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Cavaliers

If I told you that Ja Morant had the first triple-double in Grizzlies playoff history and Desmond Bane hit the most threes in a playoff game in franchise history, one might assume that Memphis cruised to a Game 3 victory in Minnesota.&nbsp;
It was anything but an easy win for the Grizzlies; in fact, it would be better described as improbable.&nbsp;
Taylor Jenkins made the decision to start Kyle Anderson over Steven Adams in Game 3, but it seemed as if the adjustment did not matter. The Timberwolves punched the Grizzlies square in the mouth, opening the game on a 12-0 run led by Patrick Beverley's 8 points in that span.&nbsp;
The adjustments by Chris Finch were clear. They were going to attack Morant on defense and then double him as the pick-and-roll ball-handler. It was a masterclass in gameplanning for the Timberwolves and they were executing it to perfection.&nbsp;
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Beverley was telling his teammates to get out of the way so he could go at the All-Star guard. This happened several times in the first quarter. The 10-year NBA veteran made it clear that the gameplan was to attack the poor defending Morant, so he did it over and over. The result was either going to be a foul or a bucket and not only did Beverley score eight of the first 12 points, Morant had two fouls in the first quarter, causing him to check out of the game six minutes earlier than normal.
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Since Game 1, Minnesota has had the same strategy on defense. In the clip above, watch as Morant drives into the paint. Minnesota has four guys with a foot in the paint, with D'Angelo Russell a step outside himself. Why can the Wolves pack the paint and take Ja out of his game? Look who is on the floor for Memphis.
Brandon Clarke and Kyle Anderson strike fear in nary a soul when it comes to perimeter shooting, allowing for three bodies on Ja any time he drives. The only true threat on the floor is Desmond Bane, while Tyus Jones is a capable shooter. The activity of Minnesota forces Morant to turn it over here.&nbsp;
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Karl Anthony-Towns did do one thing well in Game 3 and that was hedging, switching and doubling the ball-screens on Morant. This clip is just one of several moments early in the game when Minnesota blitzed Morant, getting the ball out of his hands early or forcing him into a tough shot.&nbsp;
The gameplan was there. The Wolves were executing it. Until they weren't.
Up 18 points to end the first quarter, Minnesota scored eight straight to open the second, giving them a 47-21 lead at the 10:28 mark. Memphis proceeded to go on a 23-4 run to pull within seven points at the half.
At this moment, Memphis had to feel as if they seized momentum and the Timberwolves had to be feeling the pressure, right? Except, Minnesota started the second half the same way they started the game &mdash; absolutely dominating the Grizzlies.&nbsp;
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The Wolves' lead ballooned back up to 25 points with three minutes left to go in the third quarter. It seemed as if Memphis gave everything they had just to claw back in it, only to lose it again. It was embarassingly bad basketball.&nbsp;
Bane, one of the heroes for Memphis, was asked about his thoughts on the game afterward:&nbsp;
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Me: &ldquo;Where did that rank in terms of weirdest games you&rsquo;ve ever played?&rdquo; Desmond Bane: &ldquo;No. 1. I ain&rsquo;t never been down 20 twice.&rdquo;
&mdash; Drew Hill (@DrewHill_DM) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrewHill_DM/status/1517336302093574150?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Twice. Memphis went down 20+ twice in one contest after it was a single-digit game. The Grizz could have mailed it in down 25 with 15 minutes of game time remaining. But according to Rob Fischer of GrindCity Media and Bally Sports, Coach Jenkins' message in the huddle was simply to go out there and just play good basketball.&nbsp;
Target Center was rocking, booing Morant every time he caught a pass and erupting at every Wolves basket. According to Devin Walker, the Grizzlies' social director, the in-house DJ even had "Whoop That Trick" in the queue to troll the Grizzlies, as it is their song of choice following a playoff victory.
Even still, Memphis ended the third on a 13-4 run, down 16 heading into the final frame &mdash; much more manageable to do the improbable than down 20+.
It was 83-67 after Memphis scored the final 5 points of the third quarter. At the 8:33 mark, less than four minutes into the fourth, Bane drilled his sixth three to knot the score at 83-83.&nbsp;
In 4:32 of game time, the Grizzlies went on a 21-0 run, coming back from all but certain death. The energy in the Target Center belonged to the visitors as fans sat in disbelief. Even crazier, it wasn't Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. or Dillon Brooks leading the charge.
After a Tyus Jones three to give Memphis their first lead, 86-85, Desmond Bane and Brandon Clarke scored the next 13 points for Memphis to not only complete an improbable comeback but to put the game away for fans to make an early exit.&nbsp;
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&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t really know how we did it&rdquo; &mdash; Taylor Jenkins
&mdash; Drew Hill (@DrewHill_DM) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrewHill_DM/status/1517327427890028544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2022</a></blockquote>

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When you do the improbable, sometimes there is no explanation. During the 21-0 run, Minnesota shot 0-10 and turned it over five times. No one player from the Grizz had a historic showing to will their team to victory. Their coaches believed in them and, more importantly, they believed in each other.&nbsp;
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So, what's next for Minnesota? Can the young Wolves put that loss behind them and dominate the way they did for two quarters of play? Can they overcome the growing pains that come with being a young team in their first playoffs for a franchise that's been starving for postseason play?&nbsp;
Chris Finch should have called a timeout to stop a 21-0 run. Karl-Anthony Towns has to be a better leader on and off the floor. There's a mess in Minnesota that can be cleaned up with a win on Saturday, but a 3-1 deficit heading back to Memphis may cause a long look at how the team builds for the future.&nbsp;
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Justin Lewis breaks down the Grizzlies' Game 3 win over the Timberwolves, which was one of the strangest games in some time.

Making sense of the mess in Minnesota: What happened in Game 3?

For a third of the NBA, summer break comes early.&nbsp;
Though 10 teams didn't make the playoffs, it's not all doom and gloom. Several NBA bottom-feeders took tangible steps forward in their rebuilding efforts, while others &mdash; well, they're not supposed to be here.
Every franchise enters the offseason with summer plans. As teams get eliminated from the postseason, I'll be rounding up every team's offseason outlook and posing one question they must answer over the summer. You'll see each squad's 2022 NBA Draft chest, plus their potential free agents, along with the central question.&nbsp;
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Let's get started!
DETROIT PISTONS 
Draft assets: First-round pick (14.0% chance at No. 1), Second-round pick (via Brooklyn)
Potential free agents:&nbsp;Marvin Bagley III (restricted), Cory Joseph (player option), Hamidou Diallo (team option), Frank Jackson (team option), Luka Garza (team option), Carsen Edwards (team option), Rodney McGruder 
Central question: How do the Pistons build an offense around Cade Cunningham?
This was a pretty solid season for Detroit as far as rebuilding efforts go. Cade Cunningham emerged as a Rookie of the Year front-runner and two-way centerpiece who has fans ecstatic about his ceiling. The Pistons finished a solid 10-14 after the All-Star break, and have shown flashes of an improving defense. They did still finish with the 28th-ranked offense, per Cleaning the Glass, and one of the worst shooting rates in the NBA.
Cunningham had to carry a ridiculous offensive load in the latter stages of the season. Detroit has the power to change that in 2022-23, starting with its high draft pick. Maybe Jabari Smith's lights-out scoring means he's an ideal secondary option? Perhaps Paolo Banchero thrives as an additional creator, or maybe Chet Holmgren makes sense as a finisher and spot-up threat? The fun part about Cunningham is that his versatility creates so many pathways for the Pistons in the draft &mdash; whether or not the ping pong balls fall their way.
Detroit wields a cap hold of approximately $28 million on Bagley, and once that lifts (either via a new contract or letting him walk), the Pistons should have a solid chunk of cap space to add to the supporting cast.
HOUSTON ROCKETS
Draft assets: First-round pick (14.0% chance at No. 1), better of Brooklyn/Miami first-round picks
Potential free agents: John Wall (player option), Dennis Schroder, Bruno Fernando (restricted), Jae'Sean Tate (team option), Anthony Lamb (qualifying offer), Trevelin Queen (qualifying offer)
Central question: How patient is the front office willing to be?
Houston's 2021 draft strategy of "draft talent, figure out the fit later" appears to be working out. Jalen Green demonstrated an Anthony Edwards-esque leap post-All-Star break, Alperen Sengun is already one of the NBA's best passing bigs, and guys like Josh Christopher and KJ Martin routinely hinted at upside. Houston gets another prime shot at a franchise cornerstone this draft cycle. We're approaching Stage 2 of the strategy, though: figuring out how the pieces fit.&nbsp;
The Rockets were one of two NBA teams with bottom-five ratings on offense and defense. They led the league in rim frequency and were fourth in three-point frequency, but posted mediocre shooting clips. Houston evokes memories of the rebuilding Nets, who played a similarly extreme brand of ball for a few years as the team slowly reshaped into a fun playoff squad. Does the front office have the foresight to let head coach Stephen Silas work things out with his roster of young guns?&nbsp;
INDIANA PACERS
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How is there a &ldquo;rebuild&rdquo; to afraid of if it isn&rsquo;t a rebuild? <a href="https://t.co/0pDD7E6Mss">pic.twitter.com/0pDD7E6Mss</a>
&mdash; Caitlin Cooper (@C2_Cooper) <a href="https://twitter.com/C2_Cooper/status/1512127632758001664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Draft assets: First-round pick (10.5% chance at No. 1), First-round pick (if 15-30, via Cleveland), Second-round pick (via Houston), Second-round pick (via Phoenix)
Potential free agents: Ricky Rubio, T.J. Warren, Jalen Smith, Lance Stephenson, Nate Hinton (restricted), Oshae Brissett (team option)
Central question: How extreme is the incoming rebuild, and what veterans mesh with the future vision?
Notably unlisted among the potential free agents are Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner, Buddy Hield and T.J. McConnell. All range from solid starters to rotational complements, and 3 of the 4 (not Turner) will be 30 next season. The Pacers are clearly retooling, as evidenced by their trade-deadline fireworks and Tyrese Haliburton's subsequent high usage. They also have publicly flip-flopped regarding the direction of the team; see the above Tweet.
Indiana doesn't have the pure depth of talent to straddle the line. The Pacers can trade many of these talented players and build up a chest of draft picks and young pieces, or they can charge ahead, turn their picks into win-now players and hope Haliburton is ready for the playoff push. But a middle ground doesn't exist in an Eastern Conference where just about every team has solidified its direction.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Draft assets: None
Potential free agents: Russell Westbrook (player option), Kendrick Nunn (player option), Austin Reaves (team option), Stanley Johnson (team option), Carmelo Anthony, Avery Bradley, Wayne Ellington, Dwight Howard, Kent Bazemore, Malik Monk, D.J. Augustin, Wenyen Gabriel, Mason Jones (restricted)
Central question: What does team-building around two injury-prone superstars look like?
LeBron James <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lebron-james-i-dont-have-a-cap-on-how-long-i-want-to-play" target="_blank" rel="noopener">turns 38 next season</a>, and has played 60-plus games just once in the past four seasons. Anthony Davis has now missed more than half the season in back-to-back years. Sure, the Lakers were a mess regardless of their stars' health, but going forward, is pursuing fits next to James and Davis even worthwhile if the two won't consistently be on the court?
With just three players under contract (the aforementioned stars, plus Talen Horton-Tucker), the Lakers enter another offseason of a roster overhaul. This time, I'd recommend almost entirely forgetting about James and Davis when building the squad and simply try to assemble units that make sense together.&nbsp;
NEW YORK KNICKS
Draft assets: First-round pick (2.5% chance at No. 1, could change based on Play-In results), Second-round pick via Boston and Charlotte (if 56-60)
Potential free agents: Mitchell Robinson, Ryan Arcidiacono 
Central question: What's going to happen with the veterans?
The top six moneymakers for the Knicks next season are all 27 or older, and I think many fans would say that out of the group, only Julius Randle should have started &mdash; and he seriously regressed this season. The young Knicks <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/explain-one-play-young-knicks-playing-chess" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clearly showed they're ready to take the mantle</a>.
So what happens with Randle, Evan Fournier, Derrick Rose, Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel and Kemba Walker? Is Tom Thibodeau prepared to reduce their (their meaning Burks specifically in this case) minutes and usage, will trades be coming, or will Madison Square Garden burn when Immanuel Quickley opens the season by playing 16 minutes off the bench? New York has drafted extremely well in recent seasons, but the ceiling of the young core is capped if these youngsters don't get a chance to prove themselves in meaningful situations.
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OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER 
Draft assets: First-round pick (12.5% chance at No. 1), First-round pick via Clippers, First-round pick via Phoenix, Second-round pick
Potential free agents: Derrick Favors (player option), Mike Muscala (team option), Lu Dort (team option), Isaiah Roby (team option), Melvin Frazier (restricted)
Central question: What is the pathway in the frontcourt?
I've stanned Sam Presti's team-building strategy for years now, and I still think it's on track for a serious payoff. Josh Giddey slots in somewhere on your All-Rookie ballot, and draft classmates Tre Mann, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Aaron Wiggins flashed rotation-caliber play as well. It is simply a joy to watch a random young player have a breakout game on any given night, and OKC has already shown the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-oklahoma-city-thunders-emerging-defensive-identity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">early stages of a prominent defense</a>.
Next up: Capitalize on a draft loaded with intruiging frontcourt players. Banchero, Holmgren and Smith are obviously the best of the best. But even if the Thunder slide in the lottery, they could pounce on an athletic shot-blocker like Jalen Duren, or use one of their later picks on a center like Mark Williams. I'm just spit-balling, but the point is that OKC has plenty of chances to find its big-man anchor and further flesh out its core.
ORLANDO MAGIC
Draft assets: First-round pick (14.0% chance at No. 1), Second-round pick, Second-round pick via Indiana
Potential free agents: Gary Harris, Robin Lopez, Bol Bol (restricted), Ignas Brazdeikis (restricted), Admiral Schofield (restricted)
Central question: How do the offensive pieces fit together?
Orlando quietly logged a 17th-ranked defense this season, and an 11th-ranked unit since Feb. 1. A dismal offense ultimately doomed the Magic, who were riddled with inconsistent shotmaking and poor team efficiency marks throughout the half-court. We don't need to sound any player alarms; it takes time for young guards in particular to grasp the responsibilities of running NBA offenses.&nbsp;
But what if I told you Orlando has wielded bottom-10 offensive ratings every season for the last decade?&nbsp;
Change can start in the draft, again with some of the top offensive forward options like Banchero or Smith. Adding another ball-dominant guard in Jaden Ivey might be overkill, but AJ Griffin and Bennedict Mathurin feel like good wing fits at first glance. Spotrac estimates the Magic could have up to $30 million in practical cap space, leaving plenty of room for veteran players to accentuate the young talent.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
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THE D IN DREW STANDS FOR DUNK DO NOT GOOGLE THIS <a href="https://t.co/2AojdAskYV">pic.twitter.com/2AojdAskYV</a>
&mdash; Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) <a href="https://twitter.com/trailblazers/status/1508636734900166659?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Draft assets: First-round pick (9.0% chance at No. 1), First-round pick via New Orleans (if 5-14), Second-round pick, Second-round pick via Memphis
Potential free agents: Joe Ingles, Jusuf Nurkic, Ben McLemore, Anfernee Simons (restricted), CJ Elleby (restricted), Elijah Hughes (restricted), Keljin Blevins (restricted)
Central question: Is Portland actually trying to win "now" or win soon?
Some really great development happened for the Blazers during the "wash" portion of the season in the form of players like Trendon Watford, Keon Johnson and Drew Eubanks. Add them to Anfernee Simons, Nassir Little and the incomng draft picks, and Portland suddenly has... kind of a sneaky-deep prospect pool? There's real potential to mold this group into a rotation cast that gives Portland one of its deepest rosters in years.
That's why these <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jerami-grant-trade-rumors-portland-is-still-the-frontrunner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jerami Grant trade rumors concern me</a>. Giving up a possible lottery pick to try and piece together a short-term playoff team risks too much and keeps the Trail Blazers in the limbo they have lounged in for several years. Understandably, the franchise wants to build a contender while Damian Lillard is invested and in his prime. With some patience, Portland can without sacrificing sustainibility.
SACRAMENTO KINGS
Draft assets: First-round pick (7.5% chance at No. 1), Second-round pick, Second-round pick (via Chicago)
Potential free agents: Jeremy Lamb, Josh Jackson, Damian Jones, Donte DiVincenzo (restricted), Neemias Queta (restricted), Trey Lyles (team option)
Central question: How does Sacramento turn into a competitive NBA defense?
The Kings have trotted out lackluster defenses for as long as I can remember. In fact, they haven't ranked above 20th in Defensive Rating since 2005-06 &mdash; notably, the last time they made the playoffs.
And that didn't change under interim head coach Alvin Gentry. (Gentry will not return as head coach next season, but is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/shams-alvin-gentry-no-longer-interim-coach-of-the-kings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in talks for a front-office role</a>, per ESPN.) However, the on-paper roster actually shines some hope. Davion Mitchell made highlight reels out of his "Off-Night" defense. Justin Holiday is a solid individual defender, as is Harrison Barnes, and even De'Aaron Fox has his sporadic moments.&nbsp;
Can Sacramento find a head coach who turns a group of intriguing players with defensive potential into even an average squad? What draft and free agency options exist? Of course, the Kings would like to end their NBA-leading playoff drought. That'll come with changing the culture on defense.
WASHINGTON WIZARDS
Draft assets: First-round pick (2.5% chance at No. 1, depends on Play-In results), Second-round pick (via Dallas)
Potential free agents: Bradley Beal (player option), Thomas Bryant, Raul Neto, Tomas Satoransky, Anthony Gill (restricted), Cassius Winston (restricted)
Central question: What style of guard play is a feasible best fit?
Okay, so obviously the biggest question mark surrounds Bradley Beal's free agency. But from a conceptual standpoint, Washington has tried and failed over the past few seasons to find Beal's best-fitting partner in crime. John Wall, Russell Westbrook and Spencer Dinwiddie were each supposed to provide the downhill juice Beal lacks. The Wizards either did this at serious expense of another skill area (Wall, Westbrook), or it just didn't translate their at-rim ability (Dinwiddie). All battled injuries as well.
"I think we need bigger guards," <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/wizards/bradley-beal-outlines-what-wizards-need-build-contender" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Beal said in March</a>. "We need more guys that can get in the paint for us, more ball-handlers, more guys that can really create and get two feet in the paint, but also who can knock down threes."
I mean, Beal's needs make total sense. The problem is that every other basketball team on Earth also wants this type of guard.
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Ethan Fuller sets the offseason stage for each team that missed the NBA playoffs.

Summer plans for the NBA's 10 non-playoff teams

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Tyler Herro scored 25 points, Jimmy Butler had 23 and the Miami Heat overcame RJ Barrett's career-high 46 points to beat the New York Knicks 115-100 on Friday night.
Kyle Lowry added 19 points in the Heat's first game after the All-Star break after they were tied with Chicago for the best record in the Eastern Conference going into it. Bam Adebayo finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds.
Miami started a little slowly in the resumption of its schedule, then shut down most of the Knicks beyond Barrett to run its road winning streak to a season-high six games.
Barrett made six 3-pointers and grabbed nine rebounds in his return from a four-game absence with a sprained left ankle, and his best game as a pro would have been even better if not for 14-for-22 shooting from the free throw line. Julius Randle had 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, but shot just 2 for 15.
The Knicks dropped their fourth straight and fell to 25-35. They hoped they were close to getting Derrick Rose back from ankle surgery, only to instead announce he had another procedure on the ankle Friday.
The Knicks jumped to a 10-0 lead while the Heat missed their first six shots, but Herro's 3-pointer cut it to 32-30 after one quarter. Miami turned a two-point deficit into a 48-38 lead with a 12-0 burst, went up by as much as 16 and settled for a 65-55 halftime lead after Barrett scored 17 in the second.
The Knicks were within one with 40 seconds left in the third, but Lowry made four free throws to make it 90-85 heading to the fourth. Miami then opened the quarter by outscoring the Knicks 11-5, with Herro getting two baskets, to go up by double digits again at 101-90.
New York came out of the break 12th in the East and potentially a team that will transition to focusing on its youth. It was decided this week that Kemba Walker, who had been the starting point guard, will shut down for the season and rest his troublesome knee.
TIP-INS
Heat: Butler was fined $25,000 by the NBA for failing to comply with media availability obligations during All-Star weekend and not complying with the resulting league investigation. ... Coach Erik Spoelstra said C Dewayne Dedmon practiced Thursday but his back tightened up, so he didn't play.
Knicks: Rookie Quentin Grimes left in the first quarter with right knee injury, the team saying it was a subluxation of the right patella. ,,, MSG broadcaster Walt &ldquo;Clyde&rdquo; Frazier got a big ovation in the first quarter when he was recognized as the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's Curt Gowdy Electronic Media Award winner. The two-time champion with the Knicks will become the first player inducted in the Hall of Fame as a player and a broadcaster.
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DERRICK'S DELAY
Rose had recently begun practicing fully after he had surgery on his ankle in December. The procedure Friday was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-knicks-nba-sports-tom-thibodeau-kemba-walker-9323f8637cd4485c78e83dc91f0845fd">because of a skin infection</a>. Coach Tom Thibodeau said Rose was in discomfort but not pain, and there was no timetable for his return.
&ldquo;He actually went through practice pretty well,&rdquo; Thibodeau said. &ldquo;So, just one of those things.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Heat: Host San Antonio on Saturday.
Knicks: Host Philadelphia on Sunday.

Tyler Herro scored 25 points, Jimmy Butler had 23 and Miami overcame RJ Barrett's career-high 46 points to beat New York 115-100.

Heat overcome Barrett's career-best 46, beat Knicks 115-100

No. 12 Illinois defeated No. 19 Michigan State 79-74. llinois&rsquo; last road win in East Lansing was in February of 2015, but that changed with a big-time win today. The Illini withstood a comeback from the Spartans, as Trent Frazier hit a dagger pull-up triple with 25 seconds to play. Kofi Cockburn led all players with 27 points. Tyson Walker had a phenomenal game for Michigan State off the bench, scoring 26 points.&nbsp;
Illinois (19-7, 12-4 Big Ten) entered this one projected a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament, slipping a bit after losses to Purdue and Rutgers. Cockburn continues to be one of the most dominant forces in the country, averaging 21.4 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. Alfonso Plummer and Frazier have been reliable all season and will need to keep things up for their team during the homestretch.
The Spartans (18-8, 9-6 Big Ten) came in having lost three of their last four contests, desperately needing to get back on track. They rank 24th nationally in Adjusted Efficiency, but simply haven&rsquo;t been able to score consistently recently. Gabe Brown leads the team with 12.1 points per game, but potential first round pick Max Christie will be an x-factor during the last few weeks of the season.&nbsp;
Illinois jumped out to a 7-2 lead after a Da&rsquo;Monte Williams steal and transition bucket. Brown answered with a corner three as he scored the first five points for Sparty. The Illini stretched the lead to 17-8 as Brown picked up his second foul at the 12:00 mark and Michigan State hit only 3 of their first 14 attempts from the field.&nbsp;
The visitors took a 34-22 lead into the break and quickly extended it to 40-24 early in the second period. Illinois remained in control for a good while until Tyson Walker and AJ Hoggard cut it down to 67-59. Walker then connected on a three at the 3:47 mark while, at the same time, a whistle under the basket sent Julius Marble II to the free-throw line. Cockburn was then called for a 3-second violation and the momentum completely shifted, revving the crowd up again.&nbsp;
Cockburn and Walker traded buckets as Illinois held a 71-69 lead with 1:57 to go. Frazier stole the ball with 1:02 to go and finished a tough transition layup. Walker converted an and-1 to make it 76-74 with 47.7 on the clock. Frazier hit a deep pull-up triple with 0:25 on the clock, which all but ended the game, as Illinois would get the ball back and run out the clock.&nbsp;
Jacob Grandison scored 24 points on 6 of 10 from behind the arc. Frazier finished with 12 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds. Joey Hauser posted 11 points for the Spartans. Hoggard finished with 15 points and 8 assists in a strong outing.&nbsp;
Michigan State started this season 14-2, but are 4-6 since.
Tom Izzo remains one win from tying Bob Knight for the most overall wins at B1G schools, at 662.&nbsp;
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UPCOMING
Illinois hosts Ohio State on Thursday night.
Michigan State visits Iowa on Tuesday.

Illinois’ last road win in East Lansing was in February of 2015, but that changed with a big-time win Saturday.

No. 12 Illinois defeats No. 19 Michigan State 79-74, Cockburn scores 27

Nearing the end of the NCAA regular season, Derek Murray takes a dive into the state of the Big Ten.

State of the Conference: Evaluating the Big Ten

Champaign, IL&nbsp; &mdash;&nbsp; In a game that went down the to wire, the Illinois Fighting Illini (14-5, 7-2 Big Ten) held on to a narrow, last-second victory over the Michigan State Spartans (15-4, 6-2 Big Ten) without star center Kofi Cockburn, 56-55. Holding onto the win, No. 24 Illinois moved into first place in the Big Ten.
Illinois&rsquo; Trent Frazier led all players with 16 points in the contest, while Marcus Bingham Jr. led the way for the 10th-ranked Spartans with 13 points.&nbsp;
In a fairly lopsided first half, Illinois took a 34-20 lead into the break. Frazier displayed his tough shot-making ability early on and posted 10 points in the first period on 4 of 7 shooting. Freshman Luke Goode had a good first half as well with 6 points. Gabe Brown and Bingham led the Spartans in scoring at half with 5 points each.
Illinois extended its lead in the second half to 15 points, and up until roughly the 5:30 mark, looked completely in control to close it out. During the final five minutes of play, the Spartans&rsquo; defense was up to the task and made the necessary stops. On the other end, Malik Hall and Joey Hauser brought Michigan State back within two points at 56-54. Hall then missed the front end of a pair of free throws, which all but sealed the deal.&nbsp;
Brown finished with 10 points and 3 rebounds. Hall scored 7 points and secured 7 rebounds. Alfonso Plummer played a key role in the win, posting 11 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds for the home team.
No. 24 Illinois held onto the win, and as a result, moved into first place in the Big Ten.
Coming into Tuesday's game, the No. 10 Spartans&nbsp; had won 10 of their last 11 games, including a statement last weekend at Wisconsin. Senior forward Gabe Brown leads Michigan State in scoring at 13.6 points per game. Freshman Spartan wing Max Christie is averaging 10.5 points per contest and is a potential lottery pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.&nbsp;
Cockburn, a junior big man, leads the No. 24 Fighting Illini in points and rebounds, but without him, they lack a physical force on the inside. Neither he nor point guard Andre Curbelo played in this one; however, the Illini were still able to sneak out with the victory.
UPCOMING
Illinois will visit Northwestern on Saturday afternoon.&nbsp;
Michigan State will host Michigan in a rivalry matchup on Saturday.&nbsp;
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In a game that went down the to wire, the Fighting Illini held on to a last-second victory over MSU without star center Kofi Cockburn.

No. 24 Illinois edges No. 10 Michigan State 56-55 to go atop Big Ten

According to Yahoo Sports&rsquo; Chris Haynes, Sacramento Kings point guard De&rsquo;Aaron Fox is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kings-receiving-interest-in-deaaron-fox-ahead-of-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of the biggest names that could be available</a> before next month&rsquo;s trade deadline. Haynes mentioned that the Kings are receiving heavy interest in Fox and Tyrese Haliburton, but the plan internally is to build long-term around this backcourt combination.
Haynes spoke with Fox recently about his future in Sacramento among other topics.
&ldquo;You definitely think about potentially being traded because we are struggling,&rdquo; Fox <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/deaaron-fox-addresses-kings-trade-rumors-his-ideal-role-in-the-nba-173928242.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Haynes</a>. &ldquo;If you do have a change of scenery, it changes everything. I&rsquo;ve been here for five years. I&rsquo;ve built a life here, a family here. But once I&rsquo;m on the court, all that is out the window. You&rsquo;re not thinking about anything else than can happen outside of your control.&rdquo;
Although Fox just signed a five-year rookie-scale max extension during the 2020 offseason, his fit alongside Haliburton has brought up serious questions about who Sacramento should actually build around in their backcourt.
As I wrote last month, Haliburton has a big enough sample size now to show he blossoms when he&rsquo;s not next to a high-usage backcourt partner in Fox. When Fox was in NBA health and safety protocols, Haliburton showed a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tyrese-haliburton-providing-hope-potentially-forcing-kings-hand-on-backcourt-decisions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dazzling display of what his ceiling could potentially become</a> as Sacramento&rsquo;s No. 1 option.
In 42 games this season, Fox has averaged 20.9 points, 5.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals on a pedestrian 53.1% True Shooting percentage. Simply put, Fox hasn&rsquo;t taken the developmental jumps the Kings&rsquo; front office hoped for when he inked a big-money extension. Fox is still a blur in transition, being a massive weapon in that area, but he still struggles to keep teammates involved consistently and put in complete effort on the defensive end.
Still only 24 years old, Fox has immense upside as a top scoring option in Sacramento or elsewhere. Could he be Devin Booker-like when it comes to defensive effort, once the Kings get a true contender around him? That&rsquo;s the big question for both player and team, because Sacramento is once again going nowhere for another season.
At this point, it might be best for the Kings to trade Fox at his peak value while resetting a little bit around Haliburton in their backcourt.
If Fox actually isn't untouchable &mdash; something that has been <a href="https://theathletic.com/3052221/2022/01/05/nba-trade-talk-russell-westbrooks-awkward-lakers-fit-the-hurting-hawks-and-more-sam-amicks-nba-notebook/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mentioned by The Athletic&rsquo;s Sam Amick</a> &mdash; which teams make sense for him? Let&rsquo;s dive into some potential landing spots for the score-first point guard.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Philadelphia 76ers
This destination has been mentioned before as a potential blockbuster revolving around Fox and Ben Simmons, who continues to sit out games for the Sixers. So, why don&rsquo;t we explore that possibility a little bit further?
Honestly, I love the idea of Fox in Philadelphia creating a lethal one-two combination with Joel Embiid. Also, I believe Fox and Tyrese Maxey can coexist in the same backcourt for Philadelphia.
Instantly, Fox would come aboard and bring a scoring jolt that&rsquo;s desperately needed to take pressure off Embiid. On the other side, I&rsquo;ve long been a fan of the idea where Simmons lands in a situation where he becomes the No. 1 scoring option.
How fun would a pick-and-roll combination of Haliburton and Simmons be in Sacramento? All around, this feels like a major win-win. We&rsquo;ll see if Philadelphia and Sacramento are actually open to the idea, but this swap feels right for both parties.
Kings receive: Ben Simmons
Sixers receive: De&rsquo;Aaron Fox
Indiana Pacers
When looking through the NBA standings, Indiana continues to stand out like a sore thumb when it comes to a team in desperate need of a reset. Rumors are <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/report-mavs-blazers-wolves-knicks-lakers-hornets-targeting-myles-turner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">picking up steam revolving around Myles Turner</a> and Caris LeVert. Domantas Sabonis has also been mentioned around the league in potential trade talks.
Sacramento and Indiana could find common ground on a potential Fox deal, which could make a lot of sense for two teams who need a shake up.
Kings receive: Domantas Sabonis, T.J. Warren, draft compensation
Pacers receive: De&rsquo;Aaron Fox
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17117122_lg.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="474" />
Yes, the Kings have Richaun Holmes, who is an average starting center in the Association. However, could you imagine the on-court synergy Haliburton and Sabonis could develop as a lethal inside-out combination? As we&rsquo;ve seen in Indiana as well, there&rsquo;s some spot minutes where Holmes and Sabonis could share the floor as well (though I honestly wouldn&rsquo;t be a fan of that).
Fox would arrive in Indiana and be their star for years to come. He would be in a perfect situation to have a team built competently around him. Malcolm Brogdon would be an intriguing backcourt partner in this scenario too.
I&rsquo;m very intrigued by this potential landing spot for Fox, so keep an eye out on the Pacers here.
New York Knicks
Fox in the Big Apple? I love the sound of that. The question is: What would it cost for the Knicks to acquire him?
Honestly, unless the Knicks are willing to give up former No. 3 overall pick RJ Barrett, it likely won&rsquo;t happen. I&rsquo;m not a fan of Julius Randle in Sacramento, at least from the Kings&rsquo; perspective.
Kings receive: R.J. Barrett, Miles McBride, Kemba Walker, Taj Gibson
Knicks receive: De&rsquo;Aaron Fox
Fox and Randle would bring a potent pick-and-roll duo to New York. Meanwhile, Sacramento would acquire a young building block in Barrett who fits perfectly next to Haliburton. McBride has also shown unique upside, bringing aboard another backcourt piece who could play spot minutes with Haliburton down the road.
New York is in a tough spot after betting on running it back following a surprise playoff run last season. After stagnating, this could be the perfect move for the Knicks to make to expedite their win-now mindset with head coach Tom Thibodeau.
If the Knicks are open to trading Barrett for Fox, a big question mark currently, this could leapfrog right to the top of potential trade packages.
Boston Celtics
Boston is another team who seems poised for a major shake up within the next calendar year. Not taking a serious step forward this season, many questions are bubbling around <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-case-against-and-for-separating-jayson-tatum-and-jaylen-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">whether the Celtics&rsquo; dynamic wing duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can coexist long-term</a>.
If Celtics president Brad Stevens decides to pull the plug down the line and find peak value, Brown seems to be the more obvious choice. Tatum is locked in as the Celtics&rsquo; face of the franchise, so who could they find to be an ideal compliment with him?
Enter Fox, who brings backcourt competency for a team in desperate need of it like Boston.
Kings receive: Jaylen Brown
Celtics receive: De&rsquo;Aaron Fox, draft compensation
Some might be asking why Sacramento is giving up draft compensation to Boston here, but, quite frankly, Brown has more value right now compared to Fox. And honestly, it would be a major win-win in the end for both teams.
Tatum and Fox would be a fun duo to build around in Boston, allowing more well-balanced roster construction. In Sacramento, Brown would enter as the go-to scorer with a great point guard to set him up in Haliburton.
This scenario might be more of a 2022 offseason scenario compared to the trade deadline, but crazier things have happened since both teams are stuck in neutral.
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New Orleans Pelicans
The pressure is on in the Bayou. Zion Williamson&rsquo;s injury concerns continue to put a cloud over the Pelicans&rsquo; future. New Orleans EVP David Griffin is on the hot seat, so what can he do to save his job?
Why not push the chips all-in on a franchise building block in Fox? In head coach Willie Green&rsquo;s system, acquiring Fox would be a brilliant move to make in the short and long-term. With Williamson out, Fox and Brandon Ingram would make a lethal scoring combination. And hopefully once Williamson eventually returns, the Pelicans would have their new Big Three set for years to come.
The Pelicans are loaded with future draft capital thanks to the Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday trades. They own so many picks from the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks, plus their own, which makes them a potential suitor in any star-level trade.
What would it take for Fox to land in New Orleans, though?
Kings receive: Devonte&rsquo; Graham, Josh Hart, Kira Lewis, draft compensation
Pelicans receive: De&rsquo;Aaron Fox
This trade doesn&rsquo;t look too enticing on the surface for Sacramento, but if they receive a boatload of future draft capital from the Pelicans, it makes this scenario very appealing.
Resetting around Haliburton with ample draft picks for the future would be an ideal solution to hitting the reset button in Sacramento.
Dallas Mavericks
Luka Doncic needs help in Dallas, so where can the Mavericks find a player who can take pressure off of him? Enter Fox, who could really push the Mavericks&rsquo; ceiling to a completely new level.
Fox and Doncic would create instant fireworks in Dallas, playing on and off-ball with no issue. The offensive ceiling of this duo would be one of the best in the Western Conference.
The question is, do the Mavericks have enough to make a Fox blockbuster happen?
Kings receive: Jalen Brunson, Tim Hardaway Jr., draft compensation
Mavericks receive: De&rsquo;Aaron Fox
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This trade is very interesting for a multitude of reasons. I considered a trade of Porzingis to the Kings, but would they actually want his contract? I doubt it.
That led me back to giving up a prized asset in Brunson, who is going to cash out as a restricted free agent this offseason. Why not get something now for Brunson instead of potentially letting him walk with a big offer sheet elsewhere?
Fox not only would be an upgrade over Brunson, but also form a Big Three that Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has been lusting after for years in Dallas. It&rsquo;s a big bet to make locking in a core of Doncic, Fox and Porzingis together, but, if it works out, the ceiling is astronomical.
Sacramento would land future draft compensation to go along with an intriguing backcourt piece in Brunson. Also, Hardaway could be flipped elsewhere or kept around if the Kings decided to move Buddy Hield as well in a different deal.
Charlotte Hornets
This one was suggested to me by our own <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/news/authors/nekias-duncan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nekias Duncan</a>, which had me thinking about some potential scenarios. Fox and LaMelo Ball would be box-office levels of entertainment in Charlotte, so I totally get the idea.
However, what would the Hornets need to give up for Fox? Here&rsquo;s where I eventually landed on that idea, which led to our biggest blockbuster yet.
Kings receive: Gordon Hayward, Terry Rozier, James Bouknight, P.J. Washington, draft compensation
Hornets receive: De&rsquo;Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley III, Tristan Thompson, Jahmi&rsquo;us Ramsey
Yeah, that&rsquo;s a lot to take in. This could have been a lot easier if I believed the Hornets would trade away Miles Bridges in this scenario, but I don&rsquo;t think that&rsquo;s realistic. So, let&rsquo;s chew on this eight-player deal for a moment.
Charlotte swaps out Rozier for Fox, an instant upgrade who elevates Charlotte&rsquo;s playoff hopes for this season and beyond. It takes a midseason flier on Bagley, who is a restricted free agent at the end of this season. And Bagley could be a big-time beneficiary of being spoon-fed easy looks from Ball.
Sacramento lands two win-now veterans in Hayward and Rozier. Whether the Kings decide to keep him long-term or not is to be determined. The prize of this deal is the young players/prospects. Bouknight and Washington are former lottery picks who just haven&rsquo;t found a consistent role in Charlotte. With the Kings, that would definitely change.
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If the Kings indeed decide to shop Fox openly before the trade deadline, a league-wide bidding war will ensue. Yet to hit his prime, Fox has a lot of great basketball left in him. Wherever he would potentially land, Fox could change the immediate calculus for win-now possibilities.

De'Aaron Fox could be the top name available at this year's trade deadline. Which teams make the most sense for the Kings' star?

Examining potential trade destinations for De'Aaron Fox

This week's Stats Notebook is inspired by a recent article from USA Today's Bryan Kalbrosky. <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/orlando-magic-franz-wagner-onlyfranz-evan-mobley-scottie-barnes-nba/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The story</a> focused on Franz Wagner's Rookie of the Year campaign, but it brought up an interesting statistic: Wagner has seen his average time holding the ball per touch (I'm calling it touch time, for brevity) increase by over a full second in recent games, more than anyone else in the NBA.
That's already cool on its own, but the note got me thinking: What else can touch time stats tell us about roles in the NBA? Is this a different way to measure ball-dominant players and see who is earning a larger role?
The NBA, through Second Spectrum, <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/touches/?sort=TIME_OF_POSS&amp;dir=1&amp;Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;TeamID=1610612738" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tracks a bunch of measurables</a> related to how many times a player touches the ball on offense, where they do it and for how long. Below are the top-five leaders to date in touches per game:
<ol>
<li>Nikola Jokic - 100.3&nbsp;</li>
<li>James Harden - 93.7</li>
<li>Luka Doncic - 90.7</li>
<li>LeBron James - 89.1</li>
<li>Trae Young - 86.1</li>
</ol>
Jokic being atop this list is extremely significant. He has led the NBA in touches per game in each of the last four years, and is the only center in the data record to do so (dating back to 2013-14). He's also the only player ever to clear 100 touches per game, which he also did last season.
Even crazier: Jokic is&nbsp;crushing&nbsp;every other center in this category. Domantas Sabonis sits second among centers, possessing the ball 76.9 times per game at 22nd overall. That 24-point difference between Jokic and Sabonis is almost equal to the gap between Sabonis and 20th-ranked center Montrezl Harrell!
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We'll return to the Jokic love in a moment. By looking at per-game time of possession (how many minutes someone actually has possession of the ball) we get a more traditional sense of the league's most ball-dominant players. Many of them are your high-usage guards:
1. (tie) James Harden, Luka Doncic - 9.2 minutes per game
3. Trae Young - 8.7 minutes
4. (tie) Ja Morant, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - 7.5 minutes
In fact, the first non-guard to appear on the list is LeBron James (6.3 minutes) in 15th. After him, it's DeMar DeRozan and Paul George together at 5.3 minutes.
Similar names appear when looking at average seconds per touch (led by Doncic), and average dribbles per touch (led by Young). Jokic is among the leading centers in those categories, but is nowhere near the overall leaders. He holds the ball for 4.1 minutes per game (less than half of the leader) and 2.46 seconds per touch (less than half of the leader), and dribbles it about 1.14 times per touch (less than a quarter of the leader). Yet, Jokic's production is among tops in the league and his impact is undeniable.
Essentially, Jokic is like a prism for the Denver Nuggets. The ball comes to him more than anyone else in the NBA, and he's immediately rifling it back out with all sorts of flavors of flair and purpose, either to the basket or to a teammate. He's one of the most unique offensive engines basketball has ever seen.
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There are so many angles to comb through these stats with. But I'll end by circling back to Kalbrosky's emphasis on Wagner and rookie progression. Wagner isn't the only one seeing a significant jump in his touches and touch time.&nbsp;
Between November and the December-to-now stretch, Josh Giddey has seen his touches increase by over 8.5 per game. But his touch time and dribbles per touch numbers have actually slightly decreased. It seems Giddey has adapted to his increased presence while maintaining the trademark quick passing decisions that characterize his game. He's also, perhaps surprisingly, the rookie leader in frontcourt touches per game.
Cade Cunningham, Herb Jones and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl have also seen their touches increase by at least six per game, as has the aforementioned Wagner. Davion Mitchell and Jalen Green have actually seen their touches decrease noticeably despite similar minute loads. Here's the rookie top-10 in touches per game, specifically from Dec. 1 to today (minimum of five games played):
<ol>
<li>Cade Cunningham - 82.1</li>
<li>Josh Giddey - 81.3</li>
<li>Scottie Barnes - 66.7</li>
<li>Evan Mobley - 60.9</li>
<li>Franz Wagner - 55.7</li>
<li>Kiefer Sykes - 54.0</li>
<li>Chris Duarte - 45.6</li>
<li>Jalen Green - 45.0</li>
<li>Hassani Gravett - 41.8</li>
<li>Jeremiah Robinson-Earl - 41.1</li>
</ol>
These are still some small samples, and the data should be interesting to track as the season wears on and teams commit to, or concede, a playoff push. Either way, the bottom line is: Appreciate Nikola Jokic.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I find in the void):
<ul>
<li>The Timberwolves snapped a brutal losing streak against, specifically, Reggie Jackson. The Clippers guard had won 19 straight games against Minnesota, which was the longest active streak for any NBA player. But it's over after a 122-104 Wolves win on Monday.</li>
<li>Who are the fastest teams in the NBA in terms of average speed by their players? The Spurs are tops at 4.38 miles per hour, with the Hornets (4.32 mph) in second. The slowest squads are the Lakers (4.02 mph) and Celtics (4.05 mph).&nbsp;</li>
<li>Six players this season have logged steal percentages and block percentages of at least 2.0% in at least 500 minutes, per Cleaning the Glass. It's an interesting list: Robert Covington, Andre Drummond, Draymond Green, Herb Jones, Alperen Sengun and Matisse Thybulle.</li>
</ul>

Ethan Fuller analyzes touch time statistics and notices how Nikola Jokic's dominance appears in a unique way.

Stats Notebook: How often do players have the ball in their hands?

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Jaylen Brown scored a career-high 50 points, rallying the Boston Celtics from 14 points down late in the fourth quarter to a 116-111 overtime victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday night.
Brown scored 21 in the fourth quarter, then opened OT with his fifth 3-pointer of the game. Brown, whose previous career high was 46 against the Knicks on Oct. 20, also finished with 11 rebounds as the Celtics avoided losing for the fourth time in five games.
Marcus Smart added 17 points, seven assists and seven rebounds for the Celtics, who needed an 11-2 run down the stretch to force overtime. Dennis Schroder had 21 points and seven assists.
Terrence Ross scored 33 for the Magic, who outscored Boston 35-20 in the third quarter. They closed the period on a 20-4 run to take a 77-65 lead into the fourth and were ahead 96-82 with a little more than 4 minutes remaining in regulation.
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-136">&nbsp;</div>
Shortly after missing the free throw on a three-point play attempt with 1:40 left, Brown drove for a layup to tie it at 98-all with 38 seconds to go. He added another layup that briefly put Boston up 100-98 with 30 seconds remaining, but Tim Frazier tied it up again and the game was decided in overtime.
Boston, which beat one of the top teams in the league Friday with a 123-108 win over Phoenix, couldn&rsquo;t stop the lowly Magic (8-29) two days later.
Both teams were without their top scorers. Cole Anthony was out for the Magic with a sprained right ankle and Boston&rsquo;s Jayson Tatum missed his fourth straight game after being placed on the COVID-19 health and safety protocols list last week.
Gary Harris added 23 points and Wendell Carter Jr. finished with 15 points and 16 rebounds for Orlando. Frazier, who also scored 11 in the third, finished with 14 points.
The Celtics led 45-42 at halftime despite committing 14 turnovers in the first half and nearly letting a 14-point lead vanish before the break. Frazier opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer to tie it, starting the Magic on a roll that would put them up by as much as 14.
TIP-INS
Magic: Orlando had just four turnovers in the first half. &hellip; Mo Bamba was back after missing seven games due to health and safety protocols. &hellip; G Hassani Gravett returned after missing one game due to safety protocols. &hellip; C Robin Lopez remained on the protocol list.
Celtics: C Robert Williams, who had his first career triple-double Friday with 10 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds in a win over Phoenix, was out with a sprained right big toe. &hellip; Although Tatum&rsquo;s status was bumped up to &ldquo;reconditioning to return to competition,&rdquo; he remained out of the lineup for the fourth straight game. &hellip; Schroder returned after missing four games on the protocols list. &hellip; G Romeo Langford was out with a non-COVID illness and G Brodric Thomas was out with lower back pain. &hellip; C Enes Freedom was still on the protocol list.
UP NEXT
Magic: At Chicago on Monday night.
Celtics: Host San Antonio on Wednesday night.
__
More AP NBA:&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://apnews.com/hub/NBA">https://apnews.com/hub/NBA</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

Brown scored 21 points in the fourth quarter alone as part of the comeback effort.

Jaylen Brown scores 50, rallies Celtics to 116-111 OT win over Magic

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points, Bobby Portis scored 17 of his 19 points in the first half and the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Orlando Magic 127-110 on Tuesday night.
Milwaukee has won four in a row and five of its last seven. Since starting the season 6-8, the Bucks have gone 17-5 to surge back near the top of the Eastern Conference standings.
&ldquo;The ball movement, the playing together and the unselfishness really stood out,&rdquo; Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer said. &ldquo;Guys were making the right pass and the right read and then Bobby Portis had an insane shooting half.&rdquo;
Khris Middleton scored 21 points for the Bucks, while Jrue Holiday chipped in 18 points and 10 assists. Antetokounmpo, who returned from COVID-19 protocols on Christmas, capped his 24th 20-point night in the fourth quarter by chucking Orlando&rsquo;s Freddie Gillespie to the floor with a forearm before dunking with his left hand.
&ldquo;I think we did a great job of moving the ball and that&rsquo;s when it&rsquo;s fun to play,&rdquo; said Holiday, who had nine points and two assists in the fourth quarter. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s definitely the way we want to be. When everybody is touching the ball, it&rsquo;s always good. When we do that, we&rsquo;re pretty good.&rdquo;
Orlando rookie forward Franz Wagner scored 27 of his career-best 38 points in the second half. He made 12 of 20 shots and 4 of 8 3s.
The Bucks outscored the Magic 40-21 in the second quarter, led by as much as 29 late in the first half and withstood a 19-0 third-quarter run by Orlando, which dropped to 2-12 at home. Orlando also got within 106-98 with 7:15 to play.
However, Milwaukee responded with seven straight points to all but seal the game and beat the Magic for a third time this season.
Orlando had six players out with injuries, and Terrence Ross, Mo Bamba, Chuma Okeke and Mychal Mulder couldn't play because they were in the NBA&rsquo;s COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
KNOCK ON WOOD
Budenholzer sounded almost embarrassed Tuesday when discussing his team&rsquo;s luck with good health &mdash; both on the injury front and COVID-19. The Bucks entered Tuesday with only Brook Lopez (back surgery) out of action.
&ldquo;When you look around the league and see what other teams are having to do, we&rsquo;re very fortunate,&rdquo; Budenholzer said. &ldquo;We felt like when (GM) Jon (Horst) put together the roster, it was going to be very deep. It&rsquo;s a good place to be, but it&rsquo;ll probably change tonight, tomorrow or sometime soon. But we&rsquo;ll take it while we have it.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Bucks: University of Michigan coach Juwan Howard attended the game. His Wolverines play at Central Florida on Thursday. &hellip; The Bucks beat the Magic for the 10th consecutive time, a streak that's in line with 10 straight over the Kings and 12 straight wins against the Pistons. &hellip; DeMarcus Cousins was whistled for a technical foul after screaming, &ldquo;ball don&rsquo;t lie!&rsquo; following a missed free throw.
Magic: Guard Tim Frazier picked up four fouls in his first seven minutes of action. &hellip; Orlando was without point guard Cole Anthony for a second straight game because of &ldquo;maintenance&rdquo; on his sprained right ankle. &hellip; Magic coach Jamahl Mosley described Jalen Suggs&rsquo; recovery from a fractured thumb as &ldquo;progressing along slowly&rdquo; and added the rookie guard would be reevaluated in &ldquo;a couple of weeks.&rdquo; Suggs, the No. 5 pick in last summer&rsquo;s NBA Draft, hasn&rsquo;t played since Nov. 29.
UP NEXT
The two teams play again in Orlando on Thursday night.

The Bucks have won four in a row and 5 of their last 7. Since starting 6-8, they have gone 17-5 to surge back near the top of the East.

Bucks win 4th straight behind 28 from Antetokounmpo

As COVID-19 continues to rip into NBA rosters, more and more teams have been forced to look outside their organization to simply fill out minutes on the court.
You've probably been seeing your NBA notifications blowing up with transactions recently. Franchises can take advantage of the "hardship exception" in the NBA's by-laws, which state that if four or more players on the active and inactive rosters are dealing with injuries and illness, a team can sign and substitute a player. Since so many franchises are dealing with COVID-induced absences that typically last about 10 days to two weeks, dozens of free agents are inking 10-day deals to jump in for the short-term.
Meanwhile, for better or worse, the regular season chugs along. The pop-up signings can end up making an impact on rebuilding teams or playoff contenders. With some rotations pushed to the brink, hardship-exception signees might find meaningful minutes right away.
With that in mind, how are NBA teams approaching who they sign, and what types of players have been called into action?
Most of the additions have some level of NBA experience. Of the <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-covid-fallout-lance-stephenson-isaiah-thomas-tyler-johnson-among-list-of-players-on-10-day-contracts/">over 35 players (and counting)</a> who have signed recent 10-day contracts, only a small handful have never appeared in a regular-season game before this season. This includes: Ade Murkey (Kings), Tyler Hall (Knicks), Aleem Ford and Hassani Gravett (Magic), Mac McClung (Bulls) and Malcolm Hill (Hawks). All but McClung turned pro at some level before 2021.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
The other end of the spectrum is also limited. Though Isaiah Thomas and Lance Stephenson might be the biggest names among hardship deals, they're two of the older players signed to date. The oldest player currently added is 34-year-old CJ Miles, who joined the Celtics after having recently signed with the G League Ignite, and last played with the Wizards in 2019-20. Miles, Thomas, Stephenson, Ersan Ilyasova, Tim Frazier and James Ennis are the hardship players to date over age-31.
Interestingly, teams have thus far been averse to adding bigs, even if they've become thin at the position. The only true centers who have been reportedly signed are Wenyen Gabriel (to the Nets), Luke Kornet (Cavaliers), Marquese Chriss (Mavericks) and Freddie Gillespie (Magic).&nbsp;
Chriss and Raptors signee Nik Stauskas are the highest former draft picks to be signed; both were selected No. 8 overall. They're also the only two former lottery picks that teams have inked deals. So, no, front offices are not using the hardship exception as some kind of way to take a swing on a castoff top selection.
What does appear to matter, however, is recent production. Thomas obviously got his shot with the Lakers after a 42-point outburst in his first G League appearance with the Grand Rapids Gold.
Others have used a longer stint in the G League Showcase period to audition. Five of the top-10 G League Showcase per-game scoring leaders have signed contracts this month: BJ Johnson (Magic), Justin Jackson (Celtics), Trevelin Queen (two-way deal with Houston), Stauskas and Jared Harper (Pelicans). Four of the other five already have their rights held by NBA franchises. Let's see who signs Kyle Guy.
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The Nets and Raptors make good example cases. Brooklyn has added four players as of this writing. Langston Galloway and James Ennis are two steady veterans who contributed to NBA teams last season, and can both bring an instantly-translatable skill with their shooting. Gabriel is averaging 13.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game as a physical presence in the G League. Then there's Shaquille Harrison, one of the peskier defenders in pro hoops, period. All of them are low-usage, specialist contributors with multiple year of pro experience.
Toronto, meanwhile, has safety blankets for others on the roster should they enter league protocols. Tremont Waters and Brandon Goodwin are steady facilitating guards; Fred VanVleet and Malachi Flynn are reportedly now ineligible. Stauskas can replicate Svi Mykhailiuk's role to a degree. Juwan Morgan is a hybrid forward in the same vein (at least positionall) as Precious Achiuwa. The moves make sense.
My general conclusion seems to be that NBA teams are largely playing it safe with their hardship signings. Few franchises appear to be using this circumstance as a chance to swing for the fences on a young player or a comeback veteran. Most simply want to patch holes.
And though the NBA is obviously in a confusing, frustrating, possibly dangerous situation with the pandemic, it will be interesting to see who capitalizes on their small window of opportunity.

NBA teams have had to dig into 10-day signings with COVID-19's impact on rosters.

How are NBA teams using the hardship exception?

The Orlando Magic have signed Tim Frazier to a hardship ten-day contract.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1473326382188953600?s=20">Marc Stein</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;
Frazier last played in the NBA for the Memphis Grizzlies last season, where he averaged 1.6 points and 3.2 assists per game over 5 contests.
The 30 year-old averages 5 points and 4 assists over his 7-year career.

The Orlando Magic have signed Tim Frazier to a hardship ten-day contract.

Magic sign Tim Frazier to hardship exception

I still remember back when the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History were named in 1996. And at the 1997 All-Star Game in Cleveland, 47 of the 50 players got together, in my hometown at that.
From Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan to Wilt Chamberlain and Magic Johnson, seeing all of those greats in one place was truly inspiring. As a freshman at Xavier, it made me think about the future possibilities.
It&rsquo;s hard to believe that was 25 years ago, and in those years, obviously, a lot has happened for me &mdash; both personally and professionally. I think back about where I was then and where I am now, and am truly humbled.
For more reason than one.
When it was all said and done, all 50 of the Top 50 players were selected in the Top 75 that was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/there-were-major-snubs-from-nba-75-just-like-we-knew-there-would-be" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced at the beginning of the season</a>, and when I saw that list, I realized something incredible: I played with seven of those guys, and coached an eighth (LeBron James).
But winning at the highest level, for me, started in Miami. There, I had the honor of playing with Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal, Dwyane Wade and Gary Payton.&nbsp;
So I can&rsquo;t really think about the Top 75, the Top 50 or my own career without remembering where it all came together for me. And every one of my teammates there will have at least a story or two about Shaq.
What I remember most about Diesel was how motivated he was to win. Winning three championships in a row is borderline impossible, and there&rsquo;s a reason why nobody&rsquo;s been able to do it since Shaq and Kobe. Most people overlook the fact that the Lakers actually made it back to the Finals in 2004, but they lost to Detroit. Four Finals in five years? Incredible.
Anyway, whatever happened in L.A. happened, but what we all knew was that Shaq saw something special in D-Wade, and wanted to team up with him.
The front office in Miami did what it had to do and traded for Shaq, but the Heat sacrificed their depth to do so, and they ended up falling short in their first year. They couldn&rsquo;t get past Detroit; they lost to them in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2005.
That summer, Pat Riley and the front office down there got real busy. They brought in a bunch of new pieces, including myself, Gary Payton, Antoine Walker and Jason &ldquo;White Chocolate&rdquo; Williams.
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At this point, we all knew that D-Wade had a chance to be a really good player, but Shaq and GP were already legends. There were lessons every single day, but I think the biggest one I took from Shaq was what it meant to be on a mission.
Regardless of what anyone wanted to say about him, Shaq was always a winner, and he was so motivated to prove to everyone that he was capable of winning without the late, great Kobe Bryant. At that time, he was the only player on our squad who already won a championship, so when he spoke, we listened. He wasn&rsquo;t only our leader, he was like everyone&rsquo;s big brother. You looked up to him and didn&rsquo;t want to disappoint him.
Along with Pat Riley (who <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/basketball-news-james-posey-as-long-as-pat-riley-is-in-the-picture-the-miami-heat-have-a-shot-nba-championship" target="_blank" rel="noopener">eventually became our coach</a>), we had two great leaders who not only encouraged us to be great or expected us to be great. They demanded that we be great, and they both led by great example.
From the mindset to the preparation, the two of them gave us great confidence to go out there and get the job done, even though we faced some trials and tribulations.
To put it simply, Shaq was our team&rsquo;s leader, and we all trusted him to show us the path because we knew that he&rsquo;d gotten to where we were trying to go. Even in our team&rsquo;s greatest moment of desperation &mdash; when we were down 0-2 to Dallas in the 2006 Finals &mdash; he preached accountability, but more importantly, he encouraged us to stick with the game plan and made us all confident that we would come out on the right side of history. And we eventually did.
Today, he often talks about guy panicking and being confident, and I can tell you: Diesel never lost his cool.
But yeah, Shaq... he was on a mission in Miami. In each our own way, we all were, I guess. But his motivation was different, and it impacted our team in a positive way.
I only spent two years as his teammate in Miami, but Shaq showed me what being a champion looked like. I carried that with me to Boston and for the rest of my career.
Now, one thing about most NBA locker rooms is that cliques form. That&rsquo;s not to say that there&rsquo;s any division within the team or anything like that, it&rsquo;s just natural that guys who have things in common might end up spending more time together than others. Some guys are really into fashion, some are into video games, some guys end up getting close because they have kids that are the same age, whatever.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/2006-nba-champions-miami-heat_1xmxx9x7enf2b10ltxnugv0a83_lg.png" alt="" width="650" height="325" />
In Miami, Udonis Haslem, Antoine Walker and GP were the guys I got close with, and playing with GP was awesome as hell.&nbsp;
At that point in my career, I was mostly regarded as a &ldquo;3-and-D&rdquo; guy, and even though he was at the tail-end of his career, GP had so much knowledge and wisdom that he shared with me.
From the start, GP knew that I wasn&rsquo;t afraid to play defense and that I wanted to guard the guy in front of me. And you know he was known for the gift of gab. I still remember GP teasing me in our very first conversation as teammates.
&ldquo;Here go this long-sock-wearing, harassing, defensive ass dude,&rdquo; he said. 
&ldquo;I like you, because you be all up in a dude face.&rdquo;
Obviously, for GP, being &ldquo;all up in a dude face&rdquo; was a compliment, and I was honestly flattered because I was surprised he even knew that I wore long socks, felt that way about me or knew me like that!
From that first convo, the rest was history. Most of the time we were on the court, we worked hand-and-hand. As a tandem, we were usually trying to stop the other team&rsquo;s perimeter players, and we spent so much time together off the court that working together on the court was actually pretty easy. Riles coached us, of course, but once we were done with practice, GP was always in my ears giving me little nuggets of info. And of course, talking smack.
The truth is I understood why they called him &ldquo;The Glove.&rdquo; He had instincts, know-how and the ability to read and defend actions. Best of all, he had the will and want to pass along his knowledge to a younger player because he saw something in me and trusted me. I think the best lesson I learned from working with him is what it really meant to have faith and trust in another person on the court. And also, what it means to actually make your teammates better and smarter.
In a way, a lot of us on the 2006 Miami team felt like it was GP&rsquo;s last good shot to win a championship. He got to the Finals twice, once in Seattle and &mdash; a lot of people forgot &mdash; he was with Shaq and Kobe on the 2004 Lakers team that lost in the Finals. So he was 0-2, and we wanted to change that.
Together, we did.
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And what can I say about D-Wade?
I think we all remember his first playoff run in Miami and how he was able to put the team on his back in some big moments as a rookie. Shaq saw it, which is the main reason he wanted to go to Miami in the first place. And by the time I got there, they&rsquo;d already gotten to the Eastern Conference Finals. So even though D-Wade was only entering his third year by the time I got to Miami, I knew I had to give him his respect.
He ended up earning it from me, anyway, though.
If there&rsquo;s one word that comes to mind for me when describing him, it would be &ldquo;competitor.&rdquo; I honestly felt like everything he did on the court, he did with such pride. He wanted to be great and it was just inspiring to witness. Despite having all that talent, his work ethic was even crazier. He was literally the first to get to the gym and the last to leave.
D-Wade was actually in the TNT studio when they announced that he made the NBA 75. He said it felt &ldquo;surreal&rdquo; for him to make the cut. He mentioned that he only got three scholarship offers coming out of high school, and thanked Shaq (who was sitting five feet to his right) for coming to Miami and telling him that he had the potential to be great. He thanked the other greats that he had around him and said he made the cut because he was surrounded by greatness.
I can relate to that feeling.
But D-Wade also made the cut because he dedicated every minute of every day to maximizing his ability and striving to become great. It was no accident.
As I advance in my coaching career and even teach my children about perseverance, D-Wade is someone who will always be top of mind, because it&rsquo;s not easy for a 6-foot-4 guard to end up becoming one of the Top 75 players of all-time.
Like GP and Shaq, we can all learn something valuable from D-Wade. I know I certainly have.
As I looked back on my career, I remember the night I was drafted, and even before then, I remember the Top 50 players standing together at the 1997 All-Star Game.
And now, I can proudly say I can look back on my time in Miami and know that I played with three of the greatest ever.
I&rsquo;m better for it.

James Posey recalls when he won an NBA championship with Shaquille O'Neal, Dwyane Wade and Gary Payton on the Heat.

Thanks to 3 legends, in Miami, I learned how to become a winner

The <a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/steph-currys-workout-is-even-crazier-than-we-thought/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-stringify-link="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/giannis-antetokounmpo-shares-why-he-doesnt-associate-or-practice-with-other-nba-players-in-the-offseason/" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">following article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="http://basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="http://BasketballNetwork.net" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">BasketballNetwork.net</a>:
A few days ago, Brandon Payne blew our minds when he said Stephen Curry only counted swishes as made shots this offseason. He's such a great shooter that just making a shot isn&rsquo;t enough for him. Payne, founder and CEO of Accelerate Basketball, revealed what Curry's standards are in the gym.
Chasing Perfection
Payne has been working with Steph since 2011. He&rsquo;s been with Curry through thick and thin, and is responsible for creating the offseason routines that helped Steph turn from an exciting shooter with bad ankles to a unanimous MVP to arguably the greatest shooter of all time.
It&rsquo;s a good problem to have &ndash; coming up with new ways to challenge Steph Curry in practice. Payne has tested and applied a lot of technology to help Steph evolve; we&rsquo;re talking about neuroscience here. One of the ways they used technology to raise the stakes was by monitoring the ball&rsquo;s movement, the ball&rsquo;s arc and how deep the ball went into the rim. If it wasn&rsquo;t a swish, the shot wouldn&rsquo;t count.
&ldquo;Making shots in workouts is no longer good enough," Payne <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/after-offseason-focused-on-perfection-stephen-curry-could-be-even-more-unstoppable" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said via Mark Medina of NBA.com</a>. "We&rsquo;ve established he&rsquo;s going to make a lot of shots in workouts. He consistently does that. So for us, we&rsquo;ve utilized technology to be even more precise.&rdquo;
This was applied to both catch-and-shoot and movement shots. The idea is simple &ndash; raise the stakes as much as possible to create game-like pressure. As Steph <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/after-offseason-focused-on-perfection-stephen-curry-could-be-even-more-unstoppable" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explained it</a>: &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t want to be out there all day feeling dog tired because you can&rsquo;t beat the drill.&ldquo;
Editor's Note: Steph Curry joined BasketballNews.com's "The Rex Chapman Show with Josh Hopkins" to discuss his incredible stretch last season and more. Watch the full episode below or <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-rex-chapman-show/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-8-episode-7-stephen-curry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a> to listen.
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Swishes Don&rsquo;t Count
So what happens when Steph swishes 10 shots in a row? Payne makes him change range and position on every shot, so Steph&rsquo;s brain constantly has to calculate the distance and angle &ndash; no muscle memory during workouts is tolerated. For a player at his level, this is all about creating mental strength and endurance.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re changing the rhythm, we&rsquo;re changing the distance and we&rsquo;re changing things dynamically," Payne <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/after-offseason-focused-on-perfection-stephen-curry-could-be-even-more-unstoppable" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
But what about when even that isn&rsquo;t enough? Well, make the standards even higher. With technology, Payne can measure Steph&rsquo;s shots to such an extent he introduced a new insane level of excellence &ndash; not all swishes are created equal.
"Some people got a bit confused with &lsquo;Oh we&rsquo;ve been doing swishes.&lsquo; No, no, no. You can still swish and be four inches of center. We don&rsquo;t count that. You gotta be within three inches of center on either side," Payne <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brandon-payne-of-accelerate-basketball/id1443174829?i=1000540073186" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently said on The Habershow</a>.
That&rsquo;s how you get to a point where you launch a shot from the logo and everyone expects you to make it. The best part is: Steph is still improving.
While the unanimous MVP season was obviously insane, Payne said Curry has never been a more complete player. His body type and style of play will ensure Curry ages like fine wine, and we&rsquo;re lucky to watch it live.
Enjoy every moment, folks.
Check out more articles from BasketballNetwork.net <a href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Brandon Payne, founder and CEO of Accelerate Basketball, revealed what Stephen Curry's lofty expectations are like in the gym.

Steph Curry's trainer explains his incredible shot-making standards

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the NBA as a league. As such, the NBA has, over the course of the week, revealed a list of its 75 &mdash; really 76 due to a tie in voting (???) &mdash; greatest players of all time.
These legends represent every era of the league. You'll see names your parents might not have been alive for. Paul Arizin, for example, averaged 23-9-2 and made the All-Star team in each of his 10 seasons spanning from 1951 to 1962. He missed two full seasons &mdash; 1952-53 and 1953-54 &mdash; due to his service in the US Military.
The next decade or so gave us more familiar legends: Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, to name just a few.&nbsp;
On and on, more names pop up. Walt "Clyde" Frazier and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the artist formerly known as Lew Alcindor in the 1970s &mdash; though Kareem spanned a couple of decades. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in the 1980s. Michael Jordan in the 1990s. Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal and others represent the 2000s.&nbsp;
There are current players, too. LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry represent the older new school, if you will. Newcomers, headlined by Giannis Antetokounmpo, have earned their legendary stripes.
76 names, all representing different parts of the league's rich history. 76 names with varying levels of impact, ranging from consistent All-Stars to the pantheon guys like MJ, Kareem, LeBron and others.&nbsp;
Somehow, 76 names made a list of 75, and Dwight freakin' Howard still wasn't one of them.
I do not want to outright disrespect anyone that made the list. I certainly don't want to undersell <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/there-were-major-snubs-from-nba-75-just-like-we-knew-there-would-be" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how difficult it must've been for a voting panel</a> to wittle down thousands of NBA players &mdash; nearly 200 Hall-of-Famers &mdash; to a list of 75. Well, 76. Whatever.
But how in the name of God do you come up with 76 names &mdash; 11 of which are still in the league &mdash; and not have Howard?
It can't be a numbers case. Howard has career averages of 16.2 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks over his 18-year career. He holds these averages despite not being a full-time starter in four years. If you look at his starter stretch (14 seasons), those numbers rise to 17.4 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks.&nbsp;
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You don't even have to make an argument for Howard to replace someone from the 1950s. His numbers are better than Robert Parish's (16 &amp; 10 from 1977-1994), and that's a lot more modern.
To be clear, Parish should absolutely be on the list as well; his blend of productivity and longevity &mdash; and his role scalability depending on what the Boston Celtics needed from him, across multiple title teams &mdash; is why he's a worthy Hall-of-Famer. I'm just saying the production is there for both.
It certainly can't be an accolades case. Howard's resume reads:
<ul>
<li>8x All-Star</li>
<li>8x All-NBA (5x 1st, 1x 2nd, 2x 3rd)</li>
<li>5x All-Defense (4x 1st, 1x 2nd)</li>
<li>3x Defensive Player of the Year</li>
<li>1x Olympic Gold Medal (2008)</li>
<li>1x NBA Champion (2020)</li>
</ul>
You're telling me that doesn't get him in the top 75? Heck, for comparison, here's the resume of Anthony Davis &mdash; one of the 11 current players to make the list:
<ul>
<li>8x All-Star</li>
<li>4x All-NBA (4x 1st)</li>
<li>4x All-Defense (2x 1st, 2x 2nd)</li>
<li>1x Olympic Gold Medal (2012)</li>
<li>1x NBA Champion (2020)</li>
</ul>
I love The Brow. He's definitely one of the 75 most talented players to lace them up. If we're projecting forward, he's going to easily have one of the heftiest resumes among big men in NBA history. That said, he has not accomplished more than Howard has at this stage, and it's wild to me that AD got the nod over him.
The individual numbers are one thing. The individual accomplishments are another thing. Are we also forgetting that Howard&nbsp;led a team to the NBA Finals&nbsp;during his peak? Compare that to Brow, who won a singular playoff round as the best player on a team (New Orleans Pelicans before being traded to the Lakers.)
That's not to say he was a failure in New Orleans or anything of the sort. He was freaking phenomenal in the postseason once he finally made it there. But, like... Howard averaged 20 points and 15 rebounds to go with nearly three blocks per contest during a Finals run &mdash; including a 26/13 stretch against the LeBron-led Cavaliers before that to advance to the 2008-09 Finals.
Aside from Howard, there are 33 players to make at least eight All-NBA teams. Every single one of them made the list. This is when I point out that there are a few players that may be near and dear to your heart &mdash; hi Patrick Ewing (7), Steve Nash (7), Paul Pierce (4) and Reggie Miller (3) &mdash; that made the list with fewer.&nbsp;
Among those four examples &mdash; because there are more, buddy &mdash; Ewing is the only one that affected both ends of the floor like peak Howard did.&nbsp;
Howard was, for nearly a decade, the league's most dangerous lob threat and interior defender at the same time. For all the cracks about his limited post game, he had a four-year stretch (2008-2011) where he ranked in the 63rd, 64th, 64th and 71st percentile as a post scorer via Synergy.
I just... come on, y'all. If Howard is annoying or childish to you, who am I to disagree with that? If his exit from Orlando (or Washington, or Atlanta, or Charlotte) rubbed you the wrong way, I absolutely get that.
He can be annoying while also being one of the 60 or so greatest players to lace them up. The numbers back that up. The accolades back that up. His peak years &mdash; 19.8 points, 13.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 2.4 blocks from 2008-2014 &mdash; put him up there.
We have to stop disrespecting Dwight, the basketball player, at some point.&nbsp;

Nekias Duncan discusses Dwight Howard's absence from the NBA's top-75 list.

Put some respect on Dwight Howard's name

The NBA released the remaining 25 players of the league's 75th anniversary team Thursday night on TNT.
Here is the official release from the NBA, which lists all 75 players that made the team and the people that voted on the NBA's top 75 players of all-time team:
"A total of 158 NBA championships and 730 NBA All-Star selections. &nbsp;A combined 110 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Awards and Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Awards. &nbsp;More than 1.5 million points scored.
Those are just some of the collective accomplishments of the players who comprise the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, which was announced across TNT and ESPN from Oct. 19-21 as the league tipped off its landmark 75th Anniversary Season.
The NBA 75th Anniversary Team was selected by a blue-ribbon panel of current and former NBA players, coaches, general managers and team and league executives, WNBA legends and sportswriters and broadcasters. &nbsp;Voters were asked to select the 75 Greatest Players in NBA History without regard to position. &nbsp;Panelists did not rank their selections. &nbsp;Current and former players were not allowed to vote for themselves.
As a result of a tie in the voting, the 75th Anniversary Team features 76 players. &nbsp;Team highlights include:
&bull; Eleven active players have been named to the 75th Anniversary Team: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Carmelo Anthony, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, James Harden, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook.
&bull; All 50 members of the NBA 50th Anniversary Team, which was named in 1996, have been selected to the 75th Anniversary Team.
&bull; The 75th Anniversary Team includes four players who played in the first NBA All-Star Game in 1951 (Paul Arizin, Bob Cousy, George Mikan and Dolph Schayes), the first winner of the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award (Bob Pettit for the 1955-56 season) and the first winner of the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award (Jerry West for the 1969 NBA Finals).
&bull; Bill Russell joins Cousy, Mikan and Pettit as the only four players who have been named to all four NBA Anniversary Teams: the 25th Anniversary Team (10 players named), 35th Anniversary Team (11 players named), 50th Anniversary Team and 75th Anniversary Team. (The 25th Anniversary Team was the only one of the four teams that did not allow for the inclusion of active players at the time.)
&bull; Six international players from six countries and territories have been selected to the 75th Anniversary Team: Antetokounmpo (Greece), Tim Duncan (U.S. Virgin Islands), Patrick Ewing (Jamaica), Steve Nash (Canada), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) and Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria).
&bull; The five NBA legends who are serving as ambassadors for the 75th Anniversary Season are part of the 75th Anniversary Team: Clyde Drexler, Magic Johnson, Nowitzki, Pettit and Oscar Robertson. Representing different eras of the league&rsquo;s history, the ambassadors will make appearances throughout the 2021-22 season and have a significant presence at NBA All-Star 2022 in Cleveland.
The NBA 75th Anniversary Team is listed below in alphabetical order, followed by the list of voters. &nbsp;The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm Ernst &amp; Young LLP. &nbsp;For player profiles on each member of the 75th Anniversary Team, click here and visit NBA.com/75."
<table style="width: 95.7926%; height: 464px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 27px;">
<td style="text-align: center; width: 149.879%; height: 27px;" colspan="4" width="691">NBA 75TH ANNIVERSARY TEAM</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kareem Abdul-Jabbar</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Clyde Drexler</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Damian Lillard</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Scottie Pippen</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Ray Allen</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Tim Duncan</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Jerry Lucas</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Willis Reed</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Giannis Antetokounmpo</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kevin Durant</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Karl Malone</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Oscar Robertson</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Carmelo Anthony</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Julius Erving</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Moses Malone</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">David Robinson</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Nate Archibald</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Patrick Ewing</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Pete Maravich</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dennis Rodman</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Paul Arizin</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Walt Frazier</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bob McAdoo</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bill Russell</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Charles Barkley</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kevin Garnett</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kevin McHale</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dolph Schayes</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Rick Barry</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">George Gervin</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">George Mikan</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bill Sharman</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Elgin Baylor</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Hal Greer</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Reggie Miller</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">John Stockton</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dave Bing</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">James Harden</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Earl Monroe</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Isiah Thomas</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Larry Bird</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">John Havlicek</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Steve Nash</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Nate Thurmond</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kobe Bryant</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Elvin Hayes</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dirk Nowitzki</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Wes Unseld</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Wilt Chamberlain</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Allen Iverson</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Hakeem Olajuwon</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dwyane Wade</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bob Cousy</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">LeBron James</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bill Walton</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dave Cowens</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Magic Johnson</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Robert Parish</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Jerry West</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Billy Cunningham</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Sam Jones</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Chris Paul</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Russell Westbrook</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Stephen Curry</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Michael Jordan</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Gary Payton</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Lenny Wilkens</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Anthony Davis</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Jason Kidd</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bob Pettit</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dominique Wilkins</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dave DeBusschere</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kawhi Leonard</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Paul Pierce</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">James Worthy</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;
<table style="width: 97.1703%; height: 798px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 170.677%;" colspan="4" width="719">NBA 75TH ANNIVERSARY TEAM VOTING PANEL</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Kareem Abdul-Jabbar</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Tim Duncan</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Jack McCallum</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">David Robinson</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Marv Albert</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">David DuPree</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Brian McIntyre</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Bill Russell</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">David Aldridge</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Wayne Embry</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Ann Meyers</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Bob Ryan</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Sam Amick</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Julius Erving</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Yoko Miyaji</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Bill Simmons</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Giannis Antetokounmpo</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Patrick Ewing</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Earl Monroe</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Sam Smith</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Steve Aschburner</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Walt Frazier</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Steve Nash</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Stephen A. Smith</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Charles Barkley</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">George Gervin</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Rachel Nichols</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Marc Spears</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Rick Barry</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Russ Granik</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Dirk Nowitzki</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Erik Spoelstra</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Howard Beck</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Becky Hammon</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">John Stockton</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Dave Bing</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Elvin Hayes</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Robert Parish</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Hannah Storm</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Sue Bird</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Ernie Johnson</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Candace Parker</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Sheryl Swoopes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Carol Blazejowski</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Magic Johnson</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Chris Paul</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Isiah Thomas</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Mike Breen</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Sam Jones</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Bob Pettit</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Rod Thorn</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Doris Burke</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Michael Jordan</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Scottie Pippen</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Rudy Tomjanovich</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Jerry Colangelo</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Steve Kerr</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Gregg Popovich</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Peter Vecsey</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Doug Collins</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Bob Lanier</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Shaun Powell</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Bill Walton</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Cynthia Cooper</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Kara Lawson</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Ahmad Rashad</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Rick Welts</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Bob Costas</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Lisa Leslie</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Willis Reed</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Jerry West</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Dave Cowens</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Nancy Lieberman</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Tim Reynolds</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Michael Wilbon</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Billy Cunningham</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Zach Lowe</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Bill Rhoden</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Lenny Wilkens</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Stephen Curry</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Jerry Lucas</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Pat Riley</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">James Worthy</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Clyde Drexler</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Jackie MacMullan</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Oscar Robertson</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Jeff Zillgitt</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Some notable snubs include Tracy McGrady, Bernard King, Alex English, Vince Carter, Tony Parker, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Bob McAdoo, and Pau Gasol to just name a few. This list was part of the NBA's marketing campaign for the league's historic 75th season and will surely spark a conversation/debate amongst NBA fans all over the world.

The NBA released the final 25 players of the 75th anniversary team Thursday on TNT.

Final 25 members of NBA's 75th Anniversary Team announced

Free agent F Carmelo Anthony has agreed to a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, his manager Bay Frazier tells ESPN.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1422635136361902082" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
Free agent G Malik Monk has agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, source tells ESPN.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1422635338082701319" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Anthony longtime friend and fellow 2003 draft class member LeBron James. At age-37, Anthony had re-established himself as a scoring spark with te Portland Trail Blazers. He averaged 13.4 points per game while shooting 40.9% from beyond the arc last season.
Monk has struggled to find his footing after being selected sixth overall in the 2017 draft by the Charlotte Hornets. But the 23-year-old improved last year as a scorer, averaging a career-high 11.4 points per game and making 40.1% of his triples.

Anthony joins longtime friend and fellow 2003 draft class member LeBron James.

Lakers agree to free-agent deals with Carmelo Anthony, Malik Monk

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George combined to carry Los Angeles on the road again, and the Clippers are back in control of their first-round series with Dallas.
Leonard had 29 points and 10 rebounds, George scored 20 points and the Clippers manhandled the Mavericks in front of another big Dallas crowd, winning 106-81 in Game 4 on Sunday night to keep the road team perfect in a Western Conference series now tied 2-2.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Kawhi has another HUGE night, tallying 54+ FPTS for the 4th straight game to start his <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAPlayoffs</a> 💪 29 PTS | 10 REB | 2 BLK | 2 STL | 54.5 FPTS<a href="https://twitter.com/LAClippers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LAClippers</a> level the series at 2-2. <a href="https://t.co/Y1FnTnkAZo">pic.twitter.com/Y1FnTnkAZo</a>
&mdash; NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAFantasy/status/1399216074621607940?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Reggie Jackson added 15 points, and the Clippers are headed home for Game 5 on Wednesday night much more sure of themselves than when they left LA in a two-game hole.
Luka Doncic started slowly after being listed as questionable because of cervical strain, the diagnosis for the Dallas sensation after he said following Game 3 that he felt pain in his neck and down his left arm.
Playing with medical strips on his left shoulder, and wearing a large pad in that area when he wasn't playing, Doncic scored 19 points after averaging 38 in the first three games. He was 9 of 24 with series lows in rebounds and assists with six apiece.
The Mavericks came home filled with hope of ending a 10-year run without a playoff series victory since the franchise won its first championship, knowing the number of fans was about to more than triple with loosened COVID-19 restrictions.
Instead, a pair of crowds exceeding 17,000 didn't get much after a huge jolt of energy in Game 3 carried the Mavericks to a 19-point lead in the first quarter before Leonard and George took over.
The LA superstars didn't give fans much of a chance to get into Game 4, beyond an early game of cat-and-mouse between the coaches over the size of the lineups.
After a smaller lineup turned Game 3 in LA's favor, coach Tyronn Lue chose that approach from the beginning, inserting 6-foot-9 Nicolas Batum as the tallest starter instead of 7-footer Ivica Zubac.
Marcus Morris didn't even jump against Porzingis on the opening tip, and the 7-3 Latvian scored the first two Dallas baskets on post-up jumpers. Porzingis finished with 18 points.
With Zubac still sitting midway through the first quarter, Dallas coach Rick Carlisle replaced Porzingis with the 7-4 Boban Marjanovic, a fan favorite who hadn't even played in the series before that.
The big Serbian got a huge ovation and the crowd went even crazier when he had the next two Dallas baskets. Zubac's first appearance came shortly thereafter.
Neither of those answers lasted long, and the Mavericks never found solutions for Leonard and George.
Leonard, who is averaging 33 points in the series, got to the rim when he wanted to and was efficient from 3-point range, making two of three. He was 11 of 15, and made 24 of 32 in the two games in Dallas.
George did his damage in the first half of both games in Dallas, the first helping LA recover from the hot Dallas start. This time, he had 18 points before the break to help the Clippers take control.
The LA defense was much closer to what Lue has said he wanted. After entering the game shooting 51% from 3-point range in the series, the Mavericks were just 5 of 30 (17%).
The dismal shooting night &mdash; 35% overall &mdash; was punctuated by an air-ball 3 from Josh Richardson in the third quarter that left Dallas at 3 of 20 beyond the arc. Maxi Kleber had another one in the fourth.
Even more puzzling was another rough night on free throws for Doncic, who has a knack for getting there with his unique abilities to pass and create at the rim. He missed all five freebies, putting him at 13 of 32 for the series.
Behind 35 first-half points combined from Leonard and George, the Clippers built a 61-45 lead. Then LA scored the first eight points of the second half to get the lead beyond 20 for the first time and didn't look back.
TIP-INS
Clippers: Despite not starting, Zubac still managed to foul out with 8:15 remaining in the game. He had five points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes, which was seven more than he played when Lue went small in Game 3. ... Batum scored 10 points.
Mavericks: Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dorian Finney-Smith were two key secondary scorers for Dallas in the two wins in LA. They were a combined 4 of 17 from the field. ... Marjanovich scored 12 points.
___
More AP NBA: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/NBA">https://apnews.com/hub/NBA</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

Leonard had 29 points, George scored 20 points and the Clippers manhandled the Mavs in front of a big Dallas crowd, winning 106-81.

Kawhi Leonard, Paul George carry Clippers past Mavs again to even series

Much has been made about the New York Knicks&rsquo; lack of success over the past two decades. The Knicks have won just one playoff series this century. They've also had only one player garner consideration for the Most Valuable Player award &mdash; Carmelo Anthony, during the 2012-13 campaign when New York advanced to the Eastern Conference semis.&nbsp;
Knicks fans are hoping that both those ignominious facts change this spring.&nbsp;
To that end, Julius Randle has done his part, and then some. But to this point, he hasn't received much mention of being among the league&rsquo;s most valuable players.&nbsp;
Here&rsquo;s why his name belongs in the conversation...
Back in December, <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2021-nba-predictions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">multiple</a> <a href="https://www.espn.com/basketball/story/_/id/30427736/2020-21-nba-preview-wins-standings-projected-all-30-nba-teams" target="_blank" rel="noopener">outlets</a> <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/nba-predictions-2020-21-standings-playoff-projections-picks/xh1qswkji7pm1dnc5qk4a55sz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">projected</a> New York to finish with one of the league's worst records. Las Vegas set the Knicks over/under win total at 22. Well, with fewer than a dozen contests remaining in the 2020-21 season, the Knicks have already racked up 34 victories and find themselves in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings, meaning this once woebegone franchise would host Game 1 of an opening-round playoffs series if the postseason began today.&nbsp;
And the biggest reason, by far, for New York's shocking success has been the awe-inspiring play of its All-Star power forward.
Randle ranks inside the top-15 in the NBA this season in scoring, rebounding and dishing, averaging a whopping 24.0 points, 10.5 boards, 6.0 assists and 2.2 made three-pointers, while posting a True Shooting percentage of 57.3%. With less than a month left in the regular season, he is on pace to become just the second player in NBA history to average at least 20/10/6 and two made threes per game (joining Russell Westbrook, who matched those numbers during his otherworldly 2016-17 MVP campaign).&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
<a href="https://stathead.com/basketball/psl_finder.cgi?request=1&amp;match=single&amp;order_by_asc=0&amp;order_by=ws&amp;type=totals&amp;per_minute_base=36&amp;per_poss_base=100&amp;is_playoffs=N&amp;ccomp%5B2%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B2%5D=5&amp;cstat%5B2%5D=ast_per_g&amp;ccomp%5B3%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B3%5D=.40&amp;cstat%5B3%5D=fg3_pct&amp;ccomp%5B4%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B4%5D=10&amp;cstat%5B4%5D=trb_per_g&amp;lg_id=NBA&amp;birth_country_is=Y&amp;age_min=0&amp;age_max=99&amp;height_min=0&amp;height_max=99&amp;season_start=1&amp;season_end=-1&amp;college_id=0&amp;as_comp=gt&amp;as_val=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to Basketball-Reference</a>, Randle is also on track to become the second player ever to average more than 10 rebounds and more than five assists while shooting over 40% from behind the three-point arc and over 80% from the charity stripe. The only other player currently in the exclusive club is Larry Bird (who notched those numbers in 1984-85, winning the MVP award in the process).&nbsp;
To put Randle's superlative statistics in context to his contemporaries this season, consider this:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Randle has scored more points than Kawhi Leonard and Devin Booker in 2020-21.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Randle has grabbed more rebounds than Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Randle has handed out more assists than Stephen Curry and Ben Simmons.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Randle has made more three-pointers than Trae Young and Bradley Beal.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Randle is shooting a higher percentage from three than Damian Lillard and Kyrie Irving.</li>
<li aria-level="1">For the analytics crowd, Randle has a higher VORP than Chris Paul and Rudy Gobert.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
The <a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/valuable" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cambridge Dictionary defines</a> the word "valuable" as "very helpful or important." Those adjectives most certainly apply to Randle, whose contributions have been indispensable to the Knicks.&nbsp;
He leads New York in total points, boards, dimes, steals, made three-pointers and made free throws. Randle is the only player in the NBA this season that is his team's outright leader in each of those statistical categories.
Earlier this month, in a victory against the Dallas Mavericks, Randle racked up 44 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. After the game, head coach Tom Thibodeau <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31273427/new-york-knicks-win-fifth-straight-longest-streak-seven-years" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told reporters</a> that Randle's "aggressiveness set the tone," adding, "I've said it many times: He's our engine. He makes us go."
In last Wednesday's win over the Atlanta Hawks, Randle became just the fourth player in NBA history (joining James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Westbrook) to tally 40+ points and more than 10 rebounds, 10 made free throws, 5 assists and 5 made triples in a single game. Coming into this season, no Knickerbocker, in the 70-year history of the franchise, had ever recorded a 40/10/5/5 game. Randle's done it twice in the past two weeks.&nbsp;
Legendary football coach Bill Parcells is <a href="https://excellentsuccessdotorg.wordpress.com/2013/12/23/the-most-important-ability-is-availability/#:~:text=One%20of%20his%20famous%20sayings,the%20field%20playing%20the%20game." target="_blank" rel="noopener">credited</a> with coining the phrase "availability is the best ability," and that's another area where Randle has outpaced his peers (thanks in large part to Coach Thibs' fearlessness when it comes to leaning heavily on his key cogs). Randle has missed just one contest this season and leads the NBA in minutes played, just ahead of Nikola Jokic (RJ Barrett ranks third).
When determining a potential candidate's MVP credentials, team success is also undeniably part of the equation. As noted above, the Knicks have certainly exceeded expectations.
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The Knicks have won 9 in a row. Julius Randle in that span: 31p | 10r | 1a | 5 3pt 40p | 11r | 6a | 6 3pt 16p | 10r | 7a | 1 3pt 33p | 5r | 10a | 2 3pt 44p | 10r | 7a | 6 3pt 32p | 8r | 5a | 5 3pt 34p | 10r | 4a | 2 3pt 26p | 8r | 5a | 1 3pt 15p | 10r | 11a | 1 3pt <a href="https://t.co/NHEUil7LBd">pic.twitter.com/NHEUil7LBd</a>
&mdash; StatMuse (@statmuse) <a href="https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1386043891288199169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2021</a></blockquote>

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New York enters play on April 26 with a nine-game winning streak. The Utah Jazz, owners of the NBA's best record, are the only other team in the league to record a winning streak longer than eight games in 2020-21. <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/advanced/?sort=W&amp;dir=-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to NBA.com</a>, the Knicks are the only team in the NBA to rank in the top five in both Defensive Rating (107.2) and Offensive Rating (116.5) in April. New York leads the league in <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/advanced/?sort=W&amp;dir=-1">net rating</a> this month, having outscored their opponents by 119 points in the 13 games they have played.
Most pundits believe Jokic is a lock to win this season's Most Valuable Player Award, and rightfully so. Embiid, Curry and Luka Doncic, in some order, will likely round out the top four. It is very likely that one of those deserving four will end up winning the award.&nbsp;
Still, it can easily be argued that Randle deserves to land somewhere in the top 10, and if the Knicks can hold onto the fourth seed, he could rise as high as fifth.&nbsp;
Surprisingly, in NBA.com&rsquo;s most recent <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/kia-mvp-ladder-april-23-edition" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MVP ranking</a>, published late last week, senior writer Michael C. Wright did not have Randle listed among his top 15 players worthy of MVP consideration. When comparing Randle&rsquo;s statistical profile to certain players who are more frequently mentioned as MVP candidates, there appears to be some disconnect.&nbsp;
(For what it&rsquo;s worth, only five players in Knicks franchise history have ever finished in the top five in MVP voting: Willis Reed, Walt "Clyde" Fraizer, Bernard King, Patrick Ewing and Carmelo Anthony.)
Aside from having a chance to join that illustrious group, Randle also has a legitimate shot at becoming the first Knick to win Most Improved Player.
Over his first five seasons in the NBA (311 games), Randle made a grand total of 104 three-pointers. Through New York's first 60 games this season, he's knocked down 132 trifectas. He had dished out double-digit assists in a single game six times in his career coming into this season. Randle has seven such games in 2020-21.&nbsp;
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🗣 M-V-P Julius Randle started receiving MVP chants from the home crowd in MSG 👏 <a href="https://t.co/KmlEK8h8hT">pic.twitter.com/KmlEK8h8hT</a>
&mdash; ESPN (@espn) <a href="https://twitter.com/espn/status/1386030093076627458?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2021</a></blockquote>

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"One of the best one-season turnarounds I have ever seen," Knicks announcer <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/ny-julius-randle-lupica-20210424-fikelmmpe5gfhdk4ukpkzrejj4-story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Breen said</a> of Randle's current campaign, noting how the powerful power forward "has improved in every facet of the game."
During a national TV broadcast in mid-April, <a href="https://twitter.com/TommyBeer/status/1383607382907883521?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jeff Van Gundy declared</a> Randle is "definitely the most improved player in the league," adding that he deserves MVP consideration too.&nbsp;
However, Randle has made it clear that he'll judge this season not by the number of points or boards he tallies, but rather the number of wins and losses his team compiles. In an <a href="https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/reputation-julius-randle-new-york-knicks-basketball-nba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">article he authored</a> for The Players Tribune in early March, Randle explained that his "main goal" was making sure the Knicks scale the standings. Randle wrote that taking a significant step forward in 2020-21 wasn't contingent upon posting impressive individual stats, but rather "about this entire Knicks team finding its best self."&nbsp;
Julius Randle is playing the best basketball of his life. Not coincidentally, the Knicks are on pace to finish a season with a winning percentage north of 55% for only the second time this century.&nbsp;
If you are wondering if New Yorkers are aware and appreciative of the importance of Randle's contributions&mdash;listen to the raucous "M-V-P" chants that rain down from the rafters every time he steps to the free-throw line inside Madison Square Garden.

Julius Randle isn't often mentioned among the NBA's candidates for Most Valuable Player. That should change, writes Tommy Beer.

What more does Julius Randle have to do to get MVP consideration?

The Grizzlies are signing guard Tim Frazier for the rest of the season, sources tell ESPN. He was completing a 10-day deal with Memphis.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1386047339551395842" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: This move comes after the completion of Frazier's second 10-day contract with the team. Although Frazier hasn't seen the court much as a member of the Grizzlies, his veteran leadership and presence has been invaluable to this young Memphis squad.&nbsp;

The Grizzlies are planning to sign guard Tim Frazier for the rest of the season, sources tell ESPN.