Gorloks

Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals will be played on Thursday, June 2. Remarkably, that date is the exact one-year anniversary of the Boston Celtics' announcing Brad Stevens had stepped away from head coaching duties to assume the role of president of basketball operations in place of the departing Danny Ainge.
Let's have a look back at what has been an extraordinary and almost unimaginable 12 months&hellip;
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During his eight seasons on the sidelines in Boston, Stevens was viewed as one of the league's better head coaches. He was regarded as an elite tactician and considered an important part of the Celtics' sustained success. Under his stewardship, Boston advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals three times in four years.
So when the club announced that its long-time top executive in Ainge was retiring and that Stevens would be promoted to team president last June, it came as a shock to most. Would Stevens be able to replicate the regular-season success he enjoyed as head coach? Could Boston get over the hump and advance all the way to the NBA Finals?
Although Ainge left a roster stocked with a budding superstar in Jayson Tatum, his All-Star caliber sidekick in Jaylen Brown, veteran stalwart Marcus Smart and a few promising youngsters, Stevens took control at a precarious juncture. Boston entered last summer capped out (with a directive from ownership not to incur a costly luxury tax bill) and lacking excess draft capital.&nbsp;
Stevens' first order of business was parting ways with Kemba Walker and his cumbersome contract. With two years and $73 million remaining on his deal, Walker was the team's highest-paid player. When healthy, the four-time All-Star Walker was highly productive on the offensive end for the C's, but his balky left knee had robbed him of his quickness. Some suggested the Celtics sit tight, hoping that an entire offseason of rest would allow Kemba to re-establish himself as a quality starter. If Boston wanted to trade Walker, Stevens would have to get creative.
The week before the 2021 NBA Draft, Stevens dealt Boston's first-round pick (16th overall) and a 2025 second-round draft pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Al Horford and a 2023 second-rounder.&nbsp;
At the time, Stevens' first significant move as team president was considered highly questionable.&nbsp;
Following the 2019-20 season, when Horford posted career-worst numbers for the Philadelphia 76ers after signing a monstrous four-year, $109 million pact, the veteran big man's contract was viewed as one of the worst in the league. In December 2020, the Sixers were forced to attach a future first-round pick and the draft rights to Vasilije Micic (who just won his second EuroLeague Final Four MVP) in a trade with OKC just to get out from under Horford's contract.
During his lone season in Oklahoma City, Horford appeared in just 28 games for the Thunder. After the trade deadline passed in February 2021, the Thunder shut him down for the rest of the season. At the time, it felt like Stevens was trading for a potentially washed-up 35-year-old center with two years and $53.5 million left on his contract ($41 million of it guaranteed).
But after struggling at times to find his groove in the regular season, Horford has been a crucial cog in the Celtics' run to the Finals. During these playoffs, he is averaging 11.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.9 three-pointers,1.6 blocks and 0.9 steals per game, all while shooting 50.0% from the floor, a scorching 43.2% from downtown, and 83.3% from the free-throw line.
Per Basketball-Reference, Horford is just the third player in NBA history (joining Draymond Green and Rasheed Wallace) to average more than 1.5 blocks and more than 1.5 made treys in a postseason (minimum 15 games played). Horford is also the first player ever over the age of 35 to tally more than 25 blocks and more than 25 three-pointers in a single postseason.
To say the Walker/Horford trade has worked out well for Boston would be a dramatic understatement.&nbsp;
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After acquiring Horford, Stevens' next critical decision would be choosing a new head coach. After interviewing several candidates, Stevens zeroed in on Ime Udoka and officially hired him in late June. Udoka was a bit of a gamble, as he had never been a head coach, having spent the previous nine seasons as an assistant with San Antonio (2012-13 to 2018-19), Philadelphia (2019-20) and Brooklyn (2020-21).&nbsp;
Udoka's job was made that much more difficult when the C's stumbled out of the gates this season. By the turn of the new year, there was some finger-pointing in the locker room with the Celtics losing too many winnable games. Three weeks into January, Boston was still below .500 with a 23-24 record.
However, Udoka remained stoically stern, providing a calm and reassuring presence in the locker room and on the sideline. His ability to outcoach opponents and his command of the X's and O's gained him the trust of his team. Over the second half of the season, Boston ranked in the top three in Defensive Efficiency, and led the league in Offensive Efficiency (122.6) and Net Rating (plus-12.7) by a wide margin.
Udoka earned Coach of the Month honors on multiple occasions, and would go on to finish fourth in the NBA Coach of the Year voting. The league-wide respect he's garnered has only increased as he's helped guide his team to the championship series.&nbsp;
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When the free agency frenzy commenced in July 2021, Stevens had to decide what to do with shooting guard Evan Fournier. Ultimately, Boston opted to let Fournier leave for New York.
The Celtics' only free-agent addition of note last summer was inking Dennis Schroder to a team-friendly, one-year deal for $5.9 million. However, Stevens signed Marcus Smart (four years, $76.5 million) and Robert Williams III (four years, $48 million) to lengthy extensions.
The Smart signing, in particular, looks genius in retrospect.&nbsp;
It had been rumored that Ainge was seriously considering trading away Smart in different deals in years past. However, Stevens made it clear that he was committing to Smart for the long term. Just as importantly, Stevens let it be known he would entrust Smart with the team's primary point guard duties. This may seem like an easy decision with the benefit of hindsight, but it's important to point out that entering this season, Smart had started in just 228 of the 449 games he had appeared in. And a large percentage of those starts were alongside point guards such as Kemba Walker, Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas.&nbsp;
The C's flourished with Smart installed as the floor general, especially on the defensive end. Smart, as we know, would be named NBA Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first guard to win the award since Gary Payton in 1996.
Starting in each of the 71 regular-season games he played, Smart finished the season ranked seventh in the NBA in steals per game (1.68), ranked fifth among all guards with a Defensive Rating of 105.2, and led the NBA with 1.1 loose balls recovered per contest. He was also near the top of the league in deflections, charges drawn and defensive rebounds. On the offensive end, he averaged a career-high 5.9 assists per game and posted an Effective Field Goal percentage above 50% for the first time.
Had Stevens not locked up Smart last summer, he would undoubtedly have been one of the most highly sought-after players on the free-agent market next month.&nbsp;
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Before being sidelined by a knee injury late in the season, Williams had also been enjoying a breakout 2021-22 campaign, averaging career-highs in points (10.0), rebounds (9.6), blocks (2.2), steals (0.9), field-goal percentage (73.6%) and free-throw percentage (72.2%). Like Smart, Williams' value now exceeds his salary.&nbsp;
In February, Stevens recognized Boston's backcourt needed an upgrade. Hence, he sent Josh Richardson and Romeo Langford and a top-four-protected 2022 first-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Derrick White at the trade deadline. Udoka, who was familiar with White having spent time as an assistant in San Antonio, asked him to sacrifice some of his offense. White would serve as a reserve, which meant fewer field goal attempts and fewer minutes. White embraced the role, supplied solid defense on the perimeter and knocked down a handful of big buckets during Boston's run to the Finals.
Ironically, of all the trades and signing Stevens has made over the past 12 months, arguably the most important and impactful are the ones he did NOT agree to. It sounds outlandish now because the C's are four wins away from the franchise's 18th championship, but plenty of pundits and fans in New England had been calling for the Celtics to break up the duo of Brown and Tatum.
While there was no denying their collective talent, many argued the roster was unbalanced, and that the skill sets Tatum and Brown brought to the table were a bit duplicitous. Thus, some folks contended that the best path forward was trading Brown (possibly in a package with Smart) for a pure point guard (such as Damian Lillard).
Pressure and the corresponding rumors reached a fever pitch in the dark days of December and January.&nbsp;
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Damnit I&rsquo;m holding everybody in Boston accountable, from the front office, to the coaching staff and down to Jaylen and Tatum. It&rsquo;s time to break them up! Carry on&hellip; <a href="https://twitter.com/FirstTake?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FirstTake</a> <a href="https://t.co/2fNHMFavfd">pic.twitter.com/2fNHMFavfd</a>
&mdash; Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) <a href="https://twitter.com/KendrickPerkins/status/1479494503765524483?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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As noted above, Boston was below .500 for much of the season. On Jan. 15, the Celtics had a worse record than both the Knicks and Washington Wizards. Boston was 11th in the East, on the outside of the Play-in Tournament looking in.&nbsp;&nbsp;
But Stevens never budged, trusting in the roster he helped construct. And the results speak for themselves. Twelve months after he was hired, Stevens's squad is preparing for the NBA Finals.&nbsp;
Earlier this month, the NBA announced Memphis Grizzlies General Manager Zach Kleiman as the winner of the 2021-22 Basketball Executive of the Year Award. Stevens came in sixth, receiving only one first-place vote. However, that award is based on regular-season accomplishments.
Given how well Boston has performed in the playoffs, there is little doubt about which executive's moves have looked best in the postseason.&nbsp;
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Tommy Beer reviews Brad Stevens' first season as Celtics president with his one-year anniversary coinciding with NBA Finals Game 1.

Brad Stevens deserves massive credit for the Celtics' success

In one week, we saw the 2022 NBA Draft picture begin to clarify.&nbsp;
The Orlando Magic jumped to the No. 1 pick after last Tuesday's NBA Draft Lottery, with the Oklahoma City Thunder earning the No. 2 pick and the Houston Rockets selecting third. Throughout the week, draft hopefuls also went under the microscope at the NBA Draft Combine, showing their skills in front of NBA teams and media members.
Our Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock was in Chicago for the Combine and NBA G League Elite Camp, and over the next month, he'll be gathering intel and updating our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Mock Draft</a> regularly.
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With the Combine in the rear-view mirror, Babcock provides his thoughts on some of the most pressing topics before the stretch run of the pre-draft process in a Q&amp;A:
What are your initial thoughts on how the NBA Draft Lottery results could affect things come June?
"Two picks towards the top stand out to me: Oklahoma City at No. 2 and Sacramento at No. 4. My big question is: Does Sam Presti take Jaden Ivey? I&rsquo;ve been saying this for a while, but the impression is that Ivey&rsquo;s actual stock among NBA circles is higher than what&rsquo;s being portrayed in most of the media and the public. I believe that he&rsquo;s No. 1 or No. 2 on more teams' boards rather than being No. 4 or No. 5 as he is on most of the media&rsquo;s mock drafts.
"The other pick is Sacramento &mdash; the early word is this pick could easily be on the move. I&rsquo;m not quite sure what to make of it just yet, but I&rsquo;ll surely be keeping a pulse."
Several prospects who participated in the first day of scrimmages opted not to return for the second day. What do you think of this move?
"Well, if the player got hurt, or if a team made a guarantee to select them, that&rsquo;s one thing. But if it&rsquo;s just to avoid the possibility of not playing well the second day, I&rsquo;m not into that at all. I think it&rsquo;s safe to say that all of the players who chose to play think they deserve a higher projected draft status. In that case, play. Show your stuff! Go out there and earn what you think you deserve. It not only sends a bad message to teams &mdash; I think it&rsquo;s a slippery slope regarding how they approach their careers too."
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Much was made of Patrick Baldwin Jr.'s underwhelming athletic testing results. Do you see this notably impacting his draft stock?
"Patrick Baldwin Jr. battled some injuries this past season. His unwillingness to play through those minor injuries and his lack of toughness has raised concerns. He also chose to not play in the 5-on-5 games at the NBA Draft Combine. So for him to have such an underwhelming vertical jump just adds another negative element to the overall evaluation. He&rsquo;s a very skilled and talented player, but I&rsquo;ll be direct here: I think he should go back to school."
Santa Clara wing Jalen Williams has been a buzzing name on social media. How has his Combine performance resonated with teams?
"Jalen Williams definitely helped himself last week. He&rsquo;s versatile, skilled, and long for a player that&rsquo;s nearly 6-foot-6. I don&rsquo;t think he&rsquo;s overly athletic, but he&rsquo;s moved up a little bit. I think some teams liked him more than others, but his name was certainly buzzing. I think he&rsquo;s solidified himself as a solid draft pick."
Kendall Brown appears to be the biggest winner in the NBA combine testing. Are his standout numbers helping his draft stock?
"No, I don&rsquo;t think Kendall Brown&rsquo;s athletic testing helped him much, but let me explain. Coming into the season, Brown was widely regarded as a high-priority prospect, so everyone in the league saw him at some point or another. I think I can speak for all scouts on this one; we don&rsquo;t need to see any metrics to figure out that Kendall Brown is a freak athlete. So, although the numbers are impressive, it was expected."
Which other players significantly improved their draft stock with strong efforts at the combine?
"A few guys who helped themselves were Darius Days of LSU and Marcus Sasser of Houston, both of whom played their ways into the NBA Draft Combine by competing at the G League Elite Camp first.
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Let the games begin! 🙌 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBADraftCombine?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBADraftCombine</a> <a href="https://t.co/iVRC9VzzyE">pic.twitter.com/iVRC9VzzyE</a>
&mdash; Matt Babcock (@MattBabcock11) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattBabcock11/status/1527368377353678848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2022</a></blockquote>

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"Another player who impressed me was Gonzaga&rsquo;s Andrew Nembhard."
Did any other draft hopefuls personally stand out to you that you might not have known well before the combine?
"Yes &mdash; Ryan Rollins of Toledo. He didn&rsquo;t light the world on fire by putting up huge numbers, but he really caught my eye. He&rsquo;s very shifty and quick. I think he has the potential to develop into a dynamic on-ball creator. I had the chance to meet him briefly, and Derek Murray will be interviewing him for us soon. I&rsquo;m looking forward to learning more about Ryan over the course of the next few weeks."
With a month still left before the draft, how can prospects most directly impact their pre-draft image at this point?
Players are beginning to visit teams now. On those visits, some players will play competitive 1-on-1, 2-on-2 and 3-on-3, in addition to individual drills. That is the best way to move the needle for a player. The teams will also be interviewing the players and getting to know them on a personal level.
Many players have either recently hired an agent (or plan to) as the draft process continues. As a former agent, what advice can you offer to players currently making these decisions?
"At this point, players should have already signed with an agent. This doesn&rsquo;t exactly answer your question, but one bit of advice that I&rsquo;d share with players who just recently hired agents is to stick to the plan. They signed with their agents for a reason. These prospects are in probably the most vulnerable situation they&rsquo;ve ever been in, as they don&rsquo;t know how things will unfold, where they&rsquo;ll live and play next year, or how much money they&rsquo;ll make. It&rsquo;s nerve-wracking. They need to trust their agents and let them do their jobs. They&rsquo;re experts. See the plan through &mdash; at least the imminent one."
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The NBA Draft Lottery and NBA Draft Combine have set the stage for the next month of the 2022 draft process.

2022 NBA Draft Combine Q&A: Matt Babcock on takeaways, teams to watch

The 2022 NBA Draft Lottery was last night, so we now have our top-14 picks!
Unfortunately, many of these teams &mdash; like the Sacramento Kings, Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets &mdash; have grown accustomed to picking in the lottery year after year.
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Of those top-14 teams, some should try to win now. And no, that doesn&rsquo;t necessarily mean they have to trade their first-round pick, especially after observing how Rookie-of-the-Year winner Scottie Barnes and runner-up Evan Mobley impacted winning this season. But, for some teams, you could say that if they were better at development, they wouldn&rsquo;t be in the lottery this often.
But we digress. Here are some teams who should strongly consider using their lottery pick in a win-now trade so that they&rsquo;re not back in the same position next season in an increasingly wide-open NBA.
(Did we include specific trade ideas? No, we aren't firing up the trade machine here. It's May, and what do you want? 2,500 words? On the Lottery? During the Conference Finals?)
Sacramento Kings
The Kings, who were the only team to jump in the lottery last night, have picks No. 4 and No. 37 in the upcoming draft, <a href="https://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Future/Kings.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">along with all of their pending first-rounders</a> and many of their seconds.
Absolutely no team in the NBA needs to make the playoffs more than the Kings. The team was a perennial playoff participant from 1999 through 2006, which is hard to fathom since they haven&rsquo;t reached the postseason ever since. Their eight-straight playoff trips included four consecutive runs to at least the Western Conference Semifinals, with a Western Conference Finals trip in 2002. They have not made the playoffs since 2006; they&rsquo;ve only finished above 10th place in the West once, in 2019, when they went 39-43 &mdash; their best record in 16 years, and one of only two seasons in which they&rsquo;ve had more than 33 wins.
Last season, they made the now keystone Kings-Pacers trade, dealing Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristian Thompson for Domantas Sabonis (who represented them at the lottery), Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb and a 2023 second-round pick. With the pairing of Sabonis (26 years old) and De&rsquo;Aaron Fox (24 years old), it may make more sense to add a similarly aged starter who can help their 2022-23 presumed playoff push.
Also, expected on the roster next season is Davion Mitchell, who will enter his sophomore season but is already 23 years old and may earn an All-Rookie selection soon. Richaun Holmes saw his role take a hit once Sabonis arrived and missed much of the latter portion of the season <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/being-accused-ex-wife-domestic-010013091.html">dealing with a personal issue</a>. Otherwise, for now, Holmes, Harrison Barnes and Mitchell are among the players under contract for next season.
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Dealing the No. 4 overall pick could land them a damn good player. John Collins, Gordon Hayward, Julius Randle, Jerami Grant and Christian Wood are among those who <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/five-nba-players-who-feel-destined-to-be-traded-this-offseason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">may find a new home this summer</a>. Could the Utah Jazz look to move on from <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-desinations-for-donovan-mitchell-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donovan Mitchell</a> or <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-rudy-gobert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rudy Gobert</a>&nbsp;in the coming months?
The Kings will have to attach players to the No. 4 pick, but imagine if Sacramento could put another win-now piece alongside Fox and Sabonis? They should make some calls to see what a package built around the No. 4 pick could return.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Despite all of the draft picks the Thunder own, they simply can&rsquo;t draft everyone. In this year's draft, OKC owns No. 2, No. 12, No. 30 and No. 34. Over the next five years, they will have 17 first-round picks and 30 selections in total. This is something you do in NBA 2K when you plan on building a dynasty, but at some point, most virtual GMs realize that you need to start having actual players on your roster to win rather than just continually flipping players for picks while toiling at the bottom of the standings.&nbsp;
At some point, Oklahoma City needs to make its run. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is about to enter the first season of his five-year, $172 million extension, which will see him earn just under $30 million next year. SGA turns 24 years old this summer and is a cornerstone for the franchise as their best player at the moment. Last year's No. 6 overall selection Josh Giddey looks like a keeper who almost certainly will be on an All-Rookie team this season. Lu Dort, Tre Mann, Kenrich Williams, Darius Bazley, Ty Jerome and Aleksej Pokusevski are all under contractual control for next season.
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OKC could quickly assemble a package for a high-level starter or borderline star to join SGA and Giddey, particularly with whoever else is retained. They have more than enough draft capital and could probably get close to anyone they want as a result. In terms of their roster, they just need good two-way players who fit what they&rsquo;re trying to build culturally and schematically. Literally, anything goes here.
At some point, the Thunder will have to package some of these draft picks or prospects. We'll see when Sam Presti decides to flip that switch.&nbsp;
Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers are in a tough spot with Damian Lillard, and what Lillard wants will factor in to their decision-making. He clearly wants to win but, by all accounts, he prefers to stay in Portland. It may be difficult to check both of those boxes with the Blazers as presently constructed. In the Lillard-CJ McCollum era, Portland made the playoffs every season and reached one Western Conference Finals in 2019. They were <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/a-salute-to-the-defiance-of-damian-lillard-and-cj-mccollum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">often failed by suboptimal roster construction around Lillard and McCollum</a>, and then the elite backcourt would be unfairly blamed for the team's struggles.
With the No. 7 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, and the assumption that Lillard remains, what&rsquo;s their next move as they once again attempt to win with their elite 6-foot-3 shot creator? Lillard is due over $42 million next season, the second season of a four-year supermax that will include a player option worth close to $49 million in 2024-25.
Eric Bledsoe&rsquo;s $19 million and Josh Hart&rsquo;s $12 million are the only other big salaries on the books for next season. A decision awaits on dynamic guard Anfernee Simons, who is reminiscent of the aforementioned McCollum, as he is up for an extension this summer as he enters restricted free agency. <a href="https://nba.nbcsports.com/2022/02/25/restricted-free-agent-to-be-anfernee-simons-i-100-want-to-stay-in-portland/#:~:text=signed%20a%20three%2Dyear%2C%20%2451.8,board%20career%20highs%20this%20season." target="_blank" rel="noopener">He reportedly wants to stay in Portland</a>.
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Ultimately, if the Blazers decide to package the No. 7 overall with some combination of players, could they look to include Simons via a sign-and-trade? It depends how aspirational a supposed deal could get and who they are getting in return. Only $3.9 million of Bledsoe&rsquo;s deal <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/eric-bledsoe-6900/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is fully guaranteed until June 29</a>, making him a prime trade-and-waive candidate between now and the draft.
Here's the reality: Portland&rsquo;s roster requires a full rebuild, but if Lillard is going to remain, selecting a rookie at No. 7 might not be ideal. And given their history and Simons' fit alongside Lillard, you might want to look at a big.

Bryan Fonseca argues that there are three NBA teams who should look to trade their lottery pick for a win-now piece.

Which NBA Draft Lottery teams should make a win-now trade?

Jayson Tatum scored 46 points, outdueling Giannis Antetokounmpo and making sure there wouldn&rsquo;t be another Milwaukee Bucks fourth-quarter comeback, and the Boston Celtics beat the defending champions 108-95 on Friday night to force a seventh game in their Eastern Conference semifinal.
The third straight victory for a road team sets up a winner-take-all game Sunday in Boston. The victor heads to Miami to begin an East finals matchup with the top-seeded Heat on Tuesday.
Boston showed its grit by bouncing back two nights after blowing a 14-point, fourth-quarter lead in a 110-107 Game 5 home loss. The Bucks tried to rally again after trailing by 14 points in the final period, but this time Tatum kept the Celtics on top and kept their season alive.
Antetokounmpo had 44 points, 20 rebounds and six assists. His 20 rebounds were one off his career high.
Jaylen Brown scored 22 and Marcus Smart had 21 for the Celtics, who capitalized on their superiority from 3-point range. The Celtics were 17 of 43 and the Bucks 7 of 27 from beyond the arc.
Antetokounmpo tried to lead the Bucks to a second straight improbable comeback.
Boston led 84-70 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter and was up 84-73 when officials ruled Grant Williams had drawn a charge for Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s fifth foul. But the Bucks challenged the call and it was overturned on replay, instead sending Antetokounmpo to the line with four fouls.
Antetokounmpo made both free throws to start an 8-0 run that got the Bucks back into the game. The Bucks trimmed the margin to 85-81 on Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 8:42 left.
Tatum wouldn&rsquo;t let the Bucks get any closer.
After that 8-0 Bucks spurt, Tatum scored the Celtics&rsquo; next 11 points. That included a fadeaway jumper as the shot clock expired to get the lead back to six plus a couple of 3-pointers.
Tatum and Brown each hit a 3-pointer during an 8-0 spurt that closed with Smart&rsquo;s jumper that made it 100-87 with 4:20 remaining.
Boston maintained a double-digit edge the rest of the way.
MISSING PLAYERS
The Celtics played without forward/center Robert Williams for a third straight game.
Celtics coach Ime Udoka said Williams suffered a bone bruise in his left knee while colliding with Antetokounmpo in Game 3.
Milwaukee was missing three-time All-Star forward Khris Middleton for a ninth consecutive game. Middleton sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee during Game 2 of the Bucks&rsquo; first-round series with the Chicago Bulls.
TIP-INS
Celtics: Tatum has scored at least 30 points in three straight games. ... After going a combined 5 of 27 on 3-point attempts in Games 3-5, Tatum was 7 of 15 on Friday. ... The Celtics were 10 of 17 from 3-point range in the game&rsquo;s first 14 1/2 minutes.
Bucks: A moment of silence was held before the game to honor Hall of Famer Bob Lanier, who died Tuesday at the age of 73. Lanier played for the Bucks from 1980-84, and his No. 16 jersey hangs from the Fiserv Forum rafters. &hellip; An estimated 10,000 fans filled the Deer District outside Fiserv Forum.
CREW CHIEF CHANGE
Scott Foster, the scheduled crew chief for Game 6, couldn&rsquo;t officiate because of an illness unrelated to COVID-19. Eric Lewis took over as crew chief with Ben Taylor working as the referee and Tre Maddox as the umpire.

Jayson Tatum scored 46 points, outdueling Giannis Antetokounmpo and making sure there wouldn’t be another Bucks' late comeback.

Tatum’s huge effort helps Celtics win 108-95 to force Game 7

As the NBA pre-draft process chugs along, the NBA Draft Combine marks the next milestone in prospects' journey to draft day.&nbsp;
The league announced that <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-announces-76-prospects-who-will-attend-2022-nba-draft-combine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">76 players have been invited to this year's combine</a>, which runs from May 16-22 in Chicago. Scouts and teams will receive an up-close look as prospects undergo physical testing and compete in five-on-five scrimmages. The NBA Draft Lottery takes place on May 17, adding more clarity to the draft board.
Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock answered some questions about the combine process, prospects to monitor in the events and more as the pace picks up in this scouting season.&nbsp;
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1. How do you approach scouting the NBA Draft Combine, and what events are most valuable to your scouting process?
The NBA Draft Combine is an excellent opportunity to see a large bulk of the draftable prospects all at once. Unfortunately, most top players don't participate in competitive play. Still, it allows us to evaluate players looking to move the needle or establish their draft standing. The NBA Draft Combine is also critical for prospects who are weighing out whether to stay in the draft or return to school.
2. Which prospects do you think could stand out in the athletic testing portions of the combine?
A few of the better athletes in this draft would be Jaden Ivey from Purdue, Shaedon Sharpe from Kentucky, Bennedict Mathurin from Arizona and Kendall Brown from Baylor. I'm looking forward to seeing their test results, as that group of players is about as athletic as they come.
3. Which prospects do you think could shine in the 5-on-5 scrimmages?
Well, let's see who decides to play. I've been talking to some agents who are in the proccess of deciding whether to have their clients participate in the live-play or not. Last year, Bones Hyland was the big winner of the live play. He was terrific. His play at the combine led to him becoming a first-round pick. So to me, Bones Hyland is a perfect example of why it makes sense for a player to bet on himself and play in front of the entire NBA. 
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4. Who do you think has the most to gain or lose in the combine process?
I think some of the younger players that possess significant upside but might not have had the opportunity to fully show their stuff throughout the year have the most to lose. A few guys that come to mind are Peyton Watson from UCLA, Josh Minott from Memphis, JD Davison from Alabama and Leonard Miller from Canada. I wouldn't be surprised to see any of these players go in the first round due to their raw talent despite not being overly productive this past season.
5. Are there any draft entrants you could see surprising people by returning to school or overseas? 
Everything has been changing so dramatically recently with the emergence of NIL deals, and I think there could be some good players who elect to return to school partially as a result of that. For example, I heard some rumblings that one player is likely to return to school if he doesn't get a guarantee that he'll be selected in the first round. I also heard another player is interested in returning to school if his NIL income gets to a certain level. I worked as an agent for more than ten years, and I think a lot of the dialogue between agents, players, parents and coaches is changing quite a bit. The pros and cons for players deciding to go pro or stay in school are very different. However, I think it's all for the better in the long term.
6. How do players prepare for the NBA Draft Combine? Do they specifically train for certain events?
Every trainer has their own strategy, but generally, players are doing workouts comparable to what they'll do at the NBA Draft Combine and at workouts when they visit teams.
7. Is it possible for prospects' stock to rise or fall between the end of the college season and now? If so, why?
Between the college season and now, there hasn't been much action on the court, so you might be asking what would cause a player's stock to rise or fall during that time. Well, I'll tell you: intel. NBA scouts, executives and people like myself spend a lot of time talking to folks on the phone, trying to learn more about draft prospects. We're trying to learn more about players' character, work ethic, habits on and off the court and things like that on these calls. I think some teams value intel and certain traits differently than others, but overall, intel certainly plays a part, and sometimes a significant part, in players' draft value and stock.
8. Aside from the combine, what other important procedures are involved in the pre-draft process during the month of May?
My process is a little different from a team's, as I don't have to follow NBA rules or guidelines. During May and June, I typically travel all around the country to watch prospects work out and get a chance to sit down and talk with them. It's an essential part of my evaluation process, but it's also my favorite part. I spend years watching most of these guys develop. So it's just neat to get an up-close look at the players and get a chance to speak to them right before their dreams of being drafted come to fruition. It's something I don't take for granted. It's certainly a fun part of my job.
Be sure to check out BasketballNews.com's full <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Mock Draft</a>, with profiles for each prospect selected.
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Matt Babcock sets the stage for the NBA Draft Combine, which begins Monday.

2022 NBA Draft: Q&A with Matt Babcock on the NBA Draft Combine

The ball bounced twice on each side of the rim before going in.
Kawhi Leonard&rsquo;s nearly impossible game-winning fadeaway jumper over the outstretched right arm of Joel Embiid ended a seven-game thriller of a 2018-19 Eastern Conference Semifinals. The series saw the Toronto Raptors escape with a 92-90 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, in large part due to underwhelming performances from Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris all series long. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jimmy-butler-is-a-16game-player">Those were expounded upon here just last month</a>. In fairness to Embiid, similar to these 2022 playoffs, <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/05/07/joel-embiid-76ers-injuries-illness-timeline-history-playoffs">he was injured as hell.</a> He tried his best.
Jimmy Butler wasn&rsquo;t perfect for the Sixers that spring, but he was a hell of a lot better. He averaged 22.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists in the series, with by far the team&rsquo;s best offensive rating at 118, not counting Amir Johnson who played a mere (ha, get it? Never mind) 20 minutes. Yet and still, the Sixers were right there, and had Leonard&rsquo;s shot missed, who knows if the Sixers would&rsquo;ve went on to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors as the Raptors did en route to their first NBA championship?
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Regardless, those four bounces led to Butler&rsquo;s fate: he was signed-and-traded to the Miami Heat that very summer. Instead of keeping Butler, the Sixers chose Simmons, Harris, Brett Brown and Al Horford.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Jimmy Butler: &ldquo;Tobias Harris over me.&rdquo; <a href="https://t.co/23K3HgaA0R">pic.twitter.com/23K3HgaA0R</a>
&mdash; Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheHoopCentral/status/1524965729165901824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Simmons and Harris both<a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2843932-ben-simmons-76ers-agree-on-5-year-170m-max-contract-extension">&nbsp;received max contract extensions</a> <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/tobias-harris-signs-sixers-76ers-contract-20190710.html">in the summer Butler was dealt to Miami</a>.
Miami was where Butler wanted to go. <a href="https://www.insider.com/jimmy-butler-wanted-join-heat-dwyane-wade-conversation-2020-9">They were his top choice</a>.
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1. Since &ldquo;why&rsquo;d the Sixers let Jimmy Butler go?!&rdquo; is a big topic today, figured I&rsquo;d do a thread on what I&rsquo;ve put together from the past few years. Some of this I&rsquo;ve written before, some not. Figured would be helpful to put it all in one place. So👇👇👇
&mdash; Yaron Weitzman (@YaronWeitzman) <a href="https://twitter.com/YaronWeitzman/status/1525118168754159617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Since Butler became a member of the Heat, the Sixers have still been a playoff team. In the 2019-20 season, which was obviously paused in March due to COVID-19 before resuming in the summer, the Sixers earned the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference and were swept in Round 1 of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics. Simmons didn&rsquo;t play in the playoffs due to injury. Those same Celtics lost to the Heat in six games during the Eastern Conference Finals, and a Butler-led Miami team reached its first NBA Finals since LeBron James&rsquo; 2014 departure. The Heat, who were a five-seed in the East and top three or four for most of the season, lost to the champion Los Angeles Lakers in six games, but not without a historical postseason from Butler.
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In 2020-21, the Sixers were the Eastern Conference&rsquo;s top seed after compiling an impressive 49-23 record in the 72-game season. Unfortunately, they were embarrassingly defeated on their home floor against the fifth-seeded Atlanta Hawks in Round 2. Simmons still hasn&rsquo;t played since, and despite Embiid&rsquo;s play, he was once again let down by those around him.
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Butler and the Heat? Well, after a little seven-week break between the end of the NBA Finals and the beginning of training camp for the 2020-21 season (as opposed to the standard three-plus months even a Finals team would get in a typical league calendar year), the team flamed out and were swept by the Bucks.
Both teams were able to properly reset heading into the 2021-22 season, and as fate would have it, the No. 1 seeded Heat matched up with the No. 4 seeded Sixers in the semifinals. Butler vs. his old team, where Simmons and then-head-coach Brown no longer resided, but Embiid and Harris were among those who remained.
With a 4-2 lead on May 12, 2022, exactly three years after Leonard&rsquo;s four bounces ended Butler&rsquo;s Sixer tenure, he led his team, in a hostile environment that once rooted for his every move, to an emphatic 99-90 victory to end the Sixers&rsquo; season. Sure, 99-90 may not sound like much, but if you watched the game, you saw the Heat grind their way to a 19-4 run to begin the third quarter, mount nine-straight points to begin the fourth and build a 20-point lead as just five minutes remained before the Sixers cut the lead in garbage time.
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In the modern NBA, organizations seem to take on the personality of their stars, for better or worse. But Miami identified one who matched their ethos, and Butler knew it would be the place for him. A place where villains are welcomed, as <a href="https://www.slamonline.com/nba/jimmy-butler-to-joel-embiid-i-know-a-place-where-villains-are-welcome/">he once told Embiid</a>. And a place that is, in their own culture, counter to what their own city is admired for. Miami, to outsiders, is revered for partying, glamour and beaches, but the Heat are respected and occasionally mocked for a culture that is driven by blue-collar work ethic. It's an identity that requires being in &ldquo;Heat shape,&rdquo; playing defense-first, developing undrafted rookies into future rotation players and adding the occasional stars who fit into that identity.&nbsp;
The Heat are also known for their persistent fight, for being a pain in the ass for whoever opposes them and for being an overlooked team that is tailored to those who prioritize winning over highlights.
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James Harden was brought to Philadelphia to lead in moments like these, but he did anything but that. Butler, who had often been compared to Harden as a byproduct of playing similar positions, dropped 32 points with 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and a steal in a closeout game. Harden had 11 points on 4-for-9 shooting, taking one shot in each of the final two quarters. He said the ball didn't get back to him. That's the guy who had the Sixers' second-highest usage rate in the series. Butler is now averaging 28.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 2.1 steals and on 53/36/81 shooting splits in the playoffs.
Butler doesn&rsquo;t (yet?) have a championship. Most players don&rsquo;t, including many greats, but Butler is a winner, a leader and someone <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amof84tDBnM">Embiid's career misses dearly for good reason</a>, even while he could look at his bench and see another all-time wing in Harden beside him. But basketball isn&rsquo;t strictly about&nbsp; numbers, or strictly in between the lines, or strictly any one thing. It encompasses everything. And that&rsquo;s what the Sixers and many have failed to realize when assessing Butler&rsquo;s greatness.
But in Philadelphia, exactly three years after it all ended, he had the last laugh.
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Exactly three years after Kawhi Leonard's shot ended Jimmy Butler's last game as a Philadelphia 76er, he returned -- with the organization people made fun of him for joining -- to lead the Miami Heat to the Eastern Conference Finals. And he did it in Philadelphia. Last laugh. <a href="https://t.co/Fzr3Ug73tT">pic.twitter.com/Fzr3Ug73tT</a>
&mdash; Bryan Fonseca 🇵🇷 (@BryanFonsecaNY) <a href="https://twitter.com/BryanFonsecaNY/status/1524925290367025172?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2022</a></blockquote>

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After falling short of postseason success with Philadelphia, Jimmy Butler showed the Sixers why it was a mistake to let him go.

In Philadelphia, Jimmy Butler gets the last laugh

Memphis&rsquo; chances of staving off elimination are even tougher now.
The Golden State Warriors put the Grizzlies on the brink of the offseason after they rallied late in Game 4 on Monday night to grab a 3-1 series lead as Memphis star Ja Morant sat out with a sore right knee.
Morant is doubtful for the remainder of the postseason after an MRI and further evaluation revealed a bone bruise on his injured knee, the team announced Tuesday night. The NBA&rsquo;s Most Improved Player winner and All-Star guard had been averaging 38.3 points a game.
The Warriors now head to Memphis needing one victory to advance to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2019 &mdash; when they lost in the NBA Finals before missing the last two postseasons.
That&rsquo;s been a long wait for a franchise that won three championships in the last decade.
&ldquo;Wednesday is going to be the hardest one yet,&rdquo; Warriors guard Klay Thompson said. &ldquo;It always is, the closeout. We have to put this behind us and put together a good game plan.&rdquo;
Even without Morant, Memphis still led for all but 45.7 seconds of Game 4 before Golden State rallied for a 101-98 victory. It was the first time Memphis had been held under 100 points this postseason.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re back home,&rdquo; Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got our fans. It&rsquo;s going to be loud, so we&rsquo;re excited to get back home and go play again, man. We have another chance to play. They&rsquo;re a good team. We obviously know how the game went. Yeah, we get another chance at it.&rdquo;
And that &ldquo;it&rdquo; is pushing this series back to San Francisco for Game 6 on Friday.
In the Bucks-Celtics series, Boston's Al Horford has tapped into a level of his game during the playoffs that many thought he&rsquo;d lost at age 35.
His play reached a new height in Game 4 during the Celtics&rsquo; 116-108 win over the Bucks on Monday night. The five-time All-Star scored 16 of his playoff career-high 30 points in the fourth quarter to help Boston tie the Eastern Conference semifinal series with the defending NBA champions at two games apiece.
Equally important, the Celtics have reclaimed home-court advantage as the series shifts back to Boston for Game 5 on Wednesday.
After spending a challenging season in Oklahoma City last year, Horford was packaged in the Thunder&rsquo;s trade for Kemba Walker, returning Horford to where he last earned All-Star honors in the 2017-18 season.
Horford said he feels like he&rsquo;s experiencing the fruits of an offseason in which he focused on being ready to play meaningful games again. He has gone from averaging 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds during the regular season to 15.9 points and 9.4 rebounds in the postseason.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s from sitting at home,&rdquo; Horford said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s from watching the playoffs, not knowing what my future was holding and really just hoping to have an opportunity to be in this type of environment.&rdquo;
The resurgence has coincided with Boston needing someone to step up after big man Robert Williams III was sidelined for the second time this postseason, sitting out Game 4 with soreness in his surgically repaired left knee. He is questionable for Game 5.
After missing an opportunity to take a 3-1 series lead, Bucks guard Wesley Matthews said there&rsquo;s no time to sulk.
&ldquo;If it was easy to get to the semis, every team would get to the semis. It&rsquo;s hard. It&rsquo;s hard as hell,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;At the same time, you can&rsquo;t hold your head too high, can&rsquo;t hold your head low at all, and you&rsquo;ve got to bounce back.&rdquo;
Wednesday&rsquo;s games:
BUCKS AT CELTICS
Series tied 2-2. Game 5, 7 p.m. EDT, TNT
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: After dropping the series opener at home, Boston is back at TD Garden with a chance to put the defending champion Bucks on the brink of elimination. The Celtics are 3-1 at home this postseason and continue to find ways to frustrate Giannis Antetokounmpo late in games.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Milwaukee in the fourth quarter. The Bucks were outscored in the final 12 minutes in three of the four games, including 43-28 in Game 4. The only time it didn&rsquo;t cost them was their 103-101 win in Game 3.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: The Celtics said Williams is questionable with left knee soreness &hellip; Bucks forward Khris Middleton (sprained left knee) remains out. George Hill (abdominal soreness) is listed as probable.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: The Bucks. With no reinforcements coming in the form of Middleton returning, Antetokounmpo will need the best from his remaining supporting cast to avoid going down 3-2.
WARRIORS AT GRIZZLIES
Series tied 3-1. Game 5, 9:30 p.m. EDT, TNT
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: Golden State is 43-24 all-time in series-clinching games and 19-8 since 2015. The Warriors also are 12-3 since 2015 in Game 5s. The Grizzlies are 3-11 when facing elimination.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Jordan Poole. Dillon Brooks heard boos from Warriors fans in Game 4 after returning from a one-game suspension for his flagrant foul that sidelined Gary Payton II with a broken left elbow. Now Poole figures to be the target of Grizzlies fans after his involvement in the play that sent Morant to the sidelines.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who missed Game 4 after testing positive for COVID-19 and being placed in the league&rsquo;s health and safety protocols, will remain out for Game 5. Associate head coach Mike Brown will again coach in his place. ... With Morant out, Tyus Jones (19 points, six rebounds, five assists in Game 4) is expected to start again.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Brooks. He is just 8 of 35 from the floor and 4 of 18 from 3-point range in this series, with questionable shot selection. He missed a 26-footer that could&rsquo;ve padded Memphis&rsquo; lead in the final minute, possibly helping the Grizzlies pull out a gritty win.
___
AP Sports Writers Janie McCauley, Teresa M. Walker, Steve Megargee and AP freelance writer Jim Hoehn contributed to this report.

The Warriors have a chance to close-out on the road in Memphis, while the Celtics have regained home-court advantage on the Bucks.

Pivotal Game 5s on tap for Bucks-Celtics, Warriors-Grizzlies

The Philadelphia 76ers were up 3-0 in their series against the Toronto Raptors just a few days ago. The lead has since been sliced to 3-2.
That is waking up some echoes for 76ers coach Doc Rivers.
He&rsquo;s the only coach in NBA history to lose three series in which his team had a 3-1 lead. No coach in NBA history has ever been on the losing end of a series after leading 3-0, either. But Rivers and the 76ers haven&rsquo;t put the Raptors away yet, and now face a Game 6 in Toronto on Thursday night with hopes of avoiding a winner-take-all Game 7 in Philadelphia on Saturday.
&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s win it,&rdquo; Rivers said. &ldquo;Then we don&rsquo;t have to talk about it.&rdquo;
The 76ers are one of three teams that will take 3-2 leads on the road Thursday night, when a trio of Game 6&rsquo;s are on tap. The others are Western Conference matchups: Top-seeded Phoenix will try to close out New Orleans, and fourth-seeded Dallas has a chance to eliminate fifth-seeded Utah.
Philadelphia&rsquo;s lead looks far more tenuous than the ones held by Phoenix and Dallas. The Suns and Mavericks are coming off double-digit home wins that gave the appearance of them gaining control of those respective matchups.
But the 76ers are hurting, most notably because center Joel Embiid has a torn thumb ligament. And two closeout opportunities have already come and gone, which is why Rivers was getting questions Wednesday about those past 3-1 leads that haven&rsquo;t worked out.
The first was in 2003, when he had eighth-seeded Orlando on the brink of beating top-seeded Detroit in Round 1 before the heavily favored Pistons rallied. The next was in 2015, when the Los Angeles Clippers led Houston 3-1 in the West semifinals before falling apart when Chris Paul got hurt. And the other was in 2020, when the Clippers lost a 3-1 lead to Denver in the NBA&rsquo;s restart bubble at Walt Disney World near Orlando.
&ldquo;Game 7 would have been in LA,&rdquo; Rivers said. &ldquo;It just happens.&rdquo;
The Raptors, meanwhile, continue to believe they can make history. Only three teams have come back from a 3-0 deficit to force a Game 7 in the NBA. None has gone on to win the series; if Toronto pulls this off, it would meet Miami &mdash; and former Raptors guard Kyle Lowry &mdash; in the East semifinals beginning Monday.
&ldquo;If somebody could do it, it would be us,&rdquo; Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.
Thursday&rsquo;s games:
76ERS AT RAPTORS
Philadelphia leads 3-2. Game 6, 7 p.m. EDT, NBA TV.
&mdash;NEED TO KNOW: The Sixers lead, yes, but the pendulum sure seems to be swinging Toronto&rsquo;s way. Over the last three games, the Raptors have led (or been in a tie) a staggering 92.8% of the time. And if the Raptors hadn&rsquo;t blown a 17-point lead in Game 3, the overtime game where Embiid&rsquo;s 3-pointer was the game-winner, they could have a chance to close things out Thursday.
&mdash;KEEP AN EYE ON: 76ers G James Harden. He&rsquo;s shooting just 35% from the field, 29% from 3-point range and averaging a low-for-him 16.9 points over his last eight playoff games going back to last season. With Embiid hurting, Harden needs to do more.
&mdash;INJURY WATCH: Raptors G Fred VanVleet (hip) missed Game 5 and is listed as doubtful for Game 6. Embiid is continuing to play through a torn thumb ligament.
&mdash;PRESSURE IS ON: Philadelphia. If this goes to Game 7, even in Philly, the advantage would be all Toronto.
SUNS AT PELICANS
Phoenix leads 3-2. Game 6, 7:30 p.m. EDT, TNT.
&mdash;NEED TO KNOW: In the all-rounds-best-of-seven format that has been in place since 2003, only four No. 1 seeds have been taken to a Game 7 in Round 1. Phoenix is going to try and avoid becoming the fifth. The Suns had a very businesslike win in Game 5, and now will enter a raucous road environment to try and close things out.
&mdash;KEEP AN EYE ON: New Orleans&rsquo; turnovers and 3-point shooting. The Pelicans were outscored by 11 (23-12) in points off turnovers in Game 5 and by 15 (30-15) from 3-point range. Phoenix won by 15. The Pelicans can&rsquo;t afford discrepancies like that again and think this is going to Game 7.
&mdash;INJURY WATCH: Suns G Devin Booker (hamstring) remains out.
&mdash;PRESSURE IS ON: Phoenix. There&rsquo;s no way for the Pelicans to feel pressure in this series, after going 36-46 and needing two play-in wins just to get here. They&rsquo;re using house money right now, and the Suns can&rsquo;t risk a winner-take-all Game 7 against a team playing fast and loose.
MAVERICKS AT JAZZ
Dallas leads 3-2. Game 6, 10 p.m. EDT, TNT.
&mdash;NEED TO KNOW: The last time Dallas won a playoff series, David Stern handed Mark Cuban and Dirk Nowitzki the Larry O&rsquo;Brien Trophy. The Mavs have lost all six series they have played since winning the 2011 NBA title, but the seventh try might be the charm. Utah will try to overcome a 3-2 series deficit for the first time since the 2007 first round against Houston.
&mdash;KEEP AN EYE ON: Jazz G Donovan Mitchell. He&rsquo;s 3 for his last 30 from 3-point range, spanning the last 14 quarters. His nine points in Game 5 were a playoff career-low.
&mdash;INJURY WATCH: Mitchell&rsquo;s quads are bruised, but an MRI ruled out any hamstring issues.
&mdash;PRESSURE IS ON: Utah. It&rsquo;s not just because the Jazz face elimination. If they can&rsquo;t get out of this round, in a series where Mavs G Luka Doncic missed three games, it would be reasonable to think that big changes might be on the horizon.

There are three close-out situations for higher-seeded teams on the road in Game 6 on Thursday night.

Suns, 76ers, Mavericks all have chance for Game 6 closeouts

Jayson Tatum scored 29 points, Jaylen Brown had 22 and the Boston Celtics completed a four-game sweep of the Brooklyn Nets, becoming the first team to reach the second round of the playoffs with a 116-112 victory Monday night.
Marcus Smart added 20 points and 11 assists for the No. 2-seeded Celtics, who made easy work of what was thought could be a tough series. Boston will wait for the winner of the series between Milwaukee and Chicago. The defending champion Bucks hold a 3-1 lead in that series.
Kevin Durant had 39 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, breaking free after the Celtics had defended him well in the first three games. But he couldn&rsquo;t get the Nets the win they needed to extend what instead goes down as a massive failure of a season.
Expected to be an NBA Finals contender, the Nets needed a strong finish just to grab the No. 7 seed.
Seth Curry scored 23 points for the Nets. Kyrie Irving, whose unavailability for home games much of the season because he isn&rsquo;t vaccinated against the coronavirus contributed to the Nets performing so far below expectations, had 20 points.&nbsp;
The Celtics were under .500 at the midpoint of their season but went 31-10 from there, with Tatum emerging as the scoring star on one of the NBA&rsquo;s best defensive teams.
That defense limited Durant to just 19-for-52 shooting with 17 turnovers through the first three games and made it tough for him, even as he finally got more shots to drop Monday. He was only 13 of 31 from the field, 3 for 11 behind the arc.&nbsp;

Jayson Tatum scored 29 points, Jaylen Brown had 22 and the Celtics completed a sweep of the Nets to reach the second round.

Celtics complete 4-game sweep of Nets with 116-112 victory

The stoppers are suffocating the scorers.
And as Boston was finishing another shutdown effort against Kevin Durant and the Nets, a loud &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s Go Celtics! Let&rsquo;s Go Celtics!&rdquo; chant broke out from the many fans in green who had seats in Barclays Center.
There wasn&rsquo;t much for the home fans to cheer about as the Nets face a team that just won&rsquo;t let them get anything going.
&ldquo;More of the same,&rdquo; Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re making it tough.&rdquo;
Jayson Tatum scored 39 points, Jaylen Brown had 23 and Boston took a 3-0 lead over Brooklyn with a 109-103 victory Saturday night.
Again making things difficult on Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Celtics put themselves in position to sweep their way into the second round with a victory Monday night in Brooklyn.
The Celtics forced 21 turnovers that led to 37 points. Tatum had six of their 13 steals.
&ldquo;My message is, nobody plays harder than we do,&rdquo; Tatum said.
Durant took only 11 shots, finishing with 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Irving was 6-for-17, missing all seven 3-pointers, and also had 16 points for the Nets, who have to decide if they will give Ben Simmons his debut Monday in an elimination game.
Boston&rsquo;s defense against the Nets&rsquo; firepower was supposed to make this a can&rsquo;t-miss series, even though it matches a No. 2 seed against a No. 7.
But it&rsquo;s been mostly all Celtics since Tatum&rsquo;s basket at the buzzer gave them a victory in Game 1. Durant and Irving combined for just one basket in the second half of Game 2, never had much impact in this one and might get only one more chance.
&ldquo;We know what it is,&rdquo; Durant said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think no speech or anything will do at this part of the year. You know what it is. We&rsquo;re down 3-0. We got another game on Monday. Just come out and play.&rdquo;
Boston led most of the way before the Nets cut it to three with just over a minute remaining in the third quarter. But Marcus Smart scored on a follow shot, made a jumper in transition before Brown got a steal and dunk to make it 81-72 going to the fourth.
Brown kept the Nets at bay from there, repeatedly finding a 1-on-1 matchup and driving to the basket. He set up Tatum for a 3-pointer in the corner after the Nets had gotten back within four, then made a jumper before Tatum converted a three-point play that made it 96-84 with 6:25 to play.
The Celtics got center Robert Williams back after missing nearly a month with torn cartilage in his left knee, making their defense even stronger.
Bruce Brown was the Nets player who could really solve it, scoring a career playoff-high 26 points.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not being forceful in our actions. We&rsquo;re second-guessing ourselves a little bit. Throwing a lot of passes that are second thoughts. They&rsquo;re too good a team for us to do that,&rdquo; Nets coach Steve Nash said.
Durant was only 13-for-41 (31.7%) in the two games in Boston with 12 turnovers, and the Nets&rsquo; only real hope was if he could regain his form back home.
He made a 3-pointer on his first shot attempt after going 0-for-10 in the second half in Game 2, but he could never consistently find room to shoot while committing five more turnovers and looking far off the player who came in third all-time in the playoffs with 29.4 points per game.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s had a a hard time getting it going,&rdquo; Jaylen Brown said. &ldquo;We want to keep it that way because we know what he can do.&rdquo;
The Celtics limited Durant to just two shots and led 30-25 after one quarter, then got seven straight points by reserve guard Payton Pritchard to open the second and push the lead to 37-25. Boston was still ahead by eight with under 1 1/2 minutes left in the half, but the Nets scored seven straight and it was 53-50 at the break.
TIP-INS
Celtics: Smart scored 14 points. &hellip; Williams had two points and two rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench in his first game since March 27 after missing final seven games of the regular season.
Nets: Patty Mills was honored before the start for being voted the winner of the NBA&rsquo;s Sportsmanship Award on Friday. ... Blake Griffin played for the first time in the series, scoring eight points. ... Director Spike Lee, a longtime Knicks fan, was at the game wearing a Brooklyn Dodgers jersey and hat.
SIMMONS STATUS
Nash said Simmons scrimmaged 3-on-3 Saturday morning and had no setbacks. He said it&rsquo;s possible Simmons plays in Game 4 but cautioned that given his long layoff, with his herniated disk at the end of it, that there was more to consider than if Simmons felt good after his workouts.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of bigger picture, bigger context to how he&rsquo;s feeling, how able he would be to adapt to the environment,&rdquo; Nash said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a little different than playing a game that&rsquo;s stashed away in the middle of the regular season, so I think that there&rsquo;s a few factors at play here to evaluate when he&rsquo;s ready to play.&rdquo;

The Boston Celtics stymied Brooklyn's Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on defense and took a 3-0 series lead over the Nets.

Tatum, Brown lead Celtics to 109-103 win, 3-0 lead over Nets

In the matchup of the playoffs thus far, the Boston Celtics squeaked out a 115-114 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in Game 1 of their first-round series.
Jayson Tatum played a demonstrative game, putting up 31 points, 8 assists and 4 rebounds, including the game-winner as time expired. Kyrie Irving had a domineering 39-point performance that kept the Nets' engine revving in spite of a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-celtics-game-1-defense-on-kevin-durant-showcased-their-greatness" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rough shooting night from Kevin Durant</a>.
But in both watching the game in real time and going through the film, I'm not sure I could come away more impressed with a player than I did with Al Horford's play. All around, this may be the best game the 35-year-old has played since the last year of his first stint with Boston.
Horford has played fairly well all year, still stalwart as a starter in the league. A friend who's a scout jokingly texted me at halftime, "Horford with rest is an All-NBA player," and in Game 1, he looked the part! The activity and attentiveness he played with was absolutely tremendous.
Horford set the tone early with consistent activity and timeliness on switches off-rip.
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Horford cheats in off of Bruce Brown (a common theme), and ultimately calls for the switch as Jaylen Brown was taken out of the picture by Andre Drummond's screen. Daniel Theis shades as well, and allows Big Al the half-step he needs to recover. Then, watch the aggressive switch onto Seth Curry.&nbsp;
I cannot illustrate enough how awesome that play is from Irving (one of the best off-ball movers and spacers in the league), as he runs into a dribble-handoff with Curry after being walled off. Against the majority of teams and defenses, that's an open shot as the switched big gets lost or contemplates the open lane the defender might give up. Horford completely blows up the impromptu play.
The play ultimately results in a dump off for Drummond, preceded by an early overhelp from Theis that you can see the duo communicate about after the possession ends. Yet, the point remains, Horford was fantastic here. Defense is often times reduced down to stops, and I think we can lose some really incredible plays and process in that shedding. It is HARD to be elite on defense, but this is an exemplary play from a big that shouldn't be judged strictly on whether or not a bucket happened.
The tightness of the help and switch erases the space for a pull-up jumper. Riding out the drive with his hips and hands up-and-out takes away the attempt around the rim. The second switch removes any chance of an open shot off the outlet. Again, it's not a stop, but that's three fantastic plays forcing an elongated possession, symbolic of Horford's night as a whole on that end.
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Durant and Irving of course made shots as they are apt to do, but man, just look at how difficult it still is.
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Horford's help was masterful, as he imposed himself all over the court. He toed the line between completely cheating off his assignment to stalk the lane, while also being aware of his man and recovering when necessary. His ability to take up space in potential driving lanes without getting beat backdoor or with a skip pass was also huge for containing the Nets to a more difficult shot profile. Boston's defense as whole ebbed and flowed throughout the game, which is understandable given the level of offense the Nets bring to the table.
Horford was a constant positive throughout.
As the Nets shifted to lineups with Nic Claxton at the 5, Horford made his presence felt on the glass (finished with 14 total rebounds) and in the paint. Switching with Claxton was more viable defensively than with Drummond at the 5 for the Nets, but shifting Horford more to the interior rather than fully slot in the corner allowed Boston to counter, using its size in the paint. The difference in size between the two teams as the game wore on was staggering, and it played out, as the Celtics outrebounded the Nets by 14 (with the game-high from Horford being the literal difference).
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This first quick seal in early offense sucked in the defense, and then the flip to do his signature "Horford seal" on Irving opened the direct driving lane on the dunk by Brown.
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As the Nets tried to deny the ball to Tatum and Brown, Horford's post-entry passing and DHOs were key to opening up ball-handlers down the stretch and lubricating the offense.&nbsp;
How Horford is respected (or not) as a jump shooter will be an intriguing storyline webbed within the X's and O's of the series. He struggled from deep on the season, but went 2 of 2 in Game 1, including a doozy of a make off a screen.
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It felt pretty clear in-game that the Nets were willing to live with any open Horford shots, as they comfortably sagged off of him when he was off the ball the majority of the game. Boston's awareness of that fact, and willingness to shift because of it, was all the more impressive.
While it would be unreasonable to expect Al Horford to play to the lofty heights he did for the remainder of the series, his brilliant play was a significant reason for a Celtics victory in the opener, and lends credence to a potentially dynamic postseason run.
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The Celtics took Game 1 of their first-round series with the Nets, and it was spurred by the stellar play of Al Horford.

Active and attentive: How Al Horford set the Celtics' tone in Game 1

Zach LaVine has an Olympic gold medal. What he doesn&rsquo;t have is NBA playoff experience.
At last, that part is about to change.
No active NBA player has been in more regular-season games without making his playoff debut than LaVine, who has appeared in 478 games with the Chicago Bulls. He&rsquo;s expected to play in his first playoff game Sunday night when the Bulls visit Milwaukee.
Once LaVine makes his playoff debut, the title nobody wants &mdash; active player with most games and no playoff appearances &mdash; will fall to Buddy Hield. He&rsquo;s been in 468 games with Sacramento, New Orleans and Indiana.
If Hield appears in at least 32 games next season, he will become the eighth player with at least 500 regular-season appearances but zero playoff contests. He&rsquo;ll join Tom Van Arsdale (929), Otto Moore (682), Nate Williams (642), Omri Casspi (588), Sebastian Telfair (564), Popeye Jones (535) and Eddy Curry (527) in that club.
Curry has a ring from his time with the Miami Heat in the 2011-12 season, but didn&rsquo;t play in a game during that postseason run.
EIGHT IS (USUALLY) ENOUGH
Phoenix won eight games more than any other team this season. That usually means a championship.
Not always, though.
The last four teams to have at least eight more wins than any other team in the regular season have gone on to win a title. Those clubs are the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000, the Chicago Bulls in 1992 and 1996, and the Boston Celtics in 1984.
The 1971 Milwaukee Bucks, 1967 Philadelphia 76ers, and both the 1960 and 1965 Celtics also ended seasons with such huge regular-season margins with championships. But the Celtics in both 1958 and 1973 did not, nor did the Washington Capitols in 1947 &mdash; the inaugural season of the BAA, which was the precursor to the NBA. The Capitols (49-11) won 10 more regular-season games than anyone else in 1946-47, but the Philadelphia Warriors (35-25) won that first season&rsquo;s championship.
PLAYOFF MONEY
The NBA has set this season&rsquo;s playoff pool at $17,317,334. All 16 playoff teams are guaranteed $258,449 just for making the field; most teams will make more, and the deeper teams go in the playoffs, they&rsquo;ll make much more.
Phoenix is already assured at least $1,194,952. The Suns would claim $5,077,456 if they win the NBA title.
Miami has secured $695,527 already. The Heat would get $4,578,031 if they win the championship.
Any team that makes the NBA Finals is guaranteed $3,106,286; any team other than the Suns or Heat that wins the championship would receive at least $4,140,953.
BEST EVERYWHERE
Phoenix had the NBA&rsquo;s best home record and the NBA&rsquo;s best road record this season &mdash; 32-9 in both instances.
Only four of the last nine teams to pull off that feat, including ties in the standings, went on to win the NBA title. Those clubs were Golden State in 2015 and 2017, the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000 and the Chicago Bulls in 1996.
The most recent teams to be best at home, best on the road and still not win a title: Houston in 2018, Dallas in 2007, Seattle in 1994, Portland in 1991 and the Lakers in 1990.
MILESTONE WATCH
Philadelphia&rsquo;s Doc Rivers is on the cusp of becoming the fifth coach in NBA history to win 100 postseason games. The 76ers need just two wins in their first-round series against Toronto to get Rivers to the milestone.
The other coaches with 100 wins: Phil Jackson (229), Pat Riley (171), Gregg Popovich (170) and Larry Brown (100).
Miami&rsquo;s Erik Spoelstra can also get to 100 playoff wins this year &mdash; but the Heat would have to get to the NBA Finals, then win three games in the title round to get him there. Spoelstra enters these playoffs with 85 postseason victories.
Among players, Brooklyn&rsquo;s Kevin Durant is three points shy of matching Jerry West (4,457) for eighth on the all-time playoff list. Durant needs 307 points to tie No. 7 Karl Malone (4,761) on that list, meaning the Nets would likely have to get to at least the second round for that to occur this year.
FAVORED TEAMS
Utah was favored in more games than any other team this season, picked by oddsmakers 73 times in the 82-game regular season. The Jazz were followed by Phoenix (70), Milwaukee (66), Golden State (62), Boston (61) and Miami (59) on the most-favored list.
The team that covered a spread with the most regularity this season: Memphis, which rewarded its backers 64.6% of the time. Utah was tied for next-to-last in that department, covering at a 40.2% rate.
Oklahoma City was favored the fewest times in the league, just on three occasions. Portland was the worst at covering, doing so 37.8% of the time.
BACK TO BACK
If Milwaukee&rsquo;s Giannis Antetokounmpo wins his second consecutive NBA Finals MVP award &mdash; now named for Bill Russell &mdash; he would join select company.
Only six players have won that award in consecutive years. Chicago&rsquo;s Michael Jordan won it back-to-back-to-back on two separate occasions, 1991 through 1993 and then 1996 through 1998. Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal won three in a row for the Los Angeles Lakers from 2000 through 2002. Hakeem Olajuwon won for Houston in 1994 and 1995, Kobe Bryant did for the Lakers in 2009 and 2010, LeBron James did for Miami in 2012 and 2013, and Kevin Durant did it for Golden State in 2017 and 2018.
Jerry West was the award&rsquo;s first winner in 1969. It has been named for Russell since 2009.
THREE&rsquo;S WIN
As one might guess, it&rsquo;s difficult to make up a significant disparity in 3-pointers made.
Teams that were outscored by 15 or more points from 3-point range this season won only 20.8% of the time &mdash; going 94-348 in those contests.
IGUODALA&rsquo;S FAREWELL
Golden State&rsquo;s Andre Iguodala has said he is retiring when this season ends. He wanted to go back to the Warriors for a farewell, and the Warriors welcomed him back for many reasons &mdash; what he brings at this time of year among them.
No player in this year&rsquo;s playoffs has played, counting actual appearances only, in more postseason wins than Iguodala. He has appeared in 103 playoff wins, five more than Philadelphia&rsquo;s Danny Green, eight more than Brooklyn&rsquo;s Kevin Durant, 16 more than Miami&rsquo;s Udonis Haslem and 17 more than Warriors teammates Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
THE REFEREES
Tom Washington is working the NBA playoffs for the 24th time and Scott Foster was selected as part of the postseason referee corps for the 22nd time. They&rsquo;re the senior members of a 36-person group that will work games in Round 1.
There are three playoff newcomers: Eric Dalen, Mitchell Ervin and Justin Van Duyne.
Foster has worked 201 playoff games, while Washington has worked 172. Other veterans in this year&rsquo;s playoffs include Tony Brothers and James Capers (163 games apiece), Marc Davis (161), Ed Malloy (121), Bill Kennedy (120), Zach Zarba (117) and John Goble (100).
The rest of the first-round officials are: Brent Barnaky, Curtis Blair, Nick Buchert, Kevin Cutler, JB DeRosa, Kane Fitzgerald, Tyler Ford, Brian Forte, Pat Fraher, Jacyn Goble, David Guthrie, Courtney Kirkland, Karl Lane, Eric Lewis, Mark Lindsay, Tre Maddox, Rodney Mott, Gediminas Petraitis, Michael Smith, Ben Taylor, Josh Tiven, Scott Twardoski, James Williams and Sean Wright.
The NBA also selected eight alternates &mdash; including Lauren Holtkamp, the only woman to make this season&rsquo;s list. If picked for a game, Holtkamp would join Violet Palmer as the only female referees to work a postseason contest.

The AP's Tim Reynolds ties a bow on the 2021-22 NBA regular season and prepares us for the playoffs.

Playoff time: 10 things to know about the NBA's postseason

Suitcases are packed, and passports are in tow. The Philadelphia 76ers will soon be heading to Canada to do battle with the Toronto Raptors in this year's NBA Playoffs.
Best believe, no matter how lightly he packs, it is James Harden who will be carrying most baggage, even if he doesn&rsquo;t want to admit it.
Ahead of Saturday&rsquo;s playoff matchup in which the Sixers will play host to the Toronto Raptors, Harden has been consistent in stating that he doesn&rsquo;t feel any pressure heading into his first playoff series as Joel Embiid&rsquo;s running mate.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s nothing to it,&rdquo; he <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33739023/philadelphia-76ers-james-harden-not-feeling-pressure-entering-playoffs-ready-hoop">said to ESPN</a>, just days after he <a href="https://www.complex.com/sports/james-harden-interview-philadelphia-sixers-playoffs-brooklyn-nets?utm_campaign=sportstw&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_medium=social">declared to Complex</a> that he had, &ldquo;Nothing to prove.&rdquo;
Not even Harden himself believes that. That is, assuming he gives one iota about the legacy he will eventually leave.
Named MVP in 2018, the 32-year-old Harden is a 10-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA First Team Member. He&rsquo;s one of the most talented players of his generation and one who has helped revolutionize the way the game is both played and officiated today.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
James Harden + Joel Embiid Best of PNR Highlight Reel I First 5 Games Here are the top PNR plays between James Harden and Joel Embiid through 5 games, good luck stopping this duo Brooklyn <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sixers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Sixers</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HereTheyCome?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HereTheyCome</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JamesHarden?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JamesHarden</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JoelEmbiid?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JoelEmbiid</a> <a href="https://t.co/iKBMReqBLP">pic.twitter.com/iKBMReqBLP</a>
&mdash; MRCROCKPOT TPL (@mrcrockpot) <a href="https://twitter.com/mrcrockpot/status/1501996652634193921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Despite being able to boast those facts, if things ended for Harden here and now, he would only be remembered by future generations as another &ldquo;superstar&rdquo; who ultimately wasn&rsquo;t able to deliver when it mattered most. Fair or not, he wouldn&rsquo;t be considered among the likes of Charles Barkley, Allen Iverson or even, perhaps ironically, Chris Paul.
Each of those three players have proven histories that show they were not only winners, but that they managed to get every bit out of their potential. They showed up, every single day.
Can the same be said of Harden?
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As a basketball-viewing public, we are in an era where individual greatness is ultimately defined by someone&rsquo;s ability to deliver championship-level performances, if not championships. The perception (whether true or not) is that Harden hasn&rsquo;t done that. What he&rsquo;s mostly remembered for today is quitting on each of his last two teams. That, and a rather shabby playoff track record.
To his credit, in his eight years in Houston, Harden did get the Rockets out of the first round five times, reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2015 and 2018. But is that good enough? Do people remember that he lost twice to the dynastic Warriors? Do they even care?
Or do people more remember Harden for his five dubious Game 7 performances? In those contests, he shot a combined 37.4% from the field and also happens to have a higher regular-season scoring average (24.9) than playoff scoring average (23.3). If you check the tape on the greatest of Harden's contemporaries &mdash; Giannis, Curry, LeBron and Durant among them &mdash; you&rsquo;d see that this isn&rsquo;t the norm.
In the end, sadly for Harden, the scoring titles, incredible individual performances and career accolades ring a bit hollow. Not only because he hasn&rsquo;t been able to win a championship, but because, on an individual basis, he has faltered so tremendously on the quest.
Once upon a time, we said similar things about Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce. To a lesser extent, we at least questioned the true greatness of Kevin Garnett. In the end, they were able to write final chapters that mostly made us forget about their earlier shortcomings. They reinvented themselves and changed their legacies. The aspiration is what brought Harden to Philadelphia to in the first place.
On the precipice of his first postseason run with MVP candidate Joel Embiid, Harden can only hope that his career trajectory in Philadelphia emulates that of his new teammate. Through his first eight seasons as a professional, the hallmarks of Embiid&rsquo;s still-young career have been about working harder and doing more. He just secured his first scoring title and has a legitimate shot at dethroning reigning MVP Nikola Jokic for that accolade. He&rsquo;s looked almost as dominant as an in-prime Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal and will now attempt to lead the Sixers to the franchise&rsquo;s first Eastern Conference crown in over 20 years.
That, Embiid knows, will require Harden to play at a high level.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
James Harden discusses shooting struggles: "I'm one of the most confident players in this league because I put the work in." <a href="https://t.co/YdbevAOCZW">pic.twitter.com/YdbevAOCZW</a>
&mdash; HoopsHype (@hoopshype) <a href="https://twitter.com/hoopshype/status/1513152084069130244?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

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"I tell him to be himself,&rdquo; Embiid <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33739023/philadelphia-76ers-james-harden-not-feeling-pressure-entering-playoffs-ready-hoop">told ESPN</a>. &ldquo;He just has to be himself and not worry about people talking about pressure. Whatever happened in the past, you look back at what he's accomplished and what he's done, he had to play against a dynasty&hellip; Bad timing. But I'm sure it's going to be fine."
For Embiid&rsquo;s sake and that of the front office in Philadelphia, we can only hope his words are prophetic.
Whether James Harden cares to admit it, there&rsquo;s a lot riding on his marriage with Joel Embiid. Not the least of which is James Harden&rsquo;s ability to write a final chapter devoid of postseason shortcomings.
With all his baggage, Harden forced his way to Philadelphia.
Passport in tow, baggage checked, as he prepares to head north to Canada next week, the hope for Harden is that it will be just the first of many postseason trips that the Sixers will be taking.
Truth be told, Harden's legacy depends on it.
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When it comes to legacies, championships are the measuring stick, and Philadelphia's James Harden is still fighting for his.

Despite his remarks, James Harden actually has quite a bit to prove

The Phoenix Suns have several reasons to be confident they can make another deep playoff run. They have the No. 1 overall seed, they're talented, they're healthy and their roster has loads of continuity and postseason experience after advancing to the Finals last season.
Confident, but not cocky as they've pegged one trait they believe could knock them off track in pursuit of their first NBA title &mdash; hubris.
&ldquo;I am not like some old, wise playoff sage that I can sit up here and wax eloquently the step-by-step process,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said. &ldquo;I have a level of humility for the process.&rdquo;
The Suns are trying to follow a brilliant regular season by finally bringing a championship to the desert. The franchise has been to the Finals three times &mdash; in 1976, 1993 and last season &mdash; but never won it all.
It's easy to see why the Suns are optimistic this team could end the streak. They just finished a 64-win season that was eight wins better than any other team in the league thanks to the All-Star backcourt of Chris Paul and Devin Booker, along with a rapidly improving supporting cast that includes Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson.
The dominant regular season was an important statement for many on the team &mdash; particularly Booker &mdash; who still feel the Suns don't get the proper amount of respect following last year's Finals appearance. They took a 2-0 lead in the championship series before losing the next four to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Now the goal is to finish the job. They'll open the playoffs Sunday against the winner of the Pelicans-Clippers play-in game Friday night in Los Angeles.
&ldquo;I think there's a whole other level we can tap into,&rdquo; Booker said.
The Suns didn't change their roster much following the loss to the Bucks, opting instead to make another run with the same nucleus. General manager James Jones did make a few shrewd moves to bolster the bench, adding center JaVale McGee in free agency and guard Landry Shamet in a trade. Both have been key parts of the second unit.
The 7-foot-1 McGee has been particularly valuable, providing rim protection and hustle when starter Deandre Ayton's out of the game. He's also turned into a fan favorite and likes to call the Suns &ldquo;the best basketball team in the world.&rdquo;
But most of the team's improvement came from within. The Paul-Booker pairing has been impressive, adding a stellar new chapter to the 36-year-old Paul's career and helping Booker to become one of the league's bona fide stars.
Bridges has grown into a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year and is averaging a career-best 14.2 points per game. He's also been a rock in the starting lineup when others were out with injuries or COVID-19, playing in 309 consecutive games over four seasons, which is the longest streak in the NBA.
Ayton changed the trajectory of his career in last year's playoffs &mdash; growing from and inconsistent young player to a legitimate force in the paint &mdash; and continues to impress.
The Suns were roundly criticized for taking the big man with the No. 1 overall pick in 2018 ahead of stars Luka Doncic and Trae Young, but Ayton has turned into a productive player in his own right, shooting a career-high 63% from the field while averaging more than 17 points and 10 rebounds per game.
The Suns also have a productive bench.
The 6-foot-8 Johnson has become one of the league's most productive reserves. The 26-year-old was known as a shooter when he came into the league three years ago and his 42.5% mark from 3-point range certainly fits the description. But he's also a sneaky athlete who can get to the rim for powerful dunks and often finishes the game with the starters in the fourth quarter.
Phoenix's 64-win regular season is another accomplishment for Paul, who has few rivals in NBA history when it comes to making teams better. His presence and production have helped the Clippers, Rockets, Hornets and now Suns establish new franchise records for wins in a season.
There's only one thing that remains.
&ldquo;It would be nice to put a championship with all that,&rdquo; Paul said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the goal, that&rsquo;s what we&rsquo;re working towards.&rdquo;
But after playing 1,155 career NBA games, Paul knows a good regular season when he sees one.
And the Suns were the league's best.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t take that lightly though because it&rsquo;s a lot of work, it&rsquo;s a lot of hard work that goes into year-in and year-out playing and competing,&rdquo; Paul added. "At the end of the day, you want to have a chance. You at least want to have a chance, and I&rsquo;m grateful to be here with this group.&rdquo;
___
AP freelance writer Bob Huhn contributed to this story.

The Suns are trying to follow a brilliant regular season by finally bringing a championship to the desert.

Confident, not cocky: Loaded Suns ready for playoff run

Kyrie Irving had 34 points and 12 assists, Kevin Durant added 25 points and 11 assists, and the Brooklyn Nets took the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-108 on Tuesday night in the play-in opener.
The Nets raced to a 20-point lead after one quarter and turned the Cavaliers away time and time again to earn a matchup with No. 2 seed Boston in a series that begins Sunday.
Irving made his first 12 shots before a 3-pointer rimmed out in the fourth quarter. He finished 12 for 15.
A preseason NBA Finals favorite who sputtered through a turbulent season and were in 10th place entering the last week of the regular season, the Nets have run off five straight wins. With Durant and Irving, they are far more dangerous than the usual No. 7 seed.
And both are willing to give the ball to teammates who are capitalizing when they get it. Bruce Brown had 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, while Andre Drummond scored 16 points.
Darius Garland scored 34 points for the Cavaliers, who have another chance to earn the No. 8 seed. They will host the winner of the Atlanta-Charlotte game on Friday, with the winner moving on to face No. 1 seed Miami.
Brooklyn and Cleveland both went 44-38 but the Nets clinched the tiebreaker by beating the Cavs at Barclays Center last Friday to finish 3-1 against them. Cleveland was confident it could come back to Brooklyn and win, though it was clear quickly just how difficult that would be.
The Nets made nearly 71% of their shots in the first quarter &mdash; Irving and Durant combined to make all eight of theirs &mdash; and closed the period with a 15-3 spurt that made it 40-20. It was a bigger lead than Brooklyn had in any first quarter during the regular season.
The offense sputtered, as it usually does, when Durant went to the bench to start the second and Cleveland went on a 9-2 run to cut it to 13. The margin stayed right around there the remainder of the half, with the Cavs missing a number of open looks before Irving's jumper at the buzzer made it 57-43. That made him 9 for 9 at the break.
The Cavaliers, trying to extend a surprising season that saw them double their win total from a season ago, kept chipping away in the second half. But they would too often miss an open 3-pointer or give up an extra possession on an offensive rebound that the Nets would take advantage of.
Nic Claxton had 13 points and nine rebounds for Brooklyn.
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Evan Mobley scored 19 points and Kevin Love had 14 points and 13 rebounds. ... The Cavaliers remained without All-Star center Jarrett Allen because of a broken finger.
Nets: Irving's 9-for-9 first half wasn't even his best for Brooklyn. He was 10 for 10 against Chicago on Jan. 31, 2020. ... Brooklyn went 1-3 against Boston during the regular season. The Nets beat the Celtics 4-1 in the first round last season. ... Goran Dragic returned after missing the end of the regular season in health and safety protocols. He had three points in 10 minutes.
SUBWAY SHOOTING
The Nets and the New York Liberty Foundation announced before a moment of silence that <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-steve-nash-5fbbe485d9c340bd7c7a44160317dffc">they were donating $50,000 </a> to help those who were injured after at least 10 people were shot on a subway Tuesday. The shooting occurred at the subway stop closest to the Nets' training facility.
SIMMONS STATUS
Nash said Ben Simmons is moving better and doing more shooting, but there still was no timetable for when he could finally play for the Nets. Simmons, who sat on the bench wearing a matching green jacket and shorts, has battled back problems since not long after being acquired from Philadelphia in February.
&ldquo;So definitely positive signs, improving and moving and all those things, but like I said he hasn&rsquo;t been running full speed or playing against anybody,&rdquo; Nash said. &ldquo;So still a lot of markers to meet.&rdquo;
CENTER OF ATTENTION
Allen seemed poised to return for the play-in game, but the Cavaliers&rsquo; big man isn&rsquo;t quite ready.
Bickerstaff said the All-Star, who came to Cleveland from the Nets in a trade last season, did individual drills the past two days, when the team&rsquo;s focus at practice had to be on the available players to get ready for Brooklyn.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s doing well,&rdquo; said coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who has been without Allen for more than a month. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s working out; he&rsquo;s starting to do more with both hands. We&rsquo;re just kind of in a wait-and-see.&rdquo;

Kyrie Irving had 34 points and 12 assists, Kevin Durant added 25 points and 11 assists and the Nets took the No. 7 seed in the East.

Irving, Durant lead Nets past Cavs in Play-In for No. 7 seed

NEW YORK (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 36 points, leading a pair of fourth-quarter surges that carried the Brooklyn Nets into a tie for seventh place in the Eastern Conference with a 118-107 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night. 
The Nets caught the Cavaliers at 43-38 with a game remaining and clinched the tiebreaker. They will finish seventh if they beat Indiana on Sunday in their final regular-season game. The No. 7 team hosts No. 8 on Tuesday, moving into the playoffs with a victory. 
The loser of the 7-8 game has a second shot at the postseason by beating the winner of the game between the Nos. 9 and 10 teams on Friday.
Kyrie Irving shook off a poor shooting night to finish with 18 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Bruce Brown had 18 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Nets, who won their third straight. Andre Drummond had 15 points and 12 rebounds. 
Darius Garland scored 31 points for the Cavaliers, who dropped their third straight. They got rookie Evan Mobley back after a five-game absence with a sprained left ankle but are still missing All-Star center Jarrett Allen because of a broken finger that has sidelined him nearly a month.
Mobley and Lauri Markkanen both had 17 points. 
Durant scored 16 points in the first quarter but the Cavaliers defended well across the middle two periods and were ahead 93-89 early in the fourth. Durant then made a go-ahead 3-pointer during a 10-0 spurt that made it 99-93.
Cleveland got the next two baskets but Durant made another 3 to kick off an 8-0 run that put Brooklyn in control at 107-97 with about 4 1/2 minutes remaining. 
Durant was 6 for 7 in the first quarter and the Cavaliers barely outscored him, with the Nets leading 34-19. But he missed all three shots in the second and the Cavs worked their way back into it, getting within five before Brooklyn took a 62-54 advantage to the half. 
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Cedi Osman turned 27. ... Former Nets swingman Caris LeVert scored 16 points. 
Nets: Coach Steve Nash, on the decision to waive veteran James Johnson on Thursday: “There’s a lot of tough decisions throughout the year, so that’s just another tough one and sometimes it’s a bit unforeseen where things are going to go and the decision was made. So we just have to move on and just keep coaching the group, keep pushing the group.”
CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR?
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said he wasn't offended by the notion that top teams in the East might have been angling to avoid the Nets and would rather face his young team.
“I mean, the perception or the reality of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and the pieces that are around this team and the way that they’re coached, you can understand why people would want to do that,” Bickerstaff said. “But I’ll tell you this, if we’re healthy, we’re not a team people want to face.” 
SEEMS LIKE OLD TIMES
Allen and LeVert, who originally ended up in Indiana before being traded this season to Cleveland, were part of the four-team deal in January 2021 that brought James Harden to Brooklyn.
“It’s amazing. It’s probably been 13 months or something like that it feels like five years,” Nash said. “But happy for those guys doing well, playing on a good team and they’ve found a nice home.”
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Host Milwaukee on Sunday.
Nets: Host Indiana on Sunday.

Brooklyn Nets improve playoff positioning with a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Durant, Nets beat Cavs, in position to take No. 7 in East

The process of selecting the NBA's Most Valuable Player is inherently subjective. Circumstance factors into the equation, as does recent history. Big picture, the MVP award is not meant to celebrate the best player. Instead, it attempts to reward the player with the biggest impact &ndash; meaning that winning plays a major role.
There are a few blatant examples in the past 30 seasons where the general consensus is that the wrong player was crowned MVP, many of which involve Michael Jordan losing the award during certain years in his prime. However, those aren't the only controversial recent MVP awardees.
Considering all the debate around this award, it's worth examining recent MVPs as scientifically as possible. Let&rsquo;s take a look back at the 10 most recent MVP races to explore what the voters were thinking and whether they got it right:
2020-21 Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Team&rsquo;s record: 47-25 (3rd&nbsp;in Western Conference)
Stats: 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game&nbsp;
Jokic&rsquo;s all-around ability was on full display in 2020-21. He dragged the Denver Nuggets to the third seed in a tough Western Conference despite losing his running mate, Jamal Murray, with nearly 20 games remaining in the regular season.
Admittedly, Jokic didn&rsquo;t have a peak LeBron James or a healthy Steph Curry or Kawhi Leonard to compete with, but each of those stars were playing alongside another star, making it less likely for them to win.
From a voting standpoint, the 2020-21 MVP was over before it started. Jokic collected 91 of 101 first-place votes.
Verdict: Correct
2019-20 Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Team&rsquo;s record: 56-17 (1st&nbsp;in Eastern Conference)
Stats: 29.6 points, 13.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game
Prior to leading the Bucks to a championship in 2021, Antetokounmpo was a polarizing player. The narrative around him was that his shooting limitations would hold him back from realizing his potential &ndash; but this was clearly wrong. That didn&rsquo;t stop MVP voters from falling in line behind him either.
Antetokounmpo received 85 of 101 first-place votes. James was the only other player to receive a first-place vote (16.) In the post-Jordan era, James is also the most complicated player to gauge for MVPs. He&rsquo;s received four MVPs thus far and was widely seen as the final word in the &ldquo;best player on the planet&rdquo; debate until around 2019-20.
An argument can be made against Antetokounmpo due to the rarity of back-to-back winners (Antetokounmpo is just the 11th player to win back-to-back MVPs in NBA history), the perception around his limitations and the assumption that the Bucks were inherently capped in how far they could go. But if we&rsquo;re being honest, Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s 2019-20 season was even more impressive and deserving of an MVP than his first &ndash; save for the fact that he had the lowest win shares (11.1) of any MVP since Karl Malone in 1998-99 (and the fourth-lowest ever.)
Verdict: Correct
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_13046203_lg.jpg" alt="" width="694" height="516" />
2018-19 Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Team&rsquo;s record: 60-22 (1st in Eastern Conference)
Stats: 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game
Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s 2018-19 season was incredibly impressive. He won the MVP at just 24 years old, making him the ninth-youngest player to win. Still, this one may have been a reach for the voters, who favored a very good season by a breakout superstar over a great season by an established one.
Antetokounmpo received 78 first-place votes, compared to James Harden&rsquo;s 23. That was the final season in Houston for Harden and Chris Paul, and it was one in which Harden led the Rockets to a 53-29 record (including a 12-5 record without Paul). But the perception of Harden among the media was complicated. MVP voters seemed apprehensive to name Harden a back-to-back winner, despite his averaging more points per game (36.1) in a single season than anyone not named Wilt Chamberlain or Michael Jordan. His scoring average was the seventh-best in NBA/ABA history.
Harden&rsquo;s 2018-19 season was far from a sure thing as far as MVPs are concerned, but objectively, Harden&rsquo;s season was more impressive than Antetokounmpo's.
Verdict: Incorrect
2017-18 James Harden, Houston Rockets
Team&rsquo;s record: 47-25 (3rd&nbsp;in Western Conference)
Stats: 30.4 points, 8.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game&nbsp;
Harden may have frustrated basketball purists, but at his pre-COVID best, he was as impactful a regular-season player as we&rsquo;ve seen. The 2017-18 season may not represent his best statistical output, but it was still pretty darn impressive.
Harden earned 86 of the 101 first-place votes, and rightfully so. At his best, Harden ranks among the most infuriating players to game-plan against. He put defenders on skates, got to the line at will and connected on an obscene percentage of difficult shots.
Verdict: Correct 
2016-17 Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma State Thunder
Team&rsquo;s record: 47-35 (6th in Western Conference)
Stats: 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists per game&nbsp;
Westbrook&rsquo;s style of play, much like Harden's, was (and is) polarizing among basketball purists. Still, Westbrook couldn&rsquo;t be denied this MVP award after averaging a triple-double for an entire season for just the second time in NBA history. Sure, Westbrook did so in each of the next two seasons too, but a.) the first time is always the most impressive, and b.) Westbrook was rewarded in 2017 for keeping the Thunder afloat after Kevin Durant fled to Golden State in hopes of finding a greener pasture (which he did).
While voters were never smitten with Westbrook, he secured enough support in 2016-17 to take home the award. Westbrook secured 69 of the 101 first-place votes, significantly more than Harden (22). &nbsp;
Verdict: Correct
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2015-16 Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Team&rsquo;s record: 47-25 (3rd&nbsp;in Western Conference)
Stats: 30.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game&nbsp;
Curry was among the most obvious MVP winners of all-time in 2015-16. As great as he was in 2014-15, he really took the league by storm this season. He shot an even better three-point percentage than in 2014-15, he led Golden State to an all-time-best 73-9 record as easily the best player on the defending-champion Warriors.
The 2015-16 MVP race was as non-competitive as ever, as it was the first unanimous vote in history. Curry won all 131 first-place votes, securing his second consecutive award.
Verdict: Correct
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_9291526_lg.jpg" alt="" width="696" height="464" />
2014-15 Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Team&rsquo;s record: 47-25 (3rd&nbsp;in Western Conference)
Stats: 23.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game&nbsp;
Curry&rsquo;s 2014-15 season is tough to gauge. On the one hand, this is the season in which Curry became a global icon, challenging the league&rsquo;s balance of power and making teams rethink what was possible by forever altering the way the game was played.
Still, Curry&rsquo;s individual impact was debatable. He was on a perfectly-balanced team whose sixth man (Andre Iguodala) was even so good that he ultimately won Finals MVP. Objectively, Harden&rsquo;s season was more impressive &ndash; albeit less historically significant &ndash; and LeBron James was clearly more valuable to his Cavaliers. Still, Curry managed to take home 100 of the 130 first-place votes, netting him his first MVP.
Verdict: Incorrect
2013-14 Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
Team&rsquo;s record: 59-23 (2nd&nbsp;in Western Conference)
Stats: 32.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game&nbsp;
Durant&rsquo;s 2013-14 season wasn&rsquo;t his best, but it was easily deserving of the MVP. His only real competition for MVP, LeBron James, was coming off back-to-back wins, making it all the more likely that voters would give the award to someone else. Not that Durant needed the help though.
Durant elevated his game in 2013-14. He was already an elite scorer, but this was one of the first seasons in which he put it all together. Durant blossomed into an all-time great in 2013-14, leading to an easy decision for voters, who ultimately gave him 119 of the 125 first-place votes.
Verdict: Correct
2012-13 LeBron James, Miami Heat
Team&rsquo;s record: 66-16 (1st&nbsp;in Eastern Conference)
Stats: 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game
James continued his dominance en route to the Heat&rsquo;s second-consecutive title in 2012-13, and he even shot a career-best 41% on three-pointers. He&rsquo;d already achieved near-unanimous support as the league&rsquo;s best player, and he was treated accordingly by MVP voters.
James&rsquo; 2012-13 season was nearly as dominant as Curry&rsquo;s unanimous MVP season. James won 120 of the 121 first-place votes, with only one dissenter choosing Carmelo Anthony.
Verdict: Correct
2011-12 LeBron James, Miami Heat
Team&rsquo;s record: 46-20 (2nd&nbsp;in Eastern Conference)
Stats: 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists per gam
After losing to Dallas in the 2011 NBA Finals, James&rsquo; priorities were probably different. Specifically, he likely viewed regular-season accomplishments differently. Still, he was brilliant in his third season with the Heat, persevering through a tough year in which running mates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh missed 33 and 25 games, respectively. James missed 20 games himself; but he was so good, it didn&rsquo;t matter.
Verdict: Correct
Debates over sports awards are inevitable, but after taking a closer look at the 10 most recent MVPs, it's clear that voters have made the right choice more often than not. In fact, one could argue that eight of the last 10 MVPs were picked correctly. So, as we approach the 2021-22 NBA award season, it seems more likely than not that voters will make the right decision.
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The process of selecting the NBA MVP usually ends up with the award in the right person's hand. But not always.

Revisiting the last 10 NBA MVPs: Did the voters get them right?

Brooklyn Nets guard Goran Dragic has COVID-19 symptoms, according to coach Steve Nash, and will not play in Saturday night's game against the Atlanta Hawks.
Nash said Dragic "doesn&rsquo;t feel well. But that&rsquo;s all I know.&rdquo;
Dragic was placed in the NBA's health and safety protocols.
The loss of Dragic, who is averaging 7.5 points and 4.1 assists, leaves the Nets thin at point guard behind starter Kyrie Irving in the important game. The Nets and Hawks enter the game with identical 40-37 records, and the winner will move up one spot within the projected play-in tournament field to eighth in the Eastern Conference standings.
Shooting guard Seth Curry was listed as questionable on the initial injury report released on Friday night with left ankle soreness but was not included on the updated pregame list.
Nash said forward Bruce Brown has the flu and also will not play against Atlanta. Nash said he hopes Brown can return when Brooklyn plays Houston on Tuesday.
&ldquo;I think some of these things are 24 hours to 72 hours,&rdquo; Nash said of Brown's illness. &ldquo;Hopefully, we&rsquo;re in that timeframe and he can play on Tuesday.&rdquo;
Meanwhile, Nets forward Ben Simmons is with the team and participated in some light shooting before the game. Simmons apparently is not close to making his debut with Brooklyn since his trade from Philadelphia on Feb. 10.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s on the court a little bit the past couple days, but nothing dynamic,&rdquo; Nash said, adding Simmons &ldquo;is not even moving around a lot. He&rsquo;s just doing some light shooting.&rdquo;

Brooklyn Nets guard Goran Dragic has COVID-19 symptoms and will not play in Saturday night's game against the Atlanta Hawks.

Nets' Goran Dragic has COVID-19 symptoms, won't play vs. Hawks

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Jaylen Brown scored 32 points and Jayson Tatum had 31 to help the Boston Celtics stop a rare late-season stumble and beat the Indiana Pacers 128-123 on Friday night.
It was the eighth time this season that &ldquo;The Jays&rdquo; each scored at least 30 points.
&ldquo;We're not trying to take turns. Just playing the game the right way,&rdquo; Tatum said. &ldquo;If he takes six good shots in a row, that&rsquo;s fine with me.&rdquo;
The Pacers lost their sixth straight game despite getting 30 points from Tyrese Haliburton before he fouled out early in the fourth quarter with Indiana trailing 103-101. The Celtics led 124-120 with 40 seconds left when <a href="https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1510075050048688135">Al Horford found Tatum coming down the lane </a> for a dunk that all but sealed Boston's win.
Horford scored 17 points with 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who had won 24 of 28 games before losing to Toronto on Monday night without four of their starters. They followed it up with a loss to Miami on Wednesday &mdash; the first time they lost back-to-back games in two months as they climbed from below .500 to the top of the Eastern Conference standings.
But a loss to the Pacers, a non-playoff team with the fifth-most losses in the league, would have been more concerning.
&ldquo;Credit to them for making it tough on you,&rdquo; Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re playing loose and free with nothing to lose right now. You can tell. At the same time, we&rsquo;re aiding them.&rdquo;
Oshae Brissett and Jalen Smith scored 17 points apiece for the Pacers.
The Celtics scored 11 of the first 13 points in the game before giving up the next nine to tie it. Boston took a 37-28 at the end of the first quarter and led by as many as 10 points in the second.
FOULED OUT
Haliburton had 22 points at halftime and had 30 points on 10-for-11 shooting &mdash; including 6 for 6 from 3-point range &mdash; before picking up his fifth foul with 4:27 left in the third quarter on a collision with Boston&rsquo;s Derrick White while going for a loose ball.
Haliburton complained about the call, and got coach Rick Carlisle to challenge it, but it was upheld. Haliburton sat out the rest of the third and the first 3:33 of the fourth, then lasted just 14 seconds before fouling out, drawing jeers from the crowd.
INJURIES
The Celtics, who lost center Robert Williams III to a meniscus tear on Sunday, had a few injury scares against Indiana, but Udoka said everyone is OK.
Brown appeared wobbly after getting hit in the face by teammate Grant Williams but he returned. Williams is OK after stepping on someone's foot. Guard Marcus Smart limped off to the locker room at the end of the first half after a collision with Daniel Theis but returned for the third quarter.
&ldquo;I reaggravated an injury in my right ankle. It scared me for a moment as well,&rdquo; Smart said. &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t need to be going down at this time, getting close to the playoffs. But I&rsquo;m fine. Checked it out. I&rsquo;ll be all right.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Before the game, the Celtics honored longtime Pacers director of media relations David Benner. Celtics vice president Jeff Twiss presented Benner, who has worked for the Pacers for 28 years, with a piece of the Boston Garden parquet floor. ... Celtics swingman Nik Stauskas missed the game with a right ankle sprain. ... Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon missed his seventh straight game. ... For '90s night, the Celtics brought back 1991 slam dunk contest winner Dee Brown. ... Tatum had three 3-pointers, giving him 222 for the season, tying Antoine Walker's 2002 mark for the second-most in franchise history.
UP NEXT
Pacers: Host Detroit on Sunday.
Celtics: Host Washington in regular-season home finale on Sunday.
&nbsp;

Jaylen Brown scored 32 points and Jayson Tatum had 31 to help the Boston Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers 128-123.

Brown, Tatum pair up to lead Celtics past Pacers 128-123

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Giannis Antetokounmpo passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become Milwaukee's career scoring leader on a 3-pointer that forced overtime, and then made two free throws in the final seconds to give the Bucks a 120-119 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night.
The defending NBA champions clinched a return to the postseason with the win, in which Antetokounmpo had 44 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. Jrue Holiday added 19 points and Khris Middleton had 16 before being ejected for a flagrant foul midway through the third quarter.
Kevin Durant had 26 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds for the Nets, but missed a 3-pointer that would have won it. Kyrie Irving scored 25 points and Bruce Brown had 23.
Just as in the memorable end to their second-round series last summer, when the Bucks overcame 48 points from Durant &mdash; most ever in a Game 7 &mdash; overtime was needed to determine a winner. Milwaukee took that one 115-111 and pulled it out Thursday behind a second straight 40-point game from Antetokounmpo.
He came into the game 39 points behind Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA's career scoring leader who had 14,211 points after beginning his career in Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo passed him with a 3-pointer with 18 seconds left that knotted it at 110.
The Bucks and Nets could be headed for a first-round matchup this year. The Bucks are a half-game behind Miami for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, while the Nets are tied for eighth and can likely hope for nothing better than the No. 7 or 8 seed by coming out of the play-in tournament.
The Bucks led by four in overtime but the Nets rallied to take a 119-118 lead when Durant was fouled on a 3-point attempt and made all three shots with 8.7 seconds left. Antetokounmpo quickly rushed into the lane and was fouled by Nic Claxton. He made both free throws and finished 15 of 19 from the line.
Brooklyn took control before Middleton's ejection, with Seth Curry scoring five straight points to give the Nets the lead and Brown scoring to make it 99-96 with 5 1/2 minutes to play.
Antetokounmpo re-entered the game but threw a bad pass that Brown grabbed and appeared to be on his way to an uncontested layup. But Middleton raced back and grabbed Brown&rsquo;s upper arm as he was in the air, sending him to a hard landing. Referees reviewed the replay and informed a stunned Middleton that he received the harsher Flagrant 2 and was ejected.
Brown made the free throws, Irving scored and the Nets&rsquo; built a 108-99 lead when Durant threw down Irving&rsquo;s lob pass with 3:52 left.
TIP-INS
Bucks: Coach Mike Budenholzer coached in Brooklyn for the first time this season, having missed the Bucks&rsquo; 121-109 victory on Jan. 7 while in the NBA&rsquo;s health and safety protocols.
Nets: Coach Steve Nash said he isn&rsquo;t closely watching the results of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have tumbled all the way to seventh in the East. If they remain behind Toronto, the removes the possibility of having to play a play-in game in Canada, where the unvaccinated Irving is unable to travel.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not averse to seeing how they&rsquo;re doing and where they&rsquo;re at, but it&rsquo;s not something that I&rsquo;m, like I said the other day, refreshing my feed daily,&rdquo; Nash said.
THE GREEK&rsquo;S KNEE
Though Antetokounmpo appeared on the injury report with right knee soreness, Budenholzer said it&rsquo;s nothing beyond what the two-time NBA MVP has been dealing with for years.
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s in a good place,&rdquo; Budenholzer said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s anything that we&rsquo;re concerned about, but there&rsquo;s a daily attention and effort that it takes from the sports performance team and him and what he does to be his best. It&rsquo;s impressive.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Bucks: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.
Nets: Visit Atlanta on Saturday.

Giannis Antetokounmpo passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become Milwaukee's leading scorer and helped the Bucks beat the Nets.

Wynne