Victor Wembanyama scored 20 points in 19 minutes in his much-anticipated NBA preseason debut, a 122-121 loss by the San Antonio Spurs to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.

The heralded No. 1 overall pick finished 8 of 13 from the field and made 2 of 5 shots from 3-point range before being removed midway through the third quarter. Wembanyama added five rebounds and two steals, though he did have a game-high four turnovers.

Wembanyama's first regular-season game will take place in a little over two weeks when the Spurs host the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 25.

Monday's contest also saw the return of Thunder center Chet Holmgren, the second overall pick of last year's draft who missed the entire 2022-23 season recovering from a foot injury. Holmgren posted a game-high 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting along with nine rebounds in just 16 minutes, and made both of his two 3-point attempts. 

Luguentz Dort and Isaiah Joe each added 14 points for Oklahoma City, which trailed 81-74 at the half before outscoring the Spurs by a 30-17 margin in the third quarter. 

The Phoenix Suns' busy offseason continued Sunday with a pair of moves.

Cam Payne was traded by the Suns to the San Antonio Spurs, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, while ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports Phoenix signed former Orlando Magic forward Bol Bol to a one-year deal.

The Suns also sent a second-round draft pick and cash to the Spurs, and traded a 2026 first-round pick to the Magic in exchange for three future second-round selections.

The 28-year-old Payne averaged 10.3 points, 4.5 assists and 2.2 rebounds in 48 games for the Suns in 2022-23 - his fourth season in Phoenix.

The Suns have been one of the NBA's busiest teams this offseason, trading away Chris Paul while acquiring fellow guards Bradley Beal and Eric Gordon.

With the Spurs, Payne will likely split point guard duties with Tre Jones.

Bol is entering his fifth NBA season after being waived by the Magic earlier this month.

Expected to provide depth off the bench for Phoenix, Bol got off to an encouraging start to the 2022-23 season for Orlando, starting 32 of the team's first 37 games before ultimately falling out of the rotation.

He averaged 12 points and 7.1 rebounds in the first 37 games, but made just one more start the rest of the season, averaging 5.8 points and 4.3 rebounds in the final 33 games he played.

 

There was no surprise atop Thursday’s 2023 NBA Draft. Victor Wembanyama has joined the San Antonio Spurs.

Wembanyama, widely considered the best draft prospect since LeBron James in 2003, was the no-doubt first selection to open Thursday’s draft at Barclays Center in New York.

With guard skills in a 7-foot-3 frame, Wembanyama is expected to blossom into a superstar in San Antonio and follow in the footsteps of fellow No. 1 overall picks Tim Duncan and David Robinson.

With the first pick a foregone conclusion, the intrigue heading into the draft was focused on NBA G-League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson and Alabama forward Brandon Miller.

The Charlotte Hornets ultimately opted to take Miller with the No. 2 pick, pairing a scoring forward with point guard and 2022 All-Star LaMelo Ball.

Henderson, who has previously said he was best player in the class, was selected third by the Portland Trail Blazers. The addition of a highly regarded point guard prospect is sure to ramp up the widespread trade speculation surrounding Damian Lillard.

The Thompson twins, products of Overtime Elite, followed by being selected back-to-back, with Amen Thompson going No. 4 to the Houston Rockets and Ausar Thompson picked fifth by the Detroit Pistons.

The pair becomes the second set of brothers to both become top-five draft picks in the common draft era, following Lonzo Ball (No. 2, 2017) and LaMelo Ball (No. 3, 2020).

Only one of the top five picks played NCAA basketball on their road to the NBA, the fewest since 2001, when players could be drafted directly from high school.

Heading into the draft, many pundits projected conditions ripe for a night full of trades, but teams mostly picked where they were slated.

One notable trade occurred when the Dallas Mavericks traded the No. 10 pick and Davis Bertans to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the No. 12 pick, freeing up cap space for the Mavs via the traded player exception. Dallas used the 12th pick to select Duke center Dereck Lively II as the team continues to try to build a contender around Luka Doncic.

Dallas used the newfound roster flexibility almost immediately, acquiring big man Richaun Holmes and the 24th pick (Marquette forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper) from the Sacramento Kings.  

While all eyes were on Wembanyama at the draft’s onset, he wasn’t the only victory for basketball in France.

Forward Bilal Coulibaly, Wembanyama’s French League teammate on the Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92, was picked seventh overall by the Indiana Pacers but was promptly traded to the Washington Wizards.

The Orlando Magic, who picked Paolo Banchero first overall in last year’s draft, added to their young core by selecting Arkansas guard Anthony Black at No. 6 and using the 11th pick on Michigan swingman Jett Howard, son of former All-Star Juwan Howard.

Fresh off their second NBA Finals appearance in four years, the Miami Heat used the No. 18 pick four-year UCLA product Jaime Jaquez Jr.

The NBA champion Denver Nuggets acquired the No. 29 pick to select Gonzaga forward Julian Strawther.

The San Antonio Spurs selected Victor Wembanyama with the first pick of Thursday’s NBA Draft, affirming what has been a foregone conclusion for more than a month.

The generational talent had been pegged to be the first overall pick for the past year and slotted to go to San Antonio since the Spurs won the league’s draft lottery May 16.

And now it’s official.

The 19-year-old French phenom is the third player to be selected first overall by the Spurs, joining David Robinson in 1987 and Tim Duncan in 1997 – both Hall of Famers and NBA champions.

Wembanyama makes the transition to the NBA after completing his career in the French League last Thursday with his team, Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92, losing in the championship series.

In 33 regular-season games this season, he averaged 21.6 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks.

Considered by many to be the best draft prospect since LeBron James in 2003, Wembanyama can seemingly do it all on the court.

Officially listed at 7-foot-3, he is a phenomenal rim protector, using his long arms to block and alter opponents’ shots.

He can score in the paint and battle for rebounds down low but can also then step out to the perimeter to knock down a 3-pointer.

An adept dribbler and passer, he also handles the ball like a point guard, something seemingly unheard of for someone of his size.

Possessing the rare combination of size, ball-handling and shooting, Wembanyama is expected to make an immediate impact in the NBA for a Spurs team that finished 22-60 last season to miss the playoffs for the fourth year in a row.

By going first overall, he’s the first non-college freshman to be selected No. 1 since 2009, when the Los Angeles Clippers drafted Blake Griffin – a sophomore out of Oklahoma University.

Victor Wembanyama is headed to the San Antonio Spurs.

The Spurs won the NBA draft lottery on Tuesday in Chicago, giving them this year's No. 1 overall draft pick and the opportunity to add a franchise-altering player in Wembanyama.

The 19-year-old French prospect – considered by some to be the best since LeBron James entered the league two decades ago – will almost surely be selected as the top overall pick during next month's draft.

San Antonio finished last season 22-60 and entered the lottery with a 14 per cent chance of claiming the No. 1 pick.

Wembanyama will be the latest in an esteemed line of big men taken atop the lottery by San Antonio.

The other two times the Spurs selected first overall, they picked David Robinson in 1987 and Tim Duncan in 1997 – both NBA champions and Hall of Famers.

Wembanyama will also follow in the legacy of countrymen Tony Parker and Boris Diaw by playing for the Spurs, an organisation known for embracing international players.

Playing in France this season, Wembanyama averaged 21.6 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks for the Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92.

"I believe he's going to be a hall-of-famer," said Will Weaver, an opposing French League coach and former assistant with the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers.

"I coached Kevin Durant, Jarrett Allen. I've been around a lot of good, big men that have a lot of unique skills. I just see his professionalism and competitiveness."

The NBA has yet to acquire an official measurement of Wembanyama, but he is thought to stand anywhere from 7-foot-2 to 7-foot-5.

"He's an incredible young man," NBA commissioner Adam Silver told ESPN during its draft lottery broadcast.

"He's 19 years old and I didn't take out a yardstick or meter stick or whatever they use in France, but he seemed all of 7-4 to me. He clearly appears to be a generational talent."

Wembanyama uses his formidable size to protect the paint and block shots, while flashing ball-handling skills and shooting touch on the offensive end of the floor – a combination that has made him perhaps the most hyped prospect in NBA history.

San Antonio's elation is balanced by the relative disappointment of the other teams in the lottery.

The Charlotte Hornets were awarded the second overall pick. The Portland Trail Blazers will pick third, and the Houston Rockets fourth.

The Detroit Pistons, who finished the season with a league-worst 17-65 record, fell to No. 5.

While Wembanyama is clearly the coveted prize in this year's draft, the class also features several other promising young players, including embattled Alabama forward Brandon Miller and point guard Scoot Henderson, who played last season for the G League Ignite.

The 2023 NBA Draft will take place on Thursday, June 22 in New York.

The Los Angeles Clippers moved a step closer to securing a playoffs berth with a 136-125 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday.

The Clippers claimed a major advantage in the complicated race to avoid the play-in tournament in the Western Conference with Kawhi Leonard top scoring with 27 points.

Leonard shot seven-of-17 from the field for his 27 points with three triples, with eight rebounds and four assists, while Russell Westbrook added 20 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Norman Powell continued his strong form off the bench with 23 points for the Clippers who rallied back from a 70-64 half-time deficit on a 14-2 run early in the third quarter.

Kevin Knox II scored a game-high 30 points for the Blazers, shooting five-of-eight from three-point range.

The Clippers, who have won four of their past six games, are fifth in the West ahead of their final regular season game against the Phoenix Suns, who they will face in the playoffs first round if they hold fifth.

LA (43-38) can finish as low as seventh should they lose to the Suns, with the Golden State Warriors (43-38) taking on Portland, while the New Orleans Pelicans (42-39) can go ahead of them if they also beat the Minnesota Timberwolves as they own the tiebreaker against the Clippers.

Timberwolves rout Spurs to keep race alive

The Minnesota Timberwolves blew out the San Antonio Spurs 151-131, meaning the order of placings in the West's play-in tournament remains undecided.

Anthony Edwards scored 33 points in 25 minutes with Karl-Anthony Towns adding 22, with Spurs conceding their most points allowed in regulation time under coach Gregg Popovich.

The 41-40 Timberwolves are ninth in the West, but hold tiebreakers against the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans, who are both 42-39, ahead of Sunday's final slate of games. The Wolves face the Pels, while the Lakers take on the Utah Jazz.

One seed Nuggets fall to fifth loss in six

The Denver Nuggets may be the number one seed in the West but they suffered their fifth loss from their past six games with a 118-114 defeat to the eliminated Jazz.

Denver's scratchy form ahead of the playoffs continued with Nikola Jokic shooting two-of-five from the field for six points with 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Ochai Agbaji scored a career-high and game-high 28 points with three-of-11 three-pointers as Utah snapped a four-game losing skid.

Gregg Popovich is among those to have been entered into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, it was announced on Saturday.

The San Antonio Spurs coach has won five NBA titles and more games than anyone else in the history of the league, with 1,363 regular season victories and a further 170 in the postseason.

Headliners joining Popovich in the class of 2023 are Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade, as well as two players who played under 'Pop' in San Antonio, Tony Parker and Pau Gasol, and his former assistant and San Antonio Stars player Becky Hammon.

Popovich is coming towards the end of his 27th season with the Spurs, sitting in 14th place in the Western Conference with a record of 19-58.

In better days though, Parker won four championships with Pop at the Spurs, while Gasol makes it more for his success with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he won two titles.

Dallas Mavericks legend Nowitzki won the 2011 championship and is sixth in the NBA's all-time scoring list, while 13-time All Star Wade won three titles during his 13 years with the Miami Heat.

Hammon – a six-time WNBA All Star – worked under Popovich in San Antonio between 2014 and 2022 before becoming head coach of the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA.

LaMarcus Aldridge, a seven-time All-Star who scored over 20,000 points over an accomplished 16-year NBA career, officially announced his retirement on Friday.

Aldridge has not played this season after appearing in 47 games with the Brooklyn Nets in 2021-22.

The 37-year-old briefly retired following the 2020-21 season after being diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat but returned to the Nets the following September after receiving medical clearance.

And Aldridge channelled one of the great sports stars in his announcement.

"In the words of [Tom Brady], you only get one big, emotional retirement," Aldridge wrote on his Twitter account.

"So, on that note... I'm thankful for all the memories, family and friends I made throughout my career. It was one hell of a ride and I enjoyed every min!"

Aldridge entered the NBA in 2006 as the second overall pick of that year's draft following a standout career at the University of Texas.

He spent his first nine seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers and is the franchise's career leader in rebounds, while his 12,562 points in a Blazers uniform trail only Damian Lillard and Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler.

The power forward made four All-Star teams in Portland and was an All-NBA second team selection in his final season with the Blazers in 2014-15 after averaging a career-high 23.4 points per game.

Aldridge left Portland following that season to return to his native Texans by signing a four-year, $80million contract with the San Antonio Spurs. He earned three more All-Star selections over six seasons with San Antonio and again garnered second team All-NBA honours in 2017-18.

The Spurs bought out Aldridge's contract in March 2021 and he signed with the Nets just days afterward in hopes of winning a first NBA championship, though he played just five games over the remainder of that season due to a rapid heartbeat that led to his temporary retirement.

Aldridge became the 48th player in NBA history to reach 20,000 points during his final season and finished his career with 20,558 points, good for 46th place on the NBA's all-time scoring list.

He is one of only 16 players in league history to record 20,000 points and 1,000 blocked shots in a career.

The stacked 2023 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class was reportedly revealed on Tuesday with Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, Tony Parker, Becky Hammon and Gregg Popovich making the cut.

Wade, Nowitzki, Gasol and Parker are all first-ballot selections after playing their final seasons in 2018-19, while it was also Popovich's first time on the ballot after previously declining Hall of Fame consideration in recent years.

Hammon's elevation was also considered simply a matter of time, with the six-time WNBA All-Star, former long-time San Antonio Spurs assistant and 2022 WNBA championship-winning coach with the Las Vegas Aces having put together a stellar resume since turning pro in 1999.

With Hammon's ties to the Spurs, it figures to be a special night for San Antonio fans as Parker and Popovich are enshrined, joining fellow linchpins of their dynasty Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili after their inductions in 2020 and 2022 respectively.

Popovich coached the Spurs to all five of their NBA titles – 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014 – while Parker contributed to the last four after arriving in 2001 following an impressive youth career in France.

The six-foot-two point guard made six All-Star teams, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team three seasons in a row from 2012-14 as the Spurs battled LeBron James' Miami Heat in a legendary rivalry.

His number nine jersey was retired by the Spurs, as is Nowitzki's number 41 jersey with the Dallas Mavericks.

Nowitzki, who for a long period was European basketball's biggest star, brought the Mavericks their only title in 2011 as he took down the Heat in James' first season there.

The German was named league MVP in 2007, and went on to make 14 All-Star teams, while earning 12 All-NBA selections, including four on the First Team in the space of five years.

While both Popovich and Nowitzki could headline a Hall of Fame class in any given year, that honour may go to Wade, who was the architect of all three of Miami's titles in 2006, 2012 and 2013.

Drafted in 2003, Wade ended up carrying the Heat – alongside Shaquille O'Neal – to their first ever championship in only his third season. 

It was the beginning of a run that saw him make 14 All-Star teams, eight All-NBA teams, and three NBA All-Defensive teams as he rivalled James and Kobe Bryant for the status of best player in the league in 2009 and 2010.

While Wade may have been at his peak in 2009 and 2010, both of those seasons ended with Gasol lifting the title with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Gasol spent just six-and-a-half seasons in Los Angeles, but it is where he will be most fondly remembered after making such a profound impact that he recently had his number 16 jersey retired into the rafters alongside running-mate Bryant.

Adding to his NBA resume was his spectacular international play, where he became the all-time leading scorer in EuroBasket play, averaging 20.4 per game in 58 appearances for his country, while also carrying Spain to their first ever FIBA World Cup gold medal in 2006.

All-Star Luka Doncic has been ruled out for a third straight game for the Dallas Mavericks as he continues to recover from a thigh injury sustained last week.

Doncic will miss the Mavs' game against the 17-50 San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday with a left thigh strain.

Fellow All-Star guard Kyrie Irving is listed as questionable due to right foot soreness, having missed the past two games as well.

The Mavs have lost those past two games, both against the Memphis Grizzlies, without their star duo, putting pressure on their playoffs hopes.

Dallas have fallen below .500 with a 34-35 record, slipping down to eighth in the tight Western Conference, having lost six of their past eight games.

Christian Wood (foot) and Tim Hardaway Jr (calf) are also listed as questionable for Wednesday's game, potentially further depleting the Mavs' offensive options.

Doncic avoided serious injury after an MRI on his thigh came up clear last Thursday having exited Wednesday's defeat against the New Orleans Pelicans due to the injury.

It had been expected that the Slovenian would return to the court one the discomfort and pain subsided but his prolonged absence will not help their playoffs aspirations.

Doncic is ranked second in the NBA for points per game at 33.0, behind only Joel Embiid (33.4) this season.

Joel Embiid did his MVP chances no harm on Friday as he carried the Philadelphia 76ers to their fourth win in a row with a 120-119 home win against the Portland Trail Blazers.

It was looking like Portland's night early on as they built a 71-50 lead approaching half-time, led primarily by the hot-shooting Anfernee Simons on his way to a team-high 34 points on 13-of-22 from the field.

But from that point on they were outscored 70-48 in a true game of two halves, although the 76ers still found themselves down 11 going into the final period.

The driving force behind the comeback was Embiid, who re-entered the game with 6:33 remaining and his team down 110-98. He scored nine of his game-high 39 points in the final six minutes – matching Portland's scoring efforts as a team down the stretch.

He finished 13-of-20 from the field and 13-of-18 from the free throw line, adding seven rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals in a dominant two-way masterclass.

James Harden chipped in a near triple-double in support, scoring 19 points (six-of-14 shooting) with nine rebounds and eight assists.

With the win, Philadelphia improved their record to 44-22, just 1.5 games behind the Boston Celtics (46-21) in the race for the second seed in the East as the Milwaukee Bucks (48-18) pull away in front.

Portland fell to 31-36, leaving them 13th in the West and 1.5 games outside of the play-in tournament placings.

Jokic's triple-double winning streak comes to an end

The Denver Nuggets had been unbeaten in the 25 games this season Nikola Jokic had tallied a triple-double, until the San Antonio Spurs upset them 128-120.

The loss was not the fault of the reigning back-to-back MVP, as he scored a game-high 37 points (14-of-24 shooting) to go with 11 rebounds and 11 assists, but he lost his top offensive wing in the third quarter when Michael Porter Jr was ejected.

San Antonio had six players reach double figures, led by Keldon Johnson's 23 points (eight-of-17 shooting), eight rebounds, six assists and two steals, while Tre Jones was a game-high plus/minus of plus 21 off the bench after contributing 14 points (five-of-seven), eight assists and three steals.

Denver remain six games clear atop the Western Conference.

Nets survive in overtime

The playoff-bound Brooklyn Nets have won four of their past five after emerging victorious 124-123 following an overtime scare on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Brooklyn made it to the fourth quarter with a nine-point lead, but scored only 17 points in the period to allow Minnesota back into the game, and Naz Reid completed the comeback with a clutch game-tying three-pointer to beat the buzzer.

But led by Mikal Bridge's 34 points (13-of-24) and Spencer Dinwiddie's 29 (11-of-24) with 11 assists, the Nets narrowly prevailed in the extra five minutes, with Dorian Finney-Smith's go-ahead three-pointer proving the difference.

Kyrie Irving scored 26 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter but it was not enough as the fast-finishing Dallas Mavericks lost 124-121 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.

Irving and Luka Doncic (33 points) combined for 69 points for the Mavs, who trailed 100-82 at three-quarter time and rallied from a 26-point deficit.

The Mavs point guard, however, lost the ball to Taurean Prince with an errant pass on the final possession, denying Dallas getting a shot away to tie the game after a disrupted play where he exchanged passes with Doncic.

Irving's 26-point fourth quarter was the highest scoring quarter of his career, finishing the game on 15-of-23 shooting with four-of-nine from beyond the arc, along with five rebounds and six assists.

Doncic had 12 rebounds and six assists with his 33 points, while Christian Wood added 24 points off the bench.

For the triumphant Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards scored a team-high 32 points with five rebounds, while Rudy Gobert had 21 points and 14 rebounds.

The defeat means the Mavs have lost both games Doncic and Irving have played together since the latter's trade from the Brooklyn Nets last week.

Lillard leads long-range Blazers blitz over Lakers

Damien Lillard scored 40 points as the Portland Trail Blazers hit 23 three-pointers in a 127-115 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, who were missing LeBron James for the third straight game with a sore left ankle.

The Blazers' 23 triples were a season-best, while they broke their first-half franchise record with 17 three-pointers. Lillard led the way from range, making eight-of-14 three-point attempts.

Malik Beasley came off the bench to top score for the Lakers with 22 points, including six three-pointers, while Anthony Davis scored 19 points with 20 rebounds and three blocks.

Mitchell stars as Spurs lose 13th straight

Donovan Mitchell scored 41 points with five three-pointers as the Cleveland Cavaliers condemned the San Antonio Spurs to a joint franchise record 13th straight defeat.

The Cavs won 117-109 led by Mitchell with Jarrett Allen adding 17 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, securing their seventh successive victory to improve their record to 38-22.

The loss leaves San Antonio with a 14-44 record, with their run of defeats marking their worst since the 1988-89 season.

Joel Embiid and James Harden led the Philadelphia 76ers to a hard-fought 101-98 win against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on Saturday.

The Nets, now shorn of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, had to face another of their former stars in Harden, who had no problem showing them the kind of form he rarely displayed in Brooklyn on his first appearance there since leaving last year, scoring 29 points with six rebounds and six assists.

Embiid had an even better outing, with the Cameroonian finishing with 37 points and 13 rebounds, making 12 of his 18 field-goal attempts.

Mikal Bridges scored 23 on debut for Brooklyn after his arrival as part of the Durant deal with the Phoenix Suns, with fellow debutant Cam Johnson adding 12, while Joe Harris managed 18 points from just over 16 minutes on court.

The two players the Nets acquired as part of the Irving deal, Dorian Finney-Smith and Spencer Dinwiddie, struggled against the Sixers.

Finney-Smith made just two of his eight field-goal attempts, while Dinwiddie fared even worse with two from 10, and zero from four shots from beyond the arc.

Dinwiddie thought he had forced overtime at least when a three-pointer finally went in, but it was ruled out of time after a review as Philadelphia secured the victory.

 

Doncic and Irving outfoxed by De'Aaron

In their first outing together for the Dallas Mavericks, Luka Doncic and Irving could not get the W as De'Aaron Fox helped the Sacramento Kings to an overtime victory.

Both Doncic and Irving spent more than 40 minutes on the court, scoring 27 and 28 points respectively in a tight game in which neither team ended a quarter with more than a two-point lead.

Fox particularly shone in the latter stages as he recorded 26 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, including six free throws in the final 18.4 seconds to help seal a 133-128 win at Golden 1 Center.

Jokic makes history, Young's assist bonanza

Nikola Jokic became only the fifth player in NBA history to record 20+ triple-doubles in a single season as he led the Denver Nuggets to a 119-105 win at the Charlotte Hornets.

The two-time MVP scored 30 points, with 16 rebounds and 10 assists, while Trae Young also had a productive game as the Atlanta Hawks beat the San Antonio Spurs 125-106.

Young provided an impressive season-high 17 assists for his team to go with his 24 points to make it a 12-game losing streak for the Spurs, their longest since 1988-89 (13).

A much-changed Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a 109-103 victory against the Golden State Warriors, with Dennis Schroder top-scoring with 26 points, while the returning D'Angelo Russell added 15 and Anthony Davis recorded 16 rebounds.

Dewayne Dedmon's time with the Heat is over after Miami traded the back-up centre to the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday.

The Spurs also receive a second-round pick in the 2028 draft, while the Heat got cash considerations, which gives the franchise financial flexibility.

Dedmon is averaging 5.7 points and 3.6 rebounds in 30 games this season, but has only appeared in one contest since being ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct in a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on January 10.

In that game, the 33-year-old argued with Heat coaches about playing time, feuded with team-mates and knocked a massage gun onto the court during play. He was suspended for one game by the Heat for his actions.

He joins a San Antonio team that has the second-worst record in the Western Conference at 14-40, and this will be his second stint with the franchise after playing there in 2016-17.

The 10-year veteran with career averages of 6.4 points and 5.8 rebounds has also played for the Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings.

The Heat, who are atop the Southeast Division with a 29-25 record, move on without Dedmon, as well as Kyle Lowry for the foreseeable future.

Lowry sat out Saturday's loss to the Milwaukee Bucks due to left knee soreness, and the Heat announced he will miss at least three more games.

He will be re-evaluated next week, with Miami having just two more games before the All-Star break.

The 17-year veteran missed three games in January due to left knee discomfort and he has struggled to find his shot since returning, averaging 5.6 points on 25 per cent shooting in his last five games.

On the season, the 36-year-old is averaging 12 points – his lowest scoring average since averaging 11.6 points in 2012-13 for the Toronto Raptors.

The Philadelphia 76ers have now won nine of their past 10 games after Joel Embiid overpowered the San Antonio Spurs in a 137-125 road victory on Friday.

Embiid, who is leading the league in scoring at 33.5 points per game, put together what seemed like an effortless 33 points on 10-of-18 shooting. He also added 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals.

His 1.1 steals per game this season are tied for his career-high, while Embiid is also one of six players averaging at least one steal and one block per game, joining Anthony Davis, Kristaps Porzingis, Jaren Jackson Jr, Jaden McDaniels and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The 76ers took control of the game with a 47-point second quarter, jumping ahead by 12 at half-time, and the margin never got any closer than nine points the rest of the way.

Embiid was supported well by Tyrese Maxey off the bench with 25 points (eight-of-15 shooting) in 27 minutes, while James Harden finished with 16 points (four-of-10) and eight assists.

For the Spurs, it was an impressive showing from first-round rookie Malaki Branham as he scored a career-high 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting, just two days after setting a career-high of 22 points (nine-of-13) against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.

With the win, the 76ers improved to 34-17 – the fourth-best record in the NBA.

Suns resurgence continues

The Phoenix Suns (28-26) have climbed back into the Western Conference's top-six after a strong 106-94 road win against the league-leading Boston Celtics (37-16).

Phoenix's season was on life support a couple of weeks ago as they collected only two wins from a 14-game stretch while both Devin Booker and Chris Paul sat out with injuries, but Paul's return has ignited a 7-2 run from their past nine.

Against the Celtics, Paul led both teams with a game-high eight assists to go with 15 points (six-of-15) and six rebounds, while Mikal Bridges's 25 points on nine-of-20 shooting led the Suns in scoring.

It was a night to forget for Celtics MVP candidate Jayson Tatum, shooting just three-of-15 from the field.

Pacers claim bragging rights over trade partner

In a clash between All-Stars who swapped places last season, it was Buddy Hield leading the Indiana Pacers to a 107-104 home win against the Sacramento Kings.

These teams engaged in one of the biggest trades of the 2021-22 campaign when the Pacers sent Domantas Sabonis to the Sacramento Kings for point guard Tyrese Haliburton and Hield, with Sabonis and Haliburton both earning All-Star nods this season on their new teams.

But it was Hield rising to the occasion against his former side, scoring a team-high 21 points on eight-of-15 shooting while also collecting his third double-double of the season with 10 rebounds, and his six assists were his most since October.

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