Zion Williamson believes there is great potential in the ranks of the New Orleans Pelicans after they bounced back to defeat the Sacramento Kings in the NBA's in-season tournament.
The Pelicans teed up a semi-final tie with either the Los Angeles Lakers or the Phoenix Suns in Las Vegas, after rallying from a 15-point first-quarter deficit to win 127-117 on Tuesday.
Brandon Ingram finished with 30 points, eight rebounds and six assists in the comeback victory, while Herb Jones added 23 points for the Pelicans, who trailed by a 32-17 score less than eight minutes in before embarking on a 22-4 run to take a three-point lead early in the second quarter.
New Orleans extended the margin to 69-61 at halftime and never trailed in the final two quarters while building a lead as big as 15 points in the third. Ingram had 17 of his points in the second half, while Jonas Valanciunas posted 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting along with 11 rebounds for the Pelicans.
"This team can be so great," Williamson said. "We have a lot of potential, but we have a lot of growth to do.
"But overall, we can do something really special if everybody stays locked in. We can do something really special."
Williamson only had 10 points, but he believes it is crucial that others step up to the plate when he is not at his best.
"With the shooters we've added, it definitely does take pressure off of me," Williamson said.
"I didn't play too well, but we were still up 13, 18, late in the game. This just shows how locked in everybody is. Coach always talks about staying ready. Our guys stayed ready."
For coach Willie Green, the level of trust shown by his players was the most pleasing aspect of the win.
"The biggest thing I saw in that game was trust," Green said.
"Our guys just stuck together. They stuck together in the huddle, and they continued to make the right play over and over and over again.
When you see a team that has 29 assists and only 14 turnovers, that's a team that's continuing to trust. We want to continue to build on that."
The Pelicans' win was marred, however, by news of a fan dying after a medical emergency at Golden 1 Center.
"During the first quarter of the Kings vs. Pelicans game, a guest had a medical emergency," a Kings statement read.
"EMS immediately responded and administered CPR. Tragically, these efforts were unsuccessful and the guest passed away. The organization offers its deepest condolences to the guest's family and loved ones."
Suns fire coach Frank Vogel after first-round sweep
The Phoenix Suns have fired head coach Frank Vogel, the franchise announced Thursday, ending his tenure after one disappointing season.
Vogel’s Suns failed to live up to lofty expectations after investing almost all their future draft capital in acquiring veteran All-Stars Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.
The Suns went 49-33 this season and needed a late 10-4 stretch to avoid the play-in tournament as the Western Conference’s No. 6 seed. Phoenix was eliminated from the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves in a first-round sweep.
Former title-winning Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer is atop the Suns’ list of candidates, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported. Vogel’s successor will face championship-level expectations without the ability to dramatically upgrade the roster.
“We are here to win a championship and last season was way below our expectations,” general manager James Jones said in a statement.
“We will continue to evaluate our operation and make the necessary changes to reach our championship-calibre goals. We all take accountability, and it’s my job, along with [CEO Josh Bartelstein] and ownership, to build a championship team.”
The Suns implemented a win-now strategy when, at the behest of new owner Matt Ishbia, they acquired Durant last February.
Phoenix doubled down on the all-or-nothing route by acquiring Beal in the offseason, putting the team over the second apron of the luxury tax and hindering their ability to improve the roster around Durant, Beal and Devin Booker.
The inflexibility left the Suns without a traditional point guard this season and unable to make an impactful trade deadline acquisition.
Despite having three All-Star scorers, the Suns ranked 10th in the NBA by scoring 116.2 points per game, not enough to overcome their mediocre defence.
Durant, 35, was the most productive and available of the Suns’ big three, playing 75 games and averaging 27.1 points on his typical efficient shooting.
Booker also scored 27.1 points per game and set a career-high in assists at 6.9 per contest, but he was limited to 68 games.
Beal failed to live up to his contract – which still has three years and $161million remaining – by averaging 18.2 points over 53 games.
Beyond the individual numbers, the Suns’ stars failed to create a team greater than the sum of its parts. Despite having plenty of firepower, Phoenix ranked 23rd this season by shooting 40.6 percent in clutch situations (last five minutes and the game within six points).
Vogel has a career 480-422 record (.532) with four teams. He won a championship in 2020 with the Los Angeles Lakers, who are undergoing their own coaching search after firing Darvin Ham.
NBA suspends Bucks' Beverley four games for throwing ball at fans
The NBA announced on Thursday that it has suspended Milwaukee Bucks guard Patrick Beverley four games without pay for throwing a ball at spectators multiple times in his team's 120-98 loss to the Indiana Pacers on May 2.
The incident occurred with about 2 1/2 minutes left in the defeat that knocked the Bucks out of the play-offs.
Beverley first tossed a ball into the stands hitting some fans who weren't paying attention.
The 11-year NBA veteran appeared to ask for the ball back and after a different fan threw it to him, Beverley fired it back at that same spectator.
The league also stated he was suspended for his interaction with a reporter.
During the Bukcs' media availability the day after Milwaukee's Game 6 loss, Beverley refused to answer questions from Malina Adams from ESPN because she didn't subscribe to his podcast.
Acquired by Milwaukee from the Philadelphia 76ers in February, Beverley averaged 6.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 0.73 steals in 26 regular-season games for the Bucks. He then started all six play-off games for Milwaukee, averaging 8.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.0 steals.
The 35-year-old Beverley, who is known for being an elite defender but also has the reputation of being somewhat cantankerous, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Charlotte Hornets name Charles Lee head coach
The Charlotte Hornets announced Charles Lee as their new head coach Thursday, with the current Boston Celtics assistant tabbed to take over a team with the NBA's longest active streak of missing the playoffs.
ESPN reports that Lee, who previously served as an assistant for the Milwaukee Bucks during that team's NBA title run in 2020-21, has agreed to a four-year contract.
Lee will replace Steve Clifford, who stepped down at the end of this season but will remain with the Hornets in a front-office advisory role. Charlotte finished 21-61 in 2023-24, tied with the Portland Trail Blazers for the third-lowest win total in the league.
“The opportunity to be the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets is a dream come true,” Lee said in a statement. “I want to thank (owner) Rick Schnall, (owner) Gabe Plotkin and (Vice President of Basketball Operations) Jeff Peterson for the trust they are placing in me to lead this team."
Lee has had a hand in a number of successful campaigns during his 10-year stint as an NBA assistant, a stretch that began with the Atlanta Hawks in 2014. The 39-year-old has been a part of nine post-season appearances and seven division title winners during that span, with three of those teams (the 2014–15 Hawks, 2018–19 Bucks and 2020–21 Bucks) advancing to the Eastern Conference finals.
The former Bucknell University star has been on the staff of four of the last six teams that finished the regular season with the NBA's best record, including this past one when the Celtics compiled a 64-18 mark.
Lee also has familiarity with new Hornets vice president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson, as the two worked together in Atlanta during Lee's four seasons with the Hawks from 2014-18.
“We are excited to welcome Charles Lee as the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets,” said Peterson. “His high character and his ability to connect with players while also instilling a culture of accountability will serve us well as we construct a competitive team built for long-term success. Charles possesses a championship pedigree with a wide range of basketball knowledge and NBA experience, has a tremendous work ethic and is a great communicator. He shares our vision for this organisation, and I look forward to partnering with him in building something special here in the Carolinas."
Lee left the Hawks in 2018 to begin a five-year stint with the Bucks under Mike Budenholzer and was promoted to associate head coach in 2022. He was hired as the Celtics' top assistant under Joe Mazzulla in June.
The Maryland native now joins a franchise that has missed the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons, three more than the teams that currently hold the second-longest drought (Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs).
Charlotte's future does offer some promise, however. In 2023 No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller, 2020-21 NBA Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball and center Mark Williams, the Hornets have three potential building blocks that are all 22 years old or younger.
Ball has played in only 58 of a possible 164 games over the past two seasons due to ankle injuries, however, and Williams was limited to just 19 games this season by a back issue.
"The Hornets have a talented young core of players, and I’m excited about our future and what we can build here," Lee said. "There are few places as passionate about basketball as the Carolinas, and I look forward to coming to Charlotte and getting to work.”
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