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Mavericks

This article is part of a two-part series preview for the upcoming 2023-2024 NBA Playoffs.
With the 2023-2024 NBA Playoffs starting, all eyes will be on all teams competing for the championship as fans and players look on for a taste of postseason action. As eight playoff teams in each conference gear up for what promises to be an intense battle for the title, each team faces its own set of unique challenges. In this article, we take a closer look at the biggest question facing each Western Conference team heading into the playoffs, from injuries and roster changes to key matchups and strategic decisions.
<h3>Oklahoma City Thunder - How far can their youth and inexperience take them in the playoffs?</h3>
The Thunder got away through the regular season with historic from MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous Alexander, an impressive rookie season by Chet Holmgren, a star sophomore leap by Jalen Williams, and a coaching masterclass in a genius coach Mark Daigneault.
However, the playoffs as we know it is a different beast &ndash; will Mark Daigneault be able to sustain the good coaching he has done with his team throughout this regular season?
How much of this youth and inexperience be a factor for them to advance deeper in the playoffs; will they be able to use it to their advantage? Or will it be a hindrance against other experienced teams when they face each other in these tight situations? Most of the time, these situations require patience and discipline &ndash; teams with playoff experience have shown over time and have done it time and time again on their way to a deep playoff run.
<h3>Denver Nuggets - Can they go back to back?</h3>
There&rsquo;s really no other question for a team like the Nuggets at the peak of their powers: Can they win back-to-back titles? There has not been a back-to-back champion in the NBA for the past 5 years, with the last one coming in 2017 and 2018 when the Warriors won it all.
Like Boston, it is a title or bust status with Denver as of now. They have been fairly healthy throughout the regular season, have a mostly intact roster that won it all last year, and have the best player in the world in Nikola Jokic in his absolute prime. Denver this year has again all the necessary pieces to win &ndash; the right amount of shooters, defensive guys, scoring in the paint &ndash; which are all the makings of a championship team.
A couple of questionable factors though would be how much of an impact the loss of Bruce Brown would have in these playoffs. Brown was arguably the 5th, or 4th best player in their championship run last year &ndash; maybe even the 3rd in some games. He was essential on offense and defense, guarding the opponent&rsquo;s best perimeter threats while providing off-ball scoring and cuts that fit perfectly with Jokic.
Second, they&rsquo;ll be facing championship-caliber teams with hunger and drive to defeat them, and all have been competitive with the Nuggets this season. The Lakers, although the Nuggets swept them last year in the Western Conference Finals, still have LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and they won&rsquo;t take that lightly &ndash; likely coming back with a vengeance.
The Suns have won the season series with the Nuggets 2-1 and they pose a threat to the Nuggets with their formula of having three elite shotmakers that can explode anytime &ndash; which the Nuggets may not cover all at the same time.&nbsp; The Wolves, who perhaps have the best lineup suited to defeat them, are lurking in the same bracket waiting to pounce on them at sight.&nbsp;
These are all challenges a defending champion must go through to achieve a rare feat because the playoffs are supposed to be hard.
<h3>Minnesota Timberwolves -&nbsp; Will they finally break through after years of heartbreak?</h3>
This has already been a win of a season for the Timberwolves, achieving their second most wins in franchise history (56) since 2004 when they won 58 wins and reached the conference finals.
However, this has not stopped them from wanting more, and the wolfpack is not satisfied nor contented with just this achievement &ndash; they want more.
Minnesota wanting to go win that first playoff series like a hungry pack of wolves has been evident since trading for 3-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. Although they fell short last season due to untimely injuries to key players, the Wolves ran it back and have proven their little experiment with two bigs in star Karl Anthony Towns and Gobert would work.&nbsp;
Led by their resurgent young superstar Anthony Edwards equipped with the best defense in the league, Minnesota certainly hopes this team would be the one &ndash; the one to end the longest playoff series win droughts in the league for quite some time now.
<h3>Los Angeles Clippers - Will they be able to meet the expectations this time around?</h3>
The Clippers trading for James Harden signaled one thing for the franchise: They are going all in with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and surrounding them with all the help they can get. They are far from a perfect team, but the Clippers want to have the best possible results this season before transferring to their new arena next year.
The Clippers have only appeared in the conference finals once in the Leonard-George era after being plagued by several injuries during their different playoff runs. Due to that, people haven&rsquo;t been able to see what the team is capable of when their two stars are fully healthy in a playoff run.
However, this year might just be their year. Their core of Harden, George, and Leonard have been mostly healthy all season long. The front office has also surrounded them with complementary pieces to help them win. LA now has usable bigs in Zubac, Plumlee, and Theis; they have Terrance Mann as their designated stopper; Norman Powell being the sixth man off the bench microwave scorer; a 3-and-D wing in Amir Coffe; and Russell Westbrook as the spark plug that gives them the boost and the energy off the bench.
After being just the &lsquo;second team in LA&rsquo; and &lsquo;that other team in LA&rsquo; for years, the Clippers aim to prove the doubters wrong and change the perception that surrounds the team as they pivot into a new era of Clippers basketball.&nbsp;
<h3>Dallas Mavericks - Will Luka finally fulfill the promise he has been showing so far in his career?</h3>
Throughout his young NBA career, Luka Doncic has had one of the best starts since LeBron James statistically. He has been in constant range of breaking or matching LeBron&rsquo;s records in points scored, triple-doubles, assists, and rebounds. However, this has not always translated into wins with Doncic just appearing in just one conference finals in the first six years of his career. But that might change this season.&nbsp;&nbsp;
This year, the Mavericks have put up arguably the best roster on paper that Luka has had in his career &ndash; arguably even better than the 2022 team that made the conference finals.
Alongside Doncic&rsquo;s MVP act is a true partner in crime in Kyrie Irving; shot-blocking and rim-rolling vertical threats in Daniel Gafford and Lively; rugged forwards that can shoot in PJ Washington, Dante Exum, Josh Green, and Derrick Jones; a microwave off-the-bench scorer in Tim Hardaway Jr; and veteran bigs that have been in Dallas for quite some time now and you can count on in always with Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell.
Can Luka finally overcome the Clippers? This season was one for the books with an MVP caliber and worthy year by averaging close to 34 points a game with 9 rebounds and 9 assists per game. Doncic has taken his game to another level in the regular season &ndash; this time, can he take his playoff game to another level as well?
All great young players have to go through someone as the stepping stone to reach newer heights &ndash; and Luka has lost to this Kawhi Leonard and Paul George-led Clippers team twice already in his career in the playoffs.
LeBron had to go through the Celtics, Jordan had to go through the Pistons. Could it be Luka&rsquo;s turn to get through this Clippers team that has tormented him for two playoff series?
<h3>Phoenix Suns - Will this new formula take them over the top?</h3>
The Suns have experienced substantial playoff success over the past three years by having a Finals appearance and reaching the conference semifinals twice. However, those groups fell short, with the feeling of something lacking or something missing that could take them over the top.
So lo and behold, Phoenix scrapped it and took a different approach this season &ndash; ditching the point guard spot and getting a rugged and physical big that could set screens and not demand the ball much on offense.
In its place came through as the Suns traded for Bradley Beal &ndash; going with a new formula by having three shot creators and shotmakers on the floor at the same time &ndash; pairing him with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. They also traded away former no.1 overall pick DeAndre Ayton for Jusuf Nurkic, a wide-bodied center whose job is to set screens, rebound, and get their three creators open in the lane or for jump shots.
They added an elite shooter in Grayson Allen to space the floor alongside those three, or sometimes Royce O&rsquo;Neale comes in for more defense against the opposing perimeter threats.
The Suns&rsquo; new approach and formula to the game make it incredibly hard to defend because you have to have three elite defenders to contain those three shot-creators, who can explode and get buckets at any point in the game. Although their defense is still suspect at times, the main point of this lineup is not to outscore &ndash; but to out-create teams and have a variety of options to dissect and defeat defenses.
If this new strategy works and could take the Suns to the promised land in these playoffs remains to be seen.
<h3>Los Angeles Lakers - Will they have enough this time around?</h3>
Despite a strong run to the Western Conference Finals as a 7th seed, the Lakers fell short last year vs the Nuggets after being swept 4-0. Throughout the season, the Nuggets&rsquo; dominance of the purple and gold continued, and now they have lost eight straight games against this Denver team.&nbsp;
However, there is optimism that the Lakers will turn it around and have a different result vs the Nuggets. Superstar LeBron James, even at 39 years old, looks to prove that he still has something left in the tank. Although they got outplayed and outcoached last in that series by the Nuggets, James can make those adjustments being the cerebral and high IQ player that he is.
James is perhaps one of the best if not the best tactically sound players of all time, so it would make sense &ndash; if they were to defeat Denver, he needs to be able to outsmart Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets this time around. Superstar tandem Anthony Davis will also be vital to the series having to defend the &lsquo;Joker&rsquo; and producing buckets himself.
The Lakers will also feature some new bench pieces this year that could be difference makers in the series Taurean Prince, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Gabe Vincent, all of whom could defend and hit those spot-up threes if needed.
Then there&rsquo;s a hungry D&rsquo;Angelo Russell who had a bad series vs Denver last year raring to bounce back along with an always-solid Austin Reaves to be the stabilizer.
<h3>Pelicans - How will they fare without Zion Williamson?</h3>
The New Orleans Pelicans start and end with their young star Zion Williamson. After going out with what is to be believed a left hamstring strain, everything now hinges on his health.&nbsp;
The Pelicans obviously need him no matter what and whether or not he&rsquo;s healthy for their first-round series vs the Thunder will likely be the answer if they win it or not.
We&rsquo;ve seen what Williamson is capable of doing, scoring 40 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in his first taste of postseason action in their play-in game vs the Lakers. The burly forward bullied the Lakers&rsquo; defense and he showed his once generational type of body and scoring prowess come together after finally being healthy for a full season in his five years in the NBA.
New Orleans has fallen short a lot of times in the playoffs, either failing to make it or to win a series, and it is clear that Zion is the difference that separates them from winning or losing a playoff series.

s eight playoff teams in each conference gear up for what promises to be an intense battle for the title, each team faces its own set of unique challenges.

2024 Western Conference Playoffs: Each team’s biggest question heading into the playoffs

With Thursday's heartbreaking 122-128 overtime loss against the Boston Celtics, the Detroit Pistons' losing streak reached&nbsp;28-consecutive games &mdash; tying the record for the longest losing spell in NBA history.
The Pistons are tied with the Philadelphia 76ers, who lost 28-straight games across two seasons (2014-15 to 2015-16). Detroit now holds the longest single-season losing streak of all-time.
The Pistons had their chances late in the game, even sending the game to overtime, but could not close out the Celtics. This was Boston's 22nd-straight win at home, where they are undefeated this season.
Cade Cunningham led another spirited effort for Detroit, putting up 31 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds, but he just could not will his team to victory. This comes after a herculean performance just two nights earlier against the Brooklyn Nets, when he had 41 points on 71% shooting.&nbsp;
Kristaps Porzingis helped the Celtics avoid disaster by tallying 35 points on 13-of-21 from the field and 8 boards, including a late dunk in transition to seal the game.&nbsp;
The Pistons will have another chance to put an end to this historic losing streak and try to evade NBA infamy when they face the Toronto Raptors at home on Saturday night.&nbsp;
Pelicans 112, Jazz 105
Zion Williamson had a near triple-double, while Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum each added 20-plus points as New Orleans snapped a two-game skid at the Smoothie King Center against Utah.&nbsp;
Williamson scored 21 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out 8 assists for the Pelicans as they improved to 18-14. Collin Sexton had 26 points, while Lauri Markkanen added 24 for the Jazz.
Pacers 120, Bulls 104
 The Indiana Pacers defeated the Chicago Bulls on the road, and Tyrese Haliburton became just the second NBA player since 1985 to register 20 points and 20 assists with zero turnovers in a game (joining Chris Paul, who did it in 2016).
Haliburton was backstopped by Myles Turner, who contributed 24 points. Bennedict Mathurin added 19 points off the bench.
Patrick Williams had 22 for a recently streaking Chicago Bulls squad, who had won nine of their last 13 games entering this contest.&nbsp;
Timberwolves 118, Mavericks 110
Anthony Edwards dropped a season-high 44 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves outlasted the Luka Doncic-less Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night. Edwards shot 12-of-23 from the field, with 6 threes and 14 free throws, keeping the Wolves atop the West at 23-7.
Tim Hardaway Jr. led the way for the Mavs with 32 points off the bench on the second night of a back-to-back after a frustrating loss last night to the Cleveland Cavaliers.&nbsp;

Detroit's losing streak reached 28-consecutive games on Thursday — tying the record for the longest losing spell in NBA history.

Pistons drop 28th straight, tying NBA record for longest losing streak

Last week, NBA legend Shawn Marion traveled to Abu Dhabi to support the 2023 NBA Abu Dhabi Games, which featured two preseason games between the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves as well as youth clinics and fan events.&nbsp;
Marion led a skill-development clinic for youth athletes from Dubai's NBA Basketball School &mdash; a year-round basketball program in the UAE for boys and girls ages 6-to-18. He also judged a dunk contest, met with fans and took part in other NBA events alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Ray Allen, Tim Hardaway Sr., Gary Payton, Sam Perkins, Kenny Smith, Ronny Turiaf and Salah Mejri.
Marion is an NBA champion, four-time NBA All-Star, two-time All-NBA selection and one of just five players in NBA history to record 17,000 points, 9,000 rebounds, 1,500 steals and 1,000 blocks (the other four are LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Karl Malone and Hakeem Olajuwon). The Phoenix Suns recently announced that they'll retire Marion's jersey this season.
While in Abu Dhabi, Marion joined me on <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1710458099448811578" target="_blank" rel="noopener">my new show "Running Up The Score"</a> to discuss his legendary career, the Suns' decision to retire his jersey, Mat Ishbia's impact since buying the franchise, the globalization of the NBA, how the game has evolved, whether he'll get back into podcasting and more.&nbsp;
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You&rsquo;re currently in Abu Dhabi for the Mavericks-Timberwolves preseason games and to host a basketball clinic with kids from the NBA Basketball School in Dubai. How is your trip going?&nbsp;
Shawn Marion:&nbsp;"Man, the trip is going amazing. This is a new culture for me; I've never experienced this, never been here. We're in a different part of the world right now and, I mean, I can tell you this: this is a place I'll definitely be coming back to. This is truly awesome. And, you know what, they're very passionate about [basketball]. I just had this meeting; I just came from an office visit and they had like 250 employees, but everybody spoke different languages! There were 16 languages being spoken! That tells you how diverse it is here, and they really pride themselves on that here. It's pretty amazing."
The globalization of the NBA has been a big priority for the league for some time. From when you were playing to now, do you see a big difference in terms of the NBA&rsquo;s worldwide popularity and international support?
Marion: "Yes. I think as you look at the lay of the land right now, the NBA and basketball is a global sport. But the way that the NBA has been able to grow it, they're taking it to other levels. They're starting NBA Academies and having clinics all around the world, and that just helps it grow even faster. Of course, TV and social-media content help as well, but the level it's growing at right now is unheard of."
The Phoenix Suns recently announced that they are retiring your jersey. Congratulations!
Marion: "Thank you!"
How did you find out that news and what was your reaction?
Marion: "I'm gonna be very honest and candid. Mat [Ishbia] called me as soon as he took ownership of the team and he was like, 'I'm not doing some of the shit that's been done [before]. I'm going to take care of you and reward you by retiring your jersey. I'm a man of my word, and that's what I'm going to do.' That's exactly what he said, and he did! Yep, it was that simple."
Ishbia is quickly winning over fans &mdash; he&rsquo;s spending money, making it easier to watch games, honoring past legends like yourself and so on. What do you think of Ishbia and the fresh start in Phoenix from an ownership perspective?
Marion: "I love it, man. I got a chance to see the practice facility; it's literally not too far from the place that I still have in Phoenix and I ain't been able to see [it before]. I ain't feel like... I feel like a weight was lifted off my shoulders to a certain degree. He's making the transition so easy. And he wants all the players who paved the way and set the foundation for the Suns organization and helped build that team into what the city loves and admires [to be involved]. He just wants everybody to be a part of it, man, and I love it. I think it's awesome. He's doing some amazing things out there."
The Suns have so much talent with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic. What do you think of this year's team and do you think they can win it all?
Marion: "Man, I think they got a chance just like anybody else, but, of course, their [championship hopes] are probably a little bit more realistic than some other teams. I just hope they stay healthy. When you stay healthy, you give yourself a chance. That's the thing. A lot of teams deal with injuries, and they've been hit with the injury bug a little bit as well. But they've got Frank Vogel as the head coach out there now and he's a defensive-minded guy. They just made another trade and got some other pieces to add to it &mdash; Grayson Allen and Jusuf Nurkic. I think that happened while I was out here; I was at a meeting when I got the alert and I was like, 'Wow! They ain't playing no games right now!' Listen, at the end of the day, he's trying to give himself and the organization the best chance to win. That's what you gotta do."
You obviously helped change the game and were ahead of your time. Overall, what are your thoughts on the modern NBA?
Marion: "Listen, it's run-and-gun, it's feast-or-famine right now. We set the foundation for what [the game] is now. There's so much positionless basketball being played, and it's dynamic. You're seeing the transition and evolution of what we started back in my Phoenix days during the Seven-Seconds-Or-Less era. That's what we started, and that's what it is right now. And I don't see the game going back to two traditional big men ever again."
Throughout the 2000s, not having a specific position was a death sentence for a player; nobody wanted to be labeled a "tweener." Then, seemingly overnight, the NBA became obsessed with "positionless" players and the tweeners were suddenly the most valuable players. That's one of my favorite examples of how the NBA is always evolving.
Marion: "Here's the thing: people can say [they're positionless], but it don't mean they are. You know, to be a two-way player in this league is very rare, but to be a positionless player is even more rare. You could be a guy who can go out there and guard 1 through 5, but to actually do it &mdash; willingly do it &mdash; is a big difference! A lot of guys probably could do it, but they don't do it, you know? Right now, teams are playing positionless basketball because everybody's switching everything. Most guys don't really post up anymore either. It's all face-up game and jumpers. So, it's easy to just jump into that narrative and bandwagon, but if you look at the game as a whole though, it's more of a guard-heavy game now than it was prior to when we made that transition. It's just been a shift. A lot of bigs now don't post up anymore; they're face-up players [too]. That's the evolution of the game."
A few years so, you and I did some of the NBA Watch Parties together on Clubhouse. I also love that <a href="https://twitter.com/MainTeamSports2/status/1506615984173592589" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video where you jumped on Twitter Spaces</a> and educated fans about your career; it was incredibly entertaining. You're obviously passionate about this game. Have you ever thought of doing a podcast?
Marion: "Well, Alex, it's funny you say that. I actually had a podcast with one of my guys in Dallas, so I was one of the first guys to ever do it. I just didn't do any promoting or all of that stuff, but it was something that we did in the Mavs organization kind of early on &mdash; like way before everybody started getting into podcasts. And it was great! But the thing about podcasts is unless you got a set thing, you gotta create content all the time, and I was so busy focusing on trying to be a father first. That was my lane. And then I dibbled and dabbled in TV a little bit and thought about doing some broadcasting work, but, like I said, my priorities shifted because I'm a hands-on father. So, I couldn't keep doing it in Dallas because that was the situation, but I have thought about reopening that window.
"I do have a different side of the game that I like to talk about. I know narratives get created easily by the media, and we consume them and we digest them. It becomes part of our thought process of that player, of that team or whatever it is. But I was talking about this with one of my friends. I was telling him: it's easy for a [former] player to say, 'I can do this or that.' But what kind of player were you though? Because it's hard for a point guard to tell how to guard a big, or for a big to tell how to guard a point guard. But when I say it, I actually guarded all of them! I did it all! And I didn't just do it for a quarter or half a quarter. I did it for full games! So, when I sit there and I tell people that, people are like, 'Man, you know, I never thought about it from that standpoint.' I was like, 'Yo, I actually did this.' You know what I'm saying? Like, it's easy for somebody to say, 'I can guard somebody,' or, 'Oh, I'm a two way player; I can guard this player.' I'm like, 'Can you do it for a full game though?' I'm the only person ever to do it for full games."
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I love to ask players about big &ldquo;what-ifs&rdquo; from NBA history. There was a report a while back that you were nearly traded to the Boston Celtics as part of a three-team deal that would have sent Kevin Garnett to Phoenix and picks to Minnesota. Is that true and, if so, can you tell that story?
Marion: "It is true. But Phoenix wasn't gonna do the deal. They didn't think it was viable because they would have to change their style of play instantly because we're two different type of players. So, they didn't want it. KG was in Minnesota at the time, and I would've went to Boston and he would've came here (to Phoenix). At the time, Boston was losing; I think they had a losing record at that time. I was like, 'Uhh...' But I mean, we have no control over that. Some of the rumors that come out about trades are actually true, but both sides have to agree to it. People throw out deals all the time, [teams talk] all the time, so there's plenty of hypotheticals out there.
"But you wanna hear an untold true story? I never really fully ever became a free agent except my last year playing when I signed with with Cleveland. When I signed with Dallas, it was a sign-and-trade, so I was still under contract basically with Toronto. It was a sign-and-trade deal, so I never really tested the free-agency market like that. So, what happened was I was about to be a free agent or get traded, and this was around that same time as those KG rumors. Kobe [Bryant] called me and said, 'If you're really gonna go out on the market and it's a possibility [that you're changing teams], I want you to come out to L.A.' So, we was texting and he was like, 'Yo!' It ain't happen because they didn't have the money to pay me, but that's a story that a lot of people don't know about."
I love those kind of stories and it's always interesting to think how those potential moves could have changed NBA history.
Marion: "Oh, there were a lot of situations out there like that where [trade talks] were open! It was pretty fun. When you look at the business of the NBA, man, the optimism and [hope] of what could possibily be is what makes it so fun and dynamic &mdash; een with the trade that just went down with Damian Lillard. It's funny, Paul Pierce actually predicted that. He called that in July. He said, 'If I'm Dame, I would try to get to Milwaukee.' It's funny that he said that and I could see it [from Lillard's perspective]. But do I think they're better? Ehh, they lost a lot for that trade, you know? [Jrue Holiday]. Grayson Allen was a great player for Milwaukee. He is a great pickup for Phoenix. He's a hell of a player, a great player, dude. Like, he does a lot of small stuff. He's a very tough guy. I like him. It's something about him that I like. I like the little Duke dudes with that little rough-and-rugged side! But he's one of those guys who can hit shots, he's gonna play defense and he competes. He's actually a lot better than people give him credit for. He ain't got a chance to really showcase his skills, but he can play. And if they use him the right way, he can help them."
For sure. Thanks for your time, I really appreciate it!&nbsp;
Marion: "Anytime, man. You know, we have great conversations and stuff. I might contemplate doing a podcast again. I gotta have the mobile equipment. We'll see; I don't know. I gotta have a great co-host. I like people who shoot [straight]. I told this to a reporter, so I'll give this to you. I told this guy who was recording me yesterday: when you are doing your interviews, do not ask the same questions and stuff that somebody else asks. Do not&nbsp;ask the same stuff."
I'm sure that gets really annoying.
Marion: "It's so annoying. It's okay to piggyback off of answers just to get some kind of content to create something in your own way. But don't ask the exact same questions. You sound you are a true fan. I know you are a true fan of the game. Like, you really love this. And so [you] ask the questions that you wanna know from someone in my position! Forget about the stuff that's already been out there already! Create your own. We all got a story to tell."
For sure.
Marion: "And the thing is, I love my former guys talking about ball and stuff, but some of them talk like they was way bigger and better than they were. Some of these guys were below-average role players, but they talk like they were superstars! I'm like, 'What did you... How good was you? What did you do?!' (laughs) I'm like, 'He was a role player!' He was a solid role player! And look, I became a role player. But you know...
Yeah, but that was because of your longevity. You had four All-Star years before that.
Marion: "Yeah, that's about longevity and understanding that you gotta sacrifice to win. That's the biggest thing, you know? And I could have easily averaged such and such, but I was like, 'You know what? They don't need me to do that. I don't have to do that. If we can win and I'm averaging 16, 17 points, I'm cool with that. We gonna win, so I'm good with that. Let's win.' That was about getting them Ws.
"But that's something to think about though. You asked some great questions. That's the lane to go into. Those are the things to ask &mdash; the hypotheticals or something you [researched]. Like, 'You know what, he was pretty good at this, how did you pick up on that?' or, 'What's something that you did differently than everybody else?' Those are different questions, not the same questions [we always hear]. We get repetitively asked the same questions time and time again. It's boring. It sucks. I'ma be honest: it sucks. I hate it. It&nbsp;sucks!"
I can't imagine how old that gets.
Marion: "One thing that everybody was constantly asking me about was my shot. Everybody seemed to want ask me about my shot. But listen, you know what's really messed up about that though? One media person said it, so it went rampant and every media person wanted me to replicate the answer, right? Whether I like it or not, or whether I enjoy it or not. I did so much on the floor, but you wanna focus on something that nobody talks about? Nobody in the league talks about that. Don't nobody in the league shoot the same! ... I [used to get] pissed off, but now I respond and it's fine. 'It don't matter, don't nobody shoot the same. Next!' But why would you wanna talk about my shot, but then you won't talk about how I just had 25-and-15!"
Or that you shot 39% from three-point range one year!
Marion: "You wanna discredit me and what I did just to talk about my shot? Got it. I totally understand. There's certain lanes and narratives that will be pushed. I totally get it. I'm an owner now, so I see exactly what lane [they're in]; it's all marketing strategies. I know how it works and I know who controls it. Being on this side of the business, I know how things work now. But it's all good though. And it's all love. Thank you."
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/MwvBnhrrzgs?si=2BRrY0Vaq8WWyAPe&amp;t=1676" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Watch the full conversation here</a>.
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Shawn Marion opens up about the Suns retiring his jersey, nearly getting traded to the Celtics, Mat Ishbia, the modern NBA and more.

Shawn Marion on Suns retiring his jersey, near-trade to Celtics, more

Throughout NBA history, rivalries have served as the lifeblood of the sport, igniting passions and captivating fans. These matchups have defined eras and showcased the very best the sport has to offer.
Today, let's delve into the greatest rivalries in NBA history.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics
This stands as the pinnacle of NBA rivalries. Spanning multiple decades, these two storied franchises have collided in the NBA Finals a remarkable 12 times, with the Celtics winning nine times and the Lakers winning just three. From Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird to Kobe Bryant vs. Paul Pierce, the Lakers-Celtics clashes have captivated fans worldwide across various eras.
Chicago Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons
The 1990s witnessed a fierce rivalry between the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons. The Bulls, led by Michael Jordan, sought to dethrone the physical and rugged Pistons, who were known for their "Bad Boy" image. The intense battles between these teams showcased the contrasting styles of finesse and brute force and introduced the "Jordan Rules" strategy to the world, making their matchups some of the most memorable in NBA history.
New York Knicks vs. Miami Heat
The rivalry between the New York Knicks and Miami Heat in the 1990s symbolized the fierce competition between two Eastern Conference powerhouses. The physicality and intensity of their matchups, featuring iconic players such as Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway, created a rivalry that brought out the best in both teams. This year, the Heat and Knicks matched up in the postseason for the first time since 2012, renewing their rivalry and introducing younger fans to the history between these two teams.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors
Any teams that meet in the NBA Finals in four consecutive years are going to develop a rivalry of some sort. From 2015 through 2018, these teams battled for the Larry O'Brien trophy, with the Warriors winning three titles and the Cavaliers winning one (coming back from down 3-1 to ruin Golden State's 73-win season). These Finals' matchups featured star power -- with LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love facing off against Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green (and eventually Kevin Durant) -- as well as iconic moments and dramatic storylines. The Cavs-Warriors rivalry not only captivated fans but also fueled debates about team-building, basketball philosophies and the NBA's changing landscape.
Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers
During the 1980s, the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers engaged in a heated rivalry for Eastern Conference dominance. Led by Larry Bird and Julius Erving, respectively, these two powerhouses clashed in multiple playoff series, producing high-stakes and fiercely contested matchups that had fans on the edge of their seats.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs
The Lakers and Spurs established themselves as powerhouses in the 2000s. The rivalry between these two teams epitomized excellence, as Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and the Lakers battled for NBA supremacy against Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and the Spurs. Their meetings in the playoffs often showcased high-level basketball and strategic brilliance, leaving an indelible mark on the league.
Which NBA rivarly is your favorite? <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tweet us your thoughts here</a>!

Basketball News looks back on the greatest rivalries in NBA history.

Examining the 6 biggest rivalries in NBA history

The Orlando Magic have had their fair share of ups and downs in their relatively short history. However, since the franchise was established in 1989, they have provided their fans with some unforgettable seasons. From the early success of Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway to the dominant play of Dwight Howard in the late 2000s, the Magic have had some remarkable teams.
The Magic have had quite a bit of lottery luck, landing the No. 1 pick in 1992 (which allowed them to select O'Neal), 1993 (which allowed them to pick Chris Webber and trade him to the Golden State Warriors for Penny Hardaway and three future first-round picks), 2004 (which allowed them to select Howard) and 2022 (which allowed them to draft Paolo Banchero).&nbsp;
The current Magic squad has fans in Orlando excited about the future, with a core of Banchero, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr. and Markelle Fultz among others. But today, let's look back at the past and examine the five best seasons in franchise history.
5. 2007-08 SEASON RECORD: 52-30 FINISH: LOST IN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
This season, the Magic won 52 games and finished as the third-best team in the Eastern Conference. The team was led by a 22-year-old Dwight Howard, who earned his second All-Star selection while emerging as a two-way force. During the regular season, Howard averaged 20.7 points, 14.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks, while shooting 59.9% from the field. He was even more dominant in the playoffs, averaging 18.9 points, 15.8 rebounds and 3.4 blocks. Orlando defeated the Toronto Raptors in five games in the first round, but they were ultimately eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in five games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. This season laid the groundwork for Orlando's Finals run in 2008-09.
4. 2009-10 SEASON RECORD: 59-23 FINISH: LOST IN CONFERENCE FINALS
Despite coming off of an NBA Finals run, the Magic decided to make some big changes entering this 2009-19 season. Orlando acquired Vince Carter in a blockbuster trade with the New Jersey Nets and added some new role players in Matt Barnes, Jason Williams, Ryan Anderson and Brandon Bass. The Magic won 59 games, which was the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. Orlando was once again led by Howard, who earned his second-straight Defensive Player of the Year award. The Magic were dominant through the first two rounds of the 2010 NBA Playoffs, sweeping the Charlotte Bobcats and Atlanta Hawks. But in the Eastern Conference Finals, they faced off against the Boston Celtics and lost in six games. Still, their regular-season success and deep postseason run cannot be overlooked.
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3. 1995-96 SEASON RECORD: 60-22 FINISH: LOST IN CONFERENCE FINALS
The 1995-96 season was another successful year for the Magic. The team finished with a record of 60-22, which was the second-best in the Eastern Conference and is still the franchise record for most wins in a single season. Led by one of the best one-two punches in the league in Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway, Orlando went 7-1 through the first two rounds of the 1996 NBA Playoffs, eliminating the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks with ease. But in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Magic ran into Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, who got their revenge from the previous year by sweeping Orlando.
2. 2008-09 SEASON RECORD: 59-23 FINISH: LOST IN NBA FINALS
This team was ahead of its time, as Stan Van Gundy surrounded Dwight Howard with shooters and made teams pick their poison. The Magic had a terrific core of Howard, Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu and Jameer Nelson, plus excellent role players such as Rafer Alston, Courtney Lee, Mickael Pietrus, J.J. Redick and Marcin Gortat. Orlando's run in the 2009 NBA Playoffs was incredible, as they defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics (led by the Big Three) and Cleveland Cavaliers (led by LeBron James). Until this year, the Magic were the only team to defeat James in a Conference Finals series. In the NBA Finals, the Magic matched up against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, ultimately losing in five games. What if Courtney Lee hits the game-winning layup at the end of Game 2 in the 2009 NBA Finals? That's one of the biggest "what ifs" among Magic fans to this day.
1. 1994-95 SEASON RECORD: 57-25 FINISH: LOST IN NBA FINALS
The 1994-95 season was the most successful season in the Magic's franchise history. Shaquille O'Neal was virtually unstoppable, averaging 29.3 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.4 blocks, while shooting 58.3% from the field. Penny Hardaway was excellent as well, averaging an efficient 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals on 51.2/34.9/76.9 shooting splits. The team won 57 games, which was the best record in the East. Prior to the 1995 NBA Finals, the Magic became the only team to eliminate Michael Jordan in the playoffs during the 1990s, beating Chicago in six games in the Conference Semifinals. Jordan came out of retirement midseason and the Magic spoiled his return. After defeating the Indiana Pacers in seven games in the Conference Finals, the Magic faced off against the Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals. Hakeem Olajuwon put up 32.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 2.0 steals per game and helped the Rockets sweep the Magic. Still, the Magic's run to the Finals was nothing short of spectacular.
While the Magic have not won an NBA championship, they have had some great seasons and provided their fans with plenty of memorable moments.&nbsp;

From Shaq and Penny to the Dwight Howard era, Basketball News looks back at the five best teams in Orlando Magic history.

Ranking the 5 best seasons in Orlando Magic history

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; Heat coach Erik Spoelstra walked into the postgame interview room, a cup of a celebratory beverage in his hand, took a seat and began explaining how difficult the journey has been for Heat.
The regular season was a struggle. They needed to survive the play-in. They were three minutes away from going home before the playoffs even started, needing a rally just to earn the right to play top-seeded Milwaukee.
All forgotten. They&rsquo;re in the NBA&rsquo;s final four &mdash; getting there as a No. 8 seed.
Jimmy Butler scored 24 points, Bam Adebayo added 23 and the Heat are headed back to the Eastern Conference finals after topping the New York Knicks 96-92 in Game 6 on Friday night.
&ldquo;It is really frickin&rsquo; hard to get to the Eastern Conference finals,&rdquo; Spoelstra said.
Maybe for some franchises. Not for Miami. The Heat are headed there for the 10th time overall, the seventh time in the last 13 years and the third time in the past four seasons. They&rsquo;ll play Game 1 at either Boston or Philadelphia on Wednesday; those teams will decide their East semifinal series Sunday.
Max Strus scored 14 points and Kyle Lowry had 11 points and nine assists for the Heat. They&rsquo;re the second No. 8 seed in NBA history to make the conference finals &mdash; joining the Knicks, who pulled it off in 1999.
Jalen Brunson was spectacular for New York, scoring 41 points on 14-for-22 shooting. But his teammates combined for only 51 points &mdash; Julius Randle had 15 and RJ Barrett 11 on 1-for-10 shooting. Josh Hart also had 11 points for the Knicks.
&ldquo;Congratulations to the Heat, to the organization, to the coaching staff, Spo and Pat Riley and all their players,&rdquo; Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. &ldquo;They played tough in this series and hats off to them. But I&rsquo;m proud of our guys. There&rsquo;s always disappointment in the end of the season and in the end, there&rsquo;ll be one team standing. ... Proud of the way this team worked all year.&rdquo;
It was dicey at the end, but Miami survived. Gabe Vincent was called for a flagrant-1 against Brunson with just under a minute left, starting a run where the Knicks scored four points in 4.6 seconds.
Brunson made the free throws, Hart added a layup and a 92-86 lead was down to 92-90.
The Knicks got a stop at the other end, but never got a shot off on the next possession. Lowry knocked the ball away for a steal, Butler made two free throws with 14.4 seconds left and the countdown back to the conference finals was on.
&ldquo;It was a battle,&rdquo; Lowry said. &ldquo;A Tom Thibodeau-coached team, they&rsquo;re always going to play hard. ... This was a grind and we found a way.&rdquo;
Miami was whistled for four fouls in the first 2:15 of the fourth quarter, setting the tone for New York to keep getting to the line throughout the final period.
The Knicks tied it early in the third, but missed 10 other field-goal attempts in the second half &mdash; along with two free throws &mdash; that would have pulled New York into a tie or given it the lead.
Brunson had 22 points in the first half, tying his third-most before intermission in any game this season &ndash; and his most ever by halftime of a playoff game. He had 15 in the first quarter when the Knicks came out flying to grab early control.
New York led 14 in the opening quarter, and Miami never led by more than two in the first 24 minutes. But it was Miami with the lead at the half, going up 51-50 by the break in large part because it finally kept New York off the line.
The Knicks made 11 free throws in the first quarter &mdash; the most by any Heat opponent this season and tying the fourth-most against Miami in an opening period over the last decade. But they didn&rsquo;t even get to the line in the final 15:16 of the half.
The score to that point: Knicks 29, Heat 17. The score over the rest of the half: Heat 34, Knicks 21. And the lead never changed hands again.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got guys that just want it,&rdquo; Lowry said.
TIP-INS
Knicks: Brunson and Quentin Grimes played all 48 minutes of Game 5, but that was quickly off the table in Game 6. Grimes sat for 6:41 of the opening half, Brunson for 2:44, though some of that was because he got his third foul with 37.6 seconds left. &hellip; Immanuel Quickley (sprained left ankle) missed his third consecutive game. &hellip; New York finished 53-40, its best record in a season since going 60-34 in 2012-13.
Heat: Victor Oladipo was at the game, on crutches and braced after surgery to repair his torn patellar tendon. &hellip; The Heat had three starters (Vincent, Strus and Butler) all shorter than the Miami Marlins&rsquo; starting pitcher a couple miles away &mdash; rookie Eury Perez, who made his big-league debut, is 6-foot-8. &hellip; Miami had 3-point tries as time expired in each of the first three quarters. They all missed.
CELEB WATCH
Among those at the game: Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel &mdash; even on a rookie minicamp weekend for his team &ndash; and Dallas (and former Knicks) guard Tim Hardaway Jr., whose father&rsquo;s jersey is among those retired by the Heat.

Jimmy Butler scored 24 points, Bam Adebayo added 23 and the Heat are headed back to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Heat top Knicks 96-92 in Game 6, advance to Conference Finals

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

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

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

Emoni Bates is entering the <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/wembanyama-nba-draft-spurs-ee1a9bd2232173666d3302bb491c7c5c">NBA draft</a>, banking on teams being intrigued with&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-eastern-michigan-eagles-toledo-rockets-basketball-dante-maddox-60c4d3c06a9adafc02aec7d92f9d03a4">his potential as a scorer</a>&nbsp;after seeing flashes of his talent in two seasons of college basketball.
<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cra8j-DLSM0/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bates made the announcement</a>&nbsp;Monday on social media.
&ldquo;What I been dreaming for my whole life,&rdquo; he posted on Instagram.
The 6-foot-10 wing averaged 19.2 points and 5.8 rebounds in 30 games at Eastern Michigan last season, making 40.5% of his shots overall and 33% of 3-point attempts.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m excited for Emoni and his future,&rdquo; Eagles coach Stan Heath told The Associated Press. &ldquo;He is a talented young player who works extremely hard and is passionate to be successful.&rdquo;
After graduating from high school in three years and being regarded as a basketball prodigy, Bates went to Memphis for one season and averaged 9.7 points in 18 games during an injury-shortened season. He transferred to play for the school in his hometown of Ypsilanti, Michigan.
&ldquo;I know he will continue to improve and mature as he continues the journey,&rdquo; Heath said. &ldquo;There is no question his best basketball is ahead and I support him on his decision.&rdquo;
Bates will spend the next couple of months working out for NBA teams and answering their questions about his life on and off the court.
Last September, he was charged with two felonies &mdash; carrying a concealed weapon and &ldquo;altering ID marks&rdquo; &mdash; after a traffic stop and was suspended by Eastern Michigan as a student and basketball player. His attorney said the vehicle and the gun didn&rsquo;t belong to Bates.
Bates was sentenced in December to 18 months of probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge, a conviction that will be expunged from his record if he completes probation successfully. He was reinstated to the school and basketball team in October after prosecutors agreed to drop felony charges against him.
Bates bounced back as a basketball player and at times during his sophomore season, showed some of the skills that made him the first sophomore high school basketball player to win the&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/543a9453210d69bbb54bf3aadf5ae739">Gatorade national player of the year award</a>&nbsp;and landed him on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
He scored 29 straight points for Eastern Michigan in the first half of a loss last season at Toledo, where he finished with career highs in points (43) and 3-pointers (nine) after making 15 of 23 shots.
In 2019 as a high school freshman, the slender and skilled guard led Ypsilanti Lincoln to a state title and was named Michigan&rsquo;s Division 1 Player of the Year by The Associated Press. His sophomore season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic and he attended Ypsi Prep Academy as a junior, his final year of high school.
Bates initially committed to playing for Tom Izzo at Michigan State. He later de-committed and signed with Memphis and coach Penny Hardaway.

Emoni Bates is entering the 2023 NBA Draft, banking on teams being intrigued with his potential after two seasons of college basketball.

Emoni Bates entering 2023 NBA Draft after 2 seasons in college

Scoring was up in the NBA this season, to a level not seen in more than a half-century.
NBA teams averaged 114.7 points per game. That&rsquo;s the ninth-highest figure in the league&rsquo;s 77 seasons and the most since teams averaged 116.7 per game in 1969-70.
It represents a jump of 3.7% over last season.
A record 282,127 points were scored this season, smashing the previous mark of 273,573 set in 2018-19.
FREE THROW RECORD
The NBA has never had a better season from the foul line. Again.
The league-wide record for accuracy will fall for the third time in the last four seasons. Teams have combined to shoot 78.2% from the line this season.
That topped the 77.8% mark from two seasons ago. And while that difference &mdash; a mere 0.4% &mdash; doesn&rsquo;t look like much, it is. NBA teams could have combined to miss their first 200 free throws on Sunday when the regular season was ending and still have been on pace to set a season record.
A BOSTON FIRST
When you&rsquo;ve done something that&rsquo;s never been done before in Boston Celtics history, that&rsquo;s impressive.
So, take a bow, Jayson Tatum.
The forward averaged 30.1 points per game this season &mdash; the most ever by a Celtics player. John Havlicek and Isaiah Thomas each averaged 28.9 in their best seasons in Boston, and Larry Bird averaged 29.9 in 1987-88, but Tatum is the first to average 30.
Bird technically averaged 29.93 points that season, and two more points would have given him 29.95, which many would have rounded up to 30.0. He was five points shy that season of averaging exactly 30 per game.
BRIDGES&rsquo; STREAK
Brooklyn&rsquo;s Mikal Bridges technically missed a game this season, but his consecutive games-played streak &mdash; now 392 games and counting &mdash; lives on because he wasn&rsquo;t eligible to play while the Nets were completing the process of acquiring him in a trade with the Phoenix Suns.
Regardless, he still played in a league-best 83 games this season. It&rsquo;s quirky, since a season is 82 games, but the Nets had more games to play than the Suns did when the trade happened. And it lived on in Sunday&rsquo;s season finale because Bridges appeared for the first 4 seconds to extend the streak, then checked out for the day.
Bridges didn&rsquo;t miss a game at Villanova, either. His last missed game was in high school.
Bridges is the first player to appear in 83 games in a season since Josh Smith in 2014-15. Bridges was one of 10 players to not miss a game this season &mdash; Houston&rsquo;s Tari Eason and Kenyon Martin Jr., Chicago&rsquo;s Nikola Vucevic and Patrick Williams, Boston&rsquo;s Derrick White, Golden State teammates Kevon Looney and Jordan Poole, New York&rsquo;s Isaiah Hartenstein and Sacramento&rsquo;s Harrison Barnes also played in all 82 for their clubs this season.
The NBA&rsquo;s all-time record for games in a season probably is one of those records that&rsquo;ll never be broken. Walt Bellamy played in 88 games in 1968-69 &mdash; 35 with New York, then 53 with Detroit.
SCORING MARGIN
San Antonio was outscored by just over 10 points per game this season &mdash; the worst margin in Spurs history.
It was the 20th time in NBA history that a team had been outscored, on average, by double digits for an entire season.
3&rsquo;s DOWN
For nine straight seasons &mdash; 2012-13 through 2020-21 &mdash; the NBA saw a record set annually for 3-pointers made per game.
It seems the growth era from beyond the arc has plateaued.
For the second consecutive year, 3-pointers made dropped this season, albeit slightly. The league saw an average of 24.7 3s per game this season, down from 24.9 per game last season and the record 25.4 per game in 2020-21.
The league finished the regular season with 30,359 3s made &mdash; just off the record total of 30,598 last season. But teams also attempted, on average, about 3% fewer 3-pointers this season than they did a year ago.
3s UP
That said, there were more highly prolific 3-point shooters this season than ever before. The league finished with 20 players with at least 200 3-pointers &mdash; the most ever, just ahead of the 18 who made at least 200 3s last season.
The 20 in the 200 Club this year: Golden State&rsquo;s Klay Thompson, Indiana&rsquo;s Buddy Hield, Golden State&rsquo;s Stephen Curry, Cleveland&rsquo;s Donovan Mitchell, Portland&rsquo;s Damian Lillard, Boston&rsquo;s Jayson Tatum, Brooklyn&rsquo;s Malik Beasley, New York&rsquo;s Julius Randle, Dallas&rsquo; Tim Hardaway Jr., Portland&rsquo;s Anfernee Simons, New Orleans&rsquo; CJ McCollum, Golden State&rsquo;s Jordan Poole, Toronto&rsquo;s Fred VanVleet, Minnesota&rsquo;s Anthony Edwards, Sacramento&rsquo;s Keegan Murray, Miami&rsquo;s Tyler Herro, Sacramento&rsquo;s Kevin Huerter, Chicago&rsquo;s Zach LaVine, New Orleans&rsquo; Trey Murphy III and Utah&rsquo;s Lauri Markkanen.
AND 3s RECORDS
The Warriors finished with 1,363 3-pointers as a team, the most by any team in an NBA season. The previous record was 1,323 by the 2018-19 Houston Rockets.
Four of the six most prolific 3-point seasons in NBA history happened this season: The Warriors broke the record for a team, Boston (1,315) finished eight behind Houston&rsquo;s 2018-19 mark, Dallas (1,246) made the fifth-most in a season and Milwaukee (1,217) made the sixth-most in a season.
Golden State, Boston, Dallas and Milwaukee obviously also set their franchise single-season record for total 3s made. So did Brooklyn, Indiana, the Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Sacramento.
BETTING STATS
Those who bet the Oklahoma City Thunder all season long probably did quite well.
The Thunder covered the spread a league-best 58.5% of the time this season, just ahead of Orlando and Philadelphia (57.3%).
The Los Angeles Lakers were a perfect 50% against the spread &mdash; 41 times covering, 41 times not.
Dallas and San Antonio bettors likely weren&rsquo;t happy. Those clubs both covered only 39% of the time, just a bit worse than Miami and Detroit (both 40.5%).
ONE OF EACH
Golden State&rsquo;s 56-point win over Portland on Sunday was the biggest of the season. The biggest rout going into the season&rsquo;s final day was a 45-point win by New Orleans on Nov. 21 &mdash; against the Warriors.
That made the Warriors the first team since the 1997-98 Trail Blazers to win a game by at least 45, and lose a game by at least 45, in the same season.
Portland beat Dallas 120-75 on Nov. 17, 1998. The Blazers lost to Indiana 124-59 on Feb. 27, 1998.

Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press breaks down the 2022-23 NBA season by the numbers.

Inside the NBA numbers: A look at the season’s stats

The Dallas Mavericks turned heads on Friday night when they decided to rest key players against the Chicago Bulls despite the fact that their postseason hopes were still alive.
The NBA took notice too, and they have opened an investigation into the matter.
"The NBA commenced an investigation today into the facts and circumstances surrounding the Dallas Mavericks&rsquo; roster decisions and game conduct with respect to last night&rsquo;s Chicago Bulls-Mavericks game, including the motivations behind those actions," NBA spokesman Mike Bass <a href="https://twitter.com/espn_macmahon/status/1644777693123080206" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
Dallas sat Kyrie Irving, Christian Wood, Josh Green, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Maxi Kleber, and benched Luka Doncic after he played the first quarter. Dallas didn't even try to hide their intention to tank, listing Green and Wood as out due to rest. The Mavericks ultimately lost, eliminating them from the postseason.&nbsp;
The Mavericks sat their key players because they were prioritizing their draft pick over potentially making the play-in tournament. They owe their first-round pick to the New York Knicks (as part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade) but it's top-10 protected, and losing to the Bulls gave Dallas the 10th-best lottery odds in the league.
&ldquo;Things change,&rdquo; Mavs head coach Jason Kidd said of the decision to sit key players. &ldquo;Understanding as an organization, they made this decision. But we still have to be professionals, go out there and put our best foot forward, who can play. ... Understanding this is a situation we&rsquo;re in, that the organization has made a decision to change. So we have to go by that."
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has said that tanking has no place in the NBA, so it remains to be seen if the Mavericks are punished following the league's investigation.
"If we ever received evidence that players or coaches were attempting to lose or otherwise taking steps to cause any game to result otherwise than on its competitive merits, that conduct would be met with the swiftest and harshest response possible from the league office," Silver <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2018/02/28/adam-silver-cautions-nba-teams-against-tanking-protect-integrity-game/380197002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote in a letter to teams</a> several years ago.
In 2018, Mavs owner Mark Cuban said on a podcast that he instructed his team that "losing is our best option," which led to a $600,000 fine by the NBA for "public statements detrimental to the NBA."&nbsp;

The NBA is investigating the Mavericks' decision to rest key players on Friday night with their playoff hopes still alive.

NBA opens tanking investigation after Mavericks rested starters

Exactly two months ago, the Dallas Mavericks were the fourth seed in the Western Conference and all eyes were on them after their blockbuster acquisition of Kyrie Irving.
The Mavericks thought they'd found the perfect co-star for Luka Doncic, someone who could help them make another deep playoff run after advancing to the Western Conference Finals the year before.
However, on Friday night, the Mavericks were officially eliminated from the postseason after opting to sit Irving, Christian Wood, Josh Green, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Maxi Kleber against the Chicago Bulls, and resting Doncic after the first quarter.&nbsp;
Dallas prioritized their draft pick over potentially making the play-in, as they owe their first-round pick to the New York Knicks (as part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade) but it's top-10 protected, and losing to the Bulls gave Dallas the 10th-best lottery odds in the league.
While much of the conversation about the Mavericks&rsquo; uncertain future has centered around Irving&rsquo;s upcoming free agency and whether Jason Kidd will return as head coach, ESPN&rsquo;s Tim MacMahon <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/36111588/the-end-dallas-mavericks-season-marks-beginning-franchise-altering-questions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> that sources within the Mavericks fear that "Doncic, who publicly and privately expressed extreme frustration this season, could consider requesting a trade as soon as the summer of 2024 if Dallas doesn&rsquo;t make significant progress by then.&rdquo;
MacMahon <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/36111588/the-end-dallas-mavericks-season-marks-beginning-franchise-altering-questions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adds</a> that &ldquo;there&rsquo;s a strong sense of urgency within the organization to expedite the process before Doncic loses faith in the Mavs&rsquo; ability to build a contender around him.&rdquo;
While the Mavs have Doncic on a five-year, $215 million supermax contract, he could still request a trade in the near future if he's unhappy. There&rsquo;s no question that Doncic was frustrated throughout this season.
"I think you can see it with me on the court," Doncic said following a disappointing loss to the shorthanded Charlotte Hornets last month. "Sometimes, I don't feel it's me. I'm just being out there. I used to have really fun, smiling on the court, but it's just been so frustrating for a lot of reasons, not just basketball."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Recently, Doncic admitted that the Mavs&rsquo; chemistry declined &ldquo;a lot&rdquo; from last season to this year, while acknowledging that losing Jalen Brunson in free agency played a significant role in the team&rsquo;s drop off.&nbsp;
The hope was that Irving could help fill the hole left by Brunson's departure and give Dallas the perfect running mate for Doncic. However, as MacMahon <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/36111588/the-end-dallas-mavericks-season-marks-beginning-franchise-altering-questions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a>, the Mavs went 5-11 when Doncic and Irving were both in the lineup, the worst winning percentage (.313) that a pair of All-Star teammates have posted since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976-77.
Dallas enters this offseason with some big decisions to make. They have a number of key players hitting unrestricted free agency including Irving, Wood and Dwight Powell. Mark Cuban told reporters that the priority is to keep Irving long-term.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not Kyrie or bust, but we want to keep him,&rdquo; Cuban <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/mavs-cuban-says-keeping-irving-is-priority-supports-kidd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &ldquo;I want him to stay for sure, and I think we have a good shot. I think he&rsquo;s happy here. He told me he&rsquo;s happy here.&rdquo;
Cuban also stressed that the team will be looking to add defenders over the summer, so they can be more competitive on that side of the floor.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got the best offensive rating, I think, with those two guys when they play together,&rdquo; Cuban said. &ldquo;We could not find a way to get stops in close games. I don&rsquo;t think you can point to any one thing, but we&rsquo;ll have to make changes, obviously, to be able to get better defensively.&rdquo;
While there&rsquo;s been plenty of speculation that the Mavs may replace Kidd, Cuban told reporters that he doesn&rsquo;t blame Kidd for the team&rsquo;s struggles, so perhaps a coaching change isn&rsquo;t coming.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s J-Kidd&rsquo;s problem that we didn&rsquo;t have an identity,&rdquo; Cuban <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/mavs-cuban-says-keeping-irving-is-priority-supports-kidd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &ldquo;The game changed in ways we didn&rsquo;t expect it to change. So I blew it. It was on me personally because the game changed in terms of the &lsquo;take&rsquo; fouls and the speed of the game and where you need to be defensively.&rdquo;
As for Doncic&rsquo;s future, it remains to be seen if the Mavericks can put the right pieces around him and become a perennial contender. Several days ago, Cuban was asked about Doncic&rsquo;s long-term optimism and whether he&rsquo;ll be the new Dirk Nowitzki, who spent 21 seasons with the Mavs.
&ldquo;Players don&rsquo;t talk like that, &lsquo;Hey, I&rsquo;ll be here for the next 17 years,&rsquo;&rdquo; Cuban <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/mavs-cuban-says-keeping-irving-is-priority-supports-kidd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &ldquo;He&rsquo;d like to be here the whole time, but we&rsquo;ve got to earn that.&rdquo;

The Mavs are reportedly worried that Luka Doncic may request a trade as soon as next year if they can't make significant progress.

Mavs fear Luka Doncic may request trade unless they build contender

Coby White scored 24 points and the short-handed Chicago Bulls rallied past the depleted Mavericks 115-112 on Friday night, eliminating Dallas from play-in contention a year after the club reached the Western Conference finals.
Dallas coach Jason Kidd said before the game an &ldquo;organizational decision&rdquo; was made to limit Luka Doncic to the first quarter while sitting fellow All-Star Kyrie Irving and four other regulars before the club was eliminated from the postseason.
Despite the move, the Mavericks led by double digits when Markieff Morris scored 13 points in the second quarter and rookie Jaden Hardy hit a half-court shot to beat the halftime buzzer for a 67-54 lead.
Neither Morris nor Hardy played in the second half, and a lineup filled mostly with players who spent the season at the end of the Dallas bench lost the lead but kept the game close.
McKinley Wright IV's layup got Dallas within a point with 39 seconds left before Dalen Terry scored on an alley-oop dunk from White with 23 to go.
Theo Pinson missed a potential tying 3-pointer for Dallas, which had three more attempts at a tying 3 in the final seconds.
The loss clinched the 10th seed and final play-in spot in the Western Conference for Oklahoma City.
Irving was out for right foot injury recovery. The others sitting with him were Tim Hardaway Jr. with left ankle soreness, Maxi Kleber for right hamstring injury recovery and Josh Green and Christian Wood for rest.
The Bulls sat their top two scorers in DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, but they are already locked in to the 10th seed in the East. Patrick Williams scored 23 points, and Nikola Vucevic had 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Doncic, who scored 13 points, ended up playing a few seconds into the second quarter on a night when the Mavericks paid tribute to his home country of Slovenia.
Keeping Doncic in was an apparent attempt to get him an ovation after Kidd suggested before the game it would be the 24-year-old superstar's final action of the season. The move didn't work because fans didn't seem aware and therefore didn't cheer.
Kidd said the decision was made by owner Mark Cuban and general manager Nico Harrison to rest most of the regulars. Dallas entered the game tied with Chicago for the 10th-worst record in the NBA.
If the Mavericks have a top-10 pick in the draft in June, they get to keep it. If the pick is 11th or lower, it goes to the New York Knicks as final payment for Dallas' trade to acquire Kristaps Porzingis in 2019. Next month's draft lottery will determine the final order.
Wright joined Doncic and Morris with 13 points to lead the Mavs.
SCORING RACE
Doncic's limited action in most likely his last game of the season should clinch the scoring title for Philadelphia's Joel Embiid. Doncic is at 32.4 points per game to Embiid's 33.1. The Sixers' MVP candidate is probably finished for the regular season with his team locked in to the third seed in the East.
UP NEXT
Both teams are at home for their regular-season finales Sunday. The Bulls play Detroit. The Mavs face San Antonio.

The short-handed Bulls rallied past the depleted Mavericks 115-112 on Friday night, eliminating Dallas from play-in contention.

Mavericks fall to Bulls, eliminated from play-in race

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Dallas is sitting Kyrie Irving and four other regulars against Chicago in a game with draft implications and with the Mavericks facing postseason elimination if they lose.
Fellow All-Star Luka Doncic will play Friday night with the franchise paying tribute to his home country of Slovenia. But coach Jason Kidd said the 24-year-old superstar would only play the first quarter, and suggested his season would be over after that.
The sudden switch from the Mavericks came two days after Doncic and Irving led a rally to a 123-119 victory over Sacramento. The win kept Dallas in the mix for the final spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament a year after the Mavs reached the West finals.
A day after that victory, Oklahoma City beat Utah, meaning the Mavs would have to win their last two while the Thunder would have to lose to Memphis for Dallas to get the 10th seed. The Grizzlies could be locked in to the second seed in the West before the regular-season finale Sunday.
&ldquo;Things change,&rdquo; Kidd said. &ldquo;Understanding as an organization, they made this decision. But we still have to be professionals, go out there and put our best foot forward, who can play.&rdquo;
Irving is out for right foot injury recovery. The others ruled out are Tim Hardaway Jr. with left ankle soreness, Maxi Kleber for right hamstring injury recovery and Josh Green and Christian Wood for rest.
The Bulls are locked into the 10th seed for the final play-in spot in the East and will be without Zach LaVine for left knee injury management and DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Beverley for rest. Alex Caruso will play despite foot soreness, with coach Billy Donovan saying his minutes would be monitored.
Dallas&rsquo; decision to rest five rotation players comes with the Mavs and Bulls tied for the 10th-worst record in the NBA at 38-42.
Dallas gets to keep its first-round pick if it&rsquo;s in the top 10. If it is 11th or lower, it goes to the New York Knicks as part of Dallas&rsquo; trade to acquire Kristaps Porzingis in 2019. The draft lottery next month will determine the final order.
Kidd said he wasn&rsquo;t part of the discussion for a decision that essentially pulls the plug on the season before the Mavs were eliminated. But the coach said he agreed with it.
In a wide-ranging discussion with reporters before the victory over the Kings, owner Mark Cuban suggested the Mavs simply weren&rsquo;t good enough and took responsibility for the personnel decisions that left them with a losing record a year after finishing 52-30 and fourth in the West.
Dallas was solidly in the playoff picture when it made the blockbuster trade with Brooklyn for Irving in February, giving the Mavs two All-Star starters for the first time in franchise history.
The big move didn&rsquo;t provide the spark the club hoped. Irving and Doncic have a 5-11 record together, and the Mavs entered the Chicago game at 9-16 since Irving&rsquo;s debut.
&ldquo;Understanding this is a situation we&rsquo;re in, that the organization has made a decision to change,&rdquo; Kidd said. &ldquo;So we have to go by that. And the guys that are playing are going to go out and try to play to win. You&rsquo;ve got to be pros. You can&rsquo;t cheat the game.&rdquo;

Dallas is sitting Kyrie Irving and four other regulars against Chicago despite the fact that their playoff hopes are still alive.

Mavericks sit Kyrie Irving, 4 others with playoff hopes still alive

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Kyrie Irving scored 25 of his 31 points during a second-half rally, and the Dallas Mavericks stayed in the race for the final play-in spot in the Western Conference playoffs with a 123-119 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.
Luka Doncic had 29 points and 10 rebounds as the Mavericks (38-42) matched Oklahoma City&rsquo;s record for the 10th seed in the West with two games remaining.
The Thunder own the tiebreaker, so Dallas, which reached the West finals last year, needs at least one Oklahoma City loss to have a chance at another playoff run.
Facing the brink of postseason elimination with a loss, the Mavericks rallied from 13 points down in the third quarter, when Irving started and finished a 12-0 run with 3-pointers for an 82-78 lead.
Doncic and Tim Hardaway Jr., who scored 24 points, had the other two 3s on the run as Doncic and Irving won for the fifth time in 16 games together since the blockbuster trade that brought Irving from Brooklyn.
Dallas ended a three-game losing streak with just its second victory in its past nine games.
De&rsquo;Aaron Fox scored 28 points and Domantas Sabonis had a triple-double with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for the Kings, who have already ended a 16-year playoff drought and are all but locked in to the third seed in the West.
Irving put Dallas ahead for good with a jumper midway through the fourth quarter, and the lead was three when he hit a high-arching 3 from the corner for a 120-114 lead with two minutes remaining.
Sacramento had a season-high 22 offensive rebounds for a 30-14 edge in second-chance points, but the Mavericks had the biggest one of the game when Christian Wood grabbed a miss from Irving and five seconds later hit a 3-pointer for a 123-114 lead with a minute to go.
Wood scored 14 points despite 5-of-15 shooting.
TIP-INS
Kings: All five starters scored in double figures. Harrison Barnes had 16 points against his former team, Kevin Huerter scored 14 and Keegan Murray added 11.
Mavericks: Starters Reggie Bullock and Dwight Powell combined for just five points on just four shots. ... Josh Green had 10 points and nine rebounds.
UP NEXT
Kings: Golden State in home finale Friday.
Mavericks: Chicago visits Friday.

The Mavericks (38-42) matched Oklahoma City’s record for the 10th seed in the West with two games remaining.

Mavs keep play-in hopes alive with 123-119 win over Kings

ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Trae Young made two free throws with 1.8 seconds remaining in overtime to give Atlanta the lead and the Hawks beat the Dallas Mavericks 132-130 on Sunday night to keep pace in the Eastern Conference play-in race.
Young was fouled by Kyrie Irving, who scored 41 points, with the game tied at 130. Following Young&rsquo;s free throws, Luke Doncic, who scored 22 points, missed a last-second 3-pointer.
The Hawks (39-39) moved back into eighth place in the play-in race. Toronto and Chicago put pressure on the Hawks with wins before Atlanta&rsquo;s game. The Hawks have the tiebreaker advantage over Toronto.
The Hawks entered the game only a half-game ahead of the 10th-place Bulls for the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference.
Dallas (37-42) remained 11th in the Western Conference, one spot out of the play-in.
Irving&rsquo;s mid-range jumper with 37 seconds remaining in regulation tied the game at 121. Saddiq Bey&rsquo;s layup gave the lead back to Atlanta.
Christian Wood was fouled by John Collins and made one free throw before missing the second with 1.2 seconds remaining. With 0.4 seconds remaining, Atlanta&rsquo;s Clint Capela fouled JaVale McGee near the basket as McGee reached for Doncic&rsquo;s inbound pass. McGee missed the first free throw and made the second to tie the game at 123 and force overtime.
John Collins&rsquo; 3-pointer, followed by Clint Capela&rsquo;s jam, gave Atlanta an 84-74 lead midway through the third period. The Hawks stretched the advantage to 15 points at 91-76, but Dallas used a 15-3 run to close the deficit to 94-91 entering the final period.
Hawks small forward De&rsquo;Andre Hunter missed his second consecutive game after an MRI on Saturday revealed a bone bruise and muscle strain in his left knee.
Hawks coach Quin Snyder said Hunter is &ldquo;a unique player and very important ... for his ability to take a defensive matchup.&rdquo; Snyder said before the game Hunter would have been valuable in the matchups against the Mavericks, where the presence of small forward Tim Hardaway Jr. makes it more difficult to devote extra defensive attention to Doncic and Irving.
TIP-INS
Mavericks: Coach Jason Kidd made a pregame plea for improved contributions from his bench &ldquo;on both ends.&rdquo; It was part of his emphasis on improved overall defensive play. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s effort. It&rsquo;s grit,&rdquo; Kidd said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s what you want to do as much as energy.&rdquo; Kidd complained the Mavs&rsquo; defense was &ldquo;nonexistent&rdquo; in a 129-122 loss at Miami on Saturday night. ... Christian Wood had 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Hawks: Saddiq Bey had 13 points as the fill-in starter for Hunter. ... Capela had 14 points and 11 rebounds.
UP NEXT
Mavericks: Begin streak of three straight home games to finish regular season when they host Sacramento on Wednesday night.
Hawks: At Chicago on Tuesday night.

The Atlanta Hawks beat the Dallas Mavericks 132-130 on Sunday night to keep pace in the Eastern Conference play-in race.

Trae Young lifts Hawks past Mavericks in overtime, 132-130

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; Miami was desperate. So was Dallas.
Jimmy Butler and the Heat had just enough to help their playoff position &mdash; while dealing the Mavericks a big blow.
Butler had 35 points and 12 assists, Cody Zeller added 20 points and the Heat held off the Mavericks 129-122 on Saturday night to snap a three-game losing streak.
Max Strus and Kevin Love each scored 18 and Tyler Herro added 15 for the Heat. Miami won despite allowing Dallas to shoot a season-best 61%.
&ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t necessarily have drawn it up this way,&rdquo; Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Luka Doncic was brilliant again for Dallas, finishing with 42 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Tim Hardaway Jr. had 31 points and Kyrie Irving added 23 points and eight assists for the Mavericks.
&ldquo;A win is a win,&rdquo; Butler said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t like the fact that they shot 61%. But I do like the fact that we finally won a game.&rdquo;
The Mavs had been 7-0 this season when shooting at least 54%, and fell to 30-2 all-time, including playoffs, in games where they shot at least 60%.
&ldquo;Our defense was nonexistent,&rdquo; Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. &ldquo;Couldn&rsquo;t get stops.&rdquo;
Both clubs went to the conference finals last season; the Heat are trying to get out of the play-in round, and the Mavericks are trying to just have a shot at the playoffs.
The win moves Miami (41-37) closer to securing no worse than the No. 7 seed and most advantageous spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. The Heat are now 2 1/2 games ahead of both No. 8 Atlanta (38-39) and No. 9 Toronto (also 38-39).
Miami moved within 1 1/2 games of No. 6 Brooklyn (42-35). Even if the Heat win out and finish with 45 wins, the Nets &mdash; who hold the head-to-head tiebreaker &mdash; would only need to go 3-2 in their final five games to ensure they would finish ahead of Miami.
Meanwhile, it&rsquo;s a big blow to Dallas (37-41).
The Mavs fell a full game back of No. 10 Oklahoma City (38-40) in the race for the last Western Conference play-in spot, and worse, the Thunder own the head-to-head tiebreaker. Dallas is now two games back of No. 9 Minnesota (39-39) and just a half-game ahead of No. 12 Utah (36-41).
&ldquo;Just got to play hard, play with desperation and anything can happen,&rdquo; Hardaway said. &ldquo;Anything can happen.&rdquo;
Miami changed its starting lineup, partly out of necessity. Center Bam Adebayo didn&rsquo;t play because of a right hip contusion, so Zeller &mdash; starting a game for the first time since May 15, 2021, for Charlotte &mdash; took his spot and Strus took the forward starting spot that had been held by Love since he joined the Heat in February.
The moves paid immediate dividends. Strus was 3 for 3, all 3-pointers, in his first shift. Love was 3 for 3 from the field and 6 for 6 from the line for 13 points in his first 8 minutes off the bench, and Zeller had 12 points by halftime.
&ldquo;K-Love is always, always has been about winning,&rdquo; Butler said. &ldquo;As long as we win, he&rsquo;s not going to complain.&rdquo;
It all helped add up to the third highest-scoring first half in Heat history: Miami led 76-64 at the break, stretched the lead to 18 in the second half &mdash; then had to hang on in the final moments anyway.
TIP-INS
Mavericks: Dallas&rsquo; string of three consecutive winning regular seasons will end. The best the Mavs can finish is 41-41. ... The Mavs fell to 5-16 in games where they allow more than 100 points. ... Dallas had one offensive rebound.
Heat: Butler&rsquo;s 16 first-quarter points were his second-most in any quarter this season. He had 17 in the third quarter against Milwaukee on Feb. 4. &hellip; Miami will finish with a record of at least .500 for the fourth consecutive year and the 24th time in its 35 seasons.
WHAT&rsquo;S LEFT
Dallas plays its final road game of the regular season at Atlanta on Sunday, then finishes with home games against Sacramento, Chicago and San Antonio.
Miami starts a trip to Detroit, Philadelphia and Washington on Tuesday, before finishing at home April 9 against Orlando.
UP NEXT
Mavericks: Visit Atlanta on Sunday.
Heat: Visit Detroit on Tuesday.

Jimmy Butler had 35 points and 12 assists, and the Heat held off the Mavs 129-122 on Saturday night to snap a three-game losing streak.

Jimmy Butler has 35, Miami gets needed win over Dallas, 129-122

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) &mdash; The Dallas Mavericks&rsquo; postseason hopes could be slipping away.
The Charlotte Hornets overcame a 40-point outing from Luka Doncic on Sunday to defeat Dallas 110-104, their second win over the Mavericks in three days &mdash; dealing another blow to Dallas&rsquo; playoff hopes.
Gordon Hayward scored 22 points and P.J. Washington had 21 points and 12 rebounds for the injury-plagued Hornets, who have been eliminated from playoff contention.
The Mavericks (36-39) entered the day tied with Oklahoma City for the 10th-best record in the Western Conference but were still outside of the play-in tournament bubble because the Thunder hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s unfortunate that we let these two games go and we have to figure out a way to stop the bleeding,&rdquo; said Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, adding that he wasn&rsquo;t pleased with the team&rsquo;s defensive effort.
Kyrie Irving had 18 points for Dallas, which fell to 7-13 since the point guard was acquired in a trade.
&ldquo;Losing in basketball is very frustrating, especially when we have as talented a group as we do,&rdquo; Irving said.
A 3-of-18 shooting start from the field and a 19-point first-half deficit ultimately proved too much for Dallas to overcome. The Mavs were able to capture the lead in the fourth quarter when Doncic knocked down his sixth 3-pointer of the game with 5:44 left, but they appeared to wear down during the stretch run.
&ldquo;The desire to win has to be at an all-time high right now,&rdquo; Tim Hardaway Jr. said. &rdquo; ... The second half it was, but the same as last game it was too late.&rdquo;
The desire will need to be even higher on Monday night.
Doncic picked up his 16th technical foul of the season in the third quarter, meaning he will face a one-game suspension and will miss a game against the Indiana Pacers unless the technical is rescinded by the league office.
Crew Chief Kevin Scott said in a pool report after the game that Doncic used &ldquo;a profanity directed at the officials in protest to a no-call that was correctly judged in postgame video review.&rdquo;
Kidd said he didn&rsquo;t think the technical was warranted and that it should be rescinded.
Doncic was not made available for interviews after the game.
A dejected Doncic had said after Friday night&rsquo;s loss to the Hornets he was frustrated over how the season has gone. He added that his feelings were not just basketball-related but did not elaborate.
Dennis Smith Jr. came up with a key bucket for Charlotte against his former team, sneaking behind the Dallas defense and dunking off a lob from Washington to put Charlotte up by five with 1:05 remaining. Maxi Kleber responded with a 3 off a feed from Doncic, but Charlotte answered again with a layup by Mark Williams off a pass from Hayward.
Doncic then missed a 3-pointer on the other end, all but securing the Charlotte win.
After Doncic missed another desperation 3 as the clock expired, he exchanged words with a fan seated courtside and wagged his finger at him.
&ldquo;The biggest part of the game again was the first quarter,&rdquo; Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. &ldquo;Playing from ahead is a big deal. Every year the numbers bear it out, people want to say, &lsquo;All you have to do is watch the fourth quarter,&rsquo; but they have no idea what they&rsquo;re talking about. It&rsquo;s anything but that.&rdquo;
FAN BOOTED
Irving asked officials to remove a fan from the arena in the third quarter after he said the fan called him a name.
&ldquo;I just had to make sure I looked him eye to eye and see if he would say it to my face,&rdquo; Irving said. &ldquo;A lot of fans say things when you turn your head or say it in a crowd because they can get it away it. ... He yelled it and I handled it.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Mavericks: Doncic has been assessed the third-most technical fouls in the league behind Memphis&rsquo; Dillon Brooks (18) and Atlanta&rsquo;s Trae Young (17). ... Hardaway returned after missing the last two games.
Hornets: Rookie center Mark Williams had 15 points and 16 rebounds. ... Terry Rozier (right foot discomfort) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (right shoulder sprain) both sat out for the second straight game.
UP NEXT
Mavericks: Travel to Indiana on Monday for the second of five straight games on the road.
Hornets: At Oklahoma City on Tuesday.

The Hornets overcame a 40-point outing from Luka Doncic to defeat Dallas 110-104, their second win over the Mavericks in three days.

Doncic, Mavericks suffer another costly loss to Hornets

March Madness has begun and top teams are already heading home.
By Saturday night, two No. 1 seeds, Kansas and Purdue, No. 2 seed Arizona and No. 4 seed Virginia were all gone &mdash; and gone with them were <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/zero-perfect-brackets-remaining-after-march-madness-upsets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">millions of busted brackets.</a>
Here is what to know, including the favorites and underdogs as well as key games to watch:
TOP SEEDS
<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-bracket-kansas-alabama-12476411b0da681b21df9281a8332196" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The top four seeds in the tournament</a>&nbsp;were given to Alabama, Houston, Kansas and Purdue.&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-alabama-kansas-fc3932edb7323b0cd5f9db3e1cbb82fe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Each had its share of headaches</a>&nbsp;to set up what is already proving to be a chaotic tournament. The Boilermakers were the first to fall, ousted in a first-round stunner, and the Jayhawks followed the very next day.
<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-east-region-purdue-marquette-8a7c268ac0e763368c602be51359928e">EAST REGION:</a>&nbsp;The Boilermakers got a No. 1 seed for the fourth time, but Purdue was&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-fairleigh-dickinson-purdue-16-seed-715e3e361344928ea10880dd9a9d8a58" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dumped by Fairleigh Dickinson in a near-historic upset.</a>&nbsp;The region appears to be wide open for the likes of No. 2 seed Marquette, Kansas State, Tennessee, Michigan State and more. No. 5 seed Duke was ousted by the Volunteers. FDU or FAU will advance to the Sweet 16 in the bracket&rsquo;s biggest underdog matchup.
<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-south-bracket-alabama-005db4413ccdad1b00bcd38f879ac5df" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SOUTH REGION:</a>&nbsp;Alabama,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-nate-oats-alabama-2738775dfbf0006eee54eb3bca39fdf9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">led by coach Nate Oats in a challenging season,</a>&nbsp;is a No. 1 seed for the first time behind SEC player of the year Brandon Miller,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/brandon-miller-alabama-ncaa-tournament-security-guard-7104ab515dfaf81ae09abf94f0bd3165" target="_blank" rel="noopener">who has armed security on hand</a>&nbsp;after being the subject of threats. The Crimson Tide opened the tourney with an&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-alabama-miller-texas-corpus-christi-9f904c350cbb1d3e84f085a8ca782a5e">easy win.</a>&nbsp;Potential hurdles could include Baylor and Creighton.&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-princeton-missouri-upset-c53ede0847d5669af9fc19e18dab67eb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Princeton is heading to the Sweet 16</a>&nbsp;out of the South.
<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-bracket-midwest-ba5f567eee97af8eb848e229694b8b9b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MIDWEST REGION:</a> Houston got a top seed and won its opener before a rugged victory over Auburn even with&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-houston-sasser-a327324228d43a8792f496890a5e7bc9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">All-American Marcus Sasser hobbled</a>&nbsp;by a groin injury. Potential hurdles could include No. 2 seed Texas, No. 3 seed Xavier or the winner of a 4-5 matchup between Indiana and Miami.
<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-bracket-kansas-jayhawks-ucla-de98b2f3866d40f3b00d40e59c373b5c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WEST REGION</a>: Kansas, the defending national champion that was&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-kansas-bill-self-norm-roberts-fbb2c52dc34fa02235d1dbc3177ced01" target="_blank" rel="noopener">without coach Bill Self</a>&nbsp;in the tournament following a heart procedure,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-kansas-arkansas-upset-dfbf9716af7de6e346e47c6edeb87277" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blew an 8-point halftime lead and lost to 8-seed Arkansas.</a>&nbsp;Like the East, the West is now open for the likes of&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-ncaa-ucla-unc-asheville-4c5ead60091b98be87a72ffa91a14e97" target="_blank" rel="noopener">No. 2 seed UCLA,</a>&nbsp;No. 3 Gonzaga and the winner of a juicy 4-5 matchup between UConn and&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-gonzaga-saint-marys-8bee98936cfde7eba11bf367cc507c9d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Saint Mary&rsquo;s.</a>
SHINING MOMENTS
The unforgettable plays are piling up.
Princeton used a late run to earn its&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-ncaa-arizona-princeton-4b28e0acabe2b75ccdbac81d40a6fd66" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first NCAA Tournament win in 25 years</a>&nbsp;by ousting No. 2 seed Arizona and then answered any skeptics by&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-princeton-missouri-upset-c53ede0847d5669af9fc19e18dab67eb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rolling Missouri</a>&nbsp;to lock in its regional semifinal spot. Furman celebrated its first tourney appearance since 1980 with&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/furman-virginia-march-madness-upset-1b4e3c5c8b1ce5896eea85ba9fd42761" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a win over No. 4 seed Virginia</a>&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/MarchMadnessMBB/status/1636439857127129088?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a deep 3-pointer by JP Pegues with 2.4 seconds</a>&nbsp;left.
Then came 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson&rsquo;s win over Purdue as the 22 1/2-point underdog stifled 7-4 center Zach Edey to advance and&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/ncaa-tournament-umbc-no-1-seeds-march-madness-df6c353dc4ff76ec99278efd69a8b454" target="_blank" rel="noopener">join UMBC in the record books.</a>
All that happened before the Razorbacks and&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-kansas-arkansas-upset-dfbf9716af7de6e346e47c6edeb87277" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shirtless coach Eric Musselman</a>&nbsp;celebrated their win over top-seeded Kansas.
GAMES TO WATCH
No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson (21-15) vs. No. 9 seed FAU (32-3), Sunday, 7:45 p.m. ET (truTV)
One of these unheralded teams is going to the Sweet 16. The underdog Knights of FDU may be the smallest team in the tournament, but after knocking out All-America 7-foot-4 center Zack Edey and Purdue they will now face the ninth-seeded Owls. Florida Atlantic is coming off&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-florida-atlantic-memphis-ncaa-3438cd0c1d171f3a70d0997b3671bad5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a thrilling win over Memphis</a>&nbsp;and coach Penny Hardaway.
No. 6 seed Kentucky (22-11) vs. No. 3 seed Kansas State (24-9), Sunday, 2:40 p.m. ET, (CBS)
Wildcats abound!&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-kentucky-providence-8e98ee16b0c81318780c871adf2365f7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oscar Tshiebwe pulled down 25 rebounds,</a>&nbsp;the second-most in the tournament since 1973, as Kentucky beat Providence. That&rsquo;s only four fewer rebounds than Kansas State grabbed in its 77-65 win over Montana State. K-State&rsquo;s victory was its first in the tournament since 2018, when it beat ... Kentucky.
No. 7 seed Michigan State (20-12) vs. No. 2 seed Marquette (29-6), Sunday, 5:15 p.m. (CBS)
Quick, name two coaches you think are terrific. Tom Izzo and Shaka Smart need to be in your top 10, but only one will reach the Sweet 16 this tourney.&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-michigan-state-usc-izzo-87b1b2b8f14b10dba38819ca6c3d4482" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Spartans ousted Southern Cal</a>&nbsp;behind 17 points from Joey Hauser, and will face a Marquette team to got&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-vermont-marquettencaa-tournament-f95c79547ea1ba0c37043e6a2ca01760" target="_blank" rel="noopener">18 straight points from Kam Jones</a>&nbsp;in the second half of a 78-61 victory against Vermont.
GO DEEPER
Gun violence&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-guns-campus-violence-05a4962cd59264a997b9cdfb5256763f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has cost lives and disrupted college sports all season</a>, touching some of the top programs in college basketball, including Alabama. Coaches have been thrust into uncertain and unwelcome roles in trying to navigate the topic &mdash; as well as the fallout from the&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-coaches-womens-sports-athletes-46c0f942b76f07427a6effd75a4a54d7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade.</a>
On a lighter note, if you feel you know March Madness pretty well,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-trivia-ncaa-basketball-262d129aea8867ff0643b439ca9af349" target="_blank" rel="noopener">try this 25-question trivia quiz</a>&nbsp;put together by AP.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
The NCAA Tournament is filled with great players and the&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/all-america-mens-basketball-team-aa5e6381567b1d4732a0f0e17e60036b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AP All-America team</a>&nbsp;is a good place to get familiar with the names. It&rsquo;s also an event where&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-drake-oral-roberts-colgate-asheville-bc17594044376c9e2b2ebbc69c64d44a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">guys you&rsquo;ve never heard of</a>&nbsp;can take a star turn.&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-players-to-watch-dcb64a292147a92e425ca8d162792b5a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Guard play is always going to be important</a>&nbsp;(see: Baylor, 2021 title winner) and there are&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-nba-draft-picks-9fe43406a0d09256c7070c39c503805f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">some NBA prospects</a>&nbsp;in the mix.
Bet on this, too: Some player &mdash; maybe more than one &mdash; will have a chance to join&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-social-media-edert-ef5fe8ef3e482d0f36a4d6cc3bdf2b89" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the mustachioed Doug Edert</a>&nbsp;(remember Saint Peters&rsquo; inspiring run last year?) and find a way to cash in on their celebrity.
HOW TO WATCH
Every game of the men&rsquo;s tournament will be aired &mdash;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.ncaa.com/mens-final-four/broadcast-info" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here is a schedule</a>&nbsp;&mdash; either on CBS, TBS, TNT or TruTV and their digital platforms. CBS,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/2023-march-madness-tv-schedule-announcers-how-to-watch-ncaa-tournament-tipoff-times-tv-channels-stream/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">which also has a handy schedule that includes announcing teams,</a>&nbsp;will handle the Final Four and national title game this year.
The NCAA is streaming games via its&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.ncaa.com/march-madness-live/watch" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">March Madness Live</a>&nbsp;option and CBS games are being streamed on&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.paramountplus.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Paramount+</a>. Fans of longtime play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz should soak up every moment: It&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-cbs-jim-nantz-c09aa9f68af918fdc613dfd2e01191a1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his final NCAA Tournament.</a>
BETTING GUIDE
<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-betting-favorite-odds-149e49842f90412a306dcbd1f0279a6c">Who&rsquo;s going to win the national championship?</a>&nbsp;The betting favorites as of Saturday to reach the Final Four are (in order) Houston, Alabama, UCLA, Texas, UConn and Tennessee, according to&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/ncaab?tab=national-champion" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">FanDuel Sportsbook.</a>

By Saturday night, No. 1 seeds Kansas and Purdue, No. 2 seed Arizona and No. 4 seed Virginia were out of the NCAA Tournament.

March Madness recap: Top seeds fall in battle for Sweet 16 berths

The overall No. 1 seed for March Madness is No. 1 in the final AP Top 25, too.
Alabama, fresh off an SEC Tournament title to go with its regular-season crown, ascended to the top spot Monday, earning 48 of 61 first-place votes to jump Houston, which lost in the American Athletic Conference final without star guard Marcus Sasser. Alabama also spent a week at No. 1 last month.
&ldquo;We set goals over the summer: regular season, (league) tournament, obviously a national championship,&rdquo; Crimson Tide guard Jahvon Quinerly said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to make sure our guys are ready to go no matter who we match up with.&rdquo;
That will be Texas A&amp;M-Corpus Christi or Southeast Missouri State, who meet in a First Four game Tuesday night. The winner will play the Crimson Tide on Thursday in Birmingham, an hour down the road from their Tuscaloosa campus.
The top seed in the South Region, Alabama would face West Virginia or Maryland for a spot in the Sweet 16 with a win.
And how sweet that would be for a team that&rsquo;s gone through the ringer: former teammate Darius Miles and another man have been indicted on capital murder charges for a January shooting, an investigator has testified star freshman Brandon Miller was asked by Miles to bring the gun that night and police have also said Jaden Bradley was at the scene.
&ldquo;To beat the teams we had to beat to get here was not easy,&rdquo; Alabama coach Nate Oats said last week. &ldquo;So proud of the guys, proud of their effort, proud they were able to get really focused. Got a lot of mental toughness.&rdquo;
Houston still received nine first-place votes and was No. 2 after losing to Memphis in the final of the AAC tourney, where Sasser hurt his groin in the semifinal round. He did not play in the championship and his status will be watched closely leading up to the Cougars&rsquo; NCAA opener against Northern Kentucky.
Purdue, seeded first in the East Region, earned three first-place votes and was third in the AP poll after the regular-season Big Ten champion won its conference tournament, too. Kansas, which expects to have Bill Self back for the NCAA tourney after a medical scare, was fourth after receiving the No. 1 seed in the West.
Texas routed the Jayhawks in the finals of the Big 12 Tournament and rounded out the top five.
Marquette remained at No. 6 after its Big East tourney title. UCLA earned one first-place vote and was seventh after losing in the Pac-12 Tournament final to Arizona, which was No. 8. Gonzaga and UConn rounded out the top 10.
&ldquo;We have a special team. We&rsquo;re not going to do what our past teams have done, which was to maybe get caught up in the wallow of losing,&rdquo; said Huskies coach Dan Hurley, whose team fell to the Golden Eagles in the Big East tourney semifinals. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to get our minds right very quickly and get ready to make a run next week.&rdquo;
RISING AND FALLING
Duke made the biggest jump in the final poll after beating Virginia for the ACC Tournament title, climbing nine spots to No. 12 &mdash; the highest the Blue Devils have been since the third week of the season. First-year coach Jon Scheyer has them seeded fifth in the East in the NCAA Tournament.
UCLA, seeded second in the West, fell five spots to No. 7 in the final poll.
IN AND OUT
Memphis was hardly receiving votes last week, but rolling to the AAC tourney title put Penny Hardaway&rsquo;s crew into the poll for the first time this season at No. 24. Florida Atlantic, the Conference USA regular-season and tourney champ, returned at No. 25 after spending the first four weeks in the poll in school history in January and February.
The Tigers and Owls made the AP poll at the expense of Creighton, which was routed by Xavier in the Big East semifinals, and Kentucky, which fell to Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal round.
CONFERENCE WATCH
Widely considered the toughest league in the nation, the Big 12 had two teams in the top five and five in the Top 25. The league has seven schools heading to the NCAA Tournament after Oklahoma State was left on the bubble.
The SEC, which tied the Big Ten for the most NCAA bids with eight, had four teams in the final Top 25. The Big East and ACC had three apiece, though the Big East had two in the top 10 and the leading ACC team was Duke at No. 12.

The Crimson Tide, fresh off an SEC Tournament title to go with their regular-season crown, ascended to the top spot Monday.

Alabama, Houston top men's final AP Top 25 ahead of March Madness

The top overall seed, Alabama, has been on a roll despite being entangled in a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-darius-miles-fatal-shooting-indictment-jamea-harris-887b6419c4b576da778b710a58b8acf7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">murder case</a>. Another No. 1 seed, defending national champion Kansas, is coming off a blowout loss and has a coach coming out of the hospital. Yet another, Houston, just watched its&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/memphis-houston-march-madness-ncaa-hardaway-329475213b5f98fb6a436cfefdc51390" target="_blank" rel="noopener">best player go down in a heap</a>&nbsp;with a scary injury.
This year&rsquo;s&nbsp;March Madness&nbsp;frontrunners are anything but perfect, but the presence of these teams and all their questions at the top of the bracket could make for precisely what the NCAA wants its tournament to be &ndash; a perfectly unpredictable mess.
Most of the drama in picking this year&rsquo;s bracket was resolved far before Selection Sunday.
Arizona State and Nevada made it off the bubble and into the 68-team field. Rutgers and Oklahoma State did not.&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/purdue-big-ten-tournament-penn-state-zach-edey-3b17ff7c31380552d3707784339fed7e" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Purdue, with 7-foot-4 Zach Edey leading the way,</a>&nbsp;edged out UCLA for the fourth and final No. 1 seed.
And in a decision most everyone saw coming, the selection committee&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-north-carolina-left-out-16e5709c3c1f97a1d52f485d292715e0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">left North Carolina, last year&rsquo;s national runner-up, out of the tournament.</a> It made the Tar Heels the first team since the bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1985 to start the season ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll and finish it by not making the Big Dance.
The team they lost to, Kansas, is trying to become the first back-to-back NCAA champion since Florida in 2007.
The Jayhawks earned the top seed in the West Region, but only the third overall, behind the Crimson Tide and the Cougars. The Jayhawks are awaiting the return of coach Bill Self, who went to the hospital last week complaining of chest tightness and concerns with his balance.&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-bill-self-hospital-ncaa-coach-jayhawks-2053ffeb102c7dfb418109215dab554b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">He has been discharged</a>&nbsp;and is expected back this week.
The head of the selection committee, Chris Reynolds, said it took every injury, and every absence, into account.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s certainly something the committee talked about during the course of the year, and certainly played a factor in seeding and selection,&rdquo; said Reynolds, the athletic director at Bradley.
He said the committee also did not ignore lopsided losses: Two of Kansas&rsquo; seven Ls came in March to Texas, a No. 2 seed, by 16 and 20 points.
&ldquo;They mark it how they feel and we&rsquo;re just going to do what we need to do to get where we need to be,&rdquo; Kansas forward KJ Adams said.
The tournament begins Tuesday with two First Four games. The full madness starts Thursday with 16 first-round games, then 16 more the next day.
Kansas&rsquo; loss to Texas in the Big 12 semifinal Saturday likely played into&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/ncaab?tab=national-champion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FanDuel Sportsbook</a>&nbsp;setting the Jayhawks at 10-1 to win the title, behind both Alabama of the South Region (8-1 odds) and the overall favorite, Houston (5-1 odds), which would be playing the Final Four in its hometown if it wins the Midwest Region. The semifinals and finals are set for NRG Stadium on April 1 and 3.
The Cougars lost their conference title game Sunday, <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-bracket-midwest-ba5f567eee97af8eb848e229694b8b9b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in large part because they were without Marcus Sasser,</a>&nbsp;the leading scorer who left the previous day&rsquo;s game early after sliding awkwardly and hurting his groin.
Purdue likely found its way onto the &ldquo;1&rdquo; line when it won the program&rsquo;s second Big Ten tournament title Sunday, less than 24 hours after UCLA, also dinged-up this season, fell by two to Arizona in the Pac-12 title game.
For Alabama, the SEC tournament was a relative breeze &ndash; nobody stayed within double digits of the Tide -- unlike the past two months,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-south-bracket-alabama-005db4413ccdad1b00bcd38f879ac5df" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which have been met with a near constant flow of headlines</a>&nbsp;about a former player, Darius Miles, who is accused of capital murder In the Jan. 15 killing of 23-year-old Jamea Harris.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not sure we would have predicted this,&rdquo; said coach Nate Oats of the Tide, which is a No. 1 seed for the first time. &ldquo;Being the No. 1 overall seed is great. It says what an unbelievable regular season we&rsquo;ve had. You&rsquo;ve still got to go win the games.&rdquo;
The SEC and Big Ten led the way by placing eight teams each in the 68-team field. Duke won the ACC for the 22nd time and was one of five teams from that conference in a relatively weak year.
But this tournament is always about more than big schools with big pedigrees.
Some teams to watch for include&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/marist-iona-maac-64c60cf20f61ade2159022b1c113e77c">13th-seeded Iona</a>, coached by the legend, Rick Pitino, who has the Gaels in the show for the second time in three years &ndash; with some people wondering if he&rsquo;ll be heading over to a vacant job at St. John&rsquo;s soon. Iona got a brutal draw &ndash; a first-round meeting against fourth-seeded UConn.
There is Southern Conference champion Furman, back in the tournament for the first time since 1980, and MEAC champ Howard, back in the tourney for the first time since 1992.
There is Kennesaw State,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/kennesaw-state-ncaa-tournament-2f0a9c43ce247215832b429a520f580e">the program that went 1-28 in 2019-20 and now finds itself in the bracket.</a>&nbsp;For the rest of the dreamers, there is Texas Southern &ndash; the team that won its conference tournament as a No. 8 seed and comes to March Madness at 14-20 for a play-in game against Fairleigh Dickinson.

March Madness is underway! Here's a look at the No. 1 seeds in this year's NCAA Tournament.