Fighting Saints

Team Chuck&rsquo;s Global Stars and Team Shaq&rsquo;s OGs have advanced to the 2025 NBA All-Star Final game on Sunday night at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
Team Chuck&rsquo;s Global Stars, composed of Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, Karl-Anthony Towns, Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young, Alperen Sengun, and Pascal Siakam, won against Team Kenny&rsquo;s Young Stars composed of Anthony Edwards, Evan Mobley, Jaren Jackson Jr., Jalen Williams, Cade Cunningham, Darius Garland, Tyler Herro, and Jalen Brunson with a final score of 41-32.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the way for Team Chuck with 12 points while Wembanyama and Towns contributed 6 points each.&nbsp;
Jaren Jackson Jr., Evan Mobley, and Darius Garland each tallied 6 points for Team Kenny but the team was marred by the absence of Anthony Edwards, who was scratched late from the game due to groin soreness.&nbsp;
Team Shaq&rsquo;s OGs, composed of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown, bested Team Candace&rsquo;s Rising Stars from Friday night&rsquo;s Rising Stars game champion with a final score of 42-35.
Hometown superstar Stephen Curry had 8 points in front of the Chase Center crowd while Damian Lillard top-scored for the team with 9 points including the game-winning three-pointer.
Ryan Dunn and Dalton Knecht had 8 points apiece for the Rising Stars as they put up a good fight, but eventually fell short in the end.

Team Chuck’s Global Stars and Team Shaq’s OGs have advanced to the 2025 NBA All-Star Final game.

Team Chuck’s Global Stars, Team Shaq’s OGs set up battle in 2025 NBA All-Star

LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have become synonymous with the sport of basketball, serving as the gold standard for this generation of players and drawing in fans from all over the world.
Aside from 2021 and 2023, every NBA Finals series since 2011 has featured one of James, Curry or Durant. The trio have a combined 44 All-Star appearances, and at the 2024 NBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis, we got to watch them play together on the same team for the first time ever.
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Steph Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant all on the same team for the first time ever tonight 🔥✊ <a href="https://t.co/uUaAKwxaVr">pic.twitter.com/uUaAKwxaVr</a>
&mdash; Guru (@DrGuru_) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrGuru_/status/1759349903652995079?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
Seeing the faces of the NBA share the court as teammates was a lot of fun and left fans wanting for more.
Enter Team USA.
The world might witness these three legends team up once again in the coming months &mdash; this time while donning the red, white and blue. in hopes of leading Team USA to a fifth consecutive gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
While we got a taste of the trio during NBA All-Star Weekend, fans would love to see them in a competitive environment. Curry&rsquo;s otherworldly shooting, James' IQ and playmaking, plus Durant&rsquo;s deadly three-level scoring with extremely high stakes? That would be something to behold.
James, Curry and Durant are all highly intelligent basketball players who complement each other really well, so it would likely be a seamless transition on Team USA.
All three have expressed their interest in playing for the national team and were <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/usa-basketball-announces-player-pool-for-team-usas-2024-mens-national-team" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently included in the player pool that Team USA announced</a>.
Although the NBA season is still ongoing and a lot can still happen between now and July, but barring injuries or any unforeseen circumstances, the three global basketball icons will likely lead Team USA&rsquo;s pursuit for the gold medal in this year&rsquo;s Olympic Games. This hunt for the gold will coincide with the 50th anniversary of USA Basketball, making their run even more special.
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Beautiful, isn't it? Breaking down our 50th Anniversary logo 👇<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USAB50?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USAB50</a> 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/O4F7odCkWY">pic.twitter.com/O4F7odCkWY</a>
&mdash; USA Basketball (@usabasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/usabasketball/status/1749606150721388855?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
The American trio will aim to replicate the success of their predecessors from the original &ldquo;Dream Team&rdquo; in 1992 when NBA superstars Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird won the gold medal in Barcelona.
James, 39, has won three Olympic medals for Team USA (one bronze and two golds) with the last one coming 12 years ago when he won gold in London. The NBA&rsquo;s all-time leading scorer has expressed interest in suiting up for Team USA once again, and he has been in contact with several other NBA stars to join him including Curry and Durant. James&rsquo; impressive track record for his national team speaks for itself. After serving Team USA for eight years from 2004 to 2012, he is second all-time in games played (24) for Team USA.&nbsp;
The 35-year-old Curry has yet to play for Team USA in the Olympics. Curry already has two FIBA World Championships in his trophy case, which also includes four NBA championships and two NBA MVPs, but winning an Olympic gold medal might be the cherry on top of what has been an illustrious career. Curry has notably shown interest in playing for Team USA in the Olympic Games, and he is very likely to do so this year. With Warriors head coach Steve Kerr also calling the shots for Team USA, it makes a lot of sense for Curry to make his Olympic debut in Paris.
Finally, Durant is arguably the most accomplished Team USA player of all-time. Winning three Olympic gold medals (2012, 2016 and 2020-21) and a FIBA World Championship (2010), Team USA&rsquo;s &ldquo;Captain America&rdquo; is gunning for his record-setting fourth Olympic Gold medal. (He's currently tied with fellow USA great Carmelo Anthony, who also has three gold medals). Durant winning another gold medal would likely solidify him as the greatest Team USA player of all-time (if he isn't already). A two-time NBA champion and Finals MVP, Durant is one of the most lethal scorers the game has ever seen.
Aside from James, Curry and Durant &ndash; the NBA&rsquo;s most recognizable faces &ndash; who else will don the red, white and blue? The other finalists for the 2024 USA Men&rsquo;s national team are Bam Adebayo, Jarrett Allen, Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane, Scottie Barnes, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Jaylen Brown, Jalen Brunson, Jimmy Butler, Alex Caruso, Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, Joel Embiid, De&rsquo;Aaron Fox, Paul George, Aaron Gordon, Tyrese Haliburton, James Harden, Josh Hart, Tyler Herro, Jrue Holiday, Chet Holmgren, Brandon Ingram, Kyrie Irving, Jaren Jackson Jr., Cam Johnson, Walker Kessler, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, Chris Paul, Bobby Portis, Austin Reaves, Duncan Robinson, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White and Trae Young.
With James, Curry and Durant leading the way, Team USA will the favorite in Paris. However, they'll face stiff competition from the rest of the world, particularly world-champion Germany and star-studded squads like Australia and Team Canada. Generational international talents like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama will look to dethrone Team USA.
This iteration of the Olympics is shaping up to be the hardest challenge the Americans will ever face, and hopefully James, Curry and Durant will be at the forefront of it all. In likely their last dance in international competition, James, Curry and Durant will surely want to ride off into the sunset wearing gold medals around their necks.

The next time LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry are playing together, it will be with Team USA during the Paris Olympics.

LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant set to team up again — this time for USA

USA Basketball announced today a 41-athlete player pool for the 2024 USA Basketball Men&rsquo;s National Team. The players were selected by USA Basketball Men&rsquo;s National Team managing director&nbsp;Grant Hill&nbsp;and is subject to change. The 12-member 2024 USA Men&rsquo;s National Team, which will represent the United States at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games in Paris, will be announced at a later date.
Featuring 28 players who have represented the USA in Olympics and/or FIBA Men&rsquo;s World Cup and who together have collected 23 Olympic or World Cup gold medals, the 2024 USA Men&rsquo;s National Team finalists are&nbsp;Bam Adebayo,&nbsp;Jarrett Allen,&nbsp;Paolo Banchero,&nbsp;Desmond Bane,&nbsp;Scottie Barnes,&nbsp;Devin Booker,&nbsp;Mikal Bridges,&nbsp;Jaylen Brown,&nbsp;Jalen Brunson,&nbsp;Jimmy Butler,&nbsp;Alex Caruso,&nbsp;Stephen Curry,&nbsp;Anthony Davis,&nbsp;Kevin Durant,&nbsp;Anthony Edwards,&nbsp;Joel Embiid,&nbsp;De&rsquo;Aaron Fox,&nbsp;Paul George,&nbsp;Aaron Gordon,&nbsp;Tyrese Haliburton,&nbsp;James Harden,&nbsp;Josh Hart,&nbsp;Tyler Herro,&nbsp;Jrue Holiday,&nbsp;Chet Holmgren,&nbsp;Brandon Ingram,&nbsp;Kyrie Irving,&nbsp;Jaren Jackson Jr.,&nbsp;LeBron James,&nbsp;Cam Johnson,&nbsp;Walker Kessler,&nbsp;Kawhi Leonard,&nbsp;Damian Lillard,&nbsp;Donovan Mitchell,&nbsp;Chris Paul,&nbsp;Bobby Portis,&nbsp;Austin Reaves,&nbsp;Duncan Robinson,&nbsp;Jayson Tatum,&nbsp;Derrick White&nbsp;and&nbsp;Trae Young.
&ldquo;The United States boasts unbelievable basketball talent and I am thrilled that many of the game&rsquo;s superstars have expressed interest in representing our country at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games,&rdquo; Hill said. &ldquo;It is a privilege to select the team that will help us toward the goal of once again standing atop the Olympic podium. This challenging process will unfold over the next several months as we eagerly anticipate the start of national team activity."&nbsp;
The 2024 USA Men&rsquo;s National Team will be led by head coach&nbsp;Steve Kerr&nbsp;(Golden State Warriors), who is assisted by&nbsp;Mark Few&nbsp;(Gonzaga University),&nbsp;Tyronn Lue&nbsp;(L.A. Clippers) and&nbsp;Erik Spoelstra&nbsp;(Miami Heat). Last summer, the quartet coached the 2023 USA Basketball Men&rsquo;s National Team to a fourth-place finish at the 2023 FIBA Men&rsquo;s World Cup in Manila. Kerr is a 2020 Olympic gold medalist after serving as an assistant coach to&nbsp;Gregg Popovich&nbsp;in Tokyo.
In related news, USA Basketball also announced that the 2024 USA Men&rsquo;s National Team will host Canada at Las Vegas&rsquo; T-Mobile Arena as part of the USA Basketball Showcase. The exhibition contest is set for July 10 at 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET live on FS1.
The USA Basketball Showcase features a series of games that help the USA Basketball National Teams prepare for major competitions, including the Olympic Summer Games and FIBA World Cup.
Following Las Vegas, the Americans will embark on an international training window that features exhibition games against the national teams of South Sudan on July 20 and Germany on July 22 at the O2 Arena in London.
Tickets for all three contests are on sale now at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.usab.com/tickets">www.usab.com/tickets</a>.
"USA Basketball is excited to return to Las Vegas as our men's national team program looks forward to tipping off the journey to the 2024 Olympic Games there in July," said&nbsp;Jim Tooley, USA Basketball CEO. "The game at T-Mobile Arena against Canada is an important opportunity in our preparations and a great opportunity for our fans to support the U.S. national team before heading overseas."&nbsp;
Prior to the Canada game, the USA will hold training camp in Las Vegas, its longtime training hub. Additional information will be announced at a later date.
The USA officially qualified for the 2024 Olympics as one of the top two nations from the FIBA Americas zone at the 2023 FIBA World Cup in September. The American men will compete for their fifth straight &ndash; and 17th&nbsp;overall &ndash; Olympic gold medal.
In total, USA Basketball will be represented by four teams at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games, including 5-on-5 men and women and 3x3 men and women. The USA are reigning Olympic champions in 5-on-5 men and women and 3x3 women, with 3x3 men set to make their Olympic debut next summer. &nbsp;More information about all four USA Basketball teams will be announced at a later date.

USA Basketball announced today a 41-athlete player pool for the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s National Team.

USA Basketball announces player pool for 2024 Men’s National Team

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

Russell Westbrook may be on the move, again.
Following Westbrook's inclusion in <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/woj-lakers-timberwolves-jazz-agree-to-threeway-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a three-team deal</a> between the Lakers, Timberwolves and Jazz, Westbrook and the Jazz are expected to reach agreement on a buyout.
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In three-team deal being discussed between Lakers, Wolves and Jazz, a buyout for Russell Westbrook in Utah would be the likely path, league sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBAonTNT</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BleacherReport</a>.
&mdash; Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1623425850543681540?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2023</a></blockquote>

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While the trade value for Westbrook was on the lower side &mdash; his limitations, in addition to a gargantuan salary ($47 million) made trading for him a tough sell without pick compensation attached to him &mdash; Westbrook's market on the buyout market should be more robust.
He isn't the superstar he once was, operating in a primary bench role for the first time in his career. Westbrook remains a productive player, though: 15.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.0 steals are marks matched by three other players in the NBA this season &mdash; Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic and James Harden.
More specifically, Westbrook still lives at the rim.
A whopping 44% of his shots come at the rim, a 94th-percentile mark among combo guards, per Cleaning The Glass. He ranks eighth in total drives (792), with the Lakers generating roughly 1.04 points per possession (PPP) on trips featuring a Westbrook drive, per Second Spectrum.
The Lakers have played at the <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/advanced?dir=A&amp;sort=PACE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">second-highest pace</a> in the league this year. They've gotten in transition more often with Westbrook on the floor, a trend that has held in literally every season of Westbrook's career.
His ability to generate paint touches, with or without a screen, is still valuable to offenses. Once there, Westbrook has proven able to spray the ball out to the perimeter, or drop slick interior feeds. He's <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/passing?CF=PASSES_MADE*LE*50:POTENTIAL_AST*GE*12&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=POTENTIAL_AST" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of four players</a> averaging at least 12 potential assists per game while averaging 50 or fewer passes. To the interior feed point, Westbrook ranks third in the league in at-rim assists.
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That he's been able to do it with this volume, within a Laker offense that doesn't feature ideal spacing for drivers, should spark intrigue around what he could do in a better context.&nbsp;
While Westbrook has generated paint touches at a high level, his efficiency as a scorer has declined from peak form. For the second season in a row, he's converted just 58% of his shots in the rim. He's made a career-low 29% of his shots from floater range. Some of that is due to the roster construction during his Laker tenure, but the interior touch has been shaky independent of that.
There's also the matter of the jumper. His 32% clip from mid-range ties a career-low (2018-19), while he's drained a paltry 29% of his threes. A year after knocking down 44% of his threes from the corner (on admittedly low volume), he's down to 27% this year.&nbsp;
Teams aggressively gap him when he's off the ball. He can make hay as a cutter from the wing, but that isn't something you can build the boat around. Slotting him in the dunker spot, or using him as a screener, have seemingly been brought up as ideas more than we've seen it in practice. That could change in a new spot, but I'd temper expectations there.&nbsp;
So, which teams make sense for Westbrook? Let's go down the list.
NAH, WE'RE GOOD &mdash; PLAYOFFS/IN EDITION (13)
Teams: Atlanta, Boston, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Golden State, Indiana, Memphis, New Orleans, New York, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Portland, Sacramento
This is pretty straightforward. All of these teams either have a star-caliber point guard, a deep point guard room or both.
NAH, WE'RE GOOD &mdash; DEVELOPMENT EDITION (5)
Teams: Charlotte, Detroit, Houston, Orlando, San Antonio
This is also straightforward. These teams are young and have more incentive to give their guards a runway rather than bringing Westbrook into the fold.
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CAN'T SAY I SEE IT (4)
Teams: Brooklyn, Minnesota, Toronto, Washington
The Nets didn't seem super interested in Westbrook before Kyrie Irving was ultimately moved; the picks were the real assets, and there were rumblings of Westbrook being rerouted in such a deal. In light of Durant being moved, I really don't see the point now.
The Wolves just made their own point-guard swap, bringing the veteran Mike Conley into the fold. You could make the argument for Westbrook bolstering their second unit, running ball screens with Naz Reid &mdash; or Karl Anthony-Towns, when he's back and if they're staggered together. Ultimately, trying to sort through touches with Westbrook and&nbsp;Rudy Gobert&nbsp;and&nbsp;Edwards&nbsp;and&nbsp;Towns is probably too much.
The Raptors with an actual point guard who could consistently generate paint touches and feed their talented forwards &mdash; all of which offer intrigue as screeners &mdash; would be nice. But I don't think Westbrook should be that option in light of the spacing issues the Raptors already face.&nbsp;
We've frankly done the Westbrook-in-Washington thing. He'd be an upgrade over the current point guards there, but I don't think that would be worth exploring.
HEAR ME OUT, THOUGH (2)
Teams: Milwaukee, Phoenix
This may be an unpopular opinion, but the Bucks could probably use another shot creator. Among perimeter players, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton are kinda it.
Jevon Carter has taken a step as a pull-up shooter &mdash; did you know he's draining nearly 37% of his pull-up threes this year? &mdash; but he's not someone that can carry a unit. Grayson Allen and Pat Connaughton &mdash; whichever is replaced by Middleton when he returns to the starting lineup &mdash; are complementary pieces, not players who can handle significant on-ball usage.
All I'm saying is a second unit headlined by Westbrook and Sixth-Man-of-the-Year candidate* Bobby Portis (when he returns) could be good stuff. Joe Ingles could help balance things out with his blend of playmaking and shooting. Being able to have two of Holiday, Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Westbrook on the floor at all times would be quite the luxury.&nbsp;
If the Suns were interested in Irving &mdash; and were possibly, maybe, allegedly, reportedly willing to involve Chris Paul in a deal to get it done &mdash; it stands to reason that they'd be in the market for more shot creation.
At the very least, the Suns need to pressure the rim more than they do.
Shout out to their increased work on the offensive glass &mdash; fifth in offensive rebound rate after ranking 21st last season &mdash; as well as the on-ball aggression they got from Mikal Bridges before moving him in a deal for some Kevin Durant dude.
They still rank 25th in drives per 100 possessions, 27th in free throw rate and 29th in rim rate (percentage of field goal attempts coming at the rim).&nbsp;
Westbrook could help in all of those areas.
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THE FAVORITES (3)
Teams: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami
Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes has reported that <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1623503500088070146?s=20&amp;t=CvvJPgcuaCLuvtoLr_Nfbg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Bulls</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1623494584524505088?s=20&amp;t=CvvJPgcuaCLuvtoLr_Nfbg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Clippers</a> are expected to show interest in Westbrook, provided he's bought out.
I'll start here: without the Haynes report, I'd probably have Chicago in the "can't-see-it" section. I still want to put them there, but it's telling that we heard about their interest so early.
I get&nbsp;why there would be interest. Much like Phoenix, the Bulls have a mid-range heavy shot profile while ranking toward the bottom of the league in drives. Adding Westbrook to the fold could help that, while also taking some of the creation burden off of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine.
Nikola Vucevic could be a versatile screening partner for Westbrook, or someone that could space the floor while giving him room to work. If the pick-and-roll partnership between Westbrook and Thomas Bryant can be fruitful &mdash; 1.06 PPP on direct plays, per Second Spectrum, a quality number &mdash; then surely he and Vucevic could make music together.&nbsp;
And ultimately, the Bulls' offense has underwhelmed this year. They're in the bottom third of the league in offensive rating; their 114.5 offensive rating with DeRozan, LaVine and Vucevic on the floor would only rank 15th league-wide. Constantly being flanked with a passive guard &mdash; either the budding Ayo Dosunmu or the versatile Alex Caruso &mdash; puts a bit of a cap on the offensive ceiling of this group.
I'm not convinced Westbrook would be a great answer in practice, but I understand the logic behind how he could be.&nbsp;
The Clippers seem to be the natural fit for Westbrook for a multitude of reasons. They could also use his rim pressure, and could especially use the juice he provides in transition. There are enough shooters on the roster, including their two best players, to create a favorable context for Westbrook. On a personal note, it'd be pretty convenient for Westbrook, who wouldn't have to move at all.&nbsp;
If there's such a thing as a darkhorse favorite, the Heat would be it. They're the worst offense of this group of teams &mdash; 25th in offensive rating (112.2) when removing garbage time. Both on and off the floor, the Heat feel like a team that could use an outside jolt.
The biggest drawback to the fit is the spacing. Erik Spoelstra is one of the most creative minds in NBA history, but constructing a workable offense around Westbrook, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo would be quite the challenge.&nbsp;
A challenge doesn't mean it'd be impossible.
We've seen Westbrook and Anthony Davis generate good looks <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/explain-one-play-lakers-go-low-against-the-bucks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on low pick-and-rolls</a>; it's not hard to envision Westbrook and Adebayo doing the same. Westbrook could receive screens from, or be the screener for, Butler. In a vacuum, Westbrook's paint-heavy style could complement the pull-up chops of Tyler Herro in the backcourt.
All the Heat may need is a slight boost; even with their offense and the injuries they've had to sort through, they're a playoff team right now while playing in a league-leading 38 clutch games. Westbrook doesn't have to be a superstar; he simply needs to be an additive. There's enough in the tank to talk yourself into it.

Nekias Duncan explores the Russell Westbrook buyout market.

Exploring potential landing spots for Russell Westbrook after buyout

On January 15, after a 112-102 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving was asked about Kevin Durant's absence. More specifically, he was asked how the circumstances (and the locker room) differ from last year. This is what he had to say.
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Kyrie on why KD's absence is different this year: "Well I'm consistently in the lineup, that helps. We also don't have anyone who is halfway in in the locker room."
&mdash; Alec Sturm (@Alec_Sturm) <a href="https://twitter.com/Alec_Sturm/status/1614805186589110277?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2023</a></blockquote>

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There was a hint of irony to the response in light of his&nbsp;absence for large portions of last season due to New York's vaccine mandate, as well as the suspension he served this season due to sharing antisemitic content. Secondarily, it felt like a clear shot at former Nets guard James Harden, who ultimately requested a trade before last year's deadline.&nbsp;
On January 15, Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10063026-ball-is-in-the-nets-court-as-kyrie-irving-seeks-long-term-extension" target="_blank" rel="noopener">relayed word from Irving's agent</a>, expressing their desire to reach an agreement on a long-term extension in Brooklyn. From the piece:
<blockquote>
"Around Kyrie and staying with the Nets? I have reached out to the Nets regarding this," his agent Shetellia Irving told Bleacher Report. "We have had no significant conversations to date. The desire is to make Brooklyn home, with the right type of extension, which means the ball is in the Nets' court to communicate now if their desire is the same."
</blockquote>
It would appear the desire isn't mutual. With no extension agreed to, Irving has reportedly requested a trade from the Nets ahead of the February 9 trade deadline.
Zooming out, that's three separate trade requests the Nets have received from stars over the past calendar year. And before digging into potential destinations from Irving, it's worth taking the step back to acknowledge how wild things have been in Brooklyn during the 7/11 Era.&nbsp;
(Also, the clock is going to start back ticking on Durant, no? Irving requesting the trade now is unfortunate timing. Depending on what they could get back, this deal could take the Nets out of the contention conversation through absolutely no fault of Durant's. Considering Irving's role in Durant's trade request in the summer &mdash; he wants, or wanted, his guy there with him long-term &mdash; it would be understandable if he got antsy again.)
Irving has been tremendous on the court this season, averaging 27.1 points (career-high 56.9% on 2s, 37.4% on 3s), 5.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds. His blend of ball-handling, pull-up shooting and finishing is almost unrivaled in the league &mdash; and in league history. And to Irving's credit, his buy-in on the defensive end is as consistently high as it's ever been in his career.
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Irving's availability and contract status &mdash; he'll be an unrestricted free agent this summer &mdash; will complicate his trade value. The receiving team, if he's moved, will have to be confident in retaining Irving long term. And from there, they'd have to be confident that Irving, who hasn't appeared in 70 games since the 2016-17 season, will be consistently available. His injury history and off-the-court controversies in back-to-back seasons make that a tough bet on the surface.
Of course, the bet being tough &mdash; and likely untenable for some franchises &mdash; doesn't mean it won't be made at all. There will be teams that check in on Irving and push their chips to the middle of the table.
We have to start the conversation with the Los Angeles Lakers. They were linked to Irving in the summer, when it felt like both Durant and Irving could be moved. There's an obvious link between Irving and LeBron James. The two played in Cleveland together for three years, winning a title in 2016. LeBron also stood up for Irving during his suspension earlier this season.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
💭 I told you guys that I don&rsquo;t believe in sharing hurtful information. And I&rsquo;ll continue to be that way but Kyrie apologized and he should be able to play. That&rsquo;s what I think. It&rsquo;s that simple. Help him learn- but he should be playing. What he&rsquo;s asked to do to get back on
&mdash; LeBron James (@KingJames) <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1590781218790211584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

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We don't have to spend much time here. The Lakers would build a package headlined by Russell Westbrook and one or both of their future first-round picks (2027, 2029) for Irving. That doesn't mean the Nets would get Westbrook; three-team frameworks would likely be discussed, and it's worth noting that Haynes reported earlier on Friday that the Lakers and Utah Jazz <a href="https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/10064005-nba-insider-buzz-lakers-know-they-need-another-trade-jazz-enter-westbrook-chat.amp.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">re-engaged in talks surrounding Westbrook</a>.
Beyond the Lakers, there are a few teams that come to mind that make on-court &mdash; and I stress on-court &mdash; sense for the star guard.
Priority number one for the Dallas Mavericks, for example, is finding a legitimate co-star to pair with Luka Doncic. He's clearly good enough to handle a gargantuan offensive load; he leads the NBA in points (second in scoring average, 33.4) and ranks fifth in assists (8.2). Only the Cavs play at a slower pace than the Mavericks this season, mostly due to Doncic's surgical cadence in the half-court.&nbsp;
Spencer Dinwiddie and Christian Wood (when healthy) have filled in well as secondary scorers. Dinwiddie is averaging nearly 18 points a game while bombing away from three (40.3% on a career-high 6.4 attempts). Wood's inside-out dynamic has helped him become the second half of the NBA's most prolific pick-and-roll duo, per Second Spectrum tracking.
Neither of them garner the same defensive attention that Irving does, nor can they take over games in the way that Irving can. A framework built around former-Net Dinwiddie and currently-in-the-rumor-mill Dorian Finney-Smith could intrigue the Nets.
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The Miami Heat were reportedly on Irving's summer list of teams he'd be okay getting signed-and-traded to, per ESPN's Adrain Wojnarowski. A certified third star alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo could lift their ceiling, especially one as dynamic offensively as Irving. As of writing, the Heat rank 25th in overall offensive rating, excluding garbage time, and 22nd in half-court offense.
While Tyler Herro has taken steps as a creator and first-time starter &mdash; 20.3 points (49.9% on 2s, 37.3% on 3s) and a career-high 4.4 assists is nothing to sneeze at &mdash; his ability to generate traction downhill and deal with in-your-jersey defenders on an island pale in comparison to Irving. Among teams that may show interest in Irving, Herro may be the best young piece that could be offered in a deal &mdash; though his inclusion would be complicated due to the <a href="https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2018/10/hoops-rumors-glossary-poison-pill-provision.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"poison pill" element</a> of his current contract status.
Because Herro's rookie extension (4/120) hasn't kicked in yet, the Heat and Nets would be dealing with different cap numbers in a potential trade. For the Heat, they'd be sending out Herro's current-year salary ($5.7 million). The Nets (or a third team receiving Herro) would be accounting for $25.1 million &mdash; the average of Herro's total salary owed.
Without Herro, Miami would likely try to use Kyle Lowry as the headliner to a package. With <a href="https://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Future/Heat.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">somewhat limited pick ammo</a> and young prospects -- how much would Nikola Jovic appeal to this version of Brooklyn? -- the Heat feel more like a long shot compared to Los Angeles and Dallas.
STRAY THOUGHTS
<ul>
<li>The Suns and Nets were linked during the Durant Sweepstakes, but I wonder if they'd check in on Irving. This would be a deal centered around Chris Paul, which begs the question: how much more would Brooklyn want? Would a Paul + Cam Johnson package appeal to both parties, in light of Phoenix's need for half-court scoring?</li>
<li>The Clippers will always &mdash; or at least should &mdash; be mentioned in these kind of conversations. Their roster is littered with quality players on mid-level salaries, making them an appealing keep-us-competitive option for the Nets.</li>
<li>I'm sure the Knicks are content with Jalen Brunson, but hey. Just ... hey, I'm sure they'll think about it. Even if the answer is ultimately, "Nah, we're good", I find it hard to believe they wouldn't think about it.</li>
<li>Normally there's a "won't happen, but these pieces make sense" team to choose from in trade discussions like this, but I'm struggling with this one. Would the closest be something surrounding an Irving-Zach LaVine swap? Like, sure?</li>
</ul>

Kyrie Irving has requested a trade from the Nets. Nekias Duncan looks at which teams make sense as a possible landing spot.

Exploring possible trade destinations for Nets' Kyrie Irving

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; Brooklyn got another win. Now the Nets have to hope for good news on Kevin Durant.
Royce O'Neale's putback with 3.2 seconds left put Brooklyn to stay, and the Nets beat the Miami Heat 102-101 on Sunday night in a game where Durant left in the third quarter with a right knee injury.
&ldquo;Right knee, he'll get evaluated tomorrow and then hopefully I'll have some more info," Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said. &ldquo;Most likely it will include imaging, just to make sure we're good."
Durant was awaiting his teammates after the big finish, giving them all fist bumps as they walked into the locker room. Vaughn said he did not ask Durant how he was feeling, though Kyrie Irving said his friend was in good spirits.
Durant left with 36.6 seconds left in the third quarter, not long after he appeared to get hurt on a drive by Miami's Jimmy Butler. Durant grabbed at his right knee after Butler, who had just driven to the basket, landed with his back to Durant and fell into him.
&ldquo;Those plays are scary, because when someone&rsquo;s not looking what&rsquo;s going on, anything can happen in those moments,&rdquo; Irving said. &ldquo;So I&rsquo;m grateful for all that time he&rsquo;s put in the weight room putting his body in a great position, and his body was able to save him from something worse.&rdquo;
Durant took two big hits in the second half. He also grabbed at the knee after being called for an offensive foul on a drive where he collided with Miami's Kyle Lowry with 7:57 left in the third.
&ldquo;You never want to see him go down like that," Vaughn said. &ldquo;Any player, for that matter. Pretty hard collision, but you've got to give our group credit for staying with it."
Irving scored 29 to lead the Nets, who have won 18 of their last 20 &mdash; after winning only nine of their first 20 games. Durant had 17 before departing and Seth Curry scored 14 for Brooklyn.
Nic Claxton had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Nets.
Butler scored 26 for Miami, which got 24 from Tyler Herro. <a href="https://twitter.com/BallyHEAT/status/1612260290938257408?s=20">Butler missed a contested shot at the rim on the game&rsquo;s final play,</a> and Herro was shaken up on it as well before limping off &mdash; replays showing he may have slipped.
&ldquo;Jimmy made the absolute right play," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, after the team argued for a foul to no avail.
Spoelstra said Herro indicated postgame that he was fine, but the team will know more Monday. Bam Adebayo was limited in the second half because of a right hand contusion &mdash; X-rays were negative &mdash; and scored 10 for Miami, as did Max Strus and Haywood Highsmith.
Brooklyn led 66-64 at the half, with Irving leading the Nets with 24 and the teams both shooting well &mdash; 54% for Miami, 57% for Brooklyn.
And then in the third, the defenses showed up.
Brooklyn shot 28% in the quarter, Miami 25%, and the Heat outscored the Nets 18-13 in the period to take a three-point lead into the fourth.
Miami led by as many as nine in the final quarter, went up 101-100 on back-to-back baskets by Butler late, but couldn't corral the rebound on Irving's missed 30-footer in the final seconds. <a href="https://twitter.com/YESNetwork/status/1612258949243482117?s=20&amp;t=Xj7MNRicRcfWvztP6dv1tw">O'Neale got the rebound and turned it into the eventual winner.</a>
&ldquo;I was just right there to finish it," O'Neale said.
TIP-INS
Nets: Claxton blocked three shots and has at least three blocks in six consecutive games. Only the Lakers&rsquo; Anthony Davis has done that this season, and no Nets player has done that since Shawn Bradley had two separate 11-game streaks in 1996.
Heat: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was in attendance, as was DJ Khaled. ... Caleb Martin (left quadriceps strain) was out. ... Lowry and Victor Oladipo each were 2 for 10. ... Miami is 21-20 at the season's midway point.
DURANT MILESTONE
Durant needed just two points to pass Dominique Wilkins (26,668) for 14th on the NBA's career scoring list. With 17 on Sunday, Durant is up to 26,684.
He's 26 points away from No. 13 Oscar Robertson (26,710).
&nbsp;

Kevin Durant left with an injury but the Brooklyn Nets got a Royce O'Neale putback with 3.2 seconds to beat the Miami Heat 102-101.

Nets top Heat 102-101, lose Durant to right knee injury

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant each scored 32 points and the Nets extended their longest winning streak since moving to Brooklyn to nine games with a 125-117 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night.
The Nets withstood a sensational 46-point performance by Darius Garland, who single-handedly kept the Cavs close in the fourth.
Brooklyn has won 13 of 14 and is beginning to look like an NBA title contender.
T.J. Warren added a season-high 23 points for the Nets, who handled one of the teams they&rsquo;re chasing in the Eastern Conference standings after beating Milwaukee by 18 last Friday.
Durant moved past Tim Duncan (26,496) into 15th place on the career scoring list.
Irving made a season-high seven 3-pointers &mdash; and two key free throws with 41.1 seconds left &mdash; while being booed nearly every time he touched the ball by fans who cheered him during six seasons with Cleveland.
CLIPPERS 142, PISTONS 131, OT
DETROIT (AP) &mdash; Paul George scored 32 points and Los Angeles overcame a 14-point deficit in the final 3:34 of regulation to beat Detroit in overtime.
Terance Mann hit a tying jumper with five seconds left in the fourth quarter to cap a closing 16-2 run for the Clippers, who trailed 126-112 with 3:34 remaining. Los Angeles then outscored the Pistons 14-3 in the extra period.
Ivica Zubac added 12 points and 15 rebounds for Los Angeles, which has beaten Detroit eight straight times. The Clippers had seven players score in double figures.
Bojan Bogdanovic led Detroit with 23 points, including the Pistons&rsquo; only field goal of the last eight minutes. Isaiah Stewart added 21 points for NBA-worst Detroit.
HEAT 113, TIMBERWOLVES 110
MIAMI (AP) &mdash; Max Strus scored 19 points, Kyle Lowry added 18 points and nine assists, and Miami got back to .500 by holding off Minnesota.
Orlando Robinson scored 15 points and Tyler Herro had 14 for the Heat (17-17), who were without Jimmy Butler (ankle) and Bam Adebayo (illness).
Anthony Edwards led all scorers with 29 points for the Timberwolves (16-18). Naz Reid had 21 points and 10 rebounds.
ROCKETS 133, BULLS 118
CHICAGO (AP) &mdash; Kevin Porter Jr. scored a season-high 36 points and Houston used a 17-1 run in the third quarter to beat Chicago, snapping a five-game losing streak.
Alperan Sengun added 25 points and Jalen Green had 24 for the Rockets, who scored the first 10 points of the game but blew an 18-point lead before their third-quarter spurt.
DeMar DeRozan scored 31 for the Bulls, who won their previous three games. DeRozan passed George Gervin for 44th place on the career scoring list with 20,727 points.
PELICANS 113, PACERS 93
NEW ORLEANS (AP) &mdash; Naji Marshall scored a career-high 22 points, Jonas Valanciunas had 20 points and 12 rebounds, and short-handed New Orleans extended its winning streak to three games by beating Indiana.
CJ McCollum added 19 points for the Pelicans, who were missing top scorer Zion Williamson along with Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III.
Rookie guard Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 15 points in 22 minutes off the bench. Myles Turner scored 14.
SPURS 126, JAZZ 122
SAN ANTONIO (AP) &mdash; Devin Vassell had 24 points, Keldon Johnson added 21 and San Antonio fended off Utah in the final minutes.
The Spurs led 121-110 with 2 1/2 minutes remaining. The Jazz scored seven points in 33 seconds, but could not complete the comeback.
Lauri Markkanen had 32 points and Jordan Clarkson added 25 for Utah.
Clarkson&rsquo;s 3-pointer cut it to 123-120 with 30.1 seconds left, but Tre Jones tossed in a floater 23 seconds later to seal the victory.
Jones had 11 points and Jakob Poeltl scored 16 for San Antonio.
TRAIL BLAZERS 124, HORNETS 113
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Jusuf Nurkic scored 27 points, including a career-high five 3-pointers, to go with 14 rebounds and six assists as Portland defeated Charlotte.
Jerami Grant led all scorers with 32 points for Portland. Damian Lillard had 17 points and nine assists on a night when he was honored for becoming the leading scorer in Trail Blazers history.
LaMelo Ball paced the Hornets with 25 points.
Portland trailed by 14 in the second quarter but Nurkic sparked the turnaround, finishing with 21 points, 10 rebounds and four assists after halftime.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A recap of Monday night's NBA slate includes an Eastern Conference showdown between two of the league's best.

Irving, Durant lead Nets past Cavs for 9th straight win

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

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

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

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

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Kyrie Irving said Saturday he embraced all religions, defiantly defending his right to post whatever he believes after the owner of the Brooklyn Nets said he was disappointed that Irving appeared to back an antisemitic film.
&ldquo;We're in 2022. History is not supposed to be hidden from anybody and I'm not a divisive person when it comes to religion,&rdquo; Irving said during a tense postgame press conference. &ldquo;I embrace all walks of life.&rdquo;
Nets owner Joe Tsai said Friday he was disappointed that Irving appeared to support a film <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/breakingnews/nets-owner-disappointed-irving-backed-antisemitic-work" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;based on a book full of antisemitic disinformation.&rdquo;</a> The star guard for the Nets posted a link for the film &ldquo;Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America&rdquo; <a href="https://twitter.com/KyrieIrving/status/1585704113433677829?s=20&amp;t=GszUabspkjg9y3n0yb_rhA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on Twitter on Thursday</a>. The synopsis on Amazon said the film &ldquo;uncovers the true identity of the Children of Israel.&rdquo;
&ldquo;The organization has spoken to Kyrie about it,&rdquo; Nets coach Steve Nash said before their loss to Indiana, not divulging specifics of what that meant.
But nothing that was said will stop Irving from what he wants to share.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to stand down on anything I believe in,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m only going to get stronger because I&rsquo;m not alone. I have a whole army around me.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Kyrie Irving addresses the backlash to his recent social media posts after Saturday night's game in Brooklyn. <a href="https://t.co/tSuxGrNbbM">pic.twitter.com/tSuxGrNbbM</a>
&mdash; YES Network (@YESNetwork) <a href="https://twitter.com/YESNetwork/status/1586552423568449536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Irving said he understood Tsai's position but was quick to say that he did nothing harmful, adding that just because he posts about something doesn't necessarily means he supports it.
&ldquo;Did I do anything illegal? Did I hurt anybody?&rdquo; Irving said. &ldquo;Did I harm anybody? Am I going out and saying that I hate one specific group of people?&rdquo;
But he went far enough that the Nets and the NBA spoke out against hate speech.
Tsai and the Nets reacted quickly to the latest trouble stirred up by Irving, who had previously supported the idea of the Earth being flat and last month on social media shared an old clip from conspiracy theorist Alex Jones &mdash; though Irving clarified that he didn't stand with Jones when it came to anything regarding the shootings at Sandy Hook.
&ldquo;I want to sit down and make sure he understands this is hurtful to all of us, and as a man of faith, it is wrong to promote hate based on race, ethnicity or religion,&rdquo; Tsai wrote on Twitter regarding Irving.
The NBA on Saturday said &ldquo;hate speech of any kind is unacceptable."
&ldquo;We believe we all have a role to play in ensuring such words or ideas, including antisemitic ones, are challenged and refuted and we will continue working with all members of the NBA community to ensure that everyone understands the impact of their words and actions," the league said.
It was not clear if that meant the league has spoken to Irving, or plans to speak to him on the matter.
Irving was unavailable for most of the Nets&rsquo; home games last season because he refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19, as was mandated in New York City. The Nets then declined to give him a contract extension this summer, meaning Irving could be in his final season with the team.
&ldquo;The Brooklyn Nets strongly condemn and have no tolerance for the promotion of any form of hate speech," the team said in a statement. "We believe that in these situations, our first action must be open, honest dialogue. We thank those, including the ADL, who have been supportive during this time.&rdquo;
Nash was asked Saturday if he felt if the latest Irving storyline was a distraction to the team.
&ldquo;I don't think our group is overly affected by the situation," Nash said. &ldquo;We've had so many situations over the last 2 1/2 years that I think we've kind of built an immunity to some of it. I also think our guys aren't that familiar with the material."

Kyrie Irving said Saturday that he embraces all religions, defiantly defending his right to post whatever he believes.

Kyrie Irving says he embraces all religions, defends recent posts

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai said Friday that he is disappointed that Kyrie Irving appears to support a film &ldquo;based on a book full of antisemitic disinformation.&rdquo;
The Nets' star guard posted a link for the film &ldquo;Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America&rdquo; on Twitter on Thursday. The synopsis on Amazon said the film &ldquo;uncovers the true identity of the Children of Israel.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
I&rsquo;m disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of anti-semitic disinformation. I want to sit down and make sure he understands this is hurtful to all of us, and as a man of faith, it is wrong to promote hate based on race, ethnicity or religion.
&mdash; Joe Tsai (@joetsai1999) <a href="https://twitter.com/joetsai1999/status/1586196102126391296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Tsai and the Nets reacted quickly to the latest trouble stirred up by Irving, who had previously supported the idea of the Earth being flat and last month on social media shared an old clip from conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
&ldquo;I want to sit down and make sure he understands this is hurtful to all of us, and as a man of faith, it is wrong to promote hate based on race, ethnicity or religion,&rdquo; Tsai wrote on Twitter regarding Irving.
Irving was unavailable for most of the Nets&rsquo; home games last season because he refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19, as was mandated in New York City. The Nets then declined to give him a contract extension this summer, meaning Irving could be in his final season with the team.
&ldquo;The Brooklyn Nets strongly condemn and have no tolerance for the promotion of any form of hate speech," the team said in a statement. "We believe that in these situations, our first action must be open, honest dialogue. We thank those, including the ADL, who have been supportive during this time.&rdquo;
On Saturday, Irving <a href="https://twitter.com/KyrieIrving/status/1586419512538451968" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sent out the following tweet</a> in response to the criticism: "I am an OMNIST and I meant no disrespect to anyone&rsquo;s religious beliefs. The 'Anti-Semitic' label that is being pushed on me is not justified and does not reflect the reality or truth I live in everyday. I embrace and want to learn from all walks of life and religions."

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UPDATE: Following the Brooklyn Nets' loss to the Indiana Pacers on Saturday evening, Kyrie Irving addressed the media and had an intense back-and-forth with ESPN's Nick Friedell. Watch the exchange below:
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Kyrie Irving addresses the backlash to his recent social media posts after Saturday night's game in Brooklyn. <a href="https://t.co/tSuxGrNbbM">pic.twitter.com/tSuxGrNbbM</a>
&mdash; YES Network (@YESNetwork) <a href="https://twitter.com/YESNetwork/status/1586552423568449536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Nets owner Joe Tsai said he is disappointed that Kyrie Irving appears to support a film “based on a book full of antisemitic disinformation.”

Nets owner Joe Tsai disappointed Kyrie Irving backed antisemitic work

MILWAUKEE, Wisc. (AP) &mdash; Kyrie Irving scored 23 points, Kevin Durant had 19 points and eight assists and the Brooklyn Nets won their first game of the preseason, beating the Milwaukee Bucks 107-97 Wednesday night.
Nick Claxton had 16 points and nine rebounds for Brooklyn, which snapped a two-game skid. Ben Simmons finished with seven points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led winless Milwaukee with 24 points and 14 rebounds in 32 minutes. Jrue Holiday finished with 20 points and Jevon Carter, starting alongside Holiday at guard, added 15 points on 6-for-12 shooting. The Bucks fell to 0-5 in the preseason.
Nets coach Steve Nash said before the game that he wanted his key players &mdash; Irving, Durant and Simmons &mdash; to play some extra minutes together as players began ramping up for the start of the regular season next week. Irving played 33 minutes, while Durant played 31. Simmons, who also had a pair of steals, logged 28 minutes.
The game matched Eastern Conference teams entering the season with plenty of optimism. Milwaukee is a year removed from its championship. For Brooklyn, a lot of promise last season was hindered by injuries and Irving&rsquo;s inability to play at home because of COVID-19 vaccination issues.
HEAT 120, PELICANS 103
Bam Adebayo scored 25 points, Tyler Herro finished with 23 and host Miami handed New Orleans its first loss in four preseason games as Pelicans star Zion Williamson (11 points) played only 11 minutes before leaving the game after rolling his left ankle.
Jimmy Butler had 12 points and six assists in 25 minutes for the Heat. Max Strus finished with 11 points.
Willy Hernangomez, filling in at center for the resting Jonas Valanciunas, scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead New Orleans. Trey Murphy III and Naji Marshall finished with 15 points apiece.
Williamson &mdash; who didn&rsquo;t play at all last season because of problems with his right foot &mdash; got hurt on a play where he grabbed a rebound, brought the ball downcourt, split multiple Heat defenders and got to the rim. His left ankle simply appeared to buckle as he planted, without making contact with any other player. He said after the game he was fine, and was assured by doctors that he was only going to experience soreness.
CJ McCollum played 18 minutes and was 1 of 7 from the field, finishing with three points.
CAVALIERS 105, HAWKS 99
Donovan Mitchell had 24 points and eight rebounds and Darius Garland added 23 points, 12 assists and three steals as the backcourt duo led Cleveland to victory over Atlanta.
Cedi Osman and Isaac Okoro finished with 16 points each, and Mamadi Diakite had 11 rebounds and 13 points, making 5 of 7 shots.
Jarrett Allen had five blocks in the game.
Dejounte Murray led the Hawks with 17 points, and John Collins had 15 points and seven rebounds. Trae Young scored 14 points, but was 3 of 17 from the field, including making one of his six 3-point attempts.
76ERs 99, HORNETS 94
Joel Embiid had 19 points and six rebounds and James Harden added 17 points and five assists as Philadelphia beat Charlotte and remained undefeated in four preseason games.
Mortrezl Harrell finished with 14 points and six rebounds.
Gordon Hayward led the Hornets with 16 points, converting 6 of 10 shots, including two of three 3-point attempts. Terry Rozier had 12 points and James Bouknight finished with 11.
The game was a demonstration of the Embiid-Harden offensive key for the Sixers. Philadelphia built its lead with the duo&rsquo;s scoring. However, it was a struggle shooting, with Philadelphia made 39% for the game.
LaMelo Ball sat out after suffering a left ankle sprain earlier this week. He is expected to be out a week or two, including the start of the regular season.
PACERS 109, KNICKS 100
Rookie Bennedict Mathurin, the sixth pick in last summer&rsquo;s draft, scored 27 points as Indiana handed New York its first loss in three preseason games.
Andrew Nembhard, the 31st pick in the draft from Gonzaga, had 15 points for the Pacers, while Chris Duarte added 13 points.
RJ Barrett led the Knicks with 21 points, and Julius Randle added 13. Immanuel Quickly scored 12 points for New York.
Isaiah Hartenstein, who signed a two-year deal with the Knicks during the offseason, grabbed 10 rebounds.
Jalen Brunson, the Knicks new hope at point guard, had 11 points on 4-for-14 shooting from the field, including 1 of 3 from 3-point range in 30 minutes.

Kyrie Irving scored 23 points, Kevin Durant had 19 points and 8 assists and the Nets won their first game of the preseason.

Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant lead Nets past winless Bucks 107-97

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Bam Adebayo scored 17 points and undrafted rookie Jamal Cain added 15 points and 11 rebounds as the Miami Heat defeated the Brooklyn Nets 109-80 on Thursday night.
Kevin Durant led Brooklyn with 22 points on 8 of 12 shooting in 26 minutes. Ben Simmons had four points and 10 rebounds for the Nets.
Miami star Jimmy Butler played for the first time in the preseason, scoring two points in the first half and then sitting in the second half. Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo didn&rsquo;t play for the Heat.
The Nets were minus Joe Harris, who was resting an ankle that left him out most of last season, and Kyrie Irving, who had the night off after the birth of his child. Seven Heat players scored in double figures.
Kyle Lowry had 15 points and Dru Smith, Duncan Robinson and Jamaree Bouyea each added 12 for Miami. Cain signed with the Heat in July after playing for Marquette and Oakland University.
Cam Thomas scored 13 points and Markieff Morris 10 for the Nets.
Through the first half, the teams tried various combinations, mixing the starters with some key bench players. Both sides seemed to stretch their stars for some extra minutes in the shortened NBA preseason.
Durant played 19 minutes in the first half and scored 18 points, making six of seven shots. Simmons and backcourt mate Royce O&rsquo;Neale each played 18 minutes.
MAGIC 102, SPURS 99
Paolo Banchero, the overall No. 1 pick in the June draft, had nine points and five rebounds as Orlando beat San Antonio.
Wendell Carter Jr. had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Magic. He shot 8 of 13 as most of the Orlando starters played between 20 and 23 minutes. Franz Wagner had 12 points and Moritz Wagner scored 10.
Doug McDermott led the Spurs with 14 points, and Keita Bates-Diop added 12.. Devin Vassell and Tre Jones scored 11 points each.
THUNDER 131, ADELAIDE 36ERs 98
Tre Mann scored 26 points, including hitting 8 of 10 on 3s, as Oklahoma City beat a team from the Australian National Basketball League.
Lindy Waters III scored 23 points and Eugene Omoruyi added 19 points for the Thunder.
Craig Randall II, who had 35 points in the 36ers' 134-124 win over the Phoenix Suns earlier in the week, led Adelaide with 27 points. Robert Franks scored 20 points and Antonius Cleveland had 19 points.
Adelaide used torrid 3-point shooting, hitting 56% from beyond the arc, to defeat the Suns in the opening game of their preseason tour. But the accuracy was not the same against Oklahoma City as the 36ers went 11 of 36 from distance.

Bam Adebayo scored 17 points and undrafted rookie Jamal Cain added 15 points and 11 rebounds as the Heat beat the Nets 109-80.

Adebayo, Cain lead Heat over Durant, Simmons and Nets

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

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

As we begin to officially put the finishing touches on &ldquo;Bet Week&rdquo; here on BasketballNews.com, NBA over/under win total projections have been released for every team.
Which numbers stand out most to hammer one way or another from a betting perspective? In this piece, I unveil my over/under predictions for every team in the Eastern Conference. All odds are provided by DraftKings Sportsbook.
Boston Celtics: Over 54.5 (-130)
The defending Eastern Conference champions headline the best win total of any team in the league on DraftKings, checking in at an impressive 54.5 projected wins. Boston not only improved its roster following a Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors, but the team added some real contributors who will hold immense value with Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari. Also, Robert Williams staying healthy all season long would be a huge boost for an already elite defensive unit.
We&rsquo;re hammering the over here because the Celtics have all the necessary ingredients in place to finish with 55 or more wins. Not only can their rotation easily go 10 players deep, but Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are two dynamic stars at the most important position on the court. Even if the Celtics were to swing a jaw-dropping trade sending out Brown for Kevin Durant, this team should be in a magnificent spot to hit this projected mark with ease.
Milwaukee Bucks: Over 52.5 (-115)
It&rsquo;s never wise to bet against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks. More often than not, they always hit their overs when the roster is fully cooperating from a health perspective. Giannis is a player I&rsquo;ve highlighted over the last week who is in prime position to make a serious push for multiple awards like Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year. If that indeed comes to fruition and Giannis sets a rampage throughout the NBA, Milwaukee will be one of the most dangerous teams entering postseason play.
The Bucks&rsquo; team-building job is a lot easier with Giannis onboard, but Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday are bona fide sub-stars who showed their true value during the team's 2020-21 title run. Also, re-signing Bobby Portis to a long-term deal was huge for the Bucks because he fits so well alongside Giannis as their complimentary stretch big.
Once more, I love the over to hit here at -115 odds on DraftKings. If Giannis stays healthy, the Bucks should cruise to 50-plus wins while posing a real threat to upend Boston atop the East standings.
Philadelphia 76ers: Over 49.5 (-140)
Joel Embiid and James Harden joining forces was always Daryl Morey&rsquo;s dream vision in Philadelphia. Following a rough and quick postseason exit, it feels like the light finally turned on for good with Harden. All offseason long, Harden has reportedly stayed in shape while re-signing a team-friendly, one-plus-one contract, and two of his former teammates in Houston have joined the fray.
The Sixers signing PJ Tucker, albeit at age-37, is a massive move to bring aboard much-needed physical toughness to a roster sorely lacking it. Danuel House Jr. will also provide some two-way versatility off Philadelphia&rsquo;s bench. Also, the draft night trade with the Memphis Grizzlies for De&rsquo;Anthony Melton continues to be overlooked. Arguably the perfect complementary third guard to place alongside Harden and Tyrese Maxey, Melton should thrive within this role, as he mastered it next to Ja Morant.
Health is a huge question mark when examining the long-term gains of this over/under of 49.5. Will Embiid play most of the season? If so, this is another simple nod to the over. However, with an already deep history of injuries, tread lightly here on Philadelphia. Rolling the dice, I&rsquo;m taking the over while praying Embiid puts together another fully dominant campaign.
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Miami Heat: Over 48.5 (-125)
As always, the Heat are flying under the radar entering another season. It was an offseason filled with little to no activity for Miami outside of re-signing Victor Oladipo and Caleb Martin. Plus, they seem like massive long shots to ever enter the potential trade race for Durant after originally being a preferred destination alongside the Phoenix Suns.
Miami is returning a loaded rotation, although losing Tucker to a conference rival will sting a little bit. This is an over/under bet where you simply trust the system in place. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo are top-30 players in the Association. Tyler Herro is an emerging young star who is the betting favorite to win Sixth Man of the Year in consecutive seasons. Erik Spoelstra remains one of the game&rsquo;s elite-tier tacticians too.
Add it all together, and Miami should flirt with a 50-win season in 2022-23. Trust the process and &ldquo;Heat Culture&rdquo; for the team to slide its way into a top-three seed in the East.
Atlanta Hawks: Under 46.5 (-105)
What a splashy offseason it was for Atlanta following its embarrassing postseason exit at the hands of Miami. The Heat exposed the Hawks&rsquo; lack of ball-handling help to take pressure off superstar point guard Trae Young. Now, with an all-in move for Dejounte Murray, Atlanta wants to surge up the East ladder. Can the Hawks recapture the 2020-21 magic with an All-Star backcourt pairing? Paying the heavy price the team did for Murray, Atlanta better hope this meshes as well as it looks on-paper.
For our projection, though, we&rsquo;re going with the under at a slight underdog value at -105. Similarly to the Western Conference, the East is setting up to be a war, so the top eight could all be mixed together by season&rsquo;s end. Teams such as Atlanta could be the prime example here, because 46.5 wins truly feels right on the money. In the end, a 45 or 46-win season for the Hawks would be a success, while also cashing plus money for those who bet the under.
Brooklyn Nets: Under 45.5 (-105)
I truly have no clue how this team should be viewed right now. With Kevin Durant still holding firm on his trade request, the 45.5 number here just feels like too much. If Durant is off the Nets anytime soon, Kyrie Irving would probably soon follow him out. It&rsquo;s a ticking time bomb right now, so avoiding this bet entirely is the smartest play possible.
Brooklyn did a fantastic job outside of the Durant and Irving fiasco to add more depth to a team ready to push for a title. However, because of all the uncertainty, getting the under on 45.5 wins at plus money odds is simply too good to pass up.
Toronto Raptors: Over 45.5 (-110)
One of my favorite teams projected to take a massive leap forward in 2022-23, the Raptors finished the regular season off strong before their postseason exit against Philadelphia. Scottie Barnes established himself as a true building block. Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet are entrenched core pieces. With OG Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. as the team's fourth and fifth-best players, it goes to show how loaded Toronto can become. The Raptors added more depth and remain a top contender to secure Durant&rsquo;s services, if the Nets indeed decide to trade him.
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Whether Durant comes to Canada or not, I absolutely love the Raptors as a team who should be pushing closer to 50 wins compared to 40. Hammer the Raptors over here to oblivion as they establish themselves as a real Finals threat this season.
Chicago Bulls: Under 43.5 (+100)
As I wrote earlier this offseason, Rudy Gobert felt like the missing piece to the puzzle for the Bulls to become a real threat in the East long-term. Now, with Gobert on the Minnesota Timberwolves, where does Chicago realistically go to pivot? It&rsquo;s hard to see a clear answer right now, which is concerning over an extended window. The Bulls backed up the Brink&rsquo;s truck for Zach LaVine, who definitely deserved the lucrative payday. LaVine and DeMar DeRozan form a dynamic scoring combination, but who else can help take this team into another tier?
Patrick Williams is a potential name to watch develop, but the real questions loom in the backcourt, for me. Goran Dragic signing in Chicago was very interesting, because the team already has a glut of guards on its roster: Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, Ayo Dosunmu and Dalen Terry. With Ball&rsquo;s shoulder sidelining him last season, how concerning is that moving forward? For those wanting to monitor the betting lines for Chicago, Ball is an underrated piece to its early-season success as a connective two-way presence.
With the East even tougher, plus some looming concerns in the short and long-term view, I&rsquo;m hammering +100 value on the Bulls to finish as a Play-In Tournament team vs. being a playoff lock.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Over 42.5 (-135)
Similarly to Toronto, this is another squad I'll love to slam the over on. The 42.5-win number here is too small for Cleveland, especially with its young core jelling together even further. Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen make up one of my favorite young trios in the Association, and I&rsquo;m betting big on the three taking another huge step forward.
Don&rsquo;t forget, the Cavaliers were rolling before injuries to countless rotation members begin to be too much to overcome. Caris LeVert, a midseason acquisition, should look much more comfortable in J.B. Bickerstaff&rsquo;s system. Collin Sexton&rsquo;s status remains unclear, but he&rsquo;s a spark-plug scorer who would take immediate pressure off Garland.
Las Vegas is leaning towards projecting the Cavs as a playoff team, and I&rsquo;m siding with them as well.
New York Knicks: Over 39.5 (-110)
Just like their cross-town rivals in the Nets, betting on a Knicks over/under win total right now isn&rsquo;t smart. Wait to see how the dust settles for Donovan Mitchell in Utah first before deciding upon any Knicks-related props.
However, for my projection on Aug. 8, I&rsquo;m betting on Mitchell to eventually land in New York before the regular season begins. With Mitchell, New York feels like a real playoff contender. However, even after signing Jalen Brunson, this Knicks team feels rather incomplete compared to other squads.
This one is simple: If Mitchell arrives, it&rsquo;s a yes on the over. If not, stay away and hit the under instead.
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Charlotte Hornets: Under 36.5 (-105)
Here's another organization that feels incomplete at the moment, especially with the ongoing legal situation surrounding Miles Bridges. As currently constructed, the up-and-coming Hornets feel further away than they did last season. Although Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier are solid veterans for Charlotte, I don&rsquo;t put them on the same tier as the Cavaliers or Knicks. LaMelo Ball is approaching full-blown superstardom, but who else around him will be able to help consistently? This may be a hot take, but it might be in the Hornets&rsquo; best interest to bottom out for a year hoping to land a top pick for a stacked 2023 NBA Draft.
If there&rsquo;s one team poised to regress from Play-In contender to lottery team, Charlotte certainly stands out, and I&rsquo;ll take the under at plus value.
Washington Wizards: Under 35.5 (-115)
Are the Wizards in win-now mode? It certainly seems that way after Bradley Beal signed the dotted line on a supermax deal. The time to put together a winner in D.C. is throughout Beal&rsquo;s hefty contract, but this team still isn&rsquo;t close to being a real threat. In my opinion, Washington continues to stand out as the premiere &ldquo;blow it up&rdquo; squad because of Beal&rsquo;s uncertain status. Now, with a no-trade clause, Beal pretty much runs the entire show now.
Washington added a starting point guard in Monte Morris, but that&rsquo;s not enough to really make a sizable improvement unless Beal bounces-back with authority. The team's young players also need to take much-needed steps forward. At this moment, I&rsquo;m betting against all of that occurring next season. As a slight favorite, feel comfortable selecting the under on the Wizards.
Detroit Pistons: Under 28.5 (-105)
It&rsquo;s hard to argue against the Pistons possessing one of the most promising young cores in the East. Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren are ideal pieces to put alongside former No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham, who began to flash superstar potential during the second half of his rookie season.
While the Pistons added foundational pillars this offseason, the team is still ripe with inexperience. The rebuild remains ongoing in Detroit, but the exit signs are approaching. In the meantime, the young core is prioritized over wins this upcoming season.
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Although a 30-win campaign sounds fun, another top selection in 2023 could really take this team to heights it hasn't experienced in decades. Bet on the under here, especially as the tank race hits overdrive post-All-Star break.
Orlando Magic: Over 26.5 (-120)
Paolo Banchero brings an alpha mentality that&rsquo;s been missing forever in Orlando. The No. 1 pick has the ultimate runway to produce immediately, which is why he&rsquo;s the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/best-bets-on-202223-nba-rookie-of-the-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">betting favorite to win Rookie of the Year</a>. Banchero could be a 20-plus point scorer right away, but don&rsquo;t forget about some other enticing young talent in Orlando. Franz Wagner established himself as a core piece, producing excellent all-around numbers. Wendell Carter Jr. is a double-double machine with playmaking chops for a big man. Jalen Suggs hit the rookie wall, but if he can round into form it'll add another aggressive scorer to the equation. Plus, there's the returning Markelle Fultz as well.
Orlando owns one of the youngest rosters in the NBA, but it consistently showed heart by keeping a lot of games close. If Banchero&rsquo;s adjustment is smooth, I actually like betting the favorite option here on the over. Something along the lines of a 27-55 season feels spot-on for Orlando.
Indiana Pacers: Under 24.5 (-115)
Rounding out the East&rsquo;s over/unders list is the Pacers, who are now creating a noticeable difference at the bottom. With two games separating Indiana from Orlando, it shows how little faith Vegas has in this team winning a lot of games next season.
Tyrese Haliburton is the face of the franchise in Indiana now, as the team begins a rebuild over 30 years in the making. Bennedict Mathurin, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, brings a score-first approach that should mesh seamlessly in the backcourt next to Haliburton. Isaiah Jackson and Jalen Smith are two young bigs who have flashed two-way potential in addition.
Outside of that, trade rumors are the main subject ongoing in Indiana. According to The Athletic&rsquo;s Bob Kravitz, Indiana would prefer to trade Myles Turner and Buddy Hield this offseason. Neither player fits the organization&rsquo;s new timeline, and the Pacers should be able to fetch some real value in return.
Indiana is a team that really stands out as a prime contender to enter a full-on tank. For an organization that has never drafted No. 1, it would change everything for the Pacers to have some good fortune. Finally embracing a rebuild, maybe lady luck is finally on their side for good.
With that being said, my most confident play is the Pacers under 24.5 wins cashing.

Evan Sidery goes over win totals for the Eastern Conference. Who stands out?

Best Bets: NBA Eastern Conference over/under projections

Who is poised to become a free agent next offseason? Here’s a look at the top 40 NBA players who could be available next summer.

2023 NBA Free Agency: Looking ahead to next summer's free-agent class

Let the talking begin. The trading, too, and eventually the signing.
Free agency officially opens Thursday in the NBA, with teams able to begin negotiating at 6 p.m. Eastern with players who are not under contract &mdash; although, in reality, free agency and the slew of offseason movement is already off and running.
James Harden declined his $47 million option for next season with Philadelphia on Wednesday and became a free agent &mdash; but told the team he intends to stay on a new deal that will allow the 76ers the flexibility they need to sign other players this summer, according to a person with direct knowledge of that situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither Harden nor the 76ers confirmed those plans publicly.
And Harden's decision came almost simultaneously Wednesday with another massive move &mdash; the San Antonio Spurs are trading All-Star guard Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks for Danilo Gallinari and three first-round picks, according to another person with direct knowledge of the terms of that deal who spoke to AP with anonymity because the trade had not been announced by either side. ESPN first reported the completion of that deal, which pairs Murray with another All-Star in Trae Young in the Hawks' backcourt.
Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook have already made their decisions; both could have been free agents this summer and found a combined 84 million reasons not to hit the open market &mdash; <a href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-nba-sports-basketball-russell-westbrook-f04900c25b080a4d97a37a8fbf355f0b">$47 million for Westbrook</a> to opt-in for the last year of his deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-kyrie-irving-f07bead702771069df05809872a7ae85">nearly $37 million for Irving</a> to do the same with the Brooklyn Nets.
Jalen Brunson will be in demand early, with the expectation that he&rsquo;ll quickly agree to leave Dallas and become the new point guard in New York. And there will be players who might decide to look elsewhere, or accept huge $200-million-plus deals with their current teams &mdash; opportunities that are presenting themselves to Zach LaVine with Chicago and Bradley Beal with Washington.
The largest deal, in terms of actual dollars, coming in the next few days almost certainly won&rsquo;t have anything to do with a free agent: All signs point to two-time reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic being offered a supermax extension in the $260 million range by the Denver Nuggets. The only question there will be how quickly he finds a pen to put to that paper.
Minnesota can give Karl-Anthony Towns a supermax of about $210 million this summer, as can Phoenix with Devin Booker.
Other players are restricted free agents, meaning their current teams will have the right to match offers from other clubs. The most notable name on that list is Deandre Ayton, the Phoenix center who was the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft but watched others in his draft class get their first extensions last summer.
Some players will be free agents in name only. John Wall, for example, will get $41 million in a buyout from the Houston Rockets, and has already decided that he wants to play for the Los Angeles Clippers next season. The Clippers are expected to use a $6.4 million exception to sign Wall, and that figure matches the money that Wall gave back to make the buyout of what would have been the final year of his contract happen.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll see what happens as free agency opens up and everything else,&rdquo; Clippers owner Steve Ballmer said. &ldquo;I think the sky&rsquo;s the limit for our team. The sky is the limit. ... And of course, you&rsquo;ve got to have a little bit of luck to win the Larry O&rsquo;Brien Trophy, which is what we&rsquo;d really like.&rdquo;
That will be everyone&rsquo;s goal come 6 p.m. Thursday, to find ways to get closer to the Larry O&rsquo;Brien, whether that&rsquo;s in 2023 or beyond.
Such thinking even applies to the champion Golden State Warriors, who have a slew of rotation players &mdash; Kevon Looney, Otto Porter, Gary Payton II among them &mdash; who just last week were enjoying a parade through San Francisco and are now free to go elsewhere if the opportunities and dollars are right.
&ldquo;We still do need to surround the team with vets and that&rsquo;s the plan in free agency,&rdquo; Warriors general manager Bob Myers said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s easier to get some of the older players, we think, in free agency than young players. Young players are probably the most in-demand in free agency.&rdquo;
True, and that&rsquo;s another element of this time of year: Young players, and not grabbing them in free agency this year, but keeping them out of free agency in future years.
Ja Morant will surely be offered a max rookie extension by Memphis, one that will kick in with the 2023-24 season. The Zion Williamson situation in New Orleans will be interesting, as the Pelicans decide how much to offer to &mdash; or safely structure a deal for &mdash; a No. 1 pick who has missed the majority of his first three NBA seasons because of injury issues. Miami is planning to offer sixth man of the year Tyler Herro an extension, though the Heat will have to determine what number makes the most sense for them going forward.
And, of course, there is a LeBron James angle: The Los Angeles Lakers were a disaster last season and will aim to revamp their roster, plus can give James a two-year extension in August worth nearly $100 million. But before he signs, they have far more pressing concerns.
Officially, it all starts Thursday. A new season is already here.

NBA free agency officially opens Thursday, with teams able to begin negotiating at 6 p.m. ET with players who are not under contract.

NBA free agency opens Thursday, starting deal-making season

Things could get messy with the Brooklyn Nets.
Most of the chatter surrounds Kyrie Irving's future. He's up for new money &mdash; either on an opt-in-and-extend deal, or by opting out and testing the free agent market. The Nets are reportedly willing to play ball, but not in the way Irving wants. That <a href="https://www.netsdaily.com/2022/6/25/23182609/woj-negotiations-between-nets-and-kyrie-irving-have-turned-acrimonious-as-lakers-loom" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ranges from</a> a shorter-term deal, to an opt-in-and-prove-it type scenario.&nbsp;
Irving, of course, wants long-term security. He's one of the most talented guards to lace up a pair of sneakers, and balled out in (self-imposed) limited action to the tune of 27.4 points on 59.2% True Shooting, and a shade under six assists per game. If he and the Nets aren't able to come to agreement, he's reportedly <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/34138693/sources-kyrie-irving-sign-trade-wish-list-no-deal-brooklyn-nets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ready to find a new home</a> via sign-and-trade.
That's enough to flip this summer on its head. But the domino effect could lead to an even bigger shift: Kevin Durant wanting his Brooklyn exit too.
The Athletic's Shams Charania <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1540064142555496452?s=20&amp;t=vNPqKF6zRYFSv1rv_KLiuw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has reported</a> that Durant is monitoring the Irving situation and mulling his own options. On the most recent episode of The Lowe Post, ESPN's Zach Lowe said that teams are already setting up contingency plans for a potential Durant pursuit.
We're less than a week out from Irving's opt-in decision, which means it's more than possible he and the Nets are able to find common ground and we laugh about all of this. But if they aren't, and Durant actually becomes available, there isn't a team in the league that won't inquire.
And why would any team skip over the possibility to acquire a top-15 player of all-time? This is a player who just slapped up 30-7-6 on 63.4% True Shooting this season, and was in the thick of the MVP race before suffering an MCL injury in mid-January.
Though Durant doesn't have the threat of free agency as leverage &mdash; he just&nbsp;signed a four-year extension last August &mdash; you have to assume he'll have some say in his next stop, if it gets that far. The Nets will want to do right by him. And with him heading into his age-34 season, it's fair to assume he'll want to land somewhere he'd have an immediate chance to win.
The challenge from there will be finding teams that have enough to offer the Nets to appease them &mdash; because you're not getting equal value for Kevin freaking Durant &mdash; while also having enough of a supporting cast to pursue a title with.&nbsp;
The first team that came to mind was the Phoenix Suns.
They have a trio of young pieces &mdash; Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and the oddly-wasn&rsquo;t-given-a-max Deandre Ayton &mdash; they could theoretically offer up. Between Ayton&rsquo;s max in a sign-and-trade, Bridges&rsquo; extension kicking in and Johnson&rsquo;s team option, the Suns could easily get to north of $40 mililion in salary to make it work.
(There could be some haggling for Johnson. The Suns do have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Future/Suns.htm">all their picks</a> from 2023 and onward &mdash; and it's not like they're <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/insider/story/_/id/34126111/how-phoenix-suns-plan-nail-nba-draft-mostly-ignoring-it" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fans of the draft anyway</a> &mdash; so maybe they'd be willing to sub in future firsts in an effort to keep Johnson.)
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I can hear Boston Celtic fans yelling now because of the age gap, but using Jaylen Brown as the centerpiece of a deal for Durant is feasible. They'd love to form a Big Three with Durant, Jayson Tatum and Brown of course, but it's hard to picture a package of Marcus Smart, Al Horford, Grant Williams, Payton Pritchard and picks getting it done. Starting with Brown would get them in the room pretty quickly.
Then there are the Miami Heat, who would try to use Tyler Herro as the blue chip piece to build a deal around. With Herro's question marks as a lead-dog &mdash; can he get to the rim enough? &mdash; and defensive shortcomings, on top of him being extension-eligible this offseason, I don't know if that would be enough. Herro and Duncan Robinson wouldn't be enough salary anyway, and it's hard to imagine the Heat toss Kyle Lowry into a deal considering a) what it cost to bring him in and b) his relationship with Jimmy Butler.
And to that point, a Durant pursuit could serve as a fork-in-the-road moment for this franchise. Whose timeline is most important: Butler's or Bam Adebayo's? Because like the Celtics with Brown, the Heat could put themselves in the room easily by offering up Adebayo in an effort to maximize Butler's window. I'd be shocked if they went that route, but it's something to keep in mind.
There are funkier options that intrigue me. Lowe already touched on it in his most recent pod, but Zion Williamson (and other stuff) for Durant is something to think about. The New Orleans Pelicans have enough young prospects (that may not even have room to crack the rotation, as things currently stand) to raise Brooklyn's brow. Even with the health concerns for Williamson, it's hard to pinpoint a trade headliner with his kind of potential.
The other issue with a Zion-led package is his current cap number, a little over $13 million. Him plus other young pieces sound nice in theory, but it'd be hard to cobble up the salary to match Durant's number from there. At best, it would cost them Jonas Valanciunas, who Brooklyn could use or ask to be rerouted to a third team. One way to make all of this easier would be to swap out Zion and use Brandon Ingram as the headliner instead. New Orleans would have to decide if they'd want to push that button following the postseason run Ingram just had.
The Toronto Raptors could offer up Scottie Barnes as a headliner, though I'm sure they would try to keep him (and Pascal Siakam) out of talks. Would three of Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Gary Trent Jr. or Precious Achiuwa plus pick equity get it done? The Raptors do own their first-round picks moving forward.
The Memphis Grizzlies have enough non-Ja Morant pieces &mdash; Jaren Jackson Jr and Desmond Bane in particular &mdash; to put something together if they want. If the on-court potential of Morant and Durant isn't enough, they'd easily be the most prolific Twitter duo in the league. But the "if they want" looms large in this regard. They may not want to give up on JJJ considering his importance to their defense. And as good as Bane is offensively, it's at least fair to question what his potential as a legit primary guy is.&nbsp;
Oh, hey, the Golden State Warriors could...
Nevermind.
If there's one other team worth monitoring here, it would be the New York Knicks. Between Julius Randle or RJ Barrett &mdash; offering up both would defeat the "having something for Durant when he gets there" point &mdash; they have something to build a deal around. Immanuel Quickley would likely be involved regardless of which headliner the Knicks choose.
Beyond that, the Knicks have the mid-tier salaries necessary to match Durant's number, as well as an influx of future picks due to their draft-night moves. If their cards are played right, there exists a world where they could cobble a deal together for Durant, have at least one young(ish) guy they like, and meaningful enough cap space to make another splash.&nbsp;
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Nekias Duncan looks into potential trade packages for Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant if their situation turns dire.

What would a Kevin Durant trade look like?

A parade awaits in San Francisco to celebrate the champion Golden State Warriors. The NBA draft is a few days away, with presumed top-three picks Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero set to take their first steps toward realizing their enormous potential. Free agency starts in less than two weeks.
The 2021-22 NBA season is over.
The 2022-23 NBA season seems like it&rsquo;s already here.
The Warriors are back on the NBA mountaintop. Their win over the Boston Celtics in this season&rsquo;s finals capped the league&rsquo;s 75th anniversary celebration and ushered in an offseason that will, as always, start with tons of attention on player movement &mdash; or, in some cases, players not moving.
Two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic is eligible to receive a $260 million supermax extension from the Denver Nuggets; it&rsquo;s basically a sure thing that it&rsquo;ll be offered and accepted. Phoenix&rsquo;s Devin Booker and Minnesota&rsquo;s Karl-Anthony Towns are in line for $210 million extensions, neither of which will be surprises either.
Then there&rsquo;s the class of younger players in line to secure their first post-rookie-contract paydays: Memphis&rsquo; Ja Morant, Miami&rsquo;s Tyler Herro, New York&rsquo;s R.J. Barrett and Cleveland&rsquo;s Darius Garland are just some of the names in that group. So, too, is New Orleans&rsquo; Zion Williamson, which will be an interesting case since he has been healthy enough to play in only 85 games over his first three pro seasons and is constantly questioned about his conditioning.
Zach LaVine, who is expected to remain with the Chicago Bulls, headlines the class of unrestricted free agents. Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal all have player options for next season, all of them worth between $34 million and $43 million.
And then there&rsquo;s LeBron James, about to enter his 20th season &mdash; likely the one where he&rsquo;ll catch Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and become the NBA&rsquo;s all-time scoring leader &mdash; and soon to be eligible for a two-year extension with the Los Angeles Lakers that&rsquo;ll be worth nearly $100 million for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.
&ldquo;When we get to that point, we&rsquo;ll see,&rdquo; James said when the Lakers&rsquo; season ended.
That point isn&rsquo;t here yet. But it&rsquo;s coming.
THE FAVORITES
<a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba">According to FanDuel Sportsbook,</a> the Warriors are the favorites to win the 2023 title &mdash; just ahead of the Celtics.
Brooklyn is the third choice in odds posted immediately after Game 6 of this year&rsquo;s finals ended, followed by Milwaukee and the Los Angeles Clippers &mdash; who get Kawhi Leonard back next season. Phoenix, Miami, Philadelphia, Memphis and Dallas round out the top 10 in the odds posted by FanDuel.
Of course, take any prediction right now with a grain of salt.
When last season ended Brooklyn was the runaway favorite to win the 2022 NBA title. The Nets didn&rsquo;t win a playoff game, getting swept by the Celtics in Round 1.
The second choice by sportsbooks after last season was the Los Angeles Lakers. They didn&rsquo;t even make the playoffs and struggled by almost all possible measures.
For the record, the Warriors had top-five odds of winning this year&rsquo;s title by most oddsmakers when last season ended at around 12-1. The Celtics were in the middle of the pack, at around 40-1.
SUMMER LEAGUE
All 30 teams will be in Las Vegas from July 7-17 for the NBA Summer League, which &mdash; before the pandemic slowed momentum &mdash; was routinely drawing big crowds, and the belief is it&rsquo;ll get back to that again this summer.
There are two other smaller events, hosted by the Warriors and the Utah Jazz, before the Vegas league.
RULE CHANGE
Farewell, take foul.
It&rsquo;s expected that at league meetings in Las Vegas next month that owners will approve a new way of adjudicating the oft-maligned &ldquo;transition take foul&rdquo; and bring stiffer penalties to such plays starting next season.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told The Associated Press earlier this month that he&rsquo;s confident the change will be made. It&rsquo;s a topic that the NBA and its competition committee have been studying for several seasons.
The way such fouls have been officiated in the G League since 2018 is this: When a defender commits a take foul, which is one where no play on the ball is made but doesn&rsquo;t rise to the level of a clear path foul, the fouled team retains possession and gets one free throw before play resumes. The clear path foul results in two shots and the ball.
COACHING SEARCH
The only team without a head coach right now is the Utah Jazz, who have asked permission to interview several assistants from around the league.
Charlotte, officially, has not yet confirmed the hiring of Golden State assistant Kenny Atkinson as its new coach &mdash; but that deal will be announced now at any time. He&rsquo;s one of two Warriors assistants that are leaving the champions, with Mike Brown departing to take over as coach of the Sacramento Kings.
JOHN WALL&rsquo;S FUTURE
The Houston guard didn&rsquo;t play this season while the Rockets tried to find a trade partner. It&rsquo;s entirely possible that the same sentence could be used at this time next year.
Wall was selected for the NBA All-Star Game in five consecutive seasons from 2014 through 2018. Since the last of those selections 4 1/2 seasons ago, he has played in exactly 82 games &mdash; the equivalent of one NBA season &mdash; while making $150 million in salary.
Wall holds a $47.4 million option for next season, which he almost certainly will accept since no team will give him remotely close to that after his injury situations &mdash; most notably heel surgery that was followed by Achilles surgery &mdash; in recent years.

The 2021-22 NBA season is over, but the 2022-23 NBA season seems like it’s already here.

Warriors cap title run, NBA flips the page to 2022-23 season

This is why playoff depth matters.
We have a generally simplistic view of what makes a champion. In the NBA, people think that you need multiple stars, with one superstar as the head of the snake, in order to get into the dance. But in the annals of league history, champions haven&rsquo;t only been littered by the Michael Jordans or LeBron James&rsquo; of the world, because even they needed awesome role players and deep rosters to accompany them.
Hell, the 72-win Chicago Bulls in 1995-96 had a 1-through-7 (in terms of minutes per game in the playoffs) of Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Luc Longley, Toni Kukoč, Ron Harper and Steve Kerr &mdash; all of whom logged at least 20 minutes per game in the postseason.
Think about this: We just saw the Brooklyn Nets &mdash; among the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-202122-nets-are-arguably-the-most-disappointing-team-in-nba-history-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">betting favorites to win the title all-season long</a> &mdash; get <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-offseason-preview-2022-whats-next-for-the-brooklyn-nets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">swept in the first round</a> after playing themselves to the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference, despite being led by a 1-2 punch of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Why were the Nets favorites all season long? Starrrrr powerrrrr.
Why did they fall flat? A combination of things: A lack of team chemistry, lack of depth, lack of culture, lack of defense, lack of size, lack of versatility and lack of great coaching. Many thought we were just supposed to overlook that because Brooklyn was top-heavy. Granted, the Boston Celtics could end up winning the East, but honestly, the Nets were never who many (of y&rsquo;all) thought they were.
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So why does depth matter in the postseason as rotations shorten? Because rotations don&rsquo;t need to shorten if you have enough depth to carry you along.
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra <a href="https://youtu.be/qGXIQBcZdM8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted this</a> following the team's 97-94 win over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 5, ending the series 4-1 and outscoring Atlanta by 60 points overall across those five games.
&ldquo;Everybody that played had their fingerprints on this,&rdquo; Spoelstra <a href="https://youtu.be/qGXIQBcZdM8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &ldquo;We clearly had some adversity in this game not having Kyle [Lowry] or Jimmy [Butler], and our group doesn&rsquo;t even blink. It&rsquo;s not even something we have to address. We just pivot, put in the game plan, and everybody just gets ready, tapes their ankles and gets out there and competes.&rdquo;
In the Heat's case, Lowry was out with a hamstring injury, and Butler didn&rsquo;t play in Game 5 on Tuesday night because of right knee inflammation. So who started? Victor Oladipo, who didn&rsquo;t play in Games 1-3 and primarily played in Game 4 because the offense had trouble getting going without Lowry. Vic started in place of Butler &mdash; alongside Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, PJ Tucker and Bam Adebayo &mdash; to close out the Hawks in a gentleman&rsquo;s sweep.
&ldquo;A year ago today, I was waiting for my next surgery,&rdquo; <a href="https://twitter.com/bytimreynolds/status/1519147785546784769?s=21&amp;t=_ZTSKfrbgGYEt-IpNWqubg">stated Oladipo</a>, who poured in 23 points, scoring at least 20 in the postseason for the first time since Aug. 24, 2020. &ldquo;I was sitting in a dark room by myself and just broke down, not because I quit, but because I was at the lowest point I could be at. Now, God has put me in this position today. I made the most of it.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
"I've overcome a lot, so whatever happens next, I'll be ready for it." Victor Oladipo speaks about his special night in the Heat' game-clinching win. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HEATCulture?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HEATCulture</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhiteHot?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WhiteHot</a> ⚪🔥 <a href="https://t.co/e5Df9caL1s">pic.twitter.com/e5Df9caL1s</a>
&mdash; Bally Sports Sun: HEAT (@BallyHEAT) <a href="https://twitter.com/BallyHEAT/status/1519153057724088322?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Only Butler and Adebayo are averaging over 30 minutes per game this postseason for the Heat, and now 11 guys have seen real rotation minutes across multiple games.
And no other team has someone who can come in out of nowhere, start and do what Oladipo did Tuesday night: 23 points, 3 assists and 3 steals on 6 of 12 shooting (3 of 6 from three) and 4 of 4 on free throws to go along with a 121 Offensive Rating, 9.2 Box Plus-Minus and preventive defense.
Oladipo, <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/advanced/?sort=NET_RATING&amp;dir=-1">per NBA.com&rsquo;s advanced stats</a>, has put together a plus-29.7 Net Rating in the two playoff games he&rsquo;s logged minutes in.
&ldquo;Again, I&rsquo;m still improving,&rdquo; <a href="https://twitter.com/tropicalblanket/status/1519148825931403265" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he said</a>. &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t played enough basketball to be super comfortable yet but I&rsquo;m getting there... I have no doubt I can surpass that level I was at. Even better days than that to come. This is part of the journey of getting there.&rdquo;
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Specifically on his progress, Spoelstra spoke of his adulation for Oladipo.
&ldquo;I really admire him, I do," Spoelstra said. "For this journey, really, for the last three seasons, where he&rsquo;s been dealing with injuries and frustration, and then really working to make himself available for us without a guarantee to play. And then just giving to the team. That&rsquo;s why everybody roots for him, and he always comes in with a smile on his face, and lifts people up, and that&rsquo;s even when he was going through DNP&rsquo;s. But he worked, he prepared, and it&rsquo;s true, crazy things happen, and there&rsquo;s a karma to it.
"If you do the right things and stay patient, it might not be on your terms or your timeline, but then, when your opportunity is there, you&rsquo;re able to take advantage of it, and then you have everybody enjoying his success.&rdquo;
And, to those who bought into that Sk*p B*yless &ldquo;report&rdquo; about friction between Butler and Oladipo, Vic <a href="https://twitter.com/BradyHawk305/status/1519148969108152327" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acknowledged that</a>: &ldquo;Jimmy helped me tremendously in the fourth quarter.&rdquo;
Oladipo, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/victor-oladipo-is-coming-heres-how-he-could-help-raise-miamis-ceiling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as was written two months ago</a>, raises this team&rsquo;s ceiling. If Duncan Robinson isn&rsquo;t hitting threes, Oladipo can create dribble penetration for others to get open looks. If Caleb Martin is making too many defensive mistakes, Oladipo&rsquo;s there to be another versatile stopper who can keep up at the point of attack. And if the overall offense lacks a scoring punch, Oladipo&rsquo;s there to provide another threat &mdash; one who specializes in nothing, but can be effective in everything.
The Lowry-Oladipo-Butler-Tucker-Adebayo &ldquo;death&rdquo; lineup is coming at some point, and if Tyler Herro doesn&rsquo;t get it going soon, it&rsquo;s one that may finish playoff games more often than we think, assuming Oladipo has earned consistent minutes going forward.
I would never tell Spo how to coach, but in the right spots, more Oladipo the rest of this run seems helpful for a team with title aspirations.
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Bryan Fonseca writes on the importance of depth in the postseason and how Victor Oladipo's big Game 5 was a perfect example of it.