Golden Wolves

After months of scrolling through countless Damian Lillard trade rumors, the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/bucks-shock-nba-world-by-acquiring-damian-lillard-in-blockbuster-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news finally broke</a> on Wednesday afternoon that the Portland Trail Blazers' long-time franchise cornerstone was headed to the Milwaukee Bucks. In one of the more surprising blockbuster trades in recent memory, the seven-time All-Star guard will pair with Giannis Antetokounmpo to form one of the best duos in the league.&nbsp;
Now, the new big fish in the trade market is none other than the player Lillard was dealt for: Jrue Holiday. The Blazers' return featured Holiday, former No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns second-rounder Toumani Camara, an unprotected Bucks 2029 first-rounder, and 2028 and 2030 first-round pick swaps from Milwaukee. The circumstances of Lillard&rsquo;s trade request and his desire to be dealt specifically to the Miami Heat dampened his trade value, but the Blazers were able to come away with a &ldquo;palatable&rdquo; return.
 However, Holiday is unlikely to stay in Portland for long as he does not fit their rebuilding timeline around core players Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe. <a href="https://twitter.com/BobbyMarks42/status/1707100851880259810" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN&rsquo;s Bobby Marks</a> graded Portland&rsquo;s trade return as &ldquo;incomplete&rdquo; pending the potential assets the team receives for Holiday when they flip him.
Many contending teams are reportedly rushing to the phones to make moves in reaction to the Lillard blockbuster, with several expressing serious interest in Holiday. These possible suitors include the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers and Heat. Teams must factor in Holiday's potential free agency next summer and the possibility of signing him to a long-term extension, which he becomes eligible for on Feb. 22. Perhaps the Blazers will have some urgency to deal Holiday prior to Media Day on Oct. 2 in order to avoid questions and logistics about bringing him in for training camp.&nbsp;
For any team over the luxury-tax apron ($171,294,000) to trade for Holiday, they need to trade away at least $33,175,536 (90% of Holiday&rsquo;s 2023-24 salary) in salaries in order to legally execute a trade. The rest of the league will only need to send out $27,646,280 (75% of Holiday&rsquo;s 2023-24 salary) in order to make a deal.&nbsp;
Another important CBA note with any Holiday trade is that his $36,861,707 salary cannot be aggregated with other contracts for two months. While Holiday is still eligible to be immediately rerouted elsewhere, he cannot be traded with other players. For example, just a few months back, Chris Paul was traded to the Washington Wizards and then quickly rerouted in a separate deal to Golden State. Because Paul was the only salary going back to the Warriors, he was legally allowed to be traded. This must be taken into consideration when proposing potential trade ideas.
With Holiday potentially on the move in the coming days, let&rsquo;s take a look at some potential deals for the 33-year-old.
Realistic Trade Destinations
BOSTON CELTICS
Celtics receive: Jrue Holiday
Trail Blazers receive: Malcolm Brogdon, Al Horford, Dalano Banton (salary guarantee increased to $1,009,853 to satisfy trade rules), 2024 GSW top-4 protected first-round pick, 2025 BOS first-round pick, 2026 BOS first-round pick swap, 2024 CHI/DAL/NO (most favorable) second-round pick, 2026 MIN/NO/NYK/POR (most favorable) second-round pick
By trading away Marcus Smart this summer, the Celtics lost the key cog to their juggernaut defense. Despite not having a Defensive Player of the Year award, Holiday would probably serve as an upgrade to Smart on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor, helping the Celtics compete against the new-look Bucks in the East. If they wish to enter the Holiday sweepstakes, they would need to trade Malcolm Brogdon ($22,500,000), whom they were close to dealing to the Clippers in July. Along with Brogdon, they would have to sacrifice either Al Horford ($10,000,000) or Robert Williams III ($11,571,429) to make the salaries work. They have all of their own draft picks to trade as well as the Golden State Warriors' pick in 2024, which they got from the Smart trade.
MIAMI HEAT
Heat receive: Jrue Holiday
Trail Blazers receive: Kyle Lowry, Nikola Jovic, Haywood Highsmith, 2027 MIA first-round pick, 2029 MIA top-14 protected first-round pick, 2028 MIA first-round pick swap, 2024 MIA top-50 protected second-round pick, 2026 LAL second-round pick, 2027 HOU/IND/MIA/OKC/SA (least favorable) second-round pick
Missing out once again in their pursuit of a star third option to pair with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, Miami could use an upgrade like Holiday to their seemingly incomplete roster. Holiday would provide a must-needed scoring punch and would fit seamlessly in Miami&rsquo;s hard-working culture. While their Lillard trade package was highlighted by Tyler Herro, they likely wouldn&rsquo;t use him in any trade for Holiday. Their salary going out in a deal would come from Kyle Lowry&rsquo;s expiring salary ($29,682,540) and some combination of younger players like Jaime Jaquez Jr. ($3,510,533), Nikola Jovic ($2,352,000) and Haywood Highsmith ($1,902,137). While they are somewhat restricted in terms of draft assets, they can offer up to three first-round picks if they amend their 2025 first-round pick they owe the Oklahoma City Thunder. They have three second-rounders to offer as well.&nbsp;
NEW YORK KNICKS
Knicks receive: Jrue Holiday
Trail Blazers receive: RJ Barrett, Reggie Bullock, Khem Birch, 2024 DAL top-10 protected first-round pick, 2024 DET top-18 protected first-round pick, 2024 WAS top-12 protected first-round pick
Spurs receive: Evan Fournier, 2026 MEM top-42 protected second-round pick, 2027 NO/POR (less favorable) second-round pick
The Knicks may be holding out for when the next superstar &ndash; i.e. Joel Embiid, Donovan Mitchell or Giannis Antetokounmpo (although maybe not anymore?) &ndash; asks for a trade. While New York may be focused on further down the line, acquiring a player like Holiday could allow them to boost their roster right now without giving up enough capital to harm their future superstar pursuits. A Knicks trade that would not harm their trove of draft assets would have to send out RJ Barrett ($23,883,929), who potentially fits Portland&rsquo;s rebuilding timeline. Jrue could line up as the team&rsquo;s starting shooting guard alongside Jalen Brunson, while Josh Hart would play more minutes at small forward to mitigate the loss of Barrett. Evan Fournier&rsquo;s large salary ($18,857,143) would also have to be in any deal for the Knicks to take in Holiday. Portland wouldn&rsquo;t want to acquire both Fournier and Barrett as that would push them over the luxury tax, therefore they would likely route Fournier to another team (like San Antonio).
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
Clippers receive: Jrue Holiday
Trail Blazers receive: Marcus Morris Sr., Robert Covington, Amir Coffey, Jason Preston (salary fully guaranteed), 2028 LAC first-round pick, 2030 LAC first-round pick, 2029 LAC first-round pick swap
The Clippers may have been given an olive branch with a player like Jrue Holiday becoming available, as he's an impact player at a price they can afford. It also provides an alternative for the Clippers to land a third star while avoiding the potential drama/issues that could come with acquiring a player like James Harden. The Clippers have a lot of high-salary veterans they could use to get to Holiday&rsquo;s number like Norman Powell ($18,000,000), Marcus Morris Sr. ($17,116,279), Nicolas Batum ($11,710,818) and Robert Covington ($11,692,308). They would probably like to keep Terance Mann, who they seem to not want to include in a potential Harden trade, although his $10,576,923 could be useful. Portland could view their unprotected picks in 2028 and 2030 as some of the best draft assets they could receive due to their aging stars and lack of postseason success.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
76ers receive: Jrue Holiday
Clippers receive: James Harden, 2024 NYK second-round pick, 2029 PHI second-round pick, 2030 PHI second-round pick
Trail Blazers receive: Marcus Morris Sr., Robert Covington, Amir Coffey, Jason Preston (salary fully guaranteed to satisfy trade rules), 2028 LAC first-round pick, 2029 PHI first-round pick, 2029 LAC first-round pick swap
Amidst the James Harden debacle, Daryl Morey has remained steadfast in getting a formidable return if they choose to trade the disgruntled All-Star. A reunion with Jrue Holiday, who played in Philadelphia from 2009 to 2013, certainly should get Morey and the Sixers' attention. Holiday would certainly upgrade their defense while being a good support and influence on Tyrese Maxey. The Trail Blazers would have little interest in taking a direct package from Philadelphia, which would almost certainly be headlined by Harden ($35,640,000). Harden's desired destination, the Clippers, should still be interested in acquiring him, but may be more interested in trading for Holiday directly. Portland would likely get a similar package to what they would receive if they traded directly with the Clippers, potentially leaving Philadelphia out to dry. The Sixers would have to incentivize the Clippers by trading some draft capital to take Harden instead of Holiday.
Honorable Mentions
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
The Warriors are a logical Holiday destination in terms of fit and trade assets. A trade package would have to send the newly acquired Chris Paul back to Portland or a third team along with a young player like Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody or Brandin Podziemski, plus a draft pick. Given that coach Steve Kerr has talked all summer about bringing Paul into the fold, it would be pretty surprising if the team pivoted from the future Hall-of-Famer just before training camp. If the Warriors do choose to jump in the Holiday waters, they could quickly move to the front of the line.&nbsp;
TORONTO RAPTORS
Toronto was considered the favorite to acquire Lillard at one point, with a package that was likely headlined by OG Anunoby and draft assets. In order to acquire Holiday, they would need to use a similar package, albeit with less draft capital involved. It seems as though the Raptors were being coy about potentially dealing Anunoby for Lillard, according to <a href="https://torontosun.com/sports/basketball/nba/toronto-raptors/options-for-raptors-with-damian-lillard-trade-dream-done" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun</a>. If Masai Ujiri was unwilling to include Anunoby in trade discussions before, it&rsquo;s unlikely he will do so for a player like Holiday.&nbsp;
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
Holiday would be a near perfect fit alongside Anthony Edwards in the Wolves' backcourt and would greatly improve their defense. However, Minnesota simply doesn&rsquo;t have the right salaries or draft assets to realistically get to Holiday&rsquo;s number unless they are willing to part ways with Karl-Anthony Towns. Even if Tim Connelly was willing to deal Towns for Holiday, the trade may not be what Portland is looking for with the 2015 No. 1 overall pick&rsquo;s five-year supermax extension beginning next season. The idea of paying supermax money to Towns will likely be a turn off for Blazers GM Joe Cronin.
ORLANDO MAGIC
Orlando is probably the most fun dark-horse destination for Jrue. While Markelle Fultz has been a suitable lead guard when healthy, Holiday would bring a championship-level veteran presence that could be useful for Orlando&rsquo;s young squad. The question with the Magic is whether they would actually pursue a deal that would accelerate their timeline with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, as well as whether they would part with draft capital that they could potentially use down the line in future trades.

With the Blazers looking to flip Jrue Holiday, Blake Stern breaks down several teams that make sense as a trade suitor.

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NBA Rumor Tracker: Compiling the latest news and intel

Before the national media cared about the other basketball team in New York City, the 2018-19 Brooklyn Nets were one of the dopest stories in the NBA.
They were a hard-working, culture-changing, overachieving, likable group who surprised many outside of (and within, if we&rsquo;re being honest) the New York Metropolitan Area by hustling their asses to a 2019 playoff berth. It was their first in four years, and marked the beginning of three consecutive postseason runs.
At the core of this period, there was an ongoing D&rsquo;Angelo Russell-Spencer Dinwiddie Twitter war that emotionally consumed much of the fan base, a more insulated type than the one that rages on today. In the 2017-18 season, Russell was the starting point guard, and Dinwiddie entered the season in the third string on the depth chart.
But after Jeremy Lin tore his Achilles on opening night &mdash; and with Russell needing arthroscopic knee surgery one month in &mdash; Dinwiddie stepped into a role that nearly landed him the league&rsquo;s Most Improved Player award.
The occasional Russell-Dinwiddie minutes shared? Notably not great, a trend that continued in 2018-19. Then-Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson would <a href="https://www.netsdaily.com/2018/11/3/18058490/inside-dangelo-russells-fourth-quarter-benching" target="_blank" rel="noopener">semi-regularly bench Russell for Dinwiddie</a> &mdash; the team&rsquo;s sixth man &mdash; to close games. <a href="https://www.netsdaily.com/2018/11/5/18063566/dangelo-russell-bounces-back-kenny-atkinson-offers-road-trip-challenge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Atkinson would be pressed, as a result</a>, especially on those occasions where it didn&rsquo;t work.
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The "Russell or Dinwiddie" talk extended to who should represent the Nets if they had an All-Star, and then, Dinwiddie tore his the UCL in his hand &mdash; <a href="https://twitter.com/realtuffjuice/status/1088550514432794624" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first reported by Caron freakin' Butler</a> (!!) &mdash; clearing the runway for Russell. He then became the replacement All-Star for Victor Oladipo, who tore his quad one day before Dinwiddie tore his thumb &mdash; but honestly, Russell was probably the most deserving of the three anyway.
(Go look back at Oladipo&rsquo;s season. He was good, but less so than you remember, primarily when held against his extraordinary 2017-18 campaign.)
You can draw a straight line from Russell&rsquo;s breakout near MIP-winning season in 2018-19 to watching Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving join the Nets later that summer. If not for Russell&rsquo;s emergence that helped put Brooklyn in position to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-rumors-kevin-durant-kyrie-irving-brooklyn-nets-los-angeles-clippers-kawhi-leonard-paul-george-learn-mistakes-culture-kenny-atkinson-doc-rivers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">abandon their process to chase stars</a> &mdash; which landed him in Golden State in exchange for Durant &mdash; who knows if the Nets would've become what they have over the last three years?
Since then, in a crowded talent pool of All-Star level NBA point guards, Russell&rsquo;s kinda become&hellip; underrated.
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Congratulations to D'Angelo Russell for this amazing achievement 💯 <a href="https://t.co/vbvxkhzqsv">pic.twitter.com/vbvxkhzqsv</a>
&mdash; Timberwolves Nation (@TWolvesNationCP) <a href="https://twitter.com/TWolvesNationCP/status/1493966873427603459?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Now, this isn&rsquo;t to say Russell is slept on like the way y&rsquo;all are sleeping on Top Boy, bison meat, Splinter Cell, Nas and Hit-Boy&rsquo;s Magic EP &mdash; or dipping your quesadilla in barbecue sauce &mdash; but D'Lo's impact is a tad underdiscussed. Russell, 26, is mainly overlooked in the way that a once-rising star who we believe to have plateaued could be easily forgotten despite remaining near his previous peak at arguably the NBA&rsquo;s deepest position. &nbsp;
To this point, Russell&rsquo;s been pretty durable, which is major since he&rsquo;s about to play his 46th regular-season game on Thursday, his most since that '18-19 run in Brooklyn. The 31-28 Minnesota Timberwolves are currently seventh in the Western Conference and are 15-8 since Jan. 3.
In their now 33-season history, the Wolves have secured only nine playoff berths, and just one since Kevin Garnett left (Jimmy Butler&rsquo;s only full season with the team). Even then, in 2017-18, Minnesota only finished eighth in the West &mdash; fourth at the time of Butler&rsquo;s late-season meniscus injury &mdash; so the team hasn&rsquo;t finished seventh or higher since the 2003-04 season. That was the only time the Wolves have ever gotten past the first round as a franchise.
It&rsquo;s fair to say that they&rsquo;re at least pretty, pretty, pretty good by NBA standards. There are still reasons to be skeptical regarding their legitimacy, but we&rsquo;re usually penciling them in for yet another lottery draft pick &lsquo;round this time of year. And look, they may still get one, but we&rsquo;re approaching March, and they&rsquo;re in games that matter. Russell deserves some credit for that, as he does for still producing since '18-19 and proving his breakout wasn&rsquo;t a fluke. 
The Timberwolves' &ldquo;quiet ass&rdquo; fans are apparently so stunned at their relative success that they&rsquo;re <a href="https://twitter.com/Dloading/status/1491095748934455304?s=20&amp;t=sv7cJecuhNpOmS0ql-nTUQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not cheering enough</a>. This is sh*t they ain&rsquo;t used to!
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(To be fair, D&rsquo;Angelo, on the night you called out your quiet-ass fans, y&rsquo;all were playing the Detroit Pistons and beat them by 13. My ass would be quiet if I saw my team semi-spank a Cade Cunningham-less skeleton crew led by 24 non-threatening Saddiq Bey points!)
To his credit, those quiet asses answered though!
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This season, Russell&rsquo;s averaging 18.8 points and 7.0 assists on .408/.351/.802 shooting splits. It doesn&rsquo;t wow you on the surface &mdash; not even when I tell you he&rsquo;s tied for 12th in assists per game this season (7.0) ahead of guys like LeBron James, Ja Morant, Jrue Holiday and his old teammate Dinwiddie.
Minnesota is third in pace, fifth in scoring, 10th in Offensive Rating and 14th in Net Rating as a result.
However, it's the Timberwolves' defense that has been, as local reporting out of Minnesota has put it this season, <a href="https://www.twincities.com/2021/11/30/quarterbacking-the-timberwolves-improved-defense-is-dangelo-russell/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"quarterbacked" by Russell</a> &mdash; an area that has been one of the foremost knocks on him individually since entering the league. And D-Lo&rsquo;s grown into a leader in a locker room that includes Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards (and Patrick Beverley matters). &nbsp;
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Can't tell what I liked more here the nail help from D'Angelo Russell or the rotation from Jaden McDaniels. <a href="https://t.co/SkH6hP7lHX">pic.twitter.com/SkH6hP7lHX</a>
&mdash; Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) <a href="https://twitter.com/stevejones20/status/1493763756580425731?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2022</a></blockquote>

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You watch Russell, and without question, save for his deserved All-Star season, he&rsquo;s playing his most impactful basketball to date. Currently, he has a career-high .105 win shares per 48 minutes and has been productive despite a 25.9% usage rating; it isn&rsquo;t low by any means, but it&rsquo;s the lowest since his rookie season. We&rsquo;re also seeing Russell at optimal usage, even if he isn&rsquo;t an All-Star anymore, and will have a hard time getting back there due to the depth at guard in #thisleague. (It&rsquo;s not completely impossible though.)
Russell is leading on both ends and ranks third in shot attempts behind Towns and Edwards, where he should be, and will have a $31 million expiring contract next season. So, yes, he&rsquo;s extension-eligible this summer. No, he shouldn&rsquo;t get a max, but why not ride this out if you&rsquo;re Minnesota? You clearly have something functioning at, for you, a high level &mdash; the highest you&rsquo;ve seen in five seasons and the second-highest since 2005. (Edwards turned four that year, fam.)
So, yes, Russell has earned his extension so far and is ideally the third option on a good team (as he is there), but is a primary playmaker (as he&rsquo;s been). Keeping a core together and continuing to progress is the Wolves' best bet, which is incredibly important in markets like Minnesota.
And, overall, we should commend Russell's sheer resiliency. Others may have gone in the tank while trying to reclaim All-Star status by now. He's out here helping a winner for a franchise that's seen so few.&nbsp;
Oh, and while we're here, happy 26th birthday, D&rsquo;Angelo.
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Bryan Fonseca credits D'Angelo Russell for his role in the Wolves' success this season and feels he's been underrated.

Commending D’Angelo Russell for playing his most impactful basketball

Tommy Beer is back with his latest version of BasketballNews.com's NBA Power Rankings. To read last week's version, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-power-rankings-sixers-and-nuggets-on-come-up-nets-sliding" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>.
The Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics (thanks to their dominant defense) are three of the big climbers this week, while the Nets continue to head in the wrong direction.
1. Phoenix Suns (44-10) &harr;️ Last Week: 1
Despite posting the NBA's best record, the Suns are reportedly looking to upgrade their roster. <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/nba-rumors-james-harden-ben-simmons-caris-levert-collin-sexton-malik-beasley-thaddeus-young/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype</a>, Phoenix is one of two teams (the Minnesota Timberwolves being the other) that have expressed interest in trading for San Antonio Spurs veteran Thaddeus Young.
2. Golden State Warriors (41-13) &harr;️ Last Week: 2
It appears Klay Thompson is finding his groove, which is bad news for the rest of the NBA. Klay has scored over 20 points in back-to-back games and is averaging 19.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.6 made treys (while shooting 42.9% from downtown) over his last five contests. &nbsp;
3. Memphis Grizzlies (38-18) &harr;️ Last Week: 3
The Grizz just keep on winning. They've won 6 of their last 7 games and 19 of their previous 23. Memphis has not lost consecutive contests since before Christmas. Over their last 20 games, Ja Morant is averaging 29.9 points (while shooting over 51% from the floor), 6.7 dimes, 6.3 assists, 1.6 made triples and 1.1 steals. Those are jaw-dropping numbers for any player, let alone a 22-year-old kid in just his third pro season.
4. Milwaukee Bucks (35-21) ⬆️ Last Week: 9
Interesting statistical factoid from the Bucks 137-113 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. In that game, Milwaukee became the first team in NBA history to have each member of its starting lineup score at least 15 points, grab at least 5 rebounds and knock down at least 2 three-pointers.
5. Miami Heat (35-20) &harr;️ Last Week: 5
When the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night, Miami clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference through the end of last week, which means Erik Spoelstra and his staff will head to Cleveland later this month to coach Team Durant in the All-Star Game.
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6. Chicago Bulls (33-21) &harr;️ Last Week: 6
The Bulls, playing without two of their best perimeter defenders in Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso, have lost 3 of their last 4. However, after playing Wednesday in Charlotte, Chicago begins a six-game homestand that wraps around All-Star weekend. Following the matchup with the Hornets, the Bulls don't play on the road again until Feb. 28.&nbsp;
7. Cleveland Cavaliers (33-21) ⬆️ Last Week: 8
The Cavs acquired Caris LeVert from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for injured point guard Ricky Rubio and three draft picks over the weekend. "Very excited to add a dynamic young player of this caliber and experience," Cleveland president Koby Altman told reporters. "LeVert fits uniquely into our culture, and his Ohio roots bring an immediate connection to our community. We look forward to seeing what type of impact he can make on this roster." It's an excellent addition for the Cavs to supply them with the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/reaction-caris-levert-fills-blended-need-for-cavs-as-pacers-reset" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scoring wing they were looking for</a>, making Cleveland that much scarier come playoff time. LeVert is expected to be active for Wednesday's game against the Spurs.
8. Philadelphia 76ers (32-22) ⬇️ Last Week: 4
The Sixers are 10 games over .500 and Joel Embiid is doing much of the heavy lifting. Over his last 10 games, the big man is averaging 36.0 points, 12.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists. In the process, he may have established himself as the odds-on favorite to take home the MVP award entering the All-Star break. &nbsp;
9. Dallas Mavericks (32-23) ⬆️ Last Week: 10
Reggie Bullock tallied 22 points (on 8 of 14 shooting with 6 made three-pointers), 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in a win over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. He's been a big part of the Mavs success of late. Over Dallas' past seven games, Bullock is averaging 17.9 points (while shooting 50.0% from the floor), 5.4 rebounds, 4.6 treys, 1.3 steals and just 0.6 turnovers.
10. Utah Jazz (33-21) ⬆️ Last Week: 11
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Donovan Mitchell sealed the win for the <a href="https://twitter.com/utahjazz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@utahjazz</a> with 3 fourth-quarter steals, after GOING OFF for 21 points in the first half! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TakeNote?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TakeNote</a> 🕷 <a href="https://twitter.com/spidadmitchell?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@spidadmitchell</a>: 32 PTS, 7 REB, 6 AST, 4 STL <a href="https://t.co/IiPsFfYDIu">pic.twitter.com/IiPsFfYDIu</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1490927965319970816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Donovan Mitchell racked up 32 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals in Utah's victory over the Knicks on Monday night. Rudy Gobert (left calf strain) did not play in the win, but the Jazz are hoping he is cleared to return to the action later this week. They also just acquired Nickeil Alexander-Walker <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nickel-alexanderwalker-on-the-move-again-as-blazers-jazz-spurs-complete-threeteam-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in a three-team deal</a> to add some youth (and depth) to their backcourt.
11. Denver Nuggets (30-24) ⬇️ Last Week: 7
Nikola Jokic was at it again Sunday, registering another triple-double in Denver's 124-104 win over the Brooklyn Nets. The Joker finished with 27 points (on 12 of 15 shooting), 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals and just 2 turnovers in only 30 minutes. This one (his NBA-leading 14th triple-double) was notable because it was the second time in Jokic's career he's recorded a 25-point triple-double while also shooting above 80% from the floor. Wilt Chamberlain is the only player in NBA history with more than one such game.
12. Toronto Raptors (29-23) ⬆️ Last Week: 14
The Raptors, who are currently riding a six-game winning streak, have discussed a trade that would send Goran Dragic (and his $18 million expiring contract) to the Hawks in exchange for Danilo Gallinari, <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2953236-nba-trade-intel-cj-mccollum-has-become-best-player-likely-dealt-at-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report</a>.
13. Boston Celtics (31-25)&nbsp;⬆️ Last Week: 15
The Celtics have posted a 13-4 record dating back to New Year's Eve, and it's their defense that has turned Boston's season around. Over this 17-game stretch, the C's are allowing just 101.5 points per 100 possessions. To put that number in context: No team in the NBA other than Boston is allowing fewer than 106.5 points per 100 possessions over the past six weeks. Boston ranks first in Net Rating in 2022 as well. As usual, Marcus Smart has led the charge (pun intended) on the defensive front. He leads his team in pass deflections (64 more than any other Celtic) and charges drawn.
14. Minnesota Timberwolves (29-25) ⬆️ Last Week: 17
In the 18 games this season in which Minnesota has been able to roll out its preferred starting five of D&rsquo;Angelo Russell, Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, Jarred Vanderbilt and Patrick Beverley, the Wolves are 13-5.
15. Brooklyn Nets (29-25) ⬇️ Last Week: 12
The Nets have lost nine straight games. They are 12 games under .500 dating back to late December. Kevin Durant is still weeks away from returning to action after spraining the medial collateral in his left knee last month. James Harden looks puffy and is nursing a hamstring injury. Joe Harris suffered a setback in his recovery from left ankle surgery in late January and reportedly could need a second surgery. Of the 27 games remaining on the Nets schedule, 14 of them are on the road. However, four of those contests are against either the New York Knicks or Raptors, which means Irving will only be able to suit up for (at most) 10 games. But, yeah, other than that, everything is all good in Brooklyn.&nbsp;
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16. Charlotte Hornets (28-27) ⬇️ Last Week: 13
Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2953236-nba-trade-intel-cj-mccollum-has-become-best-player-likely-dealt-at-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> this week that the Hornets are one of several teams that have expressed interest in Spurs big man Jakob Poeltl. The Bulls and Raps have also been rumored to be interested in Poeltl.
17. Atlanta Hawks (26-28) ⬇️ Last Week: 16
The Hawks were just 1-3 in their previous four games prior to Tuesday (although that one win was impressive &mdash; a victory at home over the Suns last Thursday, which snapped their 11-game winning streak). Atlanta took advantage of a reeling Indiana Pacers squad Tuesday night, beating them 133-112.
18. Los Angeles Lakers (26-29) &harr;️ Last Week: 18
Over the Lakers' last four games, Russell Westbrook is shooting a putrid 27.5% from the floor, 15.4% from downtown and 55.0% from the charity stripe. Late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's victory over the Knicks, when Westbrook was alone with the ball in the corner, the home crowd shouted at him not to shoot. When New York forced overtime, head coach Frank Vogel benched Russ for Talen Horton-Tucker. Westbrook was also benched for the final 14 minutes in Tuesday&rsquo;s loss to the Bucks. Will the Lakers admit they made a mistake before the deadline and reroute Russ out of Los Angeles?
19. New Orleans Pelicans (22-32) ⬆️ Last Week: 23
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
🔥 Brandon Ingram WENT OFF for 17 points in the 3rd quarter on his way to 33 points and the <a href="https://twitter.com/PelicansNBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PelicansNBA</a> win! <a href="https://twitter.com/B_Ingram13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@B_Ingram13</a>: 33 PTS, 12 AST, 3 STL <a href="https://t.co/3uT1ocPpgg">pic.twitter.com/3uT1ocPpgg</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1490683017949552641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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New Orleans, who won just one of their first 13 games this season, is now riding a four-game winning streak and has jumped up into 10th place in the Western Conference. And on Tuesday, the team <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/why-the-pelicans-pushing-chips-in-on-cj-mccollum-was-a-wise-investment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added a stud scorer to its roster</a>. The Pels acquired CJ McCollum along with Larry Nance and Tony Snell from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Jason Hart, Tomas Satoransky, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Didi Louzada and draft compensation. I love this deal for New Orleans.&nbsp;
20. Los Angeles Clippers (27-29) ⬇️ Last Week: 19
Last week, the Clippers made a shrewd trade, sending Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson, and a second-round pick to the Blazers for Norman Powell and Robert Covington. It will help not only help them make a playoff push this year, but will also <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/breaking-down-why-the-blazersclippers-deal-works-for-both-sides" target="_blank" rel="noopener">round out their roster next season</a> when they can count on both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George returning to full strength. Powell looked great in his Clippers' debut on Sunday, tallying 28 points on 9 of 16 shooting in just 24 minutes. He followed that up with a 16-point night in a lopsided loss to the Grizz.
21. Washington Wizards (24-29) ⬇️ Last Week: 20
After the 2021-22 season started with plenty of promise, the Wiz have lost 8 of 9 heading into Thursday's matchup with the Nets. They will likely look to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-trade-destinations-for-spencer-dinwiddie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trade the struggling Spencer Dinwiddie</a> before the deadline arrives.&nbsp;
22. New York Knicks (24-31) ⬇️ Last Week: 21
New York has lost 10 of its last 12 games, but Mitchell Robinson had been playing some of the best basketball of his career before sitting out Tuesday's loss due to a back injury. Over the last month, Mitch Rob is averaging 11.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. During this stretch, the only other players in the NBA also averaging double-digit points and rebounds to go along with at least 1.4 blocks are Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
23. San Antonio Spurs (20-34) ⬆️ Last Week: 24
Spurs fans learned Monday that Dejounte Murray will make his NBA All-Star Game debut after being named an injury replacement by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. Murray is averaging 19.6 points, 9.2 assists, 8.4 rebounds and 2.1 steals this season, and has a chance to become just the third player ever to average at least 8 assists, 8 rebounds and 2 steals per game over an entire season.&nbsp;
24. Sacramento Kings (20-36) ⬆️ Last Week: 26
The Kings shook up the league Tuesday afternoon, trading Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson to Indiana for Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday and a 2027 second-round pick. It is stunning that Sacaremto would part ways with Haliburton. The 21-year-old has exceeded all expectations since being drafted in 2020. He is on pace to become just the second player in NBA history to average at least 5 assists and 2 made three-pointers per game while shooting over 40% from downtown in each of his first two pro seasons. (The only player to have accomplished this feat is Stephen Curry.)
25. Portland Trail Blazers (21-34) ⬇️ Last Week: 22
The Blazers made waves on Tuesday, trading away former franchise cornerstone CJ McCollum. It continued on Wednesday afternoon, as Portland rerouted Nickeil Alexander-Walker to Utah for Joe Ingles' expiring $14 million deal in a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nickel-alexanderwalker-on-the-move-again-as-blazers-jazz-spurs-complete-threeteam-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">three-team trade</a>. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday that "Portland plans to fully reshape the roster around Damian Lillard now... the plan is to pursue high-end talent now, not retreat." The team's also created a ton of cap space in the process and has a $21 million trade exception at its disposal.
26. Indiana Pacers (19-37) ⬇️ Last Week: 25
The Pacers, who are just 5-18 since Christmas, began breaking down their roster by trading Caris LeVert to the Cavs on Sunday, and then <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pacers-exit-blockbuster-trade-with-kings-as-huge-winners-thanks-to-tyrese-haliburton" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shipped off Domantas Sabonis to Sacramento</a>, as noted above. As our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/bucks-interested-in-trading-for-myles-turner-pacers-may-keep-him" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alex Kennedy reported</a>, Myles Turner is "a big fan of Tyrese Haliburton's game and is excited about the possibility of playing with the young guard." It appears Turner may stay in Indiana.
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27. Oklahoma City Thunder (17-36) &harr;️ Last Week: 27
The Thunder lost to the Warriors on Monday night, but Luguentz Dort had another strong outing, tallying 26 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. In the three games OKC has played without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort is averaging 23.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.0 three-balls.
28. Houston Rockets (15-39) ⬆️ Last Week: 29
The Rockets would love to join this week's wheeling and dealing by exchanging veteran shooting guard Eric Gordon for draft capital. We'll see if they find a willing trade partner.&nbsp;
29. Orlando Magic (13-43) ⬆️ Last Week: 30
We know the Magic hope to flip Terrence Ross and Gary Harris in exchange for draft picks before Thursday's deadline. The question is whether they will also look to deal big man Mo Bamba. After struggling over his first three years in the NBA, Bamba is posting career-highs across the board this season. However, Orlando inked center Wendell Carter Jr. to a four-year, $50 million contract extension back in October. The Magic are reportedly willing to listen to offers for Bamba, who has a $10.1 million qualifying offer for 2022-23 and will be a restricted free agent this summer.
30. Detroit Pistons (12-42) ⬇️ Last Week: 28
Killian Hayes has played a bit better of late, but he has failed to live up to expectations since being selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. This season, Hayes is one of only two players in the NBA logging more than 20 minutes per game yet shooting below 38% from the floor and averaging fewer than 10 points per contest. For his career, he is just 50-of-179 from downtown (27.9%)... The Pistons have lost 9 of their last 10 contests.
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Tommy Beer checks in with an installment of BasketballNews.com's NBA Power Rankings.

NBA Power Rankings: Bucks back into top tier, Mavs vault into top-10

Tommy Beer is back with his latest version of BasketballNews.com's NBA Power Rankings. To read last week's version, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-power-rankings-grizz-and-cavs-continue-to-climb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>.
The Phoenix Suns, who have at least three more wins than every other team in the league, retains the top spot in this week's BasketballNews.com Power Rankings.
1. Phoenix Suns (37-9) &harr;️ Last Week: 1
Phoenix has won 37 of its first 46 games this season, matching the 2006-07 squad for the best start in franchise history. And while LeBron James has been lavished with praise for what he's been able to accomplish this season (and rightfully so), Chris Paul's play has been equally incredible. CP3 poured in a season-high 27 points to go along with 14 assists and 9 rebounds in Monday's win over the Utah Jazz. The 36-year-old Paul is on pace to become the first player in NBA history over the age of 30 to average more than 10 assists and fewer than 3 turnovers per game.
2. Golden State Warriors (34-13) ⬆️ Last Week: 3
Even the greatest shooter of all-time can fall into a slump. After missing 12 of the 13 three-pointers he attempted in Sunday's victory over the Jazz, Steph Curry's shooting percentage from behind the arc fell below 30% for the month of January. Over his last 10 games, Curry is just 29 of 105 from downtown (27.6%).
3. Memphis Grizzlies (32-17)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 2
The Grizz have lost 3 of their last 5 games, but all five contests have come against teams well above .500. Their two wins during this stretch were impressive (a blowout victory over the Chicago Bulls and a win vs. the Denver Nuggets at altitude). Ja Morant was on fire last week, averaging 35.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 8.7 assists per contest.
4. Miami Heat (30-17) &harr;️ Last Week: 4
Despite again being forced to play without Kyle Lowry (personal matter) and Tyler Herro (health and safety protocols), the Heat beat the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, catapulting Miami to the top of the Eastern Conference. The fact that Heat have the East's best record even though Lowry, Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler have played just 14 games together is a testament to the phenomenal coaching job Erik Spoelstra has turned in.
5. Milwaukee Bucks (30-19) ⬆️ Last Week: 8
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
34 PTS from <a href="https://twitter.com/Khris22m?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Khris22m</a> 26 PTS from <a href="https://twitter.com/Jrue_Holiday11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Jrue_Holiday11</a> The <a href="https://twitter.com/Bucks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Bucks</a> make it three-straight wins as Khris &amp; Jrue combine for 60 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/CL6OhZH6ZM">pic.twitter.com/CL6OhZH6ZM</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1485254751772188674?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Jrue Holiday returned from injury last week, and the Bucks (who had lost 4 out of 5 with Holiday on the shelf) promptly went on a three-game winning streak. We shouldn't have been surprised, as the Bucks have been deadly when they've had their Big Three healthy and active. Milwaukee is now 18-3 in the 21 games Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Holiday have all played.&nbsp;
6. Cleveland Cavaliers (29-19)&nbsp;&harr;️ Last Week: 6
Kevin Love scored a team-high 20 points in the Cavs' victory over the New York Knicks on Monday night. It was Cleveland's seventh victory in its last eight games. Love embracing his role off the bench has been a significant factor in the Cavs' success this season. Over Cleveland's last 20 games, Love is averaging 16.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.0 treys, while shooting 41.4% from downtown and 82.6% from the free-throw line.&nbsp;
7. Utah Jazz (30-18) &harr;️ Last Week: 7
The Jazz have lost 8 of their last 11 games. However, Utah was missing Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley on Monday night in Phoenix; Quin Snyder's bunch still fought tough and actually led the Suns by four points in the fourth quarter before running out of gas.&nbsp;
8. Chicago Bulls (29-17) ⬇️ Last Week: 5
Nikola Vucevic had been mired in a nasty slump heading into Monday night, but he powered the Bulls past the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday. It was a much-needed win for Chicago, who had lost 6 of 7 and was coming off an embarrassing blowout loss to the Orlando Magic. Vooch racked up 26 points (on 10 of 18 shooting), 15 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 treys, 3 blocks and a steal in 39 minutes. With Lonzo Ball (left knee) and Alex Caruso (fractured wrist) sidelined for the foreseeable future, the Bulls are going to need Vucevic to continue playing well.
9. Philadelphia 76ers (27-19) ⬆️ Last Week: 11
Unfortunately for Joel Embiid &mdash; who has scored at least 25 points in 14 straight games &mdash; Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey may be content to hold onto Ben Simmons until the offseason. According to Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic, Morey <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/sixers-could-wait-until-offseason-for-possible-james-harden-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hopes to use Simmons as a trade chip to land James Harden or another superstar</a>. It really would be a shame if the Sixers waste a year of Embiid's prime, especially when the big man is playing arguably the best basketball of his career.&nbsp;
10. Dallas Mavericks (27-20) &harr;️ Last Week: 10
The Mavs have won 5 of their last 6, with two of those wins coming against the Grizzlies. And according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, Dallas is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/report-wizards-are-frontrunner-for-jerami-grant-may-deal-dinwiddie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a potential "dark-horse" candidate to land Pistons forward Jerami Grant</a> at the deadline. The Mavs' offer would reportedly start with a combo of Dorian Finney-Smith and Dwight Powell.
11. Brooklyn Nets (29-17) ⬇️ Last Week: 9
Kyrie Irving has played well for the Nets, but Brooklyn continues to be sieve-like on the defensive end. It's been more than two months since the Nets held an opponent below 99 points. And they've been especially porous in January. In fact, Brooklyn has been the worst defensive team in the NBA this month, allowing 117.3 points per 100 possessions. The only other team in the league with a defensive rating higher than 117 is the Houston Rockets.
12. Denver Nuggets (24-21)&nbsp;⬆️ Last Week: 13
On Monday, Nikola Jokic was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nikola-jokic-trae-young-take-home-player-of-the-week-for-jan-1723" target="_blank" rel="noopener">named the Western Conference Player of the Week</a> after averaging a mind-boggling 36.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 10.0 assists and 2.3 steals per game. Oh, and he shot 65.0% from the floor, 40.0% from downtown and 86.2% from the charity stripe. Remarkably, it's the first time he's won a Player of the Week award this season.
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13. Charlotte Hornets (26-21)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 12
The Hornets had won 7 of 8 before going ice cold in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday, as Charlotte shot just 4 of 36 (11%) from downtown. The Hornets have a tough road back-to-back (at Toronto and Indiana) on Tuesday and Wednesday.&nbsp;
14. Minnesota Timberwolves (23-23)&nbsp;⬆️ Last Week: 17
On Sunday, Anthony Edwards racked up 25 points, 4 assists, and 4 triples in the Wolves' victory over the Nets. In the process, he knocked down his 300th career three-pointer, making him the youngest player in league history to achieve that feat and breaking the record previously held by Luka Doncic. However, Ant-Man limped off the floor and into the locker room late in the game after colliding with a defender. Fortunately, Wolves coach Chris Finch said the injury was not serious after the game.
15. Los Angeles Lakers (23-24) ⬆️ Last Week: 18
Let's take a step back for a second and appreciate what LeBron has been doing this season. In 2011-12, when LeBron was 27 years old, he averaged 27.1 points (on 55.6% Effective Field Goal percentage), 7.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 0.9 made threes and 0.8 blocks per game. He would be named NBA MVP and lead the Heat to a championship, where he was named Finals MVP. Well, in 2021-22, at age 37, James is averaging 29.0 points (61.6% eFG), 7.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 2.8 made threes and 1.1 blocks a night. Somehow, he's posting better numbers 10 years after playing at his "peak" in the heart of his prime.
16. Boston Celtics (24-24) &harr;️ Last Week: 16
Jayson Tatum had been brutal from downtown (having missed all 17 of his three-point attempts over his three previous games) heading into Sunday's matchup with the Washington Wizards, but the Celtics superstar knocked down career-high 9 triples in Boston's latest win en route to a season-high 51 points. On top of that, he chipped in 10 rebounds and 7 assists for good measure. We'll see if Tatum and the Cs can find some semblance of consistency going forward.&nbsp;
17. Toronto Raptors (22-22) ⬇️ Last Week: 15
This Raptors team remains frustratingly inconsistent. Thus far this month, they have beaten the Bucks twice (including once in Milwaukee) and the Jazz. Yet, they've also been blown out by the Detroit Pistons and were down 34 points to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday. The loss to Portland was Toronto's fifth loss in its last seven games. &nbsp;
18. Washington Wizards (23-24) ⬇️ Last Week: 14
The Wiz began an eight-game homestand on Jan. 11 (tied for the longest homestand by any team this season) and won their first two contests. However, Washington has dropped three in a row and 4 of their last 5. Their biggest issue has been on the defensive end, where the team is allowing 113.6 points per 100 possessions in January.
19. New York Knicks (23-25)&nbsp;⬆️ Last Week: 20
The Knicks are struggling, but New Yorkers have to be encouraged by the strong play of RJ Barrett in 2022. Over the 13 games the Knicks have played dating back to New Year's Eve, Barrett is averaging 23.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.2 treys, while shooting 45.6% from the floor and over 39% from downtown.&nbsp;
20. Atlanta Hawks (21-25)&nbsp;⬆️ Last Week: 21
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Trae Young hit 8 three pointers tonight. 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 <a href="https://t.co/JDWJqomWh9">pic.twitter.com/JDWJqomWh9</a>
&mdash; Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) <a href="https://twitter.com/GAFollowers/status/1485464198914220037?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Heading into MLK Day, the Hawks were riding a five-game losing streak. However, Atlanta registered four impressive wins last week, beating the Bucks, Timberwolves and Heat at home before smashing the Hornets in Charlotte on Sunday. "We are definitely headed in the right direction," Trae Young said after Sunday's victory. "Right now it's more about consistency and keeping it going. We're not satisfied. We know what to do and what we are capable of doing."
21. Los Angeles Clippers (23-25)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 19
The Clips have lost 7 of their last 10 games and just don't have enough firepower to compete on a nightly basis with both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard sidelined. Those two superstars are making more than $78 million in salary this season (which is more than the combined salaries of the entire OKC Thunder team). Late last week, it was reported that PG-13 would miss at least another few weeks as he continues to rehab the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
22. Portland Trail Blazers (20-26)&nbsp;&harr;️ Last Week: 22 
Two weeks ago, when the Blazers embarked on a six-game road trip, Portland had been just 2-13 on the road over its first 15 road contests this season. However, by beating the Raptors on Sunday in Toronto, the Blazers wrapped up their six-game swing with an impressive 4-2 record.
23. New Orleans Pelicans (18-28)&nbsp;⬆️ Last Week: 25
Playing without leading scorer Brandon Ingram (right ankle sprain), Devonte' Graham carried the Pels to a victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night. Graham erupted for 25 points (on 8 of 14 shooting) and added 6 assists, 5 triples, 3 rebounds and a steal. Josh Hart also posted a strong double-double, finishing with 22 points and 10 boards.
24. Indiana Pacers (17-31) ⬆️ Last Week: 26
Domantas Sabonis has missed each of the Pacers' last three games after suffering a left ankle sprain during the fourth quarter of last Wednesday's win over the Lakers. Goga Bitadze has stepped in the starting lineup for Indy and averaged 13.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 29.5 minutes since Sabonis went down.
25. Sacramento Kings (18-30)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 23
De'Aaron Fox sat out Saturday's loss to the Bucks due to left ankle soreness and is listed as questionable for Tuesday's game vs. the Celtics. Last week, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the Kings are not planning to trade Fox before the February deadline, instead "informing teams in the marketplace that they want to build around Fox and second-year guard Tyrese Haliburton." This may well be posturing by the Kings; we shall see.&nbsp;
26. San Antonio Spurs (17-30)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 24
Dejounte Murray has <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/making-the-allstar-case-for-dejounte-murray" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quietly been establishing himself as one of the league's elite young point guards</a> this season. Over the Spurs' past three games, Murray &mdash; who is among the league's steal leaders &mdash; is averaging 22.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 12.0 assists (vs. just 2.0 turnovers). &nbsp;
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27. Houston Rockets (14-33)&nbsp;⬆️ Last Week: 28
Houston, who recorded an impressive victory over the Jazz last week, has turned down multiple trade offers for veteran shooting guard Eric Gordon, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic. With the Rockets in rebuild mode, it's somewhat surprising, considering the 33-year-old Gordon is owed $19.6 million in guaranteed salary next season and is signed for $20.9 million in 2023-24 (although that season's salary is non-guaranteed).
28. Detroit Pistons (11-35)&nbsp;⬆️ Last Week: 29
Jerami Grant has been one of the most popular names bandied about in trade rumors over the last few weeks, but James L. Edwards III of The Athletic writes that there is a "real possibility" that Pistons sit tight over the next few weeks. General manager Troy Weaver is reportedly comfortable holding onto Grant and dangling him in trade talks over the summer if they don't get an offer that knocks their socks off before the February 10 deadline.&nbsp;
29. Oklahoma City Thunder (14-33)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 27
The Thunder are currently riding a six-game losing streak and have posted a 1-11 record in the 12 games they've played since the calendar flipped to 2022.&nbsp;
30. Orlando Magic (9-39)&nbsp;&harr;️ Last Week: 30
Jalen Suggs is struggling with his efficiency (shooting just 36.5% from the floor and 22.4% from downtown this season), but he's coming the most productive week of his rookie campaign. Over Orlando's last three games, Suggs is averaging 17.0 points. 7.0 assists, 6.0 boards and 2.0 steals. Marc Stein wrote Monday that the Magic are looking to trade Terrence Ross and/or Gary Harris before next month's trade deadline.
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NBA Power Rankings: Suns remain red-hot, Bucks continue to climb

During the Indiana Pacers' 111-104 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night, Domantas Sabonis suffered a left ankle sprain that could sideline him for a bit. The injury occurred late in the fourth quarter, when Sabonis stepped on Russell Westbrook's foot.
The two-time All-Star was able to remain in the game, finishing with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists while shooting 75% from the field. However, after the contest, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said that the sprain is "probably going to be significant," according to <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottAgness/status/1484047123045916672" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files</a>.
"He was not gonna come out of this game," Carlisle added, per <a href="https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nba/pacers/2022/01/20/pacers-domantas-sabonis-sustains-significant-ankle-sprain-against-lakers/6589675001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Boyd of the Indianapolis Star</a>. "He was determined to help will us to the win along with Caris [LeVert] and the guys who were out there... The three-point shot that Sabonis hit on the bad ankle was one of the big shots of the year, just a guy that was completely determined to pull us through this thing."
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The Pacers were already without Myles Turner (due to a stress reaction in his left foot) and T.J. Warren (due to a stress fracture in his left foot), plus Malcolm Brogdon is on a minutes restriction after returning from an Achilles injury.
Sabonis told reporters that he will ice his ankle and try to play in tomorrow's game against the Golden State Warriors, but he may end up missing some time (judging by Carlisle's comment).&nbsp;
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"We'll deal with that as it comes," Brogdon <a href="https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nba/pacers/2022/01/20/pacers-domantas-sabonis-sustains-significant-ankle-sprain-against-lakers/6589675001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> of that possibility.&nbsp;"If [Sabonis] has to miss some time, we'll have Goga [Bitadze] and Isaiah [Jackson] step up and we'll try to keep it rolling."
Turner's foot injury will <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33092597/indiana-pacers-myles-turner-stress-fracture-foot-expected-beyond-trade-deadline-sources-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> keep him out through the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 10. This is significant because the Pacers are reportedly considering a rebuild and listening to offers for their top players. Turner has been <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/report-mavs-blazers-wolves-knicks-lakers-hornets-targeting-myles-turner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">linked to</a> the Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets among other teams.
Sabonis has consistently popped up in trade rumors throughout this season too, including <a href="https://t.co/19BzSwu3Ng" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a recent report </a>that the Sacramento Kings have "accelerated" their trade talks involving Sabonis. <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/sports/nba/sacramento-kings/article257471838.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee</a> also reported that De'Aaron Fox has come up in those discussions with the Pacers.
This season, Sabonis is averaging 19.0 points, 11.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.0 steal while shooting 57.7% from the field, 32.7% from three-point range and 74.4% from the free-throw line.
The Pacers are currently 16-29, which is the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference. Indiana has the NBA's 18th-ranked offense (scoring 107.2 points per 100 possessions) and 23rd-ranked defense (allowing 109.3 points per 100 possessions).

During the Pacers' 111-104 win over the Lakers, Domantas Sabonis suffered a left ankle sprain that could sideline him for some time.

Domantas Sabonis suffers 'significant' ankle sprain vs. Lakers

NBA Power Rankings: New Year's Resolutions for each team

Free-agent signings have the potential to alter the NBA landscape. They can swing the balance of power dramatically in one direction or another, and there isn&rsquo;t much that other teams can do to stop it.
To the victors go the spoils. To that point, free-agency signings can reshape the trajectory of a team or a player&rsquo;s career. However, some signings were so monumental that they became folklore &ndash; causing rule changes, influencing generations, turning friends to enemies and so on.
Let&rsquo;s explore five signings that reshaped the free-agency process and the entire league.
1. LeBron James to the Miami Heat, 2010
The summer of 2010 featured what was undoubtedly the most anticipated free-agency period of all-time. James was the prize of the 2010 class, and a new rumor seemed to surface every day, connecting him to the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks or Cleveland Cavaliers. But it was the Miami Heat who swooped in, signing James away from the Cavs and Northeast Ohio. The Heat also added Chris Bosh and re-signed Dwyane Wade, ushering in a new era of super-teams. However, James didn&rsquo;t announce his signing through a press release or a tweet. Instead, he opted for "The Decision," a live event that was televised from the Boys &amp; Girls Club in Greenwich, Connecticut. The totality of the move set James and the Heat up to be the villains of the NBA for some time.
James led Miami to two straight championships, and he also won his first two NBA Finals MVP awards. James would later describe his stint with the Heat as his college years. "Miami, for me, has been almost like college for other kids. These past four years helped raise me into who I am,&rdquo; James <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2014/07/11/lebron-james-cleveland-cavaliers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote in Sports Illustrated</a> when he returned to Cleveland. &ldquo;I became a better player and a better man. I learned from a franchise that had been where I wanted to go&hellip; Without the experiences I had there, I wouldn&rsquo;t be able to do what I&rsquo;m doing today."
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2. Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors, 2016
If signing with the Heat made LeBron James a villain, signing with the Golden State Warriors made Durant peak-MCU Thanos. In 2015-16, Durant averaged 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game for the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Warriors were fresh off a 73-win season and a trip to the NBA Finals. Still, when Draymond Green called to recruit Durant, it had enough of an impact to open the door for a meeting. The Warriors ultimately wooed him in the Hamptons over the Fourth of July weekend in 2016, and Durant decided to sign with Golden State.
This move infuriated fans even more than LeBron-to-Miami. Fans and analysts questioned Durant&rsquo;s competitive instinct. The fact that close friends James and Wade wanted to play together was understandable. But the thought of Durant joining forces with Stephen Curry and the loaded Warriors &ndash; the team that had just defeated Durant and the Thunder in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals a few weeks earlier &ndash; didn&rsquo;t sit well with many spectators. It made Durant seem like a mercenary, hunting for a championship. But love it or hate it, this was a major move in terms of player freedom. Durant signing with the Warriors was the clearest sign yet that basketball is a business, and it also showed the consequences of rings culture and constant discussions about an active player&rsquo;s legacy. &nbsp;&nbsp;
Without this signing, Durant doesn&rsquo;t win back-to-back championships, and he&rsquo;s short two Finals MVPs too. Had he re-signed with Oklahoma City, the Thunder likely would have struggled to win a championship given the high-degree of competition in the Western Conference in the mid-2010s, so who knows when (or if) Durant wins his first championship.
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3. Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal to the Los Angeles Lakers, 1996
In the 1990s, max contract extensions stretched for as long as seven years and players rarely made trade demands. As a result, player movement via free agency was limited. And that brings us to the Los Angeles Lakers and Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal.
O&rsquo;Neal was drafted first overall by the Orlando Magic in 1992. Alongside co-star Penny Hardaway, the Magic advanced to their first NBA Finals berth in 1995. O&rsquo;Neal hit free agency in 1996, at which point the league&rsquo;s salary cap was $24.3 million, but there was no luxury tax or max salary. It appeared that O&rsquo;Neal would re-sign with the Magic, but Orlando made the fatal decision of opening negotiations with a four-year, $54 million offer &ndash; significantly less than the seven-year, $112 million deal that Alonzo Mourning (the No. 2 overall pick in 1992) had just received. The Magic further hurt their credibility by continuing to low-ball O&rsquo;Neal, and a poll released by The Orlando Sentinel showed that 90% of local fans felt O&rsquo;Neal was not worth $115 million hurt too. O&rsquo;Neal was essentially driven into the arms of Jerry West and the Los Angeles Lakers, who signed him to a seven-year, $120 million deal.
Without this signing, the Lakers don&rsquo;t win three-consecutive championships. Conversely, the Magic may have won a championship or two, and who knows what happens with Kobe Bryant&rsquo;s career. Either way though, Shaq&rsquo;s legacy is probably the same.
4. Joe Smith to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 1999
Smith was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft. After a few above-average seasons, he turned down an $80 million extension with the Golden State Warriors. He was then traded to Philadelphia, hitting free agency the following season. He signed a one-year, $1.75 million deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves after the 1998 lockout, which was well-below fair market value. He re-signed with Minnesota after the season, signing another one-year deal worth $2.1 million.
You may be wondering: Why is Smith on this list? He was a fine player, but not as impactful as the other names featured. Under normal circumstances, Smith wouldn&rsquo;t be included here. However, Smith qualifies for this list due to the fallout from the attempted transaction with Minnesota. The deal was premeditated, and therefore illegal.
Essentially, Minnesota asked Smith to sign these one-year deals for three-consecutive seasons so they&rsquo;d have additional cap space. Then, after the three years, the Timberwolves would have his Bird rights and could go over the cap to re-sign him (giving him a deal worth roughly $86 million to pay him back). Ultimately, the NBA found out. Minnesota was fined $3.5 million and had to forfeit its first-round picks for five consecutive seasons (although the team's 2005 first-rounder was <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120901224939/http:/www.nba.com/news/twolves_draft_pick_011228.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">returned to them</a>). Smith&rsquo;s contract was voided, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor was suspended and VP of Basketball Operations Kevin McHale took a leave of absence.
This one set a precedent. If a team tries to circumvent the salary cap, the league takes it very seriously. It&rsquo;s very difficult for the NBA to investigate and prove these kinds of arrangements exist. So, how did they prove that Smith&rsquo;s deal with Minnesota was premeditated? Smith's agents had a messy split that prompted a lawsuit and documents spelling out the illegal arrangement were made public.
&ldquo;There are 8-to-10 teams that do this all the time,&rdquo; McHale <a href="https://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/01/nba-joe-smith-illegal-contract-timberwolves" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re just good at it. We&rsquo;re bad.&rdquo;
Had this signing not happened, the Timberwolves probably could&rsquo;ve done a better job surrounding Kevin Garnett with a formidable supporting cast in the early 2000s. But more impactful, this trade set a precedent for the NBA in its willingness to punish teams over salary-cap circumvention.
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5. LeBron James to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers &ndash; 2014, 2019
This probably feels like a cop out, especially since James also holds the top spot in these rankings &ndash; but it&rsquo;s not. James&rsquo; fingerprints are all over modern free agency, from ushering in super-teams to popularizing players recruiting their peers. Each of these signings is significant and unique. James going back to Cleveland in 2014 was huge. It went a long way in repairing his image, completing his return to NBA darling. It also resulted in the city&rsquo;s first sports championship in 50 years. James&rsquo; return also resulted in the most impressive championship of his career, one in which he led a comeback from a 3-1 series deficit over a 73-win Golden State ensemble &ndash; needless to say, James won his third NBA Finals MVP award with Cleveland.
His signing with the Lakers was also monumental. It was the culmination of a long history of James&rsquo; flirtations with major markets. It, too, resulted in another championship and NBA Finals MVP. And it should result in a major showdown of super-teams, with James&rsquo; Lakers and Durant&rsquo;s Nets on a collision course for NBA supremacy as soon as this season.
Without these signings, James would be stuck with two championships and two Finals MVP awards, 3-1 wouldn&rsquo;t be a thing and the Warriors might have won four-straight championships (imagine?!). Further, the GOAT debate would be dramatically different, and who knows where James would have played in his prime years?
***
Fans are captivated by free-agent signings for a reason. They regularly influence championships. But they obviously have the potential to be even more impactful, shaping the league&rsquo;s power dynamic for a decade or more with a single stroke of a pen.
In recent years, the best players have been more prone to signing extensions and demanding trades if their team fails to build around them, meaning that these top-tier signings have been happening less frequently. But fear not drama fans, there will always be player movement. After all, there&rsquo;s always someone who wants out of their current situation.

Drew Maresca examines five free-agent signings that ended up altering NBA history.

5 free-agent signings that changed NBA history

The NBA trade deadline is now nine days away, and while we can safely assume that all 30 teams want to get better, we must proceed expecting two teams --the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks -- to play big roles in dictating what the market will look like.
There are lots of big men available, and anybody who tells you that Andre Drummond or Hassan Whiteside or JaVale McGee would not make a difference in an Eastern Conference playoff series has not been paying attention. Or as Gregg Popovich would say: &ldquo;Living in a phone booth.&rdquo;
Also, those who assume the Knicks (with $15.7 million in cap space) are not in win-now mode do not understand Tom Thibodeau. The guy is married to a basketball, and he is anxious to do in New York what he was unable to do in Minnesota and, to a lesser degree, in Chicago.
And then we have the Celtics, who are sitting on the largest trade exception ($28.5 million) in NBA history and are worse off that they were a year ago when they made the Eastern Conference Finals. Danny Ainge cannot stand pat and expect to get past the Nets, Sixers, Bucks or Heat.
The rumor mill will be churning between now and March 25, and every contending team in the East will be scheming to make an addition that attacks the weaknesses of Brooklyn and Philadelphia, while every Western team will try to find a way to compete with the three-point shooting of the Utah Jazz and the depth and experience of the Los Angeles Lakers.
So let&rsquo;s go through the league alphabetically and assess each team&rsquo;s needs, expectations and expendables.
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ATLANTA HAWKS: Nate McMillan is 5-0 as head coach, and the most active team in the weeks leading up to training camp remains built (if fully healthy) to advance if all of the pieces can fit together with almost zero practice time. John Collins is entering restricted free agency and is not as productive as he was a year ago, but he makes just $4.1 million. Put him in a deal with Tony Snell, though, and those combined salaries equal $16.3 million, which can get you a nice player.
BOSTON CELTICS: What made them special a year ago was the ability to get offensive production from three All-Star caliber starters: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward. But Hayward is gone, Enes Kanter is doing big things in Portland (remember how he was a game-changer for Boston in the postseason a year ago?) and Kemba Walker is shooting 38% in his 10th season. Standing pat is not an option.
BROOKLYN NETS: At some point they will need a third center to join DeAndre Jordan and Nicolas Claxton, but the buyout market or the China market (the CBA season ends before the NBA playoffs) may be the easiest way for Sean Marks to add an extra big body if they cannot get a big man whose contract fits into their $5.7 million disabled player exception. Spencer Dinwiddie is the only superfluous player on the roster, but he is out for the remainder of the season, and the Nets have no future draft picks to throw into a deal. They used them all in the Harden trade.
CHARLOTTE HORNETS: Michael Jordan&rsquo;s team is 100-1 to win the East despite having the lock for Rookie of the Year, a four-game winning streak and a roster chock full of young and hungry players who, for the most part, lack postseason experience. At a certain point, they have to realize they could have done better than Cody Zeller ($15.4 million) with the fourth pick of the 2013 draft. It might be time to sacrifice a future first-round pick or two to upgrade at center. Malik Monk has been playing well lately, otherwise, we would predict his imminent departure. The Hornets have an open roster spot and $4 million in cap room.
CHICAGO BULLS: It would be delusional of them to think they can advance beyond the first-round of the playoffs, which is why they have to consider getting a good young player from a contender in exchange for Thaddeus Young ($13.5 million), who is the leading candidate to finish a distant second to Jordan Clarkson in Sixth Man of the Year voting. &nbsp;Tomas Satoransky ($10 million this year and next year) is 29 years old and could be combined with Young to bring in a good young player. Here is an idea:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Who says no? <a href="https://t.co/Pc61DX8jQV">pic.twitter.com/Pc61DX8jQV</a>
&mdash; Chris Sheridan (@sheridanhoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/sheridanhoops/status/1371826941804883973?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2021</a></blockquote>

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CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: Aside from the inevitable Drummond and McGee moves (best offers arrive at 2:59 p.m. on deadline day), Koby Altman will probably keep quiet after acquiring Jarrett Allen from the Nets and sending Kevin Porter Jr. to the Rockets. Kevin Love is going to be dead money for two more seasons and Cedi Osman is looking like he will be in the same category, though not quite as expensive. It&rsquo;ll be a long road back.
DALLAS MAVERICKS: They should be better than their record (20-18), but the West is tough. Dwight Powell ($11 million this season and the next two) is not worth what he is being paid and could be packaged with more future No. 1 picks (the Mavs can&rsquo;t trade their own first-round draft pick until 2025 because they owe the Knicks their 2021 and 2023 picks), if mortgaging the future is something Mark Cuban is cool with. Powell and James Johnson for Drummond works cap-wise.
DENVER NUGGETS: A rumor is out there that the Nuggets have spoken to the Magic about acquiring Aaron Gordon, and the price would include Bol Bol. They currently do not look like they have enough to come out of the West, and JaMychal Green has not been an adequate replacement for Jerami Grant. To a lesser degree than Boston, standing pat does not seem like the most prudent option. They have a $9.6 million trade exception, so expect them to make some sort of acquisition that improves the roster. They are one player away from being one player away.
DETROIT PISTONS: Troy Weaver might have already made his &ldquo;deadline deal&rdquo; in getting Hamidou Diallo from the Thunder. Wayne Ellington is superfluous, and one would think teams might like a 14-year veteran who shot 42% from three-point range with a manageable $1.6 million salary&hellip; But the Knicks couldn&rsquo;t find a taker for him a year ago.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: Limbo sucks, but Klay Thompson will be back next season. In the meantime, the best they can do is hope that the Wolves&rsquo; pick is not top three and they can get another high lottery pick to put next to James Wiseman for the years ahead. Kelly Oubre Jr., Kent Bazemore, Brad Wanamaker and Marquese Chriss are all on expiring contracts. Their combined salaries total $20.6 million. The Warriors can acquire a player into Thompson&rsquo;s $9.25 million disabled player exception.
HOUSTON ROCKETS: We are seeing a flurry of Victor Oladipo trade rumors, which is strange because he was the biggest piece they got in the Harden trade. If they are disappointed in him (and his expiring $21 million contract) they must not have been watching Pacers playoffs games the past few seasons. Kevin Porter Jr. was a nice pickup, and Rafael Stone is probably on the hunt for another player who has worn out his welcome for non-basketball reasons. P.J. Tucker is headed somewhere. Dante Exum (expiring $9.6 million contract) didn&rsquo;t quite work out for a fifth overall pick, eh?
INDIANA PACERS: Acquiring Caris LaVert for Oladipo as part of the Harden trade will go in Kevin Pritchard&rsquo;s trophy case, so the question now becomes &ldquo;What next?&rdquo; aside from waiting for T.J. Warren&rsquo;s broken foot to heal. They are in 10th place, which wasn&rsquo;t exactly what they had in mind for this season. Still, Indiana has a nice mix of players in their mid-to-late 20s. Doug McDermott (expiring $7.3 million) and T.J. McConnell (expiring $3.5 million) could be a useful shooter and pest duo for a playoff team willing to give up a draft pick and a matching expiring salary. Indiana is probably better off keeping both and rolling the dice in the play-in postseason.
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LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS: They have everything they need except the Lou Williams they had gotten used to over the past three seasons. His scoring average is down almost six points. Serge Ibaka (scoring average down 4.5 points) is showing his age at 31 and has a 15% trade kicker. Both still have plenty of playoff experience, but Jerry West likes to make trades when he can find the right ones. The Clippers are an interesting team to watch at the deadline because they have an open roster spot, but they are also within a $500,000 of the hard cap, which limits their options.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS: They need nothing except for Anthony Davis to be healthy, so the Lakers are the winner of the &ldquo;Most Unlikely To Make A Trade&rdquo; award. They are option No. 1 for pretty much everybody getting a buyout after the deadline.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: More than a year later, we are still trying to figure out the Justise Winslow acquisition. Taylor Jenkins&rsquo; rotation goes 10 deep, not including the team&rsquo;s highest-paid player in Gorgui Dieng -- $17.2 million. They are young and they are not a good team, yet they are still in contention for a play-in spot, so that incentivizes them to get creative.
MIAMI HEAT: The rule of thumb used to be &ldquo;Pat Riley hates making midseason trades,&rdquo; but he went out and got Andre Iguodala and Jae Crowder last season and built an NBA Finals team. So you would think they would be predisposed to tinker despite their recent run of 11 victories in 12 games. Kelly Olynyk ($12.6 million) and Moe Harkless ($3.6 million) are on expiring deals, and Avery Bradley is gathering dust. They can take on long-term money if the incoming player is worthy of it, but that would likely involve trading a starter (Olynyk). They also have a $7.5 million trade exception but owe Oklahoma City two first-round picks.
MILWAUKEE BUCKS: Veteran Bucks writer <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-sheridan-show/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-16-gery-woelfel-on-milwaukee-bucks-chances,-possible-trade,-other-east-contender">Gery Woelful said on my most recent podcast</a> that he fully expects the Bucks to try to find an upgrade from Donte DiVincenzo at shooting guard. The salaries of DiVincenzo and D.J. Wilson add up to $7.5 million, and it is hard to see Jon Horst moving anyone else on this roster. They are not last year&rsquo;s Bucks, but they theoretically have enough to get to the NBA Finals. They are very close to the hard cap and cannot trade any more picks after using so many in the Jrue Holiday acquisition.
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: The team is for sale, so do not expect Gersson Rosas to take on any long-term money. They have already changed coaches, and they have nothing anybody would want except for Karl Anthony-Towns, who isn&rsquo;t going anywhere. Okay, they have Ed Davis, who may be somebody&rsquo;s consolation prize as contending teams search for bigs. Nominations for the Dumpster Fire Award are now closed.
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS: Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram are not available. You can safely assume that everyone else is, and David Griffin does not need to hold anybody else up because he already did that to Horst. This was not supposed to be a throwaway season, but it is. The Pelicans would like to get J.J. Redick closer to his family, who live in Brooklyn. Exactly how close? Well, when Redick played for the Sixers, he commuted to Philadelphia. So &ldquo;close&rdquo; is a relative term. Boston is drivable from Brooklyn.
NEW YORK KNICKS: As mentioned above, they are the team to watch most closely. They can take on long-term money if the incoming player is someone who can tolerate Thibodeau&rsquo;s coaching style, and they would bring in a player on an expiring contract if they believed that player&rsquo;s Bird rights would be of value over the summer. Leon Rose is one year away from having a top-three team in the East if he plays his cards right a week from Thursday.
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER: Sam Presti likely has George Hill, Trevor Ariza and Mike Muscala available to the highest bidders. Hill was an important piece of the Bucks last season and could help a playoff team needing a bench shooter and veteran voice in the locker room. At a certain point, Presti is going to have to package together some of the 20 extra first and second-round picks he has accumulated through trades, but that point is probably a couple of years away as the rebuild runs its course. Important: If Houston&rsquo;s pick is in the top four, the Thunder get it. Also, Presti has three trade exceptions; the largest is $27.6 million.
ORLANDO MAGIC:&nbsp; Aaron Gordon trade rumors are everywhere, which makes sense because the time to cash in on their seven-year investment is now. They need to get younger and acquire assets to build around Markelle Fultz, Nikola Vucevic and Jonathan Isaac. Their ceiling should not be the kind of first-round exits they have been producing the past two seasons, and they have not won a single playoff series since 2009-10. So, it would be shocking to see them keep Gordon, who is only 25 years old and can bring a lot in return. Gordon is a good guy who needs a change of scenery and deserves one. Same goes for Evan Fournier.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS: They wanted James Harden and did not get him, and Doc Rivers still somehow kept Ben Simmons committed to the team. That is pretty huge, because players who know they have been shopped usually resent it. They are in first place in the East and have a roster with the proper pieces to match up with Brooklyn. Mike Scott&rsquo;s expiring $5 million deal and the Knicks&rsquo; 2021 second-round pick are Elton Brand&rsquo;s most movable trade assets, but Scott has been playing well lately. Terrence Ferguson, Vincent Poirier and Tony Bradley are on expiring contracts but would bring little in return.
PHOENIX SUNS: Acquiring Chris Paul checked the &ldquo;monster trade&rdquo; box, and the NBA&rsquo;s most overachieving team will likely abide by the &ldquo;If It Ain&rsquo;t Broke, Don&rsquo;t Fix It&rdquo; rule. That being said, if an on-the-ball defender capable of defending LeBron James is out there somewhere, you kick the tires on just about anything that does not include Devin Booker, DeAndre Ayton and Chris Paul. Ariza would seem to be a fit.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS: Like Dallas, they should be better than their record&hellip; and would be if C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic had not gotten injured. At full strength, they are going to be a tough out in the postseason. Gary Trent Jr. is on an expiring contract and they may fear losing him, so keep that in mind with these guys. They are sleepers.
SACRAMENTO KINGS: What they can get for Whiteside will be interesting to see, because he was killing it for the Blazers last season. Then, Nurkic returned in the bubble. Whiteside does not exactly have the best reputation around the league, which is why he played in Lebanon and China before resurrecting his career. There are also a lot of Harrison Barnes rumors out there, and like the Magic and Gordon, it may be time for the Kings to cash in on the three-year investment they made in Barnes after acquiring him from Dallas. He makes $22.2 million. Does Nemanja Bjelica have any value? Same question has to be asked of Jabari Parker.
SAN ANTONIO SPURS: The LaMarcus Aldridge era is in its final days, and you have to wonder if the Patty Mills era is, too. Derrick White is signed long-term and Dejounte Murray is damn good. The expiring contracts of Aldridge and Mills add up to $37.2 million, and if you include Rudy Gay&rsquo;s expiring deal that number becomes $51.2 million. They are 20-16, yet, as currently constituted, not good enough to do much in the postseason. R.C. Buford wins the award for the league executive most overdue to make a trade.
TORONTO RAPTORS: The name that is out there now is Kyle Lowry, who has spent nine seasons of his 16-year career playing for the team that now calls Tampa its home. Having lost five in a row and sitting in 11th place in the Leastern Conference, Masai Ujiri must determine whether it is time to turn Lowry&rsquo;s expiring $30.5 million contract into something of value. At 35 years old, Lowry can still play and, percentage wise, is hitting threes, twos and free throws better than he has over the past four seasons. But this would not be a giveaway, and a sign-and-trade in the offseason is still possible.
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UTAH JAZZ: Like Phoenix, the &ldquo;If It Ain&rsquo;t Broke , Don&rsquo;t Dix It&rdquo; rule applies. They are in first place in the West, are making threes better than anybody and have Rudy Gobert finding new and incredible ways to never, ever be mentioned in the MVP debate. None of their nine rotation players is going anywhere, and no one else on the roster has either a big contract or much trade value. Still, someone on the team could be a giveaway because the Jazz are $1.9 million over the luxury tax line. They have already traded five of their next seven second-round picks (they don&rsquo;t have one until 2025).
WASHINGTON WIZARDS: You&rsquo;ve got to feel bad for Tommy Sheppard, one of the best guys and better GMs in the league -- he was able to turn John Wall into Russell Westbrook but then lost Thomas Bryant and had his team put on ice because of COVID issues. They are now playing the busiest second-half schedule of any Eastern Conference team, and they theoretically have a puncher&rsquo;s chance against practically anyone in the conference if Westbrook keeps triple-doubling (he leads the league with 11). But they have lost four in a row and rank 12th. Robin Lopez and his expiring $7.3 million contract is their best trade asset. If they combined Lopez with Ish Smith&rsquo;s expiring contract, that totals $13.3 million.

With one week before the NBA's trade deadline, Chris Sheridan previews what could be in store for all 30 of the league's teams.

What to expect from all 30 NBA teams ahead of the Trade Deadline

Ethan Fuller breaks down the NBA landscape with over half the league hovering close to a .500 record.

NBA Sour Rankings: How to understand the spectrum of mediocrity

Ethan Fuller analyzes the NBA landscape amid a period of astounding parity.

NBA Sour Rankings: When do we panic?

Ethan Fuller evaluates the NBA landscape at the quarter mark of the season.

NBA Sour Rankings: Back to the rumor mill

Ethan Fuller breaks down the NBA hierarchy and analyzes some way-to-early Cade Cunningham fits.

NBA Sour Rankings: Introducing the Cade-O-Meter

Ethan Fuller takes a look at how the James Harden trade and other weekly events have affected the NBA landscape.

NBA Sour Rankings: Life After a Blockbuster

Ethan Fuller ranks NBA teams by their success plans, with loads of parity through three weeks of action.

NBA Sour Rankings: COVID Chaos

When not sidelined by a sprained ankle (as he was on Saturday night), James Harden has going through the motions in Houston, waiting for the inevitable. In the meantime, many of the teams that could use him the most are struggling. We are less than two weeks into the young NBA season, the new year is here, and somebody is eventually going to act on their resolution to get better.
The Golden State Warriors got Draymond Green back on Friday night, but he went for a goose egg in a 25-point loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Warriors are 2-3 in a tightly-packed Western Conference led by the Phoenix Suns, who are 13-1 in their last 14 games counting their undefeated run through the bubble.
The Brooklyn Nets got John Collins&rsquo;d on Friday and defeated by the Washington Wizards on Sunday, and they are now sitting at 3-4 in an Eastern Conference in which they are looking up at four 4-2 teams that are supposed to be worse than them: the Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers are tied for the league&rsquo;s best record at 5-1.
In case you missed it, this is what it looks like when a young up-and-coming team posterizes your star center:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
OH JOHN COLLINS GODAAAAAAAAAAM:scream::scream::scream: <a href="https://t.co/p0QIfQlOcV">pic.twitter.com/p0QIfQlOcV</a>
&mdash; The Daily Dunk (@dailydunkfr) <a href="https://twitter.com/dailydunkfr/status/1345196308781559811?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2021</a></blockquote>
The Hawks are a damn good team, scoring a league-leading 125.8 points per game entering Saturday night&rsquo;s letdown against the Cavaliers. They also rank first among all NBA teams in offensive efficiency (119.6 points per 100 possessions) and True Shooting Percentage (.619), and they&rsquo;re winning by an average of 10.4 points per game, which is the third-highest in the league behind only the mighty Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. They have yet to be at full strength with their entire complement of veteran additions Danilo Gallinari, Rajon Rondo and Bogdan Bogdanovic joining the young nucleus of Trae Young, Collins and Clint Capela. If they can run the table this week with a schedule that includes two games against the Charlotte Hornets and one each against the Cavs and New York Knicks, there will be a Trae-Young-for-MVP dialogue trending next weekend.
Yes, the season is young and good teams have to prove themselves over a longer stretch than the first week and a half of the campaign. But Atlanta&rsquo;s Travis Schlenk was as aggressive as any GM this side of Rob Pelinka in retooling his team this offseason, and the Hawks are no mirage. Time will tell if the other 4-2 teams can keep up what they have done to start the season, but all of those teams are pretty much what they were a year ago personnel-wise.
In the West, the underachievers along with Golden State include the 1-4 Denver Nuggets, who cannot win despite Nikola Jokic getting triple-doubles more often than anyone not named Russell Westbrook. After what we saw from them in last year&rsquo;s postseason, they should not be residing in last place in the 15-team West.
But at least the Nuggets are whole, which is something the Warriors are not and will not be until next season when Klay Thompson finally <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-rumors-klay-thompson-golden-state-warriors-achilles-rehab-recovery-process">returns from his Achilles injury</a>. So the question for Bob Myers and Steve Kerr is this: Is it worth pursuing Harden to see if he and Steph Curry can replicate the success that the franchise had for so many successive seasons before it all fell apart in the 2019 NBA Finals?
Last year&rsquo;s disaster of a season at least brought James Wiseman with the No. 2 pick, but spending this year as a middle-of-the-pack team was never supposed to be an option. Obtaining Harden would be tough; any deal would likely have to include Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota&rsquo;s top-three protected 2021 first-rounder (which is unprotected in 2022) and some combination of future picks. However, it&rsquo;s worth noting that they owe their 2021 first-rounder to the Oklahoma City Thunder (protected 1-20) and their 2024 first-rounder to the Memphis Grizzlies (protected 1-4). Wiseman is a terrific trade piece as well, but it seems highly unlikely that Golden State would be willing to part with him.
One must presume that Brooklyn and Golden State are taking a harder look at Harden now despite The Beard&rsquo;s devaluation of himself with his training-camp shenanigans. He remains the only player in the NBA who we all expect to go out and score 40 points every single night, and when a player of that caliber is on the market, everyone is obligated to find out what it would take to get him and whether it would be worth the investment. He can turn 15 okay teams into very, very good teams.
Harden has sort of held the league captive with a month&rsquo;s worth of wondering where he will eventually land. He probably won&rsquo;t finish the season in Houston, but Rockets general manager Rafael Stone is driving the bus on this one and is not going to give him away for pennies on the dollar. He can wait all the way until the trade deadline in March if he so chooses (or even longer given that Harden can&rsquo;t leave as a free agent until the 2022 offseason at the earliest). It is merely a matter of how much internal drama the Rockets choose to endure.
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Also, where Harden wants to play is not Stone&rsquo;s concern. His job is to get the most he can in return for Harden, then let someone else try to make the guy happy. And that allows him to say &ldquo;no&rdquo; to Philadelphia every time the name &ldquo;Tobias Harris&rdquo; is uttered instead of &ldquo;Ben Simmons.&rdquo; Same with half a dozen other potential trade partners who are not willing to give up a terrific young player along with multiple first-round picks.
In the case of the Nets, the need/desire to take another long look at Harden has been fueled by the season-ending injury to Spencer Dinwiddie, who was the anchor of a very strong second unit. Chris Chiozza is a solid replacement, but losing Dinwiddie is a big blow to Brooklyn. The question is: Would a package centered around Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen along with future first-round picks be too much to pay for Harden? (And Dinwiddie would likely have to be included to make the salaries match).
Golden State is hard-capped with a league-high $173,683,225 payroll, which complicates trade possibilities. But the Wolves&rsquo; 2021 pick is a terrific trade chip, and Wiggins&rsquo; $29.5 million salary makes it easier for Myers to make the money match. In terms of what else currently on Golden State&rsquo;s roster might intrigue the Rockets, that list likely begins with Wiseman (who is not going anywhere) and does not go much further. With that said, do the Warriors have enough to assemble a serious offer for Harden?
The bottom line is that there is a stronger possibility of Harden getting traded from Houston sometime between now and March than there is of him staying.
He could make at least a half-dozen semi-contenders into legit championship threats, and at some point somebody is going to meet Stone&rsquo;s asking price. It&rsquo;s more of a when, not an if. And then it becomes a question of where. And if Harden is unhappy with whatever deal eventually goes down, he&rsquo;s going to have to deal with it.
We&rsquo;ll all just have to stay tuned, and see who either gets desperate or believes they are one superstar away from a title run.

Should the Brooklyn Nets or Golden State Warriors try to pull off a blockbuster trade for James Harden?

With Warriors and Nets struggling, is it time to revisit Harden trade?

Ethan Fuller breaks down the state of each NBA franchise and ranks the most frustrating teams ahead of the 2020-21 NBA season.

NBA 'Sour' Rankings: Preseason Prelude

Bad news ruled the day Thursday, as the NBA universe once again mimicked the world at large. Klay Thompson is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-news-offseason-golden-state-warriors-klay-thompson-achilles-injury" target="_blank" rel="noopener">out for another year</a>, and the long, dark winter that will include a lot of fresh faces in new NBA places will be proceeding without one of the league&rsquo;s best players.
The year 2020 has been unrelenting when it comes to unwelcome surprises, and the Golden State Warriors and their fans took one on the chin&nbsp;over the past 24 hours.
But while the Warriors were skirting the panic zone, it was safe to say the Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks emerged looking a whole lot better after Wednesday night&rsquo;s NBA Draft and Thursday&rsquo;s transaction news. The unfortunates included television viewers who expected clarity over the course of draft night, along with the Milwaukee Bucks, whose deal for Bogdan Bogdanovic is in hiatus mode.
The NBA churned forward Thursday with the countdown to opening night now 33 days away, and the deadline for Giannis Antetokounmpo to accept or reject a supermax offer from the Bucks sitting at 31 days. Yes, Jon Horst is on the clock, and if pen does not meet paper on that supermax deal, let&rsquo;s just say we will have a new Most-Likely-To-Be-Traded candidate replacing Russell Westbrook.
A total of 11 trades were made over the course of the four-plus hour draft, and confusion reigned throughout the night on TV. It was best exemplified when Kentucky coach John Calipari came on the air after pick No. 25 was Wildcats point guard Immanuel Quickley and said, &ldquo;You guys realize he&rsquo;s going to the Knicks, right?&rdquo;
The pick had been made by the Thunder and was part of multi-team transactions involving New York, Minnesota and Oklahoma City. With so many moving parts and so many deals taking place simultaneously, it was not immediately apparent that New York emerged with the SEC Player of the Year, along with the consensus College Player of the Year, Dayton&rsquo;s Obi Toppin.
Leon Rose, William Wesley and Tom Thibodeau made more moves Thursday; they let go of Elfrid Payton, Taj Gibson and Wayne Ellington and declined the team option on Bobby Portis, setting themselves up for free agency as one of the handful of teams with a ton of salary cap space. New York and Atlanta are reportedly interested in Gordon Hayward, who declined his $34 million player option with the Boston Celtics this evening.
That put the Knicks the winners column along with the Sixers, both for what they did in the trade market and what they did in the draft. Early in the day Wednesday, new Philadelphia president of basketball operations Daryl Morey dealt Al Horford and the $81 million remaining on his contract to Oklahoma City for Danny Green, then picked up Seth Curry (Doc Rivers&rsquo; son-in-law) from Dallas for Josh Richardson.&nbsp;
Then, with the 58th pick, Morey picked up a sleeper in DePaul&rsquo;s Paul Reed, and rest assured that Rivers went to sleep happier than he awoke. He now has two new shooters, two new defenders and a better chance of competing with the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets for an Eastern Conference title.
As for the Bucks, their <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-news-free-agency-Bogdan-Bogdanovic-sacramento-kings-milwaukee-bucks-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acquisition of Kings forward Bogdan Bogdanovic is in jeopardy</a>. Bogdanovic stood to make $60 million over four years in a sign-and-trade deal, but wants to see if even bigger money is offered by one of the few teams with major cap space -- none of them contenders unless Miami loses Goran Dragic and Jae Crowder in free agency.
Milwaukee began the week agreeing to a pair of major deals to help ensure that Antetokounmpo stays around for the long term, but they may have to find another shooter elsewhere if the Bogdanovic deal dies. They may have found one with the 60th pick in the draft in Utah State&rsquo;s Sam Merrill, but Bogdan had a body of work that they clearly liked.
The Minnesota Timberwolves were a clear winner because they emerged not only with No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards, but also with a new starting point guard in Ricky Rubio (D&rsquo;Angelo Russell will probably be spending time at shooting guard next season). Along with two more first-round picks, they also brought in rookie building blocks with Jaden McDaniels (Washington) and Leandro Bolmaro (FC Barcelona), both of whom should be NBA-ready a year from now when Karl-Anthony Towns will be 26. Next up for Gersson Rosas is to find a power forward (he moved James Johnson&rsquo;s expiring $15.3 million contract to Oklahoma City today). The Wolves&rsquo; pick next season (protected 1-3) is owed to Golden State from the Russell acquisition.
Golden State, despite coming out of the draft with 7-foot-1 James Wiseman (best described as a mix of David Robinson and Chris Bosh), now must contemplate yet another season that may not include Thompson after the veteran sharpshooter tore his Achilles while working out in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Thompson has not played since tearing his left ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals.
With Thompson, the Warriors were regarded as a legitimate title contender. Without him, it is arguable whether they will be a top-six team and avoid the NBA&rsquo;s new play-in tournament involving the Nos. 7-10 seeded teams in each conference. However, Bob Myers was proactive and struck a deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder to soften the blow, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-trade-rumor-kelly-oubre-golden-state-warriors-okc-oklahoma-city-thunder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bringing the rising Kelly Oubre Jr. to the Bay Area</a> on Thursday.
The days ahead should be fascinating.Teams can made contact with free agents beginning at 6 p.m. EDT Friday (which is when BasketballNews.com's 2020 Free Agency Show will start). Stay tuned...

Chris Sheridan wraps up notable moments from the 2020 NBA Draft and the fallout going into free agency.

Bad news for Klay Thompson, Warriors overshadows post-draft elation

"[Gersson] Rosas is one of the most aggressive general managers in the league. Sources around the league already expect that he&rsquo;ll work the phones over the next couple of months at least to see what&rsquo;s out there on the market. The consensus around the league is that this will simply be a value play for Rosas, not necessarily one based upon a specific timeline they want to adhere to.
"Remember: Rosas and executive vice president Sachin Gupta come from the Houston school of thought under Daryl Morey, where they think of most assets in regard to trade value. If they decide an offer is good enough, the thought is he&rsquo;ll take whatever he thinks is the most valuable for the organization long-term, versus the one that will help them win this year. Maybe it&rsquo;s player capital, maybe it&rsquo;s additional draft capital in a trade down. One thing most teams want to do league-wide is potentially expand their draft capital in the much stronger 2021 draft, so maybe it&rsquo;s a trade out involving a big offer. Maybe they do just stand pat. But the Wolves are absolutely going to explore what&rsquo;s available."
via <a href="https://theathletic.com/2013965/2020/08/31/team-specific-big-boards-timberwolves-nba-draft-options-and-offseason-preview/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sam Vecenie of The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS: It remains to be seen what the Timberwolves could receive in exchange for the No. 1 overall pick, especially since many executives feel that there isn't a sure-fire superstar in this draft (as our Matt Babcock <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-draft-rumors-top-four-minnesota-timberwolves-chicago-bulls-charlotte-hornets-golden-state-warriors-picks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has explained</a>). Minnesota will surely weigh their options and shop the pick. If they can't find a trade partner (which is typically easier said than done), most experts believe they will select Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball or James Wiseman.

The Minnesota Timberwolves will reportedly consider trading the No. 1 overall pick.

Timberwolves expected to shop No. 1 pick

Anthony Edwards' meteoric rise in the NBA continues relentlessly. The 23-year-old Minnesota Timberwolves superstar has added another chapter to his burgeoning playoff legacy, leading his team to a 4-1 series victory over the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Semifinals. This triumph not only propels the Timberwolves to their second consecutive Western Conference Finals but also reinforces Edwards' growing reputation as the league's premier "legend killer."
The term "legend killer" may have been used in jest by fans and analysts, but it's becoming more apt with each passing series. Edwards is carving out one of the most impressive early playoff resumes in recent memory, routinely stepping up against the game's brightest stars and emerging victorious.
Slaying giants and legends is becoming a playoff tradition for Edwards
Edwards' postseason journey reads like a who's who of NBA royalty. Last year, he spearheaded the Timberwolves' stunning run through the Western Conference, eliminating a Phoenix Suns team led by future Hall of Famers Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. In the following round, they went toe-to-toe with reigning MVP Nikola Jokić and the defending champion Denver Nuggets &ndash; and prevailed.
This season has followed a similar narrative. In the first round, Edwards and the Wolves dispatched the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. Edwards outdueled both LeBron James and Luka Doncic on both ends of the floor and delivering clutch baskets in high-pressure moments.
Now, in the semifinals, he's taken down a Warriors team that boasted championship pedigree and playoff-tested veterans in Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green &ndash; and would have had Stephen Curry, were it not for injury.
It's no wonder the nickname "legend killer" has started to stick. Edwards is not just winning playoff series; he's ending runs and ushering in a new era of stardom. Few players his age have compiled such an impressive list of postseason victims &ndash; and he's doing it as the unquestioned leader of a franchise that hadn&rsquo;t been to the Conference Finals in 20 years before his arrival.
Golden State&rsquo;s fortunes took a major hit just minutes into Game 1 when Stephen Curry pulled up lame, clutching his left hamstring. The team initially called it &ldquo;tightness,&rdquo; but subsequent scans revealed a strain that would sideline the two-time MVP for the remainder of the series.
Curry&rsquo;s absence was devastating. In Game 1, the Warriors managed to win despite him being out for the majority of the game, and Golden State was within striking distance. But without him, the Warriors lacked spacing, cohesion, and a consistent scoring threat. Butler, whom the Warriors acquired midseason for a late title push, averaged a decent amount of points in the series but struggled to find rhythm without Curry drawing double teams. Draymond Green&rsquo;s defensive prowess and playmaking were neutralized by Minnesota&rsquo;s size and physicality.
Minnesota, meanwhile, smothered Golden State with a vaunted defense led by Jaden McDaniels, Rudy Gobert, and Edwards. The Wolves&rsquo; game plan was simple yet effective: deny Butler clean looks, collapse on drives, and force role players to beat them. Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield were rather inconsistent, while Jonathan Kuminga, though promising, lacked the polish to carry the scoring load for the entire series. The Warriors ultimately lost four straight games after taking the opener.
Timberwolves' strategic mastery&nbsp;
Minnesota&rsquo;s resurgence is as much about front-office vision as it is about Edwards&rsquo; emergence. The franchise made a controversial decision last summer, trading long-time star Karl-Anthony Towns &ndash; the face of the franchise for nearly a decade &ndash; to the New York Knicks in exchange for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.
Initially panned as an overreaction to last year&rsquo;s Conference Finals loss, the move has aged like fine wine. Randle brought a rugged interior presence and a scorer's mindset that perfectly complements Rudy Gobert&rsquo;s defense-first approach. In these playoffs, Randle has arguably been playing the best basketball of his life, often bullying smaller defenders in the post while spacing the floor just enough to allow Edwards room to operate.
DiVincenzo, a tenacious defender and underrated shooter, has been an x-factor despite struggling a bit in the playoffs. He has consistently hit timely threes while guarding opposing guards with a relentless motor. His chemistry with Edwards has flourished, allowing the Wolves to maintain intensity on both ends without sacrificing floor spacing.
Add in the steady leadership of Mike Conley and the rim protection of Gobert and Naz Reid off the bench and the perimeter defense by McDaniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and you&rsquo;ve got one of the most well-balanced teams left in the playoffs.
With this series win, the Timberwolves have secured their second straight appearance in the Western Conference Finals &ndash; a feat that once seemed unimaginable for a franchise long plagued by mediocrity. They fell to Dallas in last year&rsquo;s WCF, but the lessons from that loss are clearly paying off.
This version of the Wolves is deeper, more experienced, and far more adaptable. They&rsquo;ve shown they can win gritty, defensive battles or shoot it out when the game opens up. Coach Chris Finch has masterfully balanced rotations and drawn up sets that accentuate Edwards&rsquo; strengths while keeping Randle, Gobert, and DiVincenzo involved.
The next step now is breaking through to the NBA Finals &ndash; something no Timberwolves team has ever accomplished.
Being the &lsquo;face of the league&rsquo;
As the NBA&rsquo;s long-standing icons gradually wind down their careers, the league is searching for its next torchbearer. While players like Jayson Tatum, Luka Dončić, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are all in the mix, few have made as loud a postseason statement as Anthony Edwards.
His playoff numbers &mdash; 27.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists per game &mdash; don&rsquo;t just tell the story of a rising superstar, they scream franchise cornerstone and future MVP. More importantly, Edwards has embraced the spotlight, asking for it and owning the pressure of delivering wins against the best in the world.
He&rsquo;s charismatic, fiercely competitive, and fearless. His ability to elevate his game in the postseason, rise above elite opponents, and close out games has drawn comparisons to legends of the past. And with every &ldquo;legend&rdquo; he defeats, Edwards inches closer to becoming one himself.
Anthony Edwards isn&rsquo;t just adding to his playoff resume &mdash; he&rsquo;s building a legacy. One legendary opponent at a time.
And if the &ldquo;legend killer&rdquo; keeps this up, the next generation of NBA stars might be defined by who manages to take him down.

Anthony Edwards continues his rise as the NBA’s “Legend Killer,” leading the Timberwolves past the Warriors to reach the WCF again.

Anthony Edwards adds to ‘legend killer’ legacy as Wolves eliminate Warriors in 5

As the 2025 NBA Playoffs begin, the Western Conference presents no shortage of compelling narratives and unanswered questions. Each team comes in with a storyline that could define their entire postseason. From young squads making their playoff debut to experienced rosters led by superstars, here's the biggest question facing each Western Conference playoff team.
Oklahoma City Thunder &mdash; Can their historic defense carry over to the playoffs?
The Oklahoma City Thunder have fielded the league&rsquo;s best defense this season, boasting a 106.6 defensive rating &mdash; the lowest mark in the NBA and one of the best over the past decade. Anchored by a core of versatile perimeter defenders like Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Jalen Williams, and MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, along with interior enforcer Isaiah Hartenstein and shot blocker Chet Holmgren, the Thunder built a defensive identity predicated on length, switchability, and relentless pressure.
But as history has shown, regular-season defense doesn&rsquo;t always translate to playoff dominance. Matchups become more intentional, rotations tighten, and elite scorers are given room to manipulate even the best schemes. For a team like OKC that leans heavily on team defense rather than individual stoppers, their system will be tested in a postseason series where adjustments are key. Moreover, the Thunder&rsquo;s youth &ndash; despite being a strength in the regular season &ndash; may also be a vulnerability when the game slows down and every possession is magnified.
This Thunder squad has the makings of a historically great defense, but now comes the true test: whether that same system can hold up when a superstar like Luka Doncic or Steph Curry start hunting matchups in isolation. If OKC can sustain their defensive intensity in a seven-game series, their path to a deep run remains wide open.
Houston Rockets &mdash; Will their inexperience hinder them from going too far?
After years of rebuilding, the Houston Rockets are finally back in the playoffs &mdash; and this time, with a young core brimming with talent. Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., and Amen Thompson are all making their playoff debuts, and they&rsquo;ve formed a competitive group that finished with the fifth-best defense in the league (110.3 DRtg) and earned the second seed. Their turnaround under head coach Ime Udoka has been remarkable, fueled by a defense-first identity and the emergence of Sengun as one of the best passing bigs in the league.
However, playoff basketball is a different beast. It&rsquo;s about adjustments, discipline, and poise under pressure &ndash; things young teams usually need time to learn. In their first-round matchup, the Rockets face the battle-tested Golden State Warriors, a team that features championship experience across the board. Houston&rsquo;s youth could be exposed if the moment becomes too big, especially with Golden State&rsquo;s ability to dissect inexperience through smart off-ball actions and defensive schemes.
Players like Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks, the Rockets&rsquo; veterans, will be counted on to provide leadership and stabilize the team when things go sideways. But this postseason will ultimately serve as a litmus test for how ready the Rockets&rsquo; young stars are to take the leap. Even if they fall short, the experience could be invaluable moving forward.
Los Angeles Lakers &mdash; How viable is their roster construction?
The Lakers shocked the league by acquiring Luka Doncic midseason, pairing him with LeBron James and Austin Reaves to form a high-powered offensive trio. Since then, they&rsquo;ve leaned heavily into small-ball, often starting lineups with Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith alongside the core trio, while Jaxson Hayes remains their only true center. First-year head coach JJ Redick has installed a modern, five-out system that prioritizes spacing and switchable defense &mdash; a style tailor-made for the postseason.
But viability is still a concern. While the offense has thrived, their defense has some slippages, particularly when LeBron and Luka are on the floor together. Their lack of rim protection and size could be exploited by teams that boast elite drivers to the rim. Additionally, the wear-and-tear of postseason play could take a toll on their aging core, especially LeBron, who is playing his 22nd season and logging heavy minutes in the postseason
Ultimately, the Lakers&rsquo; playoff ceiling hinges on whether their current roster configuration &ndash; heavy on wings, light on bigs &ndash; can hold up when the game slows down and physicality ramps up. If it works, Redick could be hailed as a tactical genius. If it doesn&rsquo;t, questions about roster balance and long-term direction will resurface.
Denver Nuggets &mdash; Do they have enough help around Nikola Jokic?
Nikola Jokic is once again doing everything for the Denver Nuggets &mdash; and doing it at an MVP level. He finished the regular season averaging a triple-double and top 3 in every major statistical category. His ability to control the game as both scorer and facilitator remains unmatched, and he remains the engine of everything Denver does offensively. But after a sluggish finish to the season, the biggest concern for the Nuggets is whether Jokic has enough help to mount another deep playoff run.
Jamal Murray has battled through injuries and hasn&rsquo;t quite looked like the same dynamic scorer from their 2023 championship run. Michael Porter Jr. has been inconsistent, while Aaron Gordon&rsquo;s offensive impact has waned due to multiple injuries. Denver&rsquo;s bench has also taken a step back this year, with limited contributions outside of Russell Westbrook, Julian Strawther and Peyton Watson.
If Murray can elevate his game and Porter Jr. can knock down shots consistently, Denver remains a title threat. But the margin for error is much slimmer than last year. Jokic can only carry so much weight &ndash; the Nuggets need their supporting cast to deliver, or another early exit could be looming.
Los Angeles Clippers &mdash; Can we see James Harden and Kawhi Leonard lead this team to playoff glory?
After losing Paul George to free agency last summer, many assumed the Clippers&rsquo; title window had slammed shut. But the resurgence of James Harden and Kawhi Leonard has breathed life back into their playoff hopes. Harden has embraced the role of primary playmaker, averaging 22.8 points and 8.7 assists per game, while Leonard has quietly had one of the most efficient scoring seasons of his career in recent years, shooting 49.8% from the field and 41.1% from deep.
The Clippers finished the season strong with their offense clicking and defense holding steady. Yet the question remains &ndash; can their two stars carry them through the gauntlet of the Western Conference? Leonard&rsquo;s health has always been a question mark, and Harden&rsquo;s playoff track record has been a mixed bag at best.&nbsp;
This postseason may be one of the last chances for this iteration of the Clippers to make a real push. If Harden and Kawhi can replicate their regular-season success and stay healthy, they could make noise. Along with steady role players like Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac, the Clippers are darkhorse contenders and will be dangerous out in the West.
Minnesota Timberwolves &mdash; How will Julius Randle perform in the playoffs?
Minnesota shocked many by acquiring Julius Randle at the trade deadline, moving on from Karl-Anthony Towns in the process. The Wolves hoped that Randle, a more physical and downhill-oriented forward, would provide a better playoff fit alongside Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert. However, Randle&rsquo;s postseason history raises concerns &mdash; in 15 career playoff games, he&rsquo;s averaged just 15.6 points on 34.4% shooting from the field.
Minnesota will need more than that if they hope to build on last year&rsquo;s conference finals run. Randle must adapt his game to playoff basketball, where defenses are better prepared and isolation-heavy play often becomes less efficient. His ability to stretch the floor, make quick decisions, and play through contact will be tested, especially against elite defenses like OKC.
If Randle rises to the occasion, Minnesota could have one of the most balanced starting fives in the conference. But if he reverts to his inefficient playoff habits, the Wolves could find themselves stalling in critical moments &ndash; a risk that looms large in what could be a defining postseason for the franchise.
Golden State Warriors &mdash; How far can Jimmy Butler take them?
The Warriors made arguably the boldest trade of the deadline by acquiring Jimmy Butler from Miami, forming a star duo with Stephen Curry. Since the move, Golden State has looked rejuvenated, going on a tear to close the regular season and boasting the third-best net rating in the league during that span (+7.2). Butler&rsquo;s leadership, defense, and shot creation have given the Warriors a legitimate second option and re-energized their playoff outlook.
Butler has a proven playoff track record &ndash; he led the Heat to two Finals appearances in four years &ndash; and is widely regarded as one of the most clutch postseason performers. His fit with Golden State has been seamless, and the team&rsquo;s defense has improved significantly, ranking 6th in opponent points per game since the trade. The question is how far Butler can carry this version of the Warriors, who still lean heavily on their aging core.
If Butler can replicate his past postseason heroics and stay healthy, the Warriors have a real shot to upset higher-seeded teams and return to the Finals.
Memphis Grizzlies &mdash; Can they survive this tough season?
No team has faced more adversity this year than the Memphis Grizzlies. Between Ja Morant&rsquo;s on-court antics, injuries to key players, and coaching instability and firing, Memphis stumbled to a slump at the end of the regular season but managed to squeak into the playoffs as the 8-seed. Despite the chaos, the team has shown remarkable resilience, with Jaren Jackson Jr. and rookie Zach Edey emerging as bright spots with their improved play.
Now they face the top-seeded Thunder in a first-round matchup that few give them a chance to win. But if there&rsquo;s one thing the Grizzlies have shown, it&rsquo;s that they won&rsquo;t go down without a fight. Their defense could keep them competitive, and their physical style of play may pose problems for the Thunder.
Ultimately, the playoffs may serve more as a building block than a real title push. But if Memphis can steal a game or two &mdash; or even push OKC to the brink &mdash; it would be a testament to the team&rsquo;s grit and foundation heading into next season.

Breaking down the biggest question each Western Conference team faces heading into the 2025 NBA Playoffs.

2025 NBA Western Conference Playoffs: Each team’s biggest question in the playoffs

With the 2024-25 NBA season just days away, the Western Conference is locked, loaded, and ready for battle. The offseason drama has settled, rosters are finalized, and every team is gearing up for what promises to be a fierce and competitive race. From reigning contenders to rising underdogs, the West is stacked with talent and ambition. Let&rsquo;s break down the top 15 teams in the West as we head into this thrilling new season&mdash;no frills, just what you need to know.
<ol>
<li> Minnesota Timberwolves The Timberwolves are turning a new page after trading away longtime cornerstone Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo and are now fully embracing Anthony Edwards as the franchise cornerstone. The T-Wolves&rsquo; mix of young talent and veteran leadership gives them a balanced roster around Edwards. Rudy Gobert remains a defensive anchor as a 4-time DPOY, Edwards is primed for a superstar leap, and if the supporting cast, including Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid, steps up, the Wolves could be ready to take the top spot in the West.</li>
<li> Oklahoma City Thunder The Thunder&rsquo;s rebuild is no longer a long-term project; they&rsquo;re ready to compete now. However, due to Isaiah Hartenstein&rsquo;s injury to start the season, we&rsquo;re placing the Thunder at no.2 for now. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is already an All-NBA guard and arguably a top 5 player in the league. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams figure out to be the dynamic inside-out duo around SGA. Add in Hartenstein and Alex Caruso, the two new acquisitions this offseason with their capable role players Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe, this young core is as versatile as it is exciting. OKC&rsquo;s depth and versatility on both ends of the floor could propel them into serious title contention.</li>
<li> Phoenix Suns The Suns have loaded up for a title run, and with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal leading the charge, Phoenix has one of the most dangerous offensive trios in the league. They have added their most significant hole which is the PG spot with a solid pick up in Tyus Jones, and they have one of the best offensive coaches in the league in Mike Budenholzer. The Suns&rsquo; questions lie in their depth and health, but if they can manage those concerns, they&rsquo;re built for a championship push. Their offensive firepower is unmatched, and if they click, the Suns will be a team no one wants to face.</li>
<li> Memphis Grizzlies Memphis has weathered their offseason storms and enters the season with a gritty identity intact. Ja Morant is back after his injury and suspension last year and he will now play with last season&rsquo;s addition Marcus Smart. Together with the continued growth of Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane, the Grizzlies are primed to be competitive and come back from their prime two seasons ago where they won 50+ games. Memphis&rsquo; defensive dominance paired with offensive firepower ensures they can be one of the top teams in the West with a deep bench with solid role players.</li>
<li> Denver Nuggets After falling short to Minnesota in 7 games last playoffs, the Nuggets will enter the season with their core mostly intact. Nikola Jokić remains the most dominant center and the best player in the game. With Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. healthy, the Nuggets are poised for another deep run. But perhaps their biggest loss this season was losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to free agency and that might be a hit so they&rsquo;re currently ranked at no.5 to start the year. It could be a lot to ask for young players like Christian Braun or Julian Strawther to fill the void left by KCP, so it will be interesting to see how Denver handles his loss this season.</li>
<li> Dallas Mavericks Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving experiment is back after a successful season last year, where Dallas entered the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011 &ndash; when they won the title. The two stars can mesh to create one of the league&rsquo;s most potent offenses and with the continued internal development of young players like Dereck Lively, the Mavs can build on that Finals appearance. With newcomer Klay Thompson set to provide historic spacing for their dynamic duo, Dallas has the talent to climb the standings and challenge the top teams in the West.</li>
<li> New Orleans Pelicans The Pelicans&rsquo; fate will always hinge on Zion Williamson&rsquo;s health. When Zion plays, New Orleans is a force to be reckoned with. Now paired with newly-acquired point guard Dejounte Murray, they have a balanced attack capable of competing with any team in the conference with Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum still on the fold. If Zion stays on the floor, the Pelicans could find themselves rising up the ranks, but his availability remains the biggest X-factor.</li>
<li> Golden State Warriors The Warriors are clinging to their championship window with Stephen Curry still playing at an elite level. The addition of capable veterans in Kyle Anderson, Buddy Hield, and DeAnthony Melton gives them depth and personnel that can play in their offense to surround the core of Curry and Draymond Green for their foundation. Health and age are concerns, but if their veterans stay intact, Golden State can&rsquo;t be counted out.</li>
<li> Sacramento Kings The Kings struggled a bit last season after making their long-awaited playoff return two seasons ago, and they&rsquo;re looking to build on that momentum. They have signed DeMar DeRozan and he should bring a new wrinkle to their motion and three-hunting offense. DeRozan&rsquo;s mid range ability should be a welcome addition to Sacramento&rsquo;s offense. De&rsquo;Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis still lead an explosive offense, but defense remains a question mark. Sacramento&rsquo;s high-flying, fast-paced style makes them a regular-season juggernaut, but they&rsquo;ll need to tighten up defensively if they want to make a deep playoff run.</li>
<li> Los Angeles Lakers The Lakers are counting on LeBron James and Anthony Davis staying healthy for a full season. With the front office standing pat on making moves this offseason, the Lakers&rsquo; success will hinge on their superstar duo. If LeBron and AD can avoid injury, Los Angeles will be a formidable playoff team, but health is always a looming concern with this group.</li>
<li> Houston Rockets The Rockets added veterans Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks to guide their young core last season and this season could be the time for them to step up. They finished strong last year behind defensive minded coach Ime Udoka and the result could be a team that surprises many. Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun have star potential, and younger players Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson add even more excitement. The Rockets also drafted Reed Sheppard with the 3rd pick and Houston is hoping to lay the foundation for success and could push for a Play-In spot this season.</li>
<li> San Antonio Spurs Victor Wembanyama enters his second season, and the Spurs are fully embracing their rebuild around the budding star. While Wembanyama showed flashes of brilliance as a rookie, San Antonio is still in the development phase. But with the addition of Chris Paul, the Spurs now have a capable PG to feed Wemby and the other guys, possibly unlocking a new level to their games. With their young core, the Spurs may not be a playoff team yet, but their future looks incredibly bright with Wembanyama leading the way.</li>
<li> Los Angeles Clippers The Clippers&rsquo; fortunes rest on the health of Kawhi Leonard&mdash;again. After losing Paul George for nothing, Leonard is left to fend LA off by himself in their new arena at Intuit Dome. Gone are the days when LA has the talent to compete with anyone as they&rsquo;re just but a shell of themselves. Leading the way for the injured Leonard will be a 34-year-old James Harden and that might be too much to ask of the aging superstar. However, if Kawhi can return healthy and he can avoid the injury bug, the Clippers will be in the playoff mix, but that&rsquo;s a big &ldquo;if&rdquo; for this squad.</li>
<li> Portland Trail Blazers With Damian Lillard long gone, the Blazers will fully commit another season to their rebuild. Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons, and Shaedon Sharpe form a promising young core, but Portland will likely spend this season focusing on player development. While they won&rsquo;t be in playoff contention, the Blazers are positioning themselves well for the future, with an eye on growth and improvement.</li>
<li> Utah Jazz The Jazz are continuing their rebuild, with Lauri Markkanen emerging as a cornerstone player. While they have some intriguing young pieces like Taylor Hendricks and Keyonte George, Utah isn&rsquo;t ready to compete just yet. This season will be about development and finding which young players can be part of their long-term plans. The Jazz may not win many games this year, but they&rsquo;re building toward a brighter future.</li>
</ol>

Let’s break down the top 15 teams in the West as we head into this thrilling new season.

2024-2025 NBA Western Conference Power Rankings: A race at the top to start the year

The 2024 NBA Free Agency underway. Here's everything you need to know about the makings and the moves around the NBA.

2024 NBA Free Agency Tracker: All the signings and deals in the offseason

With the Western Conference All-Star starters set, let&rsquo;s look at the players who deserve a reserve slot for the West All-Star team this season. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/picking-the-nbas-eastern-conference-allstar-reserves" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Check out our Eastern Conference All-Star reserve picks here</a>.
Guard: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Curry is a lock to make the team and the only question is: why isn&rsquo;t he starting? It took historic individual seasons from Dallas&rsquo; Luka Doncic and OKC&rsquo;s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to dislodge Curry from his usual starter spot at the All-Star game (the first time that's happened since 2014). As one of the legends of this generation and a face of the league for years running, Curry is still playing at a high level this season, averaging 27.5 points, 5 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 41 games played.&nbsp;
Guard: Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
Like Jayson Tatum out East, Edwards is the best player on the best team in the West, which absolutely strengthens his All-Star case. Blossoming into a full-blown superstar this season, Edwards is averaging 26 points, 5.3 assists and 5.2 rebounds. Even at only 22 years of age, Edwards has been leading his team to wins and the top seed in the Western Conference, earning a ton of respect from fans and the media. Those efforts won't go unnoticed as he earns his second All-Star nod.
Forward: Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers have had the league&rsquo;s best record over the last 10 weeks and the reason is pretty simple: Kawhi Leonard is performing like his usual self. Leonard has played 41 of the Clippers' 45 games, which is huge considering the 6-foot-7 forward&rsquo;s injury history and past load management. In the past, Leonard has missed a lot of games in the regular season and playoffs, but that hasn't been the case this season. Leonard has been the Clippers' best player, averaging 23.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 steals a night. Whenever Leonard is playing well, the Clippers look like an elite squad.&nbsp;
Forward: Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
Arguably the Lakers&rsquo; best player this year, Anthony Davis has taken it upon himself to lead Los Angeles both on offense and defense. Despite playing out of his normal position, Davis is averaging 25 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.2 steals as a center. There is a direct correlation between Davis&rsquo; play and the Lakers' success this year. The Lakers would probably be even deeper down the standings if not for Davis and he's likely done enough to join Lakers teammate and All-Star captain LeBron James on the team.
Center: Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves
Perhaps a controversial pick, Rudy Gobert is a worthy All-Star due to his production and the fact that he's helped lead the Wolves to the No. 1 seed in the West. Gobert is the anchor of the best defense in the entire league and is the main reason why Minnesota can effectively deploy a two-center lineup. Even though his 13.3 points per game don't jump off the page, Gobert is also averaging 12.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks. The 7-foot-1 center is once again a Defensive Player of the Year candidate and leading his team to a ton of wins, which he has been doing since his Utah Jazz days. That is a testament to his value.
Wildcard: De&rsquo;Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings
Last year, Fox made his first All-Star appearance. This year, he&rsquo;s been even better, upping his averages to 27.5 points, 5.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds for the fifth-place Sacramento Kings. This is Fox&rsquo;s best scoring campaign of his career, just a season removed from winning the NBA&rsquo;s inaugural Clutch Player of the Year award. A lot of the 6-foot-3 guard&rsquo;s success this season can be attributed to him shooting better from three (increasing his three-point percentage from 32.4% to 38.6%), which has allowed him to become a true three-level scoring threat. Using a lethal arsenal of mid-range jumpers and floaters, he has raised his game to the next level.
Wildcard: Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
Devin Booker takes the West's last slot after some recent explosive performances. Booker has been on a stunning scoring tear as of late, which might help him secure a place on the team. Over the past week, the 6-foot-6 guard is averaging mind-boggling numbers of 42 points on 64% shooting from the field, including a 62-point outing and 52-point performance. This season, Booker has taken on more on-ball duties than ever before since Chris Paul is out of the picture and he's trying to fit alongside All-Star starter Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. This recent explosion reminded everyone that he can light up teams when he gets hot and look the part of an All-Star.
Snubs: Domantas Sabonis (Center, Sacramento Kings); Paul George (Forward, Los Angeles Clippers); Brandon Ingram (Forward, New Orleans Pelicans); Zion Williamson (Forward, New Orleans Pelicans); Alperen Sengun (Center, Houston Rockets); Lauri Markkanen&nbsp;(Forward, Utah Jazz)
The West is too deep. Even with Sabonis and George having stellar seasons and their teams in the upper half of the standings (the Clippers are fourth and the Kings are fifth), both still fail to crack the West&rsquo;s top 12. One can argue Sabonis and/or George over Gobert, but it's hard to give just one All-Star spot to the best team in the conference and two slots to teams below them. Both Sabonis and George could also get in through the wildcards, but Booker has been on another level recently and Fox and Sabonis are likely competing over the same spot.
The Pelicans&rsquo; Ingram and Williamson didn't get in as they don't have the stats compared to others on this list, with the Pelicans being one of the deepest teams in the league.&nbsp;
Sengun and Markkanen each have a case as a leading mnn on the next tier of West playoff teams, but the conference is filled with so much talent that even a career-best season may not warrant a spot.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/picking-the-nbas-eastern-conference-allstar-reserves" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Check out our Eastern Conference All-Star reserve picks here</a>.

With the Western Conference All-Star starters set, let’s look at the players who deserve a reserve slot for the West All-Star team.

Picking the NBA's Western Conference All-Star reserves

We&rsquo;re two weeks into the 2023-24 NBA season, which is far too early for overarching declarations, but not too early for a statistical deep dive into some numbers that jumped out at us. Put on your wetsuits.
52&nbsp;
Portland Trail Blazers sophomore Shaedon Sharpe has been assisted on 52% of his made baskets this season, down considerably from the 67% he was assisted on last season. That number dropping, combined with Sharpe&rsquo;s points per game rising (20.1 PPG, up from 9.9 last season), allows us to infer a few things.&nbsp;
First, it shows that Sharpe&rsquo;s role has increased significantly, which we expected. With Damian Lillard gone and Anfernee Simons sidelined for a few months with an injury, Sharpe was the obvious next man up regarding shot attempts. And the 20-year-old isn't afraid to put up shots, as he's attempting over 15 per game.&nbsp;
Secondly, it shows that Sharpe is getting his own buckets. His self-creation ability is one of the main reasons he was the No. 7 overall pick in last year's draft &ndash; despite not playing any college ball &ndash; and he&rsquo;s starting to turn that creation potential into a real skill on a nightly basis.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Shaedon Sharpe&rsquo;s 26-point second half: <a href="https://t.co/lyhXlJzCcg">pic.twitter.com/lyhXlJzCcg</a>
&mdash; Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/UsherNBA/status/1719899721110577389?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2023</a></blockquote>
36.9&nbsp;
That&rsquo;s how many minutes Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis is playing per game thus far, which would be a career-high. While that number will surely come down as the season progresses &ndash; we don&rsquo;t think Darvin Ham wants to run AD into the ground during the regular season &ndash; it&rsquo;s a good sign nonetheless that he can play that many minutes a night.
Davis is making the most of his minutes too. He is leading the league in blocks per game (3.3) and has shot the ball extremely well from three-point range (42.9%). Maybe more importantly, he&rsquo;s shooting just one three-pointer a game! That&rsquo;s a great number!&nbsp;
100.7&nbsp;
That&rsquo;s the league-leading defensive rating of the Minnesota Timberwolves. This would be the best DRTG in the NBA since the 2015-16 San Antonio Spurs, who finished the season with a simply outrageous 98.2 DRTG.&nbsp;
Is Minnesota the best defensive team in almost a decade? Probably not, but they do have the potential to be elite defensively, and they are showing that through two weeks. Rudy Gobert is blocking 2.4 shots per game &ndash; much closer to his career average (2.1) than last season, when he was down to 1.4 blocks per game.&nbsp;
Surrounding Gobert is Kyle Anderson (who is still being a pest, while averaging 1.9 steals + blocks per game), a healthy Jaden McDaniels (who solidifies any defense), a 36-year-old Mike Conley (who has lost a step but still provides intelligent play on both ends), Nickeil Alexander-Walker (who is blocking shots like a madman, with a 2.7 block percentage) and budding (budded?) superstar Anthony Edwards (who is as bought in defensively as he ever has been).&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Anthony Edwards is a two-way force - hard closeout + block on defense - tough PnR euro + finish through contact on offense <a href="https://t.co/G3zZJNVJKf">pic.twitter.com/G3zZJNVJKf</a>
&mdash; Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) <a href="https://twitter.com/WolvesClips/status/1720972196477120711?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2023</a></blockquote>
50&nbsp;
That is Tyrese Haliburton&rsquo;s AST% right now. Seriously. If a player on the Indiana Pacers makes a shot, there&rsquo;s a coin flip chance that Haliburton assisted it. Sustainable? Maybe not. But I am confident in calling Haliburton a top-three facilitator in the league, and he could absolutely get to No. 1 on that list if his game continues to ascend at the pace it has in his first few seasons.
Haliburton has flash in his game, of course:&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Haliburton with the no-look pass🙈<a href="https://t.co/daZesj2sml">pic.twitter.com/daZesj2sml</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1719136140861813166?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2023</a></blockquote>
But like all the great distributors, some of his best passes don&rsquo;t even end up as assists &ndash; like this cross-court dime against Charlotte last Saturday:&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
This is a great cross court pass from Haliburton and swing to Buddy. Pay attention to Charlotte's defense Melo sprints over to Brown but no one else tries to make a run at Hield until after he's making the catch. <a href="https://t.co/A0msdX9Cih">pic.twitter.com/A0msdX9Cih</a>
&mdash; Mo Dakhil (@MoDakhil_NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MoDakhil_NBA/status/1721252256899846227?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2023</a></blockquote>
10.3 and 13.8&nbsp;
The first number is how many assists Chris Paul records for every turnover he commits. Paul&rsquo;s facilitation is still elite, and the Golden State Warriors' second unit is benefitting mightily because of it. Point God lives on.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Here come the Dubs 👀 <a href="https://t.co/oPW29CMIgg">pic.twitter.com/oPW29CMIgg</a>
&mdash; Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSWarriors/status/1721331455669014769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2023</a></blockquote>
The second number, however, is Paul&rsquo;s three-point percentage this season. Paul is struggling to score regularly right now.&nbsp;
Dario Saric has been a nice surprise for Golden State off the bench, Jonathan Kuminga is scoring nearly 13 points per game and Gary Payton II is shooting the ball well too. Everyone plays better when Paul is distributing at an elite level like this.
81.0
That&rsquo;s Mark Williams&rsquo; field goal percentage through six games. The Charlotte Hornets' second-year big man is looking like the big rim presence the franchise has desperately needed in recent years. 
Williams was solid in a starting role down the stretch of last season &ndash; and he appears to have refined pretty much every aspect of his game in year two.&nbsp;
As a prospect, Williams was widely perceived as a defensive force with minimal offensive ability. But seemingly every game, Williams gets more comfortable on the offensive end, showcased by a career-high 27 points on November 4.

Quinn Everts dives into some interesting numbers that jumped out from the first two weeks of the 2023-24 NBA season.

Picking Cherries: 7 NBA statistics that stand out so far this season

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Nikola Jokic had a triple-double and Jamal Murray scored 35 points as the Denver Nuggets eliminated the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-109 in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night.
Anthony Edwards, who led Minnesota with 29 points, hit the back iron on a 27-foot 3-point attempt at the buzzer that would have sent the game into overtime.
Jokic overcame a slow offensive start to finish with 28 points, 17 rebounds and a dozen assists. He made just 8 of 29 shots, but scored eight points down the stretch to help the Nuggets fend off the pesky Timberwolves.
Michael Malone passed Doug Moe with his 25th playoff win as Nuggets head coach.
The top-seeded Nuggets will face the winner of the Los Angeles Clippers-Phoenix Suns series in the second round. Those teams tipped off later Tuesday night with the Suns needing one more victory to end the Clippers&rsquo; season.
Denver advanced thanks to making 32 of 36 free throws.
Michael Porter Jr. was held without a basket until his dunk with 10:08 left in the game. Jokic missed eight of his first 10 shots 48 hours after tying his career playoff high with 43 points in a Game 4 overtime loss at Minnesota.
Karl-Anthony Towns added 26 points for the Wolves, Rudy Gobert had 16 points and 15 rebounds before fouling out and Nickeil Alexander-Walker chipped in 14 points.
The Nuggets got 14 points from Aaron Gordon and Bruce Brown, who was in Edwards&rsquo; face on the game-tying attempt at the buzzer. Porter scored all eight of his points in the fourth quarter, including a pair of clutch 3-pointers after missing his first five shots from behind the arc.
The Nuggets went into halftime with the lead for the fifth time in the series, but they were up just 48-47 after Jokic and Porter combined to go 2 for 16 from the floor.
Murray, whose 16 first-half points kept the Nuggets in it after they fell behind by 13 early on, got a long rebound and pulled up for a 26-foot 3-pointer when no defender picked him up in transition. That put Denver ahead 48-45 with their first lead since the opening minutes.
The Wolves, who avoided a sweep with an overtime win in Minneapolis on Sunday, jumped out to a 25-12 lead before the Nuggets began chipping away.
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: Kyle Anderson, who sustained a left eye injury and facial bruise in Game 4, didn&rsquo;t make the trip back to Denver so he could see some specialists, coach Chris Finch said.
Nuggets: Denver won a playoff series under Malone for the fifth time in the last five seasons. They were beaten in five games last year by the eventual champion Golden State Warriors when Jokic was without Murray and Porter, who were both recovering from surgeries.

The Denver Nuggets eliminated the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-109 in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night.

Nuggets eliminate Wolves 112-109 behind Murray, Jokic

Golden State&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/golden-state-warriors-portland-trail-blazers-9c221597eeb5458554f96b79ec1f26e4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is in the playoffs</a>. LeBron James&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/jazz-lakers-lebron-james-48bf5ca442ccc26100cc0e8739b95ce4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is heading to the play-in tournament</a>. And the Minnesota Timberwolves lost Rudy Gobert to&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/timberwolves-pelicans-gobert-anderson-playin-fd50dbdafeea6eaaf20fd463e268f7ae" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a fight with a teammate</a>, then won a battle to improve their playoff hopes.
The final day of the NBA season was predictably wild &mdash; with tons of unpredictable elements as well.
It took until the 1,230th and last game of the year went final, but the Western Conference playoff and play-in bracket are finally set, highlighted by the Los Angeles Clippers and defending champion Golden State Warriors getting a few days off knowing that they&rsquo;re officially in the postseason.
The Clippers beat Phoenix to clinch the No. 5 seed &mdash; and a first-round matchup with Phoenix. Golden State had its highest-scoring game in almost 33 years on its way to routing Portland 157-101 and clinching the No. 6 seed, giving the Warriors an automatic berth in the playoffs and a first-round matchup with Sacramento.
Golden State led by as many as 59 in that game, the largest lead by any team all season.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re playing Sacramento, obviously. They&rsquo;re a great team, they&rsquo;ve had an amazing season and it&rsquo;s going to take everything to beat them four times &mdash; especially starting on the road,&rdquo; Warriors guard Stephen Curry said. &ldquo;But we love the opportunity in front of us.&rdquo;
James and the No. 7 &mdash; for now &mdash; Los Angeles Lakers will get two chances to get into the playoffs, starting with Tuesday&rsquo;s play-in game against No. 8 Minnesota. If the Lakers lose that game, they&rsquo;ll get another chance Friday against the winner of Wednesday&rsquo;s game between No. 9 New Orleans and No. 10 Oklahoma City.
&ldquo;For us, it&rsquo;s just good that we don&rsquo;t have to travel,&rdquo; James said after the Lakers ended their regular season with a home win over Utah. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve traveled a lot lately. It&rsquo;s good that we get to stay here, but we shouldn&rsquo;t get comfortable. We have to stay on edge.&rdquo;
The Lakers-Timberwolves winner gets No. 2 Memphis in Round 1; the winner of Friday&rsquo;s West play-in game will start the playoffs next Sunday at No. 1 Denver.
No team in the West has had a better record since the All-Star break than the Lakers, who went 16-7 down the stretch &mdash; even with James sidelined for about half of that run by injury.
Minnesota locked up the No. 8 seed (and two chances at the playoffs) by holding off New Orleans 113-108.
It was the last game to finish in the league this season, though for Gobert, it ended early. He threw a punch at Kyle Anderson &mdash; his teammate &mdash; during a first-half time-out, didn&rsquo;t return to the game, and Minnesota also lost Jaden McDaniels to a right hand injury after he appeared to punch a wall.
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Kyle Anderson and Rudy Gobert had to be separated after a heated altercation during a timeout. <a href="https://t.co/HVuPNdjrxs">pic.twitter.com/HVuPNdjrxs</a>
&mdash; SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1645164936199303172?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 9, 2023</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;We made the decision to send Rudy Gobert home after the incident in the second quarter,&rdquo; Timberwolves President Tim Connelly said in a postgame statement. &ldquo;His behavior on the bench was unacceptable and we will continue handling the situation internally.&rdquo;
There appeared to be progress on that front quickly, with Wolves veteran Mike Conley suggesting that the team is ready to move forward.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to need all of us,&rdquo; Conley said.
If the Timberwolves lost that game, they would have been the No. 9 seed out West. There were 16 possible ways the 5-6-7-8-9 seeds on the West bracket could have gone on Sunday &mdash; and the Pelicans had a shot to finish as high as No. 5. Instead, they settled for No. 9.
The Eastern Conference postseason matchups were all set before Sunday. No. 7 Miami plays No. 8 Atlanta on Tuesday, and No. 9 Toronto plays No. 10 Chicago on Wednesday. The Heat-Hawks winner advances to play No. 2 Boston in Round 1; the Raptors-Bulls winner will play the Heat-Hawks loser on Friday for the chance to play No. 1 Milwaukee in the opening round.
No. 3 Philadelphia will play No. 6 Brooklyn, and No. 4 Cleveland will meet No. 5 New York.
FIRST ROUND OPENERS
The Brooklyn-Philadelphia series starts Saturday at 1 p.m. Eastern. The rest of Saturday&rsquo;s schedule has the Heat-Hawks winner visiting Boston, then New York at Cleveland and finally Golden State visiting Sacramento.
The Clippers-Suns series starts next Sunday, as will the matchups featuring Denver, Milwaukee and Memphis.

The final day of the NBA season was predictably wild — with tons of unpredictable elements as well.

NBA playoff field is set after wild final day of regular season

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Anthony Davis scored 17 of his 38 points in the fourth quarter and had 17 rebounds to lift the Los Angeles Lakers past Minnesota 123-111 and leapfrog the Timberwolves on Friday night in the crowded Western Conference playoff race.
&ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got to have that one pivotal force that&rsquo;s leading the charge, and in our case with this particular team here in the moment it&rsquo;s AD,&rdquo; Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. &ldquo;When he comes out and he&rsquo;s aggressive and we&rsquo;re feeding him and he&rsquo;s not settling and he&rsquo;s putting pressure on the paint, putting pressure on the rim, we find ourselves having a lot of success.&rdquo;
LeBron James added 18 points and 10 rebounds and D&rsquo;Angelo Russell had 12 points and 10 assists against his former team as the Lakers (39-38) won for the fifth time in six games to move into seventh place. They&rsquo;re even with New Orleans, owning the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Pelicans.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve made some huge climbs, but we&rsquo;re not finished,&rdquo; said Davis, who also had 38 points Wednesday in the win at Chicago. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re hungry to not only make the playoffs but make some noise.&rdquo;
The Lakers improved to 9-4 since losing at home to the Wolves on March 3.
&ldquo;We jumped on AD&rsquo;s back, and he brought us home,&rdquo; James said.
Mike Conley had 25 points on 7-for-11 shooting with seven assists before fouling out, and Karl-Anthony Towns scored 23 points for the Timberwolves (39-39), who tumbled into ninth place. They entered the evening one game behind Golden State and the cut to avoid the play-in tournament, with the Warriors tipping off later at home against San Antonio.
Davis scored 12 straight points for the Lakers over a 3:52 span late in the fourth quarter to seal the steely comeback from a deficit that hit 13 points shortly after halftime. He made five baskets in a row with Wolves center Rudy Gobert on the bench, dominating on the glass, in the post and at the rim.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s playing at a super high level right now,&rdquo; Wolves coach Chris Finch said.
The Lakers took charge earlier with a 24-2 spurt over a 6:49 stretch of the third quarter with their defense on lockdown mode. Conley&rsquo;s turn to rest on the bench during that run was ill-timed. Davis rolled his left ankle around the start of the Lakers surge, a breath-holding sequence that only seemed to energize the visitors.
&ldquo;We started to turn the ball over, and the ball started to stick much more,&rdquo; Gobert said. &ldquo;We kind of lost our flow offensively, and it really affected our defense.&rdquo;
The Wolves, whose bench was shortened without center Naz Reid and his&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/Reid%20injured%20https://apnews.com/article/timberwolves-naz-reid-injury-bd6a7eaa1077434f088eadc549874d42" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">broken wrist</a>, went 2 for 14 from 3-point range in the third quarter and were outscored 35-18 in a discouraging stretch for a fired-up crowd that included local sports superstars Justin Jefferson and Kirill Kaprizov in floor seats.
FEELING BETTER
James has been rebuilding his stamina from the&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/lakers-lebron-james-return-injury-109c58929fb947c7ebd81540121a44f3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">month-long absence</a>&nbsp;to a torn tendon in his right foot, and the second time with this new starting lineup with Davis, Russell, Austin Reaves and Jarred Vanderbilt produced a second win to start this five-game road trip.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be in the lineup on Sunday, so that&rsquo;s the best response I can have,&rdquo; James said.
Davis, for his part, said he finished the game on adrenaline and would be fine to play on Sunday, too.
WHISTLE STOP
Gobert ($25,000) and Finch ($15,000) were&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/timberwolves-rudy-gobert-chris-finch-fined-for-criticizing-refs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fined by the NBA</a> for criticizing the officiating Wednesday after their loss at Phoenix when the Suns had 27 free-throw attempts and the Wolves had 12.
In tonight's game, the Wolves went to the line 19 times &mdash; making 16 &mdash; and the Lakers had 30 tries.
TIP-INS
Lakers: Vanderbilt had 12 points. ... Another former Wolves player, Malik Beasley, had three first-quarter 3-pointers.
Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards had 11 points on just 4-for-16 shooting. ... Gobert had 14 points and 11 rebounds.
UP NEXT
Lakers: At Houston on Sunday night.
Timberwolves: Host Portland on Sunday.

Anthony Davis had 38 points and 17 rebounds to lift the Lakers past the Timberwolves 123-111 on Friday night.

Lakers overtake Timberwolves in standings with 123-111 win

The madness of March: It&rsquo;s as exhilarating as it is exhausting, as mesmerizing as it is memorable. The abrupt ending of an entire career, a legacy defined in two to three seconds. It almost seems unfair, but that&rsquo;s the beauty of the win-or-go-home tournament.&nbsp;
Every game is a Game 7. The unpredictability, the passion, the tears, the celebration. The NCAA Tournament is one of the few sporting events that&rsquo;s more defined by the incomparable upsets than the eventual champion.
Even non-basketball fans get in on the fun each year, with office pools and bracket challenges. While college sports and amateurism are under a drastic transformation, &ldquo;The Tournament&rdquo; still has a nostalgic feel to it. The incredible buzzer-beaters are one of the many reasons why.
Narrowing this list down was a tall task, so before we get started, it&rsquo;s important that we establish the criteria:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">It has to be a game-winning or game-tying shot in the final seconds.&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">It has to be in the &ldquo;modern era&rdquo; (i.e. since the three-point line and shot clock).&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">The later in the tournament, the higher the stakes, the more the shot means.</li>
</ul>
With that being said, here are the 11 most memorable buzzer-beaters in modern men's NCAA Tournament history.
11. Michigan State vs. Maryland, Korie Lucious (2010 Second Round)
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In one of the rare times Tom Izzo didn&rsquo;t call timeout in the waning seconds of a game, it paid off for him big time. You might recognize that big fella bringing the ball up the court; that&rsquo;s a slightly heavier Draymond Green, doing what he&rsquo;s been doing for the last decade in the Bay, pushing the tempo, drawing attention and then getting the ball to a knockdown shooter.&nbsp;
Maryland never properly matched up, and Korie Lucious only needed one rhythm dribble to send the Spartans to the Sweet Sixteen.
10. Wisconsin vs. Xavier, Bronson Koenig (2016 Second Round)
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The Musketeers had the ball in a tie game but turned it over, which led to one of the smoothest walk-off game-winners you will ever see.&nbsp;
Looking like he was in the gym shooting all by himself, All-Big-Ten guard Bronson Koenig caught the ball on the sideline, smartly took an escape dribble and hit the corner three that sent the Badgers to the Sweet Sixteen.
9. Connecticut vs. Washington, Richard Hamilton (1998 Sweet Sixteen)
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This entire sequence was amazing. I love how the refs swallowed their whistle on the first two attempts. Those may have been foul calls earlier in the game, but not with the championship on the line. Washington had a huge frontline that year, but ultimately ended up one rebound short.&nbsp;
Also, this is good coaching by Hall-of-Famer Jim Calhoun. In college, you have to go early because the opposing team cannot advance the ball to halfcourt with a timeout, so there&rsquo;s no point in waiting too long and eliminating the chance of getting an offensive rebound.&nbsp;
Rip Hamilton would go on to win both an NCAA championship and NBA championship with the Detroit Pistons.&nbsp;
&nbsp;8.Valparaiso vs. Ole Miss, Bryce Drew (1998 First Round)
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This is definitely the most schematic of any buzzer-beaters on this list. The son of the coach coming through in the clutch seems perfectly scripted for a Disney movie.
As with most of these incredible shots, it involves missed free throws and an underrated pass. The defense on this play was phenomenal (which can&rsquo;t be said for another historic shot that we&rsquo;ll get to in a bit).
7. Michigan vs. Houston, Jordan Poole (2018 Second Round)
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Long before he was a spark plug off the bench for the world-champion Golden State Warriors, Jordan Poole was hitting big shots in Ann Arbor. He drove Coach John Beilein crazy with his shot selection, but one of the reasons he earned such a long leash was his uncanny ability to hit shots from anywhere and at any angle.&nbsp;
6. UCLA vs. Mizzou, Tyus Edney (1995 Second Round)
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Every national champion has one of &ldquo;those&rdquo; games where despite having the superior roster, they probably should have lost. The Bruins were loaded! This roster featured eight guys who eventually played in the NBA. But the longer the game stays close, the more the pressure shifts to the No. 1 seed.&nbsp;&nbsp;
5. Michigan vs. Kansas, Trey Burke (2013 Sweet Sixteen)
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In 2013, Trey Burke was named the National Player of the Year and he carried the Wolverines all season long. The debate of whether to foul when up three points is for another column, but this was a Damian-Lillard-range three, and no one wants to risk a foul that far from the basket.&nbsp;
4. Kansas vs. Memphis, Mario Chalmers (2008 NCAA Championship Game)
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Mario Chalmers is a legend in Lawrence for as long as he lives. The Memphis Tigers were led by soon-to-be-first-overall-pick Derrick Rose and the silky smooth Chris Douglas-Roberts, and they had the game won until &ndash; and stop me if you have read this before &ndash; crucial free-throw misses opened the door for Kansas. This allowed Chalmers to force overtime, and the rest is history.&nbsp;
Coach Cal has gone on to win a national championship at Kentucky, but I bet if you caught him in a hotel bar on a recruiting trip, he would admit that he should have fouled Kansas before Chalmers even had the opportunity to hoist up this miracle three-point attempt.&nbsp;
3. Gonzaga vs. UCLA, Jalen Suggs (2021 Final Four)
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Gonzaga truly seemed like a team of destiny after Jalen Suggs hit the running bank shot against UCLA to remain undefeated and advance to the national championship game. While they would ultimately fall to Baylor two days later, the shot was ridiculous.&nbsp;
And unlike many of the plays on this list, UCLA didn&rsquo;t really do anything wrong. They didn&rsquo;t miss a free throw or look confused on defense. They lost on a straight-in bank from half-court, which even seemed to cause Gonzaga head coach Mark Few to feel a bit guilty.
2. Duke vs. Kentucky, Christian Laettner (1992 Elite Eight)
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Kentucky fans, look away. Hate him or really hate him, Christian Laettner was one of the greatest college players of all-time.&nbsp;
This game was one for the ages. Duke was the defending national champion. They were led by the aforementioned Laettner, All-American pest/point guard Bobby Hurley and budding superstar/future Hall-of-Famer Grant HIll.&nbsp;
Somewhat lost in the dramatic ending is the fact that Laettner was literally perfect on the night. He shot 10-of-10 from the field and 10-of-10 from the free-throw line, and he finished with a state line of 31 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
1. Villanova vs. UNC, Kris Jenkins (2016 NCAA Championship Game)
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The dream of all dreams. This is the scenario that every boy or girl who has ever played basketball at any level has imagined hundreds of times. A few seconds left. The ball in your hands. A title on the line. Three, two, one&hellip; You drill the game-winner and become a champion.&nbsp;
On April 4, 2016, Kris Jenkins turned this dream into reality. The timing is an underrated aspect of this play. The pass was right on time, and right on target &ndash; soft and chest-high. This let Jenkins shoot in rhythm &ndash; a shot that he had made thousands of times before. You gotta love how Jay Wright showed the emotion of John Wick as he walked to shake Roy Williams&rsquo; hand.&nbsp;
HONORABLE MENTION
Connecticut vs. Clemson, Tate George (1990 Sweet Sixteen)
Duke vs. Connecticut, Christian Laettner (1990 Elite Eight)

With March Madness upon us, Basketball News revisits 11 of the most memorable buzzer-beaters in NCAA Tournament history.

March Madness: Ranking the top-11 men's NCAA Tournament buzzer-beaters

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Rudy Gobert had 22 points and 14 rebounds, Anthony Edwards scored 19 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves completed a two-game Los Angeles sweep with a 110-102 victory over the short-handed Lakers on Friday night.
Naz Reid scored 15 for the Wolves, who moved back above .500 and rebounded from an 0-3 stretch with impressive back-to-back wins over the Clippers and Lakers, whose fourth-quarter rally fell just short. Minnesota also blew most of a big late lead three days ago against the Clippers, but their tenacity is promising to coach Chris Finch.
&ldquo;The last couple of games, it&rsquo;s been big for us,&rdquo; Finch said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve found a way. It&rsquo;s a perfect time to find that resiliency.&rdquo;
Anthony Davis scored 38 points and Malik Beasley had 15 for the Lakers, who lost for only the second time in six games. Los Angeles couldn&rsquo;t keep up without injured LeBron James and D&rsquo;Angelo Russell, who wasn&rsquo;t able to suit up against the team that traded him Feb. 9 after parts of four seasons in Minnesota.
The Lakers trailed by 14 early in the fourth quarter, but made it close with a 16-6 run down the stretch. Minnesota&rsquo;s lead dwindled to three points before Davis lost his shoe during a defensive possession, leading to Mike Conley hitting an open 3-pointer with 1:13 to play. The Wolves closed it out authoritatively from there.
&ldquo;There was a time when it looked like we were playing in mud,&rdquo; Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. &ldquo;(The Wolves) are fighting for their lives as well and trying to get to the postseason. They had that urgency, and we didn&rsquo;t.&rdquo;
James missed his third straight game with a right foot injury, and the NBA&rsquo;s career scoring leader won&rsquo;t even be re-evaluated until late this month, when only a handful of games remain in the Lakers&rsquo; season. His absence threatens to negate the recent push by Los Angeles, which surged out of the trade deadline with its revamped roster.
The Lakers&rsquo; playoff fate could be determined before James returns: This loss to eighth-place Minnesota began a vital stretch of Los Angeles&rsquo; season with 10 of 12 games at home. Los Angeles is 5-3 since its flurry of activity at the deadline.
&ldquo;I feel like we&rsquo;re playing pretty good basketball,&rdquo; Davis said. &ldquo;When our team is whole, we&rsquo;ve shown what we can do. It&rsquo;s just tough, knowing how good we are.&rdquo;
Eight Timberwolves scored at least eight points, leading Gobert to praise their reserves in a balanced offensive attack. Gobert got rolling himself on both ends of the court when he switched into a defensive matchup with Davis in the second quarter.
&ldquo;The last two games, the bench has been huge, coming into the game with that energy and the mindset,&rdquo; Gobert said. &ldquo;You can tell we&rsquo;re on a mission right now.&rdquo;
Davis still had a prolific offensive game, but with Gobert hounding him on defense, he also committed a season high-tying six turnovers, giving him 11 in his last two games.
Dennis Schr&ouml;der had 12 assists and no turnovers while playing on an injured ankle for the Lakers, who struggled to run an offense when their German point guard wasn&rsquo;t on the floor.
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: Jaylen Nowell missed his third straight game with a left knee injury. ... Conley finished with 14 points.
Lakers: Russell missed his fourth straight game since spraining his right ankle last week, but he is scrimmaging in practice, Ham said. Russell could return Sunday. ... Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Beasley will return to Target Center with the Lakers on March 31. ... They wore their Minneapolis Lakers throwback uniforms.
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: At Sacramento on Saturday.
Lakers: Host Golden State on Sunday.

Rudy Gobert had 22 points and 14 rebounds, and the Timberwolves got a 110-102 victory over the short-handed Lakers on Friday night.

Rudy Gobert leads Timberwolves past Lakers despite Anthony Davis’ 38

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; So close to a playoff spot in the clogged-up Western Conference standings, this win meant so much for coach Steve Kerr&rsquo;s undermanned Golden State Warriors &mdash; for many reasons.
The defending NBA champions were down three starters once again, and old stand-by Klay Thompson and newcomer Donte DiVincenzo delivered on both ends when it mattered most.
Thompson scored 32 points, including a key 3-pointer with 2:05 to play, and the Warriors held off the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-104 on Sunday in a matchup of teams fighting neck-and-neck for postseason positioning.
&ldquo;This is a huge win not only for the standings but for the confidence of the guys,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;That was a team win. Everybody came in there and competed and played well.&rdquo;
DiVincenzo put Golden State ahead for good on a 3 with 3:02 left and finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists. He also won a jump ball in the final minute.
Naz Reid scored a career-high 30 points and added nine rebounds for Minnesota, but the Timberwolves have lost three straight and four of five.
Kevon Looney grabbed 17 rebounds and has 13 or more in six consecutive games. He finished with 12 points, and his career-best sixth game in a row with double-digit boards was much-needed for a depleted Warriors team.
&ldquo;I think it has a huge impact,&rdquo; Looney said. &ldquo;I think last year that was one of our biggest strengths, especially in the playoffs, our rebounding.&rdquo;
Nickeil Alexander-Walker&rsquo;s 3-pointer just before the third-quarter buzzer put Minnesota ahead 87-78 going into the final 12 minutes before the Warriors rallied behind Thompson. He overcame a slow start to shine late, following up his 42-point gem Friday night in which he matched a season high with 12 3-pointers.
Thompson missed five of his first six from deep Sunday. But with injured Splash Brother Stephen Curry cheering from the bench, Thompson&rsquo;s 3 with 6:11 left got Golden State within 96-92 and then he followed it with a baseline jumper under pressure.
The Warriors were missing Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins again.
DiVincenzo said the team found &ldquo;heart&rdquo; down the stretch.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s huge for your confidence,&rdquo; DiVincenzo said. &ldquo;So when those big dogs come back we&rsquo;re clicking in the second unit.&rdquo;
Green had a setback with his troublesome right knee and is scheduled for additional tests.
&ldquo;It flared up today, so he will be more thoroughly checked out today by our medical staff,&rdquo; Kerr said before the game. &ldquo;So it was sort of unexpected the way he came through treatment yesterday and everything was looking good, and he had to step back today.&rdquo;
Golden State has won 12 straight in the series at home but shot 9 for 24 in the first quarter, 1 of 6 by Jordan Poole. The Warriors were 6 of 20 from deep in the first half but grabbed a 59-57 advantage at the break.
BIG HITTERS
Retired baseball sluggers&nbsp;Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez&nbsp;&mdash; a T-Wolves owner &mdash; sat together courtside opposite Minnesota&rsquo;s bench.
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Colleague <a href="https://twitter.com/jchiuAP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jchiuAP</a> got this nice shot of Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds courtside: <a href="https://t.co/FjeizOaSsY">pic.twitter.com/FjeizOaSsY</a>
&mdash; Janie McCauley (@JanieMcCAP) <a href="https://twitter.com/JanieMcCAP/status/1630013020398309376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2023</a></blockquote>

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LOONEY ON THE GLASS
Looney has 24 games with double-digit rebounds, most for Golden State since Green had 37 in 2015-16. The last Warriors player with 13 or more rebounds in six straight games was Andris Biedrins from Dec. 28, 2008, to Jan. 7, 2009.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve just come to expect it now. He&rsquo;s an elite rebounder,&rdquo; Kerr said.
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: Reid shot 12 for 22 overall and had 18 points in the first quarter on 7-for-9 shooting. ... Minnesota C Rudy Gobert is sick. F Taurean Prince is out for personal reasons and G Jaylen Nowell is nursing a left knee injury. ... Minnesota had won two straight on the road.
Warriors: Curry, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, missed his eighth straight game with a left leg injury after getting hurt against Dallas on Feb. 4. ... Wiggins sat out a fourth consecutive game while dealing with a family matter and Kerr isn&rsquo;t sure when he might return.
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: Visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night to continue a four-game California trip.
Warriors: Host the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.

Klay Thompson scored 32 points, including a key 3-pointer with 2:05 to play, and the Warriors held off the Wolves 109-104 on Sunday.

Klay Thompson, Warriors’ supporting cast hold off Timberwolves

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; LaMelo Ball had 32 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and the dagger 3-pointer down the stretch to lead the Charlotte Hornets past the Minnesota Timberwolves 121-113 on Friday night.
Gordon Hayward added a season-high 27 points and 13 rebounds and P.J. Washington had in 20 points for the Hornets. They won their third straight overall and stopped a seven-game road skid, handing the Timberwolves&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-timberwolves-washington-wizards-nba-sports-bradley-beal-c2d3c2d8a5b07dbf014acf698eaa1412" target="_blank" rel="noopener">yet another setback</a>&nbsp;against an opponent buried in the standings.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got a whole lot of talent on the team. Everybody can score. Everybody can shoot,&rdquo; said Ball, who bested Minnesota All-Star Anthony Edwards in this battle of two of the top three picks in the 2020 draft. Edwards had 29 points and eight rebounds, bringing the Wolves to life in the fourth quarter and on the verge of avoiding a second damaging loss to the lottery-bound Hornets.
But after Edwards hit a&nbsp;spin-dribble jumper&nbsp;on Ball for a 104-102 lead with 6:41 left, Ball answered with a&nbsp;step-back 3-pointer&nbsp;to put Charlotte back in front.
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LaMelo knocks down the smooth stepback triple 😴 29 PTS, 10 REB, 5 AST, 4 3PM CHA-MIN | Live on the NBA App 📲 <a href="https://t.co/1pomQZMAZK">https://t.co/1pomQZMAZK</a> <a href="https://t.co/qI9ZSSqaMO">pic.twitter.com/qI9ZSSqaMO</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1629317364243132417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Hayward&rsquo;s tip-in with 2:11 remaining gave the Hornets a 112-109 advantage. With 1:21 to go, Hayward passed up his own shot in the paint and dished to the top of the key for Ball&rsquo;s fifth 3-pointer of the game and a 117-111 lead.
&ldquo;He certainly isn&rsquo;t afraid of any moment. It&rsquo;s been fun to watch him develop over these last three years,&rdquo; Hayward said.
Rudy Gobert had 17 points and 10 rebounds, Mike Conley scored 15 points and Nickiel Alexander-Walker added 13 points for the Wolves, who were lacking focus and foul-happy on defense and watched the Hornets go 25 for 28 from the free-throw line.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re capable of doing it. That&rsquo;s why it&rsquo;s more disappointing than anything,&rdquo; Conley said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve just got to stop gambling, stop reaching, stop giving them opportunities at the free-throw line.&rdquo;
Kelly Oubre Jr. returned for the Hornets from a 24-game absence with his recovery from left hand surgery complete. Oubre, one of three 20-points-per-game scorers on the squad, had eight points in 23 minutes off the bench.
&ldquo;We had some timely buckets for sure,&rdquo; Hayward said, &ldquo;but more than anything we got the stops when we needed them, which has kind of been a problem for us all year.&rdquo;
Same for the Wolves, who had&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-timberwolves-los-angeles-lakers-utah-jazz-nba-sports-4a60a727502fd5a192e5b8c435250b56" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a lot more riding on this</a>. They emerged from their break in seventh place in the Western Conference, with just two fewer wins than the fourth-place Clippers and only two fewer losses than the 13th-place Lakers in this absurdly crowded race for the playoffs.
The Wolves have only seven of their last 20 games at home, the fewest left in the league, with a daunting majority of their remaining schedule against teams currently above the postseason cut. That might not hurt them, though. They&rsquo;re 5-8 against the five worst teams in the NBA: Houston, San Antonio, Detroit, Charlotte and Orlando.
The Hornets, who beat the Wolves 110-108 at home on Nov. 25, shot 56% from the field in the first half for a 72-64 lead.
&ldquo;Defense, I think that&rsquo;s the main thing we need to be able to bank on,&rdquo; Edwards said. &ldquo;Every night we need to know that our defense is going to be there.&rdquo;
TOWNS STILL DOWN
Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns was sidelined for the 41st straight game with a calf strain, an injury that still lacks a clear timetable for his return.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s definitely in the final stages. He&rsquo;s itching to play,&rdquo; coach Chris Finch said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think that it&rsquo;s a question of anything like going off path right now.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Hornets: Ball set a career best with his fifth straight double-double. His season highs are 33 points and 12 rebounds. ... The Hornets improved to 9-25 on the road.
Timberwolves: Naz Reid had 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench. ... Backup PF Taurean Prince was out for personal reasons.
UP NEXT
Hornets: Host Miami on Saturday night, starting a four-game homestand.
Timberwolves: Play at Golden State on Sunday night, starting a four-game trip to face each of the four California teams. They play at home again in 10 days.

LaMelo Ball had 32 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists to lead the Charlotte Hornets past the Minnesota Timberwolves 121-113.

LaMelo Ball leads Hornets past Timberwolves 121-113

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; The Washington Wizards looked ready to start their All-Star break early, before Bradley Beal helped snap them out of their funk.
This new-look, still-adjusting team has been starting to turn a corner.
Beal had 13 of his 35 points over the final 4 1/2 minutes to help the Wizards finish their rally from a 20-point first-quarter deficit and beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-106 on Thursday night.
Kyle Kuzma &mdash; who had 16 points on just 6-for-21 shooting &mdash; swished a top-of-the-key fadeaway from deep for a 107-106 lead that was Washington&rsquo;s first of the game with 1:14 to go.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve just got to keep building these habits that we&rsquo;re doing right now,&rdquo; Kuzma said. &ldquo;I think we&rsquo;re playing great team ball right now.&rdquo;
Beal, who topped the 30-point mark for the third time in four games, followed with a 3-pointer with 37 seconds left &mdash; after a miss by Minnesota&rsquo;s Anthony Edwards &mdash; to make it 110-106.
&ldquo;Probably this is the best game for me this season so far, because of how we showed our heart, we stayed in the game, we kept playing,&rdquo; said Kristaps Porzingis, who had 14 points. &ldquo;Some guys were already like checked out a little bit. We locked back in and we pulled it out of somewhere.&rdquo;
Corey Kispert scored 15 points off the bench to offset off nights by Kuzma and Porzingis and help the Wizards (28-30) build on their recent momentum entering the All-Star break. They have won 10 of their last 14 and hold the 10th and final spot for the Eastern Conference playoffs.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re still learning each other, but now we feel like we can take off running,&rdquo; Beal said.
Edwards had 18 of his 34 points in the first quarter to help the Timberwolves surge to a 30-10 lead. They were still ahead 99-92 with 4:38 left after three free throws by Kyle Anderson, before Beal hit a wide-open 3-pointer to spark his late surge.
Rudy Gobert had 17 points and 19 rebounds for the Timberwolves (31-30), who were derailed by their characteristic mid-game lulls and missed an opportunity to move a season-best three games above the .500 mark.
With the Wizards wearing their hot pink &ldquo;City Edition&rdquo; uniforms in an&nbsp;ode to the city&rsquo;s iconic cherry blossoms, the Wolves were the hotter team for most of the game while new point guard Mike Conley continued to help Gobert find his offensive groove with the pick-and-rolls and lob passes they perfected together in Utah.
But Edwards &mdash; who had six turnovers &mdash; began to make some rash decisions after his strong start, and the Wolves were outrebounded and outhustled down the stretch.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve done it time and time again,&rdquo; said Anderson, who had 18 points and eight rebounds. &ldquo;It stings like hell.&rdquo;
The Wizards have won seven straight games against the Wolves, extending the longest streak in the history of their series.
&ldquo;I feel like it&rsquo;s the same story,&rdquo; Gobert said. &ldquo;We get a lead, and then we just lose the urgency.&rdquo;
ANT GOES MARCHING
Edwards, who was added to the All-Star roster last week&nbsp;as an injury replacement, was&nbsp;headed to Utah&nbsp;for the annual in-season showcase this weekend while his teammates scattered on vacations.
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_3" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">
&ldquo;I think moments like that are perfectly suited for him,&rdquo; Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. &ldquo;He enjoys that type of environment. It&rsquo;ll be fun for him in and around all of those other players. He&rsquo;ll get treated like the star that he is becoming.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Wizards: Beal, who became the second player in franchise history to hit the 15,000-point mark for his career in a loss on Monday at Golden State, went 14 for 28 from the floor. ... Kispert went 4 for 6 from 3-point range. He was 5 for 22 over his last five games.
Timberwolves: Edwards had only one higher-scoring first quarter in his three-year career, with 19 points at Orlando on Nov. 16. ... Towns missed his 40th straight game with the right calf strain he suffered when Minnesota played at Washington on Nov. 28.
</div>

Bradley Beal scored 35 points to help the Washington Wizards rally from a 20-point deficit to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-106.

Beal, Wizards overcome 20-point deficit to beat Timberwolves

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

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

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

Nekias Duncan explores the Russell Westbrook buyout market.

Exploring potential landing spots for Russell Westbrook after buyout

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; D&rsquo;Angelo Russell scored 14 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, Anthony Edwards took over in overtime after Russell fouled out and the Minnesota Timberwolves outlasted the Golden State Warriors 119-114 on Wednesday night.
Russell fouled out after two quick whistles in the first minute of overtime. That set the stage for Edwards.
After a scoreless fourth quarter, Edwards was aggressive in overtime, driving to the basket and scoring in traffic on multiple possessions. Edwards helped the Timberwolves &mdash; who trailed by 11 after three &mdash; complete the comeback. He scored just four of his 27 points in overtime but was the catalyst on offense in the extra session.
&ldquo;We needed it,&rdquo; Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said about Edwards. &ldquo;It was good to see him get to the paint.&rdquo;
Minnesota moved half-game ahead of the Warriors in the Western Conference standings.
Stephen Curry had 29 points and 10 rebounds for Golden State. Jordan Poole added 18 points, Klay Thompson had 14, and Draymond Green had 10 points and 12 rebounds. The Warriors had won three in a row.
Golden State committed nine total turnovers between the fourth quarter and overtime after turning the ball over eight times through the first three quarters.
&ldquo;We had control of the game, and I thought we just kind of gift wrapped it,&rdquo; Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;They took advantage of our mistakes and our lack of execution. ... Everything we had done to that point to have control of the game, we stopped doing, so we got what we deserved.&rdquo;
Russell hit three 3-pointers early in the fourth to help the Wolves claw back. After Russell got Minnesota back in it, Naz Reid hit multiple go-ahead shots, including a 3-pointer that made it a 110-108 game with 1:50 to play in regulation.
&ldquo;I just think as a group, we did it collectively,&rdquo; Russell said. &ldquo;It was just a balanced game from our group. Everybody pitched in.&rdquo;
Curry tied it at 110 on a driving layup and had a good look with five seconds to play in regulation, but missed. Minnesota couldn&rsquo;t get a good shot off at the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.
With Russell watching from the bench, Edwards hit a big shot in the lane to put Minnesota up 115-112 with 1:43 left. Reid, who had 24 points and 13 rebounds for Minnesota, closed out the victory with an emphatic dunk after rebounding his own miss in the final seconds.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s a team that&rsquo;s not going to back down,&rdquo; Reid said about the Warriors. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re accustomed to winning, so when we bring it to them early, it just shows that we&rsquo;re not here to back down. We&rsquo;re really here to fight.&rdquo;
Curry was held to six points in the fourth and didn&rsquo;t score in overtime for Golden State.
The Timberwolves struggled from the free-throw line from the second straight game. Minnesota finished 13 of 24 after going 15 of 22 on Monday night against Sacramento.
Wednesday was Minnesota&rsquo;s second overtime game in a row. The Wolves were outscored 15-8 on Monday night in overtime.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Andrew Wiggins scored 16 points against his former team.
Timberwolves: Minnesota was without center Rudy Gobert because of soreness in his right groin.
UP NEXT
Warriors: At Denver on Thursday night.
Timberwolves: Host Orlando on Friday night.

The Minnesota Timberwolves outlasted the Golden State Warriors and got a 119-114 overtime win on Wednesday night.

D'Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards help Wolves beat Warriors in OT

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) &mdash; Justyn Mutts scored 27 points to lead Virginia Tech to an 80-72 victory over No. 18 North Carolina on Sunday.
Mutts scored 21 of his points in the second half for the Hokies (8-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who built an 18-point, second-half lead and then held on to hand the slumping Tar Heels (5-4, 0-1) their fourth consecutive defeat.
North Carolina cut that lead to 67-64 on a layup by Caleb Love with 3:06 remaining, but Mutts answered with a basket 17 seconds later, and the Tar Heels got no closer.
The Associated Press&rsquo; preseason No. 1 team, North Carolina played without center Armando Bacot, who missed the game with a bruised shoulder.
Caleb Love, Pete Nance, and RJ Davis each scored 18 for North Carolina.
NO. 4 ARIZONA 81, CALIFORNIA 68
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Azuolas Tubelis and Oumar Ballo combined for 42 points and 19 rebounds and Arizona bounced back from its first loss by holding off winless California.
Tubelis had 25 points and 12 rebounds, while Ballo &mdash; the Division I leader in field goal percentage &mdash; made 7 of 10 shots en route to 17 points, with seven rebounds and four blocks.
The Wildcats (7-1, 1-1 Pac-12) were coming off an 81-66 loss Thursday at Utah, just their fifth in 44 games under second-year coach Tommy Lloyd.
Cal (0-9, 0-2) continued its worst start in program history, extending the nation&rsquo;s longest active losing streak to 12 games. The Golden Bears were led by guard Devin Askew, who had 25 points, while forward Lars Thiemann added 18 on 9-of-14 shooting.
NO. 5 PURDUE 89, MINNESOTA 70
WEST LAFAYETE, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Zach Edey set career highs with 31 points and 22 rebounds, powering Purdue past Minnesota in the Big Ten opener for both teams.
The 7-foot-4 Edey started slowly, making only one of his first seven shots. He dominated after that, finishing 11 of 23 from the field and 9 of 10 from the foul line.
Fletcher Loyer scored 20 for Purdue (8-0).
Jamison Battle led the Golden Gophers (4-4) with 21 points. Ta&rsquo;Lon Cooper added 15 points for Minnesota.
NEBRASKA 63, NO. 7 CREIGHTON 53
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) &mdash; Derrick Walker scored a career-high 22 points as Nebraska upset Creighton, the highest-ranked opponent the Cornhuskers have beaten on the road since 1997.
Nebraska (6-3) beat the Bluejays for the first time in 14 regular-season meetings in Omaha since 1995. Creighton (6-3) lost its third straight, with its previous two against ranked opponents.
Sam Griesel scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half and Juwan Gary finished with 12 as the Huskers turned back every comeback attempt by the Bluejays.
Francisco Farabello scored 16 points to lead the Bluejays, going 5 for 9 on 3-pointers. Baylor Scheierman and Kalkbrenner had 10 points apiece.
NO. 13 TENNESSEE 94, ALCORN STATE 40
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Olivier Nkamhoua scored 20 points and Tennessee flexed its defensive muscles in a victory over Alcorn State.
The Volunteers (7-1) also got double-digit point production from Julian Phillips (18), Jahmai Mashack (13), Uros Plavsic (12), Tyreke Key (11) and Zakai Zeigler (10).
Dominic Brewton led the Braves (3-6) with 10 points.
NO. 19 KENTUCKY 73, MICHIGAN 69
LONDON (AP) &mdash; Cason Wallace scored 14 points and Oscar Tshiebwe had a double-double to lead Kentucky over Michigan in a London showcase of two marquee American college sports teams.
Wallace was 4 of 4 on 3-point shooting with his most important one giving the Wildcats (6-2) a five-point lead with 1:11 to play.
Tshiebwe, last season&rsquo;s consensus national player of the year, scored 13 points and pulled down 14 rebounds amid foul trouble that kept him on the bench for extended spells.
Hunter Dickinson led Michigan (5-3) with 23 points and nine rebounds. Jett Howard, Michigan&rsquo;s second-leading scorer, was in early foul trouble but had 16 points for the Wolverines.
NORTHWESTERN 70, NO. 20 MICHIGAN STATE 63
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) &mdash; Boo Buie scored 20 points and Northwestern beat Michigan State in the Big Ten opener for both teams.
Chase Audige also added 15 points and Ty Berry had 13 for Northwestern (6-3).
Mady Sossoko and A.J. Hoggard each had 12 points for Michigan State (5-3) and Joey Hauser added 10. The Spartans have lost two in a row, falling to Notre Dame earlier in the week.
NO. 21 UCLA 65, OREGON 56
LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Jaylen Clark and freshman Amari Bailey scored 14 points each and UCLA rallied in the final four minutes to hold off Oregon for its fourth straight win.
The Bruins (7-2, 2-0 Pac-12) hadn&rsquo;t had a big scoring run all game until they pulled away late.
The Ducks (4-5, 1-1) had won four straight over the Bruins. Guerrier led the Ducks with 15 points and Will Richardson added 13 points.
NO. 23 IOWA STATE 71, ST. JOHN&rsquo;S 60
AMES, Iowa (AP) &mdash; Jaren Holmes scored 14 points and Aljaz Kunc added 12 as Iowa State handed St. John&rsquo;s its first loss of the season.
Kunc also contributed eight rebounds and three assists for the Cyclones (7-1). Robert Jones had 11 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Posh Alexander led St. John&rsquo;s (8-1) with 14 points.

A recap of Sunday's men's college basketball slate includes a handful of top-25 upsets.

Virginia Tech hands No. 18 Tar Heels fourth consecutive loss

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Steph Curry had 25 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, Jordan Poole pitched in 24 points off the bench and the Golden State Warriors used a 47-point first quarter to spark a 137-114 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.
Klay Thompson went 5 for 8 from deep for 21 points and tied Joe Johnson (1,978) for 15th place on the NBA's career list for 3-pointers made for the Warriors, who raised their perplexing road record to 2-9. They&rsquo;ve won five of their last six games overall and eight of 11.
Draymond Green had his first double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 assists. Andrew Wiggins scored 17 points against his old team for the Warriors, who went 2 for 12 from 3-point range in the second quarter and still led by 20 points at the half.
Anthony Edwards scored 26 points for the Wolves, who were outrebounded 47-31 and allowed their highest opponent score of the season.
After the third quarter turned into casual outside shooting practice for both teams, the Wolves finally came to life early in the fourth quarter. A 19-4 run capped by a 3-pointer from Edwards brought them within 10 points, their closest margin since midway through the first quarter.
Curry missed his first three shots after re-entering at the 8:25 mark. After the Warriors called timeout to stem the tide he swished a 3 from the wing to push the lead to 121-108.
Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 points and Jaylen Nowell had 16 points off the bench for the Wolves, who are working through a lot of bad habits on both ends of the court &mdash; like standing around on the perimeter on offense. That trait is made more stark playing against an actively passing and cutting team like the Warriors.
The Wolves lost for the second time in two days after their five-game winning streak was stopped with a loss at Charlotte on Saturday.
The Wolves and Warriors have plenty of runway to get rolling on after their sluggish starts to the season. This game made clear the defending NBA champion Warriors are further along.
The Wolves played without Jaden McDaniels, their best perimeter defender who was sidelined by an illness, against a Warriors team that leads the league with 13 games of 30-plus assists and has long been the league king of the 3.
Wiggins started with a <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1596970716179464192">soaring left-handed slam</a> off a lob from Green, a signal just 12 seconds into the game that the Wolves were going to have their hands full. The Warriors made 17 of their first 21 shots for a 40-17 lead, built by a 28-4 run over a 4:27 stretch that Nowell finally halted with his first of consecutive 3-pointers off the bench. The 47-27 deficit after one quarter was the biggest for the Wolves this season.
The Warriors also ended a six-game losing streak in Minnesota that spanned more than 3&frac12; years. Their last win at Target Center was on March 19, 2019.
BODY CLOCK
The Timberwolves played their first of four home afternoon games this season, and Warriors coach Steve Kerr sounded wistful for his playing days when more matinees were on the schedule and the NBA on NBC theme song was the main soundtrack.
&ldquo;It makes for a more normal existence. You have dinner at a normal hour, get to bed at a normal hour, so I enjoy them,&rdquo; Kerr said.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Golden State posted the second-highest first-quarter total in the NBA this season, according to Sportradar data. New York had 48 points in a loss to Oklahoma City on Nov. 13. ... The Warriors had a 36-22 edge in assists and have 30 or more in seven of their last eight games.
Timberwolves: Austin Rivers drew his first start of the season in McDaniels' spot. He had five points in 29 minutes. ... Backup PG Jordan McLaughlin (calf strain) was sidelined for the third straight game and backup SF Taurean Prince (shoulder subluxation) was out for the second game in a row.

Steph Curry had 25 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 137-114 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Steph Curry, Warriors cruise to 137-114 win over Timberwolves

Before every season, I do my best to predict how I think the season will unfold &mdash; where teams will finish and who&rsquo;ll win each individual award. Heck, I even try my hand at predicting the All-NBA/Rookie/Defensive Teams.
Those efforts are generally meaningless; you can never truly account for injuries or transactions, for example, which makes it nearly impossible to truly nail these things down. Still, it&rsquo;s incredibly fun to take a look at the landscape of the league and make educated guesses.
Normally, I&rsquo;d thread my predictions on Twitter since it&rsquo;s a quick and easy way to get those thoughts out into the world. The issue is explaining controversial picks with a character limit; if you&rsquo;ve been on the app for any amount of time, you know how quickly discussions can go left.
Instead, I&rsquo;ve turned my predictions into an article. It&rsquo;ll be easier to track my predictions, and I have the space to explain my reasoning in a more thorough manner.&nbsp;
If you want to laugh at last year's edition &mdash; in which I had the Milwaukee Bucks beating the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals &mdash; you can do so <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/202122-nba-season-and-award-predictions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
If you want deeper thoughts on your favorite team, read our season previews for the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-23-nba-season-preview-atlantic-division-boston-celtics-brooklyn-nets-new-york-knicks-philadelphia-76ers-sixers-toronto-raptors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Atlantic Division</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-23-nba-season-preview-northwest-division-denver-nuggets-minnesota-timberwolves-oklahoma-city-okc-thunder-portland-trail-blazers-utah-jazz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Northwest Division</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-23-nba-season-preview-central-division-chicago-bulls-cleveland-cavaliers-detroit-pistons-indiana-pacers-milwaukee-bucks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Central Division</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/202223-nba-season-preview-pacific-division" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pacific Division</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/202223-nba-season-preview-southeast-division" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Southeast Division</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/202223-nba-season-preview-southwest-division" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Southwest Division</a>.
Without further ado, here&rsquo;s how I see things going this season.
Individual Awards
Most Valuable Player: Joel Embiid (PHI)
Defensive Player of the Year:&nbsp;Bam Adebayo (MIA)
Rookie of the Year: Paolo Banchero (ORL)
Sixth Man of the Year: Jordan Poole (GSW)
Most Improved Player: Precious Achiuwa (TOR)
Coach of the Year: Ty Lue (LAC)
- This kinda has to be the year for Embiid, no? Back-to-back second-place finishes set the stage for him to grab one if he proves healthy. This is arguably the most talented cast he's had around him. If he's healthy and commits defensively like he said he wants to, an MVP-DPOY combo isn't out of the question.
- Adebayo is the&nbsp;switch big in the NBA, one of a handful of players that can legitimately defend all five positions. Missed games hurt his case last season, but I think the award is his if he plays 65-plus games.&nbsp;
- Banchero should lead all rookies in scoring &mdash; well, unless Bennedict Mathurin pulls it off. The bucket-getting, plus playmaking chops, on a team that I think will be better than most people expect should give him a clear pathway to the award.
- I have a couple of sleepers-that-aren't-sleepers; keep an eye on <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-feature-intreview-bruce-brown-feeling-secure-in-new-role-denver-nuggets-nikola-jokic-jamal-murray-brooklyn-nets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bruce Brown</a> and Brandon Clarke. Ultimately, Poole should lead all bench players in scoring &mdash; and do so efficiently &mdash; while racking up wins on one of the best teams in the league.
- Lue's been a top-three coach for a while now. Getting a 10-plus win improvement (even if it's health-related) while sorting out the rotation of a roster with 13 NBA-level talents would be a pretty strong case.
Team Awards
ALL-NBA FIRST TEAM:&nbsp;Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid
ALL-NBA SECOND TEAM:&nbsp;Trae Young, Ja Morant, Paul George, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic
ALL-NBA THIRD TEAM:&nbsp;Devin Booker, Jimmy Butler, Pascal Siakam, LeBron James, Bam Adebayo
ALL-DEFENSIVE FIRST TEAM: Marcus Smart, Mikal Bridges, Draymond Green, Bam Adebayo, Joel Embiid
ALL-DEFENSIVE SECOND TEAM: Jrue Holiday, Herb Jones, Jimmy Butler, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Rudy Gobert
ALL-ROOKIE FIRST TEAM: Jaden Ivey, Bennedict Mathurin, Keegan Murray, Jabari Smith, Paolo Banchero
ALL-ROOKIE SECOND TEAM:&nbsp;Jalen Williams, Jake LaRavia, Jeremy Sochan, Tari Eason, Jalen Duren
- For the All-NBA Teams, apologies are due, but not limited to: Kawhi Leonard (rest days, deep class), Rudy Gobert (deep class), Karl-Anthony Towns (deep class), Anthony Davis (injury, deep class), Chris Paul (deep class, likely regression), Kyrie Irving (deep class), Brandon Ingram (deep class), Zion Williamson (missed time), Bradley Beal (team record), Jaylen Brown (deep class) and Anthony Edwards (deep class).
- Until the ballot becomes positionless &mdash; or at least until they give us two backcourt and three frontcourt options like the All-Star ballot &mdash; a center will get screwed. I think Embiid gets MVP this year, so Jokic falls to the Second Team. They aren't forwards, and won't be played as forwards. I'm not goin'.
- This will be the Herb Jones year if he's healthy. Should've been last year, but I'll save that rant for another day. While we're on second-year players, it wouldn't shock me at all if Evan Mobley makes serious noise in this regard too.
- The All-Rookie First Team seems pretty straightforward. A solid mix of talent and opportunity on the board.
- The LaRavia pick might be spicy, especially if the defense doesn't come along quickly enough. I do think there's enough shooting and connective playmaking there that he could earn consistent ticks in Memphis.
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Eastern Conference
TOP SIX
<ol>
<li>PHILADELPHIA 76ERS</li>
<li>BOSTON CELTICS</li>
<li>MILWAUKEE BUCKS</li>
<li>MIAMI HEAT</li>
<li>CLEVELAND CAVALIERS</li>
<li>TORONTO RAPTORS</li>
</ol>
- This should be a darn good year for the Sixers. Talented top-four &mdash; I'm really here for this decisive version of Tobias Harris &mdash; and more defensive talent on the roster.
- I get the depth/age concerns for the Bucks, but, like, Giannis. Top-10 offense and defense should be in play for them.
- Questions at the 3 aside, the Cavs should be incredibly annoying to deal with. All that size defensively, then the pull-up chops on the other end from Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell? Whew.
PLAY-IN TERRITORY
<ol start="7">
<li>BROOKLYN NETS</li>
<li>ATLANTA HAWKS</li>
<li>CHICAGO BULLS</li>
<li>NEW YORK KNICKS</li>
</ol>
- Seventh feels right for Brooklyn considering the strength of the conference and the early absences of Joe Harris and Seth Curry. I must say, though, I like what they're establishing scheme-wise. A top-four seed wouldn't surprise me at all.
THE REST
<ol start="11">
<li>ORLANDO MAGIC</li>
<li>WASHINGTON WIZARDS</li>
<li>DETROIT PISTONS</li>
<li>CHARLOTTE HORNETS</li>
<li>INDIANA PACERS</li>
</ol>
- I'm prepared to take my L, but I'm high on the Magic this year. There's so much skilled size on the roster. The defense should be solid, and there's enough playmaking and shot creation to make things interesting offensively.
- Already making a change from the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-dunker-spot/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-145-southeast-division-preview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Southeast Division preview pod</a>; I think the Hornets will be worse than the Wizards. Post-pod, I felt I was too harsh on Washington. Since then, we've gotten a LaMelo Ball ankle turn and a James Bouknight arrest, and we've still heard nothing on the Miles Bridges front (he shouldn't be there). They're closer to the bottom for me now.
- I entered training camp ready to plant the "Pistons make the Play-In" flag, but I feel really uneasy about their switching scheme. That, and the half-court offense is going to take some time to come together. Next year, though!
Western Conference 
TOP SIX
<ol>
<li>GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS</li>
<li>PHOENIX SUNS</li>
<li>DENVER NUGGETS</li>
<li>LA CLIPPERS</li>
<li>MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES</li>
<li>DALLAS MAVERICKS</li>
</ol>
- An uptick of shooting from Curry, a healthier version of Klay Thompson and growth from the youth should lead to bundles of regular-season wins.
- Despite the ugly postseason ending and offseason hoopla, the Suns have a formula (and talent, obviously) to churn out regular-season wins. Let's not overreact.
- Early spoiler: I think the Clippers have the most talented roster in the league. I think star maintenance and lineup tinkering have them closer to No. 6 than No. 1 in the standings.
PLAY-IN TERRITORY
<ol start="7">
<li>MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES</li>
<li>NEW ORLEANS PELICANS</li>
<li>LA LAKERS</li>
<li>PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS</li>
</ol>
- The Pels! They should be electric offensively. Defensively, they have pieces I like &mdash; hello Mr. Jones, Jose Alvarado and Larry Nance Jr. &mdash; but we'll see how they hold up as a unit.
- I have some real questions about the Lakers' shooting talent and the Westbrook fit &mdash; and how long he'll even be there. There's an obvious upside for more if things break right.
- It hasn't been from a lack of effort, but trying to build a defense around a Damian Lillard-Anfernee Simons-Jusuf Nurkic core is just a tough thing to do.&nbsp;
THE REST
<ol start="11">
<li>SACRAMENTO KINGS</li>
<li>HOUSTON ROCKETS</li>
<li>OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER</li>
<li>UTAH JAZZ</li>
<li>SAN ANTONIO SPURS</li>
</ol>
- If the Fightin' KZs Kings are able to defend well enough &mdash; and by that, I mean, like 21st in Defensive Rating &mdash; don't be surprised if they nab 10th. The offense should be good enough to make a push.
- The Rockets are a year of development (and roster consolidation) away from making a Play-In push, I think.
Eastern Conference Playoffs
PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT
Nets &gt; Hawks for 7th.
Bulls &gt; Knicks for 9th.
Hawks &gt; Bulls for 8th.
- A sad end for the Bulls here, but this is simply the strength of the conference. It'll be tremendous fun watching Young try to create space against Alex Caruso or Ayo Dosunmu at the point of attack.
FIRST ROUND
(1) Sixers &gt; (8) Hawks in 5.
(4) Heat &gt; (5) Cavs in 6.&nbsp;
(2) Celtics &gt; (7) Nets in 7.
(3) Bucks &gt; (6) Raptors in 6.&nbsp;
- With the Sixers adding to their defensive personnel and the Hawks looking a little worse in the shooting department, I think the chances of an(other) upset are pretty slim.
- The Nets fare better the second time around against Brooklyn, but I still don't think they have enough defenders to deal with Boston. Should be the best series of the first round, though.
- Bucks-Raptors will be a slugfest; ultimately, I don't know if the Raptors will have the half-court juice to pull things out.&nbsp;
SECOND ROUND
(1) Sixers &gt; (4) Heat in 6.
(3) Bucks &gt; (2) Celtics in 7.
- A pair of second-round sequels with the results flipped! Having Khris Middleton back &mdash; and a little more size, shooting and playmaking with Joe Ingles &mdash; gives the Bucks the boost they need to squeeze by. If Philly's healthy, I struggle to see Miami containing all three of Embiid, Harden and Maxey.
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
(3) Bucks &gt; (1) Sixers in 6.
- Bucks steal home court in Game 1 and close the deal at home in Game 6. They have the size to make Embiid think and a defender in Holiday to either hound Maxey or absorb some of Harden's strength-based drives.
Western Conference Playoffs
PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT&nbsp;
Pelicans &gt; Wolves for 7th.&nbsp;
Lakers &gt; Blazers for 9th.&nbsp;
Wolves &gt; Lakers for 8th.
- I went back and forth on the Lakers-Wolves game. Still don't feel great about it, but I think the Wolves take care of business at home.
FIRST ROUND
(1) Warriors &gt; (8) Wolves in 4.
(4) Clippers &gt; (5) Grizzlies in 6.
(3) Nuggets &gt; (6) Mavericks in 6.
(2) Suns &gt; (7) Pelicans in 6.
- Clippers-Grizzlies feels like Storm-Mystics from this year's WNBA playoffs; there's no way one of these teams should be knocked out of the first round. I'd worry about the Grizzlies' half-court offense against LA's defense.
- Sign me up for all the half-court goodness Luka and Jokic would provide. Denver's just better if they're healthy.
-&nbsp;I wouldn't be shocked at the Suns/Pelicans result being flipped, but I have too many questions about New Orleans' defense right now to give them a series win.
SECOND ROUND
(4) Clippers &gt; (1) Warriors in 6.
(3) Nuggets &gt; (2) Suns in 7.
- Might be the most controversial pick on the board, but I trust the Clippers' length and switchability to make life a little difficult in the half-court. With Kahwi in the fold, they should be able to mismatch hunt late and eke out a close series.
- Deandre Ayton has defended Jokic well in the past; I think the added/healthy firepower around him may make the Nuggets' offense too much to deal with.
WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
(4) Clippers &gt; (3) Nuggets in 6.
- A bubble rematch! Jokic likely wrecks havoc, but I think the depth and shooting of the Clippers shine through.
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NBA Finals
(3) Bucks &gt; (4) Clippers in 6.
- Deepest team in the league facing an experienced group headlined by the best player in basketball. I think interior size swings it for Giannis and the Bucks.

Nekias Duncan gives his way-too-early predictions for the 2022-23 NBA season.

Nekias Duncan's 2022-23 NBA season and award predictions

There are many one-word answers that could be given about the state of the NBA&rsquo;s Western Conference. Loaded, deep, stacked, daunting: They all certainly apply.
Minnesota coach Chris Finch has another word: &ldquo;Brutal,&rdquo; he said.
That one works, too.
The defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors rightly expect to contend again, and there will be no shortage of teams entering this season believing they&rsquo;re good enough to compete for a title as well. The Los Angeles Clippers get Kawhi Leonard back, the Phoenix Suns have won more games than any team in the NBA over the last two regular seasons, the Denver Nuggets have the two-time reigning MVP in Nikola Jokic, the Dallas Mavericks have a presumed future MVP in Luka Doncic, and the Memphis Grizzlies can say the same about Ja Morant.
Oh, and there&rsquo;s LeBron James of Los Angeles Lakers, entering Year 20, somehow still not slowing down and maybe 50 or so games away from catching Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the all-time scoring record.
&ldquo;When you put in the work,&rdquo; James said, &ldquo;you see the results.&rdquo;
Lakers first-year coach Darvin Ham knows a great offseason, or a great lineup on paper to start a season, doesn&rsquo;t guarantee anything. He was an assistant coach for the Lakers in 2012-13, when the team entered the year with a lineup of Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard.
That group had two Hall of Famers in Nash and Bryant, and two likely future ones in Gasol and Howard. They started seven games together that season &mdash; and went 0-7.
The Lakers went through three coaches that injury-plagued year, won 45 games and got swept in the first round by San Antonio.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of work that goes into it, remaining healthy being at the top of the list,&rdquo; Ham said. &ldquo;And most important, also coming together as a team.&rdquo;
Finch&rsquo;s Timberwolves are another team that made big offseason moves, landing Rudy Gobert from Utah. But even with that acquisition, Finch knows nothing will be easy in the West. He noted the conference has so much quality that even some good teams &mdash; New Orleans was an example he cited &mdash; just aren&rsquo;t getting talked about.
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s open,&rdquo; Finch said. &ldquo;And I think it&rsquo;s deep. ... There&rsquo;s certainly stratas of teams, but I think there&rsquo;s no clear-cut, dominant team, as there has been. But yeah, it&rsquo;s going to be a brutal one.&rdquo;
A look at the West, in predicted order of regular-season finish:
PLAYOFF BOUND
1. Los Angeles Clippers. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-clippers-nba-sports-basketball-kawhi-leonard-399804492d9323118257a912c784c50e">Leonard</a> should quickly remind the league he&rsquo;s still elite. If Paul George can stay healthy, and if John Wall has anything left &mdash; the Clippers would be smart to watch his minutes &mdash; then this is a team that could win the whole thing.
2. Golden State Warriors. Doubt the champs at your own peril. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-golden-state-warriors-nba-sports-basketball-4462bbe7e27fa3d91290a8d94641d2a2">The Draymond Green mess</a> is exactly that &mdash; &ldquo;a crisis,&rdquo; coach Steve Kerr called it &mdash; but the Warriors seem like a group that can handle such a situation. Oh, and they have Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. And a super-talented young core.
3. Phoenix Suns. The Game 7 embarrassment at home last season isn&rsquo;t something that will be easily forgotten and it wasn&rsquo;t exactly a smooth offseason amid the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/phoenix-suns-nba-sports-mercury-basketball-5d41fac4d946eaa106cb8bdfd567c37e">scandal surrounding owner Robert Sarver.</a> Devin Booker is entering his prime, and Chris Paul is running out of opportunities to finally get his championship. Still an enormously talented team.
4. Denver Nuggets. All they have is <a href="https://apnews.com/article/denver-nuggets-nba-sports-jamal-murray-nikola-jokic-d092a1736eaa4f5f986bf6464b636fca">a two-time reigning MVP in Jokic</a>, and the returns of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. There is a lot to like.
5. Memphis Grizzlies. It may be unrealistic to expect another 56-win regular season, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/memphis-grizzlies-nba-sports-9133154cdb4253d6dfebf0e68279b4c7">but Morant is an MVP-caliber star,</a> and the team has tons of swagger.
6. Minnesota Timberwolves. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-timberwolves-utah-jazz-nba-entertainment-sports-30765f1caacff7e3e99aa0674dee7ffb">Yes, they emptied the safe to acquire Gobert</a>. Pairing him with Karl-Anthony Towns gives Minnesota a 1-2 punch like almost none other. And with D&rsquo;Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards continuing to get better, the Wolves should be in the mix.
INTO THE PLAY-IN
7. Dallas Mavericks. Doncic looks to be in better shape, will be an MVP frontrunner and is coming off a great summer at EuroBasket for Slovenia. The Mavs need to find ways to not have Doncic carrying more than his share of the load.
8. Los Angeles Lakers. The biggest mystery in the West and maybe the league. James is on pace to become the scoring king, Anthony Davis can still be a major problem for opponents &mdash; when he&rsquo;s healthy &mdash; and Russell Westbrook is looking to silence critics. But will it work?
9. Sacramento Kings. New coach Mike Brown will install a new culture, the acquisition of Kevin Huerter was super-smart and the Kings are going to score a ton of points. It&rsquo;s going to be hard to take big leaps forward in the loaded West, but the Kings will try.
10. New Orleans Pelicans. They got hot at the right time last year, got playoff experience and now they get Zion Williamson back after he couldn&rsquo;t play last season. Not many teams embrace a coach the way New Orleans embraces Willie Green, either. But, again, the West is just so tough ...
FACING LONG ODDS
11. Portland Trail Blazers. Damian Lillard is going to be a player on a mission this season and the Blazers will be improved over a year ago. But, again, the West is just so tough ...
12. Utah Jazz. Even after trading away Donovan Mitchell and Gobert, there&rsquo;s still talent there. Not enough talent, but coach Will Hardy will have Utah playing defense. That&rsquo;s a certainty.
13. Houston Rockets. We&rsquo;ve now entered the lottery-watch portion of the list. Houston has young talent and a really good coach in Stephen Silas, but a team needs more in the West these days.
14. Oklahoma City Thunder. No Chet Holmgren this season means the Thunder return to the lottery. It&rsquo;s a development year for a team with tons of draft assets.
15. San Antonio Spurs. Gregg Popovich won&rsquo;t add many wins to the NBA all-time record this season, but he&rsquo;ll be teaching the players he has how to win in the future. He&rsquo;ll also be brushing up on French wine, with hopes of having something to talk about with <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-basketball-draft-c99e5e378f68d962e5843963e7cb8602">Victor Wembanyama</a> for years to come.
FANDUEL SAYS ...
<a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba">FanDuel Sportsbook</a> lists the Warriors as the pick to come out of the West, by the slimmest of margins over the Clippers with the Suns not far behind.
Denver, Memphis, the Lakers, Dallas, Minnesota and New Orleans are the second tier of FanDuel&rsquo;s West favorites. From there, it&rsquo;s a wide gap to the rest of the West -- Portland, then Sacramento, Utah, Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Houston.
STEPH WATCH
Curry, already the leading 3-point shooter, scored 1,630 points last season.
If he does that again this year, he&rsquo;ll have climbed into the top 40 scorers in NBA history.
Curry starts this season 47th on the scoring list with 20,064 points. He needs 831 to pass Pau Gasol for the No. 40 spot, and if he matches his scoring mark from last year, Curry could end the season 37th &mdash; just behind No. 36 Larry Bird (21,791) and just ahead of Hal Greer (21,591).
LEBRON&rsquo;S LIST
James has had a lot of teammates. A whole lot.
Counting players who have gotten into regular-season games during James&rsquo; stints in Cleveland, Miami and with the Lakers, he&rsquo;s up to 226 teammates over his first 19 seasons. That number will rise on opening night, probably into the 230s.
NEW COACHES
There are three new coaches in the West. Ham got his long-awaited chance to coach when he was hired by the Lakers, and Utah's Hardy is making his head coaching debut.
Sacramento&rsquo;s Brown went 347-216 coaching Cleveland and the Lakers, and spent the last six seasons as an assistant in Golden State.
DENVER TO .500?
Denver beat Cleveland on Jan. 12, 1996, and that victory raised the Nuggets&rsquo; all-time record in NBA games to 797-796.
They lost to Portland the next night. They haven&rsquo;t been over .500 as a franchise since.
But that could change this year. The Nuggets enter this season 1,844-1,861, and if they get to 18 games over .500 they&rsquo;ll have a winning all-time record for the first time in about 27 years.
It seems quite possible: The Nuggets have been an average of 20 games over .500 in each of the last four seasons.

There will be no shortage of teams in the West entering this season believing they’re good enough to compete for a title.

NBA's Western Conference is loaded with title hopefuls

We've reached the dog days of the NBA offseason. The draft has passed, the fun part of free agency is over with, and the trade market is currently frozen in light of the Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell sagas reaching stalemates.
The closest thing we've gotten to on-court news this week came via Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. In <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/inside-lebron-james-meeting-with-lakers-front-office-darvin-ham-offensive-plan-rob-pelinka-roster-patience-014115495.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a Laker-centric piece</a>, he revealed their plans to run next season's offense through Anthony Davis &mdash; and what does that really mean? &mdash; and hopes that Russell Westbrook shoots better on corner threes.&nbsp;
If we're not getting games right now, and the transaction mill is essentially paused, the next best thing is... schedule news? Schedule news it is.
The Athletic's Shams Charania gave us an <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1558494648099749889?s=20&amp;t=lECscqXY3TUs96QAPnMLkQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opening-night nugget</a> on Saturday, reporting that the Golden State Warriors will open their season at home against the Los Angeles Lakers. A little later, Marc Stein gave us his second Christmas note of the weekend, following up <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1558269112064909313" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Friday's report</a> of a Lakers-Mavericks matchup with <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1558566130599559168" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news</a> that the Warriors would take on the Memphis Grizzlies on Christmas Day.
I want to hone in on the Christmas portion for a moment, because it's one of many things that I get irrationally annoyed about. In an ideal world, we simply wouldn't have basketball games on Christmas. It truly should act as a day off so players can spend time with their families. But if we're going to get games, we need high-level matchups. I want to see great teams &mdash; not historically&nbsp;great teams, but teams that are, or project to be, great during the season &mdash; face off. I want to see a mix of established and up-and-coming stars.&nbsp;
The league has nailed the latter with these leaked matchups, at the very least. Putting the Warriors and Grizzlies together on Christmas was low-hanging fruit. Stephen Curry is at his apex; Ja Morant played MVP-caliber basketball for a large portion of last season. Their playoff matchup screamed "this is a rivalry in the making" &mdash; it would make sense to capitalize on that.&nbsp;
I do wonder if we're going to get a fully maximized version of this matchup, and that's mostly because versatile Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. will miss the beginning of the season as he recovers from right foot surgery. He was <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/34175064/memphis-grizzlies-jaren-jackson-jr-foot-surgery-4-6-months" target="_blank" rel="noopener">given a four-to-six month timeline</a>; if it's closer to six months, we may not see him until December. The Grizzlies would likely be conservative with him, either putting him on a pitch count, holding him out of some games (likely back-to-backs) or some combination of the two.&nbsp;
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It's easy to see the draw for Lakers-Mavs. LeBron James and Luka Doncic are the premier point-forwards in the NBA at this point. It screams torch-passing in a way, with LeBron on the downslope of his otherworldly career and Doncic coming off his first deep playoff run.
I just don't know what to make of either of these teams right now.
With all due respect to new head coach Darvin Ham, I think it's fair to say that the Lakers aren't exactly sold on their starting point guard. Both LeBron and Davis have missed chunks of games over the past two seasons; you'd hope both will be available by the time Christmas rolls around.
On the Mavs front, I'm curious to see what they're going to look like without Jalen Brunson. Sorting out the frontcourt combinations with Chrstian Wood (shout out for the low-risk, moderate-reward move), JaVale McGee, Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell should be interesting. This could be a case of both teams trying to find themselves by the time their matchup comes around.
The other three games have yet to be released, but here's what I'd like for the slate to look like.
12:00 p.m. EST: Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers
<ul>
<li>You can definitely sign me up for a pair of MVP candidates (Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum) as headliners. James Harden and Jaylen Brown bring star power in their own right. We need Tyrese Maxey transition attacks while little ones across the globe open their presents. Both teams project as high-level defenses, which could put us in position to see some clutch bucket-getting late in the game.</li>
</ul>
2:30 p.m. EST: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Miami Heat
<ul>
<li>You have an MVP (Giannis Antetokounmpo), a bonafide star (Jimmy Butler), versatile All-Stars (Bam Adebayo, Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton) and a history of fun matchups dating back to the 2020 bubble.</li>
</ul>
5:00 p.m. EST: Golden State Warriors vs. Memphis Grizzlies
8:00 p.m. EST: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks
10:30 p.m. EST: Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
<ul>
<li>It's the Tim Connelly Bowl! In all seriousness, you can't snub the MVP on Christmas... again. Beyond that, the Wolves introduced themselves to the national consciousness with a thrilling (and frustrating) first-round matchup with the Grizzlies last season. Build on that and give the people Nikola Jokic vs. Rudy Gobert, more shine for Karl-Anthony Towns and a platform for everything&nbsp;that is Anthony Edwards.</li>
</ul>
If the league wants a cross-conference matchup, Suns-Bucks would be a fun Finals rematch in place of Heat-Bucks. While I'd love to see Nuggets-Timberwolves, I think something like Clippers-Pelicans &mdash; with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Brandon Ingram and the triumphant return of Zion Williamson &mdash; will end up being too hard to pass up.
[UPDATE: The Nuggets and Suns will reportedly face off on Christmas, according to <a href="https://twitter.com/msinger/status/1558893393048215558" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Singer of the Denver Post.</a>]
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And if we don't see fireworks with the Brooklyn Nets before the season starts, surely they're going to get a game, right? A Nets-Celtics first-round rematch would be on the table. Nets-Clippers would have all the star power you'd want. And of course, the storylines for a Nets-Sixers game would write themselves.
The NBA has some tough choices to make, but this is also a testament to how much talent is in the league right now.

Nekias Duncan gives his thoughts on the Christmas Day matchups we know of, then shares his ideal Christmas slate.

What is the ideal slate of NBA games for Christmas Day?

Andrew Wiggins has endured years of criticism throughout the NBA world. Fans, social-media users and media pundits like Nick Wright of "First Thing's First" have all took turns bashing Wiggins, almost in an attempt to send him into the depths of NBA obscurity for the rest of his days.
On Feb. 6, 2020, the Golden State Warriors sent D&rsquo;Angelo Russell, along with Jacob Evans III and Omari Spellman, to Minnesota in exchange for Wiggins as well as a first-round pick (Jonathan Kuminga) and second-round pick (New York's Miles McBride) in the 2021 NBA Draft.
After the move, Wright publicly aired his opinion that Golden State made a mistake trading for Wiggins.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Andrew Wiggins is a bad basketball player,&rdquo; Wright said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s owed $95 million over the next three years, starting next year. It&rsquo;s unspeakable the Warriors did this... It&rsquo;s over for them now. We will never see Steph in another NBA Finals again. Ever.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
"Andrew Wiggins is a bad basketball player. He's owed $95M over the next 3 years, starting next year. It's unspeakable the Warriors did this. ... It's over for them now. We will never see Steph in another NBA Finals again. Ever." &mdash; <a href="https://twitter.com/getnickwright?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@getnickwright</a><a href="https://t.co/zTv0yR33Aq">pic.twitter.com/zTv0yR33Aq</a>&lt;
&mdash; FOX Sports (@FOXSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/FOXSports/status/1225824328203276288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2020</a></blockquote>
But it wasn't just him. Plenty of media pundits have had to eat their words and recant their statements and give apologies as Wright has had to almost daily since the NBA Finals began.
Selected as the No. 1 overall pick in 2014, much of the criticism has come from the fact that Wiggins didn&rsquo;t immediately become a superstar. They criticized his shot selection, his intensity (or lack thereof) on the court and his defense. Most of all, they criticized the fact that Wiggins didn&rsquo;t lead the Timberwolves to the promised land.&nbsp;
There were actually some who even suggested that Minnesota cut Wiggins from the team and eat the rest of his rookie contract because, in their &ldquo;expert&rdquo; opinion, the Wolves would&rsquo;ve been better off without him. The term &ldquo;bust&rdquo; began to float around, as it so often does.
Andrew Wiggins publicly admitted that, as much as he hoped to ignore it, he heard the constant criticism.
&ldquo;You hear it &mdash; on social media, when you turn on the TV and watch sports &mdash; you always see certain stuff; certain people say certain things,&rdquo; said Wiggins, noting he did his best to remain positive and tune out the noise, according to <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2864501-is-andrew-wiggins-20-for-real" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yaron Weitzman of Bleacher Report</a>. &ldquo;It never really got to me to the point where, you know, it messed up my lifestyle, my life. I love myself more than anyone loves me.&rdquo;
Wiggins expressed that there had in fact been times when the criticism got the best of him.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;d go through a slump, and then you can&rsquo;t help but hear it,'&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You always want to shut the people up that doubt you.&rdquo;
But those days are far behind him now, as Wiggins has proven &mdash; especially in these NBA Finals &mdash; that he is indeed one of the best two-way players currently in the NBA.
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I caught up with Golden State Warriors legend Mitch Richmond to give his assessment of the player that Andrew Wiggins has grown into.
(Mitch was a part of Golden State&rsquo;s high-scoring trio dubbed "Run TMC," which consisted of Tim Hardaway and Chris Mullin. Each member of the trio was among the top-11 best scorers of the 1990-91 NBA season. Mullin finished eighth in scoring with 25.7 points per game, Richmond 10th with 23.9 points per game, and Hardaway finished 11th with 22.9 points per game. Combined, Run TMC averaged 72.5 points per game as the league's highest-scoring trio.)
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/mitchritchmondpic_690w.png" alt="" width="750" height="375" />
Etan Thomas: How impressed have you been with Andrew Wiggins especially after all the criticism he received early in his career?
Mitch Richmond: "When you&rsquo;re a young player, and you&rsquo;re really a guy that&rsquo;s kind of passive instead of the expected boisterous and big personality guys people are used to seeing, you have to go to the right team and be with the right type of players. Andrew Wiggins is now in the perfect situation, surrounded with the right type of guys who can blend with his personality.
"He has two guys in front of him in Steph [Curry] and Klay [Thompson] who are aggressive on the offensive end, and he has the ability to go about his business by getting rebounds, playing defense, shooting the open shot. And he is doing that very well. When you had him as the main scorer and the main guy, that&rsquo;s where he struggled a little bit because he wasn&rsquo;t that boisterous or that eager to talk and get his guys involved and just be the vocal leader. And add Draymond Green, who has such a big personality and is allowed to shoulder that burden so Andrew Wiggins can be himself without trying to be somebody he&rsquo;s not."
Etan: You mentioned Draymond Green, and a while ago I saw in an interview where he was talking to reporters and taking up for Andrew Wiggins on the subject of his past criticisms. He was saying that a lot of times, when a player is put in a situation where the team doesn&rsquo;t flourish or get to the promised land so to speak, the player is blamed, but not so much the organization. Do you think some of that occurred with Wiggins?&nbsp;
Richmond: "Most definitely. Sometimes, you have pretty good pieces as far as players, but everyone is not on the same page and not made to be on the same page by the organization. There is so much mismanagement of talent that goes on in the NBA. A winning team is often a reflection of a well-run organization. Many teams say they want to win, but they don&rsquo;t do what is necessary for their players to actually flourish, (and) they don&rsquo;t put together a system that will be successful. They don&rsquo;t run their organization correctly.
"Golden State has done a great job of putting the right pieces together, and creating a winning culture. I&rsquo;m down there all the time, going to the games, to practices; I see how the organization operates. They&rsquo;ve done a great job of creating a winning culture, and not all teams do that."
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Etan: Very true. You know I love when players make their critics eat their words and have to backtrack things they&rsquo;ve said the way Wiggins has. I love that. And watching him in these Finals, the Warriors don&rsquo;t win without him. Yeah, Steph has been phenomenal and had the 43-point night in Game 4. I wrote an article about Steph&rsquo;s phenomenal play and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nick-van-exel-rod-strickland-steve-francis-on-steph-currys-greatness" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interviewed Nick Van Exel, Rod Strickland and Steve Francis to all weigh in on his overall greatness</a>.
But the Warriors don&rsquo;t win this series without Andrew Wiggins. The monster rebounds he had in Boston in Game 4 (from the guard spot), and especially Game 5 when Steph was off. Wiggins stepped right up. They don&rsquo;t win without him. So to see how far he has come from the constant barrage of criticism to now, the fact that you can make a case for him being the Finals MVP is really amazing to see.
Richmond: "Yeah, he has been steady and crucial the entire series. Everyone had judgement early, even me, but now he is in the right situation for him, and people really discount how much the right situation can dictate the success of a player in the NBA. Wiggins has been the backbone of the team. That&rsquo;s a fact. All of the attention isn&rsquo;t on him. You mentioned Steph being off in Game 5, but really, the entire Boston defense was geared toward him, and they did a great job of making sure he didn&rsquo;t explode for 43 or possibly 50 the very next game.
"So other players like Wiggins had the opportunity to be freed up, and he took advantage of that opportunity. But even without that, like I said, he has been stellar all season. Let's be clear: Steph Curry is the MVP. But yes, there can definitely be a very strong case to be made that Wiggins could be the Finals MVP, at least up until this point."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
"I'm just trying to do every little thing to win." &mdash;Andrew Wiggins after his career performance in Game 5 <a href="https://t.co/kOf7ShN3Jp">pic.twitter.com/kOf7ShN3Jp</a>
&mdash; ESPN (@espn) <a href="https://twitter.com/espn/status/1536555093352251392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Etan: Let me ask you if you remember this. I&rsquo;mma take you back a little bit. I had first gotten traded to the Washington Wizards my rookie year in 2000 from Dallas, when half the team was traded for Juwan Howard, but I got there late because I had the surgery. And when I got there, it was during one of the last games and you were in the training room in the whirlpool.
You said to me: Young fella I&rsquo;ve watched you play at Syracuse, love how you play, you&rsquo;re gonna have a great career in the league, but let me offer you a piece of advice. Block out all the noise. Whether it&rsquo;s from the media, fans, your friends, family, other players, from wherever &mdash; just block it all out, stay focused, have tunnel vision and you&rsquo;ll be fine. You probably don&rsquo;t remember that, but that was some of the best advice I ever got in the league.&nbsp;
Richmond: "I do remember that, we were with the Wizards and the outside noise was tremendous. One thing I learned a long time ago in this sport: You have to have tunnel vision. You have to play the game with headphones on where nobody is entering or affecting your mental space. You wanna be clear and focused. It&rsquo;s easy to get distracted if you don&rsquo;t take on that type of mentality. When you came to the Wizards, we were losing, getting booed, the fans were tough. It makes me feel good that you remembered that because that was a long time ago (laughing). We gotta be going back 20-something years ago."
Etan: (Laughing) Yeah, we&rsquo;re getting up there. But it was such great advice, and going back to Andrew Wiggins, that&rsquo;s what he had to do &mdash; block out all the noise. I read an old article where he was talking about how it did in fact bother him hearing the criticism, but how couldn&rsquo;t it? I mean, Nick Wright literally called him a horrible player and said the Warriors wouldn&rsquo;t win because they traded for him.
(I hate that the media has become this hot takes, shock-jock show. And when one person like Nick Wright says something like that, other media jump on board like what he said was the Gospel. Then, you have social media who also runs with it.)
But Wiggins' success now is a great example of what you told me, how you have to block out the noise and stay focused, and you will be able to prove people wrong. That&rsquo;s why I reached out to you for this interview because Andrew Wiggins did exactly what you told me two decades ago.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Coming off 26 PTS and 13 REB in Game 5, run through Andrew Wiggins' best plays on both ends from the <a href="https://twitter.com/warriors?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@warriors</a> postseason run thus far! <a href="https://t.co/RUHyEaGH1z">pic.twitter.com/RUHyEaGH1z</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1536861043317669888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Richmond: "Yeah, and in this day and age, it&rsquo;s even more difficult than when we played because of the advent of social media, and everyone has an opinion that they have the power to express through Twitter or Instagram or whatnot. And there are a million Nick Wrights, like you said, because that type of commentating is popular, and it wasn&rsquo;t like that when we were playing. You have 25 shows every morning after a game who are all doing the same thing on every channel.
"The perfect example of blocking out all the noise is Kawhi Leonard. He blocks out everything. He doesn&rsquo;t listen or look at any of that stuff. A lot of young players who came up in this social-media-buzz era, this is all they know. A million people telling you that you suck after you have a bad game. That&rsquo;s not how we came up.
Etan: Not at all. I&rsquo;m glad they didn&rsquo;t have social media back in the day when we played.
Richmond: "Oh, me too. But I always tell young players, while this is the norm in your era, it&rsquo;s not the best for everyone. Some of y&rsquo;all need to turn all that off and hire someone to manage your social media &mdash; because I understand marketing-wise the positives of it, but you don&rsquo;t look at it at all. And don&rsquo;t listen to the talking heads either. Just keep that tunnel vision like a horse with blinders on, and keep pushing."
Etan: I agree 100%. So, last question. How proud are you of the Warriors and what they have accomplished this year?
Richmond: "You gotta tip your hat to them. They have been so exciting to watch since Klay and Curry touched down in Oakland. In our day and age, we always heard, 'You live by the three, you die by the three.' And we never would&rsquo;ve thought that a team that shot this many threes would have chance to win a championship."
Etan: Thus, the reason Charles Barkley hates the Warriors so much. (Laughing)
Richmond: (Laughing) "And he&rsquo;s never going to let that go either, but it&rsquo;s here. They are winning by the three. They&rsquo;ve dispelled that notion. But when you have the best shooters in the game &mdash; and that&rsquo;s what they do best is shoot threes &mdash; they&rsquo;ve created new basketball reality, whether anyone likes it or not. But I&rsquo;m extremely proud of them. I know the Bay Area is proud of them.
"We had some great fans, even back when we played there, and me and Tim and Chris were Run TMC &mdash; the Oakland fans were always wonderful. Even when the team is struggling, they are there supporting the team with all the positive energy they can possibly give. So it&rsquo;s great to see the fans be rewarded as well. You have to take your hat off to the whole Bay Area, you have to take your hat of to the organization and to the team. They have showed you how you properly run an organization, support the players, allow them to be individuals &mdash; not what you want them to be, but who they are and support them in what they do best, bringing it back to Wiggins, and that&rsquo;s why they are having the success they are having."
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Etan Thomas chats with Mitch Ritchmond about Andrew Wiggins breaking out with the Warriors and his impact on the NBA Finals.

Mitch Richmond: Andrew Wiggins proved all of his doubters wrong

The Minnesota Timberwolves are talking to Denver Nuggets president Tim Connelly about their vacant president of basketball operations role, The Associated Press has confirmed.
The talks were confirmed by a person familiar with the discussions, who spoke with AP on condition of anonymity because neither franchise is commenting publicly. The talks were first reported by The Athletic.
Connelly is one of the NBA's rising top executives. He has built the Nuggets into a perennial playoff team that is expected to compete for a championship next season if Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. can return to health and rejoin <a href="https://apnews.com/article/denver-nuggets-nba-sports-nikola-jokic-6b7dc34c311b6810ec67c76ee2208c2d">two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic</a> on the court.
Connelly, who succeeded Masai Ujiri as the Nuggets' prime decision-maker in 2013 when Ujiri left to run the Toronto Raptors, has been courted before, by the Washington Wizards for their president of basketball operations position in 2019.
He's built both a solid roster and a respected front office in Denver, where the Nuggets have reached the playoffs the last four seasons under coach Michael Malone, including the Western Conference Finals in the Orlando bubble two years ago.
They <a href="https://apnews.com/article/denver-nuggets-nba-sports-jamal-murray-nikola-jokic-98c0c6136a8c3b14423c54f889a09a5d">won 48 games</a> in 2021-22 despite the absences of Murray (knee) for the entire season and Porter (back) for all but nine games before losing to Golden State in the first round of the playoffs.
In addition to losing Ujiri, the Nuggets lost front office executive Arturas Karnisovas in 2020 when he left to take the Chicago Bulls' executive vice president job. Karnisovas' departure led to the promotion of Calvin Booth from assistant GM to general manager in Denver.
The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-timberwolves-memphis-grizzlies-nba-sports-9d7a219a489c09c76fcd763eeed7041d">Timberwolves also are a resurgent team</a>, coming off a season in which they doubled their win total from the previous season to 46. They pushed the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies hard in a six-game first-round playoff loss.
That was only the second appearance in the playoffs for the club in the last 18 years. With Karl-Anthony Towns inside and Anthony Edwards outside, there is an enviable foundation in place on the floor.
The Wolves have had plenty of turnover in the top front office job over the years, mirroring the franchise&rsquo;s tumultuous and largely unsuccessful history.
They fired Gersson Rosas right before training camp began last fall in response to mounting tension around him in the building. Sachin Gupta was promoted to be president of basketball operations in Rosas&rsquo; place, with the caveat that the position would be evaluated again this summer.
Gupta drew raves within the organization for his humble, steady leadership, notably from head coach Chris Finch. The franchise is currently in an ownership transition, with Glen Taylor in the process of handing over control to co-buyers Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez in a sale that&rsquo;s scheduled to be completed by the end of next year.
If the Wolves were to hire Connelly, or anyone from outside the organization, Gupta would more than likely be given the chance to stay with the team in a prominent position.
___
AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell contributed from Minneapolis.

The Timberwolves are talking to Nuggets president Tim Connelly about their vacant president of basketball operations role.

Report: Timberwolves in talks with Nuggets' Tim Connelly

In Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors, Dillon Brooks committed a flagrant foul that caused Gary Payton II to fall and fracture his left elbow. Brooks was ejected and suspended one game, and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr blasted Brooks after the game.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if it was intentional, but it was dirty,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a code that players follow. You never put a guy&rsquo;s season or career in jeopardy by taking someone out in mid-air and clubbing him across the head and ultimately fracturing Gary&rsquo;s elbow... He broke the code. Dillion Brooks broke the code."
Now, after a Ja Morant injury in Game 3, the Grizzlies have accused the Warriors of breaking the very same code.
Morant had to exit Game 3 with a knee injury, and the replay showed Jordan Poole grabbing and pulling Morant&rsquo;s knee. Is that what ultimately caused Morant's injury? Ja seems to think so, as Morant tweeted (and later deleted) the following video with the caption, &ldquo;broke the code."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Ja Morant reacted to Jordan Poole grabbing his knee. (via <a href="https://twitter.com/JaMorant?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JaMorant</a>) <a href="https://t.co/9XhvkPfYxG">pic.twitter.com/9XhvkPfYxG</a>
&mdash; SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1523148192551899136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Poole told reporters that he hadn&rsquo;t gotten a chance to see the replay. After watching the video, he defended himself.
&ldquo;Yeah, it was a basketball play when we doubled him, and I hit the ball and I was going for the ball,&rdquo; Poole said. &ldquo;I mean, obviously you don't want to see anybody get hurt. I'm not even that type of player. I respect everybody. So I mean, obviously, hopefully he gets better, and we can see him out there next game. I don't even play like that, for real. That's not my type of game.&rdquo;
When asked specifically about Morant&rsquo;s &ldquo;broke the code&rdquo; tweet, Poole refused to engage.
&ldquo;We've got another game on Monday,&rdquo; he said.
Some Grizzlies players and coaches were frustrated and felt this was a dirty play.
&ldquo;We just watched the replay: He was going after a dribble and Jordan Poole actually grabbed his knee and yanked it, which kind of triggered whatever happened, so I'm actually going to be very curious to see what happens after that,&rdquo; Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said. &ldquo;There was a grab. I'm just curious what happened.&rdquo;
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&ldquo;It's unfortunate. Ja is obviously having a great series,&rdquo; Desmond Bane added. &ldquo;For something like that to happen, something that is somewhat controllable... Jordan Poole reached out and grabbed his knee and kind of put him in an awkward position. It's unfortunate.&rdquo;
Jaren Jackson Jr. brought up &ldquo;the code,&rdquo; just like Kerr did following Payton&rsquo;s injury.
&ldquo;We're going to ride for our own. You know our mentality&hellip;&rdquo; Jaren Jackson Jr. said. &ldquo;It's unfortunate. You never want to see that type of stuff. No one is out here [playing] dirty. No one is out here like that. But it's just unfortunate. You know the code. We&rsquo;ll talk about the code all series at this point.&rdquo;
The Warriors argued that the play wasn&rsquo;t intentional or dirty, with Klay Thompson even laughing when asked about Morant&rsquo;s tweet (and taking another shot at Brooks).
&ldquo;That's playoff talk,&rdquo; Thompson said. &ldquo;Me personally, I've been through a tough knee injury, and I don't think there's any malicious intent from Jordan. I don't even think he's strong enough to affect somebody's knee. But we're not out there trying to hurt people or trying to club people in the back of the head on a fastbreak. We play the game the right way and I'm going to have his back.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
If you think Poole&rsquo;s tug is what caused Ja&rsquo;s knee injury, stop. Not nearly enough force to cause it &amp; seconds prior Poole&rsquo;s knee hits the outside of Ja&rsquo;s which can cause medial (inner) stress on the knee. That&rsquo;s where Ja &amp; the training looked to be examining.
&mdash; Dr. Rajpal Brar, DPT (@3cbPerformance) <a href="https://twitter.com/3cbPerformance/status/1523153717553352707?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;It's unfortunate that that's a conversation right now because obviously nobody wants to see anybody get hurt,&rdquo; Stephen Curry added. &ldquo;But there's nothing malicious about what Jordan did. There's no comparison to what Dillon did or Draymond [did], nothing in that vein. So it's not a joking matter that Ja is hurt, but all the rest it is total BS in terms of the conversation right now. I remember <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/steve-kerr-jokes-about-nbas-hot-stove-contact-ruling-steph-curry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">that term they came up with</a>: &lsquo;hot-stove contact.&rsquo; That's what it felt like. Keep it moving.&rdquo;
Draymond Green thought they bumped knees, then added: &ldquo;No, [we&rsquo;re] not going to sit here and go tit-for-tat. We've got a basketball game to try to win on Monday.&rdquo;
Morant has been incredible during this series, averaging 38.3 points, 8.3 assists, 6.7 rebounds, 4.3 threes and 3.0 steals on .518/.451/.797 shooting splits. If he&rsquo;s forced to miss any time, that would be a huge blow to the Grizzlies.
However, Memphis is a very well-rounded, deep team that managed to go 20-5 without Morant this season. His teammates know that he&rsquo;s going to do whatever he can to take the court on Monday night.
&ldquo;I mean, we've seen Ja, he's like Wolverine out there,&rdquo; De&rsquo;Anthony Melton said. &ldquo;He could be limping one day, the next day be fine. He's a warrior. He's a competitor. He's just a hooper. Who knows what his level of injury is at? He understands his body, and he understands what the team needs, so he'll make the best decision.&rdquo;
&ldquo;He's good,&rdquo; Jackson added after speaking to Morant. &ldquo;He's going to do whatever he's got to do. War mentality. He has the same mentality he always has. Yeah, we'll bounce back, play great. We've got to finish the game.&rdquo;
Game 4 between the Grizzlies and Warriors is tomorrow at 10 p.m. ET. Golden State leads the series 2-1.
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Did Jordan Poole try to hurt Ja Morant by grabbing his knee in Game 3? The Grizzlies and Warriors shared their thoughts after the game.

Did Jordan Poole 'break the code' and hurt Ja Morant in Game 3?

As the old saying goes: "The great ones will always get theirs."
Despite being stymied by the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-celtics-game-1-defense-on-kevin-durant-showcased-their-greatness" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boston Celtics&rsquo; physicality</a>, Kevin Durant still averaged 26.3 points per game against them in their recent first-round duel. In 2019, Giannis Antetokounmpo still averaged 22.7 points a night when Air Canada built a wall in front of him. Hell, Dirk Nowitzki stumbled his way into 19.7 points per game when he got punked by the "We Believe" Golden State Warriors in 2007.&nbsp;
When it comes to the great ones, you can try to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/slowing-giannis-the-wall-still-the-way" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slow them down</a>, but you can never take them out of the dance entirely.
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But what about the really good ones?
For them, we&rsquo;ll need a different maxim. One that reads: Styles make fights.
In the right matchup, a player may dominate to the point where you wonder why he or she wasn't garnering more praise and recognition in the first place. Catch that individual in the wrong matchup, and you may feel the need to <a href="https://twitter.com/LegionHoops/status/462362175257206784?s=20&amp;t=_h9u5Y92QrIaa4uiBSwEBg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hang missing person posters</a> with his or her image and likeness plastered all over them.&nbsp;
Such is the story of Desmond Bane in the 2022 playoffs &ndash; except, fortunately for him, Memphis fans have refrained from doing him as dirty as Brooklyn did <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ten-years-ago-deron-williams-dropped-57-points-so-lets-talk-about-what-couldve-been" target="_blank" rel="noopener">D-Will</a> (there&rsquo;s still time though).
I hinted at this a bit in my recent article for <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2022/5/5/23056975/nba-playoffs-2022-young-players-grades-jalen-brunson-ja-morant">SB Nation</a>, but Bane was the primary beneficiary of the Minnesota Timberwolves&rsquo; blitzkrieg initiative for defanging Ja Morant.&nbsp;
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An interesting wrinkle here in these playoffs worth keeping tabs on: Desmond Bane w/Ja Morant (207 minutes): 69.8% TS Desmond Bane w/o Ja Morant (53 minutes): 38.5% TS This disparity marks the highest change in TS% of anyone on the team w/ or w/o Morant. Per PBP Stats.
&mdash; Mat Issa (@matissa15) <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1521465156391292928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Minnesota regularly sent two at the ball on ball-screens featuring Morant (an alignment commonly referred to as a blitz/hedge). This led to the low-man defender constantly rotating over to tag the roller. And as a result, it created an open opportunity for Bane (a.k.a. the almighty conqueror of the <a href="https://twitter.com/stevejones20/status/1518193886866415618?s=20&amp;t=QaP2dugfYp6ZNzkvC5G9Qg">fly-by closeout</a>).
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Bane was electric against Timberwolves, shredding nylons to the tune of 23.5 points per game on 67.3% True Shooting &mdash; a performance that powered many to call him the Grizzlies&rsquo; best player in that series.&nbsp;
Now, here we are against Golden State, and, as <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dunker-spot/id1547857052">The Dunker Spot</a> crew likes to say, the math has changed (and, unfortunately, the physical integrity of his <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/warriors/news/desmond-banes-updated-injury-status-for-game-two" target="_blank" rel="noopener">back</a>).
First vs. Second Round Stats
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 17.3894%;">Desmond Bane</td>
<td style="width: 19.7392%;">Points Per Game*</td>
<td style="width: 16.8672%;">True Shooting*</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 17.3894%;">Minnesota&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 19.7392%;">23.5</td>
<td style="width: 16.8672%;">67.3%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 17.3894%;">Golden State&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 19.7392%;">7.0</td>
<td style="width: 16.8672%;">38.2%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*Data Provided by Basketball-Reference
The Warriors have opted to switch or go under on screens, sag off Morant when he's got the ball and contest Ja's <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeVirayNBA/status/1520877541992845312?s=20&amp;t=ZChHUIVIRZnLSMkpyHiN3w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pull-up attempts softly</a>. This is all in order to avoid conceding interior looks to the league leader in points in the paint. (Hint: It hasn&rsquo;t worked <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1522600176413814786?s=20&amp;t=xjgbtFvQNK2kRYODJvxNZw">particularly well</a>.)
The theoretical benefit of this for the Warriors is that they aren&rsquo;t putting their defense in a state of automatic rotation, which negates a good portion of Bane&rsquo;s offensive value (he&rsquo;s made a killing this season capitalizing off the bent floors that Morant materializes for him).&nbsp;
This change in hardwood climate for Bane has coerced an adjustment in his shot diet. According to NBA.com shot-tracking data, Bane has gone from taking 6.2 catch-and-shoot jumpers against the Wolves to a mere 3.5 against the Warriors. With his off-ball volume being down, he&rsquo;s been forced to resort to multi-dribble looks to try and get himself going. And at this point in his development, these situations are just not optimal.
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With all this said, Golden State has still been showing help at the nail on Morant&rsquo;s drives, but every defensive scheme has its own idiosyncratic help principles for different players/matchups.
While Golden State's off-ball defenders may sag off and offer supplementary aid to whoever is tasked with point-of-attack duties, they are hesitant to overhelp off of Bane (which is great for the Grizzlies spacing).
Also, to their credit, the Warriors have been particularly stout in navigating screens when the Grizzlies attempt to feature Bane in his usual off-ball sets; <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1521838810694365185?s=20&amp;t=HWJUxLn0B1h-uEC11gW2bw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steph Curry</a> has been especially diligent in these spots.
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Warriors clearly locked in on Desmond Mane, comes off this screen, Klay there on the catch. Not giving him room. <a href="https://t.co/CmMwn8gyfJ">pic.twitter.com/CmMwn8gyfJ</a>
&mdash; Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) <a href="https://twitter.com/stevejones20/status/1521671132763545600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2022</a></blockquote>

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This situation reminds me of a Mike Prada tweet I often ponder over internally in the doldrums of my mind. (Congrats on the new position, by the way!)
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Bev is well-equipped to guard Booker b/c he hits first. Devin wants to speed into the play, stop, hit you, then pivot off you. You disrupt that by getting into him early, and that's what Bev does. (This is also why Luka fried him. His move cadence is the inverse of Book's) <a href="https://t.co/aLvAd2k7EZ">https://t.co/aLvAd2k7EZ</a>
&mdash; Mike Prada. (PRAY-duh) (@MikePradaNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikePradaNBA/status/1408268764886482950?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Don&rsquo;t get me wrong. Bane is a better basketball player than Patrick Beverley (I have him in the top 50), but the former's current struggles are parallel with the ones the latter experienced last postseason.&nbsp;
Beverley went from starting in Games 1 and 2 against Dallas, to coming off the bench in Games 3 through 5, to never taking off his warmups in Games 6 and 7. In the following round, he was in the rotations, but only garnering 16-to-20 minutes with the second unit against the Utah Jazz.
However, Beverley would find his way back into the starting lineup against the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals, and administered a <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/201976/head-to-head?SeasonType=Playoffs&amp;Season=2020-21">9-of-31 shooting</a> chokehold on Devin Booker in the 35-plus minutes he shadowed the All-Star guard.
Another example of this trend of matchups dictating production can be illustrated through Fred VanVleet, the guy many now call <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/making-all-star-case-fred-vanvleet-toronto-raptors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;Freddy All-Star.&rdquo;</a>&nbsp;
In 2019, the smaller guard had no place against the Philadelphia 76ers&rsquo; lengthy backcourt duo of Jimmy Butler and Ben Simmons, and so, he was relegated to 16.9 minutes per game and posted an awful 24.3% TS.
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However, VanVleet's math changed when he was gifted a <a href="https://www.sportscasting.com/fred-vanvleets-child-might-have-won-the-toronto-raptors-the-2019-nba-finals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">newborn child</a> and a more formulaic backcourt dynamic against the Milwaukee Bucks. In that series, he averaged 27.3 minutes and sizzled his way to an excellent 64.4% TS efficiency.
And then, in the following round, VanVleet's penchant for screen navigation and chasing Curry around off-ball made him an essential ingredient in the Toronto Raptors&rsquo; title-clinching series.&nbsp;
Even looking at the opposite side of this series, Jonathan Kuminga went from playing ~5 minutes per game against the craft-based Denver Nuggets to requiring ~15 per game against this more athletic Grizzlies unit.
We could do this all day, but for the sake of time (although it is a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mhZBLUyybo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">flat circle</a>), we will not be doing that.&nbsp;
The intent of this written soliloquy isn&rsquo;t to argue for less Bane in this series. He&rsquo;s so good that his defensive intensity, and the threat of his marksmanship, is enough to warrant a high-minute load (if he&rsquo;s healthy).&nbsp;
The point of this is to offer an explanation for his recent dip in play, and provide some solace for concerned fans who may fear that his recent slump hampers his long-term potential.&nbsp;
Unless you are a superstar-caliber player &mdash; or possess an incredibly versatile skil lset &mdash; your production on a series-to-series basis is likely to vary quite a bit based on your matchups.&nbsp;
Such is the truth about the NBA playoffs.
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Mat Issa discusses Desmond Bane's last two games in the postseason and how it illustrates the meaning of matchups.

Desmond Bane and the truth about matchups in the NBA Playoffs

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks each scored 23 points and the Memphis Grizzlies rallied yet again to eliminate the Minnesota Timberwolves, winning 114-106 in Game 6 on Friday night.
Brandon Clarke added 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Grizzlies, who withstood another quiet night by star Ja Morant and another double-digit deficit entering the fourth quarter.
The Grizzlies advanced in the playoffs for the first time in seven years, this time to meet Golden State. They&rsquo;ll host Game 1 in Memphis.
Anthony Edwards had 16 of his 30 points in the first quarter for Minnesota. Jaden McDaniels had 24 points off the bench, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Morant went 4 for 14 from the field and had 17 points and 11 assists.
With the Grizzlies already the first team in NBA history to win multiple games in the same playoff series by erasing a double-digit-point fourth-quarter deficit, the here-we-go-again feeling was palpable in the building as an 84-74 lead for the Wolves at the third-quarter break quickly vanished.
Bane and Brooks each hit tying 3-pointers midway through the fourth, and Brooks fouled out just 26 seconds after his evened the score at 97.
Bane then swished another one from deep at 3:03 for a 101-99 lead, the first for the Grizzlies since they were up 39-38.
The kill shot came soon after for a Wolves team that, like so many others against the Grizzlies this season, was consistently a step and a jump behind on the glass.
Tyus Jones missed a pair of 3-pointers from the wing on the same possession, but the Grizzlies rebounded both &mdash; and Morant used the second one for a layup and a four-point lead.
After McDaniels, who had the game of his two-year career, hit a 3 with 1:34 left to bring the Wolves back within one, Jones &mdash; the former Timberwolves player and native of Minnesota &mdash; answered with a 3-pointer to bump the lead back to two possessions with 1:09 left.
ANT GOES MARCHING
The Grizzlies have had only one lead after the first quarter in this series, 33-32 in Game 2, and Edwards ensured they didn&rsquo;t get another one. The first overall pick in the 2020 draft with the bravado and the flair for the big moments had nine of his team&rsquo;s first 11 points. He hit a 3-pointer with about a minute left in the period, then blocked Morant's layup with a few seconds left.
The crowd roared when the game operations crew flashed a graphic in the second quarter with a side-by-side comparison of scoring totals of Edwards and Morant, which was 16-0 at the time.
BEVERLEY THRILLS
One of the most vital players for Minnesota in this series &mdash; all season, really &mdash; has been Patrick Beverley with his energy, experience and tenacity. One of the NBA's most notorious pests, who was on the Grizzlies roster last summer for a few days in a stopover between trades that routed him from the Clippers to the Wolves, Beverley has contributed his share of big shots, too.
He knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner to give the Wolves a 69-56 lead with Morant guarding him, grinning at the NBA's Most Improved Player, who flashed back a smile &mdash; and promptly produced with a three-point play on the other end by flipping in a layup and drawing a foul. That sparked a 12-0 spurt by the Grizzlies, which Beverley ended with another 3-pointer.
MUST-WINS IN MINNESOTA
This was the first Game 6 the Timberwolves hosted in their modest postseason history, though they had Game 7 at Target Center in 2004 when they beat Sacramento to close that second round series.
In the Western Conference finals that year, the Wolves also beat the Lakers here in Game 5 before losing in Los Angeles in Game 6. Those are the only two elimination games they&rsquo;ve ever won at home, having lost in those situations in the first round in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002.
Despite the devastation of the two squandered leads in defeat earlier in the series and the untrustworthy history of a franchise in a market that has not enjoyed a major professional league championship in a men&rsquo;s sport since 1991, the fans turned out once again and gave the Wolves a clear advantage.
Former Timberwolves star Latrell Sprewell sat courtside, a few seats down from Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen, a Minnesota native. Local head coaches P.J. Fleck (Gophers football), Ben Johnson (Gophers basketball) and Cheryl Reeve (Lynx) were in the house, too, as fans clutched neon-blue glow sticks for the duration of the night in the packed downtown arena.
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Bane has 27 made 3-pointers in the series. That's already the <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1520222830645989377">most in team history</a> for a single postseason. O.J. Mayo made 20 shots from behind the arc in 13 playoff games in 2011. ... Backup forward Ziaire Williams (right knee soreness) was held out.
Timberwolves: Naz Reid was not with the team for personal reasons, so recent acquisition Greg Monroe got the backup center minutes, his first action of the series.

Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks each scored 23 points and the Grizzlies eliminated the Timberwolves, winning 114-106 in Game 6.

Grizzlies rally past Wolves 114-106 to reach second round

After frittering away a double-digit-point fourth-quarter lead twice in this series, the Minnesota Timberwolves could have already defeated the Memphis Grizzlies by now and be preparing for the second round.
The Timberwolves will try to stave off elimination by the Grizzlies in Game 6 on Friday night instead, aiming to show the league, their fans &mdash; and perhaps themselves &mdash; that they have an ample supply of the late-game resolve needed to be a factor in the NBA playoffs.
What they don't necessarily need, though, is one of their stars to take over.
One of the main reasons why the Wolves have been unproductive in the final stretches of games is a stagnant offense and forced shots from one of the trio of Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards or D'Angelo Russell.
&ldquo;Everybody wants to be the hero, and that&rsquo;s not how you&rsquo;re going to win these games,&rdquo; coach Chris Finch said after practice Thursday.
Edwards tied Game 5 with 3.7 seconds left on a fadeaway corner 3-pointer. The second-year guard has quickly established himself as a true clutch player, so having the ball in his hands with the clock winding down is not at all a negative for Minnesota. The problems can arise, though, when there's little passing to or from him to set up the best looks at the basket.
&ldquo;It was me. I was a lot of that, what Coach talked about,&rdquo; Edwards said, reflecting on his Game 5 decision-making. He had 22 points but took 20 shots to get there.
Russell has had some ill-advised attempts, too, including a 10-foot pull-up in traffic with 12.3 seconds left in Game 5 that missed badly.
Entering the series, guard Patrick Beverley was the only player on the Wolves with any postseason experience of significance.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re young,&rdquo; Edwards said. &ldquo;I think we all know that, and we&rsquo;re learning as we going.&rdquo;
The Grizzlies are just as inexperienced on this stage, but they've been the better team in the last half of the fourth quarter, even if the other 90% of the game has mostly gone the way of the Wolves. Ja Morant belied his age by quite a bit in Game 5 by scoring his team's final 13 points, including the last-second layup that lifted Memphis to victory.
The rally in Game 5 came after Jaren Jackson Jr. fouled out, prompting coach Taylor Jenkins to go to a super-small lineup with Morant next to Tyus Jones, Desmond Bane, Dillon Brooks and Brandon Clarke. Brooks and Clarke helped defend Towns, and Clarke dominated in the fourth quarter with seven of his 10 rebounds on the offensive end. Memphis had a 12-0 scoring edge in second-chance points in the final period, and Clarke finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds off the bench.
The Grizzlies last advanced to the second round in 2015, when none of their current players were around, nor the coaching staff.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just focused on how we&rsquo;re going to play our best basketball still. So hopefully come out with that physical edge, that mental edge you&rsquo;re going to need,&rdquo; Jenkins said. &ldquo;You just need to take it up a notch for sure on the road against a really tough team.&rdquo;
Taking a early lead at Target Center could go a long way toward sending the Grizzlies to a Game 1 on Sunday at Golden State.
&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t want to give a team like that any life,&rdquo; Jones said. &ldquo;When you have a chance to close out an opponent in a playoff series, you've got to try to take advantage of it. We obviously don&rsquo;t want this to go to a seventh game.&rdquo;
GRIZZLIES at TIMBERWOLVES
Memphis leads 3-2. Game 6, 9 p.m. EDT, ESPN.
&mdash;NEED TO KNOW: The Grizzlies with an average of 31.6 points are outscoring the Wolves by 8.8 points in the fourth quarter in the series, by far the largest disparity in this postseason.
&mdash;KEEP AN EYE ON: Bane. He averaged 30 points and shot 15 of 27 outside the arc in Games 3 and 4, the first two games in Minnesota. Bane joined Klay Thompson (three straight) and Stephen Curry (two) as only the third player in NBA history to make at least seven 3-pointers in back-to-back playoff games. He is shooting 48.3% from 3-point range on the road this season for both the regular season and playoffs.
&mdash;INJURY WATCH: Grizzlies center Steven Adams entered the COVID-19 health and safety protocols and will not play in Game 6. Backup forward Ziaire Williams (right knee soreness) was listed as doubtful for the game. Morant and Edwards have both played through minor leg injuries, but they have not been limited in any way.
&mdash;PRESSURE IS ON: Brooks. He was 3 of 18 shooting in Game 5, including 1 of 10 from 3-point range, and finished with eight points.
___
AP Sports Writer Teresa Walker contributed to this report.

The Timberwolves will try to stave off elimination by the Grizzlies in Game 6 on Friday night.

Timberwolves try to avoid 'hero' ball, stay alive vs. Grizzlies

NBA playoff basketball is finally here! With things kicking off on Saturday, I decided to highlight an X-factor I'll be keeping tabs on for each first-round series. Let's dig in, shall we?
(For deeper thoughts on each series, listen to <a href="https://twitter.com/HPbasketball" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Part I</a> and <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/play-in-weigh-in-part-two/id1547857052?i=1000557698545" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Part II</a> of our series previews at <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dunker-spot/id1547857052" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Dunker Spot</a>.)
(1) HEAT VS (8) HAWKS: STAR SWITCH BATTLE
Any hope of an Atlanta Hawks upset begins with the virtuosic creation ability of Trae Young. He's one of the NBA's best pick-and-roll creators, blessed with the ability to bend defenses to his will with a blend of pull-ups, floaters, stop-on-a-dime foul-drawing and every pass in the book.
Enter the Miami Heat, who do a tremendous job of flattening out offenses with switches. And that&nbsp;discussion begins with the versatility of Bam Adebayo.
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The Hawks score on this possession, but look at how much work it takes. Double drag? Nope. Running to a handoff to create an advantage? Nope. Forcing a favorable switch (Tyler Herro will have his work cut out for him) and hoping to attack? Nope, here comes a double.
Only two teams &mdash; the New Orleans Pelicans (0.847 PPP) and the Sacramento Kings (0.722 PPP) allowed fewer points per possession against Young-led ball screens than the Heat (0.851 PPP), and Miami faced more picks (182) than those two teams combined (119).&nbsp;
There's a reason for that. The Heat have the personnel and scheme versatility to make Young's life difficult.
(2) CELTICS VS (7) NETS: BRUCE BROWN'S PLAYMAKING
"We got to be physical with them. Now they don&rsquo;t have Robert Williams, so they have less of a presence in the paint. We can attack Al Horford and [Daniel] Theis. Them not having Rob Williams is huge.&rdquo;
That was Bruce Brown following the Brooklyn Nets' victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Round 1 of the Play-In Tournament on Tuesday night. Kevin Durant had to put out the fire shortly after, but the message rang loud: We think we have another avenue to attack your defense.
I think a lot about this possession from their most recent outing.
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The Nets opened the quarter with Spain pick-and-roll (!!!) and Boston switched every bit of it. That led to an Al Horford-Kyrie Irving matchup, but Williams felt comfortable trapping Kyrie to get the ball out of his hands. Brown has been making hay as a short-roll threat in 2022, and does so here by nailing a floater.
How often will those advantages be there for Brown? With no Williams, the Celtics will have to decide which of their frontcourt guys &mdash; Horford or Theis &mdash; will take the Brown assignment. And from there, what coverage will they go with? Will they switch, possibly throwing Horford or Theis on Kyrie or Kevin Durant in space? WIll they trap from there?
If so, the Nets may have a way to create some advantage situations aside from their stars.
(3) BUCKS VS (6) BULLS: KHRIS MIDDLETON LEADING THE DANCE
This doesn't seem like a great series for the Chicago Bulls. Quick hat tip to <a href="https://twitter.com/HPbasketball" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Moore</a> for detailing just <a href="https://twitter.com/HPbasketball/status/1515199182641926145?s=20&amp;t=9hbXMskZXIW6rvu06kVdpQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how much of a mismatch</a> &mdash; on paper, at least! &mdash; this matchup projects to be.&nbsp;
If there's a Milwaukee Bucks thing to keep an eye on, it's the Khris Middleton-led stuff. The Bucks swept the season series, but Middleton wasn't his best self. He shot a shade under 28% from three and, for the purposes of this section, averaged nearly 4 turnovers per contest.
For the brilliance that Middleton can provide with his shot-making, his handle has long been a weak point against the peskiest of defenders. He's likely to see a steady dose of Ayo Dosunmu and Alex Caruso, guards who don't mind getting in his jersey.&nbsp;
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If Middleton isn't able to get to his spots comfortably &mdash; or worse, turns the ball over &mdash; the Bulls may have an avenue to junk up the Bucks' half-court attack.
(4) SIXERS VS (5) RAPTORS: JAMES HARDEN'S STEPBACK
I think James Harden's hamstring has been talked about enough. I'm not a doctor; I simply hope he's good to go because he's freaking awesome when he's healthy. It unlocks the full breadth of his game.
Regardless of which version of "Harden, The Driver" we get, he's going to need this shot.
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Harden made one of his eight stepback-three attempts against Toronto this season, and has converted just 31.6% of his stepback threes this season (roughly 4.0 attempts per game) via InStat tracking. That's a wild dip from last season (36.7% overall on 4.3 attempts) and the year before that (34.7% on 6.5 attempts).
I don't have to explain why shooting under 32% on an already-tough shot isn't ideal. The layer beyond that shot is the real issue; the nature of the shot, and location of the shot, makes Harden one of the last lines of defense in transition. The Sixers have been bad at getting back &mdash; they rank 20th or worse in every transition defense stat, per Cleaning The Glass &mdash; while the Raptors have been incredibly fruitful when they're able to run.
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(1) SUNS VS (8) PELICANS: WHO DEFENDS CHRIS PAUL?
Herb Jones is one of the best defenders in the sport. My pals and I landed on him as the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/defensive-awards-and-a-celebration-of-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA's best screen navigator</a> already. His nimbleness and persistence will bother someone in this series.
That's the thing though: He's only one dude.
If Jones gets the Devin Booker matchup (a reasonable guess), who's defending the other All-NBA caliber guard for Phoenix? That might land on nominal point guard CJ McCollum, who hasn't had the best luck at defending Paul.
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Paul-led pick-and-rolls with McCollum as the primary defender have generated well over 1.5 points per possession over the last three seasons, per Second Spectrum. That number drops to the 1.3 PPP range when filtered for drop coverage, but, like, that's still pretty absurd.
The Pelicans will have some options. Chief among them: Switching screens between Paul and Deandre Ayton, then tasking Jaxson Hayes (likely to defend Jae Crowder) with saving McCollum by executing a scram switch.
Of course, the Suns have counters to that counter; don't be surprised if Crowder is used as an off-ball screener to occupy Hayes' attention.
(2) GRIZZLIES VS (7) TIMBERWOLVES: WHERE IS JAREN JACKSON JR.?
Let's take a look at two possessions. Ja Morant-led pick-and-rolls, the Minnesota Timberwolves in their base "two to the ball" pick-and-roll coverage. Two missed shots. Keep an eye on Jaren Jackson Jr. for both.
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That's JJJ chilling at the left wing, with Jarred Vanderbilt stunting at the roll from Steven Adams before retreating. D'Angelo Russell is now tasked with making the rotation as the low-man.
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On this one, Jackson is chilling in the dunker spot after clearing the left side of the floor. The Memphis Grizzlies are setting up a screening action for Desmond Bane &mdash; a smart counter to the Wolves sending two players to Morant &mdash; but look at Vanderbilt. He's able to peel over early while Karl-Anthony Towns works his way back to Adams. Russell tasked with dropping down to Jackson if a full rotation from Vanderbilt is needed.
When I say "Where is JJJ.?", you can take that in a "Will he show up?" context. He will need to knock down threes, and his mobility will be needed against Towns in space when he's asked to play the 5.
But it's important to note Jackson's literal location on the court. Where he's stationed can lead to some tough rotations for the Wolves if they continue to defend aggressively.&nbsp;
(3) WARRIORS VS (6) NUGGETS: FINDING THE BLEND WITH NIKOLA JOKIC
Nikola Jokic has improved quite a bit as a defender over the past three seasons. He's firmly good as an at-the-level defender, and he made real strides as a drop defender this season. Arguing for an All-Defensive team selection is a bridge (or two) too far, but the liability talk should've died a while ago.
With that being said, the Golden State Warriors pose some real trouble for him. The Stephen Curry-Jordan Poole-Klay Thompson triumvirate has the pull-up chops to abuse drop coverage. Kevon Looney screens and hand-backs could also create open threes.
With Draymond Green (or Gary Payton II when he's out there), the Warriors have the short-roll playmaking chops to beat a two-to-the-ball scheme.
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We get both coverages from Jokic on this possession. He starts in drop, with Monte Morris doing a fine-enough job staying attached to Poole. The ball swings to Thompson, and Jokic plays higher up. Two screens, two coverages, two solid results for Denver.
Then the&nbsp;third&nbsp;action happens, which also coincides with Poole jetting to the right corner and Aaron Gordon being occupied with Andrew Wiggins. Jokic is in another drop but he can't beat Thompson to his spot, nor does he have help on the backline.
What do you do with that?
Probably not drop.&nbsp;
The Warriors generated north of 1.3 points per possession (!!!) when facing Jokic in drop coverage during their regular season meetings, per Second Spectrum. Playing Jokic to the level will be a tough task, especially considering the offensive workload he'll have to carry, but that may be the easier poison to deal with.&nbsp;
(4) MAVERICKS VS (5) JAZZ: SPENCER DINWIDDIE'S DRIVES
With no Luka Doncic for at least Game 1, more offensive responsibility will fall into the hands of Spencer Dinwiddie.&nbsp;
He's been a godsend for the Dallas Mavericks, averaging 16-3-4 while shooting over 40% from three since joining the team. He's been a great complement to Doncic; naturally, some of Dinwiddie's success is due to Doncic drawing the best perimeter defender on the opposing team.
That may shift to Dinwiddie now &mdash; I doubt we're going to see, like, Royce O'Neale on Jalen Brunson for extended stretches. It'll be up to Dinwiddie to puncture defenses and start the chain of rotations. He hasn't had much success against Utah this season; he's shooting just 44.4% off of drives against the Jazz, and he's paired that with a paltry 8.5% assist rate.
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Nekias Duncan breaks down a key factor for each first round series of the 2022 NBA Playoffs.

Pressure points: Critical first-round battles in the 2022 NBA Playoffs

Featuring four sure-fire Hall-of-Famers, the Los Angeles Lakers flamed out and ended up not living up to the expectations.
Unfortunately, the additions of Karl Malone and Gary Payton just weren&rsquo;t enough to get it done.
Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal joined forces with the legends during the 2003-04 season, and sought to win a fourth title in five years, but the Lakers ultimately fell short against Larry Brown and his Detroit Pistons in what was one of the biggest NBA Finals upsets in history.
You know how they say history always repeats itself? It&rsquo;s true. So it should come as no surprise to recall that the ensuing offseason, the Lakers found themselves looking for a new head coach. The search led to Mike Krzyzewski&rsquo;s living room.
Coach K would famously turn down a five-year, $40 million offer from the Lakers, which would have amounted to an annual salary raise of about 700%.
After a lost season, the Lakers (and Kobe) would eventually patch things up with Phil Jackson, and Bryant would lead the Lakers to two more championships in 2009 and 2010.
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Unfortunately for Frank Vogel, that bit of history doesn&rsquo;t seem likely to repeat itself.
Now, in 2022, the Lakers find themselves on the lookout for a new head coach to lead their locker room. Let's take a look at five candidates who may fit the bill.
Juwan Howard
Before his February <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ray-jackson-i-was-afraid-juwan-howard-was-going-to-be-fired" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confrontation with Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard</a>, Juwan Howard&rsquo;s name was mostly mentioned in the press for the right reasons.
Since taking over for the Michigan Wolverines in 2019, Howard helped the university maintain its status as one of the premier basketball programs in the country &mdash; his Wolverines have reached the Sweet Sixteen in 2019 and 2022, as well as the Elite Eight in 2021.
Although it would be difficult to pull Howard from his alma mater, especially when he&rsquo;s enjoyed success thus far, the Lakers head coach job wouldn&rsquo;t be an easy one for a toiling coach to turn down. Despite all the Lakers have been through, it remains a dream job for many in the profession. Aside from that, Howard&rsquo;s connections to both Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and LeBron James is hard to ignore.
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Pelinka and Howard were teammates at Michigan for Howard&rsquo;s three seasons there, and although Howard and James' paths diverged, those two would eventually unite in Miami. They played three years together as teammates before Howard retired and immediately moved into an assistant coach role, the first of which coincided with LeBron&rsquo;s final season in Miami.
Howard spent the next five years alongside Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra before being tapped to assume the helm at Michigan.
Whoever the Lakers entrust with the tall task of getting them back on track, it would make sense that the candidate would need to have exhibited some level of success and also be able to earn the confidence of both Pelinka and James. It should also be noted that, in 2019, Howard was granted an interview for the Lakers&rsquo; head coach opening. The job, obviously, eventually went to Vogel.
Although Howard has been vocal in his love for his alma mater, he would appear to check the boxes. At a minimum, among the sea of potential candidates, he is one who should be watched closely.
Quin Snyder
Now in his eighth season with the Utah Jazz, Quin Snyder has overseen the organization's ascension after the departure of mainstay Jerry Sloan and three less-than-stellar years under Tyrone Corbin.
Although thanks in large part to the presence of Rudy Gobert, under Snyder&rsquo;s leadership, the Jazz have consistently ranked as one of the league&rsquo;s top-five defenses. His staff has also assisted the development and thriving of a number of young players who have found their way in the league.
As it stands, Utah is much closer to contention than the Lakers, but the Jazz themselves haven&rsquo;t exactly been trending upward. There has been consistent speculation as to whether Donovan Mitchell is destined to become the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/expect-the-knicks-to-make-a-real-run-at-donovan-mitchell-this-summer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">next superstar who lands on the trading block</a>, and according to veteran scribe Marc Stein, Snyder and his representatives have rebuffed Utah&rsquo;s attempts to extend his current contract.
If Snyder did sense that &mdash; as often reported &mdash; the marriage between Mitchell and Gobert wasn&rsquo;t one that would continue for the long term, he could be proactive about a fresh start elsewhere.
During the 2011-12 season, Snyder served as an assistant coach in Los Angeles under Mike Brown. At a minimum, he&rsquo;s no stranger to the franchise.
Mark Jackson
To this day, there are many who wonder if the Golden State Warriors could have fulfilled their dynastic potential if Mark Jackson remained coach. That&rsquo;s probably why there&rsquo;s a fair amount of people still hoping that one of the greatest point guards in NBA history gets another shot to lead an NBA team. There is another faction, however, that believes the Warriors may have actually been held back by their former coach.
The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.
What can&rsquo;t be argued, however, is that in his three seasons in Golden State, Jackson led the Warriors to a 121-109 record and brought the team to consecutive postseason berths for the first time in over 20 years. He at least helped to lay the foundation of the team&rsquo;s championship trajectory.
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It&rsquo;s also worth noting that LeBron has long been an advocate for Jackson. That may have something to do with the fact that Jackson &mdash; like LeBron and Anthony Davis &mdash; is represented by Klutch Sports, or it could be that LeBron just believes that he can coach.
Back in 2014, James reportedly pushed for Jackson as a candidate before the Cavs opted for Tyronn Lue to replace David Blatt, and according to The Athletic&rsquo;s Sam Amick, James could make a similar appeal on Jackson&rsquo;s behalf this time around. If he did, it could be quite meaningful.
John Calipari
If the Lakers are looking to make a splash, John Calipari would seem to fit the bill.
It&rsquo;s been more than 20 years since Coach Cal was head coach of an NBA team, but for the past 13 years, he&rsquo;s served as head coach for the Kentucky Wildcats &mdash; arguably the bluest of the blue-blood collegiate basketball programs. He led the Wildcats to the National Championship in 2012, and in that season, managed to unlock the potential of a talented freshman in Davis.
In all, Coach Cal has coached his teams to six Final Four appearances and has previously been linked to NBA openings, including with the New York Knicks.
The difficulty with pursuing collegiate coaches at big-time programs is stature. At the collegiate level, coaches are kings of their programs, particularly those with national championships and a track record of helping young players get to the NBA. In that regard, Calipari&rsquo;s record is unmatched.
According to CoachCal.com, Calipari is the only coach to have coached four No. 1 overall selections (Derrick Rose, John Wall, Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns) and the only coach to have five first-round selections in the same NBA Draft (2010).
In 2012, he also became the first coach to have two of his players go first and second in the draft. That year, Davis and teammate Michael Kidd-Gilchrist took that honor.
Cal probably knows that he can coach for as long as he wants to at Kentucky, just like Krzyzewski. But a 2021 report from Yahoo Sports cited Cal&rsquo;s believed ambition and wanting to prove that he can succeed at the NBA level as the thing that could push him back to the NBA.
That, and, of course, the right opportunity.
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Nick Nurse
It&rsquo;s hard to argue with Nick Nurse&rsquo;s success, and it&rsquo;s easy to see why a team like the Lakers could be interested. Nurse has earned a reputation for unorthodox methods and game planning, but it&rsquo;s impossible to argue with the success he&rsquo;s enjoyed as the head coach of the Toronto Raptors.
One of the biggest challenges that the Lakers face is with respect to its roster construction. If Russell Westbrook is to remain with the team, the franchise will need a coach who is capable of thinking outside the box and implementing systems and rotations that can maximize pieces that may not necessarily be an obvious fit.
It could be argued that these have been the hallmarks of his tenure in Toronto. That and, of course, winning. That may end up being the biggest obstacle for the Lakers if Nurse truly is the team&rsquo;s choice.
As the head coach who finally got Toronto over the hump, Nurse is beloved by the franchise, and the Raptors certainly seems to have more going for them than the Lakers do right now. Not the least of which is organizational leadership, which has proven to be competent and capable of developing players who can achieve at the highest level.
Leaving the Raptors for the Lakers in that regard would be a leap of faith for Nurse. Hailing from Iowa, Nurse isn&rsquo;t a natural-born Canadian, but he is currently serving as the head coach of the Canadian Men&rsquo;s National Basketball Team.
While that role wouldn&rsquo;t prevent him from making a jump to Los Angeles, it at least suggests a commitment to something bigger than simply being a coach. In the end, it may be a lot for the Lakers to overcome, especially since the Raptors&rsquo; ownership group has demonstrated it has deep pockets.
Nonetheless, it is possible that Nurse could view an opportunity to coach the Lakers as the one he has spent his entire career working toward. Having led the Raptors to a championship &mdash; similarly to Kawhi Leonard &mdash; he could perhaps be enthused about a new challenge.
----
Unfortunately for the community, we&rsquo;ve seen head coaches in the NBA become increasingly disposable. Just two years after leading the Los Angeles Lakers to its 17th championship in franchise history, Vogel was fired, and rather unceremoniously, at that.
If the Lakers are to win an 18th championship, it will be under new leadership.
Maybe one of the aforementioned five could be the answer.
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Moke Hamilton takes a look at five candidates who could make sense as the Lakers' next head coach.

Five head coaches who could make the most sense for the Lakers

Anthony Edwards set a career high with 49 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 13 rebounds as the Minnesota Timberwolves hung on for a 127-121 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night.
Edwards&rsquo; big output came on 16-of-28 shooting and 6 of 14 from 3-point range. He found multiple ways to score, including a highlight-reel dunk and a game-high 11 free throws.
With the ball in his hands late in the game and a chance at 50 points, Wolves fans rose to their feet as Edwards shot from deep. He missed four times from long range in the final minutes but made two free throws with 9.1 seconds remaining to finish with 49.
Keldon Johnson had 20 points and Devin Vassell scored 18 for San Antonio. Eight players scored in double figures for the Spurs.
It was Edwards who gave the Wolves a spark early, scoring 15 of Minnesota&rsquo;s 30 first-quarter points. But the second-year guard took over in the second half, making big shot after big shot to fend off the Spurs.
Minnesota (46-35) led by 18 in the third quarter but let it slip to seven before Edwards hit another shot from deep to stop a run by San Antonio (34-46). Edwards remained a calming presence as Towns&rsquo; frustration grew in the third and ultimately resulted in a technical foul.
The last time these teams played, Towns set a team record with 60 points. Edwards scored just five in that game.
Edwards connected from deep in the closing seconds of the third, giving Minnesota a 15-point advantage entering the fourth.
Malik Beasley got hot from long range in the third period for Minnesota. Beasley hit three 3-pointers after being held to two points in the first half, helping the Wolves build an 18-point lead.
Minnesota guard D&rsquo;Angelo Russell did not play. Russell was sidelined with bilateral hamstring soreness after scoring 17 points and adding 11 assists in Tuesday&rsquo;s loss to Washington.
TIP-INS
Spurs: San Antonio was without leading scorer Dejounte Murray, who missed his fourth straight game with an illness. Murray leads the Spurs with 21.2 points per game.
Timberwolves: Minnesota signed C Greg Monroe for the rest of the season. Monroe has played in 12 games for four NBA teams this season, including three with the Timberwolves in December. He&rsquo;s averaged 5.2 points and 4.7 rebounds this season.
UP NEXT
Spurs: Host the Golden State Warriors on Saturday before Sunday&rsquo;s regular-season finale at Dallas.
Timberwolves: Finish the regular season Sunday at home against Chicago.

Anthony Edwards set a career-high with 49 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 13 rebounds.

Edwards scores 49 as Timberwolves hold off Spurs, 127-121

March Madness is underway!
Across the country, teams are competing in conference tournaments and trying to punch their ticket for the NCAA Tournament. Selection Sunday is almost here, and then the tourney starts next Tuesday.
If you missed any of the Day 2 action, here's a recap of what went down on Thursday.
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Games of the Day
Indiana def. Michigan 74-69 &mdash; B1G Second Round
With 11:03 remaining, Michigan led 60-43 and appeared to be in complete control. The Hoosiers would go on a 20-2 run and took the life right out of the Wolverines, completing the comeback by winning 74-69. Trayce Jackson-Davis led all players with 24 points and 4 blocks in a stunner. Indiana faces No. 1 Illinois next.
Texas A&amp;M def. Florida 83-80 in OT &mdash; SEC Second Round
This one was wild. The Aggies dominated all afternoon and held a 9-point lead with 1:07 to play, but the Gators went on a 12-3 run of the next 50 seconds to tie it at 70-70, forcing the game into overtime. They stayed deadlocked at 78-78 with 1:10 left in overtime when Hassan Diarra hit a triple with one second on the clock to win 83-80. A huge win for a true Bubble Team in A&amp;M.
Arizona def. Stanford 84-80 &mdash; Pac-12 Quarterfinals
The largest lead either way today was 7 points &mdash; in a game where Stanford was given a whopping 5% chance of victory. The Cardinal took a 75-74 lead with just over three minutes to go, but the Wildcats had answers. Kerr Kriisa exiting with injury is important to monitor, but Christian Koloko led the team with 24 points as Arizona survives and advances.
Miami (FL) def. Boston College 71-69 in OT &mdash; ACC Quarterfinals
Kam McGusty led the Canes with 16 points in the nail-biter, as they avoided the upset in overtime. Only one basket was scored in the final 2:30 of the contest &mdash; a Jordan Miller layup that sealed the deal. A big save by Miami.&nbsp;
Villanova def. St. John&rsquo;s 66-65 &mdash; Big East Quarterfinals
The Red Storm let a 17-point second half lead slip away to end their season. Villanova was carried by its starting five, with only 7 points coming from the bench unit. Caleb Daniels led the way with 19 points and 7 rebounds. Justin Moore added 15 points of his own.&nbsp;
Toledo def. Central Michigan 72-71 &mdash; MAC Quarterfinals
In a game where the largest lead was 7 points for each team, Toledo held on for the 1-point win. Harrison Henderson scored with 20 seconds remaining to make it 71-70 Central Michigan, but a RayJ Dennis layup with 10 seconds left would seal the deal. Setric Milner Jr. led the way with 22 points for the Rockets. It's a big win for Toledo who currently projects a No. 13 seed.
Providence def. Butler 65-61 &mdash; Big East Quarterfinals
This one was back-and-forth from the tip, as the teams traded leads the entire contest. Tied at 55 with 3:06 remaining, Simas Lukosius hit a big pair of free throws for Butler to take the lead, but Al Durham hit a huge triple with 43 seconds to go for the Friars to take a 61-59 lead. Durham would follow with a dunk at the end of the game to seal the deal at 65-61. Despite the loss, it was a hard-fought game by the Bulldogs.&nbsp;
Wyoming def. UNLV 59-56 &mdash; Mountain West Quarterfinals
The Cowboys held a 9-point lead in the second half, but allowed the Rebels to fight their way back into it. Xavier DuSell hit a huge three with 30 seconds, and then, Brendan Wenzel iced the game with a pair of free throws. A great game from UNLV&rsquo;s Bryce Hamilton comes up just short.&nbsp;
Akron def. Buffalo 70-68 &mdash; MAC Quarterfinals
This was a fight from start to finish. Led by Ali Ali&rsquo;s 19-point effort and a pair of Greg Tribble free throws with four seconds remaining, the Zips survive and advance. They will face No. 1 seed Toledo on Friday afternoon in the MAC semis.
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The Upsets, the Madness
Oklahoma def. Baylor 72-67 &mdash; Big 12 Quarterfinals
The Sooners took the lead with 11:51 to play and never gave it back. With a balanced offensive attack of five players in double-digits, Oklahoma shocked the Bears. Jacob Groves led the way with 15 points, while Marvin Johnson provided 12 off the bench.&nbsp;
Vanderbilt def. Alabama 82-76 &mdash; SEC Second Round
Bama led by 10 points at the break but Scotty Pippen Jr. and Co. had other plans. Vandy roared back to take a 68-67 lead with 4:26 to play, and was able to hold the Crimson Tide off the rest of the way. Jordan Wright hit a pair of free throws late to ice the game, and the Commodores advance. Pippen Jr. ended with 26 points and 7 assists.
TCU def. Texas 65-60 &mdash; Big 12 Quarterfinals
The Horned Frogs had a win probability of 29.3% entering this one, and that&rsquo;s all they needed. After being down 40-20 in the first half, TCU did a complete 180 and outscored the Longhorns 45-20 the rest of the way. Mike Miles and Co. are setting themselves up well, and will take on the Kansas Jayhawks in the Big 12 semis.
Penn State def. Ohio State 71-68 &mdash; Big Ten Second Round
The Nittany Lions were given a 24.2% chance of winning today, and they did just that behind Sam Sessoms' 18 points off the bench. Jalen Pickett also had a huge game with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Penn State moves on to play No. 3 Purdue.&nbsp;
Grambling def. Southern 60-58 &mdash; SWAC Quarterfinals
Led by Tra&rsquo;Michael Moton&rsquo;s 12 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists, Grambling took the lead with 10 minutes left in the game and never gave it back. The Tigers will face Texas Southern next.&nbsp;
Tulsa def. Wichita State 73-67 &mdash; American First Round
The Golden Hurricane had four players with 10 or more points, including two with at least 20. After an 11-19 season, this was a nice win for Tulsa as it tries to make a late push in the conference. Tulsa will move on to face No. 2 SMU.&nbsp;
Portland State def. Southern Utah 77-65 &mdash; Big Sky Quarterfinals
The Vikings entered this game under .500 on the season, but put up 77 points on 51.9% shooting from the floor. They held Southern Utah to a lowly 36.8% from the floor and are able to advance.
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Standout Performers
Noah Fernandes (UMass): 29 points, 7 assists
Spencer Jones (Stanford): 28 points, 8 rebounds
Jimmy Boeheim (Syracuse): 28 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists
Keegan Murray (Iowa): 26 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Grant Sherfield (Nevada): 25 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds
Joel Murray (Long Beach State): 25 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds
Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana): 24 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks, 10-17 FG
Wendell Moore Jr. (Duke): 26 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal
Nate Watson (Providence): 26 points, 7 rebounds, 9-14 FG
Scotty Pippen Jr. (Vanderbilt): 26 points, 7 assists
Tristen Newton (East Carolina): 26 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists
Jordan Walker (UAB): 26 points, 5 steals, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
EJ Liddell (Ohio State): 25 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks
Orlando Robinson (Fresno State):&nbsp;25 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists
Christian Koloko (Arizona): 24 points, 9 rebounds, 10-12 FG
Dillon Jones (Weber State): 23 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals
Julian Champagnie (St. John&rsquo;s): 23 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists
Jaime Jaquez Jr. (UCLA): 23 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
Prentiss Hubb (Notre Dame): 23 points, 5 assists
Zyon Pullin (UC Riverside):&nbsp;23 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds
Amadou Sow (UC Santa Barbara): 21 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
Bryce Hamilton (UNLV): 22 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists
Mahki Morris (Abilene Christian): 22 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds
Chuba Ohams (Fordham): 20 points, 16 rebounds, 2 steals
Darien Jackson (Tulsa): 20 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
Brady Manek (UNC): 21 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists
Malique Jacobs (Kent State): 21 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists
Kowacie Reeves (Florida): 21 points, 6 rebounds
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2022 NBA Draft: Prospect Watch&nbsp;
Keegan Murray (Iowa): 26 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Wendell Moore Jr. (Duke): 26 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal
EJ Liddell (Ohio State): 25 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks
Orlando Robinson (Fresno State):&nbsp;25 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists
Christian Koloko (Arizona): 24 points, 9 rebounds, 10-12 FG
Jaime Jaquez Jr. (UCLA): 23 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
Tari Eason (LSU): 19 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks
Justin Lewis (Marquette): 17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals
Ochai Agbaji (Kansas): 18 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals
Trevor Keels (Duke): 14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
Jabari Walker (Colorado): 18 points, 16 rebounds
Iverson Molinar (Miss. State): 19 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
Julian Champagnie (St. John&rsquo;s): 23 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists
Collin Gillespie (Villanova): 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists
David Roddy (Colorado State): 13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
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March Madness is underway! If you missed any of the Day 2 action, here's a recap of what went down during Thursday's games.

March Madness: Conference tournament Thursday recap

We live in a star-horny society.
You could look to a number of things to prove this. Watch an ad for an upcoming NBA game that&rsquo;ll air on ESPN or ABC. They&rsquo;ve been repurposing the same song all year, and apparently have assigned Fat Joe to rhyme the names of the stars from said game.
&ldquo;Kyrie Irving, James Harden coming through in the clutch.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Steph Curry hittin' Klay in the cut.&rdquo;
The formula is always the same: highlight the stars, not the teams. Make it &ldquo;<a href="https://twitter.com/SmittyBeatz_/status/1467871495657504773" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Curry vs. Embiid</a>,&rdquo; then at the very end, change it to Warriors vs. 76ers. Or, in this case, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CZUo0M4pst9/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kyrie vs. Curry</a>, and Harden vs. Klay, before making it Nets vs. Warriors.
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Now, look to the Most Improved Player Award. CJ McCollum is the only Most Improved Player of the last 10 years to not become an All-Star, and he probably should&rsquo;ve been selected at least once.
Early on, what you&rsquo;d often see were players winning the MIP award because of increased counting stats, even when the counting stats only improved because their minutes did &mdash; and the players&rsquo; per-36 stats remained eerily similar. Apologies to Don MacLean and the 24-win Washington Bullets of 1994.
Other times, the award would just go to top draft picks who developed as many already expected they would, regardless of how their team performed. Looking at you, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Pervis Ellison, respectfully. Though, sometimes, they absolutely nailed it, like with Dale Ellis in 1987, Tracy McGrady in 2001, Jermaine O&rsquo;Neal in 2002 and Hedo T&uuml;rkoğlu in 2007.
In recent years, the award has become more of a star-crowning achievement that cements your arrival, no longer potentially rewarding a 30-year-old journeyman like Darrell Armstrong for finally putting it all together on <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_1999.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of the league&rsquo;s best regular-season teams</a> of 1999. Or an out-of-nowhere revelation like Isaac Austin, who had left the NBA for Europe before coming back and winning the award in 1997.
This year, we&rsquo;re probably going to follow a similar star-making template. Ja Morant is expected to win the award despite being the No. 2 overall pick in 2019. Expect to see 2019 No. 5 overall pick Darius Garland right behind him.
Why is the award going to high draft picks who just develop as top selections are expected to, like Brandon Ingram two seasons ago? Players should be considered if they've made huge leaps and filled important roles on respectable teams. Right now, it feels like we're only rewarding players who make the jump from above-average starter to star.
So here, I&rsquo;ll highlight guys closer to that Austin, Armstrong, archetype, who really should get Most-Improved-Player consideration (even though they won't) instead of only the rising stars who dominate the category. Guys who proved they belong &mdash; they matter, too.
Caleb Martin, Miami Heat
Caleb Martin and his twin Cody had been teammates with the Charlotte Hornets over the last two seasons, and because they play the same position, one of them had to go. Out went Caleb.
Apparently, <a href="https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/article258506473.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">thanks to J. Cole</a>, Caleb got a shot with the Miami Heat, and if you&rsquo;re an agent representing a fringe NBA player, that is where you&rsquo;d probably want your client to go.
Caleb&rsquo;s jumped from 5.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.7 steals in 15.4 minutes per game in his last Charlotte season to 9.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 23.1 minutes per game in Miami.
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Per-36 minutes, the scoring has improved from 11.6 to 14.9 points. The offensive rating has skyrocketed from 99 to 122. The defensive rating is down from 112 to 107. The previously non-existent shooting has gone from 38/25/64 splits to 52/40/76 from the field, three and free-throw line, with a true-shooting percentage at 61.8, up more than 15 percentage points from last season. He&rsquo;s also top-five on the Heat in both win shares (3.9) and win shares per 48 (.158).
In Miami, he&rsquo;s guarded some of the opposition&rsquo;s toughest assignments &mdash; yes, even with multiple Defensive-Player-of-the-Year candidates on his own team in Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler &mdash; and went from a two-way contract player to a rotation guy who simply has to get playoff minutes in order for the Eastern Conference&rsquo;s No. 1 team to be at their best from 1-through-9 this spring. He&rsquo;s had a massive impact, and a largely unforeseen one.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Do me a favor and watch these late defensive possessions from Miami Take a look at one guy shifting the game through defensive impact His name is Caleb Martin <a href="https://t.co/NFRmelYcux">pic.twitter.com/NFRmelYcux</a>
&mdash; Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) <a href="https://twitter.com/BradyHawk305/status/1500323996201590788?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Javonte Green, Chicago Bulls
This list was made for someone like Javonte Green.
This dude, at 28, is the only Radford alum to play in the NBA for more than five career games, and they were the only school to offer him out of high school. After going undrafted, he played overseas, including at LEB Plata (Spain&rsquo;s third division after Liga ACB and LEB Oro) and Serie A2 Basket (Italy&rsquo;s second league after Lega Basket Serie A). After four seasons in Europe, he finally got to the NBA in 2019, and until this year, he had averaged just over 10 minutes through 89 games with the Boston Celtics and the Bulls, who acquired him just under a year ago.
This season, Green&rsquo;s up to 24.5 minutes per contest, with 36 starts in 48 games for the playoff-bound Bulls who currently sit at No. 4 in the Eastern Conference. His averages are up from 3.6 points and 1.7 rebounds to 7.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, with about a steal and half a block too. His shooting&rsquo;s up from 52/33/75 to 54/35/83, and although his per-36 stats are roughly the same, his offensive rating is way up from 118 to 131 (team-high), and his True Shooting percentage is a career-high .637. His .139 win shares per 48 minutes are second to only DeMar DeRozan in Chicago too.
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<a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/bulls/bulls-javonte-green-making-name-self-regardless-role" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shout out to K.C. Johnson for the timely feature on Green</a> that went up Tuesday, in which I&rsquo;ll grab the following quote to support this agenda:
&ldquo;I know what I&rsquo;m on the team for and what I bring to the team," Green said. "I&rsquo;m going to continue to do that whether that&rsquo;s coming off the bench or starting. I&rsquo;m just here to do my job, be here for my teammates. Whatever they need me to do, I&rsquo;m going to do it regardless if I&rsquo;m starting or coming off the bench. It&rsquo;s not like I&rsquo;m mad about it or anything.&rdquo;
Green&rsquo;s the kind of guy that goes on your squad and instantly becomes a fan favorite, unless you only care about "hoooooperzzzzz."
Gary Payton II, Golden State Warriors
Gary Payton II&rsquo;s been in the league in some capacity since 2016, but has typically been a fringe, perimeter defensive specialist who didn&rsquo;t catch on anywhere aside from the Washington Wizards of 2019-20, with whom he started 17 of his 29 appearances. He was with Golden State last year, but only for 10 games; most of his season was spent in the G League, where he won Defensive Player of the Year.
His averages in those 10 Warrior games last season? 4.0 minutes, 2.5 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.6 steals. This year? 17.1 minutes, 7.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals. He&rsquo;s also shooting 61% from the field and 36% from three on nearly two attempts per game &mdash; his jumper&rsquo;s been a factor on him spinning his wheels prior to now.
He&rsquo;s one of the best defenders on the planet, which is something we got a whiff of in Washington, but it&rsquo;s really amplified thanks to his increased role in Golden State. A 102 defensive rating, for a guard in this era, is a rarity &mdash; it&rsquo;s first in the NBA among qualified backcourt players by three points.
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On the ball, he&rsquo;s one of the absolute best in the league to watch defensively, and should get All-Defensive consideration even in his limited role. Word to Triple H. He&rsquo;s. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzgtubZmjng">That. Damn. Good</a>.
Jarred Vanderbilt, Minnesota Timberwolves 
The only one of these guys to have actually been drafted, Jarred Vanderbilt is the rare developmental success story out of Minnesota. Selected No. 41 overall in 2018, Vanderbilt was originally in the Denver Nuggets&rsquo; system before he was included in a four-team deal two February&rsquo;s ago, landing him here.
From 2018 through 2020, Vanderbilt logged 4.1 minutes per game in just 28 NBA appearances. Last season, he became a rotation piece, though it was still on a typical Timberwolve team &mdash; one that finished 23-49 and 13th&nbsp;in the Western Conference.
He averaged 5.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 0.7 blocks on 17.8 minutes per contest on 61% shooting. This season, he&rsquo;s up to 7.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 0.7 blocks in 25.9 minutes per game on 59% shooting. His win shares are up from 3.1 to 5.4, and has been second on the T-Wolves (after Karl-Anthony Towns) for each of the last two seasons in win shares per 48 among players who&rsquo;ve logged 300 or more total minutes, improving to .164 from .132. This year, he has a 106 defensive rating too. Like GPII, that is primarily why he&rsquo;s here.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Jarred Vanderbilt singlehandedly outrebounded the Lakers entire big man rotation, while teaming with KAT and Jaden to turn LeBron and Melo into potatoes The Wolves got up 20 (TWENTY) more shot attempts than LA while holding them to 38% shooting Vando. 1st. Team. All. Defense. <a href="https://t.co/oVjKFmu4hf">pic.twitter.com/oVjKFmu4hf</a>
&mdash; Key Sang (@Phantele_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Phantele_/status/1472191041575034880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2021</a></blockquote>

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He&rsquo;s clearly been a large part of why the Timberwolves have played respectable defense, even as their top-three guys have been largely known for&hellip; well, not that. Patrick Beverley has come in to help, as well, and the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/we-should-give-dangelo-russell-more-credit">T-Wolves are 37-29 and seventh&nbsp;out West</a>.
Vanderbilt might flirt with an All-Defensive Team selection this season, which wasn&rsquo;t something you could say last year.
Honorable Mentions 
Amir Coffey, Los Angeles Clippers
Grant Williams, Boston Celtics
Gabe Vincent, Miami Heat 
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Bryan Fonseca highlights four NBA players who deserve praise for improving, even though they won't receive any hardware.

Analyzing long-shot Most Improved Player candidates who deserve love

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Karl-Anthony Towns gave big men everywhere something to shoot for.
Minnesota's 7-footer became the first center to win the 3-Point Shooting Contest, defeating seven guards during the NBA's All-Star Saturday and providing a memorable moment on a night the dunk contest barely got off the ground.
Towns, who has spent his entire career proving doubters wrong about his range, posted a 29 &mdash; the highest total in the competition &mdash; during the final round to defeat Atlanta's Trae Young and Luke Kennard of the Los Angeles Clippers, who tied for second with 26 each.
New York's Obi Toppin won the four-person dunk contest, scoring a 47 out of 50 in the final round by putting the ball between his legs in the air, touching it off the backboard and re-directing it through the rim.
Golden State's Juan Toscano-Anderson was second as the dunk contest, once a marquee event that at times trumped the All-Star Game, fell flat.
A trio of Cleveland Cavaliers, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, won the Skills Challenge.
After his surprising 3-point win, Towns accepted his trophy at mid-court and immediately turned toward Hall of Fame center Shaquille O'Neal sitting courtside in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
&ldquo;I told you Shaq,&rdquo; Towns said. &ldquo;Vegas got the odds wrong.&rdquo;
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Towns was considered, well, a long shot among a field of shot makers that included Young, Kennard, New Orleans' CJ McCollum, Brooklyn&rsquo;s Patty Mills, Toronto&rsquo;s Fred VanVleet, Chicago&rsquo;s Zach LaVine and Memphis&rsquo; Desmond Bane.
&ldquo;I wanted to prove I was the best shooting big man in the world, and now I got the trophy to prove it,&rdquo; Towns said.
There have been other big men crowned 3-point champions, but Kevin Love (2012) and Dirk Nowitzki (2006) are considered power forwards.
&ldquo;I think this is a nice little thing to put on that r&eacute;sum&eacute;,&rdquo; Towns said. &ldquo;Big man hasn&rsquo;t won in 10 years, and, of course, 10 years ago, a decade ago, who won it? The Wolves. It&rsquo;s coming back home where it belongs.&rdquo;
The dunk contest started with some promise and fizzled fast.
Orlando's Cole Anthony caused a stir when he swapped his sneakers for a pair of Timberland boots and then dunked in them with an assist from his father, former NBA guard Greg Anthony.
Toppin said all the participants are great dunkers who wanted to put on a show, and they all were encouraging each other.
&ldquo;When Cole missed those two first ones with the Timbs on, I was like no those Timbs are heavy," Toppin said. &ldquo;I was like, we got to boost his energy up. I was trying to get everybody on their feet.&rdquo;
It worked, momentarily.
But Anthony couldn't complete his second dunk in three tries and he was eliminated along with Houston's Jalen Green, who also struggled while trying to impress a panel of Hall of Fame judges &mdash; Julius Erving, Isiah Thomas, David Robinson, Clyde Drexler and Dominique Wilkins.
The hometown Cavs added another moment to their impressive season by winning the re-formatted Skills Challenge, which pitted teams and not individual players.
Garland, Mobley and Allen teamed up to outperform Team Antetokounmpo &mdash; MVP Giannis and his brothers Thanasis and Alex &mdash; and a rookie trio of Detroit's Cade Cunningham, Toronto's Scottie Barnes and Oklahoma City's Josh Giddey.
Mobley, a leading candidate for rookie of the year honors, sealed the win by making a half-court shot on his first attempt, allowing the Cavs to close the segment of the contest in 5.5 seconds and defeat Team Rooks.
The Cavs started the shooting competition off target as Allen, hardly known for his outside touch, made just two shots in 30 seconds. However, Garland brought Cleveland back &mdash; and brought their crowd to life &mdash; scoring 21 points.
However, the Cavs came out of the relay portion tied with Team Antetokounmpo for second place and needed Garland to win a shoot-off with Thanasis to place Cleveland in the final.
After Cunningham drained his 47-footer in 9.9 seconds, Mobley calmly stepped into his winning shot.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s one of a kind,&rdquo; Allen said of his 20-year-old teammate. &ldquo;Defense, offense and now half court. The whole league knows Evan by now. If they&rsquo;ve ever driven to the paint, they definitely know him, so the NBA should know him by now.&rdquo;

Karl-Anthony Towns posted a 29 during the final round to defeat Atlanta's Trae Young and Luke Kennard of the Clippers.

Center of attention: Towns wins All-Star 3-Point Contest

You know who has the NBA's <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/advanced/advanced/?sort=OFF_RATING&amp;dir=-1&amp;Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;DateFrom=01%2F01%2F2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">best offense in 2022</a>?
Not the Steph Curry-led Golden State Warriors (111.6 Offensive Rating, 15th), who are winners of nine straight and generally the beacon of ball-and-body movement.
You're on the right track if you guessed the Trae Young-led Atlanta Hawks (115.5, 4th) &mdash; the man's been on fire (28.4 points and 9.2 assists per game, 61.8% True Shooting) by the way &mdash; but they're trailing the leader by more than three points per 100 possessions.
The #BeautifulGame Phoenix Suns? You're getting warmer (117.4, 3rd), pun intended. Nikola Jokic (26-13-9 with .608/.416/.875 splits) and the Denver Nuggets (117.8, 2nd) get you closer, but still misses the mark by over a point.&nbsp;
Your answer? The Minnesota Timberwolves, scorching the nets (and the Nets, hanging 136 points on Brooklyn a couple of weeks ago) to the tune of a 118.9 ORTG. Even if you shrink it down to half-court possessions, they still edge out the Suns (102.9) for the league's most efficient unit (103.6) per Cleaning The Glass.
After spending the 2021 portion of the season being a borderline-elite defense (108.2 Defensive Rating, 11th) and struggling offense (107.3, 23rd), the script has officially flipped in 2022. The Wolves' method of madness seems in line with their personnel now: We're going to blitz you with buckets, then garner enough stops (111.6 DRTG, 17th) to rack up Ws.
As such, Minnesota is 13-6 in the new year (No. 5 in the West, No. 8 in the NBA) while boasting the fourth-best Net Rating (plus-7.3) in the league.
Everything has perked up for the Wolves, particularly in half-court situations. Just look at the shift statistically, per Cleaning The Glass:
<ul>
<li>Through Dec. 31: 59.0% at the rim (26th), 36.3% from mid range (27th), 33.6% from three (22nd)</li>
<li>Since Jan. 1: 65.1% at the rim (16th), 43.9% from mid range (8th), 38.1% from three (3rd)</li>
</ul>
Generally, this is the point where the "truth is somewhere in the middle" mantra kicks in. But then, you remember the Wolves had a 105.7 ORTG up until the Chris Finch hire last year, and boosted that figure to 111.9 to finish out the season. There was goodness hiding in plain sight.
If there's one thing to highlight with this recent surge from the Wolves, I'd choose their post play. There's been a better flow from it. The spacing makes (more) sense. The off-ball movement is more threatening than chaotic.
In other words: They've learned how to play off one another.
It starts with Karl-Anthony Towns, one of the most versatile offensive weapons in the sport. The Wolves do a great job of mixing in high and low post looks for him.
Having one of their best shooters make the entry pass provides an easy outlet for Towns if a double team comes. If a non-shooter makes the entry, he's likely to cut through and clear to the opposite side.
The least threatening shooters on the floor (hi Jarred Vanderbilt, specifically) aren't just heady cutters, they're also willing pin-in screeners. Their combination of movement and screening occupies potential help defenders.
Those options &mdash; built-in or free-flowing &mdash; make double-teaming Towns less appealing. Towns becoming a smarter ball-mover of late (less hook passes, por favor!) has led to more efficient offense.
There are set plays they use to get Towns going. This is one of my favorite quick hitters, a Towns-for-D'Angelo Russell screen that flows into a middle-post. Notice the (lack of) help on this possession.
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That's Russell making the entry pass. Anthony Edwards and Malik Beasley occupy each corner. Help could only come from the left wing, but Towns is decisive on the catch, making his move towards the strong-side corner with Beasley. The general rule is to avoid providing help from the strong side in that way, which essentially gives Towns a 1-on-1.
Because of Towns' otherworldly shooting ability, the Wolves are able to leverage him as a movement threat. Centers aren't used to chasing guys around screens, which leads to some uncomfortable switching.&nbsp;
Related: Towns has been crushing switches. Since the turn of the new year, the Wolves are generating nearly 1.2 points per possession when Towns bullies a guard or forward, per Second Spectrum.
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The exit screen for Towns forces Cory Joseph on him. The Pistons send extra attention &mdash; because why the heck wouldn't they &mdash; which leads to this alignment.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2022_02_09_19_56_11_lg.png" alt="" width="673" height="379" />
Not great!
As the clip plays out, Towns actually skips a step by hitting Patrick Beverley instead of Russell. The swing goes to Edwards, who attacks the scrambling defense. Russell floats to the corner, receives a kickout, then finishes things off with a floater.&nbsp;
Towns doesn't get the shot, an assist or even a hockey assist, but that bucket doesn't happen without him.
How about this nifty left-side clear-out with an inverted screen from Beverley to force a mismatch?
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Look at the strain that places on the Pistons. Isaiah Stewart is in an unfamiliar (and uncomfortable) help position. He can't double off of Beverley without risking an open three. And with Stewart on the perimeter, the largest player on the back line for the Pistons is Jerami Grant.
Tough sleddin'.&nbsp;
If you do want to double Towns, the timing has to be excellent. Show your hand too early, and he'll shift into QB mode. That's where the cutters get to shine.
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Come too late, and Towns will either have a favorable opportunity for himself, or he'll take advantage of your defense trying to correct itself on the fly with a pass.
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(That's some good stuff from McDaniels, who goes from setting a pin-in screen for Jordan McLaughlin &mdash; and being in position to do so for Taurean Prince &mdash; to cutting in front of Mike Conley since he's tasked with "splitting the difference" after Bojan Bogdanovic rotates to help.)
The outline of this kind of pick-your-poison attack has been here all season, but the execution simply wasn't. You can blame that on chemistry-building or injury woes &mdash; heck, those go hand-in-hand when you think about it.
What's undeniable is that they're executing on a new level. Through the 2021 portion of the schedule, the Wolves were generating 0.84 points per possession on trips featuring a Towns post-up. Since the turn of the year, that's shot up to 1.02, per Second Spectrum.
The Wolves are starting to figure stuff out, which bodes poorly for the rest of the Play-In hopefuls. Minnesota has a vice grip on the seventh seed (three-game lead on the Clippers), and now finds itself just a game behind the Nuggets for the sixth seed.
Best to keep an eye out on these guys.
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Nekias Duncan breaks down the Wolves' surging post offense attack, led by All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns.

On the block: Wolves surging behind Karl-Anthony Towns-led post attack

Tommy Beer is back with his latest version of BasketballNews.com's NBA Power Rankings. To read last week's version, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-power-rankings-suns-remain-redhot-bucks-continue-to-climb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>.
The Denver Nuggets are red-hot, thanks primarily to the MVP-caliber play of Nikola Jokic, while the Brooklyn Nets have gone ice-cold, losing 11 of their past 17 games.&nbsp;
1. Phoenix Suns (40-9) &harr;️ Last Week: 1&nbsp;
With their victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night, the Suns became the first team in the league to reach the 40-win plateau. In the process, they guaranteed themselves the Western Conference's best record going into the All-Star break, which means head coach Monty Williams will coach the West in Cleveland later this month. And <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/are-the-suns-somehow-flying-under-the-radar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as valuable as soon-to-be All-Stars such as Chris Paul and Devin Booker have been</a> this year, Phoenix has received surprisingly solid contributions from mid-season signing Bismack Biyombo, who is averaging 14.1 points and 10.4 rebounds over the Suns' last seven games. Phoenix is undefeated, a perfect 12-0, in the 12 games Biyombo has appeared in this season.&nbsp;
2. Golden State Warriors (38-13) &harr;️ Last Week: 2 
Steph Curry had been ice cold (at least by his standards) over the first 15 games the Warriors played in January and the first three quarters of Golden State's game vs. the Houston Rockets on Monday night. But in the final frame, Steph played like Steph, scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Warriors to their sixth consecutive win. "We've seen Steph do that a million times," head coach Steve Kerr said after the game. "It was bound to happen even though it's been a couple of weeks or whatever. Not surprising, but fun to see him shake free and have a game like he did." &nbsp; 3. Memphis Grizzlies (35-18) &harr;️ Last Week: 3
Ja Morant poured in 37 points and Desmond Bane scored a career-high 34, but it wasn't enough to knock off the Philadelphia 76ers on the road Monday night. Remarkably, it was the seventh straight game with at least 30 points for Morant. That's the longest such streak in Grizzlies franchise history. During this seven-game span, Ja is averaging 35.4 points (while shooting over 50%), 7.3 assists, 7.1 rebounds and 2.1 three-pointers.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The <a href="https://twitter.com/sixers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sixers</a> got the win in OT while Tyrese Maxey &amp; Ja Morant both dropped 30+points in their duel!<a href="https://twitter.com/JaMorant?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JaMorant</a>: 37 PTS, 5 REB, AST<a href="https://twitter.com/TyreseMaxey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TyreseMaxey</a>: 33 PTS, 8 AST, 4 BLK <a href="https://t.co/Fcgh05taaI">pic.twitter.com/Fcgh05taaI</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1488512620630061060?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2022</a></blockquote>

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4. Philadelphia 76ers (31-19) ⬆️ Last Week: 9
With MVP-contender Joel Embiid resting&nbsp; Monday night vs. Memphis, the Sixers needed Andre Drummond and the rest of the squad to step up. And that's just what they got. Drummond racked up 16 points and 23 rebounds, Tobias Harris scored 31 and Tyrese Maxey pumped in a season-high with 33 points to go along with 8 assists, 4 blocks and 3 assists in the impressive overtime win over the Grizzlies.
5. Miami Heat (32-19) ⬇️ Last Week: 4
Miami was extremely shorthanded in its loss to the Boston Celtics on Monday, forced to play without Jimmy Butler (toe), P.J. Tucker (knee) and point guard Kyle Lowry (personal). The Heat, who still have five contests left on their arduous six-game road trip, plays in Toronto on Tuesday, the second night of a back-to-back. &nbsp;
6. Chicago Bulls (31-18) ⬆️ Last Week: 8
The NBA announced last week that DeMar DeRozan will be a starter in this year's All-Star game. It's the first time a Bull has been a starter since 2017, and will mark DeRozan's fifth appearance as an All-Star. On the season, he's averaging 26.4 points per game (his highest scoring average since 2016-17) and is the only player in the league averaging over 25.0 points while making less than one three-pointer per contest.
7. Denver Nuggets (28-21) ⬆️ Last Week: 12
The Nuggets are rolling right now. They've won five consecutive contests (tied for their longest winning streak this season), including starting their current six-game road trip with four straight victories. During this five-game streak, Nikola Jokic is somehow averaging a triple-double (27.0 points, 12.4 rebounds and 10.0 assists) despite logging fewer than 33 minutes a night.
8. Cleveland Cavaliers (31-20) ⬇️ Last Week: 6
The Cavs were embarrassed Sunday in Detroit and were missing Darius Garland due to a sore lower back on Monday, but Brandon Goodwin stepped in and stepped up, finishing with a career-high 21 points in a win over the Pelicans. Cleveland trailed by 10 points in the final frame, but came back to secure a much-needed victory over New Orleans.&nbsp;
9. Milwaukee Bucks (31-21) ⬇️ Last Week: 5
The Bucks lost 2 of the 3 games they played last week, and their only victory was a home win over the struggling New York Knicks. Sunday's loss to the Nuggets in Milwaukee was particularly disheartening, as Denver humiliated the home team 136-100. The Bucks will look to get back on track Tuesday in Minnesota.&nbsp;
10. Dallas Mavericks (29-22) &harr;️ Last Week: 10
The Mavs had won 3 of 4 (and 7 of 9) before suffering a disappointing loss to the Magic in Orlando on Sunday. The defeat can't be pinned on Luka Doncic, who stuffed the stat sheet with 34 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. It was the 43rd triple-double of his career, moving him into a tie for 10th-most triple-doubles in NBA history, which is incredible considering the kid is just 22 years old.&nbsp;
11. Utah Jazz (30-21) ⬇️ Last Week: 7
The Jazz, who have lost 9 of their last 11 games, received devastating news Monday. The team confirmed that Joe Ingles will miss the remainder of the 2021-22 season (and a chunk of the 2022-23 season) after an MRI revealed he tore the ACL in his left knee. Ingles, who was the runner-up to teammate Jordan Clarkson for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award last season, is in the final year of a $13 million contract.&nbsp;
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12. Brooklyn Nets (29-20) ⬇️ Last Week: 11
The Nets have lost four games in a row, and things don't get any easier moving forward; they have four games left on their West Coast road swing, which resumes Tuesday night in Phoenix. In the 17 games they've played dating back to Dec. 30, Brooklyn is just 6-11. That's the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference, behind only the Magic and Indiana Pacers.&nbsp;
13. Charlotte Hornets (28-23) &harr;️ Last Week: 13
The Hornets are 2-3 over their past five games, and even in their wins, they have been porous defensively. The Hornets allowed their opponents to score at least 113 points in each of those five contests.&nbsp;
14. Toronto Raptors (25-23) ⬇️ Last Week: 17
The Raps have registered two extremely impressive victories over the past few days. On Saturday, they outlasted the Heat in an epic three-overtime slugfest in Miami, and then beat the red-hot Hawks in Atlanta on Monday night.&nbsp;
15. Boston Celtics (27-25) ⬆️ Last Week: 16
The C's took advantage of a banged-up Heat team Monday, beating Miami by 30 points. It was Boston's fourth victory in their last five games. Jaylen Brown is averaging 29.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.5 made treys over his last four contests. &nbsp;
16. Atlanta Hawks (24-26) ⬆️ Last Week: 20
Playing without Trae Young, who was sidelined by a right shoulder contusion he suffered on Sunday, the Hawks had their seven-game winning streak snapped Monday night. Delon Wright was inserted into the starting lineup but struggled, shooting just 1 of 7 en route to 4 points, 7 assists and 4 rebounds.
17. Minnesota Timberwolves (25-25) ⬇️ Last Week: 14
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
back on track. KAT - 31 pts. / 11 reb. / 10 ast. / 2 stl. Jaden - 22 pts. / 2 reb. / 4 ast. Ant - 15 pts. / 3 reb. / 4 ast. / 1 stl. J-Mac - 12 pts. / 1 reb. / 4 ast. / 4 stl. Jaylen - 10 pts. / 1 reb. / 5 ast. TP - 10 pts. / 7 reb. / 1 ast. / 2 stl. <a href="https://t.co/YP46pW4vjL">pic.twitter.com/YP46pW4vjL</a>
&mdash; Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) <a href="https://twitter.com/Timberwolves/status/1488003858261413890?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2022</a></blockquote>

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After losing back-to-back games on Thursday and Friday (at Golden State and Phoenix), Karl-Anthony Towns got the Wolves back on track Sunday, erupting for 31 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists (vs. just a single turnover) and 2 steals in the Timberwolves 20-point victory over the Jazz. It was KAT's second career triple-double. Jaden McDaniels also chipped in 22 points (on perfect 9 of 9 shooting), 4 assists and 3 treys in 27 minutes off the bench.&nbsp;
18. Los Angeles Lakers (24-27) ⬇️ Last Week: 15
It was reported over the weekend that LeBron James underwent an MRI that revealed general swelling in his knee. James has missed each of the Lakers' past three contests due to the injury and is expected to miss more. With L.A. having lost each of the three games LeBron sat out last week, it will be very interesting to see if the team can stay around .500.&nbsp;
19. Los Angeles Clippers (26-27) ⬆️ Last Week: 21 
On Monday, the Clippers wrapped an eight-game road swing with a loss to the Pacers in Indiana; however, the Clippers went a respectable 4-4 on the trip. They now return home to host the Lakers and Bucks later this week before embarking on another three-game road trip.
20. Washington Wizards (23-26) ⬇️ Last Week: 18
The Wizards are riding a five-game losing streak and are staring down the barrel of a brutal back-to-back. They have to play the Bucks in Milwaukee on Tuesday and the surging Sixers in Philly on Wednesday. Oh, and the Wiz will be without their best player, Bradley Beal, who is nursing a sprained left wrist.
21. New York Knicks (24-27) ⬇️ Last Week: 19
On Monday, the Knicks snapped a three-game losing skid by beating the Sacramento Kings in MSG. Quentin Grimes chipped in 14 points off the bench in the victory and played very well on the defensive end. The rookie is averaging more than 24 minutes a night over New York's last four games, as he has secured a spot in coach Tom Thibodeau's rotation due to his impressive, all-around skill set.&nbsp;
22. Portland Trail Blazers (21-30)&nbsp;&harr;️ Last Week: 22
Larry Nance Jr. has been sidelined since Jan. 6 due to right knee inflammation, but head coach Chauncey Billups told reporters over the weekend that Nance "is progressing every day" and "getting better." However, Billups said there is still no firm timeline for Nance's return.&nbsp;
23. New Orleans Pelicans (18-32)&nbsp;&harr;️ Last Week: 23
Brandon Ingram has been sidelined five straight games due to a right ankle sprain, and the Pelicans have lost each of the last four contests he's missed. There is a possibility he returns to action Tuesday night when New Orleans travels to Detroit.&nbsp;
24. San Antonio Spurs (19-32) ⬆️ Last Week: 26
Despite playing without Derrick White (rest), Dejounte Murray (left knee contusion) and Jakob Poeltl (low back soreness) Sunday in Phoenix, the Spurs hung tough with the Suns. In fact, they had a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter before Phoenix sprinted past them at the finish. Murray has been playing at an incredibly high level this month, averaging 22.9 points, 10.1 assists and 9.4 rebounds over his previous 10 games.&nbsp;
25. Indiana Pacers (19-33) ⬇️ Last Week: 24
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Isaiah Jackson had 26 points and 10 rebounds in his first NBA start. It's so easy for him to be productive just by embracing rolling hard and playing above the rim. Important to note that he made a three too <a href="https://t.co/HOqDJ77DL7">pic.twitter.com/HOqDJ77DL7</a>
&mdash; Wilko (@wilkomcv) <a href="https://twitter.com/wilkomcv/status/1488372533673951235?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Domantas Sabonis entered the COVID-19 health and safety protocols on Monday afternoon. However, the Pacers were still able to beat the Clippers that night, thanks mainly to a breakout performance from rookie Isaiah Jackson. With Goga Bitadze (foot) and Oshae Brissett (right ankle soreness) also sidelined, Jackson made his first career start and responded with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks.
26. Sacramento Kings (18-34)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 25
The Kings have lost seven in a row, and Monday's loss to the Knicks in New York was their 12th straight defeat on the road. It's been two months since their last road victory, which came on Dec. 1. De'Aaron Fox (sore left ankle) has missed each of Sacramento's last four games, but head coach Alvin Gentry said Monday that Fox is "feeling much better" and is "not concerned" about the injury being a long-term issue.&nbsp;
27. Oklahoma City Thunder (15-34)&nbsp;⬆️ Last Week: 29
Thunder fans got some bad news over the weekend when it was announced that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who suffered a right ankle sprain Friday against the Pacers, will be out at least through the All-Star Break.&nbsp;
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28. Detroit Pistons (12-37) &harr;️ Last Week: 28
Cade Cunningham missed all 10 of his field-goal attempts and was scoreless in the first half of Sunday's game vs. the Cavs. However, Cunningham put the Pistons on his back after halftime, scoring 19 points over the final two quarters to lead Detroit to an impressive victory over Cleveland. He finished the win with 10 rebounds, 10 assists (vs. just 2 turnovers) and 3 steals.
29. Orlando Magic (11-40) ⬆️ Last Week: 30
The Magic have won 3 of their last 4, with two of their most impressive victories of the season coming on successive Sundays (wins over the Bulls and Mavs). Franz Wagner poured in 18 points to help beat Dallas, including the clutch layup in the final minute. Over his last five games, Wagner is averaging 19.2 points and 4.0 assists while shooting a scorching 61.3% from the floor, 41.7% from downtown and 93.8% from the free-throw line
30. Houston Rockets (14-36) ⬇️ Last Week: 27
Christian Wood did his part, tallying 24 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block on Monday vs. Warriors, but it wasn't enough to knock off Golden State. The Rockets' loss to the Warriors was Houston's fourth consecutive defeat and their 11th in a row at home.
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NBA Power Rankings: Nuggets and 76ers on the come up, Nets sliding

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Karl-Anthony Towns had 31 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, Jaden McDaniels scored a season-high 22 points off the bench, and the Timberwolves routed the shorthanded Utah Jazz 126-106 on Sunday night.
Towns caught fire in the third quarter, scoring 16 straight points as the Wolves pushed their four-point halftime lead to 17 entering the fourth quarter. McDaniels&rsquo; 22 points came on a perfect 9-of-9 shooting, including 3 of 3 from deep.
Utah didn&rsquo;t have much of an answer for Towns. The Wolves' big man picked up his 10th assist late in the fourth quarter on a corner 3-pointer by Jordan McLaughlin. It was his second career triple-double.
&ldquo;The assists obviously come from my teammates, so that's all credit to them,&rdquo; Towns said. &ldquo;They're the reason this happened tonight.&rdquo;
Towns' triple-double was the 37th in Wolves history and the first since Shabazz Napier in 2020. Towns' other triple-double came against Denver in 2016.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 23 and Mike Conley 22 for Utah, which lost its fifth straight.
Playing without Donovan Mitchell (concussion) and Rudy Gobert (left calf strain), the Jazz suffered another setback when veteran forward Joe Ingles exited the game in the second quarter with a left knee injury. Ingles&rsquo; left leg buckled as he drove to the basket with 5:52 remaining. The Target Center crowd went silent as Jazz teammates and staff surrounded Ingles.
Ingles eventually was helped off the court but wasn't putting any weight on his left leg. The seven-year veteran was averaging 7.4 points per game for Utah this season. The team announced he will have an MRI on his knee on Monday in Salt Lake City.
&ldquo;I feel bad for him,&rdquo; said Utah assistant head coach Alex Jensen, who was filling in for head coach Quin Snyder due to Snyder being in health and safety protocols. &ldquo;Hopefully it's better than we all think.&rdquo;
Mitchell, Utah&rsquo;s leading scorer, missed his seventh straight game and Gobert was out for his fourth in row.
&ldquo;No excuses. We had some good stretches," Jensen said. &ldquo;We put a lot of guys in situations they weren't used to."
Led by Towns, Minnesota outscored Utah 40-27 in the third quarter. The Timberwolves shot 64% (16 of 25) from the floor in the third. McDaniels added eight of his 22 points in the third.
Minnesota was also without a few key players: Point guard D&rsquo;Angelo Russell missed his second game with a left shin contusion, and Patrick Beverley remained sidelined with a right ankle sprain.
McDaniels came off the bench Sunday after starting the Wolves' past four games. He was a team-high plus-24 against Utah, giving Minnesota a spark off the bench after the Wolves returned home from a grueling road trip that included losses to Golden State and Phoenix.
&ldquo;I just said to him, &lsquo;You&rsquo;re not a shooter. You're a basketball player. So go make basketball plays and the shots will go in," Wolves coach Chris Finch said. &ldquo;I thought that resonated with him, because he is a basketball player. He can do a little bit of everything."
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TIP-INS
Jazz: Danuel House Jr. was out Sunday due to health and safety protocols. House signed his third 10-day contract with Utah on Friday and is averaging 8.3 points per game for the Jazz.
Timberwolves: Prior to Sunday&rsquo;s game, Minnesota recalled Leandro Bolmaro from the G League Iowa Wolves. Bolmaro has appeared in 24 games with Minnesota this year.
UP NEXT
Jazz: Utah begins a six-game homestand Wednesday when it hosts Denver.
Timberwolves: Minnesota hosts Denver on Tuesday.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 31 points and a triple-double, Jaden McDaniels scored 22, and Minnesota routed the Jazz 126-106.

Towns scores 31 in Wolves' win over Jazz; Ingles injured

Tommy Beer is back with his latest version of BasketballNews.com's NBA Power Rankings. To read last week's version, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-power-rankings-memphis-grizzlies-jump-into-the-top-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>.
The Memphis Grizzlies are tied for second-most wins in the Western Conference, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are tied for the second-most wins in the East. Just like we all predicted back in October, right?&nbsp;
1. Phoenix Suns (34-9)&nbsp;⬆️ Last Week: 2
Devin Booker put on a show Monday night, pouring in a season-high 48 points to go along with 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and bo turnovers in the Suns' victory over the San Antonio Spurs. It was Phoenix's fifth straight victory on the road and the team's 34th overall win this season &mdash; three more than any other team in the league.&nbsp;
2. Memphis Grizzlies (31-15) ⬆️ Last Week: 3
Memphis had its 11-game winning streak snapped Friday by the Dallas Mavericks, but got right back in the win column Sunday courtesy of a dominant victory over the Chicago Bulls. Ja Morant had 25 for the Grizz, as did Desmond Bane. While Morant has been lavished with praise nationwide, it seems Bane continues to fly under the radar. But, make no mistake, he's been crucial to Memphis' recent success. Over the team's last 15 games, Bane is averaging 20.9 points, 4.7 boards, 3.5 made treys (on 44.5% shooting) and 1.4 steals.&nbsp;
3. Golden State Warriors (31-12) ⬇️ Last Week: 1
Dealing with a myriad of injuries, the Warriors have hit a rough patch and have lost 3 of their last 4 games. Golden State announced Sunday that Draymond Green will miss at least the next two weeks due to left calf tightness and a lower back ailment. Stephen Curry was unable to play Sunday after injuring his right hand Friday night. However, Steph only experienced minor soreness and is expected to play Tuesday against the Detroit Pistons.
4. Miami Heat (28-16)&nbsp;⬆️ Last Week: 6
The Heat, who have been winning even while missing some of their key starters, welcomed back Bam Adebayo in Monday's win over the Raptors. Bam, who had missed 22 games due to a thumb injury, registered 14 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists in 32 minutes. "You can see his energy out there," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said of Adebayo after the game. "He makes us different." Another player that makes the Heat different is Jimmy Butler, who finished with 19 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds on Monday. It was his ninth triple-double as a member of the Heat.
5. Chicago Bulls (27-14)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 4
The Bulls were forced to play without Zach LaVine (left knee), Lonzo Ball (left knee soreness) and Alex Caruso (foot, conditioning) in Sunday's loss at Memphis. Fortunately, head coach Billy Donovan said that Caruso would practice both Monday and Tuesday, and that Chicago coaches and doctors would then decide if he is ready to return. Donovan also noted that Ball flew back to Chicago to have the knee looked at by a specialist.
6. Cleveland Cavaliers (27-18) ⬆️ Last Week: 10
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Darius Garland continued his late All-Star push yesterday: 22 Points 6 Rebounds 12 Assists 2 Steals 10/19 FG 2/5 3PT +6 In 36 minutes of action Vs the Brooklyn Nets.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetEmKnow?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetEmKnow</a> <a href="https://t.co/01kUQXgvDe">pic.twitter.com/01kUQXgvDe</a>
&mdash; Mack Perry (@DevaronPerry) <a href="https://twitter.com/DevaronPerry/status/1483420265065459715?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Darius Garland was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week after leading the Cavs to an NBA-best 4-0 record last week (with all four victories on the road against Western Conference opponents) while averaging 20.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 12.8 assists. As an encore, Garland racked up 22 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 steals in Monday's 114-107 win over the Nets.&nbsp;
7. Utah Jazz (29-15)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 5
Utah's loss to the Lakers on Monday night in Los Angeles was the Jazz's fifth defeat in their last six games. Fortunately for Utah, they return home Wednesday to take on the Houston Rockets and then have another winnable home game Friday, when they host the Pistons. &nbsp;&nbsp;
8. Milwaukee Bucks (27-19) ⬇️ Last Week: 7
The Bucks have surprisingly dropped 4 of their last 5 games, including a disappointing loss to the struggling Atlanta Hawks on Monday, in which Milwaukee blew an 11-point lead with less than nine minutes to play. Jrue Holiday has missed each of these five contests due to left ankle soreness.
9. Brooklyn Nets (27-16)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 8
Kevin Durant injured his knee in the second quarter of Saturday's victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. KD underwent an MRI on Sunday and was diagnosed with a sprained left medial collateral ligament (MCL). The team announced Durant is "expected to return to full strength after a period of rehabilitation." According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, there is "optimism within the organization" that KD will be able to return to action after a 4-to-6-week rehab period. Kyrie Irving stepped up and delivered 27 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds on Monday in Cleveland, but Brooklyn still lost to the Cavaliers.&nbsp;
10. Dallas Mavericks (25-19) ⬆️ Last Week: 12
In Monday's victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Luka Doncic had 20 points, 12 assists, 11 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks. It was the 41st triple-double of his short career, which is one more than the other 349 players who have ever played for the Mavericks combined.&nbsp;
11. Philadelphia 76ers (25-18) ⬇️ Last Week: 9
The Sixers had won 9 of 10 before getting buzzed by the Washington Wizards in D.C. on Monday afternoon. Philly was playing without defensive specialist Matisse Thybulle; the team announced Sunday that Thybulle underwent an MRI, which revealed a sprained right shoulder. He'll miss at least one week.&nbsp;
12. Charlotte Hornets (24-20)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 11
LaMelo Ball was unable to play on Monday vs. the New York Knicks, but with Miles Bridges lighting up the 'Bockers, Charlotte didn't need its young point guard. Bridges had just one point less (22) than the entire Knicks team in the first quarter. He finished with a career-high 38 points to go along with 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 triples, a steal, a block and just one turnover. Bridges is the sixth player this season to record a career-high against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
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13. Denver Nuggets (22-20) ⬆️ Last Week: 14
Nikola Jokic once again did all he could Sunday night vs. the Jazz, registering a 25-point, 15-rebound, 14-assist triple-double, but it wasn't enough to push the Nuggets past Utah. It was his ninth trip-dub this season (tying him with Russell Westbrook for the league lead) and the 66th of his career.&nbsp;
14. Washington Wizards (23-21)&nbsp;⬆️ Last Week: 17
Kyle Kuzma was at it again on Monday, tallying 15 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks in a win over the Sixers. Over the Wizards' past 10 games, Kuz is averaging a whopping 24.1 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.6 treys while shooting 53.4% from the floor.&nbsp;
15. Toronto Raptors (21-20) ⬇️ Last Week: 13
Despite Monday's loss to the Heat, the Raptors have reached the season's midpoint with a 21-20 record. It's the eighth time in the last nine years they have had a winning record halfway through the season. The only exception was last season, when they were forced to play all their "home" games in Tampa.&nbsp;
16. Boston Celtics (23-22)&nbsp;⬆️ Last Week: 19
Despite falling behind by 18 points in the first half to New Orleans on Monday afternoon, the Celts came all the way back to beat the Pels by 12. Jayson Tatum led the way for Boston, scoring 21 of his 27 points in the second half. It was the Cs' fifth win in their last six games.&nbsp;
17. Minnesota Timberwolves (21-22)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 16
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Karl-Anthony Towns takes it STRONG to the rack 💪<a href="https://t.co/EsFMiFNZHl">pic.twitter.com/EsFMiFNZHl</a>
&mdash; Timberwolves Nation (@TWolvesNationCP) <a href="https://twitter.com/TWolvesNationCP/status/1482904126078218242?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2022</a></blockquote>

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After beating up on the shorthanded Warriors Sunday night (thanks to a 26-point, 11-rebound double-double courtesy of Karl-Anthony Towns), the Wolves have won 5 of their last 7 games. However, they head to New York on Tuesday and are in the middle of a stretch where they play 12 of 15 games on the road.
18. Los Angeles Lakers (22-22)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 15
Frank Vogel was coaching for his job on Monday vs. Utah, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/frank-vogels-job-in-jeopardy-nearly-fired-after-lakers-loss-to-nuggets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to</a> Bill Oram and Sam Amick of The Athletic, who reported that Vogel "narrowly avoided being fired" after the Lakers' embarrassing 37-point loss to Denver over the weekend. The Lakers beat the Jazz, but it sounds like the team's head coach is most certainly on the hot seat.&nbsp;
19. Los Angeles Clippers (22-23)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 18
The Clippers got a much-needed victory Monday over the Indiana Pacers thanks to a surprising, season-high 32-point explosion from Nicolas Batum (who scored all 32 of his points after halftime) and 26 points from Reggie Jackson. Remarkably, that was the Clippers' last home game until Feb. 3. L.A. will begin a brutal eight-game road trip Wednesday night in Denver. &nbsp; 20. New York Knicks (22-22) &harr;️ Last Week: 20
With the Knicks riding a three-game win streak, the N.Y. fanbase was excited coming into Monday's matinee matchup with the Hornets. However, the Knicks crashed back down to earth, as the Hornets blew them out of the building. Still, the Knicks getting beat by a better team shouldn't be shocking. Of the Knicks' last 11 wins, 10 have come against opponents with losing records.&nbsp;
21. Atlanta Hawks (18-25)&nbsp;&harr;️ Last Week: 21
Heading into Monday's game vs. Milwaukee, the Hawks hadn't won at home since Nov. 22. Atlanta was able to snap its 10-game home losing skid in impressive fashion, knocking off the defending champs, despite playing without starters Bogdan Bogdanovic (sore right knee) and Clint Capela (sprained left ankle). Onyeka Okongwu <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/is-onyeka-okongwu-ready-for-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stepped in and stepped up for the Hawks</a>, tallying 12 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks on Monday.
22. Portland Trail Blazers (18-25)&nbsp;&harr;️ Last Week: 22 
The Blazers finally welcomed back CJ McCollum to the lineup on Monday after their star shooting guard missed six weeks of action due to a collapsed lung (and the birth of his son). McCollum logged 26 minutes in Portland's victory over the Orlando Magic, racking up 16 points, 2 assists and a rebound. Despite being seven games under .500, the Blazers have a two-game lead over the Sacramento Kings for the 10th seed in the Western Conference.
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23. Sacramento Kings (18-28) ⬆️ Last Week: 24
Tyrese Haliburton, who had been playing at a remarkably high level of late, entered the league's health and safety protocols over the weekend and could not play Sunday vs. Houston. Marvin Bagley (right shoulder soreness) was also ruled out. Richaun Holmes (protocols/conditioning) did return to action after an eight-game absence, but logged just 15 minutes in the Kings' loss to the Rockets.&nbsp;
24. San Antonio Spurs (16-28)&nbsp;⬆️ Last Week: 25
Jakob Poeltl played one of his best all-around games of the season in Monday's loss to the Suns, tallying 23 points (on 9 of 12 shooting), 14 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks in 30 minutes. Over the Spurs' last 12 games, 'Jak is averaging 13.0 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. The Spurs may also get big man Zach Collins (left foot) back by the end of this month. On Monday, Collins tallied 8 points and 3 blocks in 19 minutes in his 2021-22 G League debut with Austin.
25. New Orleans Pelicans (16-28) ⬆️ Last Week: 27
The Pels had won two in a row at home before getting beat in Brooklyn on Saturday and falling to Boston in Beantown on Monday. New Orleans will close out its three-game East Coast road trip Thursday vs. the Knicks at MSG.
26. Indiana Pacers (15-29)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 23
Myles Turner sat out Monday due to a sore left ankle and was joined on the sidelines by Malcolm Brogdon (sore right Achilles tendon) and Jeremy Lamb (sore left knee). Earlier Monday, it was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/report-mavs-blazers-wolves-knicks-lakers-hornets-targeting-myles-turner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the Pacers "are seeking two first-round picks or a promising young player and a first-round pick" in exchange for Turner. However, the team announced Tuesday that Turner is dealing with a stress reaction in his foot, which will sideline him for at least two weeks. With Indiana now 14 games below .500, it seems safe to assume the organization will make a significant move before the trade deadline next month.&nbsp;
27. Oklahoma City Thunder (14-29)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 26
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
what&rsquo;s understood doesn&rsquo;t need to be explained‼️<a href="https://twitter.com/shaiglalex?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@shaiglalex</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAAIIStar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAAIIStar</a> <a href="https://t.co/AK8iLzJ1It">pic.twitter.com/AK8iLzJ1It</a>
&mdash; OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) <a href="https://twitter.com/okcthunder/status/1483283153758396427?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2022</a></blockquote>

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OKC has outscored its opponents by a total of 6 points over their past five games. However, the Thunder are just 1-4 in those five contests, as their one win was a 21-point blowout of the Nets, while their four losses were by 4, 4, 5 and 2 points, respectively.&nbsp;
28. Houston Rockets (13-32) ⬆️ Last Week: 29
Christian Wood had another solid performance in Houston's victory over the Kings on Sunday, tallying 23 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 triples and 2 steals. After a minor midseason slump, Wood has posted impressive numbers in 2022. Over the Rockets' last seven games, he is averaging 21.4 points, 8.7 boards, 2.1 treys and 1.6 steals, while shooting 54% from the floor and 41.7% from downtown.&nbsp;
29. Detroit Pistons (10-32) ⬇️ Last Week: 28
The Pistons registered their two most impressive wins of the season last week, beating the Jazz by double-digits and then romping the Raptors, 103-87. Over the four games Detroit played last week, rookie sensation Cade Cunningham averaged 19.0 points, 5.0 assists and 2.3 triples, while shooting 51.7% from the floor, 42.9% from behind the arc and 87.5% from the charity stripe.&nbsp;
30. Orlando Magic (8-37)&nbsp;&harr;️ Last Week: 30
Orlando has lost 12 of its last 13 games, including eight in a row at home. It's been more than six weeks since the Magic won a game at Amway Center. Encouragingly, Jalen Suggs has been more efficient offensively since returning from a thumb injury. Over the Magic's past three games, the rookie guard is averaging 12.7 points, 5.0 boards and 4.0 dimes while shooting 58.6% from the floor.&nbsp;

NBA Power Rankings: Cavs, Grizz stay hot; Suns take over No. 1

Tommy Beer is back with his latest version of BasketballNews.com's NBA Power Rankings. To read last week's version, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-power-rankings-a-new-years-resolution-for-each-team" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>.
Ja Morant and his high-flying Memphis Grizzlies, who are riding a nine-game winning streak, leap all the way up to No. 3 in this week's Basketball News Power Rankings.&nbsp;
1. Golden State Warriors (30-9) &harr;️ Last Week: 1
The Warriors, who were already one of the best teams in the league, welcomed back one of this generation's best two-way players in Klay Thompson on Sunday night. We'll see if Klay can stay healthy, but he certainly looked solid in the Dubs' victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, scoring 17 points in 20 minutes. Cool factoid on Thompson: He had been sidelined for 941 days before suiting up Sunday and scoring 17 points. The only player in NBA history to miss more time due to injury and score more points in his first game back was Bill Walton (20 points in 1982) after missing 962 days. (Editor's Note: Etan Thomas <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/exwarriors-coach-mark-jackson-is-happy-to-see-klay-thompson-back-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke with Mark Jackson about Thompson's return</a> recently.)
2. Phoenix Suns (30-9) &harr;️ Last Week: 2
After a disappointing rookie season, the Suns declined Jalen Smith's team option of $4.7 million for the 2022-23 season. As a result, Smith, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Well, after injuries and a Covid outbreak left the team short-handed in late December, Smith <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/suns-have-a-big-man-predicament-theyre-happy-to-deal-with" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stepped in and stepped up</a>, surprisingly averaging 15.8 points (on 55.4% shooting) and 10.2 rebounds over a six-game stretch.&nbsp;
3. Memphis Grizzlies (28-14) ⬆️ Last Week: 6
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LeBron on <a href="https://twitter.com/JaMorant?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JaMorant</a>'s insane block: "They got rockets in his calf muscles. It was a spectacular play. Salute." <a href="https://t.co/FSkjD6nXZ5">pic.twitter.com/FSkjD6nXZ5</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1480539311921577992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Ja Morant set the internet ablaze when the highlight clip of his block of Avery Bradley went viral, and the Grizzlies notched a franchise-record ninth straight win Sunday night in Los Angeles. "That's probably the best block I've ever seen live. Probably the best block I've ever seen, period," Jaren Jackson Jr. told reporters after the game. "That was crazy. I knew he was going to do it, too, because he always loads up right before." In the two games Memphis played in L.A. over the weekend, Jackson was magnificent, racking up 47 points, 20 rebounds, 11 blocks (!!), 4 steals and 3 treys.&nbsp;
4. Chicago Bulls (26-11) &harr;️ Last Week: 4
Thanks to a rare poor shooting night, the Bulls finally had their nine-game winning streak snapped Sunday night in Dallas. Chicago, which leads the NBA in three-point accuracy this season, made only 11 of the 33 triples the team tried vs. the Mavs. No Bulls team has won 10 or more games in a row since Michael Jordan's final season in the Windy City (1997-98).
5. Utah Jazz (28-13)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 3
The Jazz wrapped up a five-game road trip Monday night with a disappointing loss to the Detroit Pistons. Utah led Detroit by as much as 22 points in the first half, but was outscored 94-62 in the final 30 minutes. It's the Jazz's third straight defeat. They'll look to get back on track when they return home Wednesday to host the Cavs. &nbsp; 6. Miami Heat (25-15) ⬆️ Last Week: 8
Like most other teams in the league, the Heat have been hit hard by injuries and COVID this season, but it hasn't slowed them down. Consider this: Tyler Herro leads the team in total points this season, Caleb Martin leads the team in blocks and the team's three leading rebounders are Dewayne Dedmon, Omer Yurtseven and P.J. Tucker. And yet, Miami is still somehow 10 games over .500 and in third place in the conference. Head coach ​​Erik Spoelstra is doing an excellent job once again.&nbsp;
7. Milwaukee Bucks (26-17)&nbsp;⬇️&nbsp;Last Week: 5
After back-to-back defeats in Charlotte, the Bucks have lost 4 of their past 5 games. "You are definitely concerned anytime you lose four out of five," <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=401360426" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Khris Middleton said</a> after Monday's loss to the Hornets. "And you never want to lose two in a row. You understand what the circumstances are (with players being out) and you never want to use that as an excuse. We understand what we're going through and everybody is going through. But we still have to go out there and compete." Things don't get any easier for the Bucks, as they travel home to take on the Warriors on Thursday night.&nbsp;
8. Brooklyn Nets (25-14) ⬇️ Last Week: 7
The Nets are in the middle of a brutal stretch in which they play four games in five days, and five games in seven days. After beating the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday afternoon, Brooklyn flew across the country to Portland to make up for a contest initially scheduled for Dec. 23 that was postponed because of COVID-19 complications. James Harden was unable to play in Monday's loss to the Blazers due to a hyperextended left knee, but head coach Steve Nash said Harden should be available for Wednesday's game in Chicago.
9. Philadelphia 76ers (23-16) ⬆️ Last Week: 10
Philly is rolling right now. Having won seven straight games, it is the longest winning streak in the Eastern Conference; the Grizz are the only team in the league with a longer streak. Joel Embiid has been the engine driving the Sixer train all season, and during this seven-game stretch, he is doing it all, averaging 32.9 points (on 56% shooting), 10.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.4 blocks.&nbsp;
10. Cleveland Cavaliers (23-18) ⬇️ Last Week: 9
Darius Garland continues to make his case for the NBA's Most Improved Player award. Over his last eight appearances, Garland is averaging 20.9 points, 6.8 assists, 3.0 boards, 1.1 steals and 2.6 made three-pointers. He also has posted a remarkably impressive +253 plus/minus this season, which is the sixth-best individual +/- in the NBA, one spot ahead of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
11. Charlotte Hornets (22-19) ⬆️ Last Week: 12
After closing out last week with a victory over the defending champs, the Hornets started this week on a high note by defeating the Bucks once again. Terry Rozier poured in 27 points to go along with 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 triples and 2 steals in Monday's victory. Over the Hornets' last seven games, Scary Terry is averaging 23.9 points, 4.7 boards, 3.7 assists, and 4.6 triples, while shooting a scorching 51.7% from the field and 50% from downtown (having made 32 of his last 63 three-point attempts).&nbsp;
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12. Dallas Mavericks (22-18) ⬆️ Last Week: 15
The Mavs have won six straight, and registered one of their most impressive victories of the season Sunday night vs. the Bulls, ending Chicago's nine-game win streak. The Mavs have missed Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis for stretches this season, but Jalen Brunson has appeared in 39 of Dallas' 40 games this season and played very well. (Coming into Sunday, he led the team in total points and assists in 2021-22.) Brunson has been especially productive this past month, averaging 19.3 points (on 51% shooting), 7.1 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 made treys over the Mavs' previous 13 contests.&nbsp;
13. Toronto Raptors (20-17) ⬆️ Last Week: 18
The red-hot Raps extended their winning streak to a season-high six games on Sunday with a victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Fred VanVleet has been playing at a truly elite level as of late. Over his last seven appearances, FVV is averaging 30.6 points, 7.4 assists, 5.0 assists, 2.0 steals, 5.9 (!!) made three-pointers and just 0.9 turnovers, while shooting 46% from downtown and 96.7% from the charity stripe. The Raps are 7-0 in those seven games. VanVleet <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/making-all-star-case-fred-vanvleet-toronto-raptors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deserves an All-Star nod this year</a>.&nbsp;
14. Denver Nuggets (20-18)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 11
The Nuggets are back above .500 after winning 5 of the 7 games they've played since Christmas. It's been Nikola Jokic, of course, who has powered Denver during this recent streak. Over his last eight games, the Joker is averaging a mind-boggling 26.1 points, 17.3 rebounds, and 6.0 assists.&nbsp;
15. Los Angeles Lakers (21-20)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 13
The Lakers' had won four in a row and 5 of their previous 6 games before getting blown out by the Grizz on Sunday night. However, the loss can't be pinned on LeBron James, who is somehow still playing at an incredibly high level despite turning 37 years old two weeks ago. Over L.A.'s past 11 games, James is averaging 34.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.5 blocks, and 3.1 triples.&nbsp;
16. Minnesota Timberwolves (20-20) ⬆️ Last Week: 19
Karl-Anthony Towns was dominant in the Wolves 141-123 victory over the Houston Rockets in Sunday night, pouring in a season-high 40 points to go along with 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Last week, the Wolves also received a nice boost from Jarred Vanderbilt, who has averaged 16.0 rebounds (!!), 12.3 points (on 63% shooting), 3.3 assists and 2.0 steals over Minnesota's past three games.&nbsp;
17. Washington Wizards (20-20) ⬇️ Last Week: 14
The Lakers may be questioning their end of August's blockbuster Russell Westbrook trade, but the Wizards have to be delighted with the early returns. On Sunday night, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 14 points, including a clutch three-pointer late in the fourth quarter to lead the Wiz past Orlando; meanwhile, Kyle Kuzma racked up 27 points and a career-high 22 rebounds in the victory. Over Washington's last six games, Kuz is averaging 27.0 points (on 53% shooting) and 13.0 rebounds. The only other player in the league averaging at least 27 points and 11 boards this month is Giannis.&nbsp;
18. Los Angeles Clippers (20-21)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 16
The Clippers had lost 6 of 8 since losing Paul George to an elbow injury, but L.A. got back on track Sunday with a much-needed victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Clips fans also got some encouraging news via Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, who reported late last week that Kawhi Leonard is ahead of schedule in his rehab from his torn right ACL, and there's a "strong possibility" <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kawhi-leonard-knee-ahead-of-schedule-strong-chance-he-returns-this-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he could return this season</a>.
19. Boston Celtics (20-21)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 17
After losing last Wednesday to San Antonio and then blowing a 25-point second-half lead to the New York Knicks the following night, it appeared the Celtics were spiraling. However, Boston head coach Ime Udoka challenged his team, and the C's have responded with two consecutive wins, including a revenge win over New York and an overtime victory vs. the Indiana Pacers on Monday night.
20. New York Knicks (20-21) ⬆️ Last Week: 21
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
30-ball from Barrett 🔥<a href="https://twitter.com/RjBarrett6?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RjBarrett6</a> drops 31 PTS to lead the <a href="https://twitter.com/nyknicks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nyknicks</a> to the huge home win! <a href="https://t.co/qkgDGoIldA">pic.twitter.com/qkgDGoIldA</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1480894789356769281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The Knicks got a much-needed win over the Spurs on Monday, thanks in large part to RJ Barrett's 31 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds. It was the fourth time Barrett has scored 30-plus points this season, and New York is undefeated (4-0) in those games, with three of the wins by double-digits. After a nasty midseason slump, it appears Barrett is back on track. Over his last six games, RJ is averaging 23.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.3 triples. &nbsp;
21. Atlanta Hawks (17-22) ⬇️ Last Week: 20
The Hawks wrapped up their six-game road trip Sunday with a loss in Los Angeles, finishing just 2-4 on their West Coast swing. Atlanta, now five games under .500, has been one of the league's most disappointing teams this season. Interestingly, according to NBA reporter Marc Stein, the Hawks have emerged as a new "suitor to watch" and potential <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/hawks-emerging-as-a-potential-landing-spot-for-ben-simmons" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sixers trade partner in the Ben Simmons saga</a>.&nbsp;
22. Portland Trail Blazers (16-24) ⬆️ Last Week: 23 
Anfernee Simons remained red-hot in the Blazers' victory over the Nets on Monday night, dishing out a career-high 11 assists to go along with 23 points and 6 rebounds. Given an expanded role with Dame Lillard sidelined by an abdominal injury, Simons <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/anfernee-simons-is-stepping-up-with-more-responsibility-portland-trail-blazers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has played remarkably well</a>. Over Portland's last five games, he is averaging 27.8 points (on 51% shooting), 7.6 assists and 5.0 made treys. He's one of seven players averaging more than 27 points and 5 dimes in January. The other five are Giannis, Trae Young, Joel Embiid, Fred VanVleet, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Not bad company for the kid to keep.
23. Indiana Pacers (15-26) ⬆️ Last Week: 24
The Pacers have lost 7 of their last 8 games, but Domantas Sabonis has done everything possible to prop up his teammates during this stretch, as he's averaged 23.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.1 made three-pointers.&nbsp;
24. Sacramento Kings (16-27)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 22
Encouragingly, over his last 14 games dating back to Dec. 17, Tyrese Haliburton is averaging 18.4 points, 9.1 assists (vs. just 2.7 turnovers), 1.5 steals and 2.7 made three-pointers while shooting 50.8% from the field, 50.7% from downtown and 84.6% from the free-throw stripe. Discouragingly, over that same stretch, De'Aaron Fox is averaging 19.0 points, 5.2 assists (vs. 2.9 turnovers), 0.9 steals and 0.5 made three-pointers while shooting 43.2% from the floor, 17.9% from downtown and 77.6% from the line. The Kings have lost five straight games.
25. San Antonio Spurs (15-25) &harr;️ Last Week: 25
The Spurs are struggling as losers in 7 of their last 8. Yet, one bright spot has been the play of Dejounte Murray. In the four games he's played since returning from COVID protocols, Murray is averaging 23.0 points. 9.5 dimes, 6.8 boards, 1.3 triples and 2.5 steals.&nbsp;
26. Oklahoma City Thunder (13-26) &harr;️ Last Week: 26
OKC has lost 6 of its last 7. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has appeared in 5 of these 7 contests, and although he's put up solid counting stats, he's been highly inefficient offensively. During this current stretch, SGA is attempting a team-high 17.6 shots a night, but is shooting just 33% from the floor and 20.8% from downtown.&nbsp;
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27. New Orleans Pelicans (14-26) &harr;️ Last Week: 27
Before sitting out Sunday, Josh Hart had been on a two-week tear for the Pels. Over his previous eight games, Hart was averaging 17.8 points (on 53.3% shooting), 9.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.6 treys. However, New Orleans has lost 4 of its past 5 contests. &nbsp;
28. Detroit Pistons (9-30) ⬆️ Last Week: 29
The Pistons stunned the Jazz on Monday night, beating Utah by double-digits. Rookie sensation ​​Cade Cunningham led the way, scoring a career-high 29 points (on 10-of-17 shooting) and chipping in 6 rebounds, 5 treys, an assist, a block and just 2 turnovers in the 126-116 win.
29. Houston Rockets (11-31) ⬇️ Last Week: 28
After getting blown out by the Sixers Monday night, the Rockets have now lost 11 of their past 12 games. Things don't get any easier for Houston, as they are about to embark on a five-game road trip that concludes with back-to-back games vs. the Jazz and Warriors.&nbsp;
30. Orlando Magic (7-34) &harr;️ Last Week: 30
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported Monday that the Magic had signed president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman and general manager John Hammond to contract extensions that run through the 2025-26 season. Despite Orlando's struggles this year, ownership is "pleased with the direction of the team's rebuild, including the hiring of coach Jamhal Mosley and drafting of first-round picks Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony."

NBA Power Rankings: Grizz sizzling; Raptors, 76ers, Mavs streaking

Thus far this season, Golden State Warrior losses have been a lot like blue moons &mdash; seldom seen, and as a result, quite conspicuous.
Notwithstanding the team&rsquo;s 89-86 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night, the Dubs have been the NBA&rsquo;s best team this season. They enter play on Dec. 29 with the league&rsquo;s top record of 27-7 and the second-best plus-minus (+10) among their peers. They also happen to lay statistical claim of being the best defensive team in the league, as they allow the fewest points per game (100.9) and yield the fewest points per 100 possessions (102.1).
Offensively, they&rsquo;ve been led by Steph Curry, who, in case you haven&rsquo;t noticed, is doing big things.
With the other half of the Splash Brothers lurking in the shadows, one can&rsquo;t help but to wonder whether the Warriors have been so good that they&rsquo;ve created a Klay Thompson conundrum.
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The assumption has always been that Golden State would become a better team once Thompson returns to the lineup, but, in the words of Jay-Z...
How you gon' upgrade me?
What's higher than number one?
Nothing immediately comes to mind.
That the Warriors have arrived here is a surprise &mdash; at least to yours truly. Their championship window <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/dynastic-demise-warriors-have-far-to-go-to-become-contender-out-west" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seemed to be closing</a> as their core aged out, but a reinvigoration of youth and their development has changed everything.
A combination of an improved Curry and a rejuvenated (and effective) Draymond Green have anchored a team that has seen auxiliary pieces like Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole and Damion Lee become fairly efficient shot-makers who compete defensively. 
Wiggins, in particular, has found his game in California.&nbsp;
A career 44.8% shooter from the field, he is knocking down a career-best 48.7% of his attempts, including a blistering 42.5% from three.
With players shuttled in and out of the lineup, Golden State&rsquo;s appreciable depth has been on display. Otto Porter Jr., Andre Iguodala, Gary Payton II and Juan Toscano-Anderson have each played impactful minutes when called upon, and the recurring theme for the Warriors has been finding ways to win.
And again, all of this has occurred without Thompson.
As a player &mdash; assuming he can revert to form &mdash; Klay should be expected to regain his place in the rotation and help the Warriors on both ends of the floor. At least on paper, adding a talent like him, with his specific gifts, could make the Warriors virtually unbeatable.
Nonetheless, it&rsquo;s interesting to comprehend just how good the team has been without him, and why.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Keeping Up With The Canadians 🇨🇦 Andrew Wiggins | vs. Denver 21 POINTS 3 THREE POINTERS 8 REBOUNDS 2 STEALS<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DubNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DubNation</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/warriors?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@warriors</a> <a href="https://t.co/SYkr43VM9d">pic.twitter.com/SYkr43VM9d</a>
&mdash; NBA Canada (@NBACanada) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBACanada/status/1476203855046086656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2021</a></blockquote>

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According to <a href="http://www.82games.com/2122/2122GSW2.HTM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">82games.com</a>, the team&rsquo;s best five-man unit is Curry, Poole, Wiggins, Green and Looney. The quintet has played 264.5 minutes together, boasting a net-rating of +21 and outscoring opposing five-man units 65% of the time.
The second-best combination replaces Looney with Porter. The group has played only 36.6 minutes together, but has a net rating of +15 and has outscored opposing five-man units 55.5% of the time. Others deployed by Kerr have smaller sample sizes, meaning that these two lineups are the ones he relies upon most heavily.&nbsp;
What becomes evident from these two, however, is that both Poole and Wiggins have been instrumental to the Warriors&rsquo; success &mdash; and that is a pair whose minutes will be reduced most dramatically once Thompson returns.
Klay is best as a catch-and-shoot player, so it&rsquo;s easy to imagine scenarios where he&rsquo;s playing alongside Poole. It&rsquo;s also easy to imagine five-man units where Green plays center with Curry, Poole, Thompson and Wiggins.
Still, reincorporating a piece &mdash; especially one who&rsquo;s expected to play starter&rsquo;s minutes &mdash; is going to cause rotational demotions. Young players don&rsquo;t always handle those well.
The last time Thompson played in an NBA game, Kevin Durant was still his teammate. Wiggins was in Minnesota, and had only recently been separated from Tom Thibodeau and Jimmy Butler. Poole was a sophomore Wolverine at the University of Michigan whose hoops dreams had yet to fully materialize.
Lots has changed.
Assuming he is able to take the floor at some point before the All-Star break, it will have been nearly three years since Thompson last set foot on an NBA court. Many things, including those he will call teammates, will have changed. So too may be the extent upon which the Dubs will rely on him.
There&rsquo;s no reason to believe that either Thompson or the Warriors will have any issue reincorporating the other, but there&rsquo;s no question that Klay will be hungry to prove that he is still as capable a player as he was when we last saw him.&nbsp;
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When he takes the court for the first time, Klay will have seen all but five of the teammates he last played with replaced. Curry, Green, Looney, Lee and Iguodala will be the familiar faces.
There will only be one constant &mdash; the Warriors will still be the bully on the NBA&rsquo;s block.&nbsp;
Only this time, they will have attained that status without Klay.
Sure, Poole, Wiggins and the rest of the team&rsquo;s pieces may willingly yield back the reps and shots they earned by scratching and clawing their way through the rotation. But just as they will have to get used to the idea of yielding to Klay, he too will have to accept the fact that 2019 was a long time ago.&nbsp;
Despite his absence, the Warriors haven't stopped being the Warriors.
In some ways, it&rsquo;s good. In most ways, in fact.
But in others, it&rsquo;s a conundrum.&nbsp;
The Klay conundrum &mdash; perhaps the league&rsquo;s most interesting storyline as we head into 2022.

After nearly three years, Klay Thompson is inching toward his return. Both he and the Warriors will need to adjust to a few changes.

The dominant Warriors may have created a Klay Thompson conundrum

Tommy Beer is back with his latest version of BasketballNews.com's NBA Power Rankings. To read last week's version, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/suns-eclipse-warriors-for-the-top-spot-in-nba-power-rankings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>.
Golden State leapfrogs Phoenix to once again ascend to the top of the BasketballNews.com Power Rankings, while the Memphis Grizzlies continue to creep their way into the league's upper echelon this season. &nbsp;
1. Golden State Warriors (27-6) ⬆️ Last Week: 2
The Warriors beat the Suns on Saturday in a much-anticipated Christmas Day showdown despite playing without Andrew Wiggins, Damion Lee and Jordan Poole, who were all in health and safety protocols. As expected, Steph Curry led the way, knocking down five three-pointers en route to a game-high 33 points; however, it was Otto Porter Jr. who surprisingly sealed the deal for the Dubs, scoring 7 of his 19 points in the closing minutes.&nbsp;
2. Phoenix Suns (26-7) ⬇️ Last Week: 1
After falling to the Warriors on Christmas, the Suns were tripped up by the Grizzlies on Monday night as well. It's the first time Phoenix has lost consecutive contests since the season's first week. The Suns will look to get back on track Wednesday when they host the Thunder.
3. Brooklyn Nets (23-9) &harr;️ Last Week: 3
Reports of James Harden being "washed" may have been a bit premature. After racking up 36 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a win over the Lakers on Christmas, Harden was back it Monday vs. Clippers, finishing with 39 points and a season-best 15 assists. Harden's final assist on Monday was the 6,000th of his career. He is just the 10th player in league history to tally 20,000 career points, 5,000 rebounds and 6,000 assists. After sweeping their two-game Los Angeles road swing, the Nets are an NBA-best 13-3 on the road this season.&nbsp;
4. Utah Jazz (24-9) &harr;️ Last Week: 4
The Jazz were missing Donovan Mitchell (lower back strain) but continued to roll along Monday night, securing their fourth straight victory by beating the Spurs. Mitchell tweaked his back during Saturday's win over the Mavericks and is expected to miss at least one more game.
5. Milwaukee Bucks (22-13) ⬆️ Last Week: 6
The Bucks are finally starting to get healthy, which is bad news for the rest of the Eastern Conference. Giannis Antetokounmpo made his return to action in the Bucks' victory over the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day, suiting up for the first time since entering the health and safety protocols on Dec. 12. Giannis was joined by Bobby Portis, who had missed the previous four games due to COVID, and Donte DiVincenzo, who hadn't played since injuring his left foot during the 2021 playoffs.
6. Chicago Bulls (21-10) ⬆️ Last Week: 7
After a brief slump earlier this month, Nikola Vucevic is once again beasting for the Bulls, who have won four in a row. Vooch tallied a combined total of 40 points, 32 rebounds, 9 assists, 6 blocks and 6 made three-pointers in a back-to-back set against the Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks on Sunday and Monday.&nbsp;
7. Cleveland Cavaliers (20-13)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 5
While many pundits and fans league-wide continue to wait for the Cavs to come crashing back down to earth, Cleveland <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/from-lovable-underdog-to-unforgiving-bully-how-the-cavs-got-here" target="_blank" rel="noopener">keeps on winning</a> (and often dominates in the process). Over the last month, the Cavs lead the NBA in Defensive Rating (they are the only team in the league allowing fewer than 100 points per 100 possessions during this stretch). Cleveland also leads the league in Net Rating (+15.8) over the past month. Remarkably, each of the Cavaliers' last 11 wins has been by double digits.
8. ​​Memphis Grizzlies (21-14) ⬆️ Last Week: 9
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Ja Morant drives, hangs, switches hands and gets it to on his way down, FOR THE <a href="https://twitter.com/memgrizz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@memgrizz</a> WIN! <a href="https://t.co/GnTl4RbAEJ">pic.twitter.com/GnTl4RbAEJ</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1475686020079407104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Ja Morant made a contested layup with 0.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter to give the Grizzlies an impressive 114-113 victory over the Suns on Monday night. Morant's backcourt mate, Desmond Bane, remained red-hot (as <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/dissecting-desmond-bane-role-memphis-grizzlies-offense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">profiled by our Jackson Frank</a> over the weekend), scoring a career-high 32 points. Over his last seven games, Bane is averaging 21.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 made treys while shooting over 50% from the floor and behind the arc.
9. Miami Heat (21-13) ⬇️ Last Week: 8
With rosters around the league decimated by COVID, depth has become a crucial asset. On Sunday, the Heat needed important contributions from a handful of role players to pull out a victory over Orlando, and they got just that. Caleb Martin tied for the team-high with 17 points off the bench; Omer Yurtseven scored 16 points and grabbed 15 boards in his first start, while Gabe Vincent and Max Strus chipped in 13 points apiece.&nbsp;
10. Philadelphia 76ers (17-16) &harr;️ Last Week: 10
The Sixers had lost 4 of 5 entering Sunday's matchup with the Wizards, but Joel Embiid (36 points and 13 rebounds) put Philly on his back to carry his squad to a much-needed victory, pushing the team back over .500. Philadelphia has a chance to secure back-to-back wins on Tuesday when it takes on the injury-depleted Raptors, who are fresh off a 45-point drubbing in Cleveland.
11. Denver Nuggets (16-16) &harr;️ Last Week: 11
The Joker is running wild. Over the Nuggets' last two games, Jokic has racked a ridiculous 55 points, 43 rebounds and 13 assists. He is the first player to tally at least 25 points, 20 rebounds and 5 assists in back-to-back games since Charles Barkley in 1988. Jokic is the first player ever with 25/20/5 and a three-pointer in consecutive contests.&nbsp;
12. Charlotte Hornets (18-17) ⬆️ Last Week: 14
The Hornets won their second straight game Monday by beating the Houston Rockets. Terry Rozier knocked down seven three-pointers on his way to a game-high 27 points vs. Houston. Mason Plumlee also provided a significant lift, registering a season-high 15 points to go along with 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals in Monday's 123-99 win.
13. Los Angeles Clippers (17-17)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 12
Paul George complained of soreness in his right elbow last week, and soon after underwent an MRI, which revealed a ligament tear. The Clippers, who have lost 5 of their previous 6, announced PG-13 would miss 3-4 weeks before being re-evaluated. However, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski ominously reported that the Clips will "see if rest can get him on a pathway to recovery, but he's gonna be out certainly a significant period of time and there's no real sense of when, or if, he'll be back this year." Yikes.&nbsp;
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14. Dallas Mavericks (16-17) ⬆️ Last Week: 18
In addition to franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic, the Mavs were forced to play without Tim Hardaway Jr., Maxi Kleber, Reggie Bullock and Trey Burke on Monday, but still whooped the Portland Trail Blazers. Kristaps Porzingis led the way for Dallas, knocking down 12 of 21 field goal attempts and three treys en route to a season-high 34 points, along with 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks and no turnovers.&nbsp;
15. Washington Wizards (17-16) ⬆️ Last Week: 16
The Wizards travel to Miami on Tuesday night but afterward return home for a four-game homestand. Then after a quick two-game road swing in early January, Washington will play eight straight games in D.C. All told, the Wiz will play 12 of their next 14 at home, which is a golden opportunity to make a push up the standings. However, it was announced that Montrezl Harrell entered the league's health and safety protocols on Tuesday. Harrell is the seventh Wizard in protocols.
16. Los Angeles Lakers (16-18) ⬇️ Last Week: 13
LeBron James is averaging 35.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks, while shooting over 58% from the floor and 80% from the free-throw stripe over the Lakers' last four games, but L.A. has lost each one. With Anthony Davis (knee) still weeks away from returning to action, it will be fascinating to see if the Lakers' front office seriously considers shaking up their roster by trading away Russell Westbrook.
17. Minnesota Timberwolves (16-17) ⬇️ Last Week: 15
Despite playing without their top three scorers (Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards and D'Angelo Russell), the Wolves found a way to beat the Celtics on Monday night. Nathan Knight tallied 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Jaylen Nowell scored a game-high 29 points for Minny. Greg Monroe signed a hardship contract over the weekend and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/greg-monroe-and-the-brief-case-for-us-to-see-more-nba-veterans-this-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">chipped in 13/9/6 off the bench</a>. After the game, he admitted he wasn't overly familiar with his teammates. "Not gonna lie, Jaylen Nowell played awesome tonight, but I had no idea who that was," Monroe said.
18. Toronto Raptors (14-16) ⬆️ Last Week: 19
The Raptors have eight players in the health and safety protocols, including Fred VanVleet and Scottie Barnes, and only had eight players active for Sunday night's game vs. Cleveland. It showed, as the Raps were blown out by by the Cavs, 144-95. Fortunately, Toronto plays 7 out of their next 8 games at home, which could allow them to right the ship. And luckily, Pascal Siakam and Gary Trent Jr. have been cleared to return off the COVID list.
19. New York Knicks (15-18) ⬆️ Last Week: 22
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Quentin Grimes has a beautiful jump shot. Good work here, <a href="https://twitter.com/nyknicks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nyknicks</a>. <a href="https://t.co/KNAA5vLsjK">pic.twitter.com/KNAA5vLsjK</a>
&mdash; SLAM (@SLAMonline) <a href="https://twitter.com/SLAMonline/status/1475542501914300420?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Quentin Grimes is slowly but surely making a case for consistent, extended minutes in the Knicks' rotation. After 27 points in his first start before entering COVID protocols, Grimes chipped in 15 in his return to action in Saturday's victory over Atlanta. Grimes is shooting 45.5% from three-point territory this season, which leads all rookies. In fact, among rooks that have made at least 20 three-pointers this season, Grimes is the only one shooting above 37% from behind the arc.
20. Boston Celtics (16-18)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 17
On Monday, Celtics fans got some good news as both Grant Williams and Al Horford cleared COVID protocols. However, Boston faithful was also walloped with some bad news, as fans learned Jayson Tatum was forced to enter the league's health and safety protocols. It is worth noting that Tatum contracted COVID last season as well, and revealed he had to use an inhaler to help his breathing before games for months due to the lingering effects of the virus.
21. Atlanta Hawks (15-18) ⬇️ Last Week: 20
The Hawks welcomed Trae Young back to the lineup on Monday, and he scored 29 points, but it wasn't enough to beat the Bulls. However, Cam Reddish provided another encouraging effort in the loss to Chicago, as he hit a career-high eight three-pointers and finished with 33 points. Since being inserted into Atlanta's starting lineup, Reddish is averaging 23.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.8 made treys while shooting over 44% from downtown and 87.5% from the charity stripe.
22. San Antonio Spurs (14-19) ⬆️ Last Week: 25
The Spurs had their season-high three-game winning streak snapped Monday night by the Jazz, 110-104. Coming into the contest, San Antonio had scored at least 110 points in 10 straight games (their longest such streak since March of 1984). The Spurs rank seventh in Offensive Rating on the season, averaging 110.6 points per 100 possessions.
23. Indiana Pacers (14-20) ⬇️ Last Week: 21
The Pacers have been inconsistent all season, but Caris LeVert has finally found his groove. Over the Pacers' last four games, LeVert is averaging 24.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 2.0 treys and 1.5 steals.&nbsp;
24. Portland Trail Blazers (13-20)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 23
Playing at home and matched up against a shorthanded Mavs team, the Blazers were three-point favorites on Monday night but ended up losing by 15. The Blazers' defense was atrocious, as they allowed 132 points while Dallas shot above 57% from the floor. According to StatMuse, no team has scored that many points and shot that well in Portland since 1987. Portland has lost 12 of their last 15 games.&nbsp;
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25. Sacramento Kings (13-21) ⬇️ Last Week: 24
Kings interim head coach Alvin Gentry did not mince words after his team's embarrassing 25-point loss to the Grizzlies at home on Sunday. "It's the most disappointed I've been in 34 years in the NBA, I can honestly say that," Gentry told reporters. "That performance was absolutely ridiculous. We didn't play hard, we didn't compete. We didn't guard the ball, we didn't guard screen-and-rolls. We didn't follow the game plan. No competitiveness whatsoever. They basically toyed with us. I'm totally disappointed and everybody in this building should be disappointed." Tell us how ya really feel, coach. &nbsp;
26. Oklahoma City Thunder (12-20) &harr;️ Last Week: 26
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/gilgeousalexander-walker-named-players-of-the-week-for-dec-2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener">named the Western Conference Player of the Week</a> on Monday after leading OKC to a 3-1 record last week. SGA averaged 27.5 points, 7.0 dimes, 6.3 boards and 1.3 blocks in those four games.&nbsp;
27. New Orleans Pelicans (12-22) ⬆️ Last Week: 28
Brandon Ingram had been posting incredibly impressive stats before being ruled out Sunday's game against the Thunder due to left Achilles soreness. Ingram, who is listed as doubtful for Tuesday's game vs. the Cavs, has averaged 27.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.8 treys and 1.2 steals over his previous 10 appearances.&nbsp;
28. Houston Rockets (10-24) ⬇️ Last Week: 27
It's been a wild, roller-coaster ride of a season for the Rockets. After losing 15 in a row over the first month of the season, Houston bounced back by somehow winning seven straight games. However, since that unexpected win streak, the Rox are just 2-8 and have lost each of their last four.&nbsp;
29. Orlando Magic (7-27) ⬆️ Last Week: 30
The Magic have won just 7 of their first 34 games this season, tying the franchise mark for their worst record at this point in a season. How hard has Orlando been hit by COVID and injuries this season, you ask? Hassani Gravett, an undrafted 25-year-old rookie out of Pensacola State, has averaged 25 minutes per game for the Magic over the past two weeks.&nbsp;
30. Detroit Pistons (5-27) ⬇️ Last Week: 29
The Pistons have five players in COVID protocols, including Cade Cunningham, and are missing injured bigs Jerami Grant and Kelly Olynyk. Detroit, which has had 12 different starting lineups this season, has lost 17 of its last 18 contests. They host the Knicks on Wednesday night. &nbsp;

NBA Power Rankings: Bulls are hot, Warriors reclaim top spot from Suns

Tommy Beer is back with his latest version of BasketballNews.com's NBA Power Rankings. To read last week's version, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-power-rankings-jazz-jump-up-into-top-tier-grizz-and-cavs-climb-into-the-top-8-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>.
The Phoenix Suns finally push past the Golden State Warriors to grab the top spot in the Basketball News Power Rankings for the first time this season, while the Cleveland Cavaliers climb into the top five.&nbsp;
1. Phoenix Suns (24-5) ⬆️ Last Week: 2
The Suns have posted a ridiculous 23-2 record over their last 25 games. And Phoenix welcomed back leading-scorer Devin Booker, who hadn't played in almost three weeks after injuring his hamstring in late November, in their 137-106 thrashing of the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night. The Suns have also gotten tremendous production from sharpshooter Cam Johnson this month. He's averaging 14.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.0 made triples (while shooting better than 44% from downtown) over his past nine contests.&nbsp;
2. Golden State Warriors (25-6) ⬇️ Last Week: 1
Golden State played without Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole (both are in health and safety protocols) but was still able to beat the Sacramento Kings by 15 points on Monday night, as they improved to a league-best 15-2 at home. Draymond Green led the way for the Warriors, racking up 16 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 2&nbsp; blocks and 2 steals. It was Green's 31st triple-double of his career. Remarkably, Golden State has won 30 of the 31 games in which Green has recorded a triple-double.&nbsp;
3. Brooklyn Nets (21-9) ⬆️ Last Week: 4
The Nets made headlines last week when they announced that All-Star guard Kyrie Irving would be welcomed back to Brooklyn. Although Irving remains unvaccinated, which will prevent him from playing in home games due to New York City's vaccine mandates, Kyrie will be able to practice with the team and play in road games (except for the matchups with the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden and the Toronto Raptors up north). The Nets roster has been decimated by COVID-19 of late, with 10 players, in addition to several staff members, in health and safety protocols.
4. Utah Jazz (21-9) ⬇️ Last Week: 3
Not only is Rudy Gobert dominating the paint per usual (averaging 15.4 points and 15.0 rebounds this season) while also leading the league in FG% (72.3%). He's also shooting a career-high 69.3% from the free-throw stripe thanks to a revamped shooting stroke. His complete skill set was on display in Monday's victory over the Hornets, as Gobert racked up 23 points and 21 rebounds while knocking down a career-high 15 free throws on 16 attempts.&nbsp;
5. Cleveland Cavaliers (19-12) ⬆️ Last Week: 8
The NBA announced Sunday that a total of five games involving nine teams would be postponed in response to COVID-19 outbreaks impacting several squads. One of the postponed contests was the Cleveland-Atlanta game scheduled for Sunday night after the Cavs, who have won six in a row, announced that five players entered protocols earlier that day. According to The Associated Press, all five Cavs &mdash; Jarrett Allen, Lamar Stevens, Dylan Windler, Denzel Valentine and RJ Nembhard &mdash; tested positive for COVID-19.
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6. Milwaukee Bucks (19-13) ⬇️ Last Week: 5
The Bucks, forced to play without both Giannis Antetokounmpo (health and safety) and Khris Middleton ((left knee hyperextension), have lost two in a row. They look to get back on track Wednesday vs. the Houston Rockets, and it sounds like there is a good chance Middleton will be cleared to return to action.&nbsp;
7. Chicago Bulls (19-10) ⬇️ Last Week: 6
The Bulls took plenty of heat for signing DeMar DeRozan to a three-year, $85 million contract last offseason, but the early returns have been exceedingly positive. Not only is DeRozan averaging a team-high 26.8 points, but he's also scoring them when Chicago needs them most. DeMar is averaging a league-best 8.0 points per game in the fourth quarter of games this season. He is shooting a scorching 54.2% from the floor, 45.5% from downtown and 91.2% from the free-throw line in the final frame.&nbsp;
8. Miami Heat (18-13) ⬆️ Last Week: 9
The shorthanded Heat have won 2 of their last 3, thanks partly to a very unexpected lift from Max Strus, who <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/qa-max-strus-on-heats-nextman-up-mentality-building-confidence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke to our Spencer Davies at the beginning of last week</a>. The unheralded third-year pro exploded for a career-high 32 points to go along with 7 rebounds and 8 treys in a win over the Orlando Magic on Friday. He followed that up with 24 more points and four more triples on Sunday.
9. Memphis Grizzlies (19-13) ⬇️ Last Week: 7
The Grizzlies surprisingly posted a 10-2 record in 12 games Ja Morant missed due to a sprained left knee. The star point guard returned to action Monday night and played well, tallying 16 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds in less than 30 minutes. However, after the game, Morant told reporters that some fans told him he should sit back out. He acknowledged that "the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ja-morant-hurt-by-fans-telling-him-to-sit-back-out-as-grizz-fall-to-thunder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">remarks from the fans actually hurt</a>," but Ja added, "I'm going to do what I normally do and bounce back and I'm very excited for this next game."
10. Philadelphia 76ers (16-15) ⬆️ Last Week: 11
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🔥Joel Embiid with a HUGE GAME in the <a href="https://twitter.com/sixers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Sixers</a> win! 41 PTS, 10 REB, 5 AST, 4 BLK, 2 STL <a href="https://t.co/r471bTMV01">pic.twitter.com/r471bTMV01</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1473141177650237441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Joel Embiid put Philadelphia on his back Monday night and carried them to a 108-103 victory over the Boston Celtics. Embiid tallied 41 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 blocks and 2 steals. The much-needed win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Sixers.&nbsp;
11. Denver Nuggets (15-14) ⬆️ Last Week: 16
He seems to be running a distant third behind KD and Steph in the MVP race according to some fans and TV pundits, but you could make a very strong argument that Nikola Jokic is on pace to bring home another MVP award. How valuable is he to Denver's success? The Nuggets are 11-4 when Jokic scores 25 or more points this season. They are 2-6 when he scores fewer than 20 points or does not play. Over the nine games Denver has played this month, Joker is averaging 26.4 points, 13.1 rebounds and 9.2 (!!) assists a night. Yes, he's dishing out more dimes than Chris Paul or Trae Young. Crazy.&nbsp;
12. Los Angeles Clippers (16-15) ⬇️ Last Week: 10
Paul George returned to action on Monday night after missing the previous five games with a sprained right elbow. PG-13 poured in 25 points, but it wasn't enough, as the Clippers were whipped by the Spurs, 116-92. It was L.A.'s third consecutive defeat.&nbsp;
13. Los Angeles Lakers (16-15) ⬆️ Last Week: 14
Anthony Davis sprained his left knee on Friday, and we learned over the weekend that he'll likely miss four weeks of action. The Lakers are just one game over .500, and that's with LeBron James playing at a very high level and logging a ton of minutes. King James will have to carry the team on his back for the next month to keep L.A. afloat. We know the Lakers will be buyers at the deadline, so it'll be interesting to see if they try to make a move sooner rather than later.&nbsp;
14. Charlotte Hornets (16-17) ⬇️ Last Week: 12
The Hornets are in the midst of an exhausting six-game road trip and have lost 4 of their first 5 on this current West Coast excursion. Charlotte plays just once more this week (the final game of the trip is Thursday in Denver) before heading home to take on the Rockets next Monday.&nbsp;
15. Minnesota Timberwolves (15-15) ⬆️ Last Week: 20
The Wolves have won four in a row despite playing without Anthony Edwards, Josh Okogie, and Taurean Prince. And on Monday, Patrick Beverley and Jarred Vanderbilt entered the NBA's health and safety protocols as well. Unsurprisingly, Karl-Anthony Towns has been doing the heavy lifting for Minny. Kat is averaging 26.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 triples during this four-game streak.&nbsp;
16. Washington Wizards (16-15) ⬇️ Last Week: 13
After scoring more than 30 points just twice over the first eight weeks of the season, Bradley Beal may finally be heating up. Over the three games the Wiz played last week, Beal averaged 31.0 points and 5.7 assists while shooting above 56% from the field and 42.9% from three-point territory.&nbsp;
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17. Boston Celtics (15-16) ⬇️ Last Week: 15
The C's have yet to win consecutive games this month, but it should be noted that they have played the league's most demanding schedule in December. Of the 12 games on Boston's calendar from Dec. 1 through Christmas Day, 10 of their 12 opponents have winning records. The Celtics take on the Cavs and Bucks later this week.&nbsp;
18. Dallas Mavericks (14-15) ⬇️ Last Week: 17
Kristaps Porzingis has been playing well of late, but exited Sunday's game with what the team called "right foot soreness." Luka Doncic is dealing with left ankle soreness and will miss his fifth straight game Tuesday vs. Minnesota.
19. Toronto Raptors (14-15) &harr;️ Last Week: 19
Fred VanVleet, Malachi Flynn, Scottie Barnes and Precious Achiuwa all entered the league's COVID protocols on Tuesday, bringing the total number of Raptors in health and safety protocols to seven. As of Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday's game vs. the Bulls has yet to be postponed.&nbsp;
20. Atlanta Hawks (14-15) ⬇️ Last Week: 18
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Stay safe🙄🤦🏽&zwj;♂️🤷🏽&zwj;♂️😷 <a href="https://t.co/0cBfsg0CaW">pic.twitter.com/0cBfsg0CaW</a>
&mdash; Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheTraeYoung/status/1472601570579779592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2021</a></blockquote>

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The Hawks haven't won consecutive games since late November and are just 3-6 over their last nine contests. Because Sunday's game vs. Cleveland was postponed, Atlanta will have four full days off between their last game (a loss last Friday to Denver) and their next matchup Wednesday vs. Orlando. However, the team announced over the weekend that Trae Young had entered health and safety protocols, which will likely sideline him through the Hawks' Christmas Day showdown with the Knicks at MSG. On Tuesday, Clint Capela and Danilo Gallinari joined Young.
21. Indiana Pacers (13-18) &harr;️ Last Week: 21
After a very slow start to the season, it appears the Pacers are finally headed in the right direction. Indy has won 4 of the last 6 games, and the two losses during this recent stretch were to Golden State and Milwaukee. The team's success has coincided with an uptick in Caris LeVert's performance. He's averaging 21.9 points and 4.3 assists over his last seven appearances.
22. New York Knicks (13-17) &harr;️ Last Week: 22
Like many teams, the Knicks have been hit hard by COVID-19. What makes New York's recent run of back luck so frustrating for fans is that the team's young players seem to be sidelined following breakout performances. After Obi Topping scored a career-high 19 vs. the Raptors, he entered health and safety protocols the next day. Two days after Quentin Grimes poured in a franchise-record 27 points in his first career start, he was sidelined. Miles "Deuce" McBride stepped in and stepped up (15 points, 9 assists, zero turnovers) last Thursday in a win over the Rockets, and was forced into healthy protocols the following afternoon.
23. Portland Trail Blazers (13-18) ⬆️ Last Week: 24
The Blazers have won two in a row after snapping a disastrous seven-game losing skid late last week. They have another winnable game Tuesday when they take on the New Orleans Pelicans on the road. Dame Lillard is averaging over 30 points a night since returning from an abdominal injury on Dec. 12.&nbsp;
24. Sacramento Kings (13-19) ⬆️ Last Week: 26 
With De'Aaron Fox (health and safety protocols) sidelined, Tyrese Haliburton has been a beast for the Kings. In the three games Fox has missed, Haliburton is averaging 24.0 points, 10.7 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.7 treys while shooting 54.7% from the floor, 57.1% from downtown and 85.7% from the charity stripe.&nbsp;
25. San Antonio Spurs (12-18) ⬇️ Last Week: 23
Dejounte Murray remained red-hot in Monday's win over the Clippers, tallying 24 points, 12 rebounds, 13 assists and 4 steals in 31 minutes. It was his third triple-double in five games, and his sixth this season. Murray is averaging 17.0 points, 10.4 assists, 9.6 boards and 2.2 thefts of the Spurs past five contests.
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26. Oklahoma City Thunder (10-19) ⬆️ Last Week: 27
After ripping down a career-high 18 rebounds to go along with 10 assists and 8 points against the Clippers on Saturday, Josh Giddey put up 19 points, 11 assists and 5 rebounds in Monday's victory over the Grizzlies. Those are remarkable numbers in back-to-back games for a 19-year-old rookie. Over OKC's last seven games, he's averaging more than seven dimes and seven boards.&nbsp;
27. Houston Rockets (10-20) ⬇️ Last Week: 25
The Rockets have come back down to earth following their shocking seven-game win streak, as they have lost 5 of their last 7. Jalen Green (left hamstring) has been sidelined since Nov. 24, but coach Stephen Silas said he is hopeful Green will return by Christmas or early next week. Kevin Porter Jr. (left thigh bruise) is reportedly targeting a return before the end of December as well.&nbsp;
28. New Orleans Pelicans (10-21) &harr;️ Last Week: 28
After an awful start to the season, in which they won just 3 of their first 19 contests, the Pels are slowly but surely making progress and have won 3 of their last 4. Jonas Valančiūnas has picked up his production of late, averaging 20.8 points (on 61.6% shooting) to go along with 11.4 boards over his past five contests.
29. Detroit Pistons (5-24) ⬆️ Last Week: 30
The Pistons snapped their 14-game losing streak by beating the Heat Sunday night in the Motor City. Saddiq Bey, who scored a team-high 26 points in the victory over Miami, finally broke out of a nasty shooting slump last week. Bey, who was shooting below 35% from the floor and below 30% from downtown over the Pistons' first 25 games this season, averaged 25.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.0 made treys while shooting 54.3% from the floor, 42.9% from behind the arc, and 94.7% from the free-throw stripe over his last three.&nbsp;
30. Orlando Magic (6-25) ⬇️ Last Week: 29
Franz Wagner, the eighth overall pick in the 2021 draft, isn't drawing much national attention, but he has been fantastic for the Magic this month. Over Orlando's last 10 games, Wagner is averaging 18.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 steals per contest.

NBA Power Rankings: Suns eclipse Warriors for the top spot

After their blowout 110-92 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers in front of a national audience on Friday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves continue to show they are finally taking a much-needed step forward in their longstanding rebuild. And this impressive win was without former No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards, who landed in the NBA's health and safety protocols an hour before tip-off.
This season, Minnesota has made immense improvements across the board. With a 14-15 record, the Timberwolves are currently the No. 9 seed in the reloaded Western Conference and on pace to break their post-Jimmy-Butler playoff drought.
Head coach Chris Finch, who was brought in midway through last season, has the Wolves completely bought-in on both ends of the court. With their core trio of Karl-Anthony Towns, D&rsquo;Angelo Russell and Edwards specifically, the eye-test and advanced metrics back up this notion.
Minnesota was 13-11 when Towns, Russell and Edwards all played together in 2020-21. However, they were quite simply horrendous on defense last season, allowing opponents to score 116 points per 100 possessions when they all shared the court. This year, the script has completely flipped as the three-man lineup combination is holding their opposition to an excellent 98.9 points per 100 possessions. Put simply, the Timberwolves&rsquo; young Big Three went from playing some of the worst defense in the Association to some of the best seemingly overnight.&nbsp;
Towns-Russell-Edwards in 2020-21: 120.9 OffRtg, 116.0 DefRtg, +5.3 Net, 13-11 record
Towns-Russell-Edwards in 2021-22: 112.5 OffRtg, 98.9 DefRtg, +13.6 Net, 13-9 record
It&rsquo;s an incredible development, and it could allow Minnesota to push some of their chips into the middle of the table at some point in the near future.
Incredibly, a key ingredient to the Timberwolves&rsquo; rise has been veteran guard Patrick Beverley. After the Los Angeles Clippers shipped him off to the Memphis Grizzlies last offseason, Beverley was quickly rerouted to Minnesota to provide some much-needed toughness and veteran leadership to the Wolves' locker room.
Also, Minnesota has two young forwards who are beginning to look the part of potential long-term fits alongside Towns. Since being selected No. 1 overall back in 2015, Towns has developed into one of the most skilled big men in the league and, luckily for Minnesota, Jarred Vanderbilt and Jaden McDaniels provide exactly what he needs in a frontcourt partner: defensive versatility.
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Everything is starting to come together for Minnesota; look no further than how dominant their starting lineup has been so far this season. The five-man lineup combination of Beverley, Russell, Edwards, Vanderbilt and Towns is carrying a +49.6 net rating (!!!), which is almost 15 points per 100 possessions better than the Atlanta Hawks&rsquo; starting unit (+34.8 NetRtg). It&rsquo;s incredible to think that Minnesota&rsquo;s starters are outscoring their opponents by nearly 50 points, but that&rsquo;s exactly what&rsquo;s happening.
The Timberwolves are cooking with gas, and they are reaching the point where one more aggressive move could allow them to enter a very successful stretch in their franchise&rsquo;s history.
Sure, Minnesota could stick with this current group, rolling with Vanderbilt and McDaniels. But could you imagine someone like Ben Simmons, Jerami Grant, Christian Wood or Myles Turner alongside Towns? It's possible that all four could be available leading up to the NBA's Feb. 10 trade deadline. (And the Timberwolves have continually been linked to Simmons since the offseason).
Towns is ready to win right now, and Minnesota's front office has a golden opportunity to cash in. Even Edwards is showing that the leap he took midway through his rookie campaign is here to stay, and his two-way portfolio continues to expand. Meanwhile, Russell is looking the part of a competent third option who can run the show and also take over when necessary on the offensive end.
But anyone who's watched a lot of Wolves games this season can tell you that this team is maddeningly inconsistent. Minnesota goes through week-long spurts where they look unstoppable, then the polar opposite occurs for multiple games at a time. Since mid-November, they won seven of eight, then lost five in a row and now they are currently on a three-game win streak.
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If the Timberwolves are ever able to find consistency, they are going to be a very dangerous team. Not only do they have the offensive firepower to keep up with anyone thanks to Towns, Edwards and Russell, their tenacious energy on defense has been a pleasant surprise. The effort that Towns and Edwards are putting in on that end is apparent when you watch them play, and it seems unlikely that they'll slow down anytime soon since they're right on the verge of breaking through to a playoff berth.
Finally, things are beginning to break the Timberwolves&rsquo; way. Their young star power is blossoming. They are led by a head coach with modern concepts who's keeping the team engaged on both ends. They have competent role players. And everyone within the organization has a desire to change the narrative.
The time is now for Minnesota and they look like a team that's poised to be serious buyers before the trade deadline. If their front office strikes while the iron is hot and finds a way to upgrade another key roster spot, this team could be ready to lift off to an entirely new stratosphere.
Buy up all the Timberwolves stock while you can.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are finally turning the corner to relevancy. Is it time for their front office to make an all-in move?

Alvernia Golden Wolves