Champagnie is on a G League assignment with Delaware.
Cavaliers: F Kevin Love (right thumb fracture) has missed six of the past seven games since breaking his thumb on Nov. 18 against Charlotte. &ldquo;So much of what he does is with his hands, so we&rsquo;re trying to get it to calm down,&rdquo; coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. &hellip; F Lamar Stevens (non-COVID illness) was unavailable for the fourth straight game.

Caris LeVert scored 22 points off the bench, and the Cleveland Cavaliers routed the Philadelphia 76ers 113-85.

Caris LeVert scores 22 points, Cavaliers rout 76ers 113-85

PHILADELPHIA (AP) &mdash; Joel Embiid won one for the 76ers in 60 seconds.
Embiid scored seven of his 30 points in the final minute, including a <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1597418146251800578">go-ahead 14-footer</a> with 18.6 seconds left, and led Philadelphia past the Atlanta Hawks 104-101 in his return from a sprained left foot on Monday night.
&ldquo;You want to be able to make the last plays so your team wins,&rdquo; Embiid said.
He made them all at the end.
Embiid showed why he is so valuable to the Sixers when he twisted inside for a bucket with 56 seconds remaining that pulled the Sixers within 100-99. The Sixers forced a shot clock violation with 31 seconds left and that's when their All-Star center went to work for his biggest plays of the night.
The Hawks still had a chance after Embiid's big shot put Philly ahead 101-100. Embiid busted up Trae Young's lob pass in the paint to cut off a potential go-ahead score. Embiid then made three of four free throws in the last few seconds as the crowd roared &ldquo;MVP! MVP!&rdquo; for Philly's favorite player.
&ldquo;Whenever I was needed, that's when I felt like I needed to turn it on,&rdquo; Embiid said.
Tobias Harris scored 24 points and Shake Milton had 21 for the Sixers.
Young and De'Andre Hunter led the Hawks with 18 points apiece.
Embiid missed the last four games with his foot injury and the Sixers didn&rsquo;t miss a step. They went 3-1 over that span with James Harden and Tyrese Maxey also still out with foot injuries while players such as Milton and Paul Reed lifted them in big moments. That wasn't lost on Embiid.
&ldquo;I came in with the mindset to get my teammates involved,&rdquo; Embiid said. &ldquo;Everyone had played so well, I just wanted to keep that going.&rdquo;
The 76ers clearly need their big man. The 76ers can only hope they wins will keep coming with Harden and Maxey soon due to return.
&ldquo;Can we play the same way when everybody&rsquo;s back? That will be the key for us,&rdquo; 76ers coach Doc Rivers said.
Embiid went 9 of 18 from the floor, sank 12 of 13 free throws and had eight rebounds and seven assists in 35 minutes.
&ldquo;His ability to take over games, especially in the fourth quarter, has been huge for us,&rdquo; Harris said. &ldquo;We'd have loved to have him back earlier. It was good to have him back tonight.&rdquo;
The reigning NBA scoring champion, Embiid needed some time to warm up. He missed his first four shots before sinking one in the second quarter but still finished with 14 points at the break.
The Sixers, winners at Orlando a night earlier, kept feeding Embiid and he got his groove back. He converted a three-point play in the third that tied the game at 75-all and brought the Sixers back from 16 down. Georges Niang and AJ Griffin swapped 3s that made it 80-80.
&ldquo;Someone&rsquo;s going to win this ugly game,&rdquo; Rivers said he thought on the sideline. &ldquo;Let it be us.&rdquo;
It was the Sixers, in part because of the contributions again from players making the most of their opportunities of late.
Milton&rsquo;s playing time expanded as the Sixers became riddled with injuries. He entered this season averaging 9.7 points and then scored at least 22 in four of the last five games. He shook off a 3-of-10 start in the first half to go 5 of 8 for 11 points in the third. Milton and Harris knocked down key shots that pecked at the Hawks' double-digit lead.
&ldquo;They made timely baskets,&rdquo; Hawks coach Nate McMillan said. &ldquo;We were making a run or we were able to get a lead, they made timely baskets to keep it close.&rdquo;
INJURIES
Hawks: Jalen Johnson (right ankle soreness) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (right knee injury recovery) missed the game.
TURNOVER BATTLE
Young's late turnover was one of 20 by the Hawks that led to 19 Sixers points. The Hawks had seven turnovers in the fourth quarter, three by Dejounte Murray.
&ldquo;That's where the execution comes in,&rdquo; McMillan said. &ldquo;We had a couple of costly turnovers late in the game.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Hawks: Play Wednesday at Orlando.
76ers: Play Wednesday at Cleveland.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Embiid scored 7 of his 30 points in the last minute, including a go-ahead 14-footer with 18 seconds to lead the 76ers past the Hawks.

Embiid returns from injury, powers 76ers past Hawks 104-101

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Shake Milton had 24 points, a career-high 10 assists and nine rebounds, and the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers beat the Orlando Magic 107-99 on Friday night.
Tobias Harris added 23 points for Philadelphia, and reserve Georges Niang made five 3-pointers on his way to 18 points. It was the Sixers&rsquo; ninth straight win against the Magic.
&ldquo;Georges is a one-man culture-changer, and he comes in with that positive attitude and he has such a great feel for the game of basketball,&rdquo; Harris said of Niang. &ldquo;He knows how to play basketball the right way. He&rsquo;s been amazing for our whole team.&rdquo;
Despite playing without injured stars Joel Embiid and James Harden and blossoming guard Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia shook off a slow start and outscored Orlando 30-20 in the game-changing third quarter. The 76ers made 11 of 21 shots with four 3-pointers in the third.
Milton led the turnaround in the second half with 12 points and six assists after intermission.
Orlando closed to 96-91 and 103-98 late in the fourth, but the Sixers stayed in control with clutch play down the stretch.
&ldquo;For us, it&rsquo;s just an energy thing and it&rsquo;s contagious,&rdquo; Milton said. &ldquo;(Georges) hits a big 3 and then Tobias does too, and it&rsquo;s a momentum thing. With us being down as many players as we are, we need those loose-ball plays to get us going.&rdquo;
The Sixers improved to 9-1 this season when leading after three periods. Philadelphia also broke a two-game road losing streak and evened its road record at 4-4.
Franz Wagner scored 24 points for Orlando, and Bol Bol had 18 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots. The Magic haven&rsquo;t beaten the Sixers since Dec. 27, 2019.
Magic forward Paolo Banchero, one of the NBA&rsquo;s top rookies, played for the first time since Nov. 7 after missing seven games with a sprained left ankle. He finished with 19 points, four rebounds and three assists in 36 minutes.
Orlando has dropped three straight and five of six overall.
&ldquo;They had some key offensive rebounds and they hit some timely shots,&rdquo; Wagner said. &ldquo;Overall, our energy and toughness haven&rsquo;t shown in some of those key moments. That was the key moment &ndash; us reacting to what they were doing.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
76ers: P.J. Tucker, who defended Banchero well in the first half, didn&rsquo;t played in the fourth quarter because of ankle soreness. ... Harden has missed six straight games with a right foot tendon strain. Maxey has missed four in a row because of a fractured left foot. Embiid has missed three straight with a left foot sprain. ... The 76ers are in a stretch of six road games in a seven-game span.
Magic: Coach Jamahl Mosley sponsored a Thanksgiving breakfast for more than 400 people at the Coalition of the Homeless on Thursday. It was the 30th consecutive year of the Magic hosting such an event on the holiday. ... All four Orlando-Philadelphia games this season are being played in the home-home schedule option. Orlando goes to Philadelphia on Jan. 30 and Feb. 1. ... With Wendell Carter Jr. (plantar fasciitis) still out, the Magic started the 7-foot-2 Bol at power forward alongside 7-foot center Mo Bamba. &hellip; Moritz Wagner, who had been out since Oct. 14 with a mid-foot sprain, made his season debut.
UP NEXT
The teams meet again Sunday in Orlando.

Shake Milton had 24 points, a career-high 10 assists and 9 rebounds, and the short-handed 76ers beat the Magic 107-99.

Shake Milton helps short-handed 76ers beat Magic 107-99

PHILADELPHIA (AP) &mdash; Yup, <a href="https://apnews.com/3b7616ff19d673b9e743001089e39631">Ben Simmons got booed</a>.
One of the most reviled former players in Philadelphia&rsquo;s sports history got the hostile homecoming the Brooklyn Nets guard expected in his first game in the city since his former team acquiesced to his trade demand in February.
Simmons was voraciously booed from the moment he stepped on the Wells Fargo Center court for warmups against the 76ers to the first time he brought up the ball against his former franchise.
&ldquo;This is a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=va6nRaZ9eRg">Vince Vaughn earmuffs</a> night,&rdquo; Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said to laughter.
Oh yes, Sixers fans cursed, they turned old No. 25 jerseys into art projects and the scorned mostly let the mercurial guard have it for their belief he turned his back on the franchise that made him the No. 1 pick in 2016.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t worry about everyone&rsquo;s feelings,&rdquo; Simmons said before Tuesday&rsquo;s game.
Simmons played his first game in Philadelphia since a June 20, 2021 Game 7 loss to Atlanta in the Eastern Conference semifinals. He passed up a wide-open tying dunk late in the loss that triggered passive criticisms from coach Rivers and Joel Embiid that unraveled the relationship. Simmons also had back issues and later said mental health woes played a role in his trade demand in the summer of 2021 that led to a contentious few days in training camp. Simmons was sent home for good, filed a grievance after the Sixers said he breached his contract (it was later settled in a confidential agreement) and then shipped to Brooklyn in a trade for All-Star James Harden.
Embiid and Harden sat out with injuries, as did Tyrese Maxey, the genial guard that became in instant fan-favorite as Simmons replacement.
Simmons, who watched from the bench as he recovered from a back injury when the Nets played in Philly in March, told reporters at shootaround he had no hard feelings toward Embiid and other former teammates.
&ldquo;We had a lot of highlights. We had lot of great times,&rdquo; Simmons said. &ldquo;I got a lot of love for Jo, too. Obviously, didn&rsquo;t work out. That&rsquo;s life. Not everything works out in your favor.&rdquo;
Ask if he might seek out Embiid, Simmons cracked, &ldquo;Yeah, we&rsquo;re going to do our secret handshake.&rdquo;
The trio of sidelined Sixers starters made the nationally televised game a bit anticlimactic.
Well, at least on the court. Philadelphia&rsquo;s starting lineup of Tobias Harris, P.J Tucker, Montrezl Harrell, De&rsquo;Anthony Melton and Shake Milton was not what most fans who listed lower-level tickets in the $900 range expected when they listed this one.
Booing Simmons about made it worth any price.
Hey, at least the <a href="https://twitter.com/APgelston/status/1595193281574752256">local duct tape business was booming</a>. Sixers fans needed only a sharpie and the adhesive to salvage their old No. 25 Simmons jerseys. Most fans wrote some kind of profanity on the tape -- one hopeful fan waiting in a penned off area before the maincourse opened had his vulgarity ripped off by a security guard -- while one went deep in the great Philly insult well and wrote <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8VBehdpOpI">&ldquo;Crumb Bumb</a> &rdquo; over Simmons name.
Nets players laughed in the pregame layup line when Simmons jogged out to boos.
&ldquo;I had a lot of great moments here. This is where I became a man, I feel like,&rdquo; Simmons said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always had a lot of respect for Philly in that way. I&rsquo;ve got a lot of love for Philly.&rdquo;
It wasn&rsquo;t all loathe and basketball in the City of Brotherly Love.
Sydney Reiver, of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, held a sign from the third row that read &ldquo; <a href="https://twitter.com/APgelston/status/1595193924150329344">BEN IM UR #1 FAN</a>, PLEASE SIGN MY JERSEY&rdquo; and caught the guard&rsquo;s attention after warmups. Simmons walked toward the stands and <a href="https://twitter.com/APgelston/status/1595202650630389761">posed for a photo</a> with the teenager wearing his Brooklyn No. 10 jersey. She had missed out on meeting him when he played in Philadelphia and decided to send him a direct message in Instagram that she would be at the game. The 14-year-old ninth-grade student said she &ldquo;was upset&rdquo; when Simmons was traded but thrilled she finally met her favorite player.
&ldquo;He was like, &lsquo;what&rsquo;s up,&rsquo;&rdquo; she said.
Reiver attended the game with her dad; the family has had season tickets for 41 years.
Simmons had more friendly faces in Brooklyn&rsquo;s locker room, a point Vaughn has made with the three-time All-Star. Whatever the outcome, Simmons has a home with the Nets.
&ldquo;What I want to see is his teammates have his back, embrace him, enjoy this moment,&rdquo; Vaughn said.

One of the most reviled former players in Philadelphia’s sports history got the hostile homecoming the Nets guard expected.