Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, the Academy Award-winners behind “Good Will Hunting,” are teaming up on a movie about Nike’s efforts to sign Michael Jordan to a sneaker deal, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Former Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro, who was featured in the 2015 ESPN 30 for 30 “Sole Man,” and Nike co-founder Phil Knight will be the central characters of the movie.
According to reports, Damon will portray Vaccaro, and Affleck will play Knight. Affleck and Damon won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for “Good Will Hunting” and the two collaborated on the screenplay for and starred in 2021’s “The Last Duel.” Affleck, who will direct the film, also won an Academy Award for Best Picture as a producer for “Argo.”
The movie will focus on Nike’s effort to sign Jordan in 1984 when Jordan was entering the NBA. Coming out of North Carolina, Jordan was the No. 3 overall pick of the 1984 NBA draft, and Vaccaro managed to do the impossible for what was, at the time, a minor shoe company and keep Jordan away from Adidas, Reebok and Converse. By doing so, Vaccaro helped transform Nike, the relationship between an athlete and a brand, and the sneaker industry as a whole.
“Even though I never envisioned myself wearing the (Nike) shoe, the creativity that it provided to me and the education of what this is all about — what I wear on my feet and how it enhances my athletic ability — I’m happy with the choice,” Jordan said in 2004.
In 2021, Yahoo! Finance reported that Jordan Brand, an offshoot of Nike, did $5 billion in sales and, in 2020, Forbes estimated that Nike has paid Jordan an estimated $1.3 billion since 1984.
Affleck and Damon are coming in at the genesis of all that.
Vaccaro, who is now 82 years old, helped to make the sneaker industry what it is today by signing players like Jordan and Kobe Bryant to multi-million dollar shoe deals with Nike.
“I don’t think people understood how my career evolved. I wanted the public to know how sneaker marketing started. For better or worse, this is who I am,” Vaccaro told ESPN about “Sole Man” in 2015. “I don’t think people understood how my relationships with coaches evolved and how I got involved with Nike. This is how Jordan happened, this is how Kobe happened.”
“Sole Man” was co-directed by Jon Weinbach, who is president of Skydance Sports. Weinbach was also a producer of the Emmy-winning ESPN series “The Last Dance,” which he did with Mandalay Pictures chairman Peter Guber, who will produce the upcoming movie. Now they’ll team up again for another part of the Jordan story.
The NBA postseason is here, and it’s shaping up to be a wide-open chase to the 2022 title.
The Phoenix Suns ran away with the league’s best regular-season record — eight games clear of the second-best Memphis Grizzlies. Devin Booker, Chris Paul and the reigning Western Conference champs are on a mission to redeem themselves after last season’s six-game Finals defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Plenty of West contenders stand in the Suns’ way, including Ja Morant and the Grizzlies, MVP favorite Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets and the Golden State Warriors, who are back in the playoffs for the first time since reaching the Finals in 2019.
In the East, the defending champion Bucks are the 3-seed in a log-jammed conference — the top-seeded Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers were separated by just two games in the final regular season standings.
And the Brooklyn Nets, who needed the play-in tournament to clinch the 7-seed, have the star power to shake up the playoffs bracket.
Here’s all the info you need for each first-round matchup, including schedules, news and series-by-series analysis.
MORE: What to know about the 16 teams fighting for the title
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Game 1: Atlanta vs. Miami | Sun., April 17 (1 p.m. ET, TNT) Game 2: Atlanta vs. Miami | Tue., April 19 (TBD) Game 3: Miami vs. Atlanta | Fri., April 22 (TBD, ESPN) Game 4: Miami vs. Atlanta | Sun., April 24 (7 p.m. ET, TNT) Game 5*: Atlanta vs. Miami | Tue., April 26 (TBD) Game 6*: Miami vs. Atlanta | Thu., April 28 (TBD) Game 7*: Atlanta vs. Miami | Sat., April 30 (TBD, TNT)
* if necessary
Game 1: Brooklyn vs. Boston | Sun., April 17 (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC) Game 2: Brooklyn vs. Boston | Wed., April 20 (7 p.m. ET, TNT) Game 3: Boston vs. Brooklyn | Sat., April 23 (TBD, ESPN) Game 4: Boston vs. Brooklyn | Mon., April 25 (TBD) Game 5*: Brooklyn vs. Boston | Wed., April 27 (TBD) Game 6*: Boston vs. Brooklyn | Fri., April 29 (TBD) Game 7*: Brooklyn vs. Boston | Sun., May 1 (TBD)
* if necessary
Game 1: Chicago vs. Milwaukee | Sun., April 17 (6:30 p.m. ET, TNT) Game 2: Chicago vs. Milwaukee | Wed., April 20 (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT) Game 3: Milwaukee vs. Chicago | Fri., April 22 (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC) Game 4: Milwaukee vs. Chicago | Sun., April 24 (1 p.m. ET, ABC) Game 5*: Chicago vs. Milwaukee | Wed., April 27 (TBD) Game 6*: Milwaukee vs. Chicago | Fri., April 29 (TBD) Game 7*: Chicago vs. Milwaukee | Sun., May 1 (TBD)
* if necessary
Game 1: Toronto vs. Philadelphia | Sat., April 16 (6 p.m. ET, ESPN) Game 2: Toronto vs. Philadelphia | Mon., April 18 (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT) Game 3: Philadelphia vs. Toronto | Wed., April 20 (8 p.m. ET, NBATV) Game 4: Philadelphia vs. Toronto | Sat., April 23 (2 p.m. ET, TNT) Game 5*: Toronto vs. Philadelphia | Mon., April 25 (TBD) Game 6*: Philadelphia vs. Toronto | Thu., April 28 (TBD) Game 7*: Toronto vs. Philadelphia | Sat., April 30 (TBD, TNT)
* if necessary
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Game 1: New Orleans vs. Phoenix | Sun., April 17 (9 p.m. ET, TNT) Game 2: New Orleans vs. Phoenix | Tue., April 19 (10 p.m. ET, TNT) Game 3: Phoenix vs. New Orleans | Fri., April 22 (TBD, ESPN) Game 4: Phoenix vs. New Orleans | Sun., April 24 (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT) Game 5*: New Orleans vs. Phoenix | Tue., April 26 (TBD) Game 6*: Phoenix vs. New Orleans | Thu., April 28 (TBD) Game 7*: New Orleans vs. Phoenix | Sat., April 30 (TBD, TNT)
* if necessary
Game 1: Minnesota vs. Memphis | Sat., April 16 (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) Game 2: Minnesota vs. Memphis | Tue., April 19 (TBD) Game 3: Memphis vs. Minnesota | Thu., April 21 (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT) Game 4: Memphis vs. Minnesota | Sat., April 23 (TBD, ESPN) Game 5*: Minnesota vs. Memphis | Tue., April 26 (TBD) Game 6*: Memphis vs. Minnesota | Fri., April 29 (TBD) Game 7*: Minnesota vs. Memphis | Sun., May 1 (TBD)
* if necessary
Game 1: Denver vs. Golden State | Sat., April 16 (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC) Game 2: Denver vs. Golden State | Mon., April 18 (10 p.m. ET, TNT) Game 3: Golden State vs. Denver | Thu., April 21 (10 p.m. ET, TNT) Game 4: Golden State vs. Denver | Sun., April 24 (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC) Game 5*: Denver vs. Golden State | Wed., April 27 (TBD) Game 6*: Golden State vs. Denver | Fri., April 29 (TBD) Game 7*: Denver vs. Golden State | Sun., May 1 (TBD)
* if necessary
Game 1: Utah vs. Dallas | Sat., April 16 (1 p.m. ET, ESPN) Game 2: Utah vs. Dallas | Mon., April 18 (8:30 p.m. ET, NBATV) Game 3: Dallas vs. Utah | Thu., April 21 (9 p.m. ET, NBATV) Game 4: Dallas vs. Utah | Sat., April 23 (4:30 p.m. ET, TNT) Game 5*: Utah vs. Dallas | Mon., April 25 (TBD) Game 6*: Dallas vs. Utah | Thu., April 28 (TBD) Game 7*: Utah vs. Dallas | Sat., April 30 (TBD, TNT)
The Brooklyn Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves are advancing as seven seeds, while the Atlanta Hawks and New Orleans Pelicans captured eight seeds on the final night of the NBA play-in tournament.
Every first round series is set: Miami Heat vs. Hawks, Boston Celtics vs. Nets, Milwaukee Bucks vs. Chicago Bulls, Philadelphia 76ers vs. Toronto Raptors, Phoenix Suns vs. Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies vs. Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors vs. Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks vs. Utah Jazz.
Can Boston slow down Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving? How will Joel Embiid and James Harden fare in the duo’s first playoff series together? What impact will Luka Doncic’s calf strain have on the Mavericks’ chances? Our panel of NBA experts is picking each first-round series.
Note: Predictions for Heat-Hawks and Suns-Pelicans will be unveiled Sunday.
MORE: What to know for the NBA postseason | Schedules
Editor’s note: This story has been updated following the 76ers’ 133-120 win over the Pacers on Saturday.
The NBA regular season’s final weekend is here, and all we know is 48 hours of chaos lie ahead.
Thanks to a jumbled seeding picture in both conferences, only a handful of seeds are decided. Here’s a quick rundown of all of it, beginning with the crowded top of the Eastern Conference standings.
MORE: NBA standings | Weekend schedule | How the play-in works
Who will finish 2-3-4 in the East?
The Miami Heat clinched the top seed in the East playoffs Thursday night. However, the three teams behind them — the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers — can still finish in just about any order.
After beating the Detroit Pistons Friday night, the Bucks are in control of their own destiny. A win Sunday over the Cleveland Cavaliers — more on them below — or a loss by the Celtics in Memphis against the Grizzlies would guarantee Milwaukee gets the second seed.
A loss to Cleveland, however, would open the door for the Celtics to get No. 2 with a victory over Memphis. That combination would see Boston earn the second seed based off the fifth tiebreaker: having a better record than Milwaukee against fellow East playoff teams.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, needs to win Sunday against Detroit and needs Boston to lose to finish third. The 76ers can’t finish higher than third, as they lose the head-to-head tiebreaker with Milwaukee (which won the season series) and now can only tie them in wins. Philadelphia also loses the tiebreaker to Boston, (which has a better division record).
The Toronto Raptors clinched the fifth seed with a win over the Houston Rockets on Friday night, meaning the Chicago Bulls will have the sixth seed. The need to be fully vaccinated to play in Toronto could impact the 76ers. (Matisse Thybulle, who has not publicly commented on whether he is vaccinated against COVID-19 — was listed as “ineligible to play” in Thursday’s loss there.)
East play-in madness
The East’s play-in tournament race has as much excitement as the battle among the conference’s top teams — especially given the star-studded Brooklyn Nets find themselves in it. After Brooklyn’s victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, the Nets are in the driver’s seat for seventh, which they’ll clinch with a win Sunday over Indiana. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, will be eighth if they beat the Bucks on Sunday at home.
If either team loses, it will open the door for either Atlanta or Charlotte to get eighth. Atlanta travels to Houston on Sunday, while Charlotte hosts the Washington Wizards.
Here’s where things get wild:
Brooklyn owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over Atlanta, Charlotte owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over Brooklyn and Atlanta has the tiebreaker on Charlotte, all by virtue of a better division record. Cleveland loses the tiebreaker against all three other teams.
If Brooklyn and Cleveland both lose, and Atlanta and Charlotte both win — creating a four-way tie — it will be Brooklyn seventh, Atlanta eighth, Charlotte ninth and Cleveland 10th.
If Brooklyn wins, Cleveland loses and Atlanta and Charlotte both win, creating a three-way tie for eighth, it will be the same order.
If Cleveland wins, Brooklyn loses and both Atlanta and Charlotte win, it will be Cleveland seventh, Brooklyn eighth, Atlanta ninth and Charlotte 10th.
Full breakdown of Eastern Conference Playoffs seeding scenarios ⬇️https://t.co/SjStCaMXcr pic.twitter.com/9zlsOUMzsT
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 9, 2022
The fight for seeding out West
In the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors are one game up on the Dallas Mavericks for third place with two games remaining. Since Dallas holds the tiebreaker over the Warriors thanks to winning the season series, Golden State will have to stay ahead of Dallas to remain in third.
The Warriors can ensure that by winning their final two games. Otherwise, Golden State will need Dallas to lose Sunday against San Antonio.
It’s an equally tight battle for fifth and sixth, with the Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets tied with matching 48-33 records heading into the final day of the season. With Utah having swept the season series, however, the Jazz will be the fifth seed if they beat Portland Sunday, or if Denver loses to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Nuggets, meanwhile, would need both a Utah loss and a win over the Lakers to finish fifth.
The New Orleans Pelicans are currently in ninth and need just one win in their final two games — or one San Antonio Spurs loss in their final two — in order to secure finishing ninth and getting to host the first play-in game.
CHICAGO — After another setback while ramping up the rehab of his left knee, there is increasing pessimism that Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball will return to the lineup this season, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
No final decision has been made, but a meeting in the coming days expected to include Bulls officials and Ball’s representatives at Klutch Sports is increasingly likely to culminate with the shutting down of Ball for the rest of the season, sources said.
“I would imagine in the next day or two we’ll probably have a little bit more once everybody sits down and talks,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said before Tuesday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks. “It’s disappointing from the standpoint you were hoping that the time he had off would help maybe propel him going forward to do a little bit more. But that certainly hasn’t been the case.”
The Bulls play Tuesday night against the Bucks and then have three games left in the regular season.
Ball, who has not played since Jan. 14, had surgery on his knee in January to repair a slight meniscus tear.
He has remained sidelined longer than the team’s initial timeline for his return when his knee did not respond to the rehab process. Chicago pulled back the ramp-up process for 10 days at the end of March with hope the extra rest would allow him to recover, but Ball experienced a setback.
Donovan declined to speculate whether the team would be comfortable having Ball play in the postseason if he didn’t return during the regular season. He said the team was focused on getting Ball to stop experiencing pain in the knee.
“I think the biggest thing they’re trying to figure out before we can do anything is try to eliminate his discomfort and any pain that he’s feeling,” Donovan said. “This period of taking some time off, letting it calm down and trying to get him back started again, there was a hope that maybe it would help, and it probably hasn’t helped as much as we would’ve liked to.”
In his first season in Chicago, Ball was averaging 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists. He has played in just 35 games, which would be the fewest of any season in his five-year career.
“All these guys love to play and he wants to play,” Donovan said. “He is, like any player, disappointed, that he can’t be out there and it’s not progressing, but he’s dealt with it and taken it in stride and to his credit, he’s tried to do everything that he can do to get himself back feeling good.”
Chicago was also without guard Zach LaVine for Tuesday’s game with left knee soreness. The team has been managing LaVine’s knee injury for the past few weeks, especially on back-to-backs.
The Bulls host the Boston Celtics on Wednesday in Chicago.
While the Los Angeles Lakers are in the middle of a disappointing NBA season, LeBron James continues to be the lone bright spot. James passed Karl Malone on Saturday night, moving into the No. 2 spot on the all-time scoring list. Though James racked up another individual milestone, his team fell to the Eastern Conference’s 11th-ranked Washington Wizards. The Lakers are running out of time to climb the Western Conference standings. At No. 10, they are five games back of the No. 8 LA Clippers and seem destined for the play-in tournament.
Elsewhere in the West, the Golden State Warriors were supposed to be complete again with Draymond Green’s return from a two-month absence, but they lost Stephen Curry for at least two weeks when he sprained a ligament in his foot on Wednesday in a loss to the Boston Celtics. The Phoenix Suns are nine games ahead of the No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies, but the Warriors are trying to stay afloat at No. 3, just two games ahead of the Utah Jazz and a surging Donovan Mitchell.
The Minnesota Timberwolves, meanwhile, are making a late-season push out of the play-in tournament, led by Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns dropped 60 points last week against the San Antonio Spurs — the most in the NBA this season — with 32 coming in the third quarter.
And Kyrie Irving followed in Towns’ footsteps on Tuesday with 60 points of his own, a career high and a franchise record for the Brooklyn Nets. However, the Nets still find themselves headed for the play-in tournament at No. 8 in the East, just one game ahead of the Charlotte Hornets.
Our experts break down where all 30 teams stand as the playoffs loom large.
Note: Throughout the regular season, our panel (Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Nick Friedell, Andrew Lopez, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin and Ohm Youngmisuk) is ranking all 30 teams from top to bottom, taking stock of which teams are playing the best basketball now and which teams are looking most like title contenders.
Suns coach Monty Williams had high praise for Mikal Bridges on Sunday night, comparing him to former NBA Defensive Player of the Year winners Michael Cooper and Ron Artest for his ability to guard top players on the perimeter and down low.
“He should be Defensive Player of the Year, No. 1,” Williams said. “He doesn’t duck a matchup. He plays every night. He guards everyone. He plays 50 minutes. He still produces on offense. I don’t get into the iron man thing, but he loves to play, he loves to work and he’s a winner.” — Lopez
Miami has won three of its past four and has a showdown with the Sixers on Monday night. Tyler Herro had 26 points in 28 minutes in Saturday’s win as he continues his torrid pace. He is averaging 25.9 points a game over nine contests in March — shooting 51.3% for the month after shooting 52.8% from the field in February. — Friedell
Desmond Bane has bounced back after slumping last month. He is averaging 20.4 points with a 62.5 true shooting percentage in March as compared to 14.7 points with a 48.9 true shooting percentage in February. Bane has emerged as the Grizzlies’ No. 2 scoring threat behind All-Star point guard Ja Morant, who missed a couple of games this past week due to back and knee soreness. — MacMahon
The case for Giannis Antetokounmpo to win his third Most Valuable Player Award is growing. Milwaukee is tied for second in the conference, while Antetokounmpo is a contender for Defensive Player of the Year and competing for the scoring title (29.8 points per game) with Joel Embiid (30.0 PPG) and LeBron James (30.0 PPG). — Collier
5. Boston Celtics 2021-22 record: 44-28 Previous ranking: 7
Boston remains an absolute juggernaut after routing Denver on Sunday night. The Celtics are now 21-4 since Jan. 23, have the league’s best defense by nearly five points per 100 possessions and are outscoring teams by 16 points per 100 possessions over that stretch. — Bontemps
6. Philadelphia 76ers 2021-22 record: 43-27 Previous ranking: 6
It was an up-and-down week for Philly, with wins over Dallas and Cleveland sandwiched between losses to Denver and Toronto. It is a make-or-miss league sometimes, but when Philly is making 3s, they look like world-beaters. When they don’t? Their offense grinds to a halt. — Bontemps
7. Golden State Warriors 2021-22 record: 47-24 Previous ranking: 4
Stephen Curry is out for at least the next two weeks with a foot injury. Draymond Green is just coming back from a disk issue, and Klay Thompson is still trying to find his rhythm after being out 2½ years. James Wiseman is dealing with knee swelling in another setback during his rehab, and his return this season remains unclear. The only good news for the Warriors is that Jordan Poole is in the midst of one of his best stretches of the season; Sunday’s contest marked the ninth time in as many games he has scored at least 20 points. — Friedell
The Mavs ran out of gas at the end of a five-game road trip, suffering double-digit losses in a back-to-back against Philadelphia and Charlotte after winning the first three games. Spencer Dinwiddie hit game-winning 3s in Boston and Brooklyn. He joined Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan as the only players to hit last-minute winners in consecutive games this season. — MacMahon
9. Utah Jazz 2021-22 record: 45-26 Previous ranking: 9
Donovan Mitchell sat out Friday’s rout of the Clippers due to a calf contusion, but he managed to maintain his hot hand. Mitchell scored 37 points in Wednesday’s win over the Bulls and 36 in a victory over the Knicks on Sunday as the Madison Square Garden crowd greeted him with enthusiastic cheers. Mitchell made 16 3s in the two triumphs, the most in a two-game span in Jazz history. — MacMahon
As good as the Nuggets played last month and in early March, they now find themselves tied with Minnesota for No. 7 in the West, set for a play-in game with the Clippers with 10 games remaining. After Sunday’s 20-point loss to Boston, Bones Hyland told reporters that DeMarcus Cousins spoke to the team to let everyone know their play is unacceptable right now. Knowing how the Nuggets have been in the past under Michael Malone, expect them to respond. — Youngmisuk
11. Chicago Bulls 2021-22 record: 41-29 Previous ranking: 10
The good news for the backsliding Bulls — who were winless on a three-game road trip and have lost of eight of their past 10 games — is that more help is on the way. Forward Patrick Williams will return Monday after tearing ligaments in his wrist in the fifth game of the season. He’ll come off the bench, and the Bulls are likely to ease their second-year forward back into action, but Williams’ presence could help lift Chicago’s defense, which has fallen to 20th in the NBA in defensive rating. — Collier
Minnesota is rolling, having won four in a row and 10 of their last 11 games. They are threatening to grab one of the top six seeds in the Western Conference and avoid the play-in tournament. The Timberwolves sit half a game behind the Nuggets for the No.6 seed and 1.5 games behind the Mavericks. They have a pair of crucial games this week against the Mavs in Dallas on Monday and at home on Friday. — Collier
Brooklyn has no idea if or when Ben Simmons is going to play as he continues to rehab his back injury. The Nets have no idea when the New York City vaccination mandate will get rolled back, which would allow Kyrie Irving to play in home games. What they do know is that they have Kevin Durant — and with him on the floor they’ll always have a chance. Durant is averaging 30 points a game since returning from an MCL sprain on March 3. — Friedell
The Cavs are back on an upswing, winners of three of their past four, just in time for LeBron James and the Lakers to come to town on Monday. James’ career average of 29.1 points versus his former franchise is his highest against any team in the league. — McMenamin
15. Toronto Raptors 2021-22 record: 40-31 Previous ranking: 14
Friday’s last-second loss to the Lakers aside, Toronto is back to flying along again, winning six of seven with Fred VanVleet in and out of the lineup and OG Anunoby not playing at all. The Raptors have a team full of long, rangy players led by rookie Scottie Barnes, and they are looking like a tough first-round opponent in the East. — Bontemps
16. Charlotte Hornets 2021-22 record: 36-35 Previous ranking: 18
Charlotte’s season could come down to Gordon Hayward’s availability down the stretch. The forward said last week that he will begin taking contact this week and that his status will be determined from there. Charlotte is 26-22 when Hayward plays and 10-13 when he doesn’t. — Bontemps
17. LA Clippers 2021-22 record: 36-37 Previous ranking: 16
The Clippers are pretty much locked into the eighth spot with the Timberwolves hot on Denver’s tail for the sixth spot and the Lakers continuing to falter beneath the Clippers. But Ty Lue’s team isn’t playing its best right now. In fact, far from it. The Clippers were blown out in Utah and have lost six of their past eight, their only wins coming over the Wizards and Pistons. The good news is the Clippers have the most practice time they’ve had all season, so Lue will try to get them back to playing scrappy ball heading into the play-in. — Youngmisuk
18. Atlanta Hawks 2021-22 record: 35-36 Previous ranking: 17
The Hawks are comfortably in the No. 10 spot in the Eastern Conference play-in race but continue to jockey for position with Brooklyn (two games ahead at No. 8) and Charlotte (one game ahead at No. 9). The Hawks lost to the Hornets last week to tie the season series. To continue to climb, Atlanta will lean on Trae Young, who had his 27th 20-point, 10-assist game Sunday night. That sets a team record for most in a single season, breaking the record he set himself in 2019-20. — Lopez
19. New Orleans Pelicans 2021-22 record: 30-41 Previous ranking: 20
The Pelicans, who slid into the No. 9 spot in the Western Conference standings on Sunday night, are 7-6 since inserting Jaxson Hayes into the starting lineup at power forward. Since Feb. 17, the Pelicans have a +10.2 net rating with Jonas Valanciunas and Hayes on the floor over 216 minutes. In his past five games, Hayes is averaging 15.6 points and seven rebounds per game while shooting 7-of-12 from deep. — Lopez
20. Los Angeles Lakers 2021-22 record: 30-41 Previous ranking: 19
The Lakers followed up perhaps their most inspiring team win in Toronto on Friday — featuring Russell Westbrook’s miracle steal and game-tying 3 sequence forcing overtime, where they pulled away — with the most impressive individual accomplishment by any player on their roster this season on Saturday when LeBron James passed Karl Malone for No. 2 on the all-time scoring list in Washington. But the Wizards got the win and L.A. is currently in the final play-in spot at No. 10 in the West with 11 games left to play. — McMenamin
21. Washington Wizards 2021-22 record: 30-40 Previous ranking: 21
The Wizards’ play-in hopes took a severe blow when they lost six straight games, four coming on a West Coast swing. But the Wizards managed to spoil LeBron James’ milestone night Saturday when he passed Karl Malone on the all-time scoring list, erasing a 16-point deficit to beat the Lakers. While the win ultimately might not matter much, the Wizards got an important glimpse at Kristaps Porzingis’ potential, as he scored 16 of his 27 points in the fourth. He looked like The Unicorn they acquired at the trade deadline. — Youngmisuk
22. New York Knicks 2021-22 record: 30-41 Previous ranking: 22
While New York’s season has gone sideways, at least the play of RJ Barrett over the past couple of months is something to take forward into the offseason. Since Jan. 1, Barrett is averaging nearly 24 points per game and shooting 37.8% from 3-point range. If he can keep that up over a full season next year, the Knicks will be quite pleased. — Bontemps
23. San Antonio Spurs 2021-22 record: 28-44 Previous ranking: 23
Spurs forward Keldon Johnson has been playing the best basketball of his young career since the All-Star break. He has had his first three 30-point games since the Spurs returned to play — 32 points against the Wizards on Feb. 25, 33 points against the Hornets on March 5 and a career-high 34 points last Monday against the Timberwolves. And while he didn’t hit the 30-point plateau Sunday, he did get the game-winning putback to defeat the Warriors. — Lopez
The Blazers’ slide continues, as they lost for the 10th time in 11 games on Sunday to Indiana. Portland’s only win since the All-Star break was over Washington, but at least the Blazers are getting a good look at what Josh Hart can do. Hart is averaging 28.6 points in his past five games. — Youngmisuk
The news that T.J. Warren will officially miss the rest of the 2021-22 season marked a disappointing end to another injury-riddled season. Following a breakout performance in the bubble in 2020, Warren was limited to four games in the 2020-21 season with stress fractures in his left foot. He has not played since Dec. 29, 2020. He will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. — Collier
Kings rookie Davion Mitchell had himself a game in Sunday’s 127-124 overtime loss to Phoenix. With De’Aaron Fox sidelined by a hand injury, Mitchell — known for his defense — went off offensively, notching career highs in both points (28) and assists (nine), and giving the Suns all they could handle. — McMenamin
27. Detroit Pistons 2021-22 record: 19-52 Previous ranking: 27
In 12 games since joining the Pistons, Marvin Bagley III is averaging 13.6 points and 6.9 rebounds on 53% shooting. He’s playing around the rim more frequently and made a few spot starts for Detroit last week with Jerami Grant out of the lineup. — Collier
28. Oklahoma City Thunder 2021-22 record: 20-51 Previous ranking: 28
Power forward Darius Bazley has shown intriguing signs of development as a scorer recently. Bazley has averaged 21.0 points on 53.5% shooting over the last six games, including a career-high 29-point night and a pair of 25-point performances. Bazley, 21, a long-armed, explosive player with versatile defensive potential, is eligible for an extension of his rookie contract this summer. — MacMahon
Wendell Carter Jr. had another big game in Sunday’s win over the Thunder, racking up 30 points and 16 rebounds. Over the last two months, he is averaging over 18 points and 11 rebounds a game. Jonathan Isaac, meanwhile, has been ruled out for the season as he continues to rehab a knee injury. He hasn’t played since August 2020. — Friedell
Houston has won only two of its past 20 games, giving the Rockets the league’s worst record, which would guarantee a top-five pick. The growth of Jalen Green, the No. 2 overall pick in last summer’s draft, has been a silver lining, as he has averaged 18.2 points on .472/.375/.732 shooting splits during that span. But the Rockets’ defense (NBA-worst 116.5 points allowed per 100 possessions) is awful, even by tanking standards. — MacMahon
Chicago Bulls All-Star guard Zach LaVine is traveling to Los Angeles to get further evaluation on his left knee but still hopes to participate in next Sunday’s All-Star Game, sources told ESPN.
LaVine has been experiencing discomfort in the knee for several weeks, and although a January MRI showed no structural damage, there’s certainly a level of concern within the organization, sources said.
LaVine was chosen to the second All-Star Game in his career and is averaging 24.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists so far this season. LaVine and Bulls teammate (and fellow All-Star) DeMar DeRozan have been the league’s highest-scoring team duo this season, averaging 52.3 points, according to ESPN’s Stats & Information.
LaVine appeared to struggle through Friday’s victory over Minnesota, shooting 5-of-14 and noticeably wincing on the floor. LaVine sat out Saturday’s victory over Oklahoma City, and he missed consecutive games against Indiana and Philadelphia on Feb. 4 and 6. He will miss games on Monday and Wednesday ahead of the All-Star break, sources said.
The Bulls are withstanding numerous injuries to the backcourt this season, including Lonzo Ball (meniscus tear) and Alex Caruso (fractured wrist), who are out several weeks after undergoing surgery. The team also lost forward Patrick Williams to a wrist injury early in the season, although he’s expected to return this year.
Through it all, the Bulls are 36-21, one game behind first-place Miami in the Eastern Conference standings.
ESPN NBA reporter Jamal Collier contributed to this report.
LeBron James and Kevin Durant again will be the captains of the two teams in this year’s All-Star Game, as the NBA announced on Thursday night the starters for its annual midseason showcase to be held Feb. 20 in Cleveland.
James, who now has been a captain in each of the five years the NBA has used the current system to pick its teams, and Durant, who is one for a second straight year, earned the honor by finishing with more fan votes than anyone in their respective conferences.
James has now made 18 All-Star teams, tying Kobe Bryant for second place all time behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19).
Joining James as starters from the Western Conference are Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant in the backcourt, along with reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and forward Andrew Wiggins of the Warriors in the frontcourt.
From the East, Durant, a 12-time All-Star, is joined by Chicago Bulls guard DeMar DeRozan and Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young in the backcourt, and Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo in the frontcourt. Durant’s availability for the game is a question mark as he continues to recover from a sprained knee ligament.
Wiggins’ selection as a starter was somewhat of a surprise, even though he’s averaging 18.1 points per game.
The selection for the starters was based on fan ballots for 50% of the vote, and a media panel and current players each made up 25%.
Wiggins was able to edge teammate Draymond Green for the third West frontcourt spot. Wiggins received fewer player and media votes, but he ranked third among the fans’ voting while Green was sixth. As a result, Wiggins ended up with a weighted score of 4.25 points; Green came in at 4.75.
“It was mind blowing,” Wiggins said of finding out he was an All-Star starter. “I was taking my pregame nap and my girl and daughter woke me up and told me, ‘You are a starter, you are a starter.’ I thought I was dreaming for a second. I was like, what is going on? It was a good way to learn that I made it to the All-Star, and I am thankful.
“I have been putting in a lot of work and I have found a home here. Hopefully I can keep it going and this is not the last one.”
Per Elias Sports Bureau research, Wiggins is the third first-time All-Star to be named a starter in his eighth season or later (Bob Boozer in his eighth season in 1967-68; Kyle Lowry in his ninth season in 2014-15). He is the 40th different No. 1 overall pick in the modern draft era (since 1966) to make an All-Star team in his career — but the first of those not to make it until his eighth season or later.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he was happy to see Wiggins’ work rewarded.
“One of the proudest moments just to see what Wiggs has done since he got here a couple of years go,” Kerr said. “The journey he has traveled has been rocky at times, and to see how hard he’s worked and to see all the work rewarded, just could not be happier for him.”
Curry, now an eight-time All-Star, has helped lead Golden State back to the upper tier of the Western Conference after two injury-plagued years interrupted the Warriors’ string of five consecutive NBA Finals trips. Morant, meanwhile, makes his first All-Star appearance as Memphis, one of the most entertaining teams in the league, has pushed itself into third in the West.
Blessed & Thankful 🙏🏽 My Fans, I Appreciate You. 🖤
To Memphis, Murray State, Da Gang, Organization, Couldn’t Do It Without Y’all. 🐻🐎
To MBNO, ™️ . We Got More Work To Do.
Love Yall 🤞🏽
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) January 28, 2022
Jokic, playing in his fourth straight All-Star Game, has followed up winning last year’s MVP by averaging 26.2 points, 13.8 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game for Denver this season, keeping the Nuggets afloat while missing Jamal Murray for the entire season thus far and Michael Porter Jr. for all but a handful of games.
DeRozan, who joined the Bulls as a free agent this summer after playing the prior two seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, has played a massive role in Chicago’s resurgence toward the top of the Eastern Conference standings, earning MVP consideration thanks to impressive clutch play while averaging 26.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists. This is his fifth All-Star selection.
His starting nod was announced by Bulls teammate Zach LaVine — who finished just behind Young in the East backcourt vote — while the team was aboard its flight to San Antonio for a game Friday night.
Zach broke the news of DeMar’s All-Star announcement on our team plane ❤️ pic.twitter.com/AFcW9ShWrm
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 28, 2022
“We don’t get younger in this league,” DeRozan said later. “So for me just to overcome everything I overcame. And coming into a new situation and everything that is going on team wise, it just makes it special to come back and not just be All-Star but to be voted in as a starter. It’s just one of those moments you know I don’t know what to call it, I can’t even give it a title; but it just feels good.”
Young made his second All-Star team; he’s averaging 27.7 points and 9.3 assists while posting career-best shooting percentages of 45.3% overall and 38% from 3-point range.
While Philadelphia has spent the season without All-Star guard Ben Simmons, Embiid has more than picked up the slack, averaging career highs in points (29) and assists (4.3) per game, as well as 3-point percentage (38%) to keep the 76ers in the middle of the East playoff picture. And Antetokounmpo has been the one constant for the defending champion Bucks this season amid a constant stream of injuries and COVID-19 absences, averaging 28.6 points, 11.2 rebounds and a career-high 6.0 assists per game.
The All-Star reserves, who will be selected by the coaches in both conferences, will be unveiled next Thursday on TNT. James and Durant then will pick their respective teams, a format the league first instituted in 2018.
LeBron James and Kevin Durant again will be the captains of the two teams in this year’s All-Star Game, as the NBA on Thursday night announced the starters for its annual midseason showcase to be held Feb. 20 in Cleveland.
James, who has now been a captain in each of the five years the NBA has used this system to pick its teams, and Durant, who is one for a second straight year, earned the honor by finishing with more fan votes than anyone in their respective conferences.
James has now made 18 All-Star teams, tying Kobe Bryant for second place all-time behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19).
Joining James as starters from the Western Conference are Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant in the backcourt, along with reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and forward Andrew Wiggins of the Warriors in the frontcourt.
From the East, Durant, a 12-time All-Star, is joined by Chicago Bulls guard DeMar DeRozan and Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young in the backcourt, and Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo in the frontcourt.
Curry, now an 8-time All-Star, has helped lead Golden State back to the upper tier of the Western Conference after two injury-plagued years interrupted the Warriors’ string of five straight NBA Finals trips. Morant, meanwhile, makes his first All-Star appearance as Memphis, one of the most entertaining teams in the league, has pushed itself into third in the West.
Blessed & Thankful 🙏🏽 My Fans, I Appreciate You. 🖤
To Memphis, Murray State, Da Gang, Organization, Couldn’t Do It Without Y’all. 🐻🐎
To MBNO, ™️ . We Got More Work To Do.
Love Yall 🤞🏽
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) January 28, 2022
Jokic, playing in his fourth straight All-Star Game, has followed up winning last year’s MVP by averaging 26.2 points, 13.8 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game for Denver this season, keeping the Nuggets afloat while missing Jamal Murray for the entire season thus far and Michael Porter Jr. for all but a handful of games. Wiggins, who is averaging 18.1 points per game and shooting 40% from 3-point range, will make his first All-Star appearance.
DeRozan, who joined the Bulls as a free agent this summer after playing the prior two seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, has played a massive role in Chicago’s resurgence toward the top of the Eastern Conference standings, earning MVP consideration thanks to impressive clutch play while averaging 26.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists. Young makes his second All-Star team after averaging 27.7 points and 9.3 assists while posting career-best shooting percentages of 45.3 overall and 38 from 3-point range.
While Philadelphia has spent the season without All-Star guard Ben Simmons, Embiid has more than picked up the slack, averaging career-highs in points (29) and assists (4.3) per game, as well as 3-point percentage (38) to keep the 76ers in the middle of the East playoff picture. And Antetokounmpo has been the one constant for the defending champion Bucks this season amid a constant stream of injuries and COVID-19 absences, averaging 28.6 points, 11.2 rebounds and a career-high 6.0 assists per game.
The All-Star reserves, which will be selected by the coaches in both conferences, will be unveiled next Thursday on TNT. James and Durant then will pick their respective teams, a format the league first instituted in 2018.
CHICAGO — Bulls guard Zach LaVine exited Friday’s 138-96 loss to the Golden State Warriors in the first quarter with a left knee injury and did not return.
LaVine will get an MRI on Saturday, but there’s initial confidence that he hasn’t suffered a serious injury, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
LaVine appeared to begin laboring after grabbing an offensive rebound with just under nine minutes remaining in the first quarter. On the next play, he took an intentional foul on Warriors guard Stephen Curry before taking himself out of the game.
He immediately walked toward the Bulls’ locker room with a team trainer, but LaVine was able to move under his own power.
LaVine is averaging 25.6 points on 49% shooting (41% from 3), 4.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 37 games for the Bulls this season.
The Bulls are already without guard Alex Caruso (health and safety), Derrick Jones Jr. (knee), Javonte Green (groin) and Tyler Cook (ankle).
