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Celtics

In one of the most bizarre moves in the league ever, the Los Angeles Clippers have announced they will be &lsquo;sending home&rsquo; former star guard and now veteran Chris Paul.
In a news first broken by NBA insider Chris Haynes, the Clippers are reportedly releasing the 38-year-old point guard, whose prime years were spent and played with in the city of angels.
The Clippers front office led by president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank issued a statement shortly after the surprising move, saying, the franchise is parting ways with Paul and is willing to &ldquo;work with him on the next step of his career.&rdquo; The statement praised Paul&rsquo;s impact, calling him &ldquo;a legendary Clipper,&rdquo; and emphasized that the decision was not a result of assigning blame for the team&rsquo;s poor start &ndash; rather, the front office accepted responsibility for the overall underperformance.
The Clippers entered this season with high hopes after re-signing Paul to a one-year, US$3.6 million deal, returning to the franchise where he starred from 2011&ndash;2017. Paul previously announced he&rsquo;s retiring at the end of the season, marking this season as his last in the league.
As of the release, LA sits at a 5&ndash;16 record, a disappointing record that ranks among the worst in the Western Conference &ndash; and far off the expectations set for a veteran-heavy club. Paul&rsquo;s own bench production this season was modest &ndash; but stats show him averaging career-low numbers in limited minutes backing up starting guard James Harden.
Sources say the decision came in the middle of a road trip, with Paul learning about his release late in the night before a scheduled game. In a now-viral social media post, Paul wrote simply, &ldquo;Just found out I&rsquo;m being sent home,&rdquo; accompanied by a peace emoji.&nbsp;
ANALYSIS: For Paul &ndash; a 12-time All-Star, one of the greatest point guards in NBA history, and a central figure in the Clippers&rsquo; &ldquo;Lob City&rdquo; era &ndash; the release ends a reunion that many hoped would serve as a farewell tour.&nbsp;
Despite sitting on the fringes of the rotation this season, Paul remains one of the NBA&rsquo;s all-time leaders in assists and steals, and his resume includes remarkable longevity and consistency.
From the Clippers&rsquo; perspective, the move appears driven by a desire to shake up a struggling roster and reset direction &ndash; a sign the front office believes the veteran-heavy mix no longer fits their timeline or strategy. Frank&rsquo;s statement explicitly noted the franchise&rsquo;s underperformance, not the player, as the impetus. This likely signals the Clippers signing a younger player to help the team, especially in the athleticism department. The Clippers might also shake it up and make some additional moves, including possibly trading away some players on the roster to try and get better.
Paul&rsquo;s next steps &ndash; whether another team picks him up, he searches for a trade, or he heads toward retirement &ndash; are uncertain. Given his age (40) and status, this could well mark the end of his storied NBA tenure.
The Clippers must now adjust their guard rotation and re-evaluate their direction, possibly leaning more on younger players or exploring trades as they navigate a disappointing start.
The optics and fan reaction are likely to be heated &ndash; releasing a beloved franchise icon mid-season is rare and has generated significant criticism among fans and analysts.
This turn of events might go down as one of the most bizarre and talked-about roster shifts of the season. What looked like a leadership move &ndash; a returned legend finishing his career in L.A. &ndash; ended instead with a stark severance.

In one of the most bizarre moves in the league ever, the Clippers have announced they will be ‘sending home’ team icon Chris Paul.

Clippers release franchise legend Chris Paul in shocking early-season move

LeBron James and James Harden, two of the NBA&rsquo;s longest-tenured stars, achieved milestones on Monday night that underscored their legendary careers.&nbsp;
LeBron James became only the second player in league history, alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to record 15,000 career field goals. Over 21 seasons, LeBron has maintained an incredible scoring output, relying on a combination of power, finesse, and basketball IQ. His ability to consistently deliver points, whether in the paint, from mid-range, or in clutch moments, has defined his career. This achievement reinforces LeBron&rsquo;s reputation as a transcendent scorer and a master of longevity in professional sports.&nbsp;&nbsp;
On the same night, James Harden added his name to another exclusive club, becoming the second player ever to make 3,000 career three-pointers. Stephen Curry was the sole member of this club until Harden&rsquo;s milestone, achieved during the LA Clippers&rsquo; 126-122 victory over the Denver Nuggets. Harden showcased his scoring brilliance, hitting six triples en route to a 39-point performance. This milestone capped off a stellar week for Harden, which included a 43-point game against Washington, marking his 100th career 40-point outing. In that category, he joins an elite group featuring Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The significance of these milestones extends beyond the numbers. Harden&rsquo;s contributions as a leader and playmaker have been critical for a Clippers team navigating Kawhi Leonard&rsquo;s absence and Paul George&rsquo;s departure. Meanwhile, LeBron&rsquo;s scoring consistency and efficiency drive the Lakers&rsquo; competitiveness in a demanding Western Conference.&nbsp;&nbsp;
These achievements reflect the unique paths LeBron and Harden have taken to shape their legacies, each leaving an indelible mark on the game. As the 2024 season progresses, their feats remind fans why they remain at the forefront of basketball greatness.&nbsp;

LeBron James and James Harden made NBA history hitting 15,000 career field goals and joining the 3,000 three-pointer club.

LeBron, Harden achieve another NBA history

The NBA today released its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nba.com/schedule?cal=all&amp;pd=false" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nba.com/schedule?cal%3Dall%26pd%3Dfalse&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692389495539000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3UKMdLdmCgRuwOVnoqJhZk">complete game schedule</a>&nbsp;and broadcast schedules for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nba.com/schedule?bc=TNT&amp;cal=all&amp;pd=false" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nba.com/schedule?bc%3DTNT%26cal%3Dall%26pd%3Dfalse&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692389495539000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0dl47ggg01xhI9Slh8akFg">TNT</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nba.com/schedule?bc=ESPN&amp;cal=all&amp;pd=false" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nba.com/schedule?bc%3DESPN%26cal%3Dall%26pd%3Dfalse&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692389495539000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3Zq8KLI6FwgBYxw8RssYGU">ESPN</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nba.com/schedule?bc=ABC&amp;cal=all&amp;pd=false" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nba.com/schedule?bc%3DABC%26cal%3Dall%26pd%3Dfalse&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692389495539000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0XDRAL9gESfsLL555jZVej">ABC</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nba.com/schedule?bc=NBA%20TV&amp;cal=all&amp;pd=false" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nba.com/schedule?bc%3DNBA%2520TV%26cal%3Dall%26pd%3Dfalse&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692389495539000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3u39ptiXTP6ec6QWyexVit">NBA TV</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://pr.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2023/08/2023-24-ESPN-Radio-Schedule.pdf" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pr.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2023/08/2023-24-ESPN-Radio-Schedule.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692389495539000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3uOxPbew4nRhWTgpaioXEZ">ESPN Radio</a> for the 2023-24 regular season. The day-by-day and team-by-team schedules are available at <a href="https://www.nba.com/schedule" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nba.com/schedule&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692389495539000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1kVm4DNQD4gQCT4klGOgI7">NBA.com/schedule</a>.
The 78th NBA regular season will tip off on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023, and conclude on Sunday, April 14, 2024. The 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament will take place from Tuesday, April 16 &ndash; Friday, April 19, followed by the start of the 2024 NBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel on Saturday, April 20.&nbsp; Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals presented by YouTube TV is set for Thursday, June 6.&nbsp;
The regular-season schedule includes defined dates and opponents for 80 of each team&rsquo;s 82 games, along with two games designated as TBD dates and opponents.&nbsp; Those two games for each team, to be played the week of Dec. 4, will be determined based on the results of Group Play games in the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament.&nbsp; The Group Play game schedule (Nov. 3-28)&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-announces-group-play-schedule-for-inaugural-inseason-tournament" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nba.com/news/2023-nba-in-season-tournament-schedule&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692389495539000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2Wy3gv1TGdjjW8ITK3MXNW">was announced</a>&nbsp;on Aug. 15.&nbsp;
Kia NBA Tip-Off 2023
The first five days of the 2023-24 NBA regular season (Oct. 24-28) will feature 10 national television games as part of Kia NBA Tip-Off 2023, with two doubleheaders each on TNT and ESPN and one on NBA TV.&nbsp; Those games will showcase 14 different teams, three rematches from the 2023 NBA Playoffs and rosters that currently include 17 NBA All-Star selections from last season and seven recipients of the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award.&nbsp;
The regular season will begin on Tuesday, Oct. 24 with a doubleheader on TNT, marking Warner Bros. Discovery Sports&rsquo; 40th&nbsp;consecutive year of NBA coverage.&nbsp; In the first game, the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets will receive their championship rings before hosting the Los Angeles Lakers in a rematch of last season&rsquo;s Western Conference Finals (7:30 p.m. ET).&nbsp; In the second game, the Phoenix Suns will visit the Golden State Warriors (10 p.m. ET) as three-time NBA All-Star Bradley Beal of Phoenix and 12-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul of Golden State make regular-season debuts with new teams and Paul faces the team for whom he played the previous three seasons.&nbsp;&nbsp;
ESPN will tip off its 22nd&nbsp;straight season of NBA telecasts on Wednesday, Oct. 25 with a doubleheader, which begins with the Boston Celtics visiting the New York Knicks (7 p.m. ET) in a matchup of teams that reached the Eastern Conference Finals and Eastern Conference Semifinals, respectively, last season.&nbsp; The San Antonio Spurs will host the Dallas Mavericks in the second game (9:30 p.m. ET), marking the NBA regular-season debut of 2023 first overall draft pick Victor Wembanyama of San Antonio.&nbsp;
On Thursday, Oct. 26, intraconference rivalries will highlight TNT&rsquo;s doubleheader as the Milwaukee Bucks host the Philadelphia 76ers (7:30 p.m. ET) and the Suns take on the Lakers in Los Angeles (10 p.m. ET).&nbsp; ESPN&rsquo;s doubleheader on Friday, Oct. 27 will have the Miami Heat meeting the Celtics in Boston (7:30 p.m. ET) and the Warriors visiting the Sacramento Kings (10 p.m. ET) &ndash; rematches from seven-game playoff series in last season&rsquo;s Eastern Conference Finals and Western Conference First Round, respectively.
NBA TV will begin its live game coverage of the new season on Saturday, Oct. 28 as the Knicks visit the New Orleans Pelicans (7 p.m. ET) and the Suns host the Utah Jazz (10 p.m. ET).
Christmas Day
The NBA will feature five games on Christmas Day (Monday, Dec. 25) for the 16th year in a row, with ABC or ESPN televising each matchup.&nbsp; The 76th&nbsp;edition of the NBA on Christmas Day will tip off on ESPN as the Bucks face the Knicks in New York (noon ET).
The next two games will air on both ABC and ESPN.&nbsp; The two most recent recipients of the Larry O&rsquo;Brien Trophy will go head-to-head when the 2022 NBA champion Warriors visit the 2023 NBA champion Nuggets (2:30 p.m. ET).&nbsp; Next, the Lakers will host the Celtics (5 p.m. ET) as the longtime rivals meet on Christmas Day for the first time in 15 years.&nbsp;
The Christmas Day schedule will conclude with two more games on ESPN, with the 76ers taking on the Heat in Miami (8 p.m. ET) and the Mavericks playing the Suns in Phoenix (10:30 p.m. ET).
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
On Monday, Jan. 15, the NBA family will celebrate one of its most important traditions by honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.&nbsp;
The celebration will include four nationally televised games.&nbsp; In a TNT doubleheader, the Atlanta Hawks will face the Spurs (3:30 p.m. ET) and the Grizzlies will meet the Warriors (6 p.m. ET) as Atlanta and Memphis continue their traditions of hosting games on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.&nbsp; NBA TV will also air two games: Houston Rockets at 76ers (1 p.m. ET) and Oklahoma City Thunder at Lakers (10:30 p.m. ET).&nbsp;
NBA Rivals Week
Classic and budding rivalries between teams and players will take center stage for the second annual NBA Rivals Week in January.&nbsp; Rivalries will be the focus of all 11 nationally televised games across four networks (TNT, ESPN, ABC and NBA TV) over five days from Tuesday, Jan. 23 &ndash; Saturday, Jan. 27.&nbsp;
NBA Rivals Week will culminate with an ABC tripleheader on Jan. 27, including 2023 Conference Semifinals rematches between the Heat and Knicks in New York (3 p.m. ET) and the Lakers and Warriors in San Francisco (8:30 p.m. ET).&nbsp; In between those two games, reigning Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid and the 76ers will visit two-time Kia NBA MVP Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets (5:30 p.m. ET) in a matchup of centers who have been the top two finishers in MVP voting in each of the last three seasons.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The complete game and broadcast schedule for NBA Rivals Week is available&nbsp;<a href="https://pr.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2023/08/2023-24-NBA-Rivals-Week-Schedule.pdf" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pr.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2023/08/2023-24-NBA-Rivals-Week-Schedule.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692389495539000&amp;usg=AOvVaw34hW93kiZuMlb7GIJyI3uH">here</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Election Day
For the second consecutive season, no NBA games have been scheduled for Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 7) as the league will continue to encourage fans and the broader NBA community to make a plan to vote and participate in the civic process.&nbsp; As part of this initiative, the NBA will share important resources from voting organizations and highlight the civic engagement work of teams in their markets.
Final Day of Regular Season
All 30 teams will play on the final day of the regular season (Sunday, April 14).&nbsp; In an effort to maximize competitive fairness, the seven games between Eastern Conference teams will begin at 1 p.m. ET, and the seven games between Western Conference teams and the one cross-conference game will start at 3:30 p.m. ET.&nbsp;&nbsp;ESPN will televise a doubleheader, with the matchups to be determined at a later date.
NBA Global Games
NBA TV will televise both Global Games on the 2023-24 regular-season schedule.&nbsp; As previously announced, the Hawks will meet the Orlando Magic in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nba.com/news/hawks-magic-mexico-city-game-on-nov-9" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nba.com/news/hawks-magic-mexico-city-game-on-nov-9&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692389495539000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3b23BLw0qM8P4gkW7YsOFM">The NBA Mexico City Game 2023</a>&nbsp;on Thursday, Nov. 9 at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City (9:30 p.m. ET), and the Brooklyn Nets will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nba.com/news/nets-cavaliers-regular-season-game-paris-2024" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nba.com/news/nets-cavaliers-regular-season-game-paris-2024&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692389495539000&amp;usg=AOvVaw03nCIevQ5K0lMxDJpqcSdX">The NBA Paris Game 2024</a>&nbsp;on Thursday, Jan. 11 at the Accor Arena in Paris (2 p.m. ET).
NBA In-Season Tournament
NBA-In-Season Tournament Group Play games for all 30 teams will take place on Tuesdays and Fridays in November, with TNT, ESPN and NBA TV&nbsp;<a href="https://ak-static.cms.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2023/08/NBA-In-Season-Tournament-National-TV-Schedule-as-of-8-15-23.pdf" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://ak-static.cms.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2023/08/NBA-In-Season-Tournament-National-TV-Schedule-as-of-8-15-23.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692389495540000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3hCducKp9wMT86T8Fxi6kF">combining to televise 16 games</a>.&nbsp; Eight teams will advance to the Knockout Rounds, which consist of single-elimination games in the Quarterfinals (Monday, Dec. 4 and Tuesday, Dec. 5), Semifinals (Thursday, Dec. 7) and Championship (Saturday, Dec. 9).&nbsp; The national broadcast schedule for the Knockout Rounds will be announced at a later date.&nbsp;&nbsp;
More National Television Matchups
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">2023 NBA Finals rematches between the Nuggets and Heat will take place on Thursday, Feb. 29 in Denver on TNT (10 p.m. ET) and on Wednesday, March 13 in Miami on ESPN (7:30 p.m. ET). </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">The top two picks in the 2023 NBA Draft &ndash; No. 1 pick Wembanyama of the Spurs and No. 2 pick Brandon Miller of the Charlotte Hornets &ndash; are scheduled to meet for the first time in the regular season when San Antonio hosts Charlotte on Friday, Jan. 12 on ESPN (10 p.m. ET). </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Also on Jan. 12, ESPN will present the first nationally televised matchup between twin brothers and NBA rookies Amen Thompson of the Rockets and Ausar Thompson of the Detroit Pistons &ndash; the fourth and fifth picks in the 2023 NBA Draft, respectively &ndash; when Houston visits Detroit (7:30 p.m. ET). </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Three-time NBA Hustle Award recipient and 2021-22 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart of the Grizzlies, who played the previous nine seasons with the Celtics, will play his first game in Boston as a visitor on Sunday, Feb. 4 on ESPN (6 p.m. ET).&nbsp;&nbsp; </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">The first national television matchup between the top two picks in the 2022 NBA Draft &ndash; No. 1 pick and 2022-23 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero of the Magic and No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren of the Thunder &ndash; is set for Tuesday, Feb. 13 in Orlando on TNT (7:30 p.m. ET).&nbsp; </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Leading into NBA All-Star 2024, TNT will feature a single game on Thursday, Feb. 15, with the Bucks visiting the Grizzlies (8:30 p.m. ET).&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Additional Schedule Highlights
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">All 30 teams are scheduled to make at least one appearance on TNT or ESPN in the 2023-24 regular season.&nbsp;The NBA on TNT, ESPN, ABC and NBA TV will present flexible scheduling throughout the regular season to provide the most compelling matchups to a national audience. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">The team average for back-to-backs involving travel between games has been reduced to a record-low 9.0.&nbsp; The previous low was 9.6 last season. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Primetime weeknight doubleheaders across TNT (Tuesdays and Thursdays) and ESPN (Wednesdays and Fridays) will again be played at 7:30 p.m. ET/10 p.m. ET except for one instance during the first week of the season. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">ABC will televise 16 games as part of its two weekend series,NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC(which tips off with the Jan. 27 tripleheader during NBA Rivals Week) and&nbsp;NBA Sunday Showcase&nbsp;(which begins with Celtics at Heat on Feb. 11 at 2 p.m. ET). </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">NBA TV will featureCenter Courtthroughout the season, the network&rsquo;s marquee night of programming, which incorporates enhanced viewing options into an originally produced telecast.&nbsp; In the season debut of the franchise, the Warriors will visit the Pelicans on Monday, Oct. 30 (8 p.m. ET).&nbsp;&nbsp; </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">ESPN Radio will broadcast 25 games in the regular season, including Nuggets-Lakers on opening night, Knicks-Bucks and Nuggets-Warriors on Christmas Day, and Hawks-Spurs on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">NBA League Pass will offer live, out-of-market games all season through the NBA App, NBA.com, connected televisions and TV providers.&nbsp; Fans can unlock direct access to stream matchups featuring their favorite teams and players with NBA League Pass (blackout restrictions apply).&nbsp; For more information, visit<a href="https://nba.com/leaguepass" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nba.com/leaguepass&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692389495540000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3Q2AbUj62xoWwlMkvv_tP5">NBA.com/leaguepass</a>. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">The regular season will feature 39 games that will air in primetime in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) as part of &ldquo;NBA Saturdays and NBA Sundays presented by NBA 2K23.&rdquo;&nbsp; </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">The 2024 NBA Finals presented by YouTube TV and the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals will be exclusively televised by ABC and ESPN/ABC, respectively.&nbsp; TNT will exclusively televise the 2024 Western Conference Finals and the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, which will be played on Sunday, Feb. 18 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">NBA games and programming are available in 214 countries and territories in more than 50 languages.</li>
</ul>

The NBA released the complete schedule for the 2023-24 regular season.

NBA releases schedule for 2023-24 regular season

Some moments from the 2022-23 NBA regular season:
Oct. 18: Boston defeats Philadelphia and Golden State beats the Los Angeles Lakers on opening night. <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/golden-state-warriors-nba-sports-stephen-curry-e246e86804a28295efea3e00d33dc510" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Warriors received their championship rings</a> from last season in a ceremony preceding their game.
Oct. 20: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-san-antonio-spurs-miami-heat-nba-sports-8e45a1092f25e28f0672a83d317a9a68" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA referee Tony Brown, 55, dies of pancreatic cancer.</a> He worked more than 1,100 games in a two-decade career.
Nov. 4: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-kyrie-irving-racial-injustice-972e41eed3debbd9a548433c78227f05" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nike suspends its relationship with Kyrie Irving</a> and canceled plans to release his next signature shoe, part of the massive fallout caused by the Brooklyn Nets&rsquo; guard tweeting a link to a film containing antisemitic material. Nike and Irving eventually part ways; Irving eventually apologizes and returns to the Nets.
Nov. 5: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1589042762686795777?s=20&amp;t=nk9Tw0T3tQEq6Mw4vOqrsg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sacramento&rsquo;s De&rsquo;Aaron Fox</a> hits from just inside the midcourt stripe at the buzzer of overtime, giving the Kings a 126-123 win in Orlando.
Nov. 8: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-heat-nba-sports-breonna-taylor-fc0f38a2c59da07f90833ae479e66cc0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">To commemorate Election Day,</a> the NBA plays no games. The league encourages its teams and fans to spend the day participating in civic engagement.
Nov. 11: The arena where the Miami Heat play starts the process of getting a new name, after the <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/ftx-miami-heat-arena-name-change-b3f47e4fb5bb0f102560fa6956997bdb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cryptocurrency exchange FTX collapses.</a> FTX was in the early stages of a 19-year, $135 million naming rights deal with Miami-Dade County.
Nov. 13: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-76ers-utah-jazz-nba-sports-joel-embiid-bef34587365fd8e8668f6024ab73d05a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Philadelphia&rsquo;s Joel Embiid scores a career-best 59</a> points in a win over Utah. He adds 11 rebounds, eight assists and seven blocked shots.
Nov. 28: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-indiana-pacers-nba-sports-b6e1415dd4d8fa0fac2a10c8477da348" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andrew Nembhard hits a 3-pointer at the buzzer</a> and Indiana stuns the Los Angeles Lakers 116-115. The Pacers trailed by 17 with 9:27 remaining; it was the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in the NBA this season.
Dec. 13: The NBA announces a rebranding of its MVP award, revealing a new trophy and a new name &mdash; <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-charlotte-hornets-nba-sports-david-stern-de67e49f0255ef10f140365636110ae4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Michael Jordan Trophy.</a>
Dec. 17: In Mexico City, <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/san-antonio-spurs-miami-heat-nba-sports-duncan-robinson-074cecb1060491994c22a42efa8670a6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Miami defeated San Antonio 111-101.</a> It was the NBA&rsquo;s first game in Mexico City since 2019.
Dec. 20: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/cleveland-cavaliers-phoenix-suns-college-football-nba-sports-f455a8e3b437a07aa4684c7dd3adb16b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mortgage billionaire Mat Ishbia</a> strikes a deal to purchase embattled Robert Sarver&rsquo;s share of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury in a deal that values the franchise at $4 billion.
Dec. 25: Philadelphia tops New York, Dallas beats the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston beats Milwaukee, Golden State tops Memphis and Denver edges Phoenix in the NBA&rsquo;s Christmas quintupleheader.
Dec. 27: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-knicks-dallas-mavericks-sports-basketball-luka-doncic-ed7d9ce55160d04e2c206f6a8b742cdd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dallas&rsquo; Luka Doncic has a 60-point triple-double</a> in the Mavericks&rsquo; 126-121 win over New York. He added 21 rebounds and 10 assists in the first 60-20-10 game in NBA history.
Jan. 2: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/kobe-bryant-chicago-bulls-los-angeles-lakers-cleveland-cavaliers-utah-jazz-ef2ccddb44dd42fa14ebed5f8344c5a2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cleveland&rsquo;s Donovan Mitchell scores 71 points</a> in the Cavaliers&rsquo; 145-134 overtime win over Chicago. Mitchell was 22 of 34 from the field, 7 of 15 on 3-pointers and 20 for 25 from the foul line. He also had 11 assists, marking the first time anyone had more than 70 points and 10 assists in an NBA game.
Jan. 10: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-heat-oklahoma-city-thunder-nba-sports-basketball-18113c7918466a8d6a41714b963403cb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Miami goes 40 for 40 from the foul line</a> in a one-point win over Oklahoma City. The 40-for-40 breaks the previous NBA record of 39-for-39 by Utah in 1982.
Jan. 13: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-atlanta-hawks-san-antonio-spurs-nba-sports-e05988d6e1537c605aad5ea8a14d4887" target="_blank" rel="noopener">At the Alamodome in San Antonio,</a> the Spurs sell an NBA-record 68,323 tickets for a game against Golden State.
Jan. 19: With presumed 2023 No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama sitting courtside, Zach LaVine scores 30 points and the <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-nba-sports-jaden-ivey-hamidou-diallo-3770db44edb9a08e1ad116ecad45109f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chicago Bulls ease past the Detroit Pistons 126-108</a> in Paris. France was the seventh different country to host an NBA practice or game this season.
Feb. 6: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-new-york-knicks-dallas-mavericks-clippers-nba-ea90e45174274a917654448db9554dfc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brooklyn trades Kyrie Irving to Dallas,</a> ending his up-and-down stint with the Nets that was more memorable for off-the-court challenges than actual play.
Feb. 7: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/lebron-james-nba-scoring-record-cd0df2a355eaf80c6d534cbb16d44ca9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LeBron James makes a 14-foot jumper late in the third quarter to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar&rsquo;s career NBA scoring record.</a> Abdul-Jabbar held the mark since 1984 and was in Los Angeles to watch James&rsquo; record-breaker.
Feb. 9: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-phoenix-suns-nba-sports-basketball-3932b34f477549895cce131490bec86d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brooklyn trades Kevin Durant to Phoenix,</a> a blockbuster on NBA trade-deadline day.
Feb. 16: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/boston-celtics-nba-sports-basketball-ime-udoka-151efe3c319c986b770437cd25794339" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boston removes the interim title from 34-year-old coach Joe Mazzulla,</a> the former assistant who took over the Celtics in September after now-former coach Ime Udoka was suspended by the team for having an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the organization.
Feb. 18: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-sports-nba-all-star-game-walker-kessler-collin-sexton-6a2ea26147bafb0f80ea77620cacf2e9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Philadelphia&rsquo;s Mac McClung puts on a scintillating show</a> to win the dunk contest at All-Star weekend. Portland&rsquo;s Damian Lillard wins the 3-point contest and Utah players Jordan Clarkson, Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton combined to win the Skills Challenge.
Feb. 19: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-lebron-james-kyrie-irving-giannis-antetokounmpo-2cf83e2e57350687e68ba89a6deb2707" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boston&rsquo;s Jayson Tatum scores a record 55 points</a> and Team Giannis tops Team LeBron 184-175 to win the All-Star Game in Salt Lake City.
Feb. 24: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-clippers-sacramento-kings-nba-sports-malik-monk-4047cea9a226d5fd135de97c65d0d054" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sacramento defeats the Los Angeles Clippers 176-175.</a> The 351 combined points are the second-most in NBA history, behind only Detroit&rsquo;s 186-184 win over Denver on Dec. 13, 1983.
Feb. 26: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/houston-rockets-portland-trail-blazers-nba-sports-damian-lillard-1e1a83642e942d51d91ee014b5b7947c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Portland&rsquo;s Damian Lillard scores 71 points</a> in the Trail Blazers&rsquo; 131-114 win over Houston. Lillard made 22 of 38 shots from the field, 13 of 22 from 3-point range and all 14 of his free throws. He also led Portland in assists, with six.
Feb. 27: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/utah-jazz-atlanta-hawks-nba-sports-playoffs-264bcc009ce664a640b5c903e35f1656" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Atlanta introduces Quin Snyder</a> as its new coach, after firing Nate McMillan about a week earlier.
March 4: Memphis guard Ja Morant live-streams himself holding a gun while inside a Denver-area strip club. He quickly announces he was taking &ldquo;some time away to get help&rdquo; and ultimately was <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/ja-morant-suspended-nba-gun-video-8cc82061f6465f96d6c5d0806d92d7d0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suspended for eight games by the NBA</a> for his personal conduct.
March 17 and 19: A tale of two comebacks. San Antonio blew a 29-point lead on March 17 and lost to Memphis 126-120; two nights later, the Spurs rallied from a 24-point second-half deficit and beat Atlanta 126-118. It was the biggest second-half comeback for the Spurs under coach Gregg Popovich.
March 29: Jrue Holiday has 51 points, eight assists and eight rebounds, while Giannis Antetokounmpo adds 38 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists, and Milwaukee tops Indiana 149-136. <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/Bucks/status/1641271779380559872?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">It&rsquo;s the first time in NBA history two teammates</a> have had at least 38 points, eight assists and eight rebounds in the same game.
April 1: In the early morning hours, <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-labor-players-0cf524b13e459eeb5853dad9a455e0e0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association strike a handshake deal</a> on what, if approved by owners and players, will be a seven-year Collective Bargaining Agreement that will take effect in July and ensure labor peace in the league until at least 2029.
April 7: Dallas sits several regulars, including Kyrie Irving, and plays Luka Doncic for only about a quarter in a loss to Chicago. The loss eliminated the Mavericks from postseason contention and the team&rsquo;s motivation for losing catches the eye of the NBA, <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/mavericks-playoffs-nba-investigation-tanking-7ac5f76590adafd9df1c7c590a78d346" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which opens an investigation the next day.</a>
April 9: Udonis Haslem scores 24 points in his final regular season game, as his 20-year career with the Miami Heat draws to an end. <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/magic-heat-haslem-finale-f8e560c77aa5c36a20dbb12ebb58fca5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">At 42, he&rsquo;s nearly two years older</a> than anyone else to have scored at least 24 points in an NBA game.

Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press revisits the notable moments from the 2022-23 NBA season.

Season of NBA moments: LeBron, Lillard, Mitchell and more

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; LSU&rsquo;s Angel Reese waved her hand in front of her face while staring down Caitlin Clark, then pointed toward her finger as if to say a ring was coming while walking toward the Iowa star.
The gestures late in the Tigers&rsquo; 102-85 victory in the NCAA championship game Sunday lit up social media, with comments supporting the &ldquo;Bayou Barbie&rdquo; for trash talk that&rsquo;s just part of the game and condemning her for lacking grace in victory.
The bubbly junior from Baltimore, who transferred from Maryland to join flamboyant LSU coach Kim Mulkey, was unapologetic in the postgame news conference.
&ldquo;All year, I was critiqued about who I was,&rdquo; Reese said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t fit in a box that y&rsquo;all want me to be in. I&rsquo;m too hood. I&rsquo;m too ghetto. But when other people do it, y&rsquo;all say nothing. So this was for the girls that look like me, that&rsquo;s going to speak up on what they believe in. It&rsquo;s unapologetically you.&rdquo;
Clark, the scoring sensation who was the first with consecutive 40-point games in an NCAA Tournament, made the face-waving gesture to no one in particular during an Elite Eight victory over Louisville.
The Associated Press Player of the Year wasn&rsquo;t shy about showing her emotions when the Hawkeyes knocked off undefeated defending national champion South Carolina in the semifinals.
If she saw Reese&rsquo;s gestures, Clark didn&rsquo;t seem concerned about them.
&ldquo;I was just trying to get to the handshake line and shake hands and be grateful that my team was in that position,&rdquo; said Clark, who scored 30 points. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s all you can do is hold your head high, be proud of what you did. All the credit in the world to LSU. They were tremendous.&rdquo;
In a 79-72 semifinal victory over Virginia Tech, Reese made what appeared to be a &ldquo;you&rsquo;re too small&rdquo; gesture several times after scoring around the basket.
The fashionable 6-foot-3 post with modeling aspirations is becoming a social media magnet. Reese wooed Lil Wayne after chastising the rapper from New Orleans for reaching out to Elite Eight opponent Miami before doing the same with the Tigers.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to be me, but I can&rsquo;t do it without the girls here, and I can&rsquo;t do it without the rest of my teammates and coaches,&rdquo; said Reese, who had 15 points and 10 rebounds while three teammates scored at least 20 points.
She was named the Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four after setting an NCAA single-season record with her 34th double-double against the Hawkeyes.
&ldquo;Twitter can say what Twitter can say,&rdquo; Reese said. &ldquo;I love reading those comments. I have all the screenshots of what everybody has said about me all season. What are you going to say now?&rdquo;

"This was for the girls that look like me, that’s going to speak up on what they believe in. It’s unapologetically you,” Reese said.

LSU’s Angel Reese unapologetic over gestures to Iowa star Clark

Longtime pro Jordan Crawford opens up to Spencer Davies about his unpleasant NBA experience, his Detroit connection and more.

Ex-NBA pro Jordan Crawford has a story to tell — and a whole lot more

Selection Sunday looms as AP Top 25 teams in major conferences get their final chances to impact where and why they play in the NCAA Tournament.
In the nation&rsquo;s top leagues, there could be significant swings based on early exits or title runs. Here&rsquo;s a look at what&rsquo;s ahead leading up to the biggest day on the sport&rsquo;s calendar on Sunday:
AAC
The American Athletic Conference Tournament begins Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas, and it gives top-ranked Houston the chance to make a final case potentially for the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAAs.
The Cougars (29-2) are the only team in the country to rank in the top 10 of KenPom&rsquo;s adjusted efficiency metrics in both offense and defense.
Houston opens against the East Carolina-South Florida winner on Friday, and the tournament is one of five to end on Sunday shortly before the NCAA field is revealed.
ACC
The Atlantic Coast Conference opens its five-day tournament Tuesday in Greensboro, North Carolina. It&rsquo;s an event lacking a true favorite or team poised to claim a top-tier postseason seed.
Virginia and No. 14 Miami shared the regular-season title, though the Hurricanes are the top seed for the first time since winning the tournament in 2013. But 21st-ranked Duke is the league&rsquo;s hottest team with six straight wins.
All three open play in Thursday&rsquo;s quarterfinals, with the Cavaliers on course for a 4-seed, Miami for a 5 and Duke for a 7, according to BracketMatrix.com&rsquo;s average of 100 mock fields on Monday evening.
BIG 12
Third-ranked Kansas won a national title, overhauled its roster and still finds itself in the chase for the No. 1 overall NCAA seed entering the Big 12 Tournament.
That tournament opens Wednesday in Kansas City, Missouri, with the Jayhawks and other top seeds starting play on Day 2.
Kansas (25-6) has a national-best 15 wins in Quadrant 1 games that top the postseason resume, which had them as the top overall seed in ESPN&rsquo;s Bracketology projection on Monday evening.
Winning a title this week won&rsquo;t come easy in a league regarded as the nation&rsquo;s deepest all year. The field includes No. 7 Texas, No. 10 Baylor, No. 12 Kansas State and No. 22 TCU.
BIG EAST
The Big East opens play Wednesday in New York&rsquo;s Madison Square Garden with four ranked teams: No. 6 Marquette, No. 11 Connecticut, No. 15 Xavier and No. 24 Creighton.
The top-seeded Golden Eagles, who open play Thursday, have the highest projected NCAA Tournament seed at No. 3 on both ESPN and BracketMatrix, while BracketMatrix has the Huskies and Musketeers as potential 4-seeds.
The Bluejays, who re-entered the poll for a third time this season on Monday, are projected as a No. 6 seed in the NCAAs.
The tournament wraps up Saturday night.
BIG TEN
The Big Ten opens it tournament Wednesday in Chicago with No. 5 Purdue and No. 19 Indiana as the only ranked teams, though the Boilermakers are in the mix for a No. 1 regional seed in the NCAAs.
The Boilermakers are the top seed for Chicago and BracketMatrix listed them as the fourth of the top seeds.
The Boilermakers and Hoosiers both begin play in Friday&rsquo;s quarterfinals with the title game coming Sunday.
PAC-12
The Pac-12 has two ranked teams in contention for lofty NCAA seeds as the league tournament opens Wednesday in Las Vegas.
Second-ranked UCLA is surging down the stretch and has its highest ranking of the season, putting it in position to contend for a No. 1 regional seed as the top No. 2 seed in BracketMatrix&rsquo;s projections. Eighth-ranked Arizona is also looking likely for a 2-seed.
The Bruins and Wildcats split their regular-season meetings, with UCLA winning Saturday&rsquo;s regular-season finale while holding the top seed for Las Vegas. Both teams open play Thursday.
SEC
Fourth-ranked Alabama is the top seed for the Southeastern Conference Tournament beginning Wednesday in Nashville, Tennessee. And the Crimson Tide could be in contention for the top overall NCAA seed with a title run.
Alabama (26-5) owns the top seed in the SEC and opens play in Friday&rsquo;s quarterfinals, finishing a game ahead of No. 18 Texas A&amp;M in the regular-season race.
The tournament also features No. 17 Tennessee, No. 23 Kentucky and No. 25 Missouri, with the title game set for Sunday.

A look at what’s ahead of the top teams in the country leading up to the biggest day on the college basketball calendar on Sunday.

AP Top 25 teams get last shot to sway NCAA seeds in tourneys

UCLA is surging, both toward the postseason and in The Associated Press men&rsquo;s college basketball poll.
While Houston was No. 1 for a third straight week in Monday&rsquo;s poll, the Bruins rose two spots to No. 2 for their highest ranking of the season. UCLA (27-4) has won its last 10 games, including a showdown with highly ranked Arizona in the regular-season finale behind star Jamie Jaquez Jr. to complete a perfect home record.
&ldquo;I will say this, the recipe for success in March usually &ndash; I mean, aside from talent &ndash; is a great point guard and some senior leadership, like a guy like Jaime Jaquez,&rdquo; UCLA coach Mick Cronin said afterward. &ldquo;I mean, we&rsquo;ve got a chance. But as you know, that tournament&rsquo;s crazy. It isn&rsquo;t &lsquo;March Normal.&rsquo;&rdquo;
Kelvin Sampson&rsquo;s Cougars remained firmly entrenched at the top in their third stint at No. 1 this season, earning 58 first-place votes with the other three going to UCLA.
Houston hadn&rsquo;t reached No. 1 before this season since 1983 during the &ldquo;Phi Slama Jama&rdquo; era, but the Cougars have now spent a total of seven weeks at the top to tie Purdue for the most of any team this season.
Houston (29-2) closed out its regular-season schedule by winning at Memphis on a last-second basket Sunday, marking its 11th straight win.
THE TOP TIER
The only change in the top five came with UCLA trading places with No. 4 Alabama, with Kansas remaining at No. 3 despite a loss at Texas in Saturday&rsquo;s regular-season finale and the Boilermakers staying at fifth.
Marquette stayed at No. 6, followed by the Longhorns climbing two spots to No. 7. Arizona, Gonzaga and Baylor rounded out the top 10.
RISING
Texas A&amp;M is the week&rsquo;s biggest climber, leaping six spots to No. 18 after beating Alabama in its regular-season finale. That&rsquo;s part of a strong finish under fourth-year coach Buzz Williams, with the Aggies going 17-3 since mid-December and losing just once since the start of February. Before this season, Texas A&amp;M hadn&rsquo;t been ranked since February 2018.
In all, eight teams climbed from last week&rsquo;s positions.
SLIDING
Tennessee took the week&rsquo;s biggest tumble, falling five spots to No. 17 after losing at Auburn in its regular-season finale and its first full game since losing Zakai Zeigler to a season-ending knee injury. Indiana was next, falling four spots to No. 19 after losing at home to Iowa by 22 points.
In all, six teams slid from their ranking last week.
STATUS QUO
Nearly a third of last week&rsquo;s ranked teams (eight) stayed in their same position, including No. 13 Virginia, No. 22 TCU and No. 23 Kentucky.
WELCOME BACK
The week&rsquo;s three new additions are all returnees to the poll, headlined by No. 21 Duke.
The Blue Devils (23-8) returned to the poll for the first time since falling out in mid-January after opening the year at No. 7. First-year coach Jon Scheyer has led Duke to six straight wins to close out the regular season, including Saturday&rsquo;s win at North Carolina for a rivalry sweep that wounded UNC&rsquo;s iffy NCAA Tournament hopes.
Creighton checked in at No. 24, returning after a one-week absence for a third stint in the poll this season. Next came 25th-ranked Missouri, which won its last four regular-season games to return to the poll after spending two weeks there in the first half of January.
FAREWELL (FOR NOW)
Providence (No. 20), Maryland (No. 21) and Pittsburgh (No. 25) dropped out this week. All three will be playing in their conference tournaments this week.
CONFERENCE WATCH
The Big 12 and Southeastern conferences shared the lead this week with five ranked teams each, though three of the Big 12&prime;s group were inside the top 10.
The Big East was next with four ranked teams, including No. 11 Connecticut. The Atlantic Coast Conference had three, followed by the Big Ten, Pac-12 and West Coast conferences with two each.
The American Athletic and Mountain West conferences each had one ranked team.
ONE MORE
Next week&rsquo;s poll marks the final edition for the 2022-23 season.

While Houston was No. 1 for a third straight week, the Bruins rose two spots to No. 2 for their highest ranking of the season.

Houston, UCLA, Kansas top latest AP Top 25; Duke back in

It's hard not to be impressed by the growth of Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo.
He's gotten better every year &mdash; somewhat of a rarity, despite the expectation for linear growth among young players. That really shines through on the offensive end of the ball, where Adebayo has transformed from screen-and-dive man, to handoff hub, to an increasingly comfortable bucket-getter.
Adebayo has never been more self-sufficient: 40.3% of his made field goals have been unassisted this year, marking the first time his assisted mark has fallen under 60%. Per Second Spectrum, the Heat are generating 1.08 points per possession (PPP) on trips featuring an Adebayo isolation, and roughly the same clip on post-ups (1.075 PPP).
Among high volume scorers &mdash; a minimum of 150 isolations&nbsp;and 150 post-ups &mdash; only Luka Doncic and DeMar DeRozan match Adebayo's efficiency in both situations. That's pretty good company to be in; honestly, that's company I'm not sure anyone outside of the Heat organization ever expected Adebayo to be in. At least not this early.
"The growth speaks for itself, the work speaks for itself," Adebayo told Basketball News after another 30-point performance of the season, his 11th, in Saturday's win over the Atlanta Hawks.
"Another year expects, you know, more growth from you, after every year. Nobody wants to get complacent in this league &mdash; I sure don't. The goal for me is to keep getting better, and I feel like I've done that."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
As Adebayo has been given &mdash; no, earned &mdash; more hats to wear within the offense, there's one in particular that's been left on the rack with increasing frequency: Pick-and-roll reps.&nbsp;
We know what Adebayo can do as a screener, laying the lumber before jetting down the lane for lobs or short-rolling into mid-range attempts &mdash; something he's doing more often than ever. You would think, with the Heat being more comfortable with the ball in his hands, they'd follow the trend of bigger creators running more ball-screens.
We've seen them sprinkled in at random moments. Adebayo's bringing the ball up the floor more than ever &mdash; roughly 11 possessions per game, per Second Spectrum &mdash; opening the door for some early screens to be set for him.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/fjaqz8" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Then there's the random set piece, like this possession against the Hawks on Saturday.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/a9h1rt" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
The play ends with an incredible recovery and block from Clint Capela, but look at how tantalizing the setup is for Adebayo.&nbsp;
He gets a touch in his comfort zone. The defense has to worry about him posting up or facing up. They have to worry about the Heat flowing into split action or, with the left side only being occupied by Adebayo, the possibility of this turning into a handoff with limited help available.&nbsp;
Instead, it's Tyler Herro running his man (Jalen Johnson) into Capela, creating a path for Adebayo to get to the rim. With Adebayo taking a career-low 40% of his shots at the rim this season, finding ways to scheme that up would make sense.
One would think a potential solution would be those kind of ball-screen sets. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra notes that while Adebayo "has been initiating for us for years," he's careful not to put too many eggs into the pick-and-roll basket.
"That's part of bringing a little bit more diversity to our offense, but we also have some specific things that he has to do for us," Spoelstra told Basketball News.
"As a screener, as a big, putting pressure on the rim. That's vital for our offense. He has to do a lot of different things, and that's not easy to balance. If you do one of the things&nbsp;too&nbsp;often, that's not great for us."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
To Spoelstra's point, the Adebayo-led ball screens haven't been efficient &mdash; though that comes with a small sample caveat.&nbsp;
Adebayo has only received 63 on-ball picks this season, or 1.5 per 100 possessions, the lowest rate since becoming the undisputed starter in 2019-20. On those possessions, the Heat have only generated 0.83 PPP. That ranks 214th among 243 players to run at least 60 ball-screens this season.
The Heat may not have the ecosystem to give Adebayo a meaningful bump in frequency either. Going back to the Hawks example, it makes sense to empty a side and allow Herro &mdash; Miami's best (movement) shooter &mdash; to put extra strain on defenses. But even with it making sense on paper, this is how it looked in practice.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2023-03-06-at-12-43-10-pm.png" alt="" width="650" height="367" />
Bogdan Bogdanovic is peeled in early, with two feet in the paint. Saddiq Bey is sagging off Max Strus, a step away from the paint. Dejounte Murray doesn't affect the play in a meaningful way, but he's also sagging off of Victor Oladipo and can provide help at the nail if he wants.&nbsp;
Spoelstra noted that Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry (currently out) have been screening partners for Adebayo in the past. They make more sense than Herro as partners right now. Lowry's one of the best (and willing) <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/changing-of-the-guard-the-future-of-screening-is-here" target="_blank" rel="noopener">guard screeners in NBA history</a>. Butler is rugged in his own right, and has the dual benefit of mitigating his own issues as a spacer by being directly involved in the action.
Ultimately, if Miami is going to run a ball-screen, Butler, Herro and healthy Lowry will remain higher on the pecking order. They should&nbsp;remain higher on the pecking order.
And until the context in Miami improves, you can expect it to remain that way.&nbsp;

Nekias Duncan examines how Bam Adebayo's growth as an offensive player has changed the way the Heat have used him.

Bam Adebayo's game is expanding for the Heat in all but one way

The NBA schedule naturally lends itself to several checkpoints throughout the season that serve as frames of reference to check a team's pulse. The trade deadline and All-Star break are typically viewed as the midseason opportunities to evaluate performance.
However, for some teams, there's a specific date when their season drastically changed. For this year's New York Knicks, that date is December 4, 2022.
That night, in a 92-81 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Tom Thibodeau trimmed New York's rotation to nine players. Since making the tweak, the Knicks are 27-14 and one of three squads with top-10 offensive and defensive ratings, per Cleaning the Glass.&nbsp;
New York has bounced up to the fifth seed in a strong Eastern Conference and only gotten better since acquiring Josh Hart prior to the trade deadline. His addition, marking another important season benchmark, has coincided with a seven-game winning streak that has given this young squad a glow in the national spotlight.
The Knicks are fun because they don't have one cure-all player responsible for the surge. Sure, Jalen Brunson's off-dribble juice has changed the game, and Hart has been a seamless fit so far, but this squad really jells because of collective improvement and synergy across the rotation.
New York owns the second-best offensive rating in non-garbage-time minutes since Dec. 4, and they are No. 1 since the win streak began. But interestingly, their scoring distribution looks nothing like the pass-heavy green flags we associate with "good" offense. Look at some of these ball-movement numbers from the league's stats database since Dec. 4:
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 154px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">Stat</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">Value (since Dec. 4)</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">NBA Rank</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">Offensive Rating</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">116.2</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">5th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">Passes per game</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">265.5</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">25th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">Assists per game</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">21.6</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">30th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">Potential assists per game</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">38.9</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">30th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">Assist-to-pass ratio</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">9.6%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">29th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">% of makes that were assisted</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">52.3%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698%; height: 22px;">30th</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
So the Knicks are running an elite offense, yet their buckets aren't resulting from quality passes that make the box score. And without throwing another table at you, I'll add that these numbers rank similarly even when paring things down to the last seven games.
However, less passing does not necessarily indicate bad, or even unsustainable, offensive process. The Knicks might be iso-heavy, but they choose to be with purpose.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Clipped together the first 8 offensive possessions for the Knicks to start the 4th Q. Knicks are actively seeking out Hauser in matchups for both RJ and IQ to attack. There's a stark contrast in the quality of possessions initiated by both. <a href="https://t.co/TnDPTLpaRk">pic.twitter.com/TnDPTLpaRk</a>
&mdash; Ariel (@APachecoNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/APachecoNBA/status/1630603912536367106?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2023</a></blockquote>

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New York aggressively hunts mismatches so they can overpower defenses with drives. They're second in the NBA with 56.2 drives per game since Dec. 4 because they know they have several players &mdash; led by Brunson, Julius Randle, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley &mdash; who can score and pass out of attacks. Notably, despite logging low assist numbers in general as shown above, New York's 6.0 assists per game via drives actually rank second in the NBA, and the team's 5.5% turnover rate is tied for second-lowest.
There is so much chess that occurs on these perceived isolation plays that involve opening up other opportunities, even if it's not directly from a pass at first. Ben Ritholz encapsulated this in the below video thread that strings together some Knicks possessions against the Miami Heat:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
🎥🏀Knicks Film Session🏀🎥 Today&rsquo;s Lesson: Herro Hunting How the Knicks used the RJ/Herro mismatch to their advantage to create looks down the stretch. Sound up 🔊 Featuring analysis by <a href="https://twitter.com/BenRitholtzNBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BenRitholtzNBA</a>. <a href="https://t.co/zfhn4CYato">pic.twitter.com/zfhn4CYato</a>
&mdash; Knicks Film School (@KnickFilmSkool) <a href="https://twitter.com/KnickFilmSkool/status/1621525534336327680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Barrett is the focal point of the video, but similar approaches apply for Randle and Quickley. Brunson, meanwhile, is in his own stratosphere as the self-creating engine for the franchise. The marquee summer signing ranks third in the league with 21.1 drives per game since Dec. 4, and second in the league with 8.6 passes per game out of drives.
Brunson has been one of the league's premier driving threats over the course of his career; I wrote a whole <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-stats-notebook-jalen-brunson-is-in-the-drivers-seat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stats Notebook about his attacks with the Dallas Mavericks last spring</a>. He doesn't need to get all the way to the rim to bend defenses because he has the strength and shake to control the mid-range areas. As SDPN's Esfandiar Baraheni notes in this well-timed breakdown, Brunson has also spiked his drawn-shooting-foul rate, up to 13.0% from 7.9% a year ago.
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With Brunson as the head of the snake, Barrett, Randle and Quickley (who is converting 56% of his driving field goal attempts!) each bring a different layer of difficulty off the dribble. And though he's only averaging 4.4 drives so far, Hart has done the same early on with the Knicks.
The 27-year-old is putting up 12.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game in his seven appearances so far. Hart's immediate impact is helped by a ludicrous 60.0% three-point clip that will surely cool off. But he'll be a force off the bench for the Knicks either way with his straight-line drives and unique production on the boards.
Hart has made 14 of his 19 shots at the rim in this tiny sample size and nine of those buckets were unassisted. The success tracks. Take a look at what he's done on "self-created" shots (attempts taken after at least two seconds with the ball) over his career, via PBP Stats:
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 176px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 44px;">
<td style="width: 27.415144%; height: 44px;">Season</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 44px;">FGM</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 44px;">FGM</td>
<td style="width: 21.671018%; height: 44px;">FG%</td>
<td style="width: 20.365535%; height: 44px;">Freq. (% of total shots within 10 ft.)</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 27.415144%; height: 22px;">2017-18</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 22px;">47</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 22px;">70</td>
<td style="width: 21.671018%; height: 22px;">67.1%</td>
<td style="width: 20.365535%; height: 22px;">19.8%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 27.415144%; height: 22px;">2018-19</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 22px;">39</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 22px;">77</td>
<td style="width: 21.671018%; height: 22px;">50.7%</td>
<td style="width: 20.365535%; height: 22px;">16.6%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 27.415144%; height: 22px;">2019-20</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 22px;">74</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 22px;">113</td>
<td style="width: 21.671018%; height: 22px;">65.5%</td>
<td style="width: 20.365535%; height: 22px;">21.6%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 27.415144%; height: 22px;">2020-21</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 22px;">46</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 22px;">84</td>
<td style="width: 21.671018%; height: 22px;">54.8%</td>
<td style="width: 20.365535%; height: 22px;">24.5%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 27.415144%; height: 22px;">2021-22</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 22px;">139</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 22px;">215</td>
<td style="width: 21.671018%; height: 22px;">64.7%</td>
<td style="width: 20.365535%; height: 22px;">38.5%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 27.415144%; height: 22px;">2022-23</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 22px;">101</td>
<td style="width: 15.274151%; height: 22px;">167</td>
<td style="width: 21.671018%; height: 22px;">60.5%</td>
<td style="width: 20.365535%; height: 22px;">40.2%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Hart has consistently been a high-level interior creator even as he takes on more volume. But so far, he's different from other Knicks players in his unabashed confidence to score in transition.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/7v2chp" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Nothing schematic to break down here &mdash; Hart just takes the ball the length of the floor, puts his shoulder into one of the league's strongest players and finishes through Jonas Valanciunas for the and-one layup. He's already had several coast-to-coast scores with New York, and that's new for a team ranking 25th in transition frequency on the season.&nbsp;
Hart also fortifies one of the best rebounding units in the league. His 6.0% offensive rebounding rate and 18.8% rebounding rate with Portland this season are both top-2-percentile numbers among wings, per Cleaning the Glass. New York already has Mitchell Robinson, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jericho Sims as a trio with top-15-percentile splits among bigs, and Randle is top-20-percentile in these categories as a forward.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
New York's offense operates with the vibes of a heavyweight boxer. The mismatch-hunting and on-court positioning are all setting up for the big punches, or drives orchestrated by the Knicks' leading scorers. Controlling the glass, plus a top-10 defense worthy of a separate article, help build out the chiseled frame of the team.
The numbers might not make the offense seem impressive at first, but when you piece them together and pair them with tape, the Knicks look a lot more imposing as a playoff contender.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>Antoine Davis is the man! The second note here blew my mind:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Incredible career for Antoine Davis <a href="https://t.co/rIwf0qu4Xc">pic.twitter.com/rIwf0qu4Xc</a>
&mdash; Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamZagoria/status/1631649663735455756?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2023</a></blockquote>
<ul>
<li class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">Lauri Markkanen has been one of the best scorers in the NBA this year, full stop:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Lauri Markkanen has been nothing short of special this year. He&rsquo;s now averaging 25.3 PPG, up from 14.8 last season, and while at an incredible level of efficiency. He&rsquo;s finishing WELL above league averages at the rim, in the midrange, and from 3. (53% on corner 3s 🔥) <a href="https://t.co/AmQwcSLodN">pic.twitter.com/AmQwcSLodN</a>
&mdash; Dom Samangy (@DSamangy) <a href="https://twitter.com/DSamangy/status/1631345431455178769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2023</a></blockquote>
<ul>
<li class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">Not quite like a full season triple-double average, but Nikola Jokic is making the case for his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/sportsbooks-view-nikola-jokic-as-a-lock-to-win-his-3rdstraight-mvp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">third-straight MVP</a> look stronger every game:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Nikola Jokic has averaged a triple-double in December, January and February. He is the 3rd player in NBA history to average a triple-double in at least 3 straight calendar months, joining Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook. <a href="https://t.co/3pQ0kAeNHY">pic.twitter.com/3pQ0kAeNHY</a>
&mdash; ESPN Stats &amp; Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1630762306253496321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Ethan Fuller shows that there's more to the New York Knicks' low-passing offense than the numbers initially suggest.

NBA Stats Notebook: Why the Knicks' low-passing offense works so well

A list of 12 of the top talents in modern NBA history to have never appeared in an All-Star Game.

The 12 best modern-history players to never make an NBA All-Star team

Fresh off the 2023 Basketball Africa League Combine and heading toward the NBA Paris Game between the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons in France, retired 13-year basketball pro Joakim Noah is soaking up every second of the international scene.
With Noah on site for both, Basketball News had the chance to catch up with the longtime Bull and former national-champion Florida Gator to discuss the rise of the BAL, the Paris Game on Thursday, basketball expanding to a global stage and much more.
Being at the BAL Combine and seeing the momentum of the league going into its third season, what's the energy like there?
Joakim Noah: "Well, it's very special to be in Paris. This is a full-circle moment for me personally, and to be able to come to the Combine and to see the energy of the young men trying to get jobs and work in the BAL, I thought it was really special. Obviously, we're building a professional league and it's growing. To build something sustainable... to see the growth from year-to-year is really special, but also to see the energy of the kids who want to be a part of it. Kids who are from all around the world, and everybody, you can feel that the kids are just in really high spirits and want to be a part of it. This is obviously so much bigger than basketball, and everybody who was at the Combine felt that way."
There are many former players who are heavily invested in the BAL, including guys you've played with and against like Grant Hill, Dikembe Mutombo, Ian Mahinmi and Luol Deng to name a few. All of you coming together and contributing to this, how does that feel?
Noah: "I think the contributions of some of the players that were able to invest is great because it also changes our mindset. Because you know, we were raised as competitors and competition can be very divisive, and just to be able to be in a position to be able to grow and unite is special. Not everybody has an opportunity to have that, to be at the table with the big dogs and see how we can grow something from scratch is really special. And now that we have this platform, especially for African players, it's really powerful."
What is the ultimate goal for the league?
Noah: "I think just to have a really powerful league on the continent where African kids don't feel like they have to go anywhere to get paid off of basketball. The game is growing, it's the fastest growing sport in the world and a lot of the talent comes from the motherland. So just to be a part of this and to watch the growth and seeing it at the highest level, but also on a grassroot level, is what it's all about. And now, we're able to have those conversations at a table altogether and look at the big picture and see where the growth needs to happen.
"I mean, Africa's so big, so different culturally. I'm learning a lot, and I feel like not only am I involved in something that I know a little bit about &mdash; because basketball has been my whole life &mdash; but I feel like I found my purpose. And there's a lot to be proud of with that. I didn't grow up on the continent, I wasn't born on the continent, but this is my heritage, and I feel like a lot of people feel that way. I felt that at the Combine (Monday). It's like, people came from all around the world to be a part of this and the energy was that the people who were involved really understand that big picture, and just want to see this game grow. And it's bigger than them just playing and getting a check. A lot of the time with basketball, that's what it becomes, but with this opportunity, I think that people really feel the purpose and I'm proud to be a part of that."
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/2023_01_16_bal_combine_-151-1.png" alt="" width="732" height="366" />
You kind of mentioned it, but internationally, the game is becoming so popular and has a ton of momentum. Even in the NBA, you're seeing more of that at a rapid pace, as there were 58 European players and nine different players from France on opening night. We know that Victor Wembanyama is at the top of NBA Draft conversations. In general, the way basketball is growing across the world, why do you think it's happened so fast and is this going to continue in that trajectory?
Noah: "You know, I remember being in Paris and going to my first NBA game and seeing Michael Jordan play and the power of his influence all around the world. My father brought me to the game in Bercy. And 25 years later, the Bulls are coming to play in Paris again. The French players have had that kind of access. And now, the future of not just French basketball, but the future of basketball is this kid Wemby, who's an unbelievable talent. He grew up seeing a lot of winning, not just in basketball, but you think of France with winning the World Cup. He was raised and he saw what winning is all about and he knows that it's very possible.
"So when I was coming up, [Tariq] Abdul-Wahad was the only NBA player. And I remember seeing Tony Parker coming up at 15 years old playing at ABCD Camp and seeing the career that he had, that was my inspiration. And now, there's just a whole generation of French players and they're just taking it to the next level. But France is a country that has all the resources to be the best. They have everything. They have the coaching, they have the structures, they have the stadiums. They have everything. So you see the growth, and that's what we're trying to do in Africa. The structures aren't there yet, and we have to build it step-by-step."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
You brought up the Paris game. The Bulls are going to be taking on the Detroit Pistons, and Killian Hayes is a French player who's found his stride this year. How special is it to play in your home country in such an event?
Noah: "Well I can't even imagine how he feels, but it's a beautiful story being able to play in front of your family and friends in your country. Nothing gets better than that. So it's gonna be really special for him. And just understanding that there's gonna be younger kids there watching him, and he's gonna be inspiring as well. So not only is it an unbelievable feeling to play on that court, but understanding every layup, every dunk, every opportunity that he gets on the court is inspiring for the next generation."
Going back to finding your purpose in working with the BAL, but on a broader subject, what has your transition to retirement been like? It sounds like you have a solid feel of what you're trying to accomplish post-career.
Noah: "Oh, a hundred percent. I think that everybody who's in this position, our careers are short. It's crazy to know that I won't be playing basketball anymore. It happens so fast. You have a dream from when you're a kid and not everybody gets to live out their dreams as players, and I was able to do that. I got to do it at the highest level, and I'm really proud of that. Now, I have my family. I just got married this summer, I have my kids. So I'm really happy, trying to find that balance of working and working on my purpose work and raising my family."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Joakim Noah (<a href="https://twitter.com/JoakimNoah?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoakimNoah</a>) lending a hand to the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JrNBA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JrNBA</a> ‼<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAParis?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAParis</a> <a href="https://t.co/23ejEVVfqz">pic.twitter.com/23ejEVVfqz</a>
&mdash; NBA Cares (@nbacares) <a href="https://twitter.com/nbacares/status/1615701027122036736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Do you still keep in touch with your college teammates like Al Horford who's still playing and Corey Brewer who's coaching in New Orleans and your old Bulls teammates?
Noah: "Oh of course. These are people that I shared some of the most special times of my life with. I love Corey. We just sat down not long ago. Obviously, I have strong relationships with everybody and was able to do a beautiful trip with Derrick [Rose] to Africa, where he brought the Simeon (Academy) kids to Senegal this summer. These are all trips, these are all moments that I'm really proud of the relationships that I build off the court. And I just want to keep building."
If there are any players in the NBA today that you have your eye on, who would you say stands out?
Noah: "I love Bol Bol. Bol Bol is probably my favorite player to watch right now. I love to see his growth. Obviously, his back story is unbelievable. His father was so much more than just a basketball player. And just to see him become the player that he is and you just see him... you're not used to seeing somebody who's that tall &mdash; 7-foot-2 African guy &mdash; with handles, with that kind of ability. It just shows how much the game has grown. I just love watching him play. He's just a really exciting player. I wish him nothing but the best."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
More infomation regarding the BAL and the NBA Paris Game:
<ul>
<li>The third BAL season will tip off on March 11 and once again feature the top 12 club teams from 12 African cities playing games in Dakar, Senegal; Cairo, Egypt; and Kigali, Rwanda over three months in 2023</li>
</ul>
<ol>
<ol>
<li>The 12 club champions will be divided into two conferences.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<ul>
<li>The Sahara Conference will play a 15-game group phase at the Dakar Arena in Dakar from March 11-21.</li>
<li>The Nile Conference will play a 15-game group phase at the Hassan Mostafa Indoor Sports Complex in Cairo from April 26 &ndash; May 6.&nbsp;</li>
<li>The top four teams from each conference will advance to an eight-game, single elimination Playoffs and Finals at BK Arena in Kigali from May 21-27.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Each of the 12 BAL teams will have up to 13 players, at least eight of whom will be citizens in their respective team&rsquo;s home country and up to four of whom can be from other countries, with no more than two players per team from outside of Africa.&nbsp;</li>
<ul>
<li>One roster spot on each team is reserved for an NBA Academy Africa prospect as part of the BAL Elevate program, which will once again provide an opportunity for the next generation of African prospects to participate in a professional league, showcase their talent on a global stage and help their respective teams compete for the 2023 BAL Championship.</li>
</ul>
<li>The BAL, a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the NBA, is a professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa that completed its second season in May 2022.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Headquartered in Dakar, Senegal, the BAL builds on the foundation of club competitions FIBA Africa has organized in Africa and marks the NBA&rsquo;s first collaboration to operate a league outside North America.</li>
<li>On May 28, Tunisia&rsquo;s US Monastir defeated Angola&rsquo;s Petro de Luanda 83-72 to win the 2022 BAL Finals in front of a sold-out crowd of 10,000 at BK Arena.&nbsp;</li>
<li>The 2022 BAL season featured players from 23 countries across Africa, Europe, and the U.S, reached fans in 214 countries and territories in 14 languages - including all 54 African countries - and generated more than 600 million online engagements.</li>
</ul>
NBA Africa
<ul>
<li>With the support of strategic partners, in May the NBA launched NBA Africa as a new, standalone entity that conducts the league&rsquo;s business in Africa, including the BAL.</li>
</ul>
o&nbsp;&nbsp; The investors&rsquo; and strategic partners&rsquo; expertise in a wide range of industries and established relationships with African businesses, governments and NGOs will help accelerate the NBA&rsquo;s growth across the continent.&nbsp;
o&nbsp;&nbsp; The funding will contribute to the growth of the BAL, help expand the NBA&rsquo;s presence in priority African markets and Africa&rsquo;s basketball ecosystem, and deepen the league&rsquo;s engagement with players and fans through initiatives such as the launch of additional NBA Academies and social responsibility initiatives that improve the livelihoods of African youth and families.
<ul>
<li>The strategic investors include a consortium led by Babatunde &ldquo;Tunde&rdquo; Folawiyo, Chairman and CEO of Yinka Folawiyo Group; and Helios Fairfax Partners Corporation (HFP), led by Tope Lawani, Co-CEO of HFP and Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Helios Investment Partners.</li>
</ul>
o&nbsp;&nbsp; NBA Legends Junior Bridgeman, Luol Deng (South Sudan), Grant Hill, Ian Mahinmi (France; ties to Benin), Dikembe Mutombo (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Joakim Noah (grandfather from Cameroon) have also invested in NBA Africa and will use their collective influence to contribute to our growth goals.
<ul>
<li>In July, the NBA announced that former President Barack Obama has joined NBA Africa as a strategic partner and will help advance the league&rsquo;s social responsibility efforts across the continent, including programs and partnerships that support greater gender equality and economic inclusion.</li>
<li>In December, global economist and New York Times best-selling author Dr. Dambisa Moyo and Academy Award-winning actor and social activist Forest Whitaker joined NBA Africa as strategic investors.</li>
</ul>
The NBA Paris Game 2023
<ul>
<li>The NBA Paris Game 2023 will feature the six-time NBA champion Chicago Bulls and the three-time NBA champion Detroit Pistons playing a regular-season game at the Accor Arena in Paris on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023.</li>
<li>The NBA Paris Game 2023 will mark the first NBA game in Europe since 2020 and the league&rsquo;s 12th game in France since 1991.&nbsp; The NBA Paris Game 2020 &ndash; the first regular-season NBA game in Paris &ndash; took place Jan. 24, 2020, and featured the Charlotte Hornets and the Milwaukee Bucks.</li>
<li>The NBA Paris Game 2023 will mark the Bulls&rsquo; third game in Paris, having played two preseason games in the French capital in 1997.
<ul>
<li>The Bulls are among the top three most-popular NBA teams in international merchandise sales (No. 2 in Europe), among the top five most-popular teams on NBA League Pass outside the U.S. (No. 5), and among the top five most-popular NBA teams on social media in terms of following (No. 2 on Facebook, No. 4 on Instagram, No. 4 on Twitter)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Pistons will be playing their first game in France, having previously played regular-season games in London (2013) and Mexico City (2019).</li>
</ul>
NBA in France
<ul>
<li>NBA games and programming have aired in France since 1985.</li>
<li>During the 2022-23 NBA season, fan in France can watch the NBA on beIN SPORTS, the NBA&rsquo;s exclusive Broadcast &amp; Digital partner in France, and NBA League Pass. beIN SPORTS airs up to 14 live games per week during the regular season, as well as the Play-In, Playoffs, all Conference Finals, Finals, All-Star Weekend, the Draft and Classic Games.</li>
<li>The 2022-23 regular season features 45 games that will air in primetime in Europe, the Middle East and Africa as part of &ldquo;NBA Saturdays and NBA Sundays presented by NBA 2K23,&rdquo; marking the 10th consecutive regular season that the league has scheduled weekend games that air in primetime in EMEA.</li>
<li>France ranks fourth among European markets in League Pass subscriptions.</li>
<li>Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 games &ndash; featuring French star and top 2023 NBA Draft prospect Victor Wembanyama &ndash; are available for free on the new NBA App throughout the 2022-23 including the LNB All-Star Game and select LNB Betclic ELITE Playoffs and Finals games.</li>
<li>The NBA&rsquo;s localized social media channels in France (Facebook and Twitter) have more than 1.5M collective followers.</li>
<li>The NBA Paris Game 2023 will mark the second regular-season game in France, the 12th NBA game overall in France (dating back to 1991) and the 94th NBA game in Europe (dating back to 1984).</li>
<li>Opening-night rosters for the 2022-23 NBA season featured 58 European players, including nine players from France.
<ul>
<li>France has had more players drafted into the NBA than other country outside North America and has been the most-represented European country in the NBA for each of the last 16 seasons.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <a href="https://pr.nba.com/nba-fanatics-paris-store-open/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pr.nba.com/nba-fanatics-paris-store-open/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1674099893476000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2Pk9FJqixBAsT8n3qeg9n7">NBA Paris Store</a> &ndash; the first in France &ndash; opened&nbsp;in July 2022 and has featured player appearances by Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat and Alex Caruso of the Chicago Bulls. Top selling teams Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors.</li>
<li>The NBA works with 18 marketing partners in France: adidas, EA, FDJ/ParionsSport, Foot Locker, Hennessy, Hotels.com/Expedia, ISG, Kellogg&rsquo;s, Microsoft, Mitchell &amp; Ness, New Balance, New Era, Nike, Rakuten, SAP, Tissot, Under Armour, Yop, and 2K Sports</li>
</ul>

Spencer Davies speaks with Joakim Noah ahead of the 2023 NBA Paris Game about his BAL passion, international hoops and more.

Joakim Noah Q&A: NBA Paris Game, investing in BAL, basketball's growth

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Nikola Jokic had 21 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists before sitting out the fourth quarter and the Denver Nuggets won their 12th straight home game, routing the weary and short-handed Phoenix Suns 126-97 on Wednesday night.
Bones Hyland added 21 points and Jamal Murray had 16 to help the Nuggets win for the 14th time in 17 games. They reached the halfway point of the season tied with Memphis for the Western Conference lead.
&ldquo;But we're not satisfied,&rdquo; said Hyland, who hit five of Denver's 15 3-pointers.
A night after winning at Golden State despite missing four starters and six rotation players, the Suns ran out of gas playing a back-to-back at altitude while dressing 10 players.
Torrey Craig scored 16 points and Josh Okogie added 14 points and nine rebounds for the Suns. They have dropped 10 of 12.
&ldquo;They posted up Jokic early and just flattened us out (defensively)," Suns coach Monty Williams said. &ldquo;And he does a really good job of finding the open man or scoring.&rdquo;
Phoenix started the second quarter with an 8-second violation and things only got worse. Hyland hit <a href="https://twitter.com/JoelRushNBA/status/1613384764421177345">all four of his 3s</a> in the period, Jokic had a rebound and put-back using only one hand and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit his fourth <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1613390426358046722">3 in the half without a miss</a> as Denver built a 23-point lead.
&ldquo;I feel like whoever gets the ball and they're open, it's a made shot,&rdquo; Hyland said. &ldquo;I feel like we're so connected right now.&rdquo;
Jokic had nine points and nine rebounds in the third quarter as the lead stretched to 31 points. The two-time reigning MVP rested in the fourth instead of pursuing his 12th triple-double of the season against the overwhelmed Suns.
Phoenix remained without Devin Booker (groin), Chris Paul (hip), Deandre Ayton (ankle), Cameron Johnson (knee), Landry Shamet (hip) and Cameron Payne (foot), and also is without Jae Crowder.
Guard Saben Lee, a Phoenix area product, signed a 10-day contract before the game and scored eight points.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s good to have another body down there,&rdquo; Williams said. &ldquo;When I look down there and see more coaches than players, I&rsquo;m like ... this is ... yeah, I&rsquo;ll stop there.&rdquo;
The absences soured the rematch of the Christmas night overtime thriller won by the Nuggets behind Jokic's 41-point triple-double and Aaron Gordon's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8Ka-SBYJfg">power dunk</a> over Shamet.
The Nuggets have faced depleted teams in their last three games. Cleveland rested Donovan Mitchell on Friday and the LeBron James didn't play for the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.
BACK-TO-BACK BLUES
Williams was unhappy playing consecutive nights in San Francisco and Denver. It involved moving ahead one time zone, dealing with the lengthy drive from Denver's airport to downtown and adjusting to the mile-high altitude.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone called it &ldquo;the toughest back-to-back in the business.&rdquo;
At least ESPN picked up the game and moved the tipoff back an hour.
&ldquo;When you fly two hours and have to drive 30-40 minutes, that's a lot on any team,&rdquo; Williams said.
TIP-INS
Suns: Their 22 losses are four more than all of last season. ... Williams had no update on Paul's injury. Williams said Johnson has begun playing &ldquo;a little bit of 1-on-1."
Nuggets: Murray rolled his ankle in the second half, but Malone doesn't expect him to miss time. ... Jokic made 10 of 15 shots, marking the 31st straight game he's shot 50% or better from the field. ... Denver scored at least 120 points for the fourth straight game and is 19-1 when scoring that many this season. ... Denver, which is 18-3 at home, last won 12 straight at Ball Arena in the 2018-19 season.
&nbsp;

Nikola Jokic had 21 points and the Denver Nuggets won their 12th straight home game, beating the Phoenix Suns 126-97.

Jokic, Nuggets rout Suns 126-97 for 12th straight home win

There's an existential dread that comes with facing the Milwaukee Bucks, particularly when they're healthy.
Jrue Holiday will laugh at your attempts to screen him, instead attaching himself to a ball-handler like he's a jersey decal.&nbsp;
Jevon Carter, thriving with more minutes, is every bit as annoying to deal with at the point of attack.&nbsp;
Giannis Antetokounmpo is present, even if he isn't there. You're always aware of where he is. Any joy you feel by breaking the first level of Milwaukee's defense is quickly replaced by nervousness.
I know he's lurking. I knoooow he's lurking somewhere.&nbsp;
If you're able to break the first level, and Giannis is stashed somewhere else, you still have to deal with the final boss: Brook Lopez.&nbsp;
Splash Mountain may as well be Bash Mountain this season; opposing players just aren't having much fun in the paint when Lopez is around.&nbsp;
The Bucks have the NBA's best half-court defense, allowing just 88.7 points per 100 plays according to the good folks at Cleaning The Glass. That's a full seven points lower than league average (95.7). You'd have to go back to the Kevin Garnett-led Boston Celtics in 2007-08 to find a defense that dominant (7.9 points lower than league average).
Lopez is, figuratively and literally, at the center of that defense. They're even stingier in the half-court with Lopez on the floor (84.3 per 100) this season, thanks to his ability to wall off the paint. With the Bucks being more selective about the way they help from the perimeter, ball-handlers have been funneled into Lopez.
Only Nikola Jokic is <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/defensive-impact?CF=DEF_RIM_FGA*GE*5:GP*GE*10&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=DEF_RIM_FGA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defending more shots per game at the basket</a> (8.2) than Lopez (7.6), but Lopez is allowing a much lower conversion rate at the rim (51.9%) than Jokic is (67.0%). Lopez also happens to lead the NBA in blocks (2.5 per game) among players who have appeared in double-digit games.
Because of the sheer size and length of Lopez, it's incredibly difficult to garner clean looks at the rim. Add in his understanding of timing and verticality &mdash; he very rarely leaves his feet before the shooter does &mdash; and you begin to understand why he's having an elite campaign in shot contests and&nbsp;blocks.&nbsp;
He put on an absolute masterclass against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night. The spotlight was rightfully on the glamour end &mdash; he dropped a season-high 29 points behind an explosive 7-of-9 clip from three &mdash; but the way Lopez navigated the drop against the Darius Garland-Donovan Mitchell backcourt was a loud example of the quiet goodness he's displayed all year.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Brook Lopez is nasty in a drop, man. <a href="https://t.co/6zMkQA5x0E">pic.twitter.com/6zMkQA5x0E</a>
&mdash; Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1593364684215926786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 17, 2022</a></blockquote>
The Cavs generated a shade under 0.9 points per possession (PPP) on trips featuring a ball-screen defended by Lopez, per Second Spectrum. It's a wildly low number made more impressive by how good Cleveland's pick-and-roll attack has been this season (1.03 PPP, fifth entering Wednesday).
What's even wilder: That 0.9 PPP figure was actually good&nbsp;relative to how other teams have fared. On the season, the Bucks have allowed 0.81 PPP on trips featuring a ball-screen defended by Lopez. Among 56 players to defend 150 picks as the screener defender, that's the best mark in the league. And considering only Nikola Vucevic has faced more picks than Lopez (462 to 438), it's fair to conclude that nobody's fared better than Lopez.
Zoom out to include post-ups defended &mdash; and just general work as the last line of defense &mdash; I don't think there's been a better interior defender than Lopez, period. The only player keeping Lopez from being the we-don't-even-have-to-talk-about-it favorite for Defensive Player of the Year might be Toronto Raptors do-everything-man OG Anunoby &mdash; the NBA's current steals leader who can slide up and down the positional spectrum.
There are more versatile defensive players in the league; heck, between Giannis and Holiday (when healthy), there are more versatile defenders on the Bucks. But the way Lopez is impacting things on a per-possession basis is astounding.
His presence makes life easier for everyone. Holiday and Carter can put their all into screen navigation, knowing that Lopez is behind them if they get caught up. Giannis can fly around more freely knowing Lopez has his back. The Bucks don't have to send extra help towards drivers because they trust Lopez can shut things down without getting himself into foul trouble.
As we saw last season, the Bucks can <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-bucks-are-reinventing-themselves-on-defense-again" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cobble together a workable defense</a> when Lopez isn't available. But if the beginning of this seaosn is any indication, he makes this defense go from "workable and annoying" to darn-near impossible to score against.&nbsp;

Nekias Duncan breaks down the strong early play of Brook Lopez on the defensive end for the Bucks.

From Splash Mountain to Bash Mountain: Brook Lopez is inevitable

It was a big night for Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo against the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.
Adebayo dropped a season-high 30 points, with 14 of those coming in the fourth quarter. He also added 10 rebounds, with 6 of those coming on the offensive end. Being a plus-12 in a game the Heat won by one point speaks a bit to the impact he had in his 36 minutes.
There were plenty of highlights from Adebayo's evening, including plenty of transition goodness as the ball-handler. What stood out to me was this early first-quarter possession.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/s7ipdb" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
That's Mikal Bridges, quietly <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-dunker-spot/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-153-hooters-with-the-fellas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">having a career year</a>, getting another valuable on-ball rep. He runs a ball-screen with Deandre Ayton, one that required a re-screen before capping things with a pull-up middy. But peep Miami's side of the equation.
Adebayo,&nbsp;the&nbsp;premier switch big in the NBA, is in a drop on this possession. Max Strus is tasked with staying attached to Bridges; he's successful on the first screen, but not so much on the second. Instead of Adebayo stepping up to switch onto Bridges, Kyle Lowry helps off of Torrey Craig to stunt at the Bridges drive.&nbsp;
The possession ends with a bucket, of course, but it's time we examine the increased frequency of Adebayo operating in a drop defensively.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Per Second Spectrum, Adebayo defended 15 picks in a drop on Monday night, marking the third straight game that he's eclipsed double figures in that scenario. Between this game and the two games against the Charlotte Hornets last week, Adebayo has defended 53 picks in drop coverage.
On its face, 53 picks in three games isn't a large number. It&nbsp;is&nbsp;rare for Adebayo; he hasn't had a three-game stretch of double-digit reps like this since Game 4 through Game 6 of the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals (16, 14 and 15 picks respectively). You'd have to go back to the beginning of that regular season &mdash; a stretch between Oct. 27 and Oct. 31 &mdash; to find a three-game stretch with more picks defended in a drop.
The results have been uneven so far. On one hand, they've succeeded in shifting Miami's opponent's shot profile a bit. Prior to this three game stretch, here's where the Heat ranked in terms of shot rate (percentage of field goals) allowed.
<ul>
<li>Rim: 28.6% &mdash; second-lowest rate in the NBA</li>
<li>Mid-Range: 29.7% &mdash; 15th</li>
<li>Total Threes: 41.7% &mdash; highest rate in the NBA</li>
<li>Corner Threes: 13% &mdash; second-highest rate in the NBA</li>
<li>Above the Break 3: 28.7% &mdash; fifth-highest rate in the NBA</li>
</ul>
In simpler terms &mdash; the Heat were preventing shots at the rim, but giving up a ton&nbsp;of shots from deep in the process. Because the Heat (read: Bam) switched at a high rate, teams weren't generating a ton of paint touches with dribble penetration. And to that point: the Heat defended 38 drives per 100 possessions through Nov. 9, the lowest mark in the NBA.
Instead, they'd often manipulate matchups against those switches in an effort to force the Heat to send help. When extra attention was allocated, fruitful three-pointers would present themselves.&nbsp;
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/xbjjcn" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Over the past three games, this has shifted some. Here's the opponent shot profile:
<ul>
<li>Rim: 31.6% (+3.0)</li>
<li>Mid-Range: 31.9% (+2.2)</li>
<li>Total Threes: 36.5% (-5.2)</li>
<li>Corner Threes: 15.2% (+2.2)</li>
<li>Above the Break 3: 21.3% (-7.4)</li>
</ul>
You see a pretty sizable drop-off in three-point rate, with that drop entirely coming from above-the-break threes. In turn, the Heat have allowed a larger share of mid-range jumpers (good) and shots at the rim (different, requires context). The Heat are defending slightly more drives (40.2 per 100 possessions), though that would still be a top-three mark in the league if extrapolated across the season.&nbsp;
The rise in shots at the rim and from the corners deserve further examination. Natrually, if you're forcing ball-handlers off the three-point line, they're going to venture more into space. If the screen navigation isn't up to par, those ball-handlers will have more space to explore comfortably.&nbsp;
The gamble the Heat are making is essentially, "You can get to the rim, but you have to finish over Bam Adebayo. Good luck!" You can understand that gamble with reps like these:
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/5xm3mq" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
I do wonder if teams start challenging Adebayo more moving forward in this alignment. He does a lot of work from the ground, flashing his hands and stunting at ball-handlers in an effort to bait them into making reads. That could lead to some openings for more aggressive drivers.
A quieter subplot to follow will be how much space Adebayo gives in the drop. Turning threes into mid-range shots can be viewed as good process, broadly. But it's also worth noting that not all mid-range shots are bad shots. Making teams live on long-twos is the result you want; if they're able to feast around the elbows or slightly lower, things get dicier.&nbsp;
Most guards are comfortable with&nbsp;these&nbsp;intermediate looks.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/igs8il" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
And because the Heat don't want to give up&nbsp;those&nbsp;kind of looks, they've countered with digs or stunts from the perimeter. The issue is that some of those stunts are (still) coming from the corners. We can revisit the Bridges shot from earlier in the piece. Watch Lowry here:
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/s7ipdb" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
This possession against the Charlotte Hornets ends in an offensive foul, but look at Strus:
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/ly1oj2" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Under Spoelstra, the Heat have been good about knowing who to help off of. That type of planning, aside from your egregious non-shooters (think Matisse Thybulle), is typically saved for the postseason. The Heat will have to live in that bag if they're sticking with the aggressive corner help we've seen them complement their switching with.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Ultimately, this may just come back down to screen navigation. Can the guard stable &mdash; Lowry, Gabe Vincent, Strus, Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo (when they return) &mdash; navigate cleanly enough to not need&nbsp;those stunts?
If they can, the Heat may be able to have their cake and eat it too. Keep Adebayo near the rim and in rebound positioning; lower the amount of threes they're giving up; send help towards drivers when poor shooters are stashed in the corner so they can allow a healthier shot diet while keeping up their Heat-like pressure.
If not, it'll likely go back to switching Adebayo onto the perimeter and navigating the back-end as best they can.

Nekias Duncan dives into the Heat's decision to experiment with Bam Adebayo on the defensive end using drop coverage.

Trick or trend? Heat putting Bam Adebayo in drop coverage

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Devin Booker had 32 points and a season-high 10 assists, and Mikal Bridges scored 13 of his season-high 31 points in the first quarter as the Phoenix Suns beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 129-117 on Wednesday night.
Despite playing without <a href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-76ers-phoenix-suns-minnesota-timberwolves-nba-sports-fade66c4a082ab29606f1a4a23399a21">Chris Paul due to right heel soreness</a> and starting forward Cameron Johnson, Phoenix led by as many as 27 against Minnesota to rebound from a disappointing loss at Philadelphia two nights earlier.
Cameron Payne scored 23 while starting in place of Paul. Landry Shamet had 16 off the bench for Phoenix, which had lost two of three.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s what we stand by; playing the right brand of basketball,&rdquo; Booker said. &ldquo;We have a lot of talented guys, even when we&rsquo;re at full roster. There&rsquo;s really good players that don&rsquo;t get a chance to play that are in the rotation now. So, everybody&rsquo;s taking advantage of their opportunities.&rdquo;
Rudy Gobert returned to the lineup for Minnesota after missing two games while in the league&rsquo;s health and safety protocols. But Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns were limited due to early foul trouble.
Gobert had 13 of his 25 points in the third quarter. Towns finished with 11. Jaden McDaniels had a career-high 24 points to lead the Timberwolves.
Minnesota committed 19 turnovers, leading to 32 points for Phoenix.
&ldquo;The turnovers are killing us, for sure,&rdquo; Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re cashing in every turnover and they&rsquo;re kind of deflating at the same time. And first quarter urgency&rsquo;s just not there.&rdquo;
The Timberwolves were in the game early as the Suns missed seven of their first 10 shots. With Bridges leading the way, Phoenix started to hit shots and took control.
The Suns hit their next six shots following a timeout and went on a 14-4 run, with Bridges scoring seven in the span.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s unbelievable," Booker said of Bridges. "He just keeps getting better and better. That&rsquo;s the most impressive part. Confidence is there. Aggressiveness is there and he&rsquo;s doing it on both ends, which is the most important part.&rdquo;
Meanwhile, Towns and Gobert left the first quarter with three fouls apiece and Phoenix extended the lead to double digits with Minnesota&rsquo;s two big men on the bench.
The Suns closed the first half with a 22-9 run to lead 69-51 at the break and the Wolves could only close to within 11 points in the final minutes.
&ldquo;This was a big game for us,&rdquo; Phoenix coach Monty Williams said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s weird to say that this early in the season, but when you don&rsquo;t have Chris and you&rsquo;re coming off of a loss and playing a team in your conference that you want to play well against, it was a big game from a mindset point of view.&rdquo;
MISSING ONE
Minnesota played with just four players on the court during a second-quarter Suns&rsquo; possession that ended in a 3 for Phoenix.
Taurean Prince checked out before a free throw by Jaylen Nowell with D&rsquo;Angelo Russell set to check-in. Prince left the court and Russell didn&rsquo;t come on the court until the possession was nearly over.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just the sign of a team that&rsquo;s lacking a little bit of confidence and purpose right now,&rdquo; Finch said of the continued mental mistakes.
TIP-INS
Suns: Paul missed his first game of the season. He left the previous game early, playing just 13:45 in the loss at Philadelphia. Johnson missed his third straight game with a right meniscus tear. Johnson had 29 points and Paul had 15 points and 12 assists when the two teams met in Phoenix last week. &hellip; Booker tied a season-high with five 3s. He had 16 points in the third.
Timberwolves: G Austin Rivers was ruled out before the game with an illness. C Naz Reid was active but didn&rsquo;t play. The team said he has an illness. &hellip; Anthony Edwards scored 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting.
UP NEXT
Suns: Play at Orlando on Friday.
Timberwolves: Travel to Memphis on Friday.

Devin Booker had 32 points and a season-high 10 assists, and Mikal Bridges scored 13 of his season-high 31 points in the first quarter.

Booker scores 32; Paul-less Suns beat Wolves 129-117

After opening up about his own struggles with anxiety and depression in recent years, Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George is partnering with BetterHelp to further destigmatize mental health and encourage others to try therapy.
George and BetterHelp are providing up to $3 million worth of free therapy to people in need, according to a press release. Paul is the latest professional athlete to partner with BetterHelp, joining tennis stars Venus Williams, Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz.
"Mental health is just as important as physical health to me," George said in a statement. "I can be in the best physical shape of my life but if my mental health is lacking, it won't make a difference.
"Getting help to better yourself mentally has been extremely important in my life and has allowed me to be the player, father, husband and person I am today. This is why I am so excited to partner with BetterHelp to provide access to free therapy and help raise mental-health awareness around the world.&rdquo;
BetterHelp is allowing new users to receive one month of free therapy by <a href="https://www.betterhelp.com/paulgeorge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signing up online</a>.
&ldquo;Everyone &mdash; even pro athletes &mdash; can struggle with mental-health issues,&rdquo; said Alon Matas, the president and founder of BetterHelp. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re teaming up with incredible athletes like Paul George to remind people to take care of themselves, and we&rsquo;re providing them with the resources to get started.&rdquo;
George is a seven-time NBA All-Star, a six-time All-NBA selection and an Olympic gold medalist.
The Clippers' star made headlines earlier this year when he <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/clippers/news/paul-george-opens-up-about-depression-nba-bubble" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke about</a> his own mental-health struggles, particularly during the NBA Bubble in Orlando.

Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George is partnering with BetterHelp to give away $3 million in free therapy to people in need.

Clippers' Paul George giving away $3 million in free therapy

This marks the first time that NBA opening-night rosters have at least 120 international players in consecutive seasons

NBA features 120 international players from 40 countries, 6 continents

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; The Utah Jazz transformed from contender to underdog when the front office hit the reset button during the summer and dismantled the roster following another first-round exit from the NBA playoffs.
Quin Snyder stepped down as head coach after eight seasons. Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, Bojan Bogdanovic and Royce O&rsquo;Neale were traded as Utah stockpiled emerging players and future draft picks.
All these moves left the Jazz leaning on an assortment of unproven talent and first-year head coach Will Hardy heading into a new season.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s all new,&rdquo; guard Jordan Clarkson said. &ldquo;New experience. New team. A new vibe, really.&rdquo;
Clarkson, Mike Conley, and Rudy Gay are the lone holdovers who played significant minutes last season. Conley, two years removed from an NBA All-Star appearance, is the only returning starter.
All three veterans signed with the Jazz as free agents to help the franchise make a run at an NBA title. With that goal now seemingly out of reach, a new challenge of mentoring younger teammates while creating a new winning culture awaits.
Youth defines Utah much more than a season ago. Two-thirds of the team&rsquo;s roster is 25 years old or younger and many are just starting their NBA careers.
&ldquo;I think this is an opportunity to kind of go out and show what I&rsquo;m still capable of doing,&rdquo; Conley said.
The Jazz built an identity around Gobert&rsquo;s stifling interior defense and a relentless perimeter attack spearheaded by Mitchell. A reconstructed roster requires a different plan for staying competitive.
Finding new offensive and defensive leaders to replace Mitchell and Gobert will take time. Hardy isn&rsquo;t eager for his team to coalesce around one or two ball-dominant players. He wants to install a fast-paced offense complemented by tough defense while relying on a broader core of talent to share the load.
&ldquo;I would like to play a little bit up-tempo for sure with this group,&rdquo; Hardy said. &ldquo;Again, I would like us to play a style where everybody is involved. I don&rsquo;t think that it would be productive for us to have one player dominate the ball with this group."
MAKING THEIR DEBUTS
The Jazz had no selections in the 2022 NBA draft and made no draft night trades. Utah eventually acquired rookies over the summer.
Walker Kessler, the 22nd-overall pick by Minnesota, was included in the trade package the Timberwolves sent to Utah to acquire Gobert. Ochai Agbaji, picked 14th overall by Cleveland, joined the Jazz as part of the deal sending Mitchell to the Cavaliers.
Simone Fontecchio and Johnny Juzang are also making their NBA debuts with Utah. Juzang joined the Jazz on a two-way contract and Fontecchio signed a two-year, $6.3 million deal after spending a decade playing professionally in Europe.
JAYHAWK CONNECTION
Agbaji is reuniting with former Kansas teammate Udoka Azubuike. They were roommates during Agbaji&rsquo;s freshman and sophomore seasons with the Jayhawks.
Azubuike is entering his third season with Utah with career averages of 3.0 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. Ankle injuries have limited him to 32 games over two seasons. Agbaji joins the Jazz after helping Kansas win the 2022 NCAA title. He averaged 18.8 points and 5.1 rebounds as a senior with the Jayhawks.
SHOOTING STAR
Before being sidelined with a torn left meniscus last season, Collin Sexton was making a name for himself as a potent scorer and a reliable outside shooter.
Sexton shot 37% or better from 3-point range during his first three seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers. During his third season, he shot a career-best 47.5% from the field while averaging a career-high 24.3 points. Sexton has the potential to reclaim some of the scoring punch Utah gave up when it traded Mitchell and Bogdanovic.
He isn&rsquo;t lacking for confidence in his ability to be a productive shooter.
&ldquo;Honestly, I&rsquo;d put myself up against anybody,&rdquo; Sexton said.
RETURNING COACHES
Hardy retained Alex Jensen and Lamar Skeeter as assistant coaches on his first coaching staff. Jensen is entering his 10th season as an assistant coach with the Jazz and served as Snyder&rsquo;s lead assistant during his tenure in Utah. Skeeter is entering his seventh season as an assistant with the Jazz.
ALL-STAR HOSTS
The NBA All-Star Game is set to return to Salt Lake City for the first time since 1993, with the Jazz set to host on Feb. 19.

Youth defines Utah much more than a season ago. Two-thirds of the team’s roster is 25 years old or younger.

Offseason changes shift Utah Jazz from contender to underdog

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Not too many NBA first-timers get to take over a reigning conference champion and <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba?tab=nba-finals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">oddsmakers&rsquo; favorite</a> to win an NBA title.
Joe Mazzulla knows he&rsquo;s one of the lucky ones.
&ldquo;I felt like I was coaching a great team that wanted to win, that was fun to coach,&rdquo; the newly promoted Boston Celtics coach said on Sunday after making his debut in a 134-93 preseason victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
&ldquo;Just grateful for it. Grateful because it&rsquo;s the Celtics. Grateful that it&rsquo;s great players,&rdquo; Mazzulla said. &ldquo;Not many people in my position get that opportunity.&rdquo;
Ten days after the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/breakingnews/celtics-udoka-suspended-for-multiple-policy-violations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Celtics suspended coach Ime Udoka</a> and less than a week after the team <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-boston-celtics-media-day-notebook-jayson-tatum-jaylen-brown-ime-udoka-joe-mazzulla-marcus-smart" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported to training camp</a>, Mazzulla and the Celtics opened their exhibition schedule by romping to an easy victory in front of a sold-out &ndash; but perhaps skeptical &ndash; TD Garden crowd.
Mazzulla got little reaction from the Boston fans when his name was announced with the starting lineups.
But the players noticed.
&ldquo;I thought he was composed. I thought he had some excellent play calls coming out of timeouts,&rdquo; said guard Malcolm Brogdon, who also joined the team in the offseason. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to continue to get tougher for him, continue to get tougher for us.&rdquo;
Wearing a white Celtics pullover and chomping on gum, Mazzulla spent much of the first half standing in front of the bench and barking out instructions. In the second, when the Hornets never got within 20 points and trailed by as many as 46, the 34-year-old Rhode Island native spent more time in his seat.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s not a yeller; he&rsquo;s not a screamer. He&rsquo;s very deliberate and very direct. He&rsquo;s not a guy that&rsquo;s going to over talk you,&rdquo; Brogdon said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to be very direct and honest with what he wants from you, which is everything an NBA player wants from a coach.&rdquo;
Jaylen Brown scored 24 points in 24 minutes, Jayson Tatum had 16 and Noah Vonleh had nine rebounds for the Celtics. Brogdon received a big cheer when he entered the game midway through the first quarter and finished with 11 points and nine assists.
Boston&rsquo;s only draft pick, J.D. Davison, finished out the game as the point guard and picked up four points and four assists in six minutes. Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 17 for Charlotte, which played its first game in coach Steve Clifford's second stint with the team.
Media arriving at the game found the box score from Game 6 of the NBA Finals still displayed on the statistics terminals. The Celtics lost 103-90 to Golden State to give the Warriors their fourth title in eight seasons.
So much has happened since then.
The Celtics toyed with the idea of trading for Kevin Durant &ndash; talks that went nowhere but lingered long enough to leave Brown wondering about his future in Boston. They signed veteran forward Danilo Gallinari &ndash; and then lost him for the season to a torn ACL. Center Robert Williams III had knee surgery and will also miss the start of the season.
The franchise also <a href="https://apnews.com/article/bill-russell-nba-obit-48db4e1f37deb6e6574263c9f42dee46" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said goodbye to Hall-of-Famer and civil rights pioneer Bill Russell</a>, who died this summer at the age of 88. The NBA announced that it will retire Russell&rsquo;s No. 6 across the league, and the Celtics have tributes planned throughout the season. (Sunday was the first look at the &ldquo;6&rdquo; painted in the free throw lane at both ends of the court.)
The team added veteran big man Blake Griffin last week. Although the deal has not been officially announced and he was not on the Celtics roster for the game, he was in the building greeting his new teammates.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Jaylen welcoming Blake Griffin to TD Garden🔥🤝<a href="https://twitter.com/FCHWPO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FCHWPO</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/blakegriffin23?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@blakegriffin23</a> <a href="https://t.co/een7zyctrT">pic.twitter.com/een7zyctrT</a>
&mdash; Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSCeltics/status/1576590637322981377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2022</a></blockquote>

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But the big surprise came three days before the start of training camp.
Just a year after Udoka was hired in a surprising offseason shakeup that saw team president Danny Ainge depart and coach Brad Stevens move up to the front office to replace him, the Celtics suspended Udoka for an improper relationship with a woman in the organization.
Mazzulla will replace him for the season, if not beyond. His last game as a head coach was at Division II Fairmont State in 2016.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s still figuring it out,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s preseason right now. Super early, so we're still figuring everything out, getting a feel for each other. But preseason or not, I think that was a good start.&rdquo;

Mazzulla and the Celtics opened the preseason with an easy win in front of a sold-out – but perhaps skeptical – TD Garden crowd.

Shane