Golden Knights

Alex Kennedy goes 1-on-1 with Tyrese Haliburton, who opens up about getting traded, the Pacers' future, his offseason training, etc.

Tyrese Haliburton won’t let trade 'resentment' define new Pacers era

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

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

As we officially put the finishing touches on &ldquo;Bet Week&rdquo; here on BasketballNews.com, NBA over/under win total projections have been released for every team.
Which numbers stand out most to hammer one way or another from a betting perspective? In this piece, I unveil my over/under predictions for every team in the Western Conference. All odds are provided by DraftKings Sportsbook.
Phoenix Suns: Over 52.5 (-110)
Even if the Suns don&rsquo;t acquire Kevin Durant, they remain in an advantageous position to finish near the top of the Western Conference standings. Phoenix still has a stacked rotation, with the biggest difference being Dario Saric&rsquo;s return to the backup big role in place of JaVale McGee. If Devin Booker and the Suns&rsquo; formidable young core continue taking steps forward, it&rsquo;s hard to envision much of a drop-off occurring in the win-loss column.
Phoenix&rsquo;s postseason exit was one of the ugliest we&rsquo;ve seen in recent memory, but a loss like that could rattle this group enough to come back similarly to the team's Finals experience in 2021. I&rsquo;m hammering the over here, as the Suns remain one of the most dangerous squads in the Association. If Durant comes, that&rsquo;ll be the ultimate cherry on top.
Los Angeles Clippers: Over 52.5 (-110)
A fully healthy Clippers squad with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will always stay in the conversation among the league's elite tier. Last season, we were all robbed of seeing this dynamic duo in action together, but all the time off leads me to believe we should see them play more than usual. If so, the over/under of 52.5 wins is one I&rsquo;m comfortable placing the over wager upon.
Los Angeles not only has a loaded rotation similar to Phoenix, but it has a historically potent wing tandem ready to go on a revenge tour. As one of my favorite bets in the West, lock in the Clippers&rsquo; over with the utmost confidence.
Golden State Warriors: Over 51.5 (-115)
The defending champions check in third in the West, which feels like an undersell of what they just accomplished. Stephen Curry is still playing at an all-time level, and Klay Thompson began to find his footing throughout the Warriors&rsquo; run to a championship.
Feeling confident in the over also has to do with the development of the team's younger, up-and-coming players. Though dependent upon how much more Golden State will go into the luxury tax long-term, Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins look to be entrenched long-term pieces. Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and James Wiseman are the ultimate wildcards for Golden State. Even if only one takes off from a development perspective in 2022-23, 51.5 wins is a number to hit the over on.
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Denver Nuggets: Over 49.5 (-140)
Nikola Jokic enters this season as a trendy dark-horse selection for MVP as the back-to-back award winner, which is incredible to even think about. The Nuggets have stayed competitive amidst their countless injury issues because of Jokic&rsquo;s greatness.
Now, with Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. eventually expected back at 100%, Denver is a team many bettors are hammering the over on with -140 moneyline odds on 49.5 wins. Frankly, I&rsquo;m in lockstep with the sportsbooks because Denver was a team that sneakily improved on the margins this offseason. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was an underrated acquisition from the Washington Wizards, and he&rsquo;s earned a new multi-year extension upon his arrival.
If Murray and Porter&rsquo;s health cooperate alongside the all-world talent that is Jokic, 50 wins for the Nuggets just feels right to say. Even above that mark is an appropriate projection, because Jokic elevates the floor that much on his own.
Memphis Grizzlies: Under 48.5 (+105)
Ja Morant qualified as our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/best-bets-for-202223-nba-most-valuable-player" target="_blank" rel="noopener">under-the-radar MVP selection</a> during &ldquo;Bet Week,&rdquo; but the loss of Jaren Jackson Jr. early on looms large for the Grizzlies. Although he flies under the radar a little bit too often, JJJ is an anchor to a defense that&rsquo;s done a complete 180 over the last year.
A lot will be on the plate of Morant, which he won&rsquo;t have a problem with, but what about the rest of the West? The Clippers and Nuggets are healthy now, plus the Suns and Warriors will remain in the title race as well. If Morant can carry the Grizzlies in similar territory without JJJ, his MVP argument could become very valid.
I&rsquo;m going to tread lightly on Memphis and select the under here with plus-money value. Morant will put up spectacular numbers once more, and Desmond Bane should continue to emerge in the backcourt. For my current projection, the Grizzlies will slot in as a No. 5 or No. 6 seed.
Dallas Mavericks: Under 48.5 (-105)
The argument against the Mavericks is almost identical to the one I just presented for Memphis. Luka Doncic enters as the heavy betting favorite for MVP, but will he alone be enough to lift Dallas into truly elite territory? That&rsquo;s one of my biggest questions entering 2022-23, because players like Doncic and Morant fit the billing of talents who can lift teams all on their own.
Months away from it now, it&rsquo;s still stunning to think back to the Mavs&rsquo; Game 7 shellacking of the Suns in the West semifinals. Once Doncic figured out Phoenix&rsquo;s defense, it was game over. Could Doncic do this to the rest of the league? There&rsquo;s no doubt he will put up monster numbers, but the Mavericks fit into the same tier as the Grizzlies right now around 47-48 wins.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Over 47.5 (-140)
I&rsquo;ll continue to bang the Minnesota drum until proven otherwise because I&rsquo;m all-in on the Timberwolves taking a huge step forward. Anthony Edwards checks every box for a young superstar, and their new addition in Rudy Gobert will augment a talented rotation. Karl-Anthony Towns being flanked by Gobert makes up one of the most unique frontcourt combinations we&rsquo;ve ever seen in the modern NBA, but this type of move is a risk an organization like Minnesota must take. Towns and Edwards are ready to win big soon, so adding an elite rim-protector like Gobert allows those gifted scorers to focus on that end.
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Bookmark this if you want, but here&rsquo;s perhaps my biggest hot take: Minnesota will win the Northwest Division and become a top-four seed. With how everything stacks together for Minnesota, this is a team well-positioned to take a leap similar to the one we&rsquo;ve seen from Phoenix and Memphis in recent years.
Los Angeles Lakers: Under 45.5 (-105)
Unless Kyrie Irving is walking through the door anytime soon, I&rsquo;m taking the money and running as quickly as possible on the Lakers' under here. LeBron James and Anthony Davis will do their usual damage, but this roster is nowhere close to being finished. Also, there&rsquo;s no way anyone can truly believe the Lakers are a Finals contender with their ongoing saga surrounding Russell Westbrook. From the very beginning, Westbrook&rsquo;s fit was super clunky alongside LeBron and AD. Now, the triple-double king continues to be the main target of trade rumors, many of which are linking him to the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs as a pure salary-dump option.
Indiana is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lakers-would-be-foolish-not-to-accept-pacers-lifeline-to-extend-their-title-window" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offering the Lakers a lifeline to fix the Westbrook situation</a>. The Pacers are willing to take on the $47 million owed to Westbrook while also sending Los Angeles back two starters in Myles Turner and Buddy Hield. The current hold-up in trade negotiations reportedly is draft pick compensation. Los Angeles refuses to offer its 2029 first-round pick on top of the 2027 selection, which the Pacers believe is more than a fair price to pay.
In the meantime, I&rsquo;m going to take the Lakers under 45.5 wins while it remains at plus value. Until any resolution is reached on the roster, I&rsquo;m betting against L.A.
New Orleans Pelicans: Over 44.5 (-140)
Compared to almost any other team in the NBA, New Orleans projects supremely well long-term if Zion Williamson&rsquo;s health cooperates. Williamson and Brandon Ingram have each shown on separate occasions they can be the No. 1 option for New Orleans. CJ McCollum and Jonas Valanciunas are ideal veteran pieces in the starting unit as well. Well-balanced on both ends of the court, the Pelicans have completely bought into what head coach Willie Green brought over from Monty Williams in Phoenix.
With Williamson, Ingram and McCollum, the Pelicans should be a team projected closer to 50 wins. I absolutely love the over here on 44.5 wins, so don&rsquo;t be surprised if New Orleans finishes as a playoff lock instead of a Play-In Tournament competitor.
Portland Trail Blazers: Under 40.5 (-110)
Kudos to Damian Lillard because he will not leave the Blazers hanging anytime soon. He&rsquo;s all-in on winning in Portland, which reminds me so much of Reggie Miller with the Pacers a few decades back. Portland re-signed Jusuf Nurkic and Anfernee Simons, but two notable splashes occurred this offseason. Jerami Grant is the Blazers&rsquo; first true wing threat in years, and the ultimate wildcard from the 2022 NBA Draft fell into their laps at No. 7 overall. What if Shaedon Sharpe hits his ceiling? That&rsquo;s something Portland has in their back pocket, because Sharpe&rsquo;s scoring prowess forecasts very well alongside Lillard. They'll just have to hope he can get healthy and stay healthy.
The West remains a tough customer though. So, with that being said, the Blazers fall into the category of a feisty team that&rsquo;s competitive most nights on their way to a sub-40-win campaign. It's certainly not the outcome Blazers fans hope for, but there&rsquo;s a large number of teams ahead of them at the moment.
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Sacramento Kings: Over 32.5 (-120)
The Kings actually had a good offseason. Yes, you&rsquo;re reading that right. Keegan Murray at No. 4 overall looks to be a lights-out scorer with an extremely high floor. Ideally, Murray can become the third piece to a long-term trio in Sacramento alongside De&rsquo;Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. Also, don&rsquo;t forget about the Kings adding much-needed help on the perimeter with Kevin Huerter via trade and Malik Monk via free agency.
I had to double-take upon finding this fact, but the Kings have only exceeded 33 wins once over the last 14 years (2018-19 was that season).
Luckily for Sacramento, I&rsquo;m projecting them to finish with at least 33 wins for 2022-23. If the Kings underachieve once more, I wonder what the future looks like for an organization that stays in topsy-turvy mode.
Utah Jazz: Under 31.5 (-110)
Assuming Donovan Mitchell is eventually traded, this number will crumble down into the 20s. Utah is in the midst of a full-scale rebuild attempt for the first time in over a decade, and all signs point to Mitchell&rsquo;s exit soon enough from Salt Lake City. Gobert being dealt within the division to Minnesota for a historic amount of draft capital shook up the trade market for good, as it&rsquo;s holding up potential blockbusters revolving around Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Mitchell.
Moving forward, there&rsquo;s no reason why you should feel confident about betting the Utah over unless Mitchell keeps them above water staying around until February. If not, you&rsquo;re putting an awful lot of faith into the hands of Bojan Bogdanovic and Jordan Clarkson to carry the roster. (If they're there.)
The smart route is to go with the under for the Jazz. Lock in with extreme confidence that Jazz executive Danny Ainge eventually tears it all down within a few months.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Under 26.5 (+100)
Until the Thunder stop their tanking ways, I can&rsquo;t willfully bet an over on them. Following their aggressive draft night &mdash; obtaining three lottery picks headlined by No. 2 overall selection Chet Holmgren, who many viewed as the best overall player &mdash; maybe that "tanking" buzzword is in their rearview mirror.
OKC&rsquo;s roster is young, but the talent screams out as a team that could propel itself forward in a huge manner. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey profile as a super fun long-term backcourt pairing. Luguentz Dort is a pitbull defender who continues to improve his outside shot, which earned him a lucrative five-year extension.
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The Thunder could easily make me look foolish selecting the under, but something along the lines of 25 or 26 wins feels spot on. Can Sam Presti resist the temptation of not tanking for Victor Wembanyama or Scoot Henderson in 2023?
Houston Rockets: Over 23.5 (-125)
The Rockets have one of the most interesting young cores to monitor heading into next season. Jalen Green began to turn the corner over the last month of the season, averaging 22.3 points on a 59.9% True Shooting percentage. Jabari Smith Jr., Houston&rsquo;s No. 3 overall selection from the 2022 draft, projects as a score-first wing/big hybrid who should excel alongside Green and Kevin Porter Jr. Alperen Sengun, a throwback Turkish big man, is an underrated prospect with an unlimited ceiling once the small aspects of his game are figured out.
Houston is nowhere close to being competitive, but that&rsquo;s totally okay. The team controls the Brooklyn Nets&rsquo; draft for the next season years, so the Rockets are set up arguably as well as anyone right now with the chaos surrounding that whole situation. If the youth jells together and the organization obtains another top pick in next year&rsquo;s draft, be on the lookout for this core to ascend.
For the over/under, 23.5 wins feels a little low, in my opinion. I&rsquo;m projecting the Rockets with 25 victories, so give me the over at -125 odds on DraftKings.
San Antonio Spurs: Under 22.5 (-110)
Once Dejounte Murray was traded to the Atlanta Hawks, it sounded the alarm that the Spurs are finally waiving the white flag on competing for wins effective immediately. San Antonio obtained three future first-round picks for Murray, a haul for a team pressing the reset button at the perfect time.
Las Vegas projects the Spurs with the worst over/under for next season, and there&rsquo;s no real reason to go against them there. Keldon Johnson will put up numbers following his long-term extension, but inexperience is the main theme for San Antonio. The Spurs should be on their way to 20 wins or less, so hammer the under.

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

Best Bets: NBA Western Conference over/under projections

LeBron James, one of the most celebrated and accomplished basketball players in the history of the sport, has never been shy about revealing his off-court ambitions.&nbsp;&nbsp;
In 2016, during an episode of UNINTERRUPTED's "Open Run" podcast, <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/lebron-james-says-his-dream-is-to-own-an-nba-team/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James declared</a>: "My dream is to actually own a team." While it may have seemed somewhat fantastical at the time, that dream is far closer to reality nowadays.&nbsp;
In the six years since making that statement, James has continued to grow his financial empire. Last week, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/chasewithorn/2022/06/02/lebron-james-is-officially-a-billionaire/?sh=45be91f0453e" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Forbes reported</a> that James' net worth has reached $1 billion, making him the first active NBA player to hit this milestone.&nbsp;
James has pocketed nearly $350 million in on-court earnings throughout his career, making him the second-highest-paid athlete in the world behind only soccer superstar Lionel Messi. However, LeBron has also made massive sums of money via his investments in companies such as Lyft, Tonal, Blaze Pizza and SpringHill Entertainment as well as his endorsement deals with Nike, AT&amp;T, PepsiCo and Walmart among others. Forbes estimates that James has netted $500 million from his investments.
Speaking with reporters after a game last season, <a href="https://www.nba.com/lakers/video/teams/lakers/2021/03/16/178126/1615963311578-webpostlbj-178126">James reaffirmed his desire to own an NBA franchise someday</a>. 
"I've always said that my goal was to own a team, own an NBA team," James said. "I've got so much to give to the game. I know what it takes to win at this level. I know talent. I also know how to run a business as well, and so that is my goal. My goal is to own an NBA franchise, and it'll be sooner than later."
At around the same time that James made those comments, it was announced that he had become a partner in Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club of the English Premier League among other properties. Earlier this week, James shared interesting specifics related to his future ownership objectives.&nbsp;
"Yeah, I wanna buy a team, for sure. I want a team in Vegas," James said in a clip from the latest episode of his show, "The Shop," which will debut Friday.
On Thursday, James <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1534940135967510533?s=20&amp;t=i-pFnJOA7Au_G32vhfkPHQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted the clip</a> alongside the caption, "Speaking it into existence!"
The first major obstacle in the way is the fact that the NBA does not currently have a team in Las Vegas. However, many league insiders firmly believe that the NBA will announce plans to expand in the near future and that Vegas is all but a lock to land one of the coveted slots.&nbsp;
In a press conference before Game 1 of the NBA Finals last week, commissioner Adam Silver confirmed that "at some point, this league invariably will expand," before adding, "it's not at this moment that we are discussing it."
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When the NBA officially expands, it is assumed that they will add two franchises simultaneously to keep the league balanced with an even number of teams. Along with Vegas, Seattle is the other city considered a heavy favorite to secure the rights to a new franchise. Seattle served as the home of the SuperSonics from 1968 through 2008 before the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City, leaving basketball fans in the Pacific Northwest heartbroken. In the years since, there has been a concerted effort from fans, players and coaches to bring a team back.&nbsp;
When asked about Las Vegas specifically, Silver noted that the city is the home to the NBA Summer League and that Vegas "has shown itself to be a great sports market." Last October, in an interview with Sports Business Journal, <a href="https://www.si.com/fannation/nba/fastbreak/rumors/nba-rumor-could-a-team-be-coming-to-las-vegas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Silver acknowledged</a> that when the league starts seriously exploring expansion, there is "no doubt Vegas will be on the list."
With sports betting becoming legal in more and more states, propelled by the windfall of profits mobile wagering has generated, pro sports teams are no longer afraid to lay down roots in Sin City. Las Vegas is currently home to the NFL's Raiders and NHL's Golden Knights. In 2017, the NBA and WNBA approved the sale of the San Antonio Silver Stars to MGM Resorts in Las Vegas.
Earlier this year, the Oak View Group <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2022/03/30/las-vegas-nba-arena-rumors-sports-entertainment-district-oak-view-group" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that it had purchased 25 acres of land in Vegas to build a $3 billion sports and entertainment district that will include a 20,000-seat arena.
"The arena will be world-class," <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2022/03/30/las-vegas-nba-arena-rumors-sports-entertainment-district-oak-view-group" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said CEO Tim Leiweke</a>. "It will be for music, it'll be for sports, it'll be for cultural activities, and should the NBA decide to come &mdash; and by the way, there's no certainty or no guarantees that the NBA is ever coming to Vegas but should they come &mdash; we certainly will be NBA-ready and make sure that we hit all of their standards."
The arena will be located 10 minutes from the strip and it's expected to break ground sometime in 2023.
When attempting to speculate how much a new franchise might be worth, it should be noted that the most recent NBA team to go on the market was the Minnesota Timberwolves. In April, former MLB star Alex Rodriguez and former Walmart e-commerce CEO Marc Lore agreed to purchase the Timberwolves for $1.5 billion. Like Rodriguez, James would need to recruit a partner or form an ownership group to make a competitive bid. Last week, Nike founder Phil Knight<a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/34026351/sources-nike-phil-knight-dodgers-alan-smolinisky-make-offer-buy-portland-trail-blazers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a>offered to pay more than $2 billion to purchase the Portland Trail Blazers.
It's also important to note that, per the league's collective bargaining agreement, James would be unable to purchase any stake in an NBA franchise while he is an active NBA player. And although he turns 38 years old later this year, James is still playing at an incredibly high level. This past season, James averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists and a career-high 2.9 made three-pointers per game.
In an <a href="https://theathletic.com/3138844/2022/02/19/could-lebron-james-return-to-cleveland-again-the-doors-not-closed-on-that-he-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview with The Athletic</a> published in February, James stated definitively that he plans to play long enough to share the floor with his oldest son, Bronny.
"My last year will be played with my son," James said. "Wherever Bronny is at, that's where I'll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It's not about the money at that point."
Bronny won't be draft-eligible for another two years under the NBA's current CBA.&nbsp;
Regarding the league's potential timeline, it has been rumored that Silver and Co. plan to hold off on formally announcing serious steps toward expansion until after the NBA's current media rights deal expires in 2024. It's possible that the NBA's timeline and James' long-term plan could perfectly align.
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LeBron James says he wants to own an NBA team in Las Vegas. Tommy Beer breaks down James' goal and whether it's feasible.

Examining LeBron James' goal of owning an NBA team in Las Vegas

At around 6:00 pm on Sunday, June 30, 2019, word began to spread that free agents Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving had decided to team up and join forces in Brooklyn. It was hailed as one of the most important and impactful days in the history of the Nets as a franchise.
Despite the fact that KD was recovering from an Achilles tear, expectations in Brooklyn were sky-high. Euphoric Nets fans were incredibly optimistic, dreaming of the imminent success this dynamic duo would enjoy.&nbsp;
Yet, with both KD and Kyrie sidelined by injury during the 2020 postseason, Brooklyn was swept out of the playoffs by the Toronto Raptors that first year.
Nevertheless, expectations ratcheted up even further once Nets fans watched Durant return fully healthy in 2020-21. And that optimism reached a fever pitch when the team added a third future Hall-of-Famer, James Harden, in mid-January 2021.
However, Kyrie injured his ankle in Game 4 of the Nets' second-round series vs. the Milwaukee Bucks last postseason, and Harden was nursing a hamstring injury that prevented him from playing at full strength. KD put the team on his back and played brilliantly, but the Nets eventually lost Game 7 at home to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the eventual NBA champions.
Still, the team and its fan base were incredibly hopeful heading into the 2021-22 campaign. And for good reason, as KD, Kyrie and Harden were all healthy. Brooklynites were convinced this would be the year their team would advance to the Finals and capture the Larry O'Brien trophy, and sportsbooks in Las Vegas agreed with them, installing the Nets as the heavy preseason favorite to win the NBA title.
Things got off to a rocky start.
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Irving decided to reject the advice of medical experts and refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19. As a result, due to New York City vaccine mandates, Irving could not play in home games. Consequently, in early October, Nets general manager Sean Marks and team owner Joe Tsai informed Irving that he couldn't rejoin the team &mdash; for games or practices &mdash; until he was vaccinated.
"He has a choice to make, and he made his choice," Marks stated. "My job here is to make what we deem as the best choices for the organization moving ahead as a whole... We're looking at putting a group of people that are going to be able to participate fully. That's what this comes down to, and we're not looking for partners that are going to be half-time."&nbsp;
In November, Tsai told the New York Post: "Kyrie talks about it as a sort of personal choice issue, which I respect. But we all need to not forget our goal. A championship team needs to have everybody pulling the same direction."
Even without Irving, the Nets got off to a strong start, winning 21 of their first 29 games. Durant was playing at an MVP level over the first two months of the season, averaging 29.7 points (on 52% shooting), 7.9 rebounds and 5.9 rebounds. Brooklyn had the best record in the Eastern Conference through the first 30 games of the 2021-22 campaign.&nbsp;
However, in mid-December, a COVID outbreak decimated the Nets' depth. Durant, Harden De'Andre Bembry, Bruce Brown, Jevon Carter, LaMarcus Aldridge, James Johnson and Paul Millsap were all placed in health and safety protocols. Unnerved, the Nets front office relented and decided to welcome Irving back to the team.
With KD, Kyrie and Harden reunited, NBA pundits and oddsmakers once again predicted Brooklyn's immense collection of talent would carry them to a title.&nbsp;
However, the Nets' Big Three never seemed to get on the same page. In a Jan. 15 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, Durant sprained the MCL in his left knee. The injury would sideline KD for six weeks. By late January, rumors began to surface that Harden was fed up with the circus-like atmosphere and wanted out of Brooklyn.&nbsp;
On Feb. 2, Brooklyn was beaten badly by the lowly Sacramento Kings, and Harden's effort (or lack thereof) was appalling. In what would be his final appearance in a Nets uniform, The Beard finished with 4 points on 2 of 12 shooting.&nbsp;
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On the day of the trade deadline, Brooklyn shipped Harden to the Sixers in exchange for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks.
Following the blockbuster deal, the Nets remained the consensus favorites to win the 2022 NBA title. Caesars Sportsbook elected to keep the Nets' odds at 4-1 after the trade, ahead of the Golden State Warriors (9-2), Phoenix Suns (5-1) and Bucks (7-1).
In his introductory press conference with Brooklyn, Simmons said he was looking forward to returning to action.
"I feel physically pretty good," Simmons told reporters. "Mentally, I'm getting there, so it's an ongoing thing to stay on top of that. But I think I'm heading in the right direction."
As we now know, Simmons would not set foot on an NBA court all season. Drummond, who provided much-needed rebounding help for Brooklyn early on, was essentially unplayable by the time the playoffs arrived (he logged less than 4 minutes of action in the Nets' season-ending loss Monday night).
Once Durant returned from his knee injury, Brooklyn got back on track and went 6-1 over a seven-game span in mid-March. Kyrie hung 50 on the Hornets in Charlotte on March 8. KD poured in a season-high 53 points in Brooklyn's victory over the New York Knicks on March 13. Two nights later, Irving scored a franchise-record 60 points in a blowout win over the Orlando Magic.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Irving and Durant became the first pair of teammates in NBA history to score 50 points in consecutive games. KD and Kyrie are also just the second duo to record multiple 50-point games in a season, joining Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, who accomplished the feat for the 1961-62 Los Angeles Lakers.
Then, in late March, New York mayor Eric Adams altered the city's vaccine mandate, clearing the way for Irving to play in home games. Adams, who initially stated that "it would send the wrong message" to give Irving an exemption when the city's other employees were still subject to the same mandate, said the revised decision was "about putting New York city-based performers on a level playing field."
Thus, the Nets would enter the postseason with their two top guns available (and Irving fresh/well-rested after being a part-time player for most of the season).
Yet, as it turned out, the disjointed Nets were no match for a unified Celtics team that had spent the past three months building its chemistry on both ends of the court.
Boston swept Brooklyn out of the playoffs, effectively locking up both Kyrie and KD.
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Durant played well in Game 4, but disappeared in Game 3 on Saturday night. KD was shockingly passive the entire evening, finishing the must-win contest with just 16 points on 6 of 11 shooting; his lack of aggression and intensity was stunning. In that contest, the most important game of the Nets season, Durant &mdash; a four-time scoring champion and two-time Finals MVP &mdash; finished with 10 fewer points and 8 fewer field-goal attempts than Brown.&nbsp;
Incredibly, over Game 2 and Game 3 combined, Brown scored more points (49) and grabbed more rebounds (16) than both Durant (43 points/12 boards) and Irving (26 points/12 boards).
Irving closed out his season averaging 15.3 points while shooting just 37.2% from the floor and 18.2% from three-point territory over the final three games of the series.
Being swept out of the playoffs in the first round would have been considered almost unimaginable at the start of the season, or really at any point over the past 12 months, assuming KD and Kyrie were both healthy.&nbsp;
In fact, SportsBetting.ag confirmed to BasketballNews.com that the Nets are the first NBA team ever to enter a season as the favorite to win a title, yet fail to win a single playoff game.&nbsp;
It's not hyperbole to suggest that the 2021-22 Brooklyn Nets will go down as arguably the most disappointing team in the history of the National Basketball Association.
That's not the all-time legacy Brooklynites were anticipating this squad would be remembered for. Dating back to the 2021 postseason, the Nets are 1-8 in their last last nine playoff games...
The unforgettable Sunday afternoon in June 2019, when Durant and Irving revealed they were teaming up, was 1,030 days ago.
Imagine telling enthusiastic Nets fans back then that KD, Kyrie and company would win only one playoff series (and a grand total of seven playoff games) over the subsequent three seasons.&nbsp;
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Tommy Beer reviews the Nets' latest playoff shortcoming and how they haven't gotten it done since Kyrie Irving and KD joined forces.

The 2021-22 Nets: Arguably the most disappointing team in NBA history

Players like Andrew Wiggins make being a coach worth it.
The NBA&rsquo;s 2022 All-Star Weekend is in my hometown of Cleveland and even though I won&rsquo;t be there in person, I&rsquo;ll be paying close attention to the All-Star Game. I can&rsquo;t wait to see Wiggins take that court.
Being a coach can be a thankless job &mdash; long days, short nights and countless hours. Most of the time, coaches spend more time with their teams than they do with their families, and when things don&rsquo;t work out, we&rsquo;re usually the first to get blamed &mdash; whether fair or not. That&rsquo;s part of what makes it tough.
What also makes it tough is when you have players who don&rsquo;t want to be held to standards or don&rsquo;t want to work.&nbsp;
A good coach is supposed to push you and challenge you. A good coach is supposed to hold you accountable. And truth is, some players just aren&rsquo;t receptive to that&hellip;&nbsp;
But others? They&rsquo;re like Wiggins.&nbsp;
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I got to know him pretty well during our brief time together during the NBA Summer League in 2014, and I became a believer in him almost immediately.
Eight years later, I&rsquo;m going to be so proud to see him take the court as not only an All-Star from the Western Conference, but as a starter.
I first heard about Andrew when he was at Kansas, and I never imagined I&rsquo;d be one of his first NBA coaches &mdash; but that&rsquo;s how things worked out for us.&nbsp;
I was just coming off of my first season as an assistant with the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers&rsquo; G League affiliate. In May of that year, Cleveland won the draft lottery for the second year in a row (and third time in four years).&nbsp;
They had Kyrie Irving, who they picked first in 2011, and Anthony Bennett (selected first in 2012). Now, they had won the draft lottery again and were expected to select Wiggins first overall.&nbsp;
Me? I was fortunate to get the call to be an assistant coach for the Cavs in the Summer League. I was looking forward to it, especially to have the opportunity to help develop that young talent. I was still getting my feet wet as a coach, and when they did ended up picking Wiggins with the first pick, we were joined.&nbsp;
Andrew, believe it or not, made it easy for us.&nbsp;
With the hype surrounding him, it would have been easy for him to have an attitude or to have a big head or to not be receptive to being coached and pushed, but he was the total opposite. He was kind, patient and absorbed everything like a sponge. It was refreshing.
Even though I was an assistant coach, I worked with him a lot. I was constantly in his ear.
What I respected most about Andrew, and I&rsquo;m not sure I ever told him directly, was how he handled himself after LeBron announced that he was coming back to Cleveland. We had conversations about it, and I advised him &mdash; but he just handled himself like such an adult.
The main thing I tried to get him to understand was that there was going to be an adjustment period for him going from college to the pros and to not put too much pressure on himself. Focus on having fun and take your craft seriously. He did just that.
He was a rare combination of someone who was talented, gifted and confident &mdash; yet also calm, quiet and focused. That&rsquo;s not always the case with young players with promise.
Especially for those who have accolades and notoriety, those players can give off an impression that makes you wonder if they feel like playing in summer leagues or pickup games is almost beneath them. They don&rsquo;t give it 100% and don&rsquo;t seem like they&rsquo;re taking the lower levels of play seriously.
That wasn&rsquo;t Andrew.&nbsp;
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As a coach, you want the best for all your players, but there are some who you actually root for &mdash;&nbsp;whether it be because of their work ethic, their character or your personal relationship. And yeah, Andrew immediately became one of those players I rooted for.
In Vegas, after LeBron announced he was going back to Cleveland, Andrew immediately became the topic of discussion and rumors because everyone assumed that he would be traded for someone who could help LeBron win immediately.&nbsp;
During Summer League, he couldn&rsquo;t go anywhere without people asking him about the rumors, asking him if he was actually going to play for the Cavs and stuff like that &mdash; despite it all, he was so positive and upbeat. He remained focused on our common goal.
We had a few conversations about the situation and about his future in the NBA. I&rsquo;ll never forget Andrew&rsquo;s perspective. He considered himself blessed to be fulfilling his dream, and his sole focus was to become the best player he could be. He was looking forward to being LeBron&rsquo;s understudy and learning from him, but knew that it was possible that he wouldn&rsquo;t get that opportunity.&nbsp;
And if he got traded? He simply knew he was going to give it his all to become the best player he could be for that team that did acquire him.&nbsp;
Either way, he always wanted to be with his coaches in the gym. And he wanted us to push him. No wasted days.
I knew, even back then, that he was going to make it.&nbsp;
Attitude and humility &mdash; knowing that you&rsquo;ve got a lot to learn and taking what your coaches have to say seriously &mdash; that&rsquo;s a big factor when it comes to young guys becoming the best players they can be. And it often makes the difference between someone having a five-year career, and someone having a 15-year career.
Things didn&rsquo;t work out in Cleveland for obvious reasons, but Andrew developed nicely in Minnesota. There were a lot of questions about his drive and about his ability to fulfill his potential, and that probably contributed to Minnesota trading him to Golden State for D&rsquo;Angelo Russell.
At the end of the day, though, everyone lands where they&rsquo;re supposed to.&nbsp;
D&rsquo;Angelo is doing well in Minnesota with Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew looks like he just might be the piece that the Warriors need to get back on top.
The young Canadian kid, obviously &mdash; he&rsquo;s figured things out in San Francisco.
And you know what? I can&rsquo;t say I&rsquo;m surprised.&nbsp;
I&rsquo;ve believed in him since fate brought us together in Las Vegas back in 2014.
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James Posey discusses the experience he had coaching Andrew Wiggins back in 2014, and how the young man made him a believer.

Coaching Andrew Wiggins in 2014 NBA Summer League made me a believer

Tommy Beer checks in with an installment of BasketballNews.com's NBA Power Rankings.

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

Yesterday, we <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/5-nba-teams-you-should-hammer-the-over-on-for-202122-win-totals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">covered the best NBA win-total bets to hammer the over on</a> and now it&rsquo;s time to flip the script and discuss the most intriguing under options available. With so many teams pushing the chips in for a 2021-22 playoff run, it'll be tougher for teams to separate from the pack. Which squads will ultimately regress or fail to meet preseason expectations?
Without further ado, let&rsquo;s dive into the five-best under bets to make entering this season.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS: UNDER 51.5 WINS
The Sixers currently find themselves in a tricky situation. The Ben Simmons drama has reached a new boiling point, as the 2016 No. 1 overall pick has officially requested a trade from Philadelphia. Although Simmons' offensive struggles are well-documented, his defense helped him finish second in the Defensive-Player-of-the-Year race behind Rudy Gobert last season.
Just now entering his prime years at age-25, Simmons has shown unicorn-like tendencies as a jumbo playmaker who can defend five positions on the basketball court. Simmons&rsquo; impact will be missed in Philadelphia, and it'll be interesting to see what the Sixers receive in return for him.
With the Simmons rumors reaching a fever pitch, plus the inconsistent availability of Joel Embiid over the years, taking a swing on the under at 51.5 makes sense to me. Do we trust Tobias Harris to carry an Embiid-less team on the nights he eventually sits out? Especially with a more jam-packed Eastern Conference than ever, I expect a small step back from the Sixers. Fifty wins feels like the ceiling to me, which means I'm hammering the under here.
ATLANTA HAWKS: UNDER 47.5 WINS
Atlanta caught fire last season when they moved Nate McMillan over to the head-coach seat with Lloyd Pierce&rsquo;s midseason firing. However, will that mojo continue over a full 82-game schedule? The Hawks have built a great infrastructure of talent around their superstar Trae Young. However, I feel like Las Vegas might be overestimating Atlanta after this recent run.
Maybe I&rsquo;m too pessimistic when it comes to the Hawks, but I need to see this success continue to fully buy-in. Reaching the near-50-win mark is a huge milestone for an organization that has been stuck in the lottery for years. Atlanta added more young talent in the draft, but didn&rsquo;t add any veterans into the equation.
I&rsquo;m going to play it safe and roll with the under on Atlanta. If Trae lights up the NBA in his fourth season, plus other pieces of their core take steps forward, I would be happy to be proven wrong here. There&rsquo;s a real possibility that their late-season run was lightning in a bottle, and that their win total will be in the mid-40s. In my opinion, 47.5 is a steep over to hit.
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INDIANA PACERS: UNDER 43.5 WINS
The Pacers were dealt potentially the NBA's worst hand last season with injuries. T.J. Warren only played four games. Malcolm Brogdon and Myles Turner dealt with various ailments. Caris LeVert had to sit out an extended period of time following his arrival (via the Victor Oladipo trade) because a cancerous tumor was discovered on a physical.
With Rick Carlisle back in Indiana as head coach, will the Pacers&rsquo; talented nucleus finally put it all together? I <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pacers-face-makeorbreak-202122-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have my doubts</a>, especially considering how much the East has improved. No longer will a team comfortably make the playoffs with a record around .500.
Indiana also feels like the most obvious team to hit the reset button midseason, especially if they get off to a slow start. Outside of Domantas Sabonis and LeVert, everyone could be on the table in trade talks. Warren is on an expiring contract, while Brogdon and Turner have been floated in trade discussions over the last calendar year. If Indiana floats around .500 or below, the Pacers would be wise to sell-high on those players at their last opportunity to receive positive value.
Although Indiana had only one down year, the East is now a beast. It might be too little, too late for this core to make a run, which leads me to feel comfortable hammering the under on 43.5.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: UNDER 41.5 WINS
Coming off their first playoff appearance since the Grit-n-Grind era, Memphis is bubbling with excitement to see if the Grizzlies can take the next step forward. Led by Ja Morant, Memphis has done a fantastic job of building around their young star point guard.
However, with the Golden State Warriors now back to full health, plus other young teams hoping to take a leaps (such as the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/by-making-zion-williamsons-job-easier-the-pelicans-should-finally-have-real-playoff-potential" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Orleans Pelicans</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/will-the-timberwolves-finally-take-a-leap-forward-in-a-loaded-western-conference" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Minnesota Timberwolves</a>), Memphis will have to work even harder to return to the play-in spot they secured last season.
With how the Grizzlies have operated this offseason, it feels like they&rsquo;re content waiting to make a move &mdash; not getting antsy off of their early success after making the No. 8 seed. The Grizzlies&rsquo; main offseason additions were Steven Adams and No. 10 overall pick Ziaire Williams (plus they <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/mem-agrees-to-trade-hernangomez-to-bos-for-dunn-edwards-pick-swap" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acquired</a> Kris Dunn and Carsen Edwards today).
I&rsquo;m betting on a slight regression form Memphis, especially if they get off to a slow start. With Dillon Brooks recently floated in trade talks, it makes me wonder if we see the Grizzlies emerge as sellers at this year&rsquo;s trade deadline, which further pushes me to hit the under on 41.5.
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SACRAMENTO KINGS: UNDER 35.5 WINS
After <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/report-76ers-asking-price-for-ben-simmons-is-too-steep-for-kings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">officially bowing out</a> of the Ben Simmons derby due to the 76ers' asking price &ndash; which is disappointing since Simmons would've been <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-ben-simmons" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a perfect fit</a> on the Kings &ndash; Sacramento seems destined for another disappointing season.
Buddy Hield was nearly traded to the Los Angeles Lakers on draft night for Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell, so who knows how long he will remain a member of the Kings? Sacramento re-signed Richaun Holmes and drafted one of the most NBA-ready prospects in Davion Mitchell, but is that enough to really make a big leap in the West? I doubt it.
The Kings have a solid young cored led by De&rsquo;Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton and Mitchell, but everyone else could be moved down the road. Hield and Harrison Barnes stand out as obvious candidates to be moved to contenders at the trade deadline, especially if Sacramento falls out of the playoff race before the All-Star break.
I&rsquo;m hammering the under on 35.5 wins for the Kings, and feeling pretty comfortable doing so, which would unfortunately extend their playoff drought to an incredible 16 consecutive seasons.

Which NBA teams will fail to meet preseason expectations? Here are 5 teams you should bet the under on given their projected win total.

2021-22 win-total odds: 5 NBA teams you should hammer the under on

Everyone who loves the NBA looks forward to filling out an All-Star ballot, and this particular columnist waited until the day after Groundhog Day because the same old, same old does not cut it this season.
Yes, there are names on my ballot that are there year after year. That list begins with LeBron James, who is finally back in Los Angeles following a two-week road trip in which he drew inspiration from hecklers at two stops -- in Cleveland from an overzealous Cavs&rsquo; front-office employee, and in Atlanta from a woman whom he believes may have had more than a drop too much of alcohol.
This is a season unlike any other with all of the COVID-related restrictions and postponements, but the James Harden trade made January quite worthwhile, and we should expect a J.J. Redick move any day now as the Pelicans clearly look to go in another direction. His playoff experience will be valued by someone, as 20 teams (counting play-in games) are headed to the postseason. So stay tuned on that one.&nbsp;
Back to the ballot.&nbsp;
We shall start with the Western Conference. As has been the case for the past several seasons, voters are required to select two backcourt players and three frontcourt players &ndash; a nod to the positionless nature of the NBA in an era where the three-pointer is more valuable than ever. Just ask the Utah Jazz, who have three-balled their way into first place in the West. They only made nine last night in a victory over Detroit, but the Pistons do not require anyone&rsquo;s A-game on most nights.
So here we go... 
WESTERN CONFERENCE STARTERS
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers: "Dame Dolla" has let us all know that Hulu has live sports. So props to that smart TV service for latching on to the best player folks on the East Coast rarely get to see. We have been watching him bury 30-footers for so long now that he has surpassed Steph Curry as&nbsp; Player Most Likely To Hit From 38 Feet. Lillard is third in the NBA in scoring at 29.1 points per game, and his 11-9 team is the second-highest scoring team in the West despite the losses of CJ McCollum (fractured foot) and Jusuf Nurkic (fractured wrist). Lillard ranks eighth in the league in assists (7.2) and seventh in minutes per game (36). He also is making 94.7 percent of his free throws, only behind Jordan Clarkson, Chris Paul and Irving.
Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz: The temptation here is to give this spot to Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors, who is fifth in the NBA in scoring. But Mitchell is the best player on the West&rsquo;s best team, leading Utah with 23.3 points per game on a three-point-centric team getting double-figure scoring from six players. We all saw when <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-shaq-donovan-mitchell-shaquille-oneal-neal-utah-jazz-inside-tnt-turner-joe-ingles-rudy-gobert-mike-conley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal interviewed Mitchell on TNT to produce one of the season&rsquo;s most uncomfortable moments</a>, and we should expect the Jazz to continue to feed off that disrespect. They own the longest winning streak in the NBA this season at 11 games, and their 285 threes in January marked the most in a single month in NBA history. Mitchell has reached 600 career three-pointers faster than any player in NBA history...including Steph.
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LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers: He never ages, does he? Some of his stats are down just a little from last season (most noticeably his assists) but the guy is making threes at a career-best 40.9 percent clip, and nobody has advocated more vociferously for allowing fans back into the arenas, something we are seeing more and more teams do. The Lakers have played only eight home games as opposed to 14 road games, and 11 of their next 14 will be at Staples Center. Remember last February and March when LeBron was starting to make a run at Giannis Antetokounmpo for MVP consideration before the pandemic shut down the season? Well, he is currently the 7-2 favorite for the award, just ahead of Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid and Kevin Durant. (Why the books have Lillard at 25-1 is perplexing.) Just as he never ages, it never gets old watching LeBron.
Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers: He will never win any Most Quotatious awards, but his game does his talking, and he is at 26.3 points per game while also flirting with a 50-40-90 season. The Clippers are just a half-game out of first place in the West, and Leonard has played in 18 of 22 games as Ty Lue seems to be weaning the team&rsquo;s two superstars away from the load management that robbed them of team chemistry a year ago; they have used just seven different starting lineups after using 33 a season ago, and of Leonard&rsquo;s four missed games, two were for COVID protocols and two were for a mouth laceration. The Clippers lead the NBA in three-point shooting, with Kawhi hitting them at a 39.8 percent clip, his best in five years. He also is third in the NBA in steals, and get this: Leonard is the winningest player in NBA regular-season history with a 407-135 (.751) record.&nbsp;
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets: The Joker went for 22 in the first quarter against the Jazz on Sunday and finished with a career-high 47points, and he is fifth in the NBA in assists at 8.6 per game. To put that in perspective, just behind him in the league-leader rankings are Ben Simmons, LeBron, Lillard, Kyle Lowry and Malcolm Brogdon. Slimmed down significantly after recovering from COVID-19, Jokic is the NBA&rsquo;s only player in the Top 10 in points, rebounds and assists, plus he is 11th in field goal percentage and 13th in minutes played a night -- a career-high 35.8. He also is averaging career-highs in field-goal percentage, rebounds, assists and steals. Jokic is currently on a streak of 11 straight games with at least 20 points, too. 
West Reserves: Luka Doncic, Mavericks; Steph Curry, Warriors; Paul George, Clippers; Anthony Davis, Lakers; Rudy Gobert, Jazz; Deandre Ayton, Suns; Devin Booker, Suns.
West's Left Out: Christian Wood, Rockets; De&rsquo;Aaron Fox, Kings; Zion Williamson, Pelicans; Brandon Ingram, Pelicans; DeMar DeRozan, Spurs; Ja Morant, Grizzlies. 
EASTERN CONFERENCE STARTERS
Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards: Good to hear that he is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-washington-wizards-bradley-beal-wont-be-on-trading-block-in-near-future-trade-rumors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not requesting a trade</a>, which is what general manager Tommy Sheppard has been telling everyone who has asked for the past two seasons. The news that Beal is NOT seeking a trade is not really news. Beal is leading the NBA in scoring at 35.0 per game, which is 4.2 points higher than his closest pursuer. He failed to reach 30 points in just two of the Wizards&rsquo; 10 games in January, and last night he went for 37 in his second consecutive game. It's a no-brainer pick despite his team having the league&rsquo;s worst record. His scoring average is up 4.5 points from last season, when it was up 4.9 points from the previous season.&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/usatsi_15411561-1_lg.jpg" alt="" width="860" height="AUTO" />
Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics:&nbsp; This pick was not as easy, because despite his prolonged absence for personal reasons, Kyrie Irving may be the most talented point guard in the entire Eastern Conference (the dude went for 39 against the Clippers last night on 15-for-29 shooting, a season-high, and is well on pace for a 50-40-90 season). But Brown has produced more consistently for the Celtics without any of the Kyrie-esque drama that we all endured a couple of weeks ago. His 18-point game against Golden State last night tied his season-low, but he is at 26.6 points per game for the Celtics while shooting nearly 53 percent. Brown has played in all 19 games and is averaging career-highs in points, assists, blocks, steals and all three shooting categories.
Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets: With all due respect to Irving and Harden, the Nets are KD&rsquo;s team. He is averaging 30.8 points per game and is flirting with a 50-40-90 season himself, and his perseverance in pushing Sean Marks to make the Harden trade cannot be understated. Yes, the Nets are all-in on offense and still have to find an interior rotation defender (Iman Shumpert is not going to be that guy). But they are now the NBA&rsquo;s only team with a Big Three, and Durant has been remarkably efficient from the field. His 11-for-13 night against the Clippers marked the 10th time in 17 games that he has been well-above 50 percent from the field.
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers: We would prefer it if he dropped all references to The Process, which is sooooo Sam Hinkie. The Sixers are 14-2 with Embiid and 1-4 without him, and he has dropped 33 or more points in five of his last seven games. The seven-footer from Cameroon is a 41 percent 3-point shooter, more than three percentage points better than Nikola Jokic. Also, he has attempted the second-most total free throws (152) despite missing five games, and he is making them at a career-best 84 percent clip. If he can keep this up, he is going to be very much in the MVP conversation, which bettors in South Jersey and Pennsylvania have been wagering on quite heavily. He may drop 50 on Cody Zeller tonight.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks: The reigning two-time MVP is still a thrill to watch every time he takes the court, and tonight&rsquo;s game against the Indiana Pacers will be a test for the Bucks. It's too bad that we might not see Giannis test the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-myles-turner-outblocking-entire-teams-goal-all-defensive-first-team-dpoy-honors-blocks-steals-defense-nate-bjorkgren-scheme-indiana-pacers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shot-blocking prowess of Myles Turner</a>, who is questionable with a shoulder injury. We all get to watch that game on ESPN, which is nice because the Pacers &ndash; like the Utah Jazz &ndash; are not on national TV enough given the relative strengths of their teams. The Greek Freak is in the MVP conversation, but not dominating it as he did the past two seasons, perhaps because his turnovers are at a career-worst pace and his free-throw percentage (59.3) is at a career-low. But Giannis has shot below 50 percent just once in his past 13 games, and he is tied for sixth in scoring and is 10th in rebounding.&nbsp;
East Reserves: Kyrie Irving, Nets; James Harden, Nets; Domantas Sabonis, Pacers; Trae Young, Hawks, Nikola Vucevic, Magic; Jayson Tatum, Celtics; Zach LaVine, Bulls.
East's Left Out: Julius Randle, Knicks; Collin Sexton, Cavs;&nbsp; Gordon Hayward, Hornets; Fred VanVleet, Raptors; Russell Westbrook, Wizards; Malcolm Brogdon, Pacers.

Chris Sheridan selects his 2021 NBA All-Star starters and reserves for the Eastern Conference and Western Conference.

Sheridan's 2021 NBA All-Star starters: Beal over Irving, Mitchell over Doncic

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

NBA Sour Rankings: Back to the rumor mill

Two weeks into the 2020-21 NBA season, a number of players are outperforming their preseason expectations. Some players have made the most of a change of scenery, while others have taken the next step in their development or stepped up in the absence of an injured teammate. Without further ado, here are 11 players who are turning heads with their recent play.
Christian Wood, Houston Rockets&nbsp;
Preseason Fantasy Ranking: No. 45
Current Fantasy Ranking: No. 7
Wood was getting picked near the fifth round in fantasy drafts since he seemed poised to take on an increased role in Houston and serve as a perfect complementary piece alongside James Harden. However, the 25-year-old has exceeded all expectations to start the season. Wood has been dominant, averaging 23.8 points (15th-best in the NBA), 10.8 rebounds (11th-best), 2.3 blocks (fourth-best), 2.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.3 turnovers on 55.7/35.3/64.7 shooting splits. He is currently averaging the seventh-most fantasy points per game (48.36). 
It&rsquo;s a small sample size, but Wood was similarly productive last season with the Detroit Pistons after Andre Drummond was traded. In 12 starts last year, he put up 21.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.7 threes, 0.8 blocks and 0.8 steals on 56.0/40.8/73.4 shooting splits. If Wood can keep this up, he&rsquo;ll likely be in the mix for the Most Improved Player award. Not bad for a guy who was playing in the G League as recently as 2019.&nbsp;
Julius Randle, New York Knicks&nbsp;
Preseason Fantasy Ranking: No. 80&nbsp;
Current Fantasy Ranking: No. 21
The Knicks have gotten off to a surprising 3-3 start, and Randle&rsquo;s terrific play is a big reason why. He&rsquo;s averaging 21.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.8 threes and 0.7 steals on 49.5/50.0/76.5 shooting splits. His three-point shooting will certainly come back down to Earth, but he&rsquo;s stepping up as a facilitator and rebounder. In fact, Randle is nearly doubling his previous career-high in assists per game (3.6). 
To put Randle&rsquo;s production in context, consider this: He is just the fifth player in NBA history to average at least 10.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists through the first six games of a season, joining Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen, Kevin Garnett and Giannis Antetokounmpo (per <a href="https://twitter.com/TommyBeer/status/1345730077175259139" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tommy Beer of Forbes</a>). The 26-year-old should continue to have the ball in his hands quite a bit as the season progresses, so he&rsquo;ll have every opportunity to keep filling the stat sheet. Randle has totaled the ninth-most fantasy points (258.10) among all players, and he's averaging 43.10 fantasy points per game (21st-best in the NBA).
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/sabonis2_lg.jpg" alt="" width="796" height="AUTO" />
Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers
Preseason Fantasy Ranking: No. 44
Current Fantasy Ranking: No. 14
Of all the players on this list, Sabonis entered this season with the highest expectations and he was going in the mid-third round in many fantasy drafts. While we knew he'd be a difference-maker, his 20.8 points, 11.3 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.3 threes and 1.0 steals (on 56.8/57.1/67.6 shooting splits) have been a nice surprise. With T.J. Warren out indefinitely due to a stress fracture in his left foot, Sabonis' numbers shouldn't dip anytime soon considering his importance to Indiana's offense. Sabonis currently has the fifth-most fantasy points of any player in the league, and his 45.01 fantasy points per game ranks 14th-best among all players. It's time for Domas to start getting more love from pundits and casual fans.
DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio Spurs&nbsp;
Preseason Fantasy Ranking: No. 53&nbsp;
Current Fantasy Ranking: No. 17
DeRozan is posting career-highs in assists (8.0), rebounds (6.2), threes (1.4), three-point percentage (.538), free-throw percentage (.865), PER (25.2) and True Shooting Percentage (.624), while limiting his turnovers to 1.4 per game. After shooting just 25.7 percent from three-point range last season, DeRozan has more than doubled that percentage so far this year (as he&rsquo;s shooting 53.8 percent from deep). When Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was asked about DeRozan&rsquo;s three-point shooting, he made it sound like it is here to stay. "DeMar, that's part of his game this season, to shoot more threes," Popovich <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/basketball/nba/nba-raptors-spurs-dec-26-recap-1.5855385" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. "He's more confident with it and it shows." DeRozan is currently averaging the 17th-most fantasy points per game (44.64), and he&rsquo;s been a top-five shooting guard in fantasy thus far.
Larry Nance Jr., Cleveland Cavaliers&nbsp;
Preseason Fantasy Ranking: No. 121&nbsp;
Current Fantasy Ranking: No. 50
With Kevin Love out for at least a month due to a right calf strain and Isaac Okoro sidelined with a sprained foot, this has opened the door for Nance to move into the starting lineup and play big minutes. Over the last two weeks, he&rsquo;s been doing a little bit of everything for Cleveland. In five games as a starter, Nance has averaged 10.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 2.8 steals, 1.4 threes, and 1.0 blocks on 46.7/36.8/83.3 shooting splits. This season, Nance has totaled the 30th-most fantasy points (207.70), and his 34.74 FPPG ranks 50th among all players. The 28-year-old remains one of the most underrated players around the NBA and plenty of good things just seem to happen when he&rsquo;s on the floor.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/terry6_lg.jpg" alt="" width="796" height="AUTO" />
Terry Rozier, Charlotte Hornets&nbsp;
Preseason Fantasy Ranking: No. 144
Current Fantasy Ranking: No. 55
Entering this season, it was unclear how the additions of LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward would impact Rozier&rsquo;s scoring. Well, so far, the 26-year-old is averaging a career-high 23.2 points to go along with 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 3.8 threes, 1.0 steals and 0.5 blocks on 49.0/45.1/80.0 shooting splits. He has become a terrific three-point shooter since arriving in Charlotte; last year, he shot 42.3 percent over 63 games. 
This season, he&rsquo;s had a 42-point performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers (with 10 threes) and a 35-point outing against the Philadelphia 76ers (with seven threes). Rozier is currently averaging 33.44 FPPG (which is 55th-best in the NBA), and he has totaled the 37th-most fantasy points (200.30) among all players.
Alec Burks, New York Knicks&nbsp;
Preseason Fantasy Ranking: No. 164&nbsp;
Current Fantasy Ranking: No. 54
Burks is currently averaging 20.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 3.3 threes, 1.0 steals and 0.7 blocks on 53.1/66.7/90.0 shooting splits. He&rsquo;s been remarkably efficient, and while his three-point percentage will certainly dip, he should continue to get enough field-goal attempts to stay fantasy relevant long-term. While he&rsquo;s been a pleasant surprise for the Knicks, it&rsquo;s worth noting that he put up similar numbers in the first half of last season as a member of the depleted Golden State Warriors -- averaging 16.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.8 threes and 1.0 steals on 40.6/37.5/89.7 shooting splits (before ultimately being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers). Burks is averaging 33.49 FPPG, which ranks 54th among all players.
Kyle Anderson, Memphis Grizzlies&nbsp;
Preseason Fantasy Ranking: No. 232&nbsp;
Current Fantasy Ranking: No. 51
With Jaren Jackson Jr., Ja Morant, Justise Winslow and De&rsquo;Anthony Melton out, Anderson has been asked to step up and take on a larger role for Memphis. His 23.2 usage rate is easily a career-high (his previous high was 14.2). Anderson has popped up in trade rumors here and there, and there have been some rumblings that Memphis is showcasing him. But as long as he&rsquo;s in this role, he should continue to fill the stat sheet. 
He&rsquo;s averaging 16.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.8 threes, 0.8 blocks and 0.4 steals on 45.5/33.3/81.3 shooting splits. He dropped a career-high 28 points in a win over the Brooklyn Nets just two nights after recording a career-high 14 rebounds against the Atlanta Hawks. His 34.24 FPPG ranks 51st in the NBA.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/keldon2_lg.jpg" alt="" width="798" height="AUTO" />
Keldon Johnson, San Antonio Spurs&nbsp;
Preseason Fantasy Ranking: No. 189&nbsp;
Current Fantasy Ranking: No. 63
Johnson has been beloved on #NBATwitter for some time, and after watching what he&rsquo;s done through five games as a starter, it&rsquo;s easy to see why he has so many fans. The 21-year-old is averaging 15.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.8 threes, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks on 45.5/42.9/84.2 shooting splits. He's coming off of his best game as a pro, recording a career-high 26 points along with 10 rebounds, 5 threes, 2 steals and 1 block against the Los Angeles Lakers (while shooting 63.6 percent from the field, 55.6 percent from three and 87.5 percent from the free-throw line). His 31.92 FPPG ranks 63rd among all players, and he should only continue to improve as he takes the next step in his development.&nbsp;
Dillon Brooks, Memphis Grizzlies&nbsp;
Preseason Fantasy Ranking: No. 182&nbsp;
Current Fantasy Ranking: No. 57
Like Kyle Anderson, Brooks has more on his plate because of the Grizzlies&rsquo; injuries and he&rsquo;s become their No. 1 option on offense with Ja Morant out. Through five games, Brooks is averaging 19.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.6 threes and 2.2 steals on 41.8/35.1/100.0 shooting splits. Once Memphis is back at full strength, his role will change a bit. With that said, the 24-year-old should be able to sustain somewhat similar production, as his current averages are similar to what we saw from him across 73 games last season (when he posted 16.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.1 APG, 2.0 3PG and 1.0 SPG on 40.7/35.8/80.8 shooting splits). He&rsquo;s averaging 32.84 FPPG, which is 57th-best in the NBA.
Josh Jackson, Detroit Pistons&nbsp;
Preseason Fantasy Ranking: No. 202&nbsp;
Current Fantasy Ranking: No. 86
Outside of Josh Jackson&rsquo;s relatives, nobody was selecting the 23-year-old forward during their fantasy drafts this year. Last season, Jackson split time between the Memphis Grizzlies and their G League affiliate (the Memphis Hustle). During his 22 games with the Grizzlies, he averaged just 9.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in 17.3 minutes per game. Initially, it seemed like he'd be buried on the Pistons&rsquo; depth chart, but a strong preseason helped him win the starting shooting guard job over Svi Mykhailiuk and Delon Wright. 
Jackson has always been a terrific athlete, but he's struggled with his shot and decision-making (on and off the court). Now, it appears he&rsquo;s finally maturing and putting everything together on a low-risk, high-reward contract with Detroit. He&rsquo;s averaging 28.44 FPPG, which is 86th-best in the NBA.
All fantasy rankings and points are courtesy of <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiplfye_4DuAhWCEFkFHX9rBU8QFjAAegQIARAD&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fsports.yahoo.com%2F&amp;usg=AOvVaw3kBNqsoI3dc7CdMDCL0pbl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yahoo Sports</a>.

Alex Kennedy breaks down 11 NBA players who are outperforming preseason expectations and turning heads with their recent play.

Fantasy basketball: 11 players who are exceeding expectations

Like an inadvertent Serge Ibaka elbow to the face, we all got struck in the mouth by something on Christmas Day: the imbalance between the really, really good teams and the hoi polloi.
Five games, five blowouts. And if you watched every minute of every single game, let&rsquo;s just say that you could have had a better Christmas by getting out of the house/apartment and going for a walk. Fresh air is good for you, folks. Pandemic or no pandemic, we all need some outdoor time to get through this toughest of years.
Kawhi Leonard needed eight stitches to close a gaping wound in his mouth after he was left bleeding all over the court following an inadvertent collision with his Ibaka&rsquo;s elbow in the fourth quarter of the Clippers&rsquo; 121-108 victory over the Denver Nuggets, providing the bloodiest moment of the young season. Furthermore, the Clips' 13-point margin of victory over Denver tied Pelicans-Heat for the closest game of the day.&nbsp;
Brooklyn was once again a beast with a 28-point victory in Boston, Milwaukee was 39 points better than Golden State (and would have won by 47 had Giannis Antetokounmpo made all of his free throws), the Lakers left Rick Carlisle shaking his head in a 23-point victory over the Mavs, and all of the new uniform color schemes made our children (or at least my children) wonder whatever happened to sticking with tradition?&nbsp;
All we wanted for Christmas was one close game, Santa. How could you let us down like that?
There have been 19 games since the season began, and a dozen of them have been decided by double-digit margins. Yes, it is a small sample size, but going 5-for-5 on Christmas Day did not do the folks at ESPN any favors in terms of increasing TV ratings. At least their beancounters had a good day by having four of the games called remotely, the Mavs-Lakers game at empty Staples Center being the exception.&nbsp;
The new season is going to take some getting used to, especially after we all had so much familiarity with the bubble over the summer. We knew what all of those games would look like on TV. This season? There are 30 new courts (many with new designs) and 29 different arenas, but only six with actual fans in attendance. One of those is the court in Tampa where the Raptors have relocated. 
We are only on Day 5 of the 2020-21 season, and uncertainty preponderates. We still do not know where James Harden will finish the season, but barring a trade sometime before tipoff tonight, we know he&rsquo;ll make his season debut in Portland with a Rockets team that will be missing six players, including three starters, because of COVID safety protocols. Not even Santa knows whether the Rockets' &ldquo;good list&rdquo; of&nbsp; players -- John Wall, Harden, Eric Gordon, Christian Wood and DeMarcus Cousins -- will ever play a single minute together.
Here are a few more things we learned on Christmas Day and what's to come next:
- Safe to say Kyrie Irving is stoked. Forget about what the sportsbooks are telling you. This guy is the leading Most Valuable Player candidate in the league right now, and it is not even close. He dropped 37 points and eight assists on the Celtics in his long-awaited return to Boston, overshadowing the 29 that teammate Kevin Durant dropped quite effortlessly. Kyrie is averaging 31.5 points, shooting 62 percent from the field and is 11-for-18 on threes with 12 assists against just two turnovers. Steve Nash&rsquo;s team is a machine, and we get to see them on NBA TV on back-to-back nights Sunday and Monday, as they travel to Charlotte and then are back in Brooklyn to play the Grizzlies to complete the first week of the season.
- LeBron James has plenty of bounceback left despite airballing a free throw that he facetiously blamed on drinking wine only from the left side of his mouth. (But there is no truth to the rumor that he is buying governor Gavin Newsome&rsquo;s winery tomorrow.) Despite that opening night loss to the Clippers, we saw Friday how much better this year&rsquo;s version of the Lakers is, as Montrezl Harrell went 10-for-13 and had 22 points in 29 minutes. The guy is shooting 80 percent from the field in two games while establishing himself as probably the third-best player on that team behind LeBron and Anthony Davis.
- The weekend includes 10-game slates both Saturday and Sunday that should provide some guidance on which teams are most worth watching on League Pass. Russell Westbrook, coming off a triple-double in his Wizards debut, plays a pair of games against the Orlando Magic. Thank your lucky stars that you do not have Markelle Fultz&rsquo;s job this weekend.
- Ja Morant and Trae Young play only once each, but Terry Rozier plays twice, and by Monday morning we&rsquo;ll find out whether anyone can begin the workweek with a scoring average above 40.0 points per game, earning the unofficial Jamal Murray Player of the Week award. Myles Turner goes twice this weekend, too, so we&rsquo;ll find out whether his eight blocked shots in the Pacers&rsquo; opener was an aberration or a precursor to someone becoming a legitimate threat to break Mark Eaton&rsquo;s record of 5.56 blocks per game set for Utah in 1984-85.
- Andre Drummond plays his alumni game tonight in Detroit against the Pistons, which gives us an opportunity to remind the young folks that Wilt Chamberlain holds the record for most rebounds in a game with 55 early in his second season...that coming after he grabbed 40 or more rebounds four times as a rookie. Still have a ways to go, James Wiseman.
- The Knicks will play twice at an empty Madison Square Garden, which means we won&rsquo;t have James Dolan sitting baseline, Spike Lee sitting courtside or, unfortunately, Immanuel Quickley leading the offense and giving fans of the blue and orange hope. Quickley had the misfortune of banging his hip into Turner in the opener, and it should not go unreported that Tom Thibodeau left Elfrid Payton, Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina sitting on the bench and played without a point guard in the second half of the opener at Indiana. Note to Knicks fans: Jonathan Kuminga G-League Elite scrimmage highlights are available <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rtt22dNF4PE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
- Random things we want to see more of: Kelly Oubre Jr. dunking, Boban Marjanovic and Luka Doncic running the pick-and-roll, the evolution of the new State Farm commercials starring Chris Paul, James Wiseman shooting threes, Ricky Rubio getting playing time, Slovenia-Slovakia World Cup hockey games and fans in the stands.
Keep your fingers crossed on that last one. We&rsquo;ve made it this far in 2020, y&rsquo;all. Less than six days &lsquo;til 2021. We&rsquo;ll get there.

Chris Sheridan takes a look back at the lopsided slate of Christmas Day games and what teams and players came out as winners.

Post-NBA Christmas review: Can we please have a close game?

Nekias Duncan looks ahead to how the five teams in the Southwest Division will fare in the upcoming NBA season.

2020-21 NBA Season Preview: Southwest Division

Soon, the world will know about the East Asia Super League.
The rapidly growing league across East Asia is set to have its biggest event yet: the EASL Final Four happening March 8-10 in Cebu, Philippines.
Dubbed the "Champions League" of East Asian basketball, the EASL combines the best clubs from the top leagues in East Asia with elite production value. The teams in the Final Four are Korea&rsquo;s Seoul SK Knights and Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters, Taiwan&rsquo;s New Taipei Kings, and Japan&rsquo;s Chiba Jets. The Red Boosters come in as the defending champions following their win over their Korean neighbors, SK Knights, in last year&rsquo;s inaugural championship in Japan.&nbsp;
EASL&rsquo;s vision is to become one of the world&rsquo;s top professional basketball leagues. At the same time, EASL aims to elevate the sport of basketball across the East Asia region.&nbsp;
But what makes the league different is the style of play and the brand of basketball each team employs. While leagues like the NBA lean on athleticism, teams in the EASL use a lot of running and transition as well as relying on spacing.
&ldquo;Our play style is fast, and pretty open court. We use dynamic guards a lot and rely on spacing,&rdquo; New Taipei Kings&rsquo; Joseph Lin told BasketballNews in the opening press conference of the league&rsquo;s Final Four tournament. 
The 6-foot-1 Lin, the brother of former NBA player and champion Jeremy Lin, will attempt to bring the title to Taiwan as they go up against the Chiba Jets in the semifinals.
Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters&rsquo; Filipino import Rhenz Abando echoed the younger Lin&rsquo;s sentiments as he came home to play in front of Filipino fans in Cebu: &ldquo;[Our play style] is also the same with Taipei, we are also fast and have a lot of ball movement and spacing.&rdquo;
Going up against Abando and the Red Boosters are the SK Knights in a rematch of last year&rsquo;s finals matchup. Star player Oh Jae Hyun reflects the opinions of the basketball played in the EASL.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Our team&rsquo;s main strength is fast-paced basketball, which requires rebounding and pressing the defense so we can force turnovers and push it on the other side,&rdquo; Hyun added.
Aside from Lin, a number former NBA players have played in the EASL including <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/east-asia-super-league-inside-a-basketball-startup-with-a-unique-vision">Lance Stephenson (Liaoning Flying Leopards), Shabazz Muhammad (Shenzhen Leopards), KJ McDaniels (TNT KaTropa), Jared Sullinger (Shenzhen Aviators), Jameel Warney (Seoul SK Knights) and Domantas Motiejunas (Shandong Golden Stars).</a> Austin Daye, a 2014 NBA champion with the San Antonio Spurs, is a teammate to Lin on New Taipei.
With the league&rsquo;s Final Four event aiming to have massive success in the Philippines, EASL CEO Henry Kerins is optimistic that the EASL will grow even more and increase the number of teams soon.
&ldquo;Our ambition is to expand from eight teams to 16 teams and that will include new geographies and new clubs,&rdquo; Kerins shared. &ldquo;Obviously, there&rsquo;s a huge amount of development and expansion for us to do and that&rsquo;s where the top basketball talent is right now &ndash; Asia.&rdquo;
Kerins further noted that this is only the start for EASL as it looks to increase its global market and viewership in the coming months and years.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Our focus right now is developing and expanding that and deepening both our penetration on the media partnerships. This is the beginning, and in 2025 you&rsquo;re going to see a much more mature and aggressive strategy for expanding that," Kerins said. "We will be expanding our presence and that will lead to more clubs participating &ndash; so hold for that in terms of our announcements but that&rsquo;s our vision and plan going forward.&rdquo;

Soon, the world will know about the East Asia Super League, which is about to hold its Final Four in the Philippines.

East Asia Super League set to have its biggest event yet in Cebu

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers survived Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in double overtime, 145-144, on Saturday night in a frantic finish to the NBA's Rivals Week.
In what turned out to be an all-time classic game, James and Curry went head-to-head just like old times, pouring in clutch basket after clutch basket in the fourth quarter and both overtime periods.&nbsp;
Curry hit a booming triple at the top of the key to give the Warriors the 144-143 lead with six seconds to play. James got fouled on a drive on the Lakers' possession and swished two clutch free throws to take back the lead, 145-144. Curry had one last shot to save the Warriors, but his 68-foot heave did not find the bottom of the net.
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Respect after a hard-fought battle for the two legends l🫡🤝<a href="https://t.co/KbkoxMh2LL">pic.twitter.com/KbkoxMh2LL</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1751473405671706965?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2024</a></blockquote>

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

James had a monster game, finishing with a triple-double of 36 points, 20 rebounds and 12 assists. He becomes the oldest player to have a 30-point triple-double and the oldest player with a 30-20 game. Even at 39 years old, he continues to top himself, as his 20 rebounds were a career-best.
Curry, for his part, had 46 points, 7 assists and 3 rebounds in 43 minutes in the losing effort, as the Warriors suffered their second-straight heartbreaking loss (after losing to the Sacramento Kings by one point two nights ago).

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers survived Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in double overtime, 145-144.

LeBron James, Lakers outlast Steph Curry, Warriors in Rivals Week showdown

Despite missing eight players, the Orlando Magic upset the Denver Nuggets, 122-120, on Friday night behind Paolo Banchero's first career triple-double.
Fresh off scoring a career-high 43 points in a double-overtime loss against the Sacramento Kings, Banchero poured in 32 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for Orlando. The 21-year-old is the youngest player in Magic history to record a triple-double.
Banchero attempted a career-high 19 free-throw attempts, making 15 of them &mdash; including four free throws late in the game to seal the win for Orlando.
&ldquo;Coming into the game, we had eight guys out, so we had to have a next-man-up mentality," said the reigning Rookie of the Year and No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. "I can't be prouder of the team; that was a hell of a win."
Orlando came into the game with only nine players available, and then rookie Anthony Black left the game after just five minutes due to illness. The Magic played with just eight players the rest of the way. 
Franz Wagner (right ankle), Wendell Carter Jr. (right knee), Markelle Fultz (left knee), Gary Harris (right calf), Joe Ingles (left ankle), Jonathan Isaac (right hamstring) and Goga Bitadze (illness) were among the players who were sidelined.
Fortunately for the Magic, they made up for their lack of depth with hot shooting, making 17 three-pointers against Denver (led by Jalen Suggs&rsquo; career-high 7 threes). Orlando also shot a franchise-record 25 threes two nights ago in Sacramento.
Suggs and Cole Anthony combined for 50 points, while Mo Wagner added 19 to reinforce Banchero.
The Magic, who have now beaten the Nuggets twice this season to sweep the season series, move to 20-15 after going just 4-6 over their last 10 games and 6-9 over their last 15. Orlando is currently the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Nikola Jokic was splendid again from the field, scoring 29 points on 68% shooting, but it wasn't enough to lead Denver to victory a night after <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nuggets-nikola-jokic-hits-gamewinner-near-halfcourt-to-beat-warriors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banking in a 39-foot heave</a> to bury the Golden State Warriors.&nbsp;

Paolo Banchero recorded his first career triple-double to lead his short-handed Magic to an upset win over the Nuggets, 122-120.

Shorthanded Magic beat Nuggets behind Banchero’s first triple-double

The New Orleans Pelicans' 2-0 start ran into a Steph Curry Flurry and it was a scary Halloween Eve for the Smoothie King Center&rsquo;s fans.
The Golden State Warriors ran out 130-102 winners of their third road game in four days. Sure, Steph went supernova for a stretch to finish with 42 points but it was the shots that did not go in that determined the game.&nbsp;
Rebounding is becoming a problem for the Pelicans. They were outdone 64-39 versus the Warriors, and New Orleans has allowed 37 offensive rebounds in the last two games, both at home. The Knicks had 16 offensive rebounds, the Pelicans just 4. Two nights later, Golden State got an extra 21 possessions to find Curry roaming the perimeter. It almost became painful to watch how incapable the Pelicans were of stopping the inevitable. Curry had not played in New Orleans in years and this was just another example of witnessing greatness.
On Monday, it did not help that Brandon Ingram was out nursing an injury, Herb Jones (2 rebounds) got in foul trouble early, Jonas Valanciunas (6 rebounds) was attacked relentlessly, and the team was still being cautions with Larry Nance Jr.&rsquo;s minutes.
&ldquo;In the second half, it just got away from us," Pelicans head coach Willie Green said. "Curry hit some big shots. Their second unit ... they came in and made plays. And the biggest thing for us improvement-wise is the rebounding. It killed us. But they&rsquo;re an experienced team, and they get you scrambling on the perimeter. Shots go up and we&rsquo;re just not in a position to rebound, and that&rsquo;s an area we have to be better.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s tough to "play better" when four key contributors are on the bench. Matt Ryan, Kaiser Gates and Kira Lewis Jr. finished with a combined 4 rebounds in 50 minutes. They focus on other priorities beyond crashing the glass, yet are usually on the court together. Something has to give to change the trend.
Zion Williamson&rsquo;s analysis was spot on, saying: &ldquo;They had a great third quarter, and we didn't play too well. I didn't look at the numbers, but, from the eye test, they dominated us on the boards.&rdquo;
The stat sheet agrees. With Ingram out, C.J. McCollum (6 rebounds) hoisted a team-high 21 shots to get just 19 points. Williamson (5 rebounds) had 19 points on 15 shots. However, no one on the home team had more than 6 rebounds because when the leading men missed tough shots, the Warriors finished possessions far too easily. After the loss, I asked Coach Green if he thought this was more of a tactical problem or just a lack of effort and execution.
&ldquo;It is a little bit of both. It is definitely an area we need to improve upon. We have to rebound the ball,&rdquo; Green stressed. &ldquo;Our defense is solid. We can get stops but when you give teams second and third chances, it gets kind of demoralizing.&rdquo;
Steve Kerr&rsquo;s game plan to corral Williamson and win possessions took a toll, though Green thought the Warriors got away with a few friendly no-calls.
&ldquo;[The Warriors] were physical on him. He didn&rsquo;t get some of the calls that I thought he should have gotten," Green said. "He played a solid game but give those guys credit, they swarmed him. And, in the second half, we just didn&rsquo;t knock down shots, but he did make the right plays.&rdquo;
Williamson seemed close to disgusted with the performance in his postgame press conference. The Warriors just got so many more chances to make the right play that there was no other outcome possible.
The Pelicans were on the wrong end of a near-30-point loss. It happens to every NBA team once a season. New Orleans needs a new gameplan to get those extra possessions to ensure it&rsquo;s their last time on the losing end of a blowout.

The New Orleans Pelicans' 2-0 start ran into a Steph Curry Flurry and it was a scary Halloween Eve at the Smoothie King Center.

Pelicans' one big problem exposed in loss to Warriors

After a long four-month offseason, the 2023-24 NBA season officially kicks off on October 24. Preseason action is currently underway, with teams evaluating their roster and getting ready for the start of the regular season.
There were a few roster rule changes of note this offseason that were introduced as part of the new CBA. Now, each team can sign up to three two-way players (up from two) who are able to play up to 50 games with their NBA team and spend the rest of their season in the G League. Also, offseason rosters were originally limited to 20 players but have since increased to 21.&nbsp;
Each team needs to be at 15 standard contracts prior to the start of the season, which means a few players on guaranteed deals will have to be cut prior to the season. While some teams have a pretty set roster, others (like the Oklahoma City Thunder) will be forced to part ways with talented players to reach their roster limit.&nbsp;
Looking at the Atlantic Division, let's see how each team&rsquo;s lineup is shaping up and what questions they may need to answer before the start of the season.
(This is part one of a six-part series, with more divisional previews coming soon).
<h1>BOSTON CELTICS</h1>
Outside of the top-six players, who will be the most reliable depth option?
After acquiring Jrue Holiday, the Boston Celtics may have the best top-six of any team in the league. While we can add the Holiday trade to their list of aggressive offseason transactions, their depth has taken somewhat of a step back.&nbsp;
They will have to replace four rotation players from last year&rsquo;s Conference Finals team with a few players who don&rsquo;t have much experience in playoff situations. Three players who should definitely see more minutes are Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet. Pritchard has played well on both ends of the floor when given an opportunity, notably shooting 40% from three-point range over his first three seasons. The Celtics rewarded him with a team-friendly extension that should see him take up about 5% of the salary cap over the next four years. Hauser has also been a stellar three-point shooter, knocking down 42% since coming into the league.&nbsp;
The frontcourt is probably the most notable weakness on the team&rsquo;s depth chart. Joe Mazzulla has expressed confidence that <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/2023/10/7/23907608/boston-celtics-depth-sam-hauser-luke-kornet-payton-pritchard-joe-mazzulla-blake-griffin-bus-one-boys" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kornet should be successful on both ends of the floor and will be their go-to backup center to start the season.</a> The preseason will be important in determining who else (i.e. Oshae Brissett, Jordan Walsh, Svi Mykhailiuk, etc.) may stand out for Mazzulla and get an opportunity for playing time behind Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
The Celtics have the least amount of players on guaranteed contracts in the league (10). However, their roster for opening night is likely set unless they want to open up flexibility to sign other veteran players or buyout candidates later this season. If they choose to cut someone, it would very likely be a player on a non-guaranteed deal. Mykhailiuk and Dalano Banton each have a partial $200,000 guarantee that increases to over $1,000,000 if they make the roster. Kornet, Wenyen Gabriel and Lamar Stevens all have non-guaranteed contracts.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 19 players (10 guaranteed, 2 partially guaranteed, 3 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 1 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Jrue Holiday, G/F Jaylen Brown, F Jayson Tatum, F/C Al Horford, F/C Kristaps Porzingis
Projected Rotation Players: G Derrick White, G Payton Pritchard, C Luke Kornet (non-guaranteed), F Sam Hauser, F Oshae Brissett
Projected Reserves: F Jordan Walsh, G/F Svi Mykhailiuk ($200K guaranteed), F Wenyen Gabriel (non-guaranteed), G Dalano Banton ($200K guaranteed), F Lamar Stevens (non-guaranteed)
Projected Two-Way Players: C Neemias Queta, G JD Davison, G Jay Scrubb (Injured)
Projected Roster Cuts: G DJ Steward (Exhibit-10)
<h1>BROOKLYN NETS</h1>
What is Ben Simmons' role?
Ben Simmons has only played 42 games since being acquired by the Nets in February 2022, dealing with physical and psychological hurdles that have made him somewhat of an afterthought. Head coach Jacque Vaughn has expressed confidence that Simmons is now 100% healthy and ready to contribute again at a high level.&nbsp;
He seems to be penciled in as the team&rsquo;s starting point guard, starting in the Nets&rsquo; first preseason game. Though it was just a small 14-minute sample size, Simmons looked a lot like his former All-Star self. Having not played since February 15, he looked athletic, aggressive and confident before sitting out the second half.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He attacked the rim, I think he played with pace, looked pretty natural out there getting up and down the floor, communicating with guys into the flow of the game,&rdquo; Vaughn said, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/10/10/ben-simmons-passes-eye-test-in-nets-preseason-opener/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">praising his $38-million man</a>. &ldquo;Really good to see.&rdquo;
Vaughn has some options when it comes to starting lineups where he could go smaller, with a backcourt of Simmons and Spencer Dinwiddie, or decide to start Dorian Finney-Smith and use Mikal Bridges as a big two-guard.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
Darius Bazley, Harry Giles and Trendon Watford are all on non-guaranteed deals and are vying for the final two roster spots. The Nets also have an open two-way spot, which I believe they could potentially use on a player like <a href="https://www.si.com/college/tennessee/mens-basketball/kennedy-chandler-starring-in-nba-summer-league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Summer League standout</a> and former Memphis Grizzlies second-rounder Kennedy Chandler.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 18 players (13 guaranteed, 3 non-guaranteed, 2 two-way)
Projected Starters: G/F Ben Simmons, G Spencer Dinwiddie, F Mikal Bridges, F Cameron Johnson, C Nicolas Claxton
Projected Rotation Players: F Dorian Finney-Smith, F Royce O&rsquo;Neale, G Cameron Thomas, G Dennis Smith Jr., C Day&rsquo;Ron Sharpe
Projected Reserves: G/F Lonnie Walker IV, C Noah Clowney, F Dariq Whitehead, F Darius Bazley (Non-Guaranteed), C Harry Giles (Non-Guaranteed)
Projected Two-way Players: G Armoni Brooks, F Jalen Wilson, G Kennedy Chandler* (Projected Signing)
Projected Roster Cuts: F Trendon Watford (Non-Guaranteed)
<h1>NEW YORK KNICKS</h1>
Who will be the first option off the bench?
New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau has his fair share of options to headline his second unit. In his third year, Immanuel Quickley had his best season to date, finishing as the runner-up for the Sixth Man of the Year award behind Malcolm Brogdon. Quickley was the primary scorer for the second unit, but he shouldn&rsquo;t have to carry the entire load on offense with the addition of Donte DiVincenzo.&nbsp;
DiVincenzo impressed last season with the Golden State Warriors as a reliable bench shooter and should spot minutes for Quentin Grimes and R.J. Barrett when offensive pushes are needed. Josh Hart could also be the team&rsquo;s sixth man, just like he was during the Knicks&rsquo; playoff run. After being traded from Portland, Hart averaged 30 minutes per game despite coming off the bench most of the time. It is worth noting the Knicks-Villanova connection between Hart, DiVincenzo and Jalen Brunson, who should fit seamlessly together on the floor thanks to their pre-existing chemistry. While unlikely to be the first off the bench, Isaiah Hartenstein also deserves mention since he has been one of the league&rsquo;s better backup centers and could see more time if Mitchell Robinson gets in foul trouble. In terms of rotation issues, Thibodeau should see this as a good problem to have regardless of who he brings off the bench first.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
The Knicks have three spots up for grabs between Ryan Arcidiacono, DaQuan Jeffries, Isaiah Roby and Duane Washington Jr. All are on non-guaranteed deals that won&rsquo;t be fully guaranteed until the league-wide guarantee date on January 10.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (12 guaranteed, 4 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Jalen Brunson, G Quentin Grimes, G/F R.J. Barrett, F Julius Randle, C Mitchell Robinson
Projected Rotation Players: G Josh Hart, G Immanuel Quickley, G Donte DiVincenzo, C Isaiah Hartenstein, G Miles McBride
Projected Reserves: G Evan Fournier, C Jericho Sims, F Isaiah Roby (non-guaranteed), G Ryan Arcidiacono (non-guaranteed), G/F DaQuan Jeffries (non-guaranteed)
Projected Two-way Players: F/C Nathan Knight, G/F Dylan Windler, F Jaylen Martin
Projected Roster Cuts: G Duane Washington Jr. (non-guaranteed), G Charlie Brown Jr. (Exhibit-10), F Jacob Toppin (Exhibit-10)
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/embiid332.jpg" alt="" width="672" height="440" />
<h1>PHILADELPHIA 76ERS</h1>
Will Tyrese Maxey become more of a creator and how can that adjust the rotation?
The Sixers&rsquo; ceiling is contingent on how much Tyrese Maxey can improve this season. Maxey hasn&rsquo;t needed to be the team&rsquo;s primary distributor since James Harden joined the team, allowing him to blossom into a reliable 20-PPG scorer. Regardless of whether Harden&rsquo;s trade situation is resolved, Maxey will need to become a better creator and distributor if he wants to take his game to the next level. Prior to Harden&rsquo;s arrival, Maxey had an impressive 4:1 assist-to-turnover ratio despite his small frame and risk-averse tendencies.&nbsp;
Interestingly, team president Daryl Morey has held off on giving Maxey an extension this offseason, electing to wait until next summer to pay his budding young guard. Maxey will likely demand near max-level money that could harm Philly&rsquo;s flexibility to go after star players next offseason. If he can improve his ball-handling and distribution tendencies, the Sixers&rsquo; offense should benefit tremendously, helping the offensive output of players like P.J. Tucker and Paul Reed and easing the reliance on De&rsquo;Anthony Melton and Patrick Beverley.
Roster Decisions
Two players will likely be fighting for the Sixers&rsquo; final roster spot. The team re-signed veteran Danny Green, who played for the team from 2020 to 2022, to a non-guaranteed deal. They also brought over young big Filip Petrusev, who was drafted by Philadelphia in 2021. Petrusev signed a multi-year deal that was partially guaranteed for $559,782 this season and non-guaranteed next year. Although unlikely, the 76ers could also elect to waive Montrezl Harrell despite his deal being fully guaranteed, as he should miss this season with a torn ACL.
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (14 guaranteed, 1 partially Guaranteed, 1 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Tyrese Maxey, G James Harden, F P.J. Tucker, F Tobias Harris, C Joel Embiid
Projected Rotation Players: G De&rsquo;Anthony Melton, G Patrick Beverley, F/C Paul Reed, F/G Kelly Oubre Jr., F Danuel House
Projected Reserves: C Mo Bamba, F Furkan Korkmaz, G Jaden Springer, G/F Danny Green (non-guaranteed), C Montrezl Harrell (injured)
Projected Two-way Players: G Terquavion Smith, G Ricky Council IV, F Azuolas Tubelis
Projected Roster Cuts: F/C Filip Petrusev ($559,782 guaranteed), G David Duke Jr. (Exhibit-10), G Javonte Smart (Exhibit-10)
<h1>TORONTO RAPTORS</h1>
What style does Darko Rajakovic bring to Toronto and who will benefit the most?
New coach Darko Rajakovic inherits an interesting Raptors team with plenty of talent, but they may be facing a crossroads in terms of how successful they can be as a group. Rajakovic is in his first NBA head coaching gig after three seasons as an assistant with the Grizzlies and is known around the league as a pick-and-roll guru.&nbsp;
The idea of the Raptors being a primary pick-and-roll team became less appealing when they were unable to retain Fred VanVleet in free agency, replacing him with a less reliable shooter in Dennis Schr&ouml;der. Instead, Rajakovic will likely rely on Schr&ouml;der and his newly paid center Jakob Poeltl for more ball movement and playmaking. Rajakovic compared Poeltl to Domantas Sabonis before the Raptors&rsquo; preseason win over the Sacramento Kings on October 9 and could use him in a similar role. If Poeltl can be 70% of what Sabonis was last season, it can be a huge boost to an inconsistent offense.
Roster Decisions
The Raptors have 15 players on guaranteed deals going into the season, but also carry Jeff Dowtin Jr. on a non-guaranteed deal. Dowtin played on a two-way contract with Toronto last season, appearing in 25 games. With the roster full, Dowtin is unlikely to make the regular-season roster but he has still <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/raptors/news/toronto-raptors-praise-jeff-dowtin-jr-as-roster-decisions-await" target="_blank" rel="noopener">impressed the coaching staff this preseason</a>. If any player is in danger of losing their roster spot to Dowtin, it would likely be former first-round pick Malachi Flynn. Dowtin&rsquo;s deal becomes guaranteed for $900,000 on October 21, four days before the team&rsquo;s season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves. I would expect the Raptors to make a decision on Dowtin before then.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (15 guaranteed, 1 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Dennis Schr&ouml;der, F/G Scottie Barnes, F OG Anunoby, F Pascal Siakam, C Jakob Poeltl
Projected Rotation Players: G Gary Trent Jr., F Precious Achiuwa, F/C Chris Boucher, F Jalen McDaniels, G/F Gradey Dick
Projected Reserves: F Thaddeus Young, G Malachi Flynn, F Otto Porter Jr., C Christian Koloko, G/F Garrett Temple
Projected Two-way Players: G/F Ron Harper Jr., G Markquis Nowell, G Javon Freeman-Liberty
Projected Roster Cuts: G Jeff Dowtin (non-guaranteed), F Mouhamadou Gueye (Exhibit-10), C Makur Maker (Exhibit-10)
Other news from around the web: <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/dress-to-impress-why-barbie-and-ken-are-the-hottest-couples-costume-this-halloween/ar-AA1iaTEh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barbie and Ken are the hottest couples costume this Halloween</a>

Blake Stern previews the Atlantic Division, breaking down each team's projected lineup and a burning question entering the season.

NBA Atlantic Division Preview: Burning questions, rotation projections

Today, the NBA released its <a href="https://pr.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2023/08/NBA-In-Season-Tournament-Schedule-as-of-8-15-23.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pr.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2023/08/NBA-In-Season-Tournament-Schedule-as-of-8-15-23.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692218455557000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0rmDOE9YGriasNrpps64cy">complete game schedule</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://pr.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2023/08/NBA-In-Season-Tournament-National-TV-Schedule-as-of-8-15-23.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pr.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2023/08/NBA-In-Season-Tournament-National-TV-Schedule-as-of-8-15-23.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692218455557000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1IJb5odCf76ekMENrLMADh">national television matchups</a>&nbsp;for Group Play of the inaugural&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/why-the-nbas-new-inseason-tournament-should-be-great" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nba.com/in-season-tournament/2023&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692218455557000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3zur52LWMPSMiTdM4OXMEm">NBA In-Season Tournament</a>, which will tip off on Friday, Nov. 3 during the 2023-24 regular season.
The complete game schedule and national broadcast schedule for the 2023-24 regular season will be announced on Thursday, Aug. 17.&nbsp;
Group Play games, the first of two stages in the In-Season Tournament, will take place on Tuesdays and Fridays in November.&nbsp; On these &ldquo;Tournament Nights,&rdquo; the only NBA games scheduled will be Group Play games.&nbsp;
ESPN and TNT will combine to air 14 games during Group Play.&nbsp; The first Tournament Night (Nov. 3) will feature a doubleheader on ESPN as the New York Knicks visit the Milwaukee Bucks (7:30 p.m. ET) and the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets host the Dallas Mavericks (10 p.m. ET).&nbsp; TNT will begin its Group Play broadcasts on Tuesday, Nov. 14, when the San Antonio Spurs visit the Oklahoma City Thunder (7:30 p.m. ET) and the Nuggets take on the LA Clippers in Denver (10 p.m. ET).&nbsp;
The national television schedule for Group Play includes three rematches from the 2023 NBA Playoffs.&nbsp; The reigning Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat will visit the Knicks on Friday, Nov. 24 (7:30 p.m. ET/ESPN) and host the Bucks on Tuesday, Nov. 28 (7:30 p.m. ET/TNT), and the Golden State Warriors will visit the Sacramento Kings on Nov. 28 (10 p.m. ET/TNT).
NBA TV&rsquo;s live game coverage of Group Play will consist of a doubleheader on Friday, Nov. 24, with the Orlando Magic hosting the Boston Celtics (2:30 p.m. ET) and the Phoenix Suns visiting the Memphis Grizzlies (5 p.m. ET).
Each team will play four designated Group Play games from Nov. 3-28 &ndash; one game against each opponent in its group, with two games at home and two games on the road.&nbsp; As&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nba.com/news/2023-in-season-tournament-debut-official-release" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nba.com/news/2023-in-season-tournament-debut-official-release&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692218455557000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2ghKIMHZuYA4MGfdrKkaR_">previously announced</a>, all 30 teams have been randomly drawn into groups of five within their conference based on win-loss records from the 2022-23 regular season. The groups are below:
<table width="736">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 251px;" colspan="6">
NBA IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT GROUPS
</td>
<td style="width: 8px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 111.417px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 92.7083px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 76.4444px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 0.145833px;">&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 156px;" colspan="3">
Western Conference
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 95px;">
&nbsp;
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 119.417px;" colspan="2">
Eastern Conference
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 92.7083px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 76.4444px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 0.145833px;">&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 80px;">
West Group A
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 76px;">
West Group B
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 95px;">
West Group C
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 8px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 111.417px;">
East Group A
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 92.7083px;">
East Group B
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 76.4444px;">
East Group C
</td>
<td style="width: 0.145833px;">&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 80px;">
Memphis
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 76px;">
Denver
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 95px;">
Sacramento
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 8px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 111.417px;">
Philadelphia
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 92.7083px;">
Milwaukee
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 76.4444px;">
Boston
</td>
<td style="width: 0.145833px;">&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 80px;">
Phoenix
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 76px;">
LA Clippers
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 95px;">
Golden State
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 8px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 111.417px;">
Cleveland
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 92.7083px;">
New York
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 76.4444px;">
Brooklyn
</td>
<td style="width: 0.145833px;">&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 80px;">
L.A. Lakers
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 76px;">
New Orleans
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 95px;">
Minnesota
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 8px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 111.417px;">
Atlanta
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 92.7083px;">
Miami
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 76.4444px;">
Toronto
</td>
<td style="width: 0.145833px;">&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 80px;">
Utah
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 76px;">
Dallas
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 95px;">
Oklahoma City
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 8px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 111.417px;">
Indiana
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 92.7083px;">
Washington
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 76.4444px;">
Chicago
</td>
<td style="width: 0.145833px;">&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 80px;">
Portland
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 76px;">
Houston
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 95px;">
San Antonio
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 8px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 111.417px;">
Detroit
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 92.7083px;">
Charlotte
</td>
<td style="width: 0px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 76.4444px;">
Orlando
</td>
<td style="width: 0.145833px;">&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
(*Scroll right for Eastern Conference groups)
Eight teams (four per conference) will advance from Group Play into the second stage of the In-Season Tournament, the Knockout Rounds.&nbsp; The advancing teams will be the six group winners and two &ldquo;wild cards&rdquo; (the team from each conference with the best record in Group Play games that finished second in its group).&nbsp; The tiebreaker procedures are available&nbsp;<a href="https://pr.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2023/08/NBA-In-Season-Tournament-Tiebreaker-Procedures.pdf" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pr.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2023/08/NBA-In-Season-Tournament-Tiebreaker-Procedures.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692218455557000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3dIy44IHPBuKgJM4kYZ9CD">here</a>.&nbsp;
The Knockout Rounds will consist of single-elimination games in the Quarterfinals (Monday, Dec. 4 and Tuesday, Dec. 5), Semifinals (Thursday, Dec. 7) and Championship (Saturday, Dec. 9).&nbsp; The national broadcast schedule for the Knockout Rounds will be announced at a later date.&nbsp;
The Quarterfinals will be played in NBA team markets.&nbsp; The Semifinals and Championship will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with tickets on sale now at&nbsp;<a href="https://nbaevents.nba.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nbaevents.nba.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692218455557000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0VQ1tv3_NkY6uEZLY2VYco">NBAEvents.com</a>.&nbsp;
The 67 games across both stages of the In-Season Tournament will count toward the regular-season standings except the Championship.&nbsp; Each team will continue to play 82 regular-season games in the 2023-24 season, including those games that are part of Group Play and the Knockout Rounds.
ADDED REGULAR-SEASON GAMES
Each of the 22 teams that do not advance to the Quarterfinals of the In-Season Tournament will be assigned two regular-season games (one home game and one away game) that will be played on Wednesday, Dec. 6 and Friday, Dec. 8.&nbsp; A formulaic approach will determine the matchups for these 22 games using the Group Play standings in each conference (fifth through 15th).
Two of the 22 games will be scheduled cross-conference because there will be an odd number of teams in each conference that do not advance to the Quarterfinals.&nbsp; These cross-conference games will be scheduled between bottom-finishing teams in Group Play subject to travel constraints, and no team will play more than one of its two games cross-conference.&nbsp; The other 20 games will be scheduled within conference featuring teams that are otherwise scheduled to play each other three times over the course of the season wherever possible.
The losing teams in the Quarterfinals in each conference will play each other in a regular-season game on Dec. 8.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Today, the NBA released its complete game schedule and national TV matchups for Group Play of the inaugural In-Season Tournament.

NBA announces group-play schedule for inaugural in-season tournament

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; The Denver Nuggets act like they&rsquo;ve been here before.
There is an&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-finals-2023-heat-nuggets-b0f83f7baccd425dbf8aba440e3e210c">unmistakable poise</a>&nbsp;to the Nuggets, who are&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-finals-miami-heat-denver-nuggets-abb4788990b6fb026d65d83c8bc4bb8b">only one win away</a>&nbsp;from their first NBA championship and could hoist the Larry O&rsquo;Brien Trophy as early as Monday night when the finals return to Denver for Game 5. Their stars have been starry in their first finals appearance. Their role players have delivered. There hasn&rsquo;t been a colossal blunder. And even on the cusp of a title, they refuse to change their approach.
&ldquo;We need to win one more,&rdquo; two-time MVP Nikola Jokic said.
That&rsquo;s the Nuggets. Simple. Effective. Blunt.
With Jokic and Jamal Murray leading the way, and with basically a different person stepping up to be the third hero every night so far for the Nuggets, they have the Miami Heat in serious trouble now.&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-finals-2023-heat-nuggets-b0f83f7baccd425dbf8aba440e3e210c">They lead the finals 3-1</a>&nbsp;and with potentially two of the next three games &mdash; if needed &mdash; in Denver.
&ldquo;We get an opportunity to play a super competitive game in a great environment,&rdquo; Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s going to be an awesome environment. Our guys are built for that. They love that. &hellip; Yeah, we understand what the narrative will be, but that&rsquo;s the way it is with our team.&rdquo;
History says this series is pretty much over; only one team in NBA history has dug its way out of such a hole in the finals, that being the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers against the Golden State Warriors. Heat forward Kevin Love played for that Cleveland team.
&ldquo;Forget the game,&rdquo; Love said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just one possession, one quarter, half by half. Just get it done by any means necessary and we&rsquo;ll figure the rest out.&rdquo;
It will be a daunting task.
The Nuggets have held Miami under 100 points three times through the first four games; those were the three Denver wins in the series. They&rsquo;re 9-1 at home, the only loss coming in Game 2 of this series when Miami pulled off a big rally and survived when a potentially game-tying 3-pointer by Jamal Murray missed at the buzzer.
&ldquo;This is what I always tell my guys: Winning a championship will be the hardest thing you ever do,&rdquo; said Heat forward Udonis Haslem, a three-time champion whose 20-year career ends when this series ends. &ldquo;People only talk about the parade and holding up the trophy. They don&rsquo;t talk about the journey, the sleepless nights, the frustration, the tears, the pain. They don&rsquo;t talk about that (stuff). This is all part of that.&rdquo;
Denver isn&rsquo;t talking about a parade; some city officials in Dallas were during the 2006 finals when the Mavericks led Miami 2-0, and the Heat won the next four games. The Nuggets aren&rsquo;t making any such blunders. No blunders at all, really. Every detail is covered, even remembering to run the 24-second shot clock down to the very end on multiple possessions in the final minutes of Game 4, just to shorten the game and limit whatever chance Miami had at making a comeback.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve done our job. But we&rsquo;re not celebrating like we&rsquo;ve done anything yet,&rdquo; Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. &ldquo;We know we&rsquo;re going to have to go home and turn off the TV, the radio, don&rsquo;t read the papers, don&rsquo;t listen to everybody telling you how great you are. &hellip; We stay true to our identity.&rdquo;
Here&rsquo;s what that means: The Nuggets have two exceptional players, a two-time MVP in Jokic playing the role of Batman and a still-rising star in Murray happily playing the role of Robin in Denver&rsquo;s superhero duo.
Jokic &mdash; who will never willingly enter a conversation about his incredible stats &mdash; is on the cusp of becoming the first player to ever lead the NBA in points, rebounds and assists during a postseason. Murray is the first player to have at least 10 assists in each of his four finals games. They have been the 1-2 punch that has put Miami on the ropes throughout this series.
And then there&rsquo;s always a third or fourth hero to finish the job. In Game 1, it was Michael Porter Jr. with 14 points and 13 rebounds. In Game 3, it was rookie Christian Braun with 15 points on 7-for-8 shooting. In Game 4, it was Aaron Gordon with a team-high 27 points and Bruce Brown with 21 off the bench.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s just how this team is built,&rdquo; Gordon said. &ldquo;We have guys that can step up night in and night out. Sometimes it&rsquo;s not going to be your night, and sometimes it is going to be your night. This team does a good job finding the people that are kind of in a rhythm and kind of going.&rdquo;
Jokic gets most of the credit and doesn&rsquo;t want it. Murray doesn&rsquo;t get enough credit and doesn&rsquo;t care about that, either. The other guys, they just take their cues from Jokic and Murray and find a way.
If they do it one more time, they&rsquo;ll be getting rings in a few months.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re just ready to win a championship,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;We have the tools to do it. It&rsquo;s been on our minds for a while. We&rsquo;re just locked in. I don&rsquo;t think you&rsquo;ve got to overthink it. We&rsquo;re just dialed in, ready to win.&rdquo;

Despite the fact that is their first NBA Finals appearance, the Denver Nuggets act like they’ve been here before.

Nuggets showing plenty of poise in NBA Finals against Heat

LAS VEGAS (AP) &mdash; The NBA Finals could&rsquo;ve featured glamour teams like the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, and conventional thinking before the NHL playoffs stated the dominant Boston Bruins and star-studded Edmonton Oilers were on a near-collision course to meet in the Stanley Cup Final.
All four teams are out, and what could&rsquo;ve been enormous betting interest has largely waned.
On the NBA side, No. 8 seed Miami Heat will face an NBA Finals newcomer in the Denver Nuggets, an enormous minus-460 favorite, according to&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba?tab=nba-finals" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">FanDuel Sportsbook</a>.
Christian Cipollini, BetMGM trading manager, said a Celtics-Lakers matchup would have created much more betting action, but the sportsbook was on the hook for many futures bets on those teams.
&ldquo;A Celtics-Lakers series is nine times out of 10 going to be a losing series for the book,&rdquo; Cipollini said. &ldquo;Everyone bets the Lakers-Celtics. Our Lakers money was bad. We didn&rsquo;t want the Lakers to go any farther than they did.&rdquo;
A Celtics appearance in the Finals, however, wouldn&rsquo;t have been bad for all sportsbooks. David Lieberman, who oversees NBA betting for Caesars, said the Celtics didn&rsquo;t attract a lot of futures action, limiting the book&rsquo;s liability. Like BetMGM, though, a Lakers championship would have proved a nightmare scenario.
&ldquo;It would&rsquo;ve been quite the sweat if they had the chance to win it all,&rdquo; Lieberman said.
The Stanley Cup Final matches up the last team into the Eastern Conference playoffs in the Florida Panthers against a Vegas Golden Knights team that, in six short years, is making their second championship appearance.
Adding Las Vegas to the NHL was an initial betting boost for the league, but that effect is less noticeable with the spread of legalized sports betting. The Knights are minus-125 favorites, according to&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nhl?tab=stanley-cup" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">FanDuel</a>.
&ldquo;People kind of fell off this Golden Knights bandwagon this season,&rdquo; Cipollini said. &ldquo;We take a little bit less bets than we have in the past. When they started, people were all over them.&rdquo;
Minnesota-based Alex B. Smith, one of the top NHL handicapping experts, said the Knights&rsquo; effect on elevating the league&rsquo;s standing among bettors should not be minimized. The NHL is noticeably behind the NFL and NBA in betting interest, but is in the next tier, largely thanks to the Knights&rsquo; run to the 2018 Stanley Cup Final.
&ldquo;Now it&rsquo;s something they&rsquo;re really watching and kind of follow, especially from a betting aspect,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;That started off of the back with that season of Vegas. That season really kind of changed the way the betting landscape would open up and adapt.&rdquo;
OT, REGULATION DRAW THE SAME, NOT THE SAME
Smith said NHL bettors should be aware that many books offer bets on whether games will go into overtime or have a regulation draw, which is the same thing. Because bettors tend to look for the prop bets offering whether a game will reach OT, the other better-priced wager is often ignored.
He took Saturday&rsquo;s Game 1 at plus-320 to end in a regulation draw, and said that prop can go as high as plus-345, while an overtime bet tends to be around plus-300 or plus-305.
&ldquo;You short yourself anywhere from 20 to 40 cents on a given day,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s literally no difference. It&rsquo;s just how it&rsquo;s worded. I don&rsquo;t know how the books are allowed to do this.&rdquo;
SOUTH FLORIDA SUCCESS
First, it was Miami Hurricanes making college basketball&rsquo;s Final Four, and now that region&rsquo;s NBA and NHL teams are playing for championships in those leagues.
It would make sense for some kind of South Florida proposition bet to tap into the excitement there, but sports betting is still not legal in that state. Hard Rock Sportsbook is owned by the Seminoles tribe and had a monopoly in Florida, but a federal judge tossed that agreement in 2021.
THE VEGAS NONEFFECT
When legalized sports betting was limited to Nevada during the Knights&rsquo; first Stanley Cup Final run, the lines were skewed to Vegas because locals jumped in on the action.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re in so many states now, we have to go with what we think will be the right line for for everyone,&rdquo; Lieberman said. &ldquo;Sometimes we&rsquo;ll take a little more action on certain teams from certain states. Like New York, there are quite a few bettors there that bet with us, so some New York teams are usually popular on daily games or futures prices and stuff like that. But, ultimately, we&rsquo;re trying to put out the best odds and not worry as much about that.&rdquo;
HISTORY LITTLE GUIDE
Comparing betting numbers on the NBA and NHL championships from year to year is tricky because legalized sports wagering has moved far beyond Nevada&rsquo;s state lines.
The COVID-19 pandemic also skewed the numbers because it forced both leagues to alter their playoff schedules to be in more direct competition with other sports.
&ldquo;I expect (the betting handle) to be slightly down,&rdquo; Cipollini said. &ldquo;But there&rsquo;s also perspective that we&rsquo;ve gone into more than states, so the numbers might tell me that it&rsquo;s up from last year when really realistically, it might not be.&rdquo;

Without marquee matchups in the NBA Finals and NHL Finals, betting interest is expected to wane a bit.

Betting interest waning with NBA, NHL Finals lacking marquee matchups

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Denver Nuggets guard&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1661814879521771520" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bruce Brown</a>&nbsp;has been using the long layoff before the start of the NBA Finals to work on his game &mdash; his golf game.
&ldquo;First day of golf I played pretty well,&rdquo; Brown recounted. &ldquo;The second day was terrible.&rdquo;
On Friday, it was back to the business of Brown hitting the shots he hits the best &mdash; jumpers &mdash; as the Nuggets returned to the court for a light practice. Game 1 of the&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1661892845526188032" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">franchise&rsquo;s first appearance in an NBA Finals</a>&nbsp;is still nearly a week away and their opponent has yet to be determined, with Boston and Miami heading into Game 6 of its Eastern Conference finals series.
The rest has certainly been welcome. The rust, though, does become a concern.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s impossible to keep your rhythm if you&rsquo;re not playing games,&rdquo; Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. &ldquo;You can do whatever you want in practice, but there&rsquo;s no way you can replicate playing in an NBA playoff game.&rdquo;
The Nuggets celebrated sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers on the plane ride home. It bought them a day off Tuesday and an optional day Wednesday (although, quite a few players showed up). On Thursday, there were conditioning drills and individual drills before reassembling on the practice floor Friday. The intensity will pick up closer to the start of the series Thursday &mdash; and once they know who they&rsquo;re facing (the Heat lead 3-2 with the series shifting to Miami on Saturday).
&ldquo;Right now, as I told our players, this is about us,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;We have to shore up who we are and address the areas that we have not been maybe good enough or areas that we can clean up.&rdquo;
Before the break, Nikola Jokic, guard Jamal Murray and the Nuggets were cruising along, too, turning in a 12-3 mark in the postseason. Murray&rsquo;s biggest piece of advice &mdash; keep practicing like they expect to play.
&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t pick up bad habits throughout this week,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;Just being able to stay locked in. You don&rsquo;t want to get relaxed. I think that&rsquo;s the biggest &mdash; we don&rsquo;t want to relax and just wait. We want to stay sharp.&rdquo;
Murray took the opportunity Thursday night to tune into the Stanley Cup playoffs. He watched the green team (his description of the Dallas Stars) knock off the white team (his description of the Vegas Golden Knights) in overtime during Game 4 of the Western Conference finals. He said the contest drove home an important lesson &mdash; to play with an intensity all game especially on defense.
&ldquo;Our defense is being played with intent,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve all been on a string. When we need a stop, we all lock in, even if we don&rsquo;t get it, we lock in and try and get it possession-by-possession. I think that&rsquo;s crucial at this stage.&rdquo;
Same with maintaining a balance between hoops and home life. Malone said his family has helped keep him grounded.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t go home and be in like Game 7 mindset, because my wife and kids would leave me,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;I have to force myself to take a deep breath and remind myself that I am a husband, I am a father and to be a part of my family.&rdquo;
This weekend, Malone may even play some pickleball &mdash; just to take his mind off a grinding series that lies ahead. It could be Jayson Tatum and the Celtics. Or Jimmy Butler and the Heat, the eight seed that made it into the playoffs through the play-in tournament.
For Brown, no matter who it is, the game will be a reunion of sorts. He&rsquo;s from Boston and went to college at the University of Miami.
&ldquo;But if we did go to Boston, it would be a lot of tickets,&rdquo; Brown joked. &ldquo;So it would be really expensive.&rdquo;

Game 1 of the NBA Finals is still nearly a week away, but the Nuggets returned to the court for a light practice.

Idle Nuggets hold light practice as they wait for NBA Finals foe

The 2023 NBA Playoffs are off to a fantastic start, and many people are tuning in.
The NBA delivered its most-watched first round in nine years, with games across ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV averaging 3.4 million viewers (which is up 15% vs. last year).
TNT delivered its most-watched first round in five years, averaging 3.5 million viewers (up 6% vs. last year). For Disney platforms (ABC and ESPN), it was the most-watched first round ever, with an average of 4.5 million viewers (marking an 18% increase from last season).
TNT, ABC and ESPN were the most-watched networks in primetime among viewers under 50 years old on 13 of the 14 nights of first-round coverage.
The outstanding seven-game series between the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings led the way ratings wise.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/steph22.jpg" alt="" width="505" height="531" />
As we <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kingswarriors-game-4-draws-largest-firstround-audience-in-21-years" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previously reported</a>, Game 4 between the Kings and Warriors drew the largest audience for a first-round NBA playoff game across any network over the last 21 years, averaging 7,523,000 viewers and peaking with 10,406,000 viewers.
Unsurprisingly, Game 7 between the Warriors and Kings on ABC topped those numbers, averaging 9.8 million viewers and peaking at 11.9 million viewers. It became the NBA's most-watched first-round game in 24 years, and it was ABC&rsquo;s largest audience for a non-Finals postseason game ever.
Meanwhile, the NBA's app and socials generated a record 2.6 billion video views during the first round, up 46% vs. 2022. The NBA app recorded its most active users ever in a single day on April 30.

The NBA had its most-watched first round in 9 years. Kings-Warriors Game 7 was the most-watched first-round game in 24 years.

2023 NBA Playoffs generate most-watched first round in 9 years

Some moments from the 2022-23 NBA regular season:
Oct. 18: Boston defeats Philadelphia and Golden State beats the Los Angeles Lakers on opening night. <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/golden-state-warriors-nba-sports-stephen-curry-e246e86804a28295efea3e00d33dc510" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Warriors received their championship rings</a> from last season in a ceremony preceding their game.
Oct. 20: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-san-antonio-spurs-miami-heat-nba-sports-8e45a1092f25e28f0672a83d317a9a68" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA referee Tony Brown, 55, dies of pancreatic cancer.</a> He worked more than 1,100 games in a two-decade career.
Nov. 4: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-kyrie-irving-racial-injustice-972e41eed3debbd9a548433c78227f05" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nike suspends its relationship with Kyrie Irving</a> and canceled plans to release his next signature shoe, part of the massive fallout caused by the Brooklyn Nets&rsquo; guard tweeting a link to a film containing antisemitic material. Nike and Irving eventually part ways; Irving eventually apologizes and returns to the Nets.
Nov. 5: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1589042762686795777?s=20&amp;t=nk9Tw0T3tQEq6Mw4vOqrsg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sacramento&rsquo;s De&rsquo;Aaron Fox</a> hits from just inside the midcourt stripe at the buzzer of overtime, giving the Kings a 126-123 win in Orlando.
Nov. 8: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-heat-nba-sports-breonna-taylor-fc0f38a2c59da07f90833ae479e66cc0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">To commemorate Election Day,</a> the NBA plays no games. The league encourages its teams and fans to spend the day participating in civic engagement.
Nov. 11: The arena where the Miami Heat play starts the process of getting a new name, after the <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/ftx-miami-heat-arena-name-change-b3f47e4fb5bb0f102560fa6956997bdb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cryptocurrency exchange FTX collapses.</a> FTX was in the early stages of a 19-year, $135 million naming rights deal with Miami-Dade County.
Nov. 13: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-76ers-utah-jazz-nba-sports-joel-embiid-bef34587365fd8e8668f6024ab73d05a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Philadelphia&rsquo;s Joel Embiid scores a career-best 59</a> points in a win over Utah. He adds 11 rebounds, eight assists and seven blocked shots.
Nov. 28: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-indiana-pacers-nba-sports-b6e1415dd4d8fa0fac2a10c8477da348" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andrew Nembhard hits a 3-pointer at the buzzer</a> and Indiana stuns the Los Angeles Lakers 116-115. The Pacers trailed by 17 with 9:27 remaining; it was the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in the NBA this season.
Dec. 13: The NBA announces a rebranding of its MVP award, revealing a new trophy and a new name &mdash; <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-charlotte-hornets-nba-sports-david-stern-de67e49f0255ef10f140365636110ae4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Michael Jordan Trophy.</a>
Dec. 17: In Mexico City, <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/san-antonio-spurs-miami-heat-nba-sports-duncan-robinson-074cecb1060491994c22a42efa8670a6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Miami defeated San Antonio 111-101.</a> It was the NBA&rsquo;s first game in Mexico City since 2019.
Dec. 20: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/cleveland-cavaliers-phoenix-suns-college-football-nba-sports-f455a8e3b437a07aa4684c7dd3adb16b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mortgage billionaire Mat Ishbia</a> strikes a deal to purchase embattled Robert Sarver&rsquo;s share of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury in a deal that values the franchise at $4 billion.
Dec. 25: Philadelphia tops New York, Dallas beats the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston beats Milwaukee, Golden State tops Memphis and Denver edges Phoenix in the NBA&rsquo;s Christmas quintupleheader.
Dec. 27: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-knicks-dallas-mavericks-sports-basketball-luka-doncic-ed7d9ce55160d04e2c206f6a8b742cdd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dallas&rsquo; Luka Doncic has a 60-point triple-double</a> in the Mavericks&rsquo; 126-121 win over New York. He added 21 rebounds and 10 assists in the first 60-20-10 game in NBA history.
Jan. 2: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/kobe-bryant-chicago-bulls-los-angeles-lakers-cleveland-cavaliers-utah-jazz-ef2ccddb44dd42fa14ebed5f8344c5a2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cleveland&rsquo;s Donovan Mitchell scores 71 points</a> in the Cavaliers&rsquo; 145-134 overtime win over Chicago. Mitchell was 22 of 34 from the field, 7 of 15 on 3-pointers and 20 for 25 from the foul line. He also had 11 assists, marking the first time anyone had more than 70 points and 10 assists in an NBA game.
Jan. 10: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-heat-oklahoma-city-thunder-nba-sports-basketball-18113c7918466a8d6a41714b963403cb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Miami goes 40 for 40 from the foul line</a> in a one-point win over Oklahoma City. The 40-for-40 breaks the previous NBA record of 39-for-39 by Utah in 1982.
Jan. 13: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-atlanta-hawks-san-antonio-spurs-nba-sports-e05988d6e1537c605aad5ea8a14d4887" target="_blank" rel="noopener">At the Alamodome in San Antonio,</a> the Spurs sell an NBA-record 68,323 tickets for a game against Golden State.
Jan. 19: With presumed 2023 No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama sitting courtside, Zach LaVine scores 30 points and the <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-nba-sports-jaden-ivey-hamidou-diallo-3770db44edb9a08e1ad116ecad45109f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chicago Bulls ease past the Detroit Pistons 126-108</a> in Paris. France was the seventh different country to host an NBA practice or game this season.
Feb. 6: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-new-york-knicks-dallas-mavericks-clippers-nba-ea90e45174274a917654448db9554dfc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brooklyn trades Kyrie Irving to Dallas,</a> ending his up-and-down stint with the Nets that was more memorable for off-the-court challenges than actual play.
Feb. 7: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/lebron-james-nba-scoring-record-cd0df2a355eaf80c6d534cbb16d44ca9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LeBron James makes a 14-foot jumper late in the third quarter to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar&rsquo;s career NBA scoring record.</a> Abdul-Jabbar held the mark since 1984 and was in Los Angeles to watch James&rsquo; record-breaker.
Feb. 9: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-phoenix-suns-nba-sports-basketball-3932b34f477549895cce131490bec86d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brooklyn trades Kevin Durant to Phoenix,</a> a blockbuster on NBA trade-deadline day.
Feb. 16: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/boston-celtics-nba-sports-basketball-ime-udoka-151efe3c319c986b770437cd25794339" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boston removes the interim title from 34-year-old coach Joe Mazzulla,</a> the former assistant who took over the Celtics in September after now-former coach Ime Udoka was suspended by the team for having an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the organization.
Feb. 18: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-sports-nba-all-star-game-walker-kessler-collin-sexton-6a2ea26147bafb0f80ea77620cacf2e9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Philadelphia&rsquo;s Mac McClung puts on a scintillating show</a> to win the dunk contest at All-Star weekend. Portland&rsquo;s Damian Lillard wins the 3-point contest and Utah players Jordan Clarkson, Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton combined to win the Skills Challenge.
Feb. 19: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-lebron-james-kyrie-irving-giannis-antetokounmpo-2cf83e2e57350687e68ba89a6deb2707" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boston&rsquo;s Jayson Tatum scores a record 55 points</a> and Team Giannis tops Team LeBron 184-175 to win the All-Star Game in Salt Lake City.
Feb. 24: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-clippers-sacramento-kings-nba-sports-malik-monk-4047cea9a226d5fd135de97c65d0d054" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sacramento defeats the Los Angeles Clippers 176-175.</a> The 351 combined points are the second-most in NBA history, behind only Detroit&rsquo;s 186-184 win over Denver on Dec. 13, 1983.
Feb. 26: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/houston-rockets-portland-trail-blazers-nba-sports-damian-lillard-1e1a83642e942d51d91ee014b5b7947c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Portland&rsquo;s Damian Lillard scores 71 points</a> in the Trail Blazers&rsquo; 131-114 win over Houston. Lillard made 22 of 38 shots from the field, 13 of 22 from 3-point range and all 14 of his free throws. He also led Portland in assists, with six.
Feb. 27: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/utah-jazz-atlanta-hawks-nba-sports-playoffs-264bcc009ce664a640b5c903e35f1656" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Atlanta introduces Quin Snyder</a> as its new coach, after firing Nate McMillan about a week earlier.
March 4: Memphis guard Ja Morant live-streams himself holding a gun while inside a Denver-area strip club. He quickly announces he was taking &ldquo;some time away to get help&rdquo; and ultimately was <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/ja-morant-suspended-nba-gun-video-8cc82061f6465f96d6c5d0806d92d7d0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suspended for eight games by the NBA</a> for his personal conduct.
March 17 and 19: A tale of two comebacks. San Antonio blew a 29-point lead on March 17 and lost to Memphis 126-120; two nights later, the Spurs rallied from a 24-point second-half deficit and beat Atlanta 126-118. It was the biggest second-half comeback for the Spurs under coach Gregg Popovich.
March 29: Jrue Holiday has 51 points, eight assists and eight rebounds, while Giannis Antetokounmpo adds 38 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists, and Milwaukee tops Indiana 149-136. <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/Bucks/status/1641271779380559872?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">It&rsquo;s the first time in NBA history two teammates</a> have had at least 38 points, eight assists and eight rebounds in the same game.
April 1: In the early morning hours, <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-labor-players-0cf524b13e459eeb5853dad9a455e0e0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association strike a handshake deal</a> on what, if approved by owners and players, will be a seven-year Collective Bargaining Agreement that will take effect in July and ensure labor peace in the league until at least 2029.
April 7: Dallas sits several regulars, including Kyrie Irving, and plays Luka Doncic for only about a quarter in a loss to Chicago. The loss eliminated the Mavericks from postseason contention and the team&rsquo;s motivation for losing catches the eye of the NBA, <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/mavericks-playoffs-nba-investigation-tanking-7ac5f76590adafd9df1c7c590a78d346" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which opens an investigation the next day.</a>
April 9: Udonis Haslem scores 24 points in his final regular season game, as his 20-year career with the Miami Heat draws to an end. <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/magic-heat-haslem-finale-f8e560c77aa5c36a20dbb12ebb58fca5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">At 42, he&rsquo;s nearly two years older</a> than anyone else to have scored at least 24 points in an NBA game.

Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press revisits the notable moments from the 2022-23 NBA season.

Season of NBA moments: LeBron, Lillard, Mitchell and more

Let&rsquo;s go ahead and put Denver and Sacramento into the Western Conference playoffs. It&rsquo;s hard to imagine Memphis and Phoenix falling out of the mix, even with&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ja-morant-checks-into-counseling-program-no-timetable-to-rejoin-team" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ja Morant away from the Grizzlies</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/suns-kevin-durant-expected-to-miss-23-weeks-with-sprained-ankle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kevin Durant still not able to make his home debut for the Suns</a>&nbsp;because of ankle trouble. Put them on the bracket as well.
And from there, it&rsquo;s anyone&rsquo;s guess.
The West is an absolute mess, and the middle of the pack &mdash; the race for the last two guaranteed playoff spots and the four berths into the play-in tournament &mdash; is as muddled and murky as possible.
&ldquo;Hope,&rdquo; Utah coach Will Hardy said, &ldquo;is a good motivator.&rdquo;
True. There&rsquo;s plenty of hope still out there, too.
The West has, more often than not in recent years, been the power-broker side of the NBA. Not this year. The shinier records are at the top of the Eastern Conference, which is on pace to finish with three of the best four records this season &mdash; something that hasn&rsquo;t happened since 2008-09.
The West has become a logjam this year, and the standings change almost nightly. A single win or loss can change everything: Utah was ninth in the West entering Monday, and a&nbsp;four-point loss at Miami left the Jazz tumbling three spots to 12th. The Los Angeles Lakers, meanwhile, went from 11th to ninth &mdash; from out of the play-in to back in &mdash; without even playing.
Defending champion&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/suns-warriors-thompson-curry-booker-9cd92497df68da54f0225b275cb4c264">Golden State beat Phoenix</a>&nbsp;and went from sixth to fifth. After the Warriors, it&rsquo;s the Los Angeles Clippers in sixth, Minnesota seventh, Dallas eighth, the Lakers ninth, New Orleans 10th, Oklahoma City 11th and the Jazz 12th.
Put another way, 2.5 games separated the fifth-place Warriors from the 11th-place Thunder. Only 4.5 games separated the Warriors from the 13th-place Portland Trail Blazers. It&rsquo;s hard to envision a scenario, given how tight the standings are right now, where at least some West races for seeding don&rsquo;t go down to the final day.
&ldquo;No one&rsquo;s really out of it right now, at this point in the Western Conference,&rdquo; Hardy said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a couple teams that have fallen, I guess, out of the race, but 5 through 13 are so tight that every team is competing each night with that hope of like, &lsquo;Hey, if you string a few together, you can really vault in the standings.&rsquo; We&rsquo;d all be lying if we say we don&rsquo;t check the standings. We definitely do, but it can be a little distracting.&rdquo;
This is exactly what the NBA wanted when it added the play-in tournament &mdash; intrigue all the way to the end of the season. Only the top six teams in each conference are guaranteed playoff spots when the regular season ends on April 9; the next four from the East and West go to a play-in tournament to decide the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds on the respective brackets.
Only three teams &mdash; Houston, San Antonio and Detroit &mdash; have been eliminated. Charlotte isn&rsquo;t too far away from joining that trio. Everyone else still has a legitimate chance, at least at the play-in.
&ldquo;You do have to embrace the competition,&rdquo; Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;When you&rsquo;re dreaming about things in the middle of the summer, this is what you want. You want games with incredible pressure and context. You don&rsquo;t want games to have no meaning, to play for lottery balls. You want to have this kind of context. And you want to see what this competition can bring out of you.&rdquo;
Teams will find out, whether they want to know or not.
There are no fewer than 24 matchups the rest of the way that will pit those teams vying for spots 5 through 8 on the West bracket against one another, meaning those nights could lead to a big swing in the standings.
It also might come down to which teams get somebody back in time to help the cause.
The Lakers may get LeBron James back at some point. The Warriors aren&rsquo;t sure when Andrew Wiggins &mdash; out for personal reasons &mdash; could return, or if he will. The Mavericks are dealing with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving both having injuries. The Timberwolves hope Karl-Anthony Towns is close to a return from a calf injury. The Pelicans have remained in the race despite not having Zion Williamson, which they&rsquo;re probably used to by now.
Buckle up. Denver might not get caught atop the West. The trio of Milwaukee, Boston and Philadelphia will finish 1-2-3 in the East in some order. But everything else is pretty much up for grabs, especially in the super-cluttered West.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s funny what a couple of wins can do right now,&rdquo; Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said.

All but two West teams are fighting for a playoff spot. Only 2.5 games separate the 5th-place Warriors from the 11th-place Thunder.

Earning a Play-In spot in the Western Conference won't be easy

With five conference tournament finals capping a wild week of men's college hoops, Sunday afternoon officially marked the end of the 2022-23 men's college basketball regular season, which means only one thing: March Madness is upon us.
Princeton (Ivy), Virginia Commonwealth (A-10), Alabama (SEC), Purdue (Big Ten) and Memphis (AAC) punched their official ticket to the men's 2023 NCAA Tournament to round out the group of 32 receiving an automatic bid.
Those teams joined: Vermont (America East), Duke (ACC), Kennesaw State (ASUN), Texas (Big 12), Marquette (Big East), Montana State (Big Sky), UNC Asheville (Big South), UC Santa Barbara (Big West), College of Charleston (CAA), Florida Atlantic (C-USA), Northern Kentucky (Horizon), Iona (MAAC), Kent State (MAC), Howard (MEAC), Drake (Missouri Valley), San Diego State (Mountain West), Fairleigh Dickinson (Northeast), Southeast Missouri State (Ohio Valley), Arizona (Pac-12), Colgate (Patriot), Furman (Southern), Texas A&amp;M Corpus Christi (Southland), Texas Southern (SWAC), Oral Roberts (Summit), Louisiana (Sun Belt), Gonzaga (WCC), Grand Canyon (WAC).
The selection committee revealed at 6 p.m. that the No. 1 overall seed is Alabama. The other three top seeds are Houston, Kansas and Purdue.
The First Four in Dayton will consist of a 16-seed matchup between Texas A&amp;M Corpus Christi and Southeast Missouri State plus an 11-seed matchup between Mississippi State and Pittsburgh. In the other two games, there will be a 16-seed matchup between Texas Southern and Fairleigh Dickinson and an 11-seed matchup between Arizona State and Nevada.
Who else was invited to join The Big Dance on the road to the Final Four in Houston?
Following Selection Sunday, here is the official field of 68 in the men's 2023 NCAA Tournament:
South Region
(1) Alabama Crimson Tide vs. (16) Texas A&amp;M Corpus Christi Islanders/Southeast Missouri State Redhawks
(8) Maryland Terrapins vs. (9) West Virginia Mountaineers
(5) San Diego State Aztecs vs. (12) College of Charleston Cougars
(4) Virginia Cavaliers vs. (13) Furman Palladins
(6) Creighton Blue Jays vs. (11) NC State Wolfpack
(3) Baylor Bears vs. (14) UC Santa Barbara Gauchos
(7) Missouri Tigers vs. (10) Utah State Aggies
(2) Arizona Wildcats vs. (15) Princeton Tigers
Midwest Region
(1) Houston Cougars vs. (16) Northern Kentucky Norse
(8) Iowa Hawkeyes vs. (9) Auburn Tigers
(5) Miami Hurricanes vs. (12) Drake Bulldogs
(4) Indiana Hoosiers vs. (13) Kent State Golden Flashes
(6) Iowa State Cyclones vs. (11) Mississippi State Bulldogs/Pittsburgh Panthers
(3) Xavier Musketeers vs. (14) Kennesaw State Owls
(7) Texas A&amp;M Aggies vs. (10) Penn State Nittany Lions
(2) Texas Longhorns vs. (15) Colgate Raiders
West Region
(1) Kansas Jayhawks vs. (16) Howard Bison
(8) Arkansas Razorbacks vs. (9) Illinois Fighting Illini
(5) Saint Mary's Gaels vs. (12) VCU Rams
(4) UConn Huskies vs. (13) Iona Gaels
(6) TCU Horned Frogs vs. (11) Arizona State Sun Devils/Nevada Wolfpack
(3) Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. (14) Grand Canyon Antelopes
(7) Northwestern Wildcats vs. (10) Boise State Broncos
(2) UCLA Bruins vs. (15) UNC Asheville Bulldogs
East Region
(1) Purdue Boilermakers vs. (16) Texas Southern Tigers/Fairleigh Dickinson Knights
(8) Memphis Tigers vs. (9) Florida Atlantic Owls
(5) Duke Blue Devils vs. (12) Oral Roberts Golden Eagles
(4) Tennessee Volunteers vs. (13) Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
(6) Kentucky Wildcats vs. (11) Providence Friars
(3) Kansas State Wildcats vs. (14) Montana State Bobcats
(7) Michigan State Spartans vs. (10) USC Trojans
(2) Marquette Golden Eagles vs. (15) Vermont Catamounts
THE BRACKET
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THE BRACKET 🙌<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarchMadness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MarchMadness</a> <a href="https://t.co/HZYnwD3s3x">pic.twitter.com/HZYnwD3s3x</a>
&mdash; NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarchMadnessMBB/status/1635049575483580416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2023</a>
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An overview of the official men's 2023 NCAA Tournament schedule and March Madness matchups on the road to Houston.

2023 NCAA Tournament: Men's field of 68 teams announced

MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Brook Lopez had 24 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high nine blocks and the Milwaukee Bucks outlasted the short-handed Brooklyn Nets 118-113 on Thursday night.
The&nbsp;nine blocks&nbsp;are most by an NBA player this season.
&ldquo;It was a close game, and he made the plays that made the difference down the stretch,&rdquo; Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said.
Bobby Portis added a season-high 28 points to go along with 13 rebounds to
help the NBA-leading Bucks win for the 19th time in 20 games.
The Bucks were missing two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo for a second straight game. Antetokounmpo didn&rsquo;t play due to a sore right hand after sitting out a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/bucks-magic-72ccee8edeee63e7f642260a674a91b8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">134-123 victory at Orlando</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday night because of a non-COVID illness.
Brooklyn&rsquo;s injury situation was worse.
The Nets didn&rsquo;t have Nic Claxton (right thumb sprain/left Achilles tendinopathy), Spencer Dinwiddie (rest), Cam Johnson (right knee soreness), Royce O&rsquo;Neale (left knee soreness) and Ben Simmons (left back/knee soreness).
Mikal Bridges and Dorian Finney-Smith were the only Nets available who started in their&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/mikal-bridges-spencer-dinwiddie-nets-rockets-c8bb43a13b7f594ce3042c6ccfc0e38e" target="_blank" rel="noopener">118-96 victory at Houston</a> two nights earlier. Neither of them played more than 12 minutes as Nets coach Jacque Vaughn opted to limit their workloads.
The Nets still made this one competitive, clawing back after the Bucks went 12 of 21 from 3-point range in the first 15 minutes to take a 46-24 lead.
&ldquo;We picked up the energy,&rdquo; said Cam Thomas, who scored 21 for Brooklyn. &ldquo;We started getting on the glass and getting stops. That was the main key - getting stops, getting down and running and playing faster.&rdquo;
Patty Mills led Brooklyn with 23 points. The Nets also got big contributions from Dru Smith and David Duke Jr., who are both on two-way contracts that shuttle them between Brooklyn and the NBA G League.
Smith had 17 points in his 10th career NBA game. His previous scoring high was five. Duke had a career-high 13 points.
Brooklyn trailed 99-97 and appeared to have a chance to tie it after officials ruled Lopez fouled Day&rsquo;Ron Sharpe on a dunk attempt with 4:31 left.
But the Bucks challenged the call, and replays determined it was a clean block. Portis scored 15 seconds later to start an 8-2 run that extended the Bucks&rsquo; advantage to 107-99 with 2 1/2 minutes left.
&ldquo;Great job by the arena, the guys in house putting it up on the board, because our bench didn&rsquo;t have a great angle,&rdquo; Budenholzer said. &ldquo;It looked &mdash; obviously, it was successful so I feel fortunate &mdash; but it looked like it was clean up top. It looked like Brook went up and got all ball.&rdquo;
Brooklyn cut it to 112-110 on Thomas&rsquo; driving layup with 46.7 seconds left, but Lopez delivered a putback of Jrue Holiday&rsquo;s missed 3-point attempt with 30.6 seconds remaining.
Lopez then blocked Duke&rsquo;s driving layup attempt to set up Jevon Carter&rsquo;s basket with 16.1 seconds remaining.
&ldquo;Brooklyn was out there shooting the ball,&rdquo; Lopez said. &ldquo;They were doing a great job shooting the ball, and so just in that last possession or those last couple possessions, they were doing a great job of sending those guys downhill. When they kind of give them that one option, I&rsquo;m able to make the read and time it. If he&rsquo;s going downhill with a full head of steam, I can time that pretty simply to get there at the right time.&rdquo;
Mills made a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left before the Bucks sealed the victory with a pair of free throws from Grayson Allen, who had 19 points.
TIP-INS
Nets: Nerlens Noel was in the starting lineup in just his second game with the Nets. He signed a 10-day contract Monday. The Nets also started Bridges, Finney-Smith, Joe Harris and Seth Curry. ... They opened the second half with Duke, Mills, Sharpe, Smith and Thomas on the floor.
Bucks: Lopez spent his first nine NBA seasons with the Nets. ... Carter shot 2 of 12 and had just five points. He had scored at least 20 points in each of his last two games. ... Wesley Matthews missed an eighth straight game with a strained right calf.
UP NEXT
Nets: At Minnesota on Friday night.
Bucks: At Golden State on Saturday night.

Brook Lopez had 24 points, 10 boards and a career-high 9 blocks as the Bucks outlasted the short-handed Nets 118-113 on Thursday.

Brook Lopez comes up big, Bucks edge short-handed Nets 118-113

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.
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&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.
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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

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Kyle Kuzma returned from an ankle sprain and scored 33 points, making six 3-pointers, to lead the Washington Wizards to a 126-101 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.
Kristaps Porzingis added 28 points and 12 rebounds for the Wizards, who have won three of their last four games.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re making strides. I think we did a good job,&rdquo; Kuzma said. &ldquo;I think the biggest way &mdash; we talk about efficiency &mdash; is just the way we were playing, playing the right way, playing extra pass basketball, moving the ball around. That&rsquo;s going to cause a lot of efficient nights because you&rsquo;re getting quality shots.&rdquo;
Afterward, Kuzma posted to Twitter:&nbsp;&ldquo;Feels good to be back hoopin.&rdquo;
Damian Lillard had 39 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Blazers. Anfernee Simons added 17 points but sprained his right ankle late in the third quarter and had to be helped to the locker room. Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said X-rays were negative.
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&ldquo;Once I saw him stay down, I was definitely concerned. That makes things tougher for us,&rdquo; Lillard said.
The Blazers were already playing without Jerami Grant because of the concussion protocol and big man Jusuf Nurkic, out with a left calf strain.
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The final margin was the Wizards&rsquo; biggest lead of the second half. Cam Reddish made a 3-pointer that had the Blazers within 105-90 with 8:11 left. Shaedon Sharpe got Portland closer at 107-97 with 5:14 to go.
A series of calls against the Blazers, including a flagrant foul and a technical on Lillard, stalled Portland&rsquo;s momentum. It was the first flagrant foul of Lillard&rsquo;s career.
Both teams were playing the second of back-to-backs.
The Blazers hit 23 3-pointers in a 127-115 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers, who were without NBA career scoring leader LeBron James.&nbsp;The Wizards fell 135-126 at the Golden State Warriors.
The newest Blazers, Reddish and Matisse Thybulle, started together for the second straight game after both were acquired at last week&rsquo;s trade deadline.
Kuzma, who missed four games with a left ankle sprain, hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Wizards a 31-24 lead at the end of the first quarter, but Lillard hit a 3-pointer from nearly half court at the buzzer.
Lillard crashed into some sideline seats chasing a ball midway through the second quarter and came up limping, but he walked off any discomfort.
Kuzma had 19 points and the Wizards led 59-52 at the break. They shot 60.5% from the floor in the opening half.
Bradley Beal&rsquo;s 3-pointer gave the Wizards a 72-60 lead in the third quarter. They led 97-80 going into the final quarter. Kuzma hit a three-quarter court 3 at the buzzer.
&ldquo;I took some extra time (off from the injury) and I thought I thought that was really, really worth it for me to come out and play the type of game I did today,&rdquo; said Kuzma, who missed his first three shots but then made his next six. &ldquo;Just feeling healthy. Felt good.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Wizards: The Wizards dropped the other meeting with the Blazers this season, 124-116, at Capital One Arena. The Wizards have lost six straight at home in the series against Portland. ... &ldquo;I thought we had another good offensive night,&rdquo; coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. &ldquo; It helps when you throw 17 3&prime;s in.&rdquo;
Trail Blazers: The Blazers were without starter Jermai Grant for the second straight game because he is in the concussion protocol. ... The NBA announced that Lillard and Simons will take part in the 3-point contest on Saturday for All-Star weekend. Joing them will be Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana), Tyler Herro (Miami), Buddy Hield (Indiana), Kevin Huerter (Sacramento), Lauri Markkanen (Utah) and Jayson Tatum (Boston).
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Kyle Kuzma returned and scored 33 points to lead the Washington Wizards to a 126-101 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Kuzma returns from injury and Wizards top Blazers 126-101

Purdue&rsquo;s unquestioned grip on No. 1 in The Associated Press men&rsquo;s college basketball poll is gone after a weekend loss. That didn&rsquo;t stop the Boilermakers from remaining at the top anyway.
The Boilermakers earned 38 of 62 first-place votes in the poll released Monday to remain at No. 1 for a third straight week and seventh time this season. Purdue was the unanimous choice last week, the first for any team this season, before falling at Indiana over the weekend for only its second loss.
The Boilermakers (22-2, 11-2) have a leading candidate for national player of the year in Zach Edey and KenPom&rsquo;s No. 1-ranked offense (121.1 points scored per 100 possessions) to go with a top-25 defense. But they got down big, committed 16 turnovers and allowed the Hoosiers &mdash; up to No. 18 this week &mdash; to shoot nearly 53% in a 79-74 loss Saturday.
&ldquo;When we go to Zach and we make some perimeter shots, the defense gets better sometimes when the offense flows,&rdquo; Purdue coach Matt Painter said at his postgame news conference. &ldquo;And you can&rsquo;t do that. You can always rebound, you can always take care of the ball, you can always make your free throws, those things there.&rdquo;
The loss meant Houston collected 22 first-place votes as it rose one spot to No. 2, followed by No. 3 Alabama and No. 4 Arizona in each claiming one.
THE TOP TIER
Texas jumped five spots to No. 5, shooting past Tennessee, which fell four spots to No. 6 after losing last week at Florida.
UCLA, Virginia, Kansas and Marquette rounded out the top 10, with Shaka Smart&rsquo;s Golden Eagles cracking the top 10 for the first time since 2019.
RISING
The Longhorns&rsquo; jump marked the biggest of the week, followed by Marquette and Miami each rising four spots. No. 13 Xavier, No. 15 Saint Mary&rsquo;s and No. 21 UConn joined Indiana in each moving up three positions.
In all, 12 teams rose from last week&rsquo;s rankings.
SLIDING
Kansas State took the week&rsquo;s biggest tumble, falling five spots to No. 12 after losing at Kansas and at home to Texas last week. No. 16 Gonzaga joined Tennessee in falling four spots after its overtime loss at Saint Mary&rsquo;s.
In all, nine teams fell from last week&rsquo;s rankings.
STATUS QUO
Purdue was the only team to remain in the same position this week.
WELCOME
North Carolina State earned its first AP Top 25 ranking in four years, checking in at No. 22.
The Wolfpack (19-5, 9-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) spent six weeks in the poll during the 2018-19 season. N.C. State already has surpassed the win total for each of the last two seasons and is in contention for the program&rsquo;s first NCAA Tournament berth since 2018.
Creighton and Rutgers joined N.C. State as this week&rsquo;s new additions to the poll, though both were ranked earlier this season. The Bluejays were No. 9 in the preseason poll and peaked at No. 7 before falling out by mid-December, while the Scarlet Knights spent a week at No. 23 in mid-January.
FAREWELL (FOR NOW)
Florida Atlantic (No. 19), Clemson (No. 20) and Auburn (No. 25) fell out of this week&rsquo;s poll.
CONFERENCE WATCH
The Big 12 leads all leagues with six ranked teams, including No. 11 Iowa State, No. 14 Baylor and No. 17 TCU. The Big East is next with five ranked teams, followed by the Big Ten and ACC with three each.
The Pac-12, Southeastern and West Coast conferences each have two ranked teams, while the American Athletic and Mountain West each have one.
___
Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap&nbsp;

NC State already has surpassed its win total for each of the last two seasons and is in contention for a postseason berth.

Purdue stays No. 1 in AP Top 25; NC State in at No. 22

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Draymond Green dribbles the ball up court and takes charge of Golden State&rsquo;s backups, directing two-way teammate Anthony Lamb on the wing, dishing the ball to Donte DiVincenzo or finding Jonathan Kuminga down low.
The move Warriors coach Steve Kerr made with Green in November to boost the defending champions&rsquo; then-struggling second unit has worked out well, especially considering those players have been needed in a big way due to injuries over the past month.
Green, who continues to play significant time with the reserves, is regularly praised by coaches around the league for his willingness to sacrifice his starter minutes to help the overall balance, something other stars are also doing around the NBA.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s the modeling part for those guys that&rsquo;s very helpful for them in their game,&rdquo; said Rockets coach Stephen Silas, who called Green &ldquo;one of the most cerebral players in our league who has a voice that those guys will listen to.&rdquo;
In Dallas, Luka Doncic is relied upon to play key stretches with each unit. With Nets star Kevin Durant sidelined by a knee injury, Kyrie Irving is also spending more of his minutes with the Brooklyn backups as coach Jacque Vaughn is forced to get more creative with his lineups.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Some nights we&rsquo;re going to put points on the board very easily, guys are feeling good,&rdquo; Irving said of adjusting without Durant, &ldquo;and some nights we&rsquo;re going to have to really rely on our poise, really rely on our defensive pressure, and let that lead us to wins.&rdquo;
Rick Carlisle recalls fondly how former Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki also used to play with the backups. And when Carlisle played, the now-Pacers coach always cherished the minutes Hall of Famer Bill Walton played with him and the Boston backups.
Hawks coach Nate McMillan took on that role at times, too. McMillan used to play key stretches with the youngsters &mdash; and the stars -- in Seattle, taking great pride in making the others shine, &ldquo;because that was the strength of my game.&rdquo; Gary Payton would move to the wing and McMillan might run the point on the floor with Hersey Hawkins, Sam Perkins and Detlef Schrempf.
&ldquo;I was the guy that would come in and really be that coach out on the floor,&rdquo; McMillan recalled. &ldquo;I was that guy who was initiating and making sure that we set up. Very similar to Draymond, I wasn&rsquo;t providing a lot of scoring but the defense was going to be there, moving the ball, getting the ball to those shooters, all of that.&rdquo;
Those versatile players mean so much, to both the starters and the backups, for their ability to make everyone on the roster better. The Warriors are counting on the experience gained by the young players now making them a far better team come playoff time in April and May.
To this day, Carlisle treasures the time he spent on the court with Walton.
&ldquo;When I was a young player we traded for Bill Walton when I was in Boston and I was a hell of a lot better player when I was on the floor with Bill Walton,&rdquo; Carlisle said. &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t very good but now when you&rsquo;ve got a chance to be on the floor with a Hall-of-Fame-type player like that who has major impact on defense and offense, it&rsquo;s going to change you.&rdquo;
Green gets that. He wants to be part of helping his teammates build a better NBA future by serving as an on-court guide. He has the championship pedigree.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s definitely very important and I think guys do appreciate it. Ultimately, you have to understand a guy&rsquo;s situation and how they fare in their minutes. How the team fares in their minutes can determine their future, so for me I take it very seriously, because how that group turns out is very important,&rdquo; Green said.
&ldquo;So I just view it from a different standpoint of life. I honestly view those minutes even more important than my starter minutes because those guys aren&rsquo;t just set in what their careers are going to be.&rdquo;
These rotations don&rsquo;t work everywhere. Depth is a key part of the success if you ask Hornets coach Steve Clifford &mdash; not to mention the ability to adapt on the fly over the course of a long season with all the ups and downs and tough travel days.
&ldquo;To have long playoff runs like that you&rsquo;ve got to be versatile and flexible in your lineups. I think also part of it has to do with what kind of team you have and what kind of depth you have,&rdquo; Clifford said. &ldquo;You have to have good players, like really good players off the bench, if you can play with only one starter. Usually it&rsquo;s more veteran that way, when you&rsquo;re playing a lot of younger guys usually you&rsquo;re going to have to have a couple starters out there when they&rsquo;re in the game.&rdquo;
Warriors assistant Jama Mahlalela credits Green for doing whatever is needed for the betterment of the team.
It&rsquo;s not a chore for the 11th-year veteran Green.
&ldquo;The way I look at it is you can help impact someone&rsquo;s life,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;and I take that seriously.&rdquo;

Draymond Green continues to play significant time with the reserves and is regularly praised by coaches around the league.

Warriors’ Draymond Green, others sacrifice minutes to boost backups

Just over four years ago, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors were shooting around on a chilly morning in Cleveland. As his teammates got their shots up, Shaun Livingston was sitting nearby on the baseline.
He foreshadowed his upcoming retirement that would happen at the end of that campaign, but glowingly talked about the Warriors' player development staff and the young talents who were next in line to carry along the franchise's legacy. Unprompted, after a question about Golden State's future, Livingston looked over with a smile: "LOONEY!"
"I mean, that&rsquo;s a perfect example,&rdquo; Livingston <a href="https://www.basketballinsiders.com/news/livingston-on-remarkable-career-warriors-next-in-line/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told me, referencing Kevon in Dec. 2018</a>. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s our most important big right now with Draymond [Green] out, know what I mean? &lsquo;Cause of what he brings to the table and he knows how to play. He&rsquo;s always in the right spot.
&ldquo;So that&rsquo;s the progression of him being here these years and watching, learning from the vets &mdash; watching Andre [Iguodala], watching Draymond. And now he&rsquo;s one of the main core guys that has to be on the floor.&rdquo;
It's safe to say Livingston knew what he was talking about all of those years ago. Now in his eighth season, having played in 179 straight games (postseason included), Kevon Looney is the Warriors' ironman and a main fixture of this ball club. He's a three-time NBA champion and among the top screen-setting centers in the league, using his physicality and will to outwork his opponents (as we saw Friday evening in Cleveland).
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Outrebounding the Cavaliers' duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley combined (17 boards to their 15), while also registering two steals, two blocks and four assists, Looney helped the Warriors finish their East-Coast visit with a 3-2 record despite being shorthanded.
Following the Warriors' 120-114 victory, Basketball News sat down with the 26-year-old to discuss the win, Golden State's season, his development and more:
Considering how this team has played on the road in the first half of the season, what can a 3-2 trip, especially the way it ended, do for you guys going forward?
Kevon Looney: "I think we had a good road trip. Whenever you can come out on a road trip playing against good teams like this, 3-2, it's always good. Especially since we've been struggling all year on the road, so it was a good win for us. But we felt like we should've won (Thursday in Boston), so to be able to bounce back after a tough loss like that shows our team's character, shows the growth on our team."
How do you feel like you have grown over the years, going from putting in work behind the scenes to now, playing winning basketball the way you have? It's clear that you have come a long way. 
Looney: "Yeah, I've been working on my game since I've been here. In my career, I've had a lot of great vets, a lot of great mentors to learn from. It was a struggle for me early, but all those struggles helped prepare me for now. When I'm out there, I'm just trying to provide that leadership and provide that toughness for our team that we'll be lacking sometimes. It took me a while to learn all that stuff (laughs), but now that I learned and got some experience and got that confidence, I feel really good out there and I feel like I'm playing the best basketball of my career."
In what way do you feel like you can impact the game the most, other than that leadership aspect you just brought up?
Looney: "I feel like defensively, and rebounding &mdash; that's something that we've always struggled with since I've been here, and I feel like I've been taking a leap every year in that department. And I take pride in being really physical and controlling the glass. People always say our team is undersized, so I take a lot of pride in going out there and controlling the glass. I felt last year, we had a great rebounding team. This year, we've been up and down in that area. But nights like (Friday in Cleveland), we did a great job though."
(Editor's Note: Looney is averaging 8.7 rebounds per game, a career-high, and ranks fifth in the NBA with 139 total offensive rebounds. According to Basketball-Reference, Looney is top-five in rebounding percentage at 20.3%.)
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Point Loon 📺 <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSAuthentic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBCSAuthentic</a> <a href="https://t.co/MHko3kUcno">pic.twitter.com/MHko3kUcno</a>
&mdash; Golden State Warriors (@warriors) <a href="https://twitter.com/warriors/status/1596358684963008513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The dribble-handoff development in your game is impressive. You're also <a href="https://go.nba.com/jvbjk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in the NBA's top 10 with 449 screen-assist points</a>. As far as gaining chemistry with your teammates, how has that come about?
Looney: "Just getting more experience and getting more reps, learning where guys like to get to on the floor and learning them guys' spots. Know when to get certain guys shots, know where these guys are going. It's something I learned from watching Draymond [Green], watching [Andrew] Bogut, Zaza [Pachulia] &mdash; some of the best screeners I've ever seen. So learning from them took my game to that level. Talking to Steph [Curry], talking to JP (Jordan Poole), talking to the guys coming off the bench, knowing where they want to be at is something that you've got to learn. Early on, it was a struggle for me, but now, I do it in my sleep."
Without giving too much strategy away, is there a difference between where Steph likes the ball and how Jordan wants it?
Looney: "Yeah (laughs). Playing with JP, he's really herky-jerky and he's kinda all over the court. He's really creative out there. I think Steph is a little bit more decisive. He kinda know where he wants to get to, I know what spots he really wants to get to. But JP's like free-flowing, he's like all over the place (laughs). We talk all the time like, 'Man, slow down. Let me do my job and I'mma get you open' (laughs). We have those talks all the time. So it's a big difference playing with both of 'em, but it's a lot of fun."
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All of those Finals and playoff experiences that you've got under your belt now &mdash; being on the floor and a part of these loud environments at home and on the road &mdash; what's the important thing you've learned both on and off the floor?
Looney: "Just how to stay poised and how to weather adversity. (Laughs) I got to experience a lot of the tough playoff games, lot of ups and downs in series. And learning that if a team goes on a run, it's not the end of the world. If you go down 3-1, 2-1, it's not the end of the world. You can come back. Different things like that. I learned playing with these guys and seeing them going down in series, never giving up. In the Houston series (in 2018), we were down 15 at halftime and nobody's worried, everybody would just keep fighting and keep playing our style of basketball. So learning that, trusting the process, trusting in your system, trusting in your teammates on and off the court, it'll really carry you a far way."
And that kind of mentality has to help in a season like this where not everything has gone perfect.
Looney: "Yes, it definitely helps you in a season like this when it's a lot of ups and downs. You just kinda lean back on our culture and what we have built, knowing that if we play our style of basketball and our brand, that we can go... it works. Just leaning back on that.
"When we start not playing team basketball, not focusing on what got us there, that's when we started losing and straying away (from it). But when you've got experience winning, you know what it takes and you start going back to the basics. We've gotta do that. We've been doing that on this road trip, and I think that's why we've been winning."

Spencer Davies sits down with Kevon Looney to discuss the Warriors' most recent road trip, his growth over the years and more.

Kevon Looney Q&A: Warriors season, 'best basketball of my career'

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; The shots splashed through the net like they almost always do for the Golden State Warriors.
However, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson didn't launch any.
Jordan Poole scored 32 points, Ty Jerome added 22 and the Warriors dropped 23 3-pointers while Curry and three other starters sat on the bench in a 120-114 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night.
Poole (5) and Jerome (3) combined for eight 3-pointers as the defending NBA champs ended a five-game trip with an improbable win.
&ldquo;We kind of hung on for dear life down the stretch, but got it done,&rdquo; Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "It was just one of those nights. You play 82 games, so you know you&rsquo;re going to have a few of these.&rdquo;
Following Golden State's stinging three-point overtime loss Thursday night in Boston, Kerr rested Curry along with fellow first-teamers Thompson, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins.
It didn't matter. Even with their top players on the bench in street clothes, the short-handed Warriors came out firing and barely slowed down.
&ldquo;The biggest thing is, even without our guys, we expect to win,&rdquo; said Jerome, who is on a two-way contract with Golden State and Santa Cruz. "Everyone that played was good tonight and that&rsquo;s awesome for us.&rdquo;
Darius Garland scored 31 points to lead the Cavs, who were without star Donovan Mitchell because of a strained groin and suffered their most embarrassing loss this season. Caris LeVert added 22 points and Evan Mobley 17 for Cleveland.
Afterward, Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff didn't mince words in describing his team's dismal performance.
&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t respect the game. It&rsquo;s that simple,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve got champions over there, and we thought some of those guys were out so we were going to take it lightly and we got what we deserved."
Golden State made a season-high 14 3-pointers in the first half &mdash; tying the most ever by a Cavs opponent for a half &mdash; to take a 64-59 halftime lead.
Although Bickerstaff stressed limiting Golden State's outside attack at halftime, his team didn't get the message as the Warriors made five 3s in the first five minutes to open a 20-point lead.
The Cavs, who have 11 comeback wins when trailing by double digits, fought back and pulled within 114-110. But Jerome dropped the Warriors' final 3-pointer with 1:39 left.
&ldquo;They&rsquo;re good basketball players, and if you&rsquo;re going to disrespect them, they&rsquo;re going to make you pay," Bickerstaff said. "We came out of the gate soft and disrespectful and they were out there shooting warmup shots with no contest, no challenges, nobody in their space and they gave us what we deserved.&rdquo;
MEMORY LANE
Kerr has an emotional attachment to Cleveland.
He played in the city from 1989-92 and his oldest son was born here. It's also where he won NBA titles as a coach in 2015 and 2018 as the Warriors and Cavs met four straight times in the finals.
&ldquo;This building will always be special for us,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Just coming in here, feeling the vibe, feeling the juice from those days. They were incredible games. Just an amazing rivalry, two great teams. The level of play was just so high. I will always think of those Finals when I come in here.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Warriors: Donte DiVincenzo added 17 points and Kevon Looney had 17 rebounds. ... Golden State opened 7 of 8 on 3-pointers. ... The 23-year-old Poole reached 500 career 3-pointers, surpassing Thompson as the youngest player in team history to reach the plateau. ... F Jonathan Kuminga (right foot sprain) returned after missing eight games and scored 10. F JaMychal Green (right lower leg infection) saw his first action in 15 games and had 13 points.
Cavaliers: G Ricky Rubio got the night off as part of the maintenance plan for him after returning from knee surgery. He's averaging 5.3 points and 13.1 minutes in four games back. ... Mobley is one of three players averaging 14.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 blocked shots while shooting better than 50.0% from the field. 76ers C Joel Embiid and Lakers C Anthony Davis are the others. &hellip; Cavs assistant coach Luke Walton went 39-4 as Golden State&rsquo;s acting head coach in 2015-2016 while Kerr recovered from back surgery.
&nbsp;

Jordan Poole scored 32 points, and the Golden State Warriors earned a 120-114 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Without Curry, Warriors make 23 3-pointers and beat Cavs

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Destiny Littleton scored 18 points with six assists as Southern California pulled off a program-defining victory Sunday with a 55-46 upset victory over No. 2 Stanford.
Okako Adika scored 11 points with 11 rebounds, while Taylor Bigby and Kayla Williams added nine points each as the Trojans set the tone with their defense and held on late to end a 14-game losing streak against the Cardinal, who had won 51 straight against unranked opponents.
It was USC&rsquo;s first victory over Stanford (17-2, 5-1 Pac-12) since the 2014 conference tournament. Cameron Brink scored 11 points with 14 rebounds for Stanford, which saw its 12-game winning streak come to an end.
USC (13-4, 3-3) held Stanford to four points in the first quarter, its low for any period this season.
NO. 1 SOUTH CAROLINA 81, MISSOURI 50
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) &mdash; Aliyah Boston had 20 points and 10 rebounds for her 71st career double-double and South Carolina won its 24th straight by beating Missouri.
Boston&rsquo;s 11th game with double-figure points and rebounds moved her with one of program-record holder Sheila Foster &mdash; and kept the Gamecocks perfect at 18-0 and 6-0 in the Southeastern Conference.
Zia Cooke added 16 points and Ashlyn Watkins 13 for the Gamecocks.&nbsp;
Missouri (14-5, 3-3) lost its third straight after opening SEC play with three consecutive victories. Lauren Hansen finished with 14 points to lead the Tigers.
NO. 4 UCONN 65, GEORGETOWN 50
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) &mdash; Aaliyah Edwards scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as UConn opened up a close game against Georgetown in the second half.
Huskies leading scorer Azzi Fudd left the game in the first half when she appeared to reinjure her right knee. Fudd was playing in just her second game back after missing the previous eight after hurting that knee in December.
Dorka Juhasz had 13 points for the UConn (15-2, 8-0 Big East), and Nika Muhl and Lou Lopez Senechal each added 12.
Brianna Scott led Georgetown (8-9, 1-7) with 11 points.
NO. 5 LSU 84, AUBURN 54
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) &mdash; Angel Reese had 23 points and 15 rebounds to maintain her streak of double-doubles in every game this season, and LSU improved its program-record best start to 18-0 with a win over Auburn.
Jasmine Carson scored 18 points, and Alexis Morris had 12 points and 10 assists for LSU, which led the entire way to end up 6-0 in Southeastern Conference play &mdash; winning each of those by 19 or more points.
Precious Johnson scored 13 points and Kharyssa Richardson added 10 for Auburn (10-7, 0-5), which lost its fifth straight since opening SEC play.
NO. 6 INDIANA 93, WISCONSIN 56
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Mackenzie Holmes scored 29 points and Yarden Garzon added 19 to help Indiana run to a 93-56 win over Wisconsin.
Indiana (16-1, 5-1 Big Ten) shot 55% from the field, including 8-for-20 from beyond the arc, while its defense held Wisconsin (6-12, 2-5) to 35% shooting.
The Badgers had no answers for Holmes, who shot 11-for-15 from the field in her 26 minutes.
Wisconsin was led by Brooke Schramek&rsquo;s 13 points and Serah Williams&rsquo; 10.
NO. 7 NOTRE DAME 72, SYRACUSE 56
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) &mdash; Olivia Miles scored 13 of her game-high 23 points during the second half of Notre Dame&rsquo;s win over Syracuse.
Dara Mabrey chipped in 15 points for the Irish (14-2, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who were coming off a dominant 86-47 victory over Wake Forest on Thursday. Miles also had seven boards and seven assists.
Dyaisha Fair&rsquo;s 14 points led the way for the Orange (13-5, 4-3), who entered Sunday on a three-game winning streak.
NO. 8 UCLA 87, CALIFORNIA 70
LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Freshman Londynn Jones had 18 points and Charisma Osborne added 17 to lead UCLA past Cal.
UCLA star freshman Kiki Rice had a double double with 15 points and a career-high 12 assists.
The Bruins (15-3, 4-2 Pac-12) trailed by as many as 12 points in the first quarter but came back. Cal played well on the road and kept it close until the fourth, when UCLA, trailing by two points, went on a 12-2 run.
Kemery Martin had a game-high 23 points for the Bears ((10-7, 1-5).
NO. 9 MARYLAND 80, RUTGERS 56
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) &mdash; Diamond Miller had 17 points, six rebounds and five steals, and Maryland forced 17 first-half turnovers in a victory over Rutgers.
The Terrapins (14-4, 5-2 Big Ten) rebounded from a loss at No. 6 Indiana earlier in the week. Brinae Alexander led Maryland with 20 points, surpassing 1,000 for her career, and Abby Meyers added 14 with three steals.
The Terps beat Rutgers (8-11, 2-5) for the second time in 14 days. The Scarlet Knights turned the ball over 22 times in the first meeting, and they had 23 on Sunday against Maryland&rsquo;s pressing defense.
Kaylene Smikle scored 21 points for Rutgers and Chyna Cornwell contributed 15.
NO. 10 UTAH 80, NO. 14 ARIZONA 79
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Alissa Pili scored 27 points, including the winning free throws with 0.3 seconds left, to lead Utah past Arizona.
Pili went 11 of 16 from the field, while Gianna Kneepkens finished with 20 points and seven rebounds for the Utes (15-1, 5-1 Pac-12). Issy Palmer added 10 points.
Cate Reese tallied 25 points and 10 rebounds to lead Arizona (14-4, 4-3). Jade Loville finished with 17 points and Esmery Martinez and Shaina Pellington chipped in 10 apiece for the Wildcats, who lost their second straight game.
NO. 22 NORTH CAROLINA 56, NO. 11 N.C. STATE 47
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Kennedy Todd-Williams scored eight of her 15 points in the fourth quarter, Destiny Adams scored all of her eight points in the final 4 minutes and North Carolina beat rival N.C. State.
Alyssa Ustby added nine points and a career-high 18 rebounds for North Carolina (12-5, 3-3 ACC).
Jakia Brown-Turner led N.C. State (13-4, 3-3) with 14 points and Camille Hobby scored 13 in a game that saw 10 lead changes and six ties through the first three quarters.
TEXAS 68, NO. 15 IOWA STATE 53
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) &mdash; DeYona Gaston scored 17 points and Shaylee Gonzales had five of her 11 in a game-breaking 13-0 run in the fourth quarter and Texas defeated Iowa State.
Izzi Zingaro&rsquo;s layup to open the fourth quarter pulled the Cyclones within 52-49 but they went scoreless for the next 6:17, missing five shots with five turnovers as the Longhorns increased the defensive pressure.
Sonya Morris added 11 points for the Longhorns (13-5, 4-1 Big 12 Conference), who have won 10 of 11 since a 5-4 start knocked them out of the rankings.
Ashley Joens scored 21 points for Iowa State (11-4, 3-2) and grabbed six rebounds to become the Cyclones&rsquo; all-team leading rebounder.
NO. 16 DUKE 65, GEORGIA TECH 47
ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Celeste Taylor scored 13 points, Elizabeth Balogun added 12 and Duke overcame a halftime deficit to defeat Georgia Tech for its 11th straight win.
The Yellow Jackets managed only six of their 19 second-half points in the fourth quarter and Duke (16-1, 6-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) did not allow a point in the final 5:45 of the game, outscoring Georgia Tech 9-0 down the stretch.
Kayla Blackshear led Georgia Tech (9-9, 0-7 ACC) with 14 points. She made 7 of 10 shots and grabbed eight rebounds. Tonie Morgan added 10 points, five rebounds and three assists.
WEST VIRGINIA 74, NO. 18 BAYLOR 65
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) &mdash; Madisen Smith and Ja&rsquo;Naiya Quinerly scored 17 points apiece, Jayla Hemingway added 15 points and 14 rebounds and West Virginia&rsquo;s defense forced seven fourth-quarter turnovers in its win over Baylor.
West Virginia (12-4, 3-2 Big 12) has won three consecutive games and improved to 4-22 all-time against Baylor.
Sarah Andrews hit four 3-pointers and finished with 24 points, Darianna Littlepage-Buggs added 14 points and 15 rebounds, and Caitlin Bickle scored 10 points for Baylor (12-4, 3-1).
WASHINGTON STATE 85, NO. 21 OREGON 84, OT
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Bella Murekatete scored 20 points, Jessica Clark scored six of her career-high 14 in overtime and Washington State defeated Oregon for its first win over a ranked team since 1998.
Washington State won despite giving up a 14-point lead in the final four minutes, allowing the tying free throws with 0.1 left in regulation and surviving an Oregon shot in the closing seconds of overtime. The Cougars never trailed in the extra session, which started with a Clark layup for a 78-76 lead.
Charlisse Leger-Walker scored 17 points for Washington State (13-3, 3-3 Pac-12 Conference), Johanna Teder had 15 and Ula Motuga had 14 with 10 rebounds.
Endyia Rogers scored 33 points, making 6 of 8 3-point attempts, for Oregon (13-5, 4-3), Chance Gray added 22, Te-Hina Paopao 11 and Grace VanSlooten 10.
NO. 24 ILLINOIS 70, MINNESOTA 57
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Makira Cook scored 20 points, Genesis Bryant added 18 and Illinois celebrated its first game as a ranked team in 23 years with a win over Minnesota.
Brynn Shoup-Hill and Adalia McKenzie both added 13 points for the Illini (15-3, 5-2 Big Ten Conference), who haven&rsquo;t had a winning season since 2012-13, haven&rsquo;t made the NCAA Tournament since 2003 and were last ranked on Nov. 27, 2000.
Alanna Micheaux scored 24 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Golden Gophers (8-10, 1-6), who have lost five straight. Micheaux was 11-of-16 shooting, her teammates 12 of 46 (26%).

A recap of Sunday's top-25 action in women's college basketball includes the Trojans' first victory over the Cardinal in nine years.

USC topples No. 2 Stanford, its first vs Cardinal since 2014

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Nikola Jokic had 21 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists before sitting out the fourth quarter and the Denver Nuggets won their 12th straight home game, routing the weary and short-handed Phoenix Suns 126-97 on Wednesday night.
Bones Hyland added 21 points and Jamal Murray had 16 to help the Nuggets win for the 14th time in 17 games. They reached the halfway point of the season tied with Memphis for the Western Conference lead.
&ldquo;But we're not satisfied,&rdquo; said Hyland, who hit five of Denver's 15 3-pointers.
A night after winning at Golden State despite missing four starters and six rotation players, the Suns ran out of gas playing a back-to-back at altitude while dressing 10 players.
Torrey Craig scored 16 points and Josh Okogie added 14 points and nine rebounds for the Suns. They have dropped 10 of 12.
&ldquo;They posted up Jokic early and just flattened us out (defensively)," Suns coach Monty Williams said. &ldquo;And he does a really good job of finding the open man or scoring.&rdquo;
Phoenix started the second quarter with an 8-second violation and things only got worse. Hyland hit <a href="https://twitter.com/JoelRushNBA/status/1613384764421177345">all four of his 3s</a> in the period, Jokic had a rebound and put-back using only one hand and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit his fourth <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1613390426358046722">3 in the half without a miss</a> as Denver built a 23-point lead.
&ldquo;I feel like whoever gets the ball and they're open, it's a made shot,&rdquo; Hyland said. &ldquo;I feel like we're so connected right now.&rdquo;
Jokic had nine points and nine rebounds in the third quarter as the lead stretched to 31 points. The two-time reigning MVP rested in the fourth instead of pursuing his 12th triple-double of the season against the overwhelmed Suns.
Phoenix remained without Devin Booker (groin), Chris Paul (hip), Deandre Ayton (ankle), Cameron Johnson (knee), Landry Shamet (hip) and Cameron Payne (foot), and also is without Jae Crowder.
Guard Saben Lee, a Phoenix area product, signed a 10-day contract before the game and scored eight points.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s good to have another body down there,&rdquo; Williams said. &ldquo;When I look down there and see more coaches than players, I&rsquo;m like ... this is ... yeah, I&rsquo;ll stop there.&rdquo;
The absences soured the rematch of the Christmas night overtime thriller won by the Nuggets behind Jokic's 41-point triple-double and Aaron Gordon's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8Ka-SBYJfg">power dunk</a> over Shamet.
The Nuggets have faced depleted teams in their last three games. Cleveland rested Donovan Mitchell on Friday and the LeBron James didn't play for the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.
BACK-TO-BACK BLUES
Williams was unhappy playing consecutive nights in San Francisco and Denver. It involved moving ahead one time zone, dealing with the lengthy drive from Denver's airport to downtown and adjusting to the mile-high altitude.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone called it &ldquo;the toughest back-to-back in the business.&rdquo;
At least ESPN picked up the game and moved the tipoff back an hour.
&ldquo;When you fly two hours and have to drive 30-40 minutes, that's a lot on any team,&rdquo; Williams said.
TIP-INS
Suns: Their 22 losses are four more than all of last season. ... Williams had no update on Paul's injury. Williams said Johnson has begun playing &ldquo;a little bit of 1-on-1."
Nuggets: Murray rolled his ankle in the second half, but Malone doesn't expect him to miss time. ... Jokic made 10 of 15 shots, marking the 31st straight game he's shot 50% or better from the field. ... Denver scored at least 120 points for the fourth straight game and is 19-1 when scoring that many this season. ... Denver, which is 18-3 at home, last won 12 straight at Ball Arena in the 2018-19 season.
&nbsp;

Nikola Jokic had 21 points and the Denver Nuggets won their 12th straight home game, beating the Phoenix Suns 126-97.

Jokic, Nuggets rout Suns 126-97 for 12th straight home win

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Jacque Vaughn wasn't aware his Brooklyn Nets had the best first half in their history.
One of the best in NBA history, actually.
Kevin Durant scored 23 points, all but two in a 91-point first half that was the third-biggest in the league, and the Nets routed the Golden State Warriors 143-113 on Wednesday to send the reigning champions staggering home with their second blowout loss in two nights in New York.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s what happens when you come to work and you&rsquo;re ready to work from the beginning,&rdquo; Vaughn said.
With Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins all sidelined, the Warriors finished 1-5 on their trip to the East and will hope to get healthy before they have to get back on the court on Christmas against Memphis.
Curry will remain sidelined by a shoulder injury, but Wiggins could be back, and the Warriors will take all the help they can get after trailing by 44 in this one.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s the Warriors," Durant said. "You always respect them no matter who&rsquo;s on the floor. They have a championship system and championship players.&rdquo;
The Nets matched a franchise record with nine players in double figures and won their seventh straight, even with Kyrie Irving out with right calf tightness.
James Wiseman scored a career-high 30 points on 12-for-14 shooting for the Warriors, who lost by 38 points to the Knicks on Tuesday night.
The Nets had to come from 18 and then 19 points down in their last two victories, but this one was over not long after the Warriors' bus finally arrived after some New York holiday traffic.
The Nets made 11 of their first 12 shots and by the time the first quarter was over it was 46-17, a 29-point differential that was the largest in any period in the NBA this season.
Coach Steve Kerr said the Warriors' early turnovers &mdash; they finished with 21 that led to 36 points &mdash; helped the Nets get going.
&ldquo;And then they made everything,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;They were phenomenal in the first half.&rdquo;
It was 68-31 when Durant was whistled for a technical foul for his sideline celebration after Ben Simmons slammed down a long lob pass. The Warriors scored the next seven in one of their only highlights of the night before Brooklyn extended it to 91-51 at the half on Durant's 3-pointer.
Phoenix set the NBA record with 107 points in the first half against Denver on Nov. 10, 1990. The Warriors &mdash; with Durant playing for them &mdash; scored 92 against Chicago on Oct. 29. 2018.
Simmons got the first two baskets of the third for the largest lead at 95-51, but Durant was 1 for 8 playing all 12 minutes as the Nets managed only 18 points in the period.
TOGETHER AGAIN?
Kerr hopes to have Durant on his side again on the 2024 U.S. Olympic team. Durant is the leading scorer in U.S. men&rsquo;s history and Kerr said USA Basketball leadership hopes he will play in Paris, where he could become the first man to win four basketball gold medals.
&ldquo;That would be nice,&rdquo; said Kerr, who joked he would &ldquo;most likely pull him aside tonight&rdquo; to make a recruiting pitch. &ldquo;I mean, he&rsquo;s been so dominant with Team USA and like I said, he&rsquo;s a guy who just, he loves to play. So we&rsquo;re hoping he decides to keep going.&rdquo;
Durant said it was too early to make his decision.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Golden State starts an eight-game homestand Sunday. ... Wiggins has missed the last eight games with a right groin strain. ... Kerr had no update on the status of Donte DiVincenzo (illness unrelated to COVID-19) or JaMychal Green (health and safety protocols).
Nets: Brooklyn has won 11 of its last 12 games. ... The Nets' most lopsided quarter was a 32-point advantage (48-16) in the fourth against Detroit on March 9, 1980.
&nbsp;

Kevin Durant scored 23 points, all but two in a 91-point first half, and the Brooklyn Nets routed the Golden State Warriors 143-113.

Nets score 91 in 1st half, wallop weary Warriors 143-113

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Anthony Edwards had season highs with 37 points and 11 assists and the Minnesota Timberwolves broke the franchise record for points in a game, routing the Chicago Bulls 150-126 on Sunday night.
D&rsquo;Angelo Russell added 28 points after missing two games and Minnesota made a season-high 23 pointers to roll past Chicago despite missing four regulars.
Rudy Gobert missed his second straight game because of a sprained left ankle. Karl-Anthony Towns (right calf strain) and top reserves Jordan McLaughlin (left calf strain) and Taurean Prince (right shoulder) also sat out.
Russell was a game-time decision after sitting out with a knee injury.
&ldquo;Confidence, right approach, seeing familiarity with our rotation and some things like that," Russell said. "That just allows you to be confident and comfortable out there. Coach is allowing us to make things happen, trust in our group. It just gives you that energy and confidence that you want to have.&rdquo;
Starting a four-game trip, Chicago lost its fourth straight and sixth in eight games. It is the fourth-most points the Bulls have ever given up in regulation; the most since allowing 152 to Detroit on Nov. 3, 1982.
&ldquo;It should be the ultimate be lesson learned of what it&rsquo;s like you let something slip, not being connected, not being one, not understanding what needs to be done collectively to help out each other," said DeMar DeRozan, who led Chicago with 29 points. "It&rsquo;s embarrassing to give up that many points. Nothing against Minnesota, but it&rsquo;s not like we playing against the 2016 Golden State Warriors.&rdquo;
Nikola Vucevic added 23 points and Zach LaVine had 22.
Chicago coach Billy Donovan spoke about a lack of collectiveness, especially defensively, and backup guard Goran Dragic said the Bulls need to trust each other.
&ldquo;We have to sacrifice for each other to make a better play, to make a better stop, to screen somebody, to make a sweet swing pass,&rdquo; Dragic said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a small detail. Anybody in this league can beat you.&rdquo;
Edwards scored six points in a 9-1 surge for a 106-89 lead late in the third quarter. But Edwards saved his best shot of the quarter for a buzzer-beater.
With 2.1 seconds left, he stole an inbounds pass on the logo at center court, continued right and made a 32-foot pull-up jumper. As the ball went through the hoop to make it 113-97, Edwards turned to face the crowd and, after a couple of seconds of basking with a huge smile, began to high-five the fans.
&ldquo;We talked about getting up more 3s and we&rsquo;ve been trying to do that, tonight was obviously an exaggerated example of it,&rdquo; Minnesota coach Chris Finch said.
Russell made seven of his eight first-half shots, including 6 of 7 from deep. That included a 34-foot desperation heave from the logo early in the second quarter as the shot clock expired.
TIP-INS
Bulls: Vucevic had nine rebounds. &hellip; Javonte Green missed the game with right knee soreness. He missed three games earlier this month with right knee pain. &hellip; Chicago is 4-11 on the road, including 1-7 against Western Conference opponents.
Timberwolves: Nathan Knight scored a season-high 16 points. &hellip; Naz Reid, who scored the first 10 Minnesota points, left in the second quarter with trapezius tightness. &hellip; Edwards had a steal to extend the NBA&rsquo;s longest active streak of at least one steal to 16 games.
&nbsp;

Anthony Edwards had a season highs with 37 points and 11 assists and the Timberwolves routed the Bulls 150-126.

Timberwolves beat Bulls 150-126 to break team scoring mark

The East Asia Super League announced that their 2023 EASL Champions Week will take place in Japan from March 1-5. The league&rsquo;s eight teams will battle for the inaugural Champions Week title and the first-place prize of $250,000. (The runner-up will receive $100,000 and the third-place team will get $50,000.)
A total of 10 games will be played in Japan from March 1-5. The Utsunomiya Brex will host the first six games of the Group Stage. The Ryukyu Golden Kings will host four games total &mdash; two Group Stage games as well as the championship game and third-place game on March 5 in their new Okinawa-based arena (which is also a 2023 FIBA World Cup venue).
Each day of EASL Champions Week will feature two marquee match-ups. EASL Champions Week is finalizing broadcast deals in all core EASL regions and beyond, and those details will be announced soon.
The eight teams that have already qualified for EASL Season 1 will remain in their respective groups. The schedule will be determined through a drawing that will be live-streamed globally later this month.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
The EASL will launch its home-and-away format in Season 2, which will tip off in fall of 2023. The teams will qualify through their current domestic seasons. In Season 3 (which will take place in fall of 2024), the EASL will expand the format to 16 teams and potentially add in new leagues and regions.
Past EASL events featured notable players such as Lance Stephenson (Liaoning Flying Leopards), Shabazz Muhammad (Shenzhen Leopards), KJ McDaniels (TNT KaTropa), Jared Sullinger (Shenzhen Aviators), Jameel Warney (Seoul SK Knights) and Domantas Motiejunas (Shandong Golden Stars). The league has added investors such as Jalen Green, Baron Davis, Metta Sandiford-Artest and Shane Battier.
For more on the East Asia Super League, check out this <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/east-asia-super-league-inside-a-basketball-startup-with-a-unique-vision" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in-depth article</a> about the league's future plans, which features an exclusive interview with EASL Commissioner Matt Beyer.

The East Asia Super League announced that their 2023 EASL Champions Week will take place in Japan from March 1-5.

East Asia Super League sets Champions Week for March 1-5 in Japan

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Olivia Miles had 21 points and eight rebounds for No. 7 Notre Dame, and UConn star Azzi Fudd was injured in a collision with a teammate as the Fighting Irish handed the third-ranked Huskies their first loss of the season, 74-60 on Sunday.
Fudd, who came in averaging 24.0 points per game, exited in the final minute of the first quarter following a collision with teammate Aaliyah Edwards. She returned midway through the second period to play four minutes, but sat the rest of the day, going scoreless on two shots over 13 minutes.
Maddy Westbeld added a season-high 17 points and nine rebounds for Notre Dame (7-1), which bounced back from a 74-72 loss to No. 20 Maryland three days earlier.
Lou Lopez Senechal led UConn (6-1) with 21 points. Edwards added 14.
No. 2 STANFORD 84, No. 23 GONZAGA 63
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Cameron Brink had 14 points and a season-high 16 rebounds and Brooke Demetre made five 3s and scored 17 points, leading Stanford past Gonzaga.
The Cardinal (10-1) have now won five straight games after falling to top-ranked South Carolina in overtime on Nov. 20.
Hannah Jump hit four 3s and scored 14 points and Haley Jones had 12 points for Stanford.
Short-handed Gonzaga (7-2), limited to seven players because of illness and injuries, had won three in a row.
No. 4 OHIO STATE 82, RUTGERS 70
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) &mdash; Rebeka Mikulasikova scored a career-high 31 points and Taylor Mikesell added 30 to help Ohio State beat Rutgers, a day that the Scarlet Knights honored former coach C. Vivian Stringer.
The school dedicated the court to Stringer, who retired after last season.
Buoyed by the return of their Hall of Fame coach, Rutgers played its best game of the season against a ranked opponent. Ohio State (8-0) jumped out to a 20-6 lead after one quarter, but the Scarlet Knights (4-6) wouldn&rsquo;t go away.
They were down 18 near the end of the half before Kaylene Smikle hit a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to get within 43-28. Rutgers continued that momentum in the second half and made it 53-45 with 3:25 left in the third quarter.
Mikulasikova and Mikesell then scored the next six points for Ohio State to restore the double-digit advantage, and Rutgers couldn&rsquo;t recover.
Smikle led Rutgers with 21 points.
No. 5 INDIANA 65, ILLINOIS 61
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Mackenzie Holmes scored 23 points, including a go-ahead layup with 37 seconds left, and Indiana got past Illinois in their Big Ten opener.
Indiana (9-0) had not trailed in the second half of any game this season before going back and forth in the closing minutes with Illinois (3-7).
Makira Cook scored 33 points to lead the Illini.
The Hoosiers were coming off an 87-63 win over No. 6 North Carolina.
No. 9 VIRGINIA TECH 59, TENNESSEE 56
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Kayana Traylor scored 18 points and Virginia Tech held off Tennessee in a Jimmy V Women&rsquo;s Classic matchup.
Jordan Horston led Tennesssee (4-5) with 26 points and 11 rebounds, but missed a pair of late shots that would&rsquo;ve tied it.
Trailing 58-56 with 3 seconds left, Horston was off on a jumper. Down three with 1.1 seconds remaining, her 3-point try from the top of the key bounced off.
Cayla King scored 11 points and Georgia Amoore and D&rsquo;asia Gregg each had 10 for the Hokies (8-0).
Tennessee played without leading scorer and rebounder Rickea Jackson, who was absent because of a coach&rsquo;s decision.
No. 10 IOWA 102, WISCONSIN 71
MADISON, Wis. (AP) &mdash; Caitlin Clark had 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for her seventh career triple-double to break the Big Ten record in Iowa&rsquo;s win over Wisconsin.
Clark surpassed the record of six career triple-doubles set by former Iowa player Samantha Logic, who achieved the feat from 2012-2015.
Iowa (6-3) stopped a two-game skid and beat the Badgers (3-7) for the 26th straight time.
No. 11 LSU 85, TULANE 72
NEW ORLEANS (AP) &mdash; Angel Reese scored 21 points and had 10 rebounds and Jasmine Carson scored 21 and LSU beat Tulane.
The Tigers (9-0) are off to their best since winning their first nine in the 2009-10 season.
LSU led 27-20 in a first quarter in which it made 11 of 16 shots and Tulane 9 for 17. The Tigers extended their lead to 40-27 at halftime before the Green Wave unloaded with a 30-point third in which it shot 12 for 16 including 6 for 7 from 3-point range. Dynah Jones scored 16 of her team-high 25 points for Tulane in the quarter and the Green Wave closed to 61-58.
Reese made 1 of 2 foul shots for the Tigers and Kahia Warmsley responded with a layup for Tulane to get it within two, but LaDazhia Williams made a layup and Carson a 3 and LSU kept Tulane at bay from there. Reese made two foul shots with 5:01 left to extend the lead to 73-62.
Marta Galic scored 21 points for Tulane.
ST. JOHN&rsquo;S 66, No. 13 CREIGHTON 62
NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Jayla Everett scored 20 points and St. John&rsquo;s remained unbeaten by handing Creighton its first loss.
The Red Storm had a 47-32 lead in the middle of the third quarter before the Bluejays got it down to a one-possession deficit in the final 90 seconds.
After Emma Ronsiek&rsquo;s basket pulled Creighton within 61-59 with 1:27 to play, the Bluejays had a possession to tie or take the lead but couldn&rsquo;t score.
Kadaj Bailey and Unique Drake had 13 points apiece for St. John&rsquo;s (8-0, 2-0 Big East Conference).
Lauren Jensen scored 21 points for the Bluejays (7-1, 2-1) but couldn&rsquo;t get the tying jumper to fall with 13 seconds to go.
No. 14 ARIZONA 77, NEW MEXICO 60
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) &mdash; Jade Loville made 10 of 13 shots, including a career-best six 3-pointers, and scored 27 points to lead Arizona to a win over New Mexico.
Shaina Pellington added 19 points for the Wildcats (7-0), who had their lowest output of the year and won by less than 20 for only the second time this season.
Paula Reus scored 14 points for the Lobos (4-4).
No. 17 MICHIGAN 77, NORTHWESTERN 66
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) &mdash; Emily Kiser and Laila Phelia scored 18 points each and Michigan shut down Northwestern with an 8-0 run in the fourth quarter.
Leigha Brown added 10 points and 11 assists for Michigan (9-0), which won its Big Ten opener.
Jillian Brown had 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals for Northwestern (4-4, 0-1 Big Ten). Caileigh Walsh had 12 points and four blocks, and Sydney Wood scored 10 points.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 67, No. 18 LOUISVILLE 49
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Savannah Wheeler had 23 points, six rebounds and five assists, Courtney Whitson added 16 points and 10 rebounds and Middle Tennessee beat cold-shooting Louisville.
Middle Tennessee (5-2) won its first home game against a ranked opponent since the Lady Raiders beat No. 6 Kentucky 70-58 on December 28, 2011.
Kseniya Malashka added 15 points for Middle Tennessee (5-2).
Olivia Cochran scored a season-high 14 points for Louisville (5-4).
NEBRASKA 90, No. 20 MARYLAND 67
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) &mdash; Jaz Shelley scored 29 points, Nebraska dominated the second half and the Cornhuskers surprised Maryland in the Big Ten Conference opener for both teams.
Allison Weidner had 13 points and 15 rebounds for Nebraska (6-3). Isabelle Bourne had 18 points and Alexis Markowski added 14. Shelley had six 3-pointers, five assists and three steals.
Two free throws from Diamond Miller drew Maryland (7-3) to within 77-67 points with 4:03 remaining, but the Terrapins would not score again while Nebraska scored 13.
No. 21 BAYLOR 79, HOUSTON CHRISTIAN 35
WACO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Freshman guard Bella Fontleroy came off the bench to score 17 points and grab 11 rebounds and Baylor romped to a victory over Houston Christian.
Fontleroy sank 6 of 10 shots with three 3-pointers for the Lady Bears (6-2) and notched her first double-double. Jaden Owens added 14 points and six assists. Kendra Gillispie scored 10 on 5-of-6 shooting.
Marilyn Nzoiwu was the lone bright spot for the Huskies (3-4). She finished with 13 points and five rebounds, sinking 6 of 9 shots from the floor. Her teammates made 8 of 40 shots, including 2 of 15 from beyond the arc.
The Lady Bears played a fifth straight game without injured leading scorer Aijha Blackwell.
No. 22 TEXAS 92, SOUTHERN 43
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) &mdash; Shaylee Gonzales scored 22 points, Sonya Morris added 20 points, and Texas routed Southern.
Aaliyah Moore scored 11 points and DeYona Gaston had 10 for the Longhorns (4-4). Rori Harmon had nine points and 10 rebounds.
Freshman guard Sirviva Legions led the Jaguars (2-5) with 13 points off the bench.
The Longhorns rolled to a 29-10 lead through the first quarter after making 10 of 14 shots. They scored 11 points off seven Southern turnovers. Texas went on to lead 46-16 at halftime.
SETON HALL 82, No. 24 MARQUETTE 78
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. (AP) &mdash; Lauren Park-Lane scored 17 of her 31 points in the fourth quarter, Sidney Cooks added 23 and Seton Hall knocked off Marquette.
Kae Satterfield added 12 points for Seton Hall (6-4, 2-0 Big East Conference), which has won four straight. The Pirates last beat a ranked team, No. 24 DePaul, in January 2019.
Chloe Marotta scored 30 points and had 12 rebounds for the Golden Eagles (7-2, 1-1). Jordan King added 14 points and Liz Karlen had 12 points and nine rebounds.
No. 25 VILLANOVA 79, PROVIDENCE 54
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) &mdash; Maddy Seigrist scored 20 of her 29 points in the first half and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Villanova past Providence.
Seigrist was 12-of-18 shooting, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range. The Wildcats (7-2, 1-1 Big East Conference) made 12 of 28 behind the arc and shot 52% overall (33 of 63). Lucy Olsen added 14 points and Bella Runyan 10.
Janai Crooms led the Friars (6-4, 0-2) with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

A recap of Sunday's women's college basketball slate features a top-10 battle.

Notre Dame tops UConn as Azzi Fudd gets hurt

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Andrew Wiggins shoots more than 100 three-pointers most practices, as many reps as needed &ldquo;until I feel good.&rdquo;
The ball is smooth coming out of his hand, he's in position, the ball is going through the net.
On Saturday night, Wiggins almost made his career-best ninth three-pointer, but his foot was on the line.
He dazzled from beyond the arc, scoring a season-best 36 points and matching his career high with eight threes, leading the Golden State Warriors past the Houston Rockets 120-101 in the second game of back-to-backs for both teams.
&ldquo;I felt like I was just flowing,&rdquo; Wiggins said. &ldquo;My shot felt good, my teammates did a great job finding me and getting me open shots and good looks.&rdquo;
Stephen Curry scored 30 points with eight threes of his own to go with 10 assists. Jordan Poole started in place of a resting Klay Thompson and added 21 points and five assists, one night after a 30-point performance off the bench with a season-high seven threes.
Wiggins knocked down consecutive threes midway through the third quarter and shot 14-of-19 overall as the Warriors won their 10th straight at home.
Kevin Porter Jr. scored 20 points and Tari Eason contributed 13 off the bench for Houston.
Jalen Green added 13 points but missed all five of his tries from long range a night after the 20-year-old guard had 30 to help fuel a 16-point comeback in the second half of a stunning 122-121 win at Phoenix. The Rockets were sluggish from the start in this one.
Golden State became just the second team in NBA history to make 20 three-pointers in four of five games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Jazz did so from Nov. 27-Dec. 8, 2021.
The Warriors raced to a 22-4 lead, making their initial seven shots, as Houston began 2 for 11. Golden State led 39-23 after one quarter.
&ldquo;It was a phenomenal first 18 minutes, I thought that was maybe the best stretch we&rsquo;ve had all year to start the game and then halfway through the second quarter, maybe eight minutes left in the second quarter we didn&rsquo;t have any turnovers, we had like 16 assists, we were defending, rebounding, doing everything right and then we just lost our focus,&rdquo; Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s our biggest challenge right now is trying to maintain our focus long enough to not give up leads and allow teams back in and I thought that&rsquo;s what happened tonight.&rdquo;
A DAY FOR KLAY
Thompson sat on the second game in consecutive nights, as has been standard practice for him to not play both contests &mdash; for now, that is. This marked the Warriors' fifth back-to-back of 15 total.
&ldquo;The hope is that he will play back-to-backs later this year. Today, he will go through really good court work to try and simulate as best we can what a back-to-back would feel like for him,&rdquo; Kerr said.
TIP-INS
Rockets: The Rockets shot 2-for-15 from deep in the first half &mdash; 1-of-6 by Porter, who missed eight of his nine on the night &mdash; and 3-of-28 overall. ... Houston lost its fourth straight on the Warriors' home floor and eighth in a row overall in the series, dating to a 135-105 win on Feb. 20, 2020. ... The Rockets are 2-10 on the road against the Western Conference.
Warriors: Kevon Looney grabbed 12 rebounds. ... Curry, Poole and Wiggins combined for 10 threes in the first half. ... The Warriors committed no turnovers and only two fouls in their 39-point opening quarter. ... Golden State improved to 11-1 at home and the unbeaten run is the best for the team on its home floor since 11 in a row from Oct. 30-Dec. 3, 2021.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Host the 76ers on Monday night.
Warriors: Host the Pacers on Monday night.

The Golden State Warriors beat the Houston Rockets 120-101 in the second game of back-to-backs for both teams.

Andrew Wiggins scores 36 points, leads Warriors past Rockets

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Devin Booker made the Chicago Bulls pay for some mediocre defense with a couple early mid-range jumpers. Then he made a few more. And a few more.
Suddenly, it was one of those nights for the Suns All-Star guard.
&ldquo;It felt like a double-sized rim out there,&rdquo; Booker said. &ldquo;If I rise up, it&rsquo;s going in.&rdquo;
Booker scored a season-high 51 points in just three quarters, Deandre Ayton had 30 points and 14 rebounds and Phoenix stretched its winning streak to six games with a 132-113 victory Wednesday night.
Booker scored 25 points in the first half and had 26 more in a sublime third quarter that included 10 of 11 shooting. After a contested 3-pointer splashed through the net, &ldquo;MVP! MVP!&rdquo; chants broke out across Footprint Center, and the 26-year-old is certainly making an early season case.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s the best,&rdquo; Booker said about the home crowd. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how many sellout crowds that is in a row, but it&rsquo;s impressive. Mondays, Tuesdays, Saturdays, it doesn&rsquo;t matter what day of the week it is. They show up and show out.&rdquo;
The three-time All-Star had a steal late in the third before sprinting downcourt and flushing home a dunk for his 50th and 51st points. He added six assists and four rebounds.
"A guy like that gets in a rhythm and it&rsquo;s too late," Bulls guard Zach LaVine said. &ldquo;He gets it going and it&rsquo;s over.&rdquo;
Booker didn't play in the fourth quarter with the Suns holding a healthy lead.
Even more remarkable than Booker's point total was his efficiency. He shot 20 of 25 from the field, going 6 of 7 from 3-point range. He is <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1598163256752967680">the second player over the last 25 years</a> with 50 points and 80% shooting through the first three quarters of a game, joining James Harden in 2017, according to ESPN Stats and Info.
&ldquo;There's not a level where he can't score,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said. &ldquo;He can use both hands, he can score with a hand in his face and he's willing to take the tough shots.&rdquo;
It was Booker's second straight 40-point game. He had 44 in a victory at Sacramento on Monday night. The Suns have the best record in the Western Conference at 15-6 and have won 12 out of 13 home games.
The Bulls struggled on defense the entire night, particularly against Booker and Ayton. Chicago coach Billy Donovan was particularly irritated in the third quarter, angrily calling a time out after Phoenix scored a couple easy buckets.
DeMar DeRozan led Chicago with 29 points. Zach LaVine added 21.
The Suns took a 64-43 lead at halftime. Booker roasted the Bulls with 25 points before the break, repeatedly finding open mid-range jump shots.
&ldquo;We threw everything at him,&rdquo; Donovan said. "We trapped him, we threw a box and one at him. We tried to face guard him and to his credit had had a great night.
Phoenix shot 58% in the first half. Chicago made just 1 of 14 (7.1%) of its 3-point attempts.
TIP-INS
Bulls: Alex Caruso scored 14 points off the bench. ... The Bulls shot 4 of 25 (16%) from 3-point range.
Suns: G Chris Paul missed his 11th consecutive game with right heel soreness. ... It was Booker's 21st career game with at least 40 points. ... Landry Shamet added 12 points off the bench. ... Hosted a 39th consecutive sellout crowd. ... Ayton shot 11 of 18 from the field. ... Booker's 51 points were the most ever scored by a Suns player at Footprint Center. Gilbert Arenas has the record for any player with 54.
UP NEXT
Bulls: At Golden State on Friday.
Suns: Host Houston on Friday.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

“It felt like a double-sized rim out there,” Booker said. “If I rise up, it’s going in.”

Devin Booker scores 51 points in 3 quarters, Suns rout Bulls

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 28 points, and the Charlotte Hornets stopped Minnesota's five-game win streak with a 110-108 victory over Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves on Friday night.
Terry Rozier had 22 points and eight assists, helping the Hornets (6-14) win back-to-back games for the first time this season. P.J. Washington scored 16 points, and reserve Theo Maledon finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.
&ldquo;It's a great mood booster for sure," Oubre said of getting two wins in three nights. &ldquo;We have to continue to learn from our losses and mistakes and learn how to win. The more you win the more you can do the same things you did in the game before.&rdquo;
Edwards scored 25 points for the Timberwolves (10-9), who shot 22% from 3-point range. D&rsquo;Angelo Russell had 20 points and 10 assists, and Rudy Gobert finished with 17 points and 17 rebounds.
The Timberwolves bolted to a 62-52 halftime lead as Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns combined for 30 points.
But Charlotte battled back to take a 91-83 lead after outscoring the Timberwolves 39-21 in the third quarter behind 11 points from Oubre and 10 from Rozier.
&ldquo;We just came out with not much energy or focus and not a lot of purpose," Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said of his team's effort in the third. "We haven&rsquo;t done that for a long time. It was kind of our habit at the beginning of the season. Tonight, we just didn&rsquo;t have it in the third quarter for whatever reason.&rdquo;
Charlotte carried that momentum into the fourth. Nick Richards rejected Gobert at the rim, setting up a high-flying dunk by Kai Jones off a feed from Rozier that brought the crowd to its feet and helped push the lead to 14.
The Timberwolves had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds after Rozier missed a floater, but they were unable to corral the rebound. That forced them to foul Washington, who made one of two throws with 4.7 seconds left to help close it out.
After the free throw, Washington smiled and gave a nod to his bench.
&ldquo;We are figuring out how to play,&rdquo; Washington said. &ldquo;The game we played tonight and the one before (a 107-101 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night) are two that we can grow from. If we play to our strengths it is going to be hard for teams to beat us."
JONES STEPS UP
Jones, a lanky, athletic 6-foot-11 2021 first-round draft pick out of Texas, was the first player off the Hornets bench as Charlotte looked to combat Minnesota&rsquo;s height. The gamble paid off as the seldom-used Jones finished with nine points and 12 rebounds &mdash; both career bests.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t see that he&rsquo;s doing anything that he can&rsquo;t do every night," Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s playing to his real strengths. He&rsquo;s tough, he&rsquo;s a terrific athlete, he&rsquo;s got a good nose for the ball, and he&rsquo;s playing very smart.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: Towns was 0 for 8 from 3-point range in the second half. ... Jaden McDaniels opened the game matched up against his older brother Jalen McDaniels.
Hornets: Played without PG LaMelo Ball (ankle), F Gordon Hayward (shoulder), PG Dennis Smith Jr. (ankle) and Cody Martin (knee).
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: Host Golden State on Sunday.
Hornets: Visit Boston on Monday night.

Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 28 points, and the Hornets snapped the Wolves' five-game win streak with a 110-108 victory on Friday night.

Oubre scores 28, Hornets snap T-Wolves' 5-game win streak

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) &mdash; Zia Cooke scored 17 points, Aliyah Boston had the 61st double-double of her career and defending national champion No. 1 South Carolina opened with a dominating 101-31 victory over East Tennessee State on Monday night.
Boston finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds in 20 minutes.
The Gamecocks celebrated their 2022 NCAA Tournament title with championship rings and a banner unfurled in the arena rafters to the cheers of a boisterous, happy crowd at Colonial Life Arena.
South Carolina held its opponent to 4-of-28 shooting in the first two quarters. ETSU missed 15 straight shots during one stretch.
East Tennessee&rsquo;s Jiselle Thomas, a first-year transfer from Temple, led East Tennessee with seven points on 2-of-20 shooting.
NO. 2 STANFORD 86, SAN DIEGO STATE 48
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Kiki Iriafen had a team-leading 16 points and six rebounds, sending Stanford past San Diego State to open the season.
Iriafen was one of four players who had double-digit points for the Cardinal, including Elena Bosgana (15 points), Cameron Brink (13) and Indya Nivar (13). Alex Crain and Meghan Fiso each had nine points for the Aztecs, who were held to 31.6% shooting (18 of 57) by the Cardinal defense.
NO. 4 IOWA 87, SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY 34
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) &mdash; Caitlin Clark scored 20 points as Iowa opened the season with a win over Southern.
Clark, a junior guard who was a unanimous Associated Press preseason All-American, shook off a couple of early injuries to finish with a 6 of 10 shooting night.
Iowa center Monika Czinano, back for a fifth season after leading the nation in field-goal percentage the last two seasons, scored 10 points on 3 of 4 shooting.
Amani McWain led Southern with eight points.
NO. 7 LOUISVILLE 87, CINCINNATI 68
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) &mdash; Hailey Van Lith scored 28 points to lead Louisville to a victory over Cincinnati in the season opener for both teams.
The Cardinals broke the game open with a 15-0 first-quarter run and led 46-25 in the final minute of the first half. The Cardinals shot 51.7% and outrebounded the Bearcats 39-27.
Sophomore Braylyn Milton led the Bearcats with a career-high 28 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Milton was perfect on five 3-point shots. Mya Jackson and A&rsquo;riel Jackson added 12 points apiece.
NO. 8 IOWA STATE 87, CLEVELAND STATE 54
AMES, Iowa (AP) &mdash; Ashley Joens had 28 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, and Iowa State opened the season with a victory against Cleveland State.
Joens, a preseason All-American, nearly recorded a double-double in the first half with 24 points and nine boards. She has 50 career double-doubles.
Stephanie Soares added 15 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks for the Cyclones. Gabriella Smith led Cleveland State with 16 points and Brittni Moore added nine.
NO. 9 NOTRE DAME 88, NORTHERN ILLINOIS 48
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Olivia Miles had 17 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and six steals to help No. 9 Notre Dame rout Northern Illinois.
Transfer post players Kylee Watson (Oregon) and Lauren Ebo (Texas) made their Notre Dame debuts. Watson started and scored nine points, while Ebo added 10 points off the bench.
Janae Poisson led NIU in scoring with 14 points.
NO. 10 NC STATE 82, QUINNIPIAC 45
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Jada Boyd scored 14 points as North Carolina State led wire-to-wire in a season-opening victory over Quinnipiac.
Boyd shot a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. The junior forward also had five rebounds, a block and two steals in just 20 minutes of play. Quinnipiac was led by Cur&rsquo;Tiera Haywood&rsquo;s eight points and five rebounds. Jackie Grisdale also had eight points for the Bobcats.
NO. 13 VIRGINIA TECH 101, MOUNT ST. MARY&rsquo;S 45
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) &mdash; Cayla King made a school record nine 3-pointers and scored a career-high 33 points, All-American Elizabeth Kitley added 17 points and Virginia Tech rolled over Mount St. Mary in both teams&rsquo; season opener.
Virginia Tech never trailed thanks to King&rsquo;s opening 3-pointer and after Mount St. Mary&rsquo;s answered with a basket the Hokies reeled off 20 straight.
Michaela Harrison scored 15 points for Mount St. Mary&rsquo;s, which shot 27% and was outrebounded 45-23.
NO. 15 OKLAHOMA 105, ORAL ROBERTS 94
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) &mdash; Madi Williams scored 19 points, Skylar Vann added 18 and Oklahoma opened the season with a win over Oral Roberts.
The Sooners finished at 47.6% shooting after hitting 60% of their shots in the first half.
Oral Roberts outscored Oklahoma 24-6 in the final 5:18 to get the margin down to 11. Tirzah Moore scored 25 points and grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds for the Golden Eagles.
NO. 16 LSU 125, BELLARMINE 50
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) &mdash; Angel Reese scored 31 points on 11-of-14 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds in her debut with LSU and the Tigers coasted past Bellarmine in the season opener.
The transfer from Maryland, where she was an All-American, had 14 points in the first quarter when the Tigers took a 31-8 lead and went on to a school record for points in a game.
West Virginia transfer Jasmine Carson added 17 points and Alexis Morris 16 for LSU, which returned only one starter (Morris) and five players from Kim Mulkey&rsquo;s first team, which had the greatest turnaround by a first-year coach in Southeastern Conference history.
Hayley Harrison scored 19 points for the Knights.
NO. 17 MARYLAND 88, GEORGE MASON 51
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) &mdash; Abby Meyers scored 19 points in her debut for Maryland as the retooled Terrapins defeated George Mason.
Meyers, an AP honorable mention All-American at Princeton and one of nine new Terrapins, made 5 of 6 from 3-point range.
Taylor Jameson scored 15 points for George Mason, which was 5 of 22 from 3-point range and had 18 turnovers.
NO. 18 BAYLOR 88, LAMAR 50
WACO, Texas (AP) &mdash;Jaden Owens had a career-high 12 assists to go with 11 points for her first career double-double and Baylor pulled away for a season-opening win over Lamar.
Missouri transfer Aijha Blackwell and freshman Bella Fontleroy both added 17 points for the Bears, who used a 7-0 run early in the second quarter and a 9-0 late to go up 47-31 at halftime.
Lamar shot 32% in the second half and finished just 3 of 12 behind the 3-point line. Akasha Davis led the Cardinals with 13 points and eight rebounds.
NO. 20 OREGON 100, NORTHWESTERN 57
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Freshman Grace VanSlooten scored 20 points and Oregon downed Northwestern for the Ducks&rsquo; 10th straight season-opening win, and ninth straight under coach Kelly Graves.
Jennah Isai added 17 for the Ducks, who went 20-12 overall last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament but lost in the first round to Belmont.
Caileigh Walsh had 15 points and six rebounds for Northwestern, which went 17-12 last season.
NO. 21 CREIGHTON 73, NO. 23 SOUTH DAKTA STATE 64
BROOKINGS, S.D. (AP) &mdash; Lauren Jensen scored 17 of her 30 points in the fourth quarter and Creighton pulled away from South Dakota State in the only Top 25 matchup on the opening day of the season.
Creighton, the surprise team of the NCAA Tournament last year when they beat No. 8 Iowa and No. 10 Iowa State, made 10 of 12 free throws in the fourth quarter.
Myah Selland scored 22 points to lead South Dakota State, which won the WNIT last season.
NO. 22 NEBRASKA 100, OMAHA 36
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) &mdash; Isabelle Bourne had 21 points and nine rebounds, leading Nebraska to the runaway victory in its season opener.
Allison Weidner added 19 points and nine rebounds, and South Dakota transfer Maddy Krull had 18 points with four 3-pointers. Alexis Markowski had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Cornhuskers.
Elena Pilakouta had 10 points and eight rebounds for the Mavericks.
NO. 24 PRINCETON 67, TEMPLE 49
PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) &mdash; Kaitlyn Chen scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds, Ellie Mitchell added 12 points and 15 boards, and Princeton defeated Temple to spoil the debut of Owls coach Diane Richardson.
Princeton won its 16th straight regular-season game dating to last season. Prior to the game, the Tigers honored its 2021-22 campaign with a banner unveiling and ring ceremony. The Tigers pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the NCAA Tournament, upending Kentucky in the first round.
Jasha Clinton scored 15 points and Tiarra East had 11 points and 11 rebounds for Temple, which was just 18-of-62 shooting.

Opening night for women's college hoops was highlighted by Aliyah Boston and the defending-champion South Carolina Gamecocks.

Defending women's national champs, No. 1 Gamecocks, rout ETSU 101-31

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Stephen Curry scored a season-high 47 points, knocking down seven 3-pointers, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Sacramento Kings 116-113 on Monday night to snap a five-game losing streak.
Andrew Wiggins had 25 points and Klay Thompson added 16 for the Warriors before Curry made two free throws with 1.3 seconds left to secure the win.
Draymond Green added 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Green threw down a dunk with 37 seconds left to stretch the Golden State lead to three.
Curry, Thompson, Green and Wiggins returned to the lineup after not playing against New Orleans on Friday.
Thompson is not playing on back-to-back nights because of his anterior cruciate ligament and Achilles tendon injuries in 2019 and 2020. Green is under similar limitations because of a back injury suffered last season.
Curry was being rested because of elbow soreness and Wiggins because of a sore left foot.
De&rsquo;Aaron Fox had 28 points and six assists for Sacramento (3-6), which had a chance to tie before Kevin Huerter's missed 3-pointer on the final possession.
Malik Monk had 24 points, six rebounds and four assists off the bench. Domantas Sabonis added 19 points, 14 rebounds and six assists.
After the Kings went down 12 early, Sacramento closed the first quarter on a 14-2 run. The Warriors opened the second half on 13-2 run to cut it to one point with 8:24 left in the third.
Sacramento lost to Golden State 130-125 on Oct. 23, which was highlighted by an 89-point first half from the Warriors. Golden State plays in Sacramento on Sunday.
KERR ENCOURAGES VOTING
Before the game, Steve Kerr addressed the crowd and encouraged fans to vote Tuesday. Kerr and other players and coaches wore a shirt with the word &ldquo;Vote&rdquo; on it. The NBA won&rsquo;t have games Tuesday.
&ldquo;The league is really promoting it across the country with all 30 teams playing tonight and none of the 30 teams playing tomorrow night,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s symbolic, but it also gives the players, coaches, and team employees a chance to vote tomorrow if they are in their home districts&hellip; we hope that people get out to the polls tomorrow.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Warriors: G Donte DiVincenzo went through pregame warmups and could be available Friday after being out since Oct. 23 with a hamstring injury. &hellip; Kerr was given a technical foul with 1:27 left in the first half. Curry got one with 5:55 left in the third.
Kings: Fox made 29 consecutive free throws before missing one in the second quarter. His last miss came vs. Los Angeles on Oct. 22. &hellip; Fox has scored 25 points or more in six games this season. &hellip; Sacramento ranked 24th in the NBA in free throw percentage (74.1%) coming into Monday and shot 25 of 29. ... Sacramento had won three of four.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Host Cleveland on Friday.
Kings: Host Cleveland on Wednesday.

Stephen Curry scored a season-high 47 points, knocking down 7 threes, and the Warriors beat the Kings 116-113.

Curry scores 47, Warriors beat Kings to end 5-game skid

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Smooth as ever starting his 14th NBA season, Stephen Curry shook Tyler Herro and made it look oh so easy.
Curry scored 10 of his 33 points in a tight fourth quarter to go with nine assists and seven rebounds, leading the Golden State Warriors past the Miami Heat 123-110 on Thursday night.
He pounded his chest with both hands and hollered in delight after a dazzling sequence in which he crossed over twice to lose Herro, then stepped back and sunk a 3-pointer with 5:32 remaining that put Golden State ahead 108-100.
&ldquo;It was a great move,&rdquo; teammate Draymond Green said. &ldquo;He got to the spot that he wanted. Once he got Tyler to open his back leg up, he was kind of dead at that point. Steph is incredible and he&rsquo;s playing great to start this year off, which is expected. He continues to improve, which is scary that that guy continues to get better. It&rsquo;s pretty interesting and fun to watch.&rdquo;
Curry made a driving layup at 3:15, a 3 at 2:40 and long jumper at 2:04 to seal it. He has scored 30 or more points in all four home games.
Andrew Wiggins added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Warriors, and Klay Thompson had 19 points with five 3s.
Jordan Poole drove into the paint and made a pretty pass around Bam Adebayo&rsquo;s waist to hit Ty Jerome, who knocked down a 3-pointer with 9:36 left for a 100-92 lead then Poole&rsquo;s jumper at the 8:07 mark made it 102-94.
Jimmy Butler scored 27 points, Adebayo 26 and Kyle Lowry had 12 points and eight assists for Miami in the second game of a back-to-back after a 119-98 win at Portland on Wednesday.
&ldquo;I thought it was our best defensive game, which isn&rsquo;t saying much given the other four. It just felt like a more typical Warriors performance where we were getting stops consistently and then getting out and running,&rdquo; coach Steve Kerr said. &rdquo;... Other than a few careless turnovers I thought it was the best we&rsquo;ve played at both ends, and of course Steph was just sublime. What he&rsquo;s doing is incredible. He just gets by anybody. It doesn&rsquo;t matter who&rsquo;s on him, he gets right into the teeth of the defense, finishes, finds guys. He&rsquo;s been spectacular here to start the year.&rdquo;
Lowry missed a 3 from the top with 6:11 to go that would have tied it then Kevon Looney dunked moments later as the Warriors bounced back after a 134-105 thumping at Phoenix on Tuesday in which a frustrated Thompson was ejected for the first time in his career.
Two nights later, Thompson played an extended 29 minutes. Curry&rsquo;s Splash Brother is still working to build up to his full minutes and had been 8 of 28 from 3-point range, missing all five of his attempts against the Suns on Tuesday before a 5-for-14 outing against the Heat.
GENERATION THRIVE
The Warriors unveiled their&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/JanieMcCAP/status/1585770388725780480" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">San Francisco Generation Thrive space</a>&nbsp;in Chase Center.
It&rsquo;s a free spot for teachers and educators or educational community groups to hold gatherings, meetings or as a small work space. It can be used by non-profit leaders and educators for professional development or to provide health and well-being resources.
President and COO Brandon Schneider announced $2.42 million in grants given by the Warriors Community Foundation, a record for a single season.
TIP-INS
Heat: C Omer Yurtseven is making progress from a left ankle impingement while rehabbing at home in Miami. &ldquo;We wanted to just get him checked out and then he&rsquo;ll train there and hopefully be able to ramp up when we get back,&rdquo; coach Erik Spoelstra said. ... The Heat have lost the last three against the Warriors and also three in a row on Golden State&rsquo;s home floor.
Warriors: The Warriors had 30 assists. ... Golden State marked the seven-year date of when it began an NBA-record streak of 24 straight wins to start the 2015-16 season. ... G Donte DiVincenzo (left hamstring) missed his second straight game and won&rsquo;t play on the team&rsquo;s upcoming trip while veteran F Andre Iguodala is still yet to play as the team monitors his nagging left hip in an effort to keep him healthy for the long haul.
UP NEXT
Heat: At Sacramento on Saturday night.
Warriors: Open a five-game East Coast road swing at Charlotte on Saturday night. The Warriors have lost the last three on the road to the Hornets.
___
More AP NBA:&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/hub/NBA">https://apnews.com/hub/NBA</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

The Golden State Warriors defeat the Miami Heat.

Stephen Curry scores 33 as Warriors hold off Heat 123-110

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Nikola Jokic tied Wilt Chamberlain for sixth all-time with his 78th triple-double and Jamal Murray scored 16 points in his first game at Ball Arena in more than 18 months as the Denver Nuggets outlasted the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-117 Saturday night.
Murray sank a pair of free throws with 9.7 seconds left to put the Nuggets ahead by four and Jokic capped the scoring by sinking one of two foul shots with 2.5 seconds remaining.
Jokic scored 19 points, pulled down 16 rebounds and dished out 13 assists. Michael Porter Jr. added 22 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope chipped in 21 points on the strength of six 3-pointers, one more than Porter.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 28 points and Josh Giddey had 19 points and 12 boards.
Murray, who tore his left ACL on April 12, 2021, sat out Denver's big win at Golden State on Friday night in San Francisco because the Nuggets don't want him playing back-to-back nights early on. He had 12 points, two rebounds and two steals in 26 minutes in the Nuggets' season-opening loss at Utah on Wednesday night.
Murray had a scary moment in the second quarter when he tumbled at midcourt after a foul by Luguentz Dort. Murray shook it off and a minute later had a spin move followed by a fadeaway jumper.
The Nuggets don't have another back-to-back set until late November.
TIP-INS
Thunder: Oklahoma City plays five of its next six games at home. ... The Thunder was without rookie G Jalen Williams, the 12th overall pick in the draft, who underwent surgery after fracturing his right orbital bone in the opener at Minnesota.
Nuggets: The Broncos' low-key celebration of Jokic's second straight MVP award consisted of a short video during the first timeout. Jokic was ejected from a playoff game when the Nuggets celebrated his first MVP trophy in 2021. He was already back in Serbia when he won his second Maurice Podoloff Trophy last summer.
UP NEXT
Thunder: Returns to Oklahoma City for home opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night.
Nuggets: Get a brief reprieve after playing three games in four nights. Their next game is Monday night at Portland.

Nikola Jokic scored 19 points, pulled down 16 rebounds and dished out 13 assists, and Jamal Murray scored 16 points in a win.

Jokic, Murray lead tired Nuggets past Thunder 122-117

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Nikola Jokic had a triple-double of 26 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists playing with a sore right wrist he had taped, and the Denver Nuggets beat Golden State 128-123 on Friday night in a rematch of the teams' first-round playoff series won by the Warriors in five games on their way to the title.
Jordan Poole made a backcourt steal from Bones Hyland and scored 14.7 seconds left to get Golden State within 124-123 then Bruce Brown dunked immediately. The Warriors had another chance and Klay Thompson missed a potential tying 3 from the top with 9.3 seconds left.
Jokic secured the rebound then converted two free throws. He also had a three-point play with 4:21 remaining moments after a putback dunk by JaMychal Green, then the Denver bigman made another timely basket at 3:07.
Stephen Curry scored 34 points with five 3-pointers after a second straight slow start shooting and has 30-point performances in his first two games. But the Warriors committed 19 turnovers that led to 30 Denver points.
Brown scored 20 points and Michael Porter Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 17 apiece for the Nuggets, who handed the Warriors their lone loss in the preseason last Friday night.
Golden State debuted revamped &ldquo;Run TMC&rdquo; blue jerseys to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Hall of Famer Chris Mullin's gold medal with The Dream Team at the 1992 Olympics.
Thompson and Draymond Green had 16 and 13 points, respectively, playing increased minutes &mdash; 23 for Thompson and 27 for Green, who also had nine assists.
Thompson played nearly 20 minutes and Green almost 25 in a season-opening 123-109 victory against the Lakers on Tuesday night.
Denver has three straight regular-season victories on the Warriors' home floor, getting in the win column after the Nuggets lost their opener to the Jazz 123-102 at Utah on Wednesday.
The Warriors fell behind 5-0 then roared back, getting Curry&rsquo;s four-point play at the 9:14 mark of the opening quarter. But Denver shot 59.5% in the first half on the way to a 70-52 lead at the break.
KERR HONORS BROWN
Kerr offered his thoughts to the family of longtime referee Tony Brown, who died Thursday at age 55 from pancreatic cancer.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a great ref and he made an impact on this league and everybody liked him,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve missed him the last couple years and the news yesterday it really hit home and hit hard for all of us, the players, coaches, entire organization.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Nuggets: G Jamal Murray sat out and won't play both games of back-to-backs early on as he nurses a left knee injury. &ldquo;My hope is we can build throughout the year,&rdquo; coach Michael Malone said. &ldquo;We want to be smart. ... Hopefully by Christmas, New Year, All-Star break what we're doing now is not what we're doing then.&rdquo;
Warriors: Curry begins his 14th season with the Warriors, surpassing Mullin's 13 for most in franchise history. ... F Andre Iguodala sat out a second straight game to start the season as the Warriors manage his left hip injury.
UP NEXT
Nuggets: The Nuggets return to Denver during this grueling early stretch of three games in four nights with their home opener Saturday night against the Thunder.
Warriors: Host the Kings and former top assistant Mike Brown, Sacramento's first-year coach, on Sunday night.

Nikola Jokic had a triple-double of 26 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists playing with a sore wrist, and the Nuggets beat Golden State.

Nikola Jokic notches triple-double as Nuggets top Warriors

LAS VEGAS (AP) &mdash; A&rsquo;ja Wilson had 24 points and 11 rebounds and the Las Vegas Aces beat the Connecticut Sun 67-64 on Sunday in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.
The Aces staved off a late run by the Sun, who nearly erased a seven-point deficit with 1:24 left when Alyssa Thomas hit back-to-back shots to pull Connecticut within three. But DeWanna Bonner&rsquo;s desperation 3-point attempt to tie the game fell short as time expired.
Chelsea Gray finished with 21 points for Las Vegas, while Jackie Young chipped in 11 as the franchise won their first WNBA Finals game in franchise history. They had been swept in 2008 when the team was in San Antonio and lost in three games in 2020.
&ldquo;Coming from being swept and actually getting one. Pretty happy about this one,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;Not going to dwell on it long as we have a really tough Game 2 coming up.&rdquo;
After squandering a first-quarter lead, and allowing the Sun to control the second and carry momentum in the third, the Aces outscored Connecticut 13-3 to close the third quarter and seize momentum for the final period before a frenzied record sold out gathering of 10,135.
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Thomas led Connecticut with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Jonquel Jones added 15 points, Brionna Jones came off the bench to score 12 and Natasha Hiedeman contributed with 10.
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Dearica Hamby came off the bench a bit past the midway point of the third quarter and provided an immediate spark for the Aces with a pair of offensive rebounds, a put back under the basket, two assists and a steal, as the Aces clawed their way back to turn a six-point point deficit into a two-point lead heading into the final period. Hamby missed the final month of the regular season with a knee injury.
She didn&rsquo;t play in the first round of the playoffs and was used sparingly in the final two games of the semifinals.
The Aces set the tone early by taking a 12-5 lead with Wilson leading the charge by scoring six of their points. Wilson scored 12 of her points in the first quarter, as Las Vegas shot 56.3% (9 of 16) from the floor. Connecticut finished the opening quarter hitting 8 of 18 (47.6%). And while the Aces were 5 of 7 from the free-throw line, the Sun didn&rsquo;t have one attempt in the period.
The Sun wasted no time in getting back into the game, opening the second quarter by scoring the first six points to pull within two, and eventually took a one-point lead at 30-29 behind 13-4 run. The Aces shot a dreadful 3 for 15 (20%) and was outscored 21-9 in the second quarter. The Sun finished 9 of 14 (64.2%) in the quarter and hit 17 of 42 (40.4%) in the first half.
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&ldquo;We can&rsquo;t let them get rockin&rsquo; and rollin&rsquo; like that,&rdquo; Wilson said.
COURTSIDE CLUB
In attendance for Game 1 included Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore, Miami Heat guard Kyle Lowry, Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, free agent DeMarcus Cousins and Los Angeles Clippers coach Ty Lue.
EXHIBITION, EH?
Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced during her pregame press conference that the WNBA will hold a preseason exhibition game in Canada next year with hopes of continuing global exposure for the league. This will be the first time since 2011 that the WNBA has played an international game.
UP NEXT
The teams will play Game 2 in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

The Aces won their first WNBA Finals game in franchise history on Sunday.

A'ja Wilson’s double-double leads Aces to 67-64 Game 1 win over Sun

LAS VEGAS (AP) &mdash; The Seattle Storm are the lowest remaining seed in the postseason and came in looking to steal at least one of the first two road games against the top-seeded Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA semifinals.
Mission accomplished.
Jewell Loyd scored 26 points, including Seattle&rsquo;s final six, and the Storm edged the Aces 76-73 on Sunday to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series in front of a Las Vegas playoff-record crowd of 9,944.
Loyd made a go-ahead free throw with 1:16 to play, then a jumper for a three-point lead with 34 seconds remaining before the Storm held on for the win. She had 10 of Seattle&rsquo;s 16 points in the fourth quarter.
&ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t just me, it was a team effort for sure,&rdquo; Loyd said. &ldquo;It helps when you have really good teammates ... you believe in them, they believe in you. That&rsquo;s the biggest thing for us, is that each of us have to stay confident in what we do and what we can bring to the team. That&rsquo;s been the key for us.&rdquo;
Associated Press MVP Breanna Stewart had 24 points and six rebounds for the fourth-seeded Storm, while Tina Charles added 13 points and franchise playoff-record 18 rebounds.
&ldquo;We knew that this was going to be tough. These games against Vegas have been tough all regular season and previous seasons, and we have a lot of respect for their players and what they do,&rdquo; Stewart said. &ldquo;We knew that coming here to their home court, we wanted to obviously try to steal one, we wanted to get one and get our momentum going in the right direction.&rdquo;
Chelsea Gray scored 21 points for the Aces. Kelsey Plum added 20, but missed a tying 3-point attempt with 2.9 seconds to play.
Jackie Young finished with 11 points but Aces star A&rsquo;ja Wilson was held to just eight on 3-of-10 shooting.
Seattle controlled much of the game, leading through the first 3 1/2 quarters after building a 12-point lead in the first half.
Las Vegas didn&rsquo;t enjoy its first lead until the fourth quarter, when veteran guard Riquna Williams&rsquo; 3-pointer from the corner made it 65-64 with 6:09 left.
The Storm wasted no time in attacking early, as they built a 15-4 lead midway through the first quarter. Seattle got balanced scoring, with five players contributing, including Ezi Magbegor coming off the bench to add four.
Las Vegas struggled to find any sort of rhythm, as a pop-and-shot approach left them with a paltry 5-of-18 (27.8%) shooting performance in the first quarter. Both Wilson and Plum went scoreless while the Storm held a 26-15 lead after one.
&ldquo;I thought we played tight, especially in the first quarter,&rdquo; Aces coach Becky Hammon said. &ldquo;We played like the world was on our shoulders.&rdquo;
The Aces responded with a much better defensive effort and seemed to be much more comfortable attacking the rim to climb back into the game.
Led by Wilson, the Aces used a 12-4 run to cut Seattle&rsquo;s lead to 30-27. Stewart took over from that point, scoring nine of her team&rsquo;s points during a quarter-ending 13-9 run to send the Storm into the locker room with a 43-36 halftime lead.
BROKEN RECORD
In addition to Charles&rsquo; record-breaking night, retiring Sue Bird had 12 assists and no turnovers. Her final assist gave her a WNBA-record 342 in the playoffs. Lindsay Whalen had 341 in 82 games. Bird broke the record in 57.
NOT SO FAST, VEGAS
Taking a page out of the Aces&rsquo; playbook, the Storm outscored Las Vegas 16-0 in fast-break points. Seattle also held the edge with second-chance points, 5-0.
GUCCI ROW
The stars came out for the series opener, joining Aces owner Mark Davis and Raiders tight end Darren Waller, fixtures at home games all season. Also in attendance were women&rsquo;s basketball Hall of Famer Ann Meyers Drysdale, Raiders coach Josh McDaniels, Los Angeles Clippers coach Ty Lue, Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, UFC president Dana White, Golden Knights goalie Logan Thompson, and Governor Steve Sisolak.
UP NEXT
The Storm and Aces play Game 2 in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Jewell Loyd scored 26 points, including Seattle’s final six, as the Storm beat the Aces 76-73 on Sunday to take a 1-0 series lead.

Jewell Loyd has 26, lifts Storm over Aces in WNBA semis opener

Welcome to Basketball News' 10-part mini-series, Blazing the Trail, where Mat Issa breaks down the most revolutionary players of the 1990s and 2000s. Throughout this series, we'll examine how these players changed basketball and pioneered their respective skills.
In this third installment, Mat goes in-depth on two-time All-NBA Defensive Team selection Shane Battier and his role as a next-generation defender on the "Moreyball" Houston Rockets. It features insights from his former coach in Miami, David Fizdale, his high school coach, Kurt Keener, and Battier himself.&nbsp;
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"One of these pieces doesn&rsquo;t fit."
A statement commonly elicited from viewing the <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1546891748433084420?s=20&amp;t=Adu5q3cY1tX3H88KopKNig" target="_blank" rel="noopener">list of players</a> featured in our "Blazing the Trail" series.&nbsp;
"Shane Battier was a fine defender. But revolutionary? I&rsquo;m not sure someone who only made two All-Defensive Teams can be considered revolutionary."
Even after New York Times writer Michael Lewis famously dubbed him the "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/magazine/15Battier-t.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">No-Stats All-Star</a>" in Feb. 2009, outside observers have failed to accurately appraise Battier's unique value.
But what if Lewis' moniker for Battier wasn&rsquo;t just a clever name? What if the captain of data impacted the game in a way we couldn&rsquo;t measure at the time? And what if, through his courtship with Daryl Morey, Battier became the most groundbreaking trailblazer of them all?
Let's find out.
What Made Battier Special&nbsp;
On offense, Battier was the quintessential role player. He could shoot, maintain spacing and make quick decisions, and he hardly ever committed turnovers &mdash; the perfect piece to pair with elite scorers and creators. But that&rsquo;s not why we&rsquo;re discussing him.
Battier made his bones on the defensive end.&nbsp;
There, he possessed an unorthodox toolkit for a player of his archetype. He was a &ldquo;3-and-D&rdquo; wing without picking players' pockets too often. From 2006 to 2011, his steal rate never eclipsed the 50th percentile, per Cleaning the Glass.
However, Battier did create positive events through his weak-side shot-blocking and timely charge-drawing. And he also refrained from causing negative sequences by avoiding fouls (remember, preventing free throws &mdash; the most efficient shot in the game &mdash; is an immensely valuable skill).
&ldquo;He was always on time when the <a href="https://medium.com/thebasketballactiondictionary/low-man-f3db4d20f4ea">low-man</a> was required,&rdquo; said David Fizdale, Battier&rsquo;s former coach in Miami and now-associate general manager for the Utah Jazz.
&ldquo;Whether it was to take a charge, steal/deflect a pass, discourage [a driver], trap the box &mdash; he was going to be there every single time. He was the king of the charge.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Battier's game was basketball minutiae, predicated on the intricate subtleties that make or break a possession. He fronted goliaths in the post, swiped at the ball when it was still low to bypass challenging shots vertically and utilized the hand-in-the-face contest to hinder his adversaries' efficiency even further.
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With that said, he didn&rsquo;t reach his full innovator form until he crossed paths with a data wizard in July 2006 &mdash; then-Houston Rockets assistant general manager Daryl Morey, who assumed full-GM duties the following season in May 2007.
&ldquo;The Rockets were the first team in basketball to adopt a data-centric philosophy,&rdquo; Battier explained to Basketball News. &ldquo;Daryl had a thesis that [he] wanted to run his entire organization based on what the data says.
&ldquo;I was their first major acquisition when Daryl became the general manager because the algorithms they used identified me as a player that provided outsourced value at a very reasonable price,&rdquo; recalled Battier, who was acquired by the Rockets just months after Morey's hiring.
(In exchange for Battier, the Memphis Grizzlies received Stromile Swift and Rudy Gay)
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Like <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-blazing-the-trail-steve-nash-phoenix-suns-mike-dantoni-raja-bell-steph-curry-all-time-great-point-guard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steve Nash</a>, Battier&rsquo;s approach made him the perfect test subject for his mentor&rsquo;s dissertation.
&ldquo;He was just curious about how everything worked,&rdquo; said Kurt Keener, Battier's high-school coach at Detroit Country Day in Oakland County, Michigan. &ldquo;In basketball, he was curious about, 'If I do X, Y, and Z, can I improve in ways that make a big difference?'"
&ldquo;When I got there, I was very curious about how they thought about data,&rdquo; Battier said of the Rockets. &ldquo;And I really became enamored with it. This is like having the answers to the test before taking the test.&rdquo;
In Houston, Battier &mdash; a player accustomed to surface-level scouting reports that were commonplace at the time &mdash; was exposed to more nuanced, data-driven preparatory materials.
&ldquo;Before analytics, [the scouting report] would read, &lsquo;Kobe Bryant: Great first step, capable three-point shooter, will attack the rim, fadeaway shot in the post and a great competitor.' It&rsquo;s like, yeah, thanks. I don&rsquo;t need a scouting report to know that Kobe is a great competitor,&rdquo; Battier laughed. &ldquo;It was completely qualitative. With the quantitative report that the Rockets produced for me, I knew who exactly a player was down to the percentile.
&ldquo;Instead of saying, 'Kobe Bryant has a great right hand,' I knew that Bryant drives right 65% of the time, and when he does, it&rsquo;s basically a 62% shot. When he goes left, he only goes there 35% of the time, and it&rsquo;s a 42% shot.&rdquo;
Here are a couple of illustrations of that data in practice:
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On-Court Production
These insightful scouting-report nuggets became dangerous weapons in the capable hands of Battier. Similar to "Revis Island" &mdash; a desolate wasteland that star wide receivers were banished to <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/379511-where-is-revis-island" target="_blank" rel="noopener">when they faced the New York Jets in the late-2000s</a> &mdash; Battier&rsquo;s stomping grounds became a torturous venue for the superstars who occupied his position.
From 2006 to 2009, every All-Star small forward/shooting guard who played primarily on-ball saw a sizable dip in efficiency when matched up against Battier (with the lone exception being Josh Howard):
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/battier-chart.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="520" />
Visual Created by Daniel Bratulić
&ldquo;The secret for all these volume scorers: the places those guys absolutely crushed you were at the rim and the free throw line,&rdquo; Battier revealed.
&ldquo;As long as I did two things &mdash; kept them out of transition and didn&rsquo;t foul them &mdash; I could live with any other shot those guys would take. Where a lot of people go wrong is they get caught up in the results. I don&rsquo;t care about results. I just care about the process.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
With Volume 3 of Blazing the Trail coming out tomorrow over <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a>, I figured I'd do a thread of some of my favorite Battier plays from some of the games I watched. These clips are mostly from his 07-08 matchups against DEN, ATL, CLE, and NJN. <a href="https://t.co/HTDCmeEVEH">pic.twitter.com/HTDCmeEVEH</a>
&mdash; Mat Issa (@matissa15) <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1554950928184365057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Battier&rsquo;s process consisted of seducing his opponents into a high volume of mid-range shots. From 2006 to 2008, the Rockets surrendered the highest frequency of mid-range jumpers in the league (per Cleaning the Glass).
&ldquo;The mid-range jump shot is actually a really hard shot to hit,&rdquo; Battier said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s like a sub-50% shot; a good mid-range jump shooter, like 45%. That&rsquo;s not great. You&rsquo;re not going to win a ball game by making that shot a ton.&rdquo;
And although he didn&rsquo;t emphasize the results, the ones his methods yielded were fruitful. Going back to the &ldquo;No-Stats All-Star&rdquo; designation we alluded to earlier, it felt like an All-Star-caliber performer was occupying the court whenever Battier graced the hardwood.
From 2004 to 2009, Battier's teams finished top-five in Defensive Rating (both in Memphis and Houston). And there&rsquo;s reason to believe he was the driving force behind those machines, despite being a non-big man (centers typically have the largest footprint on defense because of their ability to protect the paint).
In 2005-06, the Grizzlies finished second in the league in DRTG. When Battier was traded to Houston the following season, they plummeted to dead-last, despite returning all their coaches and best defenders (except Lorenzen Wright).
Meanwhile, after finishing nearly three points below the league average on defense in 2005-06, the Rockets improved to almost six points below the league average in 2006-07 when Battier arrived.
(Note: The more points below average the better when it comes to defense. For context, the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors were only five points below the league average this season, per Basketball-Reference.)
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What&rsquo;s more, in 2007-08 &mdash; when the Rockets&rsquo; primary rim protector Yao Ming missed the final 26 games of the season with a foot injury &mdash; Houston's DRTG remained the same, so you can&rsquo;t chalk up Battier's success to great backline help.
Fizdale agreed with the sentiment that Battier&rsquo;s data-driven style made him his team&rsquo;s most important defender, and enabled him to contribute at an All-Star level.
&ldquo;Back then, when you&rsquo;re looking at All-Stars, [people] just looked at Shane as a pest. But for the guys that were on his team, he was an All-Star," Fizdale said. "For us, we saw him as an All-Star."
Weaving the Thread
Keener speculates that Battier's selflessness may have developed from hearing tales of the great egalitarian himself, Magic Johnson.
During practice, Battier's high-school coach would tell fables of Magic from his days in East Lansing at Michigan State University. They were stories about how, during scrimmages, Johnson would intentionally select his least talented teammates to prove that great teamwork could usurp deficiencies in other areas. These narratives had a substantial effect on Battier.
&ldquo;With Shane, he didn&rsquo;t have the flair of Magic, but he understood the importance of getting your teammates involved,&rdquo; Keener reminisced. &ldquo;[Like Magic,] Shane was tremendous at making sure the other guys on his team were successful.&rdquo;
A Michigan native, Battier also credits his precious Detroit Pistons for playing a role in his formative years.
&ldquo;For me, the Pistons were the ultimate team. My dad grew up in a blue-collar job. If you live in Michigan, you understand the importance of the assembly line and teamwork,&rdquo; Battier reminisced.&nbsp;&ldquo;For me, it wasn&rsquo;t about what I did. It was about what did we do. Being from Detroit impacted how I thought about sports and basketball, and was the hallmark of my entire career.&rdquo;&nbsp;
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Coincidentally, the Pistons team he&rsquo;s referencing once famously concocted their own <a href="https://youtu.be/NLv2F33snCE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">carefully curated</a> strategy for <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1554554706483101696?s=20&amp;t=ghbmH8N4W0CTQAwSSSfovg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decreasing the potency</a> of a prolific superstar. That set of instructions is known as "The Jordan Rules.&rdquo;
Due to in-depth game plans he leaned on with regularity, Battier had a leg up on his idols. But while teams like the Pistons only resorted to these tactics in dire situations, Battier prepared for every game like it was the postseason.
&ldquo;The cool part about Shane is he gets into those layers in the regular season,&rdquo; Fizdale explained. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough to play teams on a one-day prep&hellip; but when you have a guy like Shane Battier, he prepares every game like it's a playoff game.&rdquo;
Impact on Today&rsquo;s Game
&ldquo;Draymond [Green] is probably the ultimate example of modern-day Shane Battier,&rdquo; Fizdale said.&nbsp;"They both could guard everyone, could switch on everyone, could guard post-ups, could guard guards. They were [both] most likely the smartest person on the court most nights.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I love watching Draymond. Draymond is great," Battier agreed. "He sees the defense and plays two or three passes ahead, which I always thought I could do.&rdquo;
Battier will be the first to point to Green&rsquo;s superior passing and paint protection as major distinctions between their games. However, the two bear a resemblance to one another in that they are both <a href="https://www.landofbasketball.com/player_comparison/shane_battier_vs_draymond_green.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">career 8-point-per-game scorers</a> whose impact often can't be quantified by traditional box scores.
PJ Tucker is another obvious descendant. Tucker is an elite man defender who shares Battier&rsquo;s process-over-results philosophy (see: Tucker's defense on Kevin Durant in the 2021 playoffs). Also, both players suited up for the Rockets and Heat.
Battier even sees a bit of himself in the human defensive vortex that is Matisse Thybulle: &ldquo;Defensively, his instincts are amazing, and when he figures out his shot, he&rsquo;s going to be a handful.&rdquo;
Putting one-to-one comparisons aside, Battier&rsquo;s true legacy is that there&rsquo;s a little bit of him buried inside of most modern NBA players.
&ldquo;Today, every team has an analytics department. Every team is looking for a player who jumps off the charts analytically,&rdquo; Fizdale said.
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The "Moreyball" movement that Battier helped pioneer in Houston has become common practice in today&rsquo;s ever-changing NBA landscape. Hell, even the 2022 NBA Finals were determined by a quantitatively-informed decision on the part of the Warriors.&nbsp;
After the Celtics scored <a href="https://theanalyst.com/na/2022/06/nba-finals-golden-state-warriors-boston-celtics-points-in-the-paint/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">52 points in the paint</a> in Game 3, Golden State regained control of the series in part by borrowing one of Battier&rsquo;s old tricks for defending Bryant.
As Battier did with Bryant, the Warriors realized that Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were less effective when driving to their left, so they <a href="https://streamable.com/qpu89i" target="_blank" rel="noopener">forced the tandem to do just that</a>.&nbsp;
For reference, here are Tatum&rsquo;s numbers for the regular season and postseason driving from his left and his right (and <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/13Ig3U3hGeeXcdJSrYSs4_pIzIjMQPSN95p8R0M9yYs0/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here are Brown&rsquo;s</a>):
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/tatum-right.gif" alt="" width="550" height="349" />
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/tatum-left.gif" alt="" width="550" height="349" />
Data Provided by InStat
Even this level of tendency awareness was mincemeat for Battier. He knew not only which direction to push you, but how many dribbles to make you take in the process.&nbsp;
Regardless, the point remains the same: Battier influenced not only the way the game is played, but also its preparation &mdash; a feat that few players in NBA history have ever attained.
It looks like the piece fits, after all.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/battiertree_720.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="550" />
Tune in for Part IV of Blazing the Trail on Aug. 17, which focuses on Reggie Miller &mdash; the moving target.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-blazing-the-trail-rashard-lewis-all-star-stretch-four-orlando-magic-stan-van-gundy-dwight-howard-hedo-turkoglu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here to read Part II: "Rashard Lewis, the All-Star stretch 4."</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-blazing-the-trail-steve-nash-phoenix-suns-mike-dantoni-raja-bell-steph-curry-all-time-great-point-guard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here to read Part I: "Steve Nash, the magician who danced in the paint."</a>

In his "Blazing the Trail" series, Mat Issa focuses on two-time All-NBA defender Shane Battier and his role as a next-gen defender.

Blazing the Trail: Shane Battier, the data-ball defender

Soccer player Megan Rapinoe admonished her fellow athletes for not doing enough to speak out and encouraged them to support detained WNBA star Brittney Griner at The ESPYS on Wednesday night.
Griner was arrested in Russia in February after customs officials said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage. She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted on charges of transporting drugs.
&ldquo;For me, the most striking thing is that BG&rsquo;s not here. BG deserves to be free, she&rsquo;s being held as a political prisoner, obviously,&rdquo; Rapinoe said while accepting a trophy for best play at the show honoring the past year&rsquo;s top athletes and moments in sports.
&ldquo;Like what are we doing here dressed up like we are when our sister is detained abroad? We haven&rsquo;t done enough, none of us. We can do more, we can support her more, and just let her know that we love her so much.&rdquo;
&ldquo;First, bring BG home. Gotta do that,&rdquo; tennis great Billie Jean King said.
Griner has pleaded guilty in court and acknowledged possessing the canisters but said she had no criminal intent.
Rapinoe urged her fellow competitors to keep Griner&rsquo;s face and name on social media.
&ldquo;Every time we say it in interviews, it puts pressure on everybody,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;It puts pressure on the administration, it puts pressure on Russia, it puts pressure on Putin, it puts pressure on everyone, and it lets BG know also above everything that we love her and that we miss her and that we&rsquo;re thinking about her all the time.&rdquo;
NBA Finals MVP Stephen Curry hosted the show and joined WNBA players Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith in calling attention to Griner&rsquo;s plight.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been 153 nights now that BG has been wrongfully detained thousands of miles away from home, away from her family, away from her friends, away from her team,&rdquo; Diggins-Smith said. &ldquo;All throughout that time, we&rsquo;ve kept her in our thoughts and in our hearts even though we know that ain&rsquo;t nearly enough to bring her home, y&rsquo;all.&rdquo;
Wearing her Phoenix Mercury jersey under his track suit, Curry noted the effort being made to free Griner.
&ldquo;But as we hope for the best, we urge the entire global sports community to continue to stay energized on her behalf,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s one of us, the team of athletes in this room tonight and all over the world. A team that has nothing to do with politics or global conflict.&rdquo;
They were applauded by Griner&rsquo;s wife, Cherelle Griner, who was in the audience at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Curry picked up a trophy, too, for best record-breaking performance, having set the mark for most 3-pointers made in league history. He also shared the best team award with the NBA champion Golden State Warriors.
Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani won best athlete in men&rsquo;s sports.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s an honor to be in the same category as all of you. You are the best at what you do,&rdquo; the Japanese player said, speaking in English via videotape. &ldquo;Have a wonderful everything and enjoy your afterparties.&rdquo;
Olympic swimming champion Katie Ledecky won best athlete in women&rsquo;s sports.
Ledecky earned two golds and two silvers at the Tokyo Games last year, giving her 10 career Olympic medals. She received her trophy from Maybelle Blair, the 95-year-old who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
&ldquo;I represent one of the few sports that is also a really important life skill, so I want to encourage all the parents here, anyone watching, to make sure your kids learn how to swim,&rdquo; Ledecky said. &ldquo;Our planet is 70% water, so it&rsquo;s very important.&rdquo;
Former heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko was honored with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, having impacted the world beyond sports. Klitschko, mayor of embattled Kyiv, Ukraine, since 2014, wasn&rsquo;t present. He appeared in a pre-taped video.
King led off a tribute to the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the federal legislation that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools that receive government funding.
She was joined by Lisa Leslie, Brandi Chastain, Chloe Kim, Allyson Felix, Aly Raisman and Rapinoe, among others. They spoke against a background of black-and-white photos showing women athletes in action, on the field or in the streets advocating for gender equality. Their comments were interspersed with country singer Mickey Guyton performing her songs &ldquo;What Are You Gonna Tell Her?&rdquo; and &ldquo;Remember Her Name.&rdquo;
The ESPYS were criticized by South Carolina women&rsquo;s basketball coach Dawn Staley for not inviting consensus player of the year Aliyah Boston to the show. Boston had hoped to attend and was disappointed not to be asked. She was issued a last-minute invitation but declined it.
ESPN said COVID-19 concerns and a smaller venue forced organizers to prioritize invitees to the show. Boston was nominated in a non-televised category that was handed out a night earlier. She lost to Oklahoma softball star Jocelyn Alo, who took part in the Title IX tribute.
ESPN college basketball broadcaster Dick Vitale received the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance. The 83-year-old has undergone multiple melanoma surgeries and six months of chemotherapy for lymphoma over the last year. In March, he said he was cancer free.
Vitale dismissed messages on the teleprompter urging him to conclude his remarks, which stretched to 20 minutes.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m gonna wrap up in about three minutes,&rdquo; he said in a raspy voice. &ldquo;Jimmy&rsquo;s dream was to beat cancer. We must do it because it doesn&rsquo;t discriminate. It comes after all.&rdquo;&nbsp;

Soccer player Megan Rapinoe admonished her fellow athletes for not doing enough to speak out in support of Brittney Griner.

Rapinoe, King urge freedom for Brittney Griner at The ESPYS

The G League Ignite said Friday that the team has struck a multiyear deal to relocate to Henderson, Nevada.
The Ignite had been training in Walnut Creek, California, since their inception and played home games this past season in Las Vegas, about 15 miles from their new home.
The team exists to develop young prospects in preparation for the NBA Draft. It has featured three eventual top-10 picks &mdash; Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga last year, Dyson Daniels this year &mdash; in its first two seasons.
&ldquo;With avid sports fans in the Las Vegas area who have quickly embraced their hockey, football and WNBA teams, we can&rsquo;t wait for NBA G League Ignite to showcase its future NBA stars and exciting brand of basketball,&rdquo; G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim said.
The team&rsquo;s new arena, the Dollar Loan Center, is a 5,500-seat building that opened earlier this year. It also is home to American Hockey League affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights &mdash; the Henderson Silver Knights &mdash; and the Indoor Football League&rsquo;s Vegas Knight Hawks.

The G League Ignite said Friday that the team has struck a multiyear deal to relocate to Henderson, Nevada.

G League Ignite moving to Vegas suburb of Henderson, Nevada

Last night, the Golden State Warriors won their fourth NBA championship in eight years, defeating the Boston Celtics 103-90 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.&nbsp;
Overwhelmed with emotions, Steph Curry couldn&rsquo;t hold back the tears, Draymond Green couldn&rsquo;t stop smiling and Klay Thompson didn&rsquo;t want to leave the stage. This group has been through tremendous ups and downs over the last eight years. Just two years ago, the Warriors actually had the worst record in the league. To bounce back from that and win an NBA title when much of the world had counted them out is definitely a great feat in itself.&nbsp;
"A lot of chatter. A lot of doubters," Klay Thompson said after the Game 6 win. "But you know what, you just put that in your fuel tank and you just keep going. And it does definitely hit different."
Klay Thompson has been through so much over the last three years &ndash; missing back-to-back seasons after suffering a torn ACL followed by a torn Achilles &ndash; which sheds light on why this championship win was much more emotional than the previous ones. Just about every player grew visibly emotional when a reporter asked about Thompson&rsquo;s incredible road back to once again become an NBA champion. Some got misty eyed, some had to take deep breaths to collect themselves, some gave a few hard blinks to keep the tears from flowing; others were so happy for Klay, they just let their emotions flow.&nbsp;
"The anguish that Klay has felt over the last three years &ndash; people can guess as to what it is like, but we saw it up close," head coach Steve Kerr said on Thursday after the win. "Between a second year-long injury and losing what he loves to do most in life, playing the game, it's been a rough go for him. So his return was special for us on and off the floor because of what he's meant to the organization, what he's done for this team, and then, of course, his play."
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BasketballNews.com caught up with Warriors legend and Hall-of-Famer Chris Mullin to discuss the Golden State's fourth championship and Klay Thompson in particular.&nbsp;
Etan Thomas: I want to go back to when Klay got injured in back-to-back years. A lot of people doubted if he&rsquo;d be able to return at all &ndash; if his career was over. But to see him now, winning another championship and how crucial he was to this team, how amazing of a story is that?&nbsp;
Chris Mullin: &ldquo;I was actually at Game 6 when he hurt his ACL. That was devastating itself at that time because they had a good chance to win that championship &ndash; even with KD being out. I can&rsquo;t remember a Finals where two of the main players on a team both go out with big-time injuries like an Achilles and an ACL, so that was devastating from a team standpoint.
&ldquo;But for Klay to work so hard to battle back from that injury, then almost a full year goes by and he was ready for training camp the following year, and that&rsquo;s when he was playing pick up in LA. That&rsquo;s when I was covering the NBA Draft for NBC &ndash; the local affiliate with the Warriors &ndash; when news came in that he tore his Achilles, and I was just devastated for him. The timing of it was crazy. The Warriors were making their draft pick, trying to figure out who fits best with the team, etc. and one of their star players has back-to-back catastrophic injuries.&rdquo;
Etan Thomas: It didn&rsquo;t seem like the organization ever gave up on him, although a lot of people in the sports world were beginning to have their doubts.
Chris Mullin: &ldquo;You&rsquo;re right. They didn&rsquo;t give up on him at all, and you have to credit Bob Myers for that. He didn&rsquo;t overreact and go pick someone in his position to replace him just in case he couldn&rsquo;t come back, which a lot of teams would&rsquo;ve done.&nbsp;
"But what I was more impressed with was how Klay handled that second injury especially. When he came back this season around mid-season or whenever it was, I was at that game. We interviewed him on the floor pre-game, and the first thing I noticed was that he was in tremendous condition and shape. We all know when you come off an injury, you have your physical therapy and all the grueling work you have to do to get over your injury, but you are limited in what you can do to actually be in shape &ndash; especially NBA-game shape &ndash; so you have to be creative. It&rsquo;s not like you can run sprints like [usual]. But he was lean and in great shape and I remember thinking, &lsquo;Wow, that&rsquo;s really a testament to his dedication and commitment and work ethic and perseverance.&rsquo;&rdquo;
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Etan Thomas: That&rsquo;s true. We&rsquo;ve all seen guys come back from injury so out of shape that it takes them a while to get back in game form after they come back.
Chris Mullin: &ldquo;Exactly, but he was ready to go. He may have even been in better shape than before he got injured. But another thing I saw: the mental and emotional effect of that level of catastrophic injury, especially [two injuries] back-to-back is huge, and I think that&rsquo;s why you&rsquo;re seeing such a&hellip; not that he hasn&rsquo;t always been grateful, but he&rsquo;s even more so now. He&rsquo;s so thankful just to be healthy, just to be out there. He&rsquo;s not the least bit worried about, like, an off night or a loss. Of course he wants to win and play well, but honestly, as you mentioned, a lot of people thought he was done, especially after the second injury. Most people would&rsquo;ve been done. Klay&rsquo;s about where he was prior to those injuries, which is absolutely amazing. He only played about 30 regular-season games this year and right through the playoffs and the Finals, he&rsquo;s as good offensively as he&rsquo;s ever been, and next year he will probably be even better. He&rsquo;s&nbsp;been through so much and you can just see the joy he has to be out there, if that makes sense.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Etan Thomas: It definitely does. The first game of the Finals where they lost at home, it was definitely a big shocker for everyone. But if you remember toward the end of the game when it looked out of reach, Steve Kerr kept Klay in the game. He was having a really tough shooting night, but they kept going to him, almost in an attempt to help him find his rhythm. What did you think watching that? Because a lot of people, myself included, questioned if that was the best move to leave him in there at that time.
Chris Mullin: &ldquo;I think most people like you &ndash; and understandably so &ndash; were all thinking the same thing: get him out of there because God forbid he gets injured again during &lsquo;garbage time.&rsquo; But Steve Kerr, probably more than most coaches, is really in tune with the players. Klay is a very mental-rhythm, flow type of player. They both are; I mean, Steph was 0-for-9 from the three in Game 5, which was probably the worst thing in the world for the Celtics going into a closing game, as we saw he was back to cooking last night. But that&rsquo;s the way they are, and they like reps. Going back to Klay, yeah it could&rsquo;ve been a risky move; there have been a few nights where Steph was in late and I&rsquo;m like, &lsquo;Come on, Coach, he needs to get out of there.&rsquo; So I get it, but no one knows these guys better than Steve and he is one of those coaches who are in constant communication with his guys and listens to his players, and that&rsquo;s one of the things that makes him such a good coach.&rdquo;
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Etan Thomas: When a shooter is off like Klay was in that first game, what advice would you give them? Would you tell him to get reps, like Klay did? Some coaches say if your shot is off, do something else like drive; others say you just keep shooting. What is Chris Mullin&rsquo;s advice?&nbsp;
Chris Mullin: &ldquo;I am fortunate enough to be able to watch Klay all the time, and I see the work he puts in. Of course, the old fundamental thing to do if you&rsquo;re not shooting the ball well is you get a layup or get a free throw to get yourself back in rhythm. And he plays on both sides of the floor and is a good defender and rebounder, so he&rsquo;s definitely not one dimensional. Sometimes, guys&rsquo; offense will dictate their defense and you definitely don&rsquo;t want to do that. But he puts the time in. His mindset is that the next shot is going in because of how much time he&rsquo;s put in. I mean, if young players saw how many shots he shoots everyday regularly &ndash; and how many shots he shoots after an off game &ndash; they would understand. You can&rsquo;t will yourself out of a shooting slump, you have to put the time in and Klay is the perfect example of that.&rdquo;
Etan Thomas: My son, Malcolm, likes to play as the all-time Warriors on NBA 2K and he puts Steph at the 1, Klay at the 2, you at the 3, KD at the 4 and Wilt at the 5, then he comes in with Mitch Richmond and Tim Hardaway later. But you don&rsquo;t miss on the game. He asked me, &ldquo;Could he shoot this well in real life?&rdquo; And I told him, &ldquo;Probably even better!&rdquo;
Chris Mullin: &ldquo;(Laughing) You&rsquo;re too kind. Those were the good ole days.&rdquo;
Etan Thomas: No, it&rsquo;s true! But we were talking about how good y&rsquo;all were with Run TMC, and you know kids look up everything nowadays. He asked me how it was possible that you were all in the top-11 in the league in scoring in the same season when you were teammates, but you only played together for two years? So I gotta ask you that, from Malcolm.
Chris Mullin: &ldquo;That&rsquo;s a great question from Malcolm. It&rsquo;s funny, when me, Mitch and Tim were at the Hall of Fame, someone asked me that and that was the first time someone had asked me that. And I was like, &lsquo;Yeah, that&rsquo;s not right. That&rsquo;s actually terrible.&rsquo; But you can tell your son that the economics were different back then and when teams didn&rsquo;t want to pay, they moved players. They would have a set dollar amount they wanted to keep to and&hellip; it was a terrible mistake, that&rsquo;s what it was.&rdquo;
"Ironically, Malcolm can see the way we were playing then is exactly the way the teams who are winning are playing now. We were just a little bit ahead of our time. We couldn&rsquo;t get over the hump the two years we were there together, but that was our style. We didn&rsquo;t light it up from three like Steph and Klay and these guys do, but yeah, we started this style. Those were great years, but yes, it&rsquo;s a basketball tragedy that we only played two years together."
Etan Thomas: A lot of people don&rsquo;t like that style that you all ushered in, the Warriors style. I wrote an article where <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nick-van-exel-rod-strickland-steve-francis-on-steph-currys-greatness" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I interviewed Nick Van Exel, Rod Strickland and Steve Francis about Steph Curry&rsquo;s greatness</a> and the article did really well and was very well received, but I did see quite a bit of comments saying they ruined basketball or knocking that style of play. I mean, that&rsquo;s the reason Charles Barkley hates the Warriors so much because he is so against that style.
Chris Mullin: "Yeah, it&rsquo;s the evolution of the game. You can&rsquo;t look at Klay Thompson or Steph Curry and not be happy for them. Even if you are Charles Barkley. It&rsquo;s funny, there will be people who genuinely hate the style, but they are such likable guys, it&rsquo;s hard to hate them. Some players [are] easy to hate, let&rsquo;s be honest. But Klay&rsquo;s comeback story is so amazing and so inspirational, his story should be used for motivation and inspiration for basketball eternity."
Etan Thomas: I agree. In fact, he should write an inspirational book about battling back from injuries that could be a top-seller, like how Lance Armstrong did (before all the other stuff came out). The same way that book inspired so many people, Klay should definitely do that too.
Chris Mullin: "I agree. And the fact that they won [makes even better]. Not only did he defy all the odds personally because of how he battled back from two basketball cataclysmic injuries and become an NBA champion, but they also defeated the notion that a lot of people &ndash; including but not limited to Charles Barkley &ndash; had that a team who shot that many threes couldn&rsquo;t win a championship. And for decades, that was true until Steph and Klay came along. So not only did they disprove that, but they have won multiple championships with this style. It&rsquo;s been so fun to watch, I couldn&rsquo;t be happier for the guys."
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After back-to-back catastrophic injuries, Klay Thompson returned to form and won his fourth title. Chris Mullin discusses his journey.

Chris Mullin on Klay Thompson's 4th title: 'He's been through so much'

It&rsquo;s only a matter of time until the East Asia Super League is a household name globally.
The EASL launched in 2017 as an invitational tournament for the top-two teams from the best men&rsquo;s leagues in China, Japan, Korea and the Philippines. The East Asia Super League marked the first time that the premier teams from China&rsquo;s CBA, Japan's B.League, South Korea's KBL and the Philippines' PBA faced off against each other. These tournaments became massively popular in Asia, most recently drawing 117 million viewers over a six-day span in 2019.
Past EASL events featured notable players such as Lance Stephenson (Liaoning Flying Leopards), Shabazz Muhammad (Shenzhen Leopards), KJ McDaniels (TNT KaTropa), Jared Sullinger (Shenzhen Aviators), Jameel Warney (Seoul SK Knights) and Domantas Motiejunas (Shandong Golden Stars).
Now, for the first time, the EASL is becoming an actual league with a home-and-away season that tips off in October. Eight teams will compete over the course of six months, culminating in a Final Four tournament with a $1 million prize for the winning team. It&rsquo;s essentially the Asian-basketball version of soccer&rsquo;s UEFA Champions League.&nbsp;
With a valuation of $100 million, a 10-year exclusive deal with FIBA and high-profile investors such as Jalen Green, Baron Davis, Metta Sandiford-Artest and Shane Battier, there&rsquo;s no question that the East Asia Super League is gaining momentum.
&ldquo;I think the league is really going to be the first Asia-originated sports property that&rsquo;s going to be capturing the hearts and minds of fans globally,&rdquo; EASL Commissioner Matt Beyer told BasketballNews.com.
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In order to do that, the EASL is getting creative and taking cues from some unlikely influences. One might expect an up-and-coming basketball league to follow the same blueprint as the NBA or EuroLeague. Instead, Beyer is channeling Formula One and K-Pop as he looks to grow the East Asia Super League.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re taking a lot of lessons from the K-Pop industry and, with our content, from Formula One and what they&rsquo;ve done with their &lsquo;Drive to Survive&rsquo; reality series,&rdquo; Beyer explained. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re trying to make the league relevant to as wide of a fan base around the world as possible.&rdquo;
After years of struggling to increase viewership and find mainstream success (particularly in the United States), Formula One racing finally took off in recent years. F1 races saw their average viewership jump from 547,722 in 2018 to 928,000 in 2021. What was the key to their success? A reality show on Netflix called &ldquo;Drive to Survive.&rdquo;&nbsp;
The show gives an inside look at the Formula One World Championship, focusing primarily on big personalities and behind-the-scenes drama. Fans became invested in these characters, which gave them a rooting interest and a reason to watch the races. It has been an absolute game-changer for Formula One, and other sports leagues have taken notice.
Soon, the EASL will launch a reality show of their own that will spotlight three-to-five players from each team, documenting their lives on and off the court.
&ldquo;We're about to announce a partnership between two really big production companies &ndash; an experienced Asian content production company and a US-basketball-storytelling production company &ndash; to do a 10-episode, 30-minutes-per-episode type reality show that we're working on distributing on one of the major global platforms such as Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc.&rdquo; Beyer said. &ldquo;For our non-core markets, we&rsquo;ve also considered distributing the reality show together with our broadcast rights. There are a lot of things that need to happen between now and when that show hits the market, but basically we want fans globally to be able to access the East Asia Super League through this type of product and use it as an inroad to hook them. Like, &lsquo;Hey, this league is pretty cool. I've never thought about Asian basketball, but these guys that are featured in the show are interesting and I want to keep following this.&rsquo;&rdquo;
As the league looks to market its players as characters and generate support from a global audience, that&rsquo;s where Beyer hopes to learn a thing or two from the K-Pop industry.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I just visited Korea right after the country opened up in April,&rdquo; Beyer said. &ldquo;As we&rsquo;re doing our media-rights deals in Korea, we&rsquo;re looking at the entertainment groups like CJ E&amp;M and YG and these groups that have manufactured the highest-grossing K-Pop bands globally. How do we take the principles of K-Pop and variety shows and put that into a sports context? The way that I look at it is we have so much to learn in terms of how to create a storyline around a player or make a fan club around a certain group of players or a certain concept. For us, it&rsquo;s really about being sponges. While our team may know a lot about basketball and making highlight reels and all of that, we need to figure out how to leverage those best practices that have been tried and true in the entertainment industry and transfer them into sports.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The reality of the situation is that Asian basketball will benefit from having this platform where the top teams get together and play on a regular basis, and that will help Asian basketball as an aggregate and help their national teams perform better in key global competitions. But at the same time, there&rsquo;s still a huge gap between the level of talent in the NBA and the level of talent in Europe or Asia, so if we want to be a globally relevant league, we&rsquo;ve gotta pick up the slack somewhere and it&rsquo;s not necessarily all on the court.&rdquo;
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Beyer, who previously worked as a player agent and a translator for NBA teams, hopes the EASL can attract all kinds of fans &ndash; whether they&rsquo;re watching because their favorite team is competing or because they really like a certain player after watching the league&rsquo;s reality show and social-media content.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We want fans to understand the personalities in the East Asia Super League,&rdquo; Beyer said. &ldquo;We want people to be able to access the league and basketball however they feel comfortable. That&rsquo;s sort of our mentality: we&rsquo;re here to serve the fans and we&rsquo;re here to add value to our commercial partners. It may not be in the same way that domestic leagues in our markets operate, and it&rsquo;s certainly not the way that the NBA operates. But we want to make sure that in our ecosystem, there&rsquo;s something for every fan.&rdquo;
The pandemic forced the East Asia Super League to shift its approach. Not only did they abandon the tournament format in favor of a home-and-away season, they started prioritizing content.&nbsp;
&ldquo;For us, it was really an opportunity to change from an events company to thinking and acting more like a media company,&rdquo; Beyer said. &ldquo;From 2017 to the end of 2019, everyone was just totally focused on preparing for a big tournament, executing said tournament, wrapping up the tournament and then we&rsquo;d start preparing for the next tournament. During COVID, we started to really focus on producing short-form content and presenting Asian basketball from a lifestyle perspective and doing storytelling around the players in a way that had never been done before in Asia. I think storytelling is really important, and we want to be the best basketball storytellers out there.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Since pivoting, the response from fans has been overwhelming.
&ldquo;From when we did our first short-form video in June 2020 to now, our engagement is up over 1,200%. Our video plays are up over 2,000% and our cumulative social-media following is right now very close to a million followers,&rdquo; Beyer said. &ldquo;We're growing at about 20,000 followers per week. So, the fans love it and they want more. And we're gonna have so much more to give the fans once our games start on October 12. I just feel like the top is gonna be blown off at that point.&rdquo;
There&rsquo;s no question that the EASL is on the rise, and Beyer is already thinking about how the league will expand going forward.
&ldquo;We're going to offer a really awesome product for fans in this first season, and then we're going to grow and expand rapidly,&rdquo; Beyer said. &ldquo;By season three, we&rsquo;re going to expand to a 16-team format and it will be four small groups of four teams playing into a Final Four competition. The city that holds the Final Four competition will rotate on an annual basis. We&rsquo;re going to keep upping the prize in subsequent seasons too. It starts at $1 million and we're going to increase it after we operate a few seasons.&rdquo;
The EASL recently made headlines when they added Jalen Green as an investor-ambassador. Green, who is of Filipino descent, became the highest-drafted Asian-American player when the Houston Rockets selected him No. 2 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. Bringing in Green, Davis, Artest and Battier is a significant step for the EASL, and the league may add more notable investors soon since they are in the middle of another fundraise.&nbsp;
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&ldquo;To be a globally relevant sports property coming out of Asia means that these alliances with NBA players and other global superstars are really important for us,&rdquo; Beyer explained. &ldquo;I've known Metta for over 10 years from his trips to China when he was still an NBA player and when he went over to play in China [in 2014]. We've always kept in touch and I've always thought Metta is a good guy. He loves Asia so much, and he's benefited so much from China in his career, so he really wanted to be a part of this. With Baron, he was the first NBA player to sign with Li-Ning, and he&rsquo;s a guy who's always tried to sort of do things his own way and be a little bit different. He&rsquo;s also someone who has a startup ecosystem that he's really fostering with his own Baron Davis Enterprises. And then with Shane Battier, he played alongside both Metta and Yao Ming for such a long part of his career and did so many tours to Asia with Peak.&nbsp;
"They had all heard about the East Asia Super League, so it was more so just trying to explain the vision. I think they all understand the potential of the markets. And they also feel that the leagues need innovation to really take it to the next level. We&rsquo;re all thinking: how can Asian basketball become as relevant in society as the NBA is in the US?&rdquo;
Beyer is setting lofty goals for the East Asia Super League, believing that it can become one of the biggest basketball leagues in the world.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We want to be the premier basketball league in Asia,&rdquo; Beyer said. &ldquo;We want to be a pioneer in terms of true sports entertainment for the Asian fan. But we also want to be a top-three league in the world in terms of fan-base size and commercial revenue by 2025.&rdquo;
Part of Beyer&rsquo;s confidence is because of his belief in Asia overall.
&ldquo;I mean, the 21st century is really Asia&rsquo;s century,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The growth is all in Asia and the opportunity is really in Asia; that&rsquo;s just where the money is going to be going forward, especially if you contrast that with the direction that the European market for basketball is going at the moment. Asia is on the rise; everyone knows it for pretty much every other part of the global economy, and for the sports economy, it's coming&hellip; If you're bullish on Asian markets taking more of an emphasis on experiential economy and health and wellness and that entertainment generally is growing in the region, then you should bet on the East Asia Super League.&rdquo;
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Basketball is insanely popular in Asia, which also makes the EASL a safe bet to succeed. Beyer has been blown away by the passion and support he&rsquo;s seen throughout Asia, particularly in the Philippines.
&ldquo;Just about everyone &ndash; men and women &ndash; between 6 and 60 years old in the Philippines loves basketball,&rdquo; Beyer said. &ldquo;The population is a little over 100 million. I saw a statistic that, on average, 52 million people across the country watch a live basketball game on broadcast every single week. I mean, that's half of the country! It's impressive. If you look at most NBA teams&rsquo; Facebook, I would say they have more fans from the Philippines on there than from the US. That&rsquo;s the reality of the situation. And if you look across the region, the media-rights values for basketball are growing.&rdquo;
The NBA&rsquo;s Facebook, Instagram and TikTok accounts have more than 24 million combined followers from the Philippines &mdash; the most of any country outside of the United States. And based on average viewership and reach, the Philippines draw the second-largest average audience for NBA games behind only the US.
&ldquo;The fan support we have in the Philippines, I think, is among the most amazing things I&rsquo;ve witnessed from the data side for the demographics of the NBA,&rdquo; said Kevin Esteves, the NBA&rsquo;s associate vice president of digital strategy and analytics. &ldquo;For that country to represent such a significant portion of the consumption we have on a person-to-person basis, they just love the NBA; they love the stories and the players. Our content performs exceptionally well there. We see support from countries all over the world &mdash; in Europe, Australia, Africa and so on &mdash; but the Philippines really stood out to me. I think that ties back to a lot of the globalization that the NBA has done, with some of its global games being held in Manila. That&rsquo;s been critical and we&rsquo;ve seen that show up in the numbers."
"The NBA is the most popular sports league in the Philippines, with 98% awareness among the general population," <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mortenjensen/2022/03/06/nba-seeing-uptick-in-international-league-pass-consumption/?sh=5fa733e51d51" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a> Matt Brabants, the NBA's senior vice president and head of international content partnerships.
However, these fans also love the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), which has posted incredible ratings in recent years. The PBA Governors Cup between Barangay Ginebra and Meralco recently drew 3.6 million viewers (or 17% of the total population watching TV).
Dating back to the EASL's tournaments, there's been no shortage of viewers or interest.
&ldquo;Our first tournament had 21 million viewers, and our most recent one in September 2019 had 117 million viewers over the course of a week,&rdquo; Beyer said. &ldquo;The support is really special. I think when you have any kind of start-up business, you have to see how the market reacts to it. We did a lot of due diligence prior to starting this to understand that this would be a concept that people would like and that fans would get behind, but you never really know how everything is going to go until the rubber hits the road.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had a soccer version of this with the AFC Champions League in Asia since 1996, but there&rsquo;s never been anything in basketball that brought everyone together like this. In 2016 when we started to go out and do fact-finding on this, that was [the big question]: &lsquo;Why hasn&rsquo;t this happened already?&rsquo; And then we realized that these leagues don&rsquo;t really have much interaction and there had been no dialogue. Really, just being there to facilitate the dialogue and bring people to the table in and of itself was sort of a revolutionary thing at that point.&rdquo;
After getting all of the decision-makers on the same page, Beyer spent the last five years building trust with the leagues, teams and FIBA.
&ldquo;We had to build trust, so putting together the tournaments between 2017 and 2019 was the way to do that, and it was also a marketing tool to the stakeholders that we can make this happen,&rdquo; Beyer said. &ldquo;We have revenue-sharing deals for commercial revenue with the leagues. We have appearance fees and prize money for regular-season wins. We have this big $1 million prize at the end of the season. We handle all of the travel costs for the teams. We really derisk this for every single party involved so that participating in the East Asia Super League isn&rsquo;t something where we&rsquo;re twisting anyone&rsquo;s arm. It should be something fun for the teams and it should be an honor for the teams.
"It's really about proving yourself against your regional competition. This is exciting, it&rsquo;s different. If you're always playing against the same competition in your backyard, it becomes a bit of a vacuum, an echo chamber. Being able to go out and see a diverse group of opponents is something special, and it just hasn't happened in this environment. It has never been done before."
The East Asia Super League is demanding your attention. Soon, with an assist from Formula One and K-Pop, it very well could be the next big thing in basketball.
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With a valuation of $100 million, a 10-year exclusive deal with FIBA and high-profile investors, the EASL is gaining momentum.

East Asia Super League: Inside a basketball startup with a unique vision

Adam Silver was on his phone constantly in late December. At that time, the NBA had more than 100 players sidelined by virus-related issues, along with some head coaches, assistant coaches, referees and team staffers.
The NHL had just paused its season. The NBA commissioner wondered if his league would follow suit.
&ldquo;I was very concerned,&rdquo; Silver said. &ldquo;And we had numerous discussions with our governors about whether we were doing the right thing.&rdquo;
With a lot of help from dozens of newly signed players, some of whom might already be forgotten, the NBA played on.
It could be argued the untold MVP&rsquo;s of this season were the more than 100 players signed to short-term hardship contracts to fill in when almost every team was decimated by the Omicron variant and other virus issues in December and January.
Those fill-ins kept the season from veering off the rails. And they&rsquo;re really why the NBA Finals matchup between the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors is being played exactly as planned when the schedule was being put together last summer.
&ldquo;I think that everyone understood that if we did have to pause the season, it would have a huge potential economic impact on the league as well or force players and the league to have to move into the summer, which is not ideal,&rdquo; Silver told The Associated Press. &ldquo;So, without those players, we wouldn&rsquo;t be here today.&rdquo;
Around the league, 605 players &mdash; a record &mdash; got into at least one game during the regular season, up 12% from last season. There were 633 players who were known to be under contract at some point, up 15% from last season&rsquo;s figure.
And when the variant was at its worst, the league was at its busiest: over a 10-day span of late December, 93 different 10-day contracts were signed.
&ldquo;Strangest season I&rsquo;ve been a part of so far,&rdquo; 19-year NBA veteran LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers said during the season. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to just talk about the injuries but COVID protocols. You have guys go out for false positives. You have had guys go out for real reasons. ... We&rsquo;ve had a little bit of everything.&rdquo;
To put how many players were needed in some perspective, consider that over a five-season span &mdash; 1982-83 through 1986-87 &mdash; the Celtics used a total of 27 players.
This season, they used 28.
And that doesn&rsquo;t count four Celtics who were signed and never got into a game. The Celtics&rsquo; total of 32 players who were under contract &mdash; some very briefly &mdash; at some point this season was the highest in the NBA, one more than Portland and two more than Indiana, Milwaukee, and New Orleans.
&ldquo;Obviously to play basketball during unprecedented times the last two years has been tough for individuals, families, etc.,&rdquo; Boston guard Jaylen Brown said. &ldquo;But I think the NBA and the players association have done as good a job as possible to keep things going and to accommodate everything as best they possibly can. There&rsquo;s been ups and downs. There&rsquo;s been questions, things that haven&rsquo;t made sense. But I still give credit where credit is due.&rdquo;
The NBA had to postpone a total of 11 games that were originally slated from mid-to-late December, and the rescheduling of those forced eight other games to be shifted in order to keep teams from playing in overly adverse circumstances like having three games in three nights.
Otherwise, games were played like normal. Only it wasn&rsquo;t normal.
&ldquo;A global pandemic was not something you&rsquo;d expect would be part of a season,&rdquo; Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;But it was, and it is, and it got people to find some solutions and keep working.&rdquo;
Former NBA All-Stars such as Joe Johnson &mdash; who made his only shot attempt in his one-game appearance with the Celtics &mdash; and Isaiah Thomas were called back to the league to help amid the depletions. The Warriors&rsquo; Quinndary Weatherspoon got to make his season debut on Christmas Day.
&ldquo;Surreal,&rdquo; he said.
Washington signed center Jaime Echenique and he played three unremarkable minutes; no points, no stats of any sort. But he made history, becoming the first Colombian to appear in an NBA game.
&ldquo;If I&rsquo;m dreaming, don&rsquo;t wake me up,&rdquo; Echenique said.
It&rsquo;s the players like Echenique who kept the season going. The schedule that the league drafted nearly a year ago &mdash; long before Omicron, long before anyone knew what the season would bring and how the virus would go &mdash; had Monday listed as a travel day for the NBA Finals teams before Games 2 and 3.
The Celtics and Warriors traveled Monday &mdash; as scheduled.
The NBA is about to make it through a season as planned, thanks to some former All-Stars and more than a few players who weren&rsquo;t household names.
&ldquo;I know Chris Paul, for example, made the point in one of our meetings of saying what an incredible debt of gratitude we owe to these players,&rdquo; Silver told AP. &ldquo;And he even was reminding his other NBA players, &lsquo;Don&rsquo;t forget to thank those players.&rsquo; We were relying on a terrific group of outside advisors made up of top doctors and scientists who were predicting that if we could tough it out for a few weeks, we&rsquo;d be able to make it through.
&ldquo;But without the service, largely of those G league players, we wouldn&rsquo;t have been able to do it.&rdquo;

With a lot of help from dozens of newly signed players, some of whom might already be forgotten, the NBA played on.

NBA Finals, season on schedule thanks to replacement players

It&rsquo;s the most wonderful time of the year. The days are long, the nights are warm and the NBA Finals have come back around.
The Finals stage is where legacies are made. The entire season leads up to this series.
But with the good comes the bad; such is the nature of life. For those with allergies, like myself, June also brings about itchy eyes and a runny nose. And for basketball purists, the bad comes in the form of recycled cliche talking points that, at times, dwarf the discourse surrounding the game itself.
The Finals are where we finally find the answers to season-long, and sometimes career-long, questions.
Can Dirk Nowitzki lead a team to a title?
Did Kobe Bryant need Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal?
Is LeBron James clutch?
This season is no different.
Today's question du jour: Does Stephen Curry need a Finals MVP and another championship sans Kevin Durant to shore up his legacy as one of the 10 best to ever play the game?
One might think the Golden State Warriors would be impervious to these conversations. After all, they won an NBA championship in 2015, the same year they entered the upper echelon of the league before questions could even emerge. And yet, here we are &mdash; eight years, six Finals runs and three titles later &mdash; questioning Curry&rsquo;s greatness and ultimate legacy.
So, what is the answer to that aforementioned question?
First, let&rsquo;s take a look at Curry&rsquo;s legacy. In short, he is an all-time great who's responsible for revolutionizing the Three-Point Era.
It is too simple to reduce Curry to just "the greatest shooter of all-time&rdquo; and limit his skills to only one facet of his game. Because not only is Curry the greatest shooter ever, he is also an elite finisher with both his right and left hand, and he sports one of the best handles we&rsquo;ll ever see. And yet, despite all of his on-ball skills, he is even deadlier off the ball.
In the words of Warriors president and general manager Bob Myers, who joined The Morning Roast on 95.7 The Game on June 7: &ldquo;This guy is a made-man. Forget about this Finals; it's already been done. He's already done it. He's already proven it. I don't know what else he has to continue to prove.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Bob Myers believes Steph Curry has nothing left to prove in the NBA Finals 🐐 <a href="https://t.co/JXkLpiRj4b">pic.twitter.com/JXkLpiRj4b</a>
&mdash; 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) <a href="https://twitter.com/957thegame/status/1534234887221219328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Myers is correct. Curry has cemented himself as an all-time great.
But all titles matter, and winning this one is important for Curry&rsquo;s legacy. Just as the fourth title mattered to LeBron. Just as the fourth and fifth mattered to Kobe. Just as the fifth and sixth mattered to Michael Jordan.
They all matter when cementing your legacy.
And that&rsquo;s because, unlike other accolades, championships are not debatable. Being the last team standing is a matter of fact, and not decided on by a select group of media.
Players aren't awarded titles. They win them. Curry&rsquo;s greatness is shown by reaching this objective season after season. With each new ring, it cements what should never be up for debate.
Finals MVP, however, is a subjective award. And when it comes to subjectivity, Curry&rsquo;s greatness regularly gets called into question. Being a pioneer in any industry means having your name etched into the history books, but with that comes some bad: you&rsquo;re ahead of your time. And, as a result, people often can&rsquo;t keep up with your greatness as it happens.
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Take the 2015 NBA Finals, for example, Curry&rsquo;s impact was not immediately visible on the box score; although, he was no slouch there either. Curry finished the series averaging 26.0 points, 6.3 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game on .443/.385/.885 shooting splits. (An efficiency dip from the regular season, where he averaged 23.8 points, 7.7 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game on a .487/.443/.914 slash line.)
They were numbers that paled in comparison to LeBron, who finished the series with averages of 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists per contest, leaving many to believe Curry failed in the role of a superstar on the biggest stage.
Dominance in the form of counting stats is easy to quantify, but dominance in creating an ecosystem that benefits those around you &mdash; is not. Thus, the true value of Curry is hard to measure.
And that&rsquo;s why, of the 11 votes for Finals MVP, LeBron received four, Andre Iguodala received seven and Curry received headlines calling Matthew Dellavedova his kryptonite.
That&rsquo;s right. Curry received no votes, and Iguodala won the 2015 Finals MVP.
Many voters point to the tides turning after Game 3. The Cleveland Cavaliers had taken a 2-1 series lead, and the Warriors adjusted by swapping Iguodala in for Andrew Bogut in the starting lineup &mdash; a rare move that offered major benefits on both sides of the ball.
At a distance, the case for Iguodala over Curry for Finals MVP is such:
Iguodala guarded the best player in basketball and limited LeBron&rsquo;s impact to sub-40% shooting, the Warriors never lost a game once he entered the starting lineup, and, as a starter, he averaged 20.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. He also shot 47.8% from the floor and 40.9% from three, numbers that closely resembled Curry&rsquo;s with much better efficiency.
Take a closer look, and we can see how that&rsquo;s all the more reason Curry deserved the Finals MVP. Without taking anything away from Iguodala, who was a valuable piece that allowed the Warriors to unlock this lineup, Steph made it unstoppable.
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Introducing Iguodala into the starting lineup in place of Bogut allowed the Warriors to play a five-out lineup with passing.
Curry, being the best shooter ever, gets the most attention, and the way he moves off-ball &mdash; constantly in motion and always a threat to shoot &mdash; opens the floor up for all of his teammates in ways that are not yet quantifiable. Curry running by two defenders and pulling them towards him is not a screen assist, but it still opens up a driving lane or a shot in a similar way.
Iguodala directly benefited from that gravity. According to NBA.com, 46% of the shots Iguodala took were considered &ldquo;wide open&rdquo; with the closest defender at least six feet away, and 20% were considered open with a defender four-to-six feet away.
With Bogut on the floor, the Cavs could tilt their defense toward Curry without any blowback. With Iguodala&rsquo;s passing and shooting in Bogut&rsquo;s place, the Cavaliers' defense was forced to make a choice. More often than not, their decision was to dare Iguodala to shoot, and to his credit, he knocked them down.
Curry&rsquo;s court vision and decisive actions create excellent opportunities for teammates, as he led the Warriors in assists. Iguodala was the prime beneficiary, accounting for nearly 40% of his points as a starter in catch-and-shoot situations, according to NBA.com. (That includes all of his made field goals in the deciding Game 6.)
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Decades from now, when people think back on the Warriors&rsquo; first championship, losing Finals MVP to Iguodala won&rsquo;t be an indictment on Curry and his game, but instead on our ability to appreciate what doesn&rsquo;t show up in the box score.
It&rsquo;ll be a capsule in time, defined by our limited scope.
The predicament is similar to the NBA's 2007 Defensive Player of the Year award.
Marcus Camby won the award, given to the best defender in a season, over Tim Duncan, who finished third behind San Antonio Spurs teammate Bruce Bowen.
Despite being one the greatest defensive anchors of all time, Duncan never won the honor &mdash; a gaffe on the part of voters and a result of our limited ability to measure defense.
In 2007, after finishing with his second blocks title in what would be a three-year reign, Camby was awarded Defensive Player of the Year instead.
Over time, we&rsquo;ve come to learn that blocking shots, though flashy and easily quantifiable, is far less a marker of a great defender than one who deters opponents from even attempting a drive.
NBA.com can track how well opponents shot against you in various areas on the court, and despite Camby&rsquo;s higher blocks-per-game average of 3.3 to Duncan&rsquo;s 2.4, players shot 8.3% worse when met by Duncan over Camby in the restricted area.
Blocks per game also remains the sole stat that favors Camby over Duncan defensively. The Denver Nuggets even performed better defensively with Camby on the bench.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 67.1558%; height: 132px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 29.0771%; height: 22px;">Defensive Metric</td>
<td style="width: 16.18%; height: 22px;">Marcus Camby</td>
<td style="width: 13.7594%; height: 22px;">Tim Duncan</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 29.0771%; height: 22px;">Defensive Efficiency</td>
<td style="width: 16.18%; height: 22px;">105.6</td>
<td style="width: 13.7594%; height: 22px;">96.5</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 29.0771%; height: 22px;">Defensive Win Shares</td>
<td style="width: 16.18%; height: 22px;">5.1</td>
<td style="width: 13.7594%; height: 22px;">6.8</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 29.0771%; height: 22px;">Defensive Box Plus-Minus</td>
<td style="width: 16.18%; height: 22px;">3.9</td>
<td style="width: 13.7594%; height: 22px;">3.2</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 29.0771%; height: 22px;">Opponent FG% in RA</td>
<td style="width: 16.18%; height: 22px;">60.5%</td>
<td style="width: 13.7594%; height: 22px;">53.2%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 29.0771%; height: 22px;">Defensive Pts Per Poss.</td>
<td style="width: 16.18%; height: 22px;">+2.5</td>
<td style="width: 13.7594%; height: 22px;">-8.8</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
And though not one of these stats alone is a clear indicator of which player is a better defender, all of them together make it pretty obvious that Duncan was better than Camby in 2007.
Then, there are other factors that can&rsquo;t be measured, like how often the presence of a defensive force such as Duncan prevents teams from even passing to a guy guarded by the stalwart.
Defensive Player of the Year awards began in 1982-83. Ten of the first 28 winners led the NBA in blocks. Since then, no player who led the league in blocks has gone on to win DPOY. Nowadays, it would be laughable to base a defensive argument on something as basic as blocks.
I think this is how we&rsquo;ll understand Curry not winning a Finals MVP in his first three chances, namely in 2015. The Finals MVP is supposed to highlight the most valuable player during the most important stretch of basketball all year. That was undeniably him.
The mark of a great offensive player is that teams would prefer to play 4-on-3 versus 1-on-1, and in 2015, Iguodala benefited from being the man open. But that&rsquo;s entirely thanks to the gravity of Stephen Curry.
Because, at the end of the day, every NBA defense is trying to get the ball out of Steph's hands.
And, in the words of Max Kellerman, they want Iguodala.&nbsp;
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Imman Adan details how Stephen Curry's impact can't be quantified by looking back on the 2015 NBA Finals.

Understanding Stephen Curry's gravity and a 2015 NBA Finals MVP gaffe

Over the last three seasons, six franchises have reached the NBA Finals. The league has seen five Eastern Conference champions in the last five seasons. This will be the fourth consecutive year that the team which hoists the trophy won&rsquo;t be the same as the one who did the year before.
Adam Silver likes all these numbers.
The NBA commissioner, in his annual NBA Finals address Thursday night held just before Game 1 of the series between the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics, repeated his familiar refrain that he doesn&rsquo;t care who wins. But he also sees the value in some unpredictability from one year to the next as far as which teams make it to the title round.
&ldquo;Of course, I do care though about the platform that we&rsquo;re presenting and the competition itself,&rdquo; Silver said. &ldquo;Anybody running a league wants to see not necessarily in my mind parity on the floor every year, but parity of opportunity. You also want a system where the best players, the best-managed teams can also excel.&rdquo;
The league has seen five different East champions in the last five years &mdash; Cleveland in 2018, followed by Toronto, Miami, Milwaukee and now Boston. It&rsquo;s the first time since 1998 through 2002 when five different franchises have won the East in a five-season span.
The Western Conference is on its third different champion in three years: The Los Angeles Lakers won in 2020, Phoenix did last year and now Golden State. The last time the West had a longer such run was 2010 through 2013, when the titles were won by, in order, the Lakers, Dallas, Oklahoma City and San Antonio.
&ldquo;We do focus a lot on ensuring through the salary cap system that teams, in essence, have the same fair opportunity to compete,&rdquo; Silver said. &ldquo;And that is something we&rsquo;re always looking at as part of our system, something we&rsquo;re constantly talking to the Players Association about. ... All 450 players presumably want an equal chance to win championships and be a part of a championship team. So, I&rsquo;m I&rsquo;m pleased with where we are. I&rsquo;m thrilled with the teams that are here in the finals.&rdquo;
Among the other topics Silver addressed:
BLAZERS SALE
Silver said he believes the Portland Trail Blazers will be sold. The question is when.
ESPN and other outlets reported Thursday that Nike co-founder Phil Knight and Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Alan Smolinisky made an offer to buy the Blazers for more than $2 billion. The Blazers then released a statement saying the team is not for sale.
The Blazers remain owned by the Paul G. Allen Trust, after the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft died nearly four years ago. Allen&rsquo;s sister, Jody Allen, is the trustee of the estate.
&ldquo;At some point, the team will be sold,&rdquo; Silver said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t have any sense of the precise timing. I read that same statement today in which she or someone on behalf of the estate said the team is not currently for sale. But at some point it will be for sale. This is a hugely a complex estate, and although it&rsquo;s been several years, these things take time.&rdquo;
Silver said the NBA&rsquo;s preference, and his own hope, is that the Blazers &mdash; whenever they are sold &mdash; remain in Portland.
IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT
Silver has spoken many times in recent years about his hope to add an in-season tournament, modeling it after some of the trophies that soccer teams in Europe vie for during their seasons. It remains a priority, but nothing is yet finalized.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not there yet,&rdquo; Silver said.
The league commissioned a study in 2019 that showed 60% of NBA fans want a shorter regular season, 68% of fans were interested in an in-season tournament and 75% were interested in a play-in tournament. The play-in tournament has since been implemented; the in-season tournament and decision to shorten the regular season &mdash; one proposal the league has considered calls for moving from 82 to 78 games &mdash; remain in the idea phase.
But the NBA has had a format in mind for nearly three years already: Teams would play eight divisional games in the group stage of the event, counting toward their regular-season total. The six group winners and two wild cards would qualify for the quarterfinals, then semifinals and the final would be played at a neutral site like Las Vegas. Players on the winning team would split $15 million; the winning coaching staff would split $1.5 million.
&ldquo;We want to make sure we have a system where our best players are incentivized to be on the floor,&rdquo; Silver said. &ldquo;At the same time, we obviously don&rsquo;t want to see them injured. And so, what we&rsquo;re hoping is we can all work collectively, the 30 teams together in a non-competitive way, together with our Players Association and figure out what is optimal on these players&rsquo; bodies so that they&rsquo;re incentivized to play but aren&rsquo;t overdoing it to the extent where they end up playing too much and pushing through injuries.&rdquo;
ALL-NBA CHANGES
Silver said &ldquo;a fair amount of consideration&rdquo; is going into potentially changing the system by which All-NBA teams are selected.
The voting panel of 100 media members is tasked with choosing three teams of five &mdash; two guards, two forwards and one center on each team. That led to Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers being second-team All-NBA in both 2021 and 2022 behind fellow center Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets. Jokic was MVP in both seasons, Embiid was the MVP runner-up.
But in a largely positionless league, the NBA continues to insist that the All-NBA teams be done by positions. That may change.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to discuss that with the players and sit down once again and see if there&rsquo;s a better way to do it,&rdquo; Silver said.
EXPANSION
Silver said any talk that the league is targeting Seattle and Las Vegas for expansion in 2024 &ldquo;is not true.&rdquo;
&ldquo;We are not discussing that at this time,&rdquo; Silver said.
It&rsquo;s no secret, and Silver said it again Thursday, that the league will eventually expand past its current 30 teams. Diluting player talent remains a major impediment toward expansion, though.
&ldquo;Expansion does create a certain amount of dilution,&rdquo; Silver said. &ldquo;And even sort of adding another 30 players or so that are roughly comparable, there still are only so many of the truly top-tier super talents to go around. That is something on the mind of the other teams as we think about expansion.&rdquo;
He did, however, call Seattle and Las Vegas &ldquo;wonderful markets.&rdquo;

NBA commissioner Adam Silver held his annual NBA Finals address prior to Game 1 on Thursday night to address many topics.

Adam Silver: NBA likes ‘parity of opportunity’ for its teams

Ja Morant had one of those nights. His 47 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists led the way for a young Grizzlies team fighting to avoid a 2-0 series deficit versus the Golden State Warriors in the second round. He was, in a word, invincible out there on Tuesday evening.
That said, it'd be a disservice not to mention that Golden State lost its best Morant defender, Gary Payton II, due to an elbow injury within the first three minutes of the game. That's more than just a small footnote; 'GPII' is one of the best point-of-attack defenders in the sport, a helacious screen sniffer-outer with the speed and physicality to stay epoxied to players of Morant's ilk as they bob and weave into the paint. There was a reason Payton II was promoted to Steve Kerr's starting lineup for each of the first two games. His job was to defend Morant at all costs.
Payton's injury left Golden State high and dry without any reliable options for the superstar Grizzly guard. Golden State's primary scheme versus pick-and-rolls is to simply switch assignments, so Morant went deep into his bag by targetting weaker Warrior options on PnR switches for a steady diet of downhill isolations.
Jordan Poole got the worst of it, diced up like a smoothie in a Ninja blender in a highlight that made rounds on social media almost instantaneously. Poole just doesn't have the experience nor the diligence to stick with Morant's wide array of moves&mdash;the fake-spins, the earth-shaking crossovers and through-the-legs dribbles&mdash;and was regularly left stumbling on his heels. Per NBA matchup stats, Morant went 3-for-5 when guarded by Poole, and the most shocking part about this stat is that he actually missed twice.
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Andrew Wiggins was Morant's primary defender, and while he did fare better than Poole by holding Morant to 33.3% shooting, Morant scored what ended up being the game-sealing floater by driving full force and then tapping his brakes to decelerate and get to his preferred right hand. Speed and change of pace appear to be Morant's most notable attributes when guarded by Wiggins. He basically Thanos-snapped the All-Star wing into dust with a helacious drive to close the third quarter.
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Golden State also gave Klay Thompson some reps against Morant, which, um... didn't go well. Morant shot a perfect 4-for-4 when guarded by Thompson, who very much looked like a player attempting to reclaim his former two-way greatness while coming off a two-year injury absence. It's probably too early to say Thompson has lost a step after ACL and Achillies tears in back-to-back seasons, but Tuesday night didn't necessarily help dispel that notion. Meanwhile, his backcourt buddy Steph Curry might be Golden State's best option going forward with Payton II on the mend. Not only did Curry record the game-sealing block against Morant in Game 1, he also held him to just 1-of-4 shooting in Game 2. Even on Morant's solo bucket, Curry does a nice job sending Morant to his weaker left hand before cutting off the driving lane. Ja just hits a ridiculous bank-shot through contact.
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Looking ahead, what are Golden State's options when attempting to contain this Tazmanian Devil of a power-guard? For one, disallowing Morant from attacking ill-suited defenders in isolation is certainly an idea worth exploring. Trapping pick-and-rolls by sending two defenders Morant's way just to get the ball out of his hands and forcing his teammates to finish possessions would also make sense. Per The Ringer's <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2022/5/4/23056681/ja-morant-grizzlies-warriors-nba-playoffs">Kevin O'Connor</a>, the Warriors trapped just one Grizzlies pick-and-roll, which eventually resulted in a three-pointer from a sub-32% shooter, Ziaire Williams.
Here's the problem: Late in the fourth quarter, Memphis may have already stumbled upon a possible counter should Golden State start blitzing pick-and-rolls.
Below, the Grizzlies run pick-and-roll by having Williams initially approach the left side of Wiggins' body to generate a drive going right for Ja Morant. Knowing this, Jordan Poole jumps in front of Williams to be in position to either switch or hedge the ball screen.&nbsp;
But it's all a ruse. At the last second, Williams flips his ball-screen to the right side of Wiggins' body, and because Poole was so eager to thwart Morant's preferred right-handed drive, he's now positioned poorly. Morant gladly takes the free lane to the basket down the left side of the floor for a gorgeous&nbsp;hanging layup.&nbsp;
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This wasn't the first time that Memphis preyed on Poole's inability to mask his intentions when guarding the pick-and-roll. Just one minute later, the Grizz went to the same action&mdash;this time with De'Anthony Melton faking and flipping his screen&mdash;and Poole is once again woefully out of position when he jumps out to contain the right-handed drive.
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These same principles of flipping ball screens could be applied if and when Golden State starts trapping pick-and-rolls. Imagine if, in each of the two clips above, Poole had taken a few steps higher to blitz the ball-screen from the right side of the floor. Williams would still have had a small window to set a screen on Wiggins' hip to send Morant left for the drive. It's worth mentioning that Morant is in that rarified class of athletes with a monstrous first step to beat traps with regularity.
Flat screens could also be something the Grizzlies could tinker with in lieu of the threat of a blitzing defense. Flat pick-and-rolls are when the screener sets the pick with his back completely parallel to the baseline. Because he isn't setting the screen on either side of the ball-handler defender's body, it makes it tough for the defense to tell which direction the ball-handler intends to go. It'd be at Morant's discretion to go left or right depending on which way the trapping defense was leaning.
(A brief tangent: Memphis could also experiment with snug pick-and-rolls should Golden State sag deep into the paint and dare Morant to shoot, a la Russell Westbrook. Snug pick-and-rolls, or PnRs closer to the basket, were how the Miami Heat countered the Los Angeles Lakers' paint-packed defense versus Jimmy Butler in the 2020 Finals. Setting screens closer to the rim puts the defense in a perilious situation with less time to recover, and all an explosive guard like Ja Morant needs is a slight advantage to take a few leaps and bounds to the rim to bust out his breathtaking athleticism.)
In Game 2, 21 of Ja Morant's 47 points came off drives, with most of those downhill attacks in isolation against grusomely underprepared Golden State defenders. It'll be interesting to see how Golden State responds. If the Dubs do indeed go the trapping route, Memphis already has displayed a few counters of their own with even more in their back-pocket. But ultimately, it all comes down to just how special of a driver Ja Morant is. He's fully equipt to beat aggressive schemes with pure athleticism. It turns out things get a lot easier when you boast the best downhill player of the last half-decade.
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Ja Morant single-handedly flipped the script in the Grizzlies-Warriors series, so how will Golden State respond defensively?

How the Grizzlies flipped the script on the Warriors

The Memphis Grizzlies did not lose Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors because Ja Morant missed a layup.
Game 1 was a result of a young coach leading an even younger team against a proven franchise led by a seasoned, dynastic trio in Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
The key to Memphis winning this series?
Growing up. Fast.&nbsp;
In the first round, the Grizzlies were the team taking advantage of the wildly inexperienced Minnesota Timberwolves, overcoming three different double-digit, fourth-quarter deficits to win the series in six games.
With eight minutes left in the fourth quarter of their second-round series opener on Sunday, the Grizzlies found themselves down double digits again, but the confidence was there. They've already proved they are resilient and capable of storming back, which they did.
The difference this time? An opponent with over 500 games of playoff experience on its roster. While Memphis was able to defeat Minnesota via three comebacks, Golden State did something it has always done: Respond.&nbsp;
This is a trend to watch throughout the series. If Memphis gets down and storms back, can it do the little things to win those games? Or will the experience of the Warriors win out?
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When looking for this trend, there has to be some identifiers that point towards the youth of Memphis, and in Game 1, there were a few examples.&nbsp;
One indicator of youth can be found in shot selection.
All season long, Memphis thrived by attacking the paint and second-chance points. During their comeback in the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies had seven straight possessions that resulted in a three-point attempt. In that four-minute span, they shot 2 of 7 from deep, only scoring from the free-throw line and one layup off on an offensive rebound. Although they outscored Golden State in that stretch, settling for perimeter jumpers was a failure to capitalize on their turned up defense.
Another indicator is careful attention to detail.&nbsp;
Thompson left the door wide open, missing two free throws with 6.7 seconds remaining in regulation. It would have been a one-possession game no matter the result, but it was winnable for Memphis. All the Grizzlies had to do was rebound the second miss.
The difference between Memphis getting that rebound and calling a timeout from the resulting jump ball was roughly three crucial seconds.&nbsp;
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Multiple lapses happen here for the Grizzlies. Thompson missed the original three-point shot for a lead, only for Andrew Wiggins to gather the offensive rebound. Memphis gets caught ball watching and is slow on its rotations, leading to a wide-open Curry three.
Steph misses another opportunity to put the Warriors up, only for Wiggins to get another offensive rebound in an attempt to tie the game on a tip. He misses the tip, yet the Grizzlies still can not come down with the rebound. The tie-up leads to a jump ball, which ultimately gives the Warriors possession. The very next play, Thompson hits the game-winning three off an inbound play.
In the final minutes, Memphis was beat by its own medicine, allowing three offensive rebounds that led to two massive Golden State second-chance buckets.
Communication in crunch time is another thing that can fail a young team.&nbsp;
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Upon first glance, it looks as if Ja Morant was ball watching and lost track of his man. From the beginning, Ja was actually matched up with Jordan Poole, and it was Brandon Clarke who was ball watching. It appears Clarke never had sight of his assignment (Gary Payton II), and assumed due to his position in help that Poole was the next man in rotation. By time Clarke realized the mix-up, it was too late, and the game was tied.
The mistakes of youth are not just attributed to the players on the court.&nbsp;
Grizzlie head coach Taylor Jenkins will have to grow alongside his team if there is any hope for Memphis to reach just the second Western Conference Finals in franchise history.&nbsp;
There is no question about his ability to keep his guys locked in despite deficits, and his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/memphisminnesota-game-5-was-a-masterclass-in-playcalling-wizardry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ATOs are top notch</a>, but his learning curve has to deal with managing rotations. Playoff rotations shrink for a reason. Although Memphis boasted a deep squad in the regular season, guys like Steven Adams and De'Anthony Melton were essentially cut from the rotation altogether in Round 1.
Though the Grizzlies avoided the foul trouble they ran into against the Timberwolves, Jenkins deployed 10 men in Game 1. Perhaps it was due to the one day's rest between these series, but Memphis saw success in the prior round when shortening the rotation.
For example, Jaren Jackson Jr. was in a groove that Memphis desperately needed to see from him.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
jaren jackson jr is the only player in nba history to have a playoff game with at least 30 points, 6 made 3-pointers and 6 offensive rebounds
&mdash; Fastbreak Breakfast (@fastbreakbreak) <a href="https://twitter.com/fastbreakbreak/status/1520973196979507200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2022</a></blockquote>

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More importantly, Jackson only had 3 fouls and was never considered to be in foul trouble at any point in the game. Yet, he only played 30 minutes in a game where he was virtually unstoppable. With no Draymond Green on the floor, JJJ was a mismatch for the Warriors, and should have seen the floor more.
Even more perplexing was Jenkins' decision to sub out Melton rather than Dillon Brooks for the final three minutes of play. Brooks had 5 fouls and was 2 of 12 shooting prior to the substitution, while Melton was causing problems all over the floor; he produced 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and a block.&nbsp;
Melton is the same level of a perimeter defender with a quicker first step, making him better suited to guard guys like Poole and Curry. His activity on the night, plus his scoring, should have warranted his stay on the floor. The decision comes down to Desmond Bane and Brooks. And on nights where both may be struggling in terms of scoring, you would prefer Bane's presence, as it only takes one shot to change the game (i.e., Thompson's game winner).
Memphis is going to have to grow up fast in order to knock off the veteran Warriors team standing in its way. From shot selection to late-game attention to detail, Morant and Co. will have to lock in at an even deeper level of execution, while Coach Jenkins and his staff will have learn what rotations are going to put the Grizzlies in the best position to win.&nbsp;
This series features two of the top teams in the NBA at different moments of their championship windows.
If the Grizzlies want to help close the Warriors window early, they'll have to overcome their youthful mistakes and grow up in front of a national audience.&nbsp;
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Justin Lewis details the costly mistakes that the Grizzlies made down the stretch against the Warriors in Game 1, and how to rebound.

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