Category: Sports News

Instead of talking solely about tonight’s opponent the Utah Jazz, I’m going to use this opportunity to talk about the teams in the lottery and discuss which team would win if the NBA rigged it and had their way.

We’ll go in reverse order of standings from the day this is written (April 2).

13. Miami Heat: I think the NBA would love to give a top 4 pick to Heat. It’s a big market and they’re kind of stuck right now. They’ve got some good pieces and adding Cam Boozer or AJ Dybansta (Darryn Peterson is not a “Heat Culture” guy) would make them quite the marquee team going into next season in the East. Still, their odds are too low and it would be too obvious if Adam Silver gave Pat Riley a top pick. Could they jump into the top 4? Maybe.

12. Portland Trail Blazers: Look, this is a good team. However, they’re still missing a superstar (apologies to Deni Avdija). Damian Lillard is coming back next year and that’s the story. And they’ve already tried the “Give the Blazers a top point guard and let Dame mentor him” thing and it didn’t work. I will say that giving them the top pick could allow the franchise to move on from the Chauncey Billups saga and get that player on television often since the Blazers could be considered contenders to finish in the top 6 in the West next season with a big addition in the draft.

11. Golden State Warriors: I think the Warriors will make the playoffs so they won’t have a shot here, but if they did, this is a tasty one for the league. They gave them a shot at LaMelo Ball and they took James Wiseman isntead, so they’ve failed at this before like the Blazers. But Steph, Jimmy, Draymond, and Boozer? Scary.

10. Milwaukee Bucks: If the Bucks win, we’ll know that Giannis is getting traded soon. This could be the NBA’s “Please trade him to a contender and we’ll give you the lottery” move. Milwaukee doesn’t own it’s own picks until like 2040 so this is their best chance for a while.

9. Chicago Bulls: Remember when the Bulls were 6-0 and actually looked like a good team? Yeah. Putting another star in Chicago would have the league drooling, but the Bulls have proven their ineptitude over and over since the Derrick Rose days.

8. Memphis Grizzlies: The Grizzlies also own Orlando’s pick at 14 if that turns into anything. The Grizzlies are clearly in rebuild mode after trading away Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. Both netted great returns and the Grizz have a chance to really good in five years. The top pick could kickstart that window. Dybansta or Peterson here would be great, but would suck as a fun of a Southwest Division team. I think they move into the top 4. This team and fanbase need something because the relocation whispers are going to get louder if they don’t show glimpses quickly.

7. Atlanta Hawks (via New Orleans Pelicans): The Hawks are good, and they have their franchise player in Jalen Johnson. They won the lottery recently and Risacher has been okay but averaged under 20 minutes a night in March. Does the league want to reward a team that just tried to pull of “Magic City Night?” I think not.

6. Dallas Mavericks: If the Mavs win the lottery again, we’ll know that Nico Harrison had assurances that they would when he traded Luka Doncic. Remember the “Now you see the vision” comments after they won the lottery last year? And suddenly, that trade would look slightly better (still awful, but less so). Pairing Duke boys Boozer and Cooper Flagg would be terrifying for a decade. Dybansta and Flagg would also be scary since it would give them two initiators and ball-handlers. It would also solve Dallas’s immediate need for a point guard, but so would Kingston Flemings, Darius Acuff Jr., or Keaton Wagler.

5. Utah Jazz: The league does not want to see the Jazz get the top pick this year after their blatant tank job. This would be the NBA’s worst nightmare and next season we would see teams at the bottom go even harder than Utah did this year. It would set a terrible precedent. No chance.

4. Sacramento Kings: Speaking of fanbases that deserve some hope, the Kings had one magic season after two decades of futility just to lose to the Warriors. The “Light the Beam” stuff was fun, but the Kings have proven that they’ll probably just surround their top pick with current members of the Chicago Bulls. Cam Boozer and Josh Giddey, anyone?

3. Indiana Pacers: Now we’re getting somewhere. The Pacers are already ready to be contenders next season with Tyrese Haliburton’s return. Team him and Pascal Siakam with Boozer or Peterson? That’s a contender in the East. But the Pacers were also fined for unethical tanking like the Jazz, so I think the league wouldn’t mind them slotting somewhere in the 3-6 range (and getting a really good player in this loaded draft).

2. Brooklyn Nets: I was tempted to write the Nets off after they drafted five players in the first round last year and none have produced. Egor Demin has shown flashes, but their best rookie in terms of analytics has been Malachi Smith, who has played nine games and wasn’t drafted and is on his second 10-day contract. Still, it’s tantalizing to put the top pick in New York and get some buzz back in the Big Apple’s lesser team.

And finally, at 1. Washington Wizards. The Wiz are bad, BUT there are some fun ideas to go with giving them the top pick. Alex Sarr is a good NBA player, and Kyshawn George has shown signs of being good. Next year, they’ll add Anthony Davis and a full year of Trae Young. They could draft any of the potential top picks and have clear minutes for them on day 1. Dybansta is probably the flashiest addition, but Peterson works here too in certain situations.

This a draft unlike several others recently where there’s been one star at the top and then some question marks afterwards. In this draft, there’s a clear top 3, then there’s a solid 3 or 4 after that that could be really good. So half of these teams are going to get a player with a lot of upside to excite their fanbases, but I think if the league is rigging this, it goes like this:

1. Dallas (if it was already agreed upon)
2. Washington
3. Milwaukee
4. Golden State
5. Brooklyn

Obivously, that’s not a draft order but you get it.

Tip-off

7pm CT

How To Watch

Space City Home Network

Injury Report

Rockets

Steven Adams: OUT

Fred VanVleet: OUT

Jazz

Keyonte George: GTD

Lauri Markkanen: OUT

Jusuf Nurkic: OUT

Isaish Collier: GTD

Elijah Harkless: GTD

The Line (as of this post)

N/A

Check here for updates

Looking ahead because we can

Sunday night on the road against the Golden State Warriors

This game was over once the ball went up. The Thunder showed the Lakers why they are 10 games behind the defending champs.

They suffocated them defensively as the Lakers didn’t make a field goal until the 7:07 mark in the first quarter. OKC jumped in front by as many as 23 in the opening quarter and scored 82 in the first half, essentially ending the contest.

To make matters worse, the Lakers also didn’t come out of this game healthy. Luka Dončić injured his left hamstring and exited the game in the third quarter, and Austin Reaves also appeared to be banged up, holding his back throughout the night. He was luckily able to play the rest of the game.

The only good news, or maybe it’s bad news, is that they’ll play OKC again next Tuesday. They certainly have plenty of room for improvement.

So, let’s dive into the loss. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.

Jake LaRavia

33 minutes, 6 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 3-10 FG, 0-2 3PT, -15

LaRavia had a couple of nice defensive plays against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the first quarter. After that, his play matched the rest of the team, which was pretty rough.

Grade: F

LeBron James

26 minutes, 13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 3-7 FG, 1-4 3PT, 6-8 FT, -37

LeBron was a non-factor in this game. He didn’t have any burst and the scoring never really materialized.

Grade: F

Deandre Ayton

20 minutes, 8 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 4-7 FG, -23

It’s hard to recall any positive plays from Ayton. He had a nice floater in the paint during the first half and that was about it.

Grade: F

Austin Reaves

27 minutes, 15 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 turnovers, 1 foul, 5-9 FG, 2-3 3PT, 3-3 FT, -23

These are the type of games where Reaves has to rise and perform. He did not. It’s the slimmest of silver linings, but at least he acknowledged it postgame.

Grade: D+

Luka Dončić

26 minutes, 12 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 6 turnovers, 3-10 FG, 1-7 3PT, 5-6 FT, -25

What a bummer it is that Luka hurt his hamstring in this game. Even before the injury, he struggled. He shot 30% from the field and didn’t handle the size and physicality the Thunder brought. Right now, though, all that matters is that his MRI comes back clean so he can continue playing.

Grade: F

Luke Kennard

33 minutes, 7 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 3-8 FG, 1-4 3PT, -28

Kennard played a ton, especially in the second half when the game was out of reach. He didn’t do much, converting only one 3-pointer.

Grade: C

Rui Hachimura

18 minutes, 4 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 1 block, 2-9 FG, 0-3 3PT, -39

Hachimura was bad defensively and even worse offensively. Another player who didn’t do enough against OKC.

Grade: F

Jaxson Hayes

21 minutes, 12 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 3-3 FG, 6-8 FT, -17

Hayes did a good job in his role. He backed up Ayton, scored near the rim, and even shot well from the free throw line. It didn’t impact the game, but he played fine.

Grade: B

Bronny James

18 minutes, 10 points, 1 assist, 1 block, 3 turnovers, 4-8 FG, 2-4 3PT, -8

Bronny has been getting short rotational shifts recently and has played well in those spots. Against the Thunder, he did the same. He played hard, knocked down some shots, and defended okay.

There are many more important things happening, but it was great to see Bronny play well.

Grade: B+

Jarred Vanderbilt

12 minutes, 9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 4-7 FG, 0-2 3PT, 1-2 FT, +2

Vando is always ready to work. He played for just 12 minutes, but brought energy and even scored a few baskets. Vando was the only Laker to have a positive plus-minus on the night.

Grade: B+

Maxi Kleber

Kleber played for just eight minutes, so he will not receive a grade.

JJ Redick

Redick called a couple of timeouts to try to stop the bleeding in the first quarter, but it didn’t help. He did what he could to put LA in a position to win, but the Thunder were just so much better in this game.

Grade: C

Thursday’s inactives: Marcus Smart, Nick Smith Jr., Chris Mañon, Kobe Bufkin, Dalton Knecht, Adou Thiero, Drew Timme

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

SAN FRANCISCO — “What if” has been the defining question of the Warriors’ season, and Golden State had to be left wondering the same after taking one of the NBA’s top teams to the wire but falling short once again with their superstar watching in street clothes.

The Warriors simply lacked the firepower to put away the Cavaliers, allowing a team playing its third game in four nights to score 18 of the final 26 points in a 118-111 loss.

The good news is the Warriors won’t be left wondering much longer, with Steph Curry reportedly set to make his long-awaited return on Sunday. In the meantime, an undermanned Warriors team put in a valiant effort but took its 18th loss in 27 games without Curry.

Gui Santos scored 25 and Brandin Podziemski sank a couple clutch 3s to finish with 23, but the Warriors had no answer for the closing power of James Harden and Donovan Mitchell.

Max Strus sank six 3s, including two in the the final 2 minutes, to finish with 24 points as Cleveland shot 44.4% from deep (16-for-36) and 51.2% from the field (42-for-82) to offset the Warriors’ 23 points off their 15 turnovers and a dozen more shot attempts.

What it means

There’s little the Warriors can do at this point about their position in the Western Conference standings, so all that matters is how they’re able to integrate Curry over their final five games.

The loss dropped them to 36-41, guaranteeing only their second .500 or worse finish in Steve Kerr’s 12 seasons. 

Turning point

Everything changed after Dennis Schroder delivered a hard foul on LJ Cryer early in the fourth quarter. Schroder fouled Cryer from behind under the basket and pushed him to the ground, earning a flagrant, and was assessed a technical only seconds later.

The play ignited the crowd inside Chase Center and the Warriors alike.

The Cavs were leading 94-87 at the time, but the Warriors used three technical free throws from Cryer and a pair of 3-pointers from Brandin Podziemski to take their first lead since the early moments of the first quarter with a 9-0 run that put them ahead 98-94 with 7:57 remaining.

Including calls against Draymond Green and Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson, there were three technicals and one flagrant called within a span of less than 30 seconds.

Cleveland held multiple leads of double digits early, but it was a battle from then on.

MVP: Gui Santos

Santos sank a clutch corner 3 that put the Warriors up 103-100 with less than four minutes to play and generally looked unbothered by a pelvic contusion that kept him out Wednesday night.

That was the last time the Warriors led, as Mitchell provided an immediate answer on the other end with his own triple and the Cavs outscored Golden State 18-8 the rest of the way.

Stat of the game: 54

The Warriors rested Kristaps Porzingis, De’Anthony Melton, Gui Santos and Gary Payton II in Wednesday’s loss to the Spurs with the intent of having them available against the Cavs.

The four players combined for 54 of Golden State’s points.

Everybody made an impact except Melton, who finished 2-of-12 from the field for five points.

Up next

Curry could be back in uniform the next time the Warriors take the court. After missing his 27th consecutive game with runner’s knee, Curry is set to be re-evaluated before Golden State hosts the Rockets on Sunday. If all checks out, it could be Curry’s first game since Jan. 30.

It wasn’t pretty, but the Cleveland Cavaliers were able to execute well enough late to defeat an undermanned Golden State Warriors team 118-111 to cap off their three-game road trip.

This was a messy game for both sides. The Warriors were playing without several star players, including Steph Curry, and were also on the second night of a back-to-back.

The Cavs have struggled with their lack of size this road trip, with the injuries to Dean Wade (ankle) and Jaylon Tyson (toe). That, combined with an inability to take care of the ball — the Cavs turned it over 15 times, leading to 23 points off turnovers for Golden State — made for an uneven performance.

Cleveland controlled the game throughout most of the first three quarters. They pushed their lead to 13 late in the second quarter and had a 12-point advantage midway through the third.

Any momentum the Cavs had stalled out in the fourth quarter. The defense struggled to get stops in the final quarter and was also on the wrong end of a few calls. In one defensive possession, the Cavs were assessed a flagrant foul and two technicals. They were also on the wrong end of a made triple that same trip down the court.

The Warriors used that sequence to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter, but they weren’t able to create much separation. They could only push their advantage to four.

To the Cavs’ credit, they were able to fight through what was a frustrating game. Their late-game offensive execution was once again good, thanks in part to Max Strus. He knocked down two crucial threes late; his last made it a two-possession game with under a minute left in the fourth. Those triples, combined with some timely points from Jarrett Allen and James Harden, were enough to secure the victory.

As was mentioned earlier, turnovers were an issue. Harden and Donovan Mitchell combined to give it away nine times. Many of these were due to simply lacking focus.

Additionally, the defense struggled, even though the Warriors weren’t able to take advantage of it as they should’ve. The Cavs are missing size on the wing and have been forced into more four-guard lineups than head coach Kenny Atkinson would likely prefer to play. That, predictably, led to uneven results defensively.

Mitchell led the Cavs with 25 points on 7-14 shooting to go along with six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block.

Strus poured in 24 points on 6-10 shooting from deep. The Cavs played their best basketball with him on the court as he led the team in plus/minus by being a +17.

Harden had 19 points on 7-11 shooting with five assists in the victory.

The free-throw issues for the bigs continued. Evan Mobley and Allen accounted for all of Cleveland’s eight missed foul shots. Mobley missed both of his attempts at the charity stripe. He finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Allen went 6-12 from the line. He provided 16 points and 13 rebounds.

The Warriors were led by 25 points from both Gui Santos and Brandon Podziemski. Kristaps Porzingis added in 16 points and seven rebounds in the loss. Draymond Green had eight points on 3-11 shooting with nine rebounds and nine assists.

The win secured the Cavs a top-six spot in the playoffs for the fourth season in a row.

The Cavaliers will return home to take on the Indiana Pacers on Easter. Tip-off is at 6 PM.

On a night where everything that could go wrong did for the Lakers, the biggest blow did not come on the scoreboard.

In the third quarter of Thursday’s demoralizing loss to the Thunder, Luka Dončić came to a stop for a jumper and immediately grabbed the back of his left leg. He lost the ball and hobbled to the baseline before lying down on the ground.

According to multiple reports, Luka will undergo an MRI on Friday to determine the severity of his hamstring strain.

The broadcast showed Luka walking off on his own power, but clearly upset. He went straight to the Lakers’ locker room.

Luka was ruled out for the rest of the game after the third quarter, which was not a shock given the score as the Thunder led by 45 going into the fourth. Not long after Luka suffered his injury, the rest of the Lakers’ starters were pulled from the game.

It was the capper on a brutal night for the Lakers, who were throttled by the Thunder from the opening tip. Luka grabbed at his left hamstring multiple times throughout the night, but did not seem hobbled by the injury until the moment in the second half.

After the game, head coach JJ Redick said that Luka received treatment at halftime for a hamstring injury and was cleared to play by the training staff.

Of note, Thursday was Luka’s 64th game of the season, leaving him one game short of the 65-game minimum to be eligible for postseason awards. While he’s a long shot for MVP, he’s a shoo-in for First Team All-NBA if he can play one more game this season.

This live story will be updated as more information becomes available.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Lakers coach JJ Redick said his team knew what time it was ahead of Thursday’s marquee matchup against the Thunder.

But they didn’t play like it.

Not even close.

The Lakers’ 139-96 blowout loss to the Thunder was troubling in a variety of ways.

They struggled with the signature defensive pressure and tenacity of the defending champions, leading to a turnover-filled first quarter.

Their energy and urgency dipped once it was clear their shotmaking wasn’t going to be there for them – the first time in a while that’s been the case.

They were defeated well before the final buzzer sounded.

“They beat the s— out of us,” Austin Reaves said. “They’re the defending champs. We’ve got to be better. Losing always sucks. It don’t matter if you lose by 1 or 50. A loss is a loss. That’s kind of how I look at it.”

But before the night ended, the final result didn’t feel relevant, with star guard Luka Doncic leaving the game during the third quarter because of a left hamstring injury.

Doncic will get imaging down on Friday to determine the severity of his injury. He, along with all of the Lakers, were having a rough night before he left the game.

Doncic had 12 points (3-of-10 shooting, 1 of 7 on 3s), 7 assists and 4 rebounds in 26 minutes before his exit. 

Austin Reaves led the Lakers with 15 points and 4 assists, but was grabbing at his left side throughout the night. 

LeBron James finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds. 

What it means

The Lakers fell to 50-27 for just their third loss in their last 19 games, dropping the regular-season series to the Thunder.

But most importantly, they left Paycom Center without knowing the status of their best player moving forward. 

Turning point 

When Reaves turned the ball over on the Lakers’ third possession. 

It was the first of back-to-back possessions that ended with a turnover for the Lakers, with the Thunder taking advantage and scoring off both giveaways, leading to Redick calling an early timeout.

“I did a poor job starting the game,” Reaves said. “A couple turnovers back-to-back. I had four in that first quarter. I just gotta do better. Give ourselves a better opportunity to get to a better start.”

The Thunder had full control of the game from there.

MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The league’s reigning MVP didn’t have the most efficient scoring night by his standards, shooting 12 of 25 from the field (1 of 4 on 3-pointers), finishing with 28 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds in 30 minutes.  

But he controlled the game early with his passing when his shots weren’t falling.

And when Gilgeous-Alexander did get it going, the Lakers didn’t have an answer.

Gilgeous-Alexander likely cemented himself with another league MVP honors with Thursday’s performance.

Stat of the game: 8

That’s how many turnovers the Lakers had in the first 7 ½ minutes of the game, directly leading to 14 points for the Thunder, who had a 25-9 lead midway through the first.

The Lakers finished with 18 giveaways against the Thunder’s stingy defense. 

But the lack of ball security early took them out of the game before they were even able to get in it. 

“We frankly had unforced turnovers,” Redick said. “They had a lot more shots on goal to start the game. The eight turnovers in the first quarter really hurt us.” 

Up next

The Lakers will play the Mavericks in Dallas on Sunday to end the two-game trip.

While much focus has been on NBA expansion to Seattle and Las Vegas, several players have expressed a desire to have another team relocated.

The latest is Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who voiced his opinion that the NBA should move out of Memphis.

While golfing in a Bob Does Sports video, host Robby Berger asked the 41-year-old James whether travel for NBA games wears on him more as he ages.

"Yeah, a random (expletive) Tuesday in Milwaukee staying at the (expletive) Hyatt at 41 years old, you think I want to do that (expletive)," James responded. "Being in Memphis on a (expletive) random (expletive) Thursday."

He then went on a tirade about the Grizzlies needing to pack their bags and relocate.

"I'm not like the first guy to even talk about it in the NBA," James said. "Like, we're all like 'you guys have to move.' Just go over to Nashville. You got Vanderbilt over there. You got the (expletive) NASCAR. You got a stadium. Don't they have a hockey team, too? Like they got everything."

Nashville has a population of more than 700,000 and its a thriving sports town that houses NASCAR races, the NHL's Nashville Predators, NFL's Tennessee Titans, the University of Vanderbilt and Tennessee State University, a historically Black College and University.

Nashville is a nice city. Downtown Nashville is lively. As for Memphis, James maybe just has a vendetta against it.

James and the No. 7-seed Lakers bounced a No. 2-seeded Grizzlies team in the first round of the 2023 playoffs, 4-2. The series was talked up because a young Grizzlies team led by Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks trash talked the Lakers, with their fans quoting "Whoop That Trick" from the Memphis-based movie "Hustle & Flow."

So, maybe James really doesn't like Memphis. He even joked that he'd never play for Memphis.

"Yeah, they know," James said. "Their only chance would have been 2003 if they would have won the lottery and I might have pulled an Eli Manning and not showed up."

NBA community chimes in on Memphis

Memphis hasn't been on the best end of things of late. In a episode of "Sundae Conversation with Caleb Pressley" uploaded Feb. 22, Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards was asked how often he thought about the hotel being used when he traveled to different cities.

Edwards said he always thinks about that, especially in Memphis.

"I be like, damn, my hotels ain't nothing in Memphis," Edwards said. "My (expletive) be dirty. I walked in a Memphis hotel one time, it had stains and (expletive) on the bed."

Warriors forward Draymond Green recalled his experiences in Memphis, as well, on an episode of his podcast, "The Draymond Green Show." Spoiler alert, they weren't good memories.

"I've spent a lot of time in Memphis. And the hotels aren't the best. They aren't quite the hotels when you're in LA or Houston or Miami or Atlanta or Detroit or Portland or (Oklahoma City) or Indianapolis or Toronto or New York or Philly or Boston or DC or Charlotte or Orlando or San Antonio or Dallas or Phoenix," Green said. "You get the gist. Memphis definitely has the worst hotels in the league, no question."

He claimed Memphis does not have some of the bigger hotel companies, like other NBA cities. He also said Memphis hotels didn't have room service or spas. He recalled a situation where the Warriors had to switch hotels.

"We had an issue there, where we used to stay at one hotel in Memphis, and this (was) days back, we stopped staying there because their sprinklers just went off for no reason in the room and drenched all of Andrew Bogut's stuff," Green said. "The sprinkler system, like it was a fire, just went off, drenched all Bogut's stuff. And they didn't want to do anything about it, so we switched hotels. So it's been an issue. It's gotten a little better, I must say, but it's not ... it's still not the other cities."

Green, like James, believes the solution would be to move the team to Nashville. On a March 18 episode of his podcast, Green commented on NBA expansion, repositioning conferences and the teams that make them up.

He offered his two cents to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

"Just do everybody a favor and move that team to Nashville. There's no great hotels in Memphis. I love the people of Memphis. They are incredible. Shout out to the people of Memphis. I love them. But just from an NBA standpoint," Green said. "Get Memphis the hell out of Memphis and send them to Nashville. Do the right thing, people. It's a reason the Tennessee Titans are in Nashville, do the right thing. Just go on to Nashville. Don't charge them a relocation fee. They just going up the street and doing all us a favor."

He added: "Let's not charge them a relocation fee. Please. Let them just do us all a favor and take the team to Nashville. No problem, no harm, no foul. It's a swap. You ain't got to pay the relocation fee. Go to Nashville. Do us all a favor, Adam, nobody will be upset. Not one person will be upset."

Former NBA players give takes on Memphis

Retired NBA player and "All The Smoke" podcast host Matt Barnes said he had a similar perception until he played for Memphis. Barnes played 17 NBA seasons for the Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers and Grizzlies.

"When I went out there, I actually enjoyed it. It was everything I needed in my life at the time, coming fresh off a divorce and coming off a dysfunctional Lob City (Clippers) team, I was kind of able to reset and center," Barnes said. "They had great food. The women were very nice to me out there. It was a really hospitable city. Everyone was super cool. But it is one of those cities, outside looking in, if you don't spend a ton of time there."

Barnes and frequent "All The Smoke" podcast co-host, former NBA player Vernon Maxwell, rattled off some of their least favorite cities to be in. They included Milwaukee, Utah, Cleveland and Sacramento, although Barnes went on to say that Sacramento was a hidden gem.

Former players Channing Frye, Richard Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins all expressed their opinions of Memphis during a February episode of their 'Road Trippin' podcast. Frye vehemently agreed that Memphis wasn't a favorable stay.

"Memphis is easily the worst," Frye said.

When Jefferson was asked, he screamed, "Memphis" as his answer.

Perkins agreed that Memphis was the worst city when it came to hotels.

Jefferson went on to explain that NBA players stay at five-star hotels, or the best the city has to offer. When players go to Memphis, it is seen as a downgrade.

"You stay in the nicest hotels and then you go to Memphis and you stay in a Westin," Jefferson said. "Now, imagine if you got traded to Memphis. There's a probability that you might have to stay in that hotel for two weeks, the level of depression you would go to just from staying in that hotel when you literally are staying in Ritz-Carltons, Four Seasons, like the nicest five-star hotels all around the country, and then you go to Memphis and you're staying in this Westin, and every team stays in The Westin or the Peabody. It's not great, bro."

He added: "This is a beautiful city. I've got no issues with Memphis, but let's have a business conversation. Memphis is the only NBA franchise that, once they (built) the arena, they didn't build up the infrastructure around it. It is the only one. Every other one has built up restaurants, a nicer hotel. They've built up something around the arena. Memphis has not in their entire time there."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LeBron James unloads on Memphis, Grizzlies to Bob Does Sports crew

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Miles Bridges scored 25 points, rookie Kon Knueppel set a franchise record for 3-pointers in a season and finished with 20 points as the Charlotte Hornets rolled past the Phoenix Suns 127-107 on Thursday night.

Coby White added 19 points and LaMelo Ball had 15 points and 11 assists for the Hornets, who have won seven of nine. Brandon Miller added 17 points.

Knueppel, the No. 4 overall pick from Duke, made four 3s to give him 261, breaking the previous record of 260 set by Kemba Walker in the 2018-19 season. Knueppel broke the record with a corner 3 after missing two open looks earlier in the fourth quarter.

Earlier in the game, Phoenix’s Collin Gillespie set the Suns’ franchise record for 3s in a season, eclipsing the mark of 226 held by Quentin Richardson in the 2004-05 season. Gillespie finished with two 3s and six points.

Jalen Green had 25 points and Devin Booker added 22 for the Suns, who have lost six of their past seven road games.

PISTONS 113, TIMBERWOLVES 108

DETROIT (AP) — Jalen Duren had 22 points and 14 rebounds, Daniss Jenkins scored 26 points and Detroit beat Minnesota as both teams were without a superstar.

Minnesota ruled out All-Star guard Anthony Edwards, listing his right knee injury and an illness, about 90 minutes before tipoff. The Pistons announced earlier in the day that Cade Cunningham would be out at least another week to recover from a collapsed left lung.

Edwards and Cunningham will be ineligible for NBA postseason awards because they can’t reach the 65-game minimum.

The Pistons went on an 11-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to take control and improved to 7-2 without Cunningham since March 17.

Minnesota’s Julius Randle finished with 27 points, Ayo Dosunmu and Naz Reid scored 19 points each and Mike Conley scored all 14 of his points in the first half.

Detroit’s Ausar Thompson, the Eastern Conference defensive player of the month, had a career-high nine assists to go along with nine rebounds and seven points.

THUNDER 139, LAKERS 96

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points, and Oklahoma City routed Los Angeles in a game in which NBA leading scorer Luka Doncic left due to injury.

Only six times in their storied history have the Lakers been defeated by more points. They fell six points short of their worst margin of defeat ever — a 49-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks in 2017.

Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning league MVP, got the best of his matchup with Doncic — one of Gilgeous-Alexander’s top competitors for this season’s award. Doncic had scored at least 40 points in five of his previous seven games, but he finished with 12 points on 3-for-10 shooting from the field and 1-for-7 shooting from 3-point range against the Thunder’s suffocating defense.

Doncic left the game with a left hamstring injury in the middle of the third quarter. Lakers coach JJ Redick said he will have an MRI on Friday.

Austin Reaves scored 15 points and LeBron James added 13 for the Lakers.

CAVALIERS 118, WARRIORS 111

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Donovan Mitchell had 25 points and six rebounds, Max Strus’ 3-pointer with 54 seconds left helped seal it as he scored 24, and Cleveland beat Golden State.

James Harden contributed 19 points and five assists as the Cavs won for the seventh time in nine games during a stretch playing five times in eight nights.

Gui Santos and Brandin Podziemski scored 25 points apiece for the Warriors, who were missing Stephen Curry for the 27th straight game but his return could come as soon as Sunday. He scrimmaged 5-on-5 for the third time in as many days to test his injured right knee that has sidelined him since Jan. 30.

Coach Steve Kerr said Curry and Vice President of Player Health and Performance Rick Celebrini might decide as soon as Friday based on how Curry feels a day later whether he can return to face the Rockets.

With 9:28 left, Cleveland’s Dennis Schroder made a hard foul from behind on a driving LJ Cryer and it was reviewed and ruled a Flagrant 1 for his leap and kick into the Warriors guard. Draymond Green was called for a technical on the play after he shoved Schroder while helping Cryer up from the floor.

TRAIL BLAZIERS 118, PELICANS 106

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Jrue Holiday had 27 points, including seven 3-pointers, and Portland downed New Orleans.

Deni Avdija added 26 points for the Blazers, who have won three straight and eight of their last 10 games. Toumani Camara finished with 23 points.

Jeremiah Fears had 21 points off the bench for the Pelicans, who have lost 11 of their last 12 games.

After trailing at the half, the Blazers went up 106-96 on Holiday’s deep 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter. His 3 with 1:21 left made it 116-105 and all but sealed it for Portland. Holiday finished with nine assists.

The Blazers have already clinched a play-in game. The team sits a half-game back of the eighth-place Clippers. If the Blazers can move into eighth, they’d have to win one game to advance to the playoffs, whereas in ninth, they’d have to win two.

SPURS 118, CLIPPERS 99

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — De’Aaron Fox scored 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting, and San Antonio beat Los Angeles without Victor Wembanyama in the lineup to win their 11th in a row.

Wembanyama was rested on the second night of a back-to-back. He had 41 points and 18 rebounds in a 127-113 win at the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.

The Spurs had six players in double figures, including Stephon Castle with 20 points and Dylan Harper with 19 off the bench.

San Antonio kept alive its hopes of catching Oklahoma City for the top spot in the West. The Spurs improved to 27-2 since Feb. 1 and 11-5 when Wembanyama doesn’t play.

Kawhi Leonard scored 24 points to lead the Clippers with his 53rd consecutive game of 20 or more points. Bennedict Mathurin added 18 points off the bench and John Collins had 15. The loss dropped them to the ninth spot for the play-in tournament with their second straight loss after winning five in a row. Portland moved into eighth after a 118-106 win.