Jimmy Butler once again rose to the occasion to lift the Miami Heat to a 102-91 win over the Chicago Bulls in Friday's play-in tournament.
The win means the Heat have earned the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and a first-round series against the top-ranked Milwaukee Bucks.
Against the Bulls, Miami led narrowly at half-time courtesy of a sharpshooting performance from Max Strus, scoring 23 points across the first two quarters on the back of six made three-pointers.
Strus went on to finish with an equal game-high 31 points, shooting eight-of-16 from the field and seven-of-12 from deep, providing some offensive firepower beside Butler.
Butler also scored 31, shooting 11-of-24 from the field while adding five rebounds, three assists and two steals in his 43 minutes of action, making up for the fact that starting trio Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Gabe Vincent combined for just 20 points on six-of-23 shooting.
DeMar DeRozan was strong for Chicago, scoring a team-high 26 points on nine-of-19 shooting while adding nine assists, but top option Zach LaVine struggled, shooting six-of-21 for his 15 points.
The result confirms the fourth consecutive postseason appearance for the Heat, where they will be looking for their third Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2020.
Towns delivers on both ends in Wolves win
Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns produced one of his best games of the season to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-95 and earn a blockbuster first-round matchup against back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic.
Towns, who was only able to suit up for a career-low 29 games this regular season due to a four-month calf injury, scored a game-high 28 points (11-of-16 shooting), grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds and blocked a team-high three shots in a great two-way showing.
The Thunder were down all game, but after trimming the margin to 10 points in the third quarter, All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander copped a hard accidental elbow to the face from Rudy Gobert, and while he was able to return, he was nursing a brutal black eye the rest of the way.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished fourth in the NBA in scoring at 31.4 points per game, top-scored for Oklahoma City with 22, but shot a disappointing five-of-19 from the field. He was also the only guard in the league to average at least one steal and one block, and he had one steal with three blocks.
The Timberwolves will now get a chance to face the top-seeded Denver Nuggets in the first round, and with Gobert and Towns, they are arguably the West's most equipped team to deal with Jokic from a size perspective.
Morant allowed to travel, practise with Grizzlies during suspension
Ja Morant won't be able to play his first game for the Memphis Grizzlies until December 19.
He will, however, be allowed to train with the team immediately.
The Grizzlies confirmed Monday that Morant is allowed to travel, practise and even participate in shootarounds during his 25-game suspension.
"I think it's great for Ja, and I think it's great for the group that he can be with us day to day," Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman said during the team's media day. "The NBA basically has said that as long as Ja continues to stay on track, he's going to be clear to participate in all private team activities, so practices, shootarounds, traveling with the team. He's not going to be with us obviously for preseason games and the first 25, but we'll see him out there and we can't wait to have him back Game 26."
The NBA suspended Morant for 25 games without pay on June 16 for appearing in a second video on social media while brandishing a gun. He had posed with a firearm for a social media live stream on May 13, less than two months after serving an eight-game suspension for posing with a gun for a video in a Denver nightclub on March 4.
Kleiman said having Morant able to train and be around the team will be beneficial to both the Grizzlies, as well as, Morant as it will help keep him accountable.
"There's steps that I think Ja is continuing to take that are really positive and in the right direction," Kleiman said. "It's great to have him here. I think he's put himself in a position where there’s no reason why he can't keep following through on this. So we're glad he's here and can't wait to have him back."
Coach Taylor Jenkins said Morant won't be working with the starters during practise, seeing as he won't be playing in any games for the first two months of the season and the team needs to be able to function without him, but they have a plan to get him ready.
An All-Star each of the last two seasons, Morant averaged 26.2 points with career highs of 8.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds in 61 games last season.
The 2020 Rookie of the Year is entering the first year of a five-year $197million maximum contract.
Morant allowed to travel, practice with Grizzlies during suspension
Ja Morant won't be able to play his first game for the Memphis Grizzlies until December 19.
He will, however, be allowed to train with the team immediately.
The Grizzlies confirmed Monday that Morant is allowed to travel, practise and even participate in shootarounds during his 25-game suspension.
"I think it's great for Ja, and I think it's great for the group that he can be with us day to day," Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman said during the team's media day. "The NBA basically has said that as long as Ja continues to stay on track, he's going to be clear to participate in all private team activities, so practices, shootarounds, traveling with the team. He's not going to be with us obviously for preseason games and the first 25, but we'll see him out there and we can't wait to have him back Game 26."
The NBA suspended Morant for 25 games without pay on June 16 for appearing in a second video on social media while brandishing a gun. He had posed with a firearm for a social media live stream on May 13, less than two months after serving an eight-game suspension for posing with a gun for a video in a Denver nightclub on March 4.
Kleiman said having Morant able to train and be around the team will be beneficial to both the Grizzlies, as well as, Morant as it will help keep him accountable.
"There's steps that I think Ja is continuing to take that are really positive and in the right direction," Kleiman said. "It's great to have him here. I think he's put himself in a position where there’s no reason why he can't keep following through on this. So we're glad he's here and can't wait to have him back."
Coach Taylor Jenkins said Morant won't be working with the starters during practise, seeing as he won't be playing in any games for the first two months of the season and the team needs to be able to function without him, but they have a plan to get him ready.
An All-Star each of the last two seasons, Morant averaged 26.2 points with career highs of 8.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds in 61 games last season.
The 2020 Rookie of the Year is entering the first year of a five-year $197million maximum contract.
Celtics acquire Holiday in trade with Trail Blazers
Jrue Holiday is on the move again.
Four days after being traded from the Milwaukee Bucks to Portland, the Boston Celtics have acquired the veteran point guard from the Trail Blazers.
Boston sent point guard Malcolm Brogdon and forward Robert Williams, along with a 2024 first-round draft pick and an unprotected first-round pick in 2029 to Portland for Holiday on Sunday.
Holiday was just acquired by the Trail Blazers on Wednesday as part of the blockbuster three-team trade that saw the Bucks land seven-time All-Star Damian Lillard.
The 33-year-old Holiday earned a second career All-Star nod in 2022-23, averaging 19.3 points and 7.4 assists.
Despite the solid offensive numbers, Holiday is considered one of the NBA's best defenders. He is a five-time All-Defensive selection and has been a finalist for defensive player of the year each of the last three seasons.
With the Celtics, he is expected to take over as the team's starting point guard after Marcus Sent was shipped to the Memphis Grizzlies in a three-team trade this offseason.
Aside from his four days on Portland's roster, Holiday, who has career averages of 16.4 points and 6.5 assists in 14 seasons, will once again continue playing for an Eastern Conference power, as the Celtics have reached three of the last four conference finals.
Brogdon averaged 14.9 points and 4.2 rebounds in 67 games off the bench last season for the Celtics - his first in Boston after spending the previous three with the Indiana Pacers. Brogdon began his career with the Bucks in 2016-17, and is averaging 15.4 points in his seven-year career.
Williams had spent his first five NBA seasons with the Celtics, and averaged 8.0 points and 8.3 rebounds in 35 games in 2022-23.
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