NBA Suns land Beal in deal sending Paul to Wizards: reports

Three-time NBA All-Star guard Bradley Beal will join the Phoenix Suns in a trade that will send 38-year-old guard Chris Paul to Washington, according to multiple reports on Sunday.

ESPN and The Athletic said the deal would also include guard Landry Shamet, a handful of NBA Draft picks and multiple draft pick swaps, with final pick details yet to be settled.

Beal, who turns 30 on June 28, would join Kevin Durant and Devin Booker to revive the Suns' hopes of winning their first NBA title.

Beal has played his entire 11-year NBA career with the Wizards, averaging 22.1 points, 2.3 assists, 1.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals a game.

The Wizards, 35-47 in each of the past two seasons, have made the playoffs five times since Beal arrived with the third overall selection in the 2012 NBA Draft but never gone beyond the second round. They haven't won a playoff series since 2017.

Paul, still chasing his first NBA title, joins a club that collected its only league crown in 1978.

The 12-time NBA All-Star guard is a five-time season assists leader, most recently in 2021-22, and six-time NBA steals leader but has found only futility in a title quest during stops at New Orleans, the Los Angeles Clippers, Houston, Oklahoma City and for the past three seasons in Phoenix.

Over 18 NBA campaigns, Paul has averaged 17.9 points, 9.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.1 steals a game.

The Suns had missed the NBA playoffs for 10 seasons in a row until Paul's arrival but reached the 2021 NBA Finals, losing to Milwaukee, and the second round each of the past two seasons, falling first to Dallas and this year to eventual NBA champion Denver.

Agence France-Presse

Suns' Chris Paul wins inaugural Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA award

Phoenix Suns 12-time All-Star guard Chris Paul on Sunday was named the inaugural winner of the Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award for his "significant contributions to the advancement of girls' and women's basketball" and his advocacy for the WNBA.

The WNBA and Vanessa Bryant will present the award to Paul during the NBA All-Star game in Cleveland on Sunday night.

The award honors the late Kobe Bryant -- a Los Angeles Lakers legend and a supporter of the WNBA and women's basketball -- and his daughter Gianna (also known as Gigi), who dreamed of playing in the WNBA.

Kobe, Gianna and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles on Jan. 26, 2020. Vanessa Bryant is Kobe's widow and Gianna's mother.

"I have seen first-hand Chris' appreciation of the WNBA and the game at every level for women and girls, ... and his ardent support of our game strongly reflects the legacy of Kobe and Gigi," WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a news release. 

"The league is proud to name Chris as the inaugural recipient of the Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award, as he serves as a leader and role model for other professional athletes around growing the future of the game for young girls and all fans."

In the release, Paul was called "a devoted fan" of the WNBA and the Phoenix Mercury who has "consistently demonstrated a unique level of support, attending games throughout the regular season and playoffs while also using his public platforms to highlight the on-court successes and stories of WNBA players as well as their leadership in the community through their fight for social justice."

Paul will be a reserve for Team LeBron in Sunday's All-Star game. Paul is averaging 14.9 points, 10.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds a game for the Suns, who are atop the NBA with a 48-10 record.

The WNBA will make a donation to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a positive impact for underserved athletes and boys & girls in sports founded through the vision and loving memory of Kobe and Gigi Bryant.

-reuters

Warriors prepare for rested James Harden, Rockets in West rematch

LOS ANGELES — After outlasting the no-name Los Angeles Clippers in six games, the Golden State Warriors have a superstar on their hands next.

James Harden and the Houston Rockets in a rematch of last year’s Western Conference finals. That’s when the Rockets let a 3-2 lead slip away and saw the Warriors go on to win their second straight NBA championship.

This time the teams meet in the West semifinals beginning Sunday in Oakland.

“We know them well,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Friday night after his team finished off the Clippers with a 129-110 victory to win the best-of-seven series 4-2. “They’re going to come after you and pick-and-roll. We know they’re already in the Bay waiting for us, so it will be a quick turnaround.”

Anticipating a Warriors’ closeout, the Rockets flew to Northern California on Friday to be ready for the series opener. They’ve been resting since Wednesday, when they defeated the Utah Jazz 4-1.

The Warriors were stretched to six games for the first time in the opening round in Kerr’s five seasons.

“One of the things that can happen during the playoffs is you can sharpen your game against an opponent that forces you to do so,” Kerr said. “We had leads in some games that we lost. Every time we thought, all right, we’ve got this, we didn’t have it.”

Kevin Durant had a statement game for the Warriors, scoring 38 of his playoff career-high 50 points in the first half at Staples Center. He was 15 of 26 from the floor, made 14 of 15 free throws and hit six 3-pointers.

Durant was coming off a 45-point performance in a losing effort in Game 5.

“No matter what anybody does, he can get a good shot,” Kerr said.

Harden averaged 27.8 points in the first round against the Jazz, but he struggled at times to get going offensively. His worst effort came in Game 3 when Houston won despite him missing his first 15 shots to set an NBA record for most misses to start a playoff game.

Durant believes Harden’s game is much more than drawing fouls and getting to the line.

“He can score in a variety of ways, so we have to be locked in from the beginning,” Durant said. “You can’t fully stop a guy like that; you’ve got to be ready to play him tough all game.”

Stephen Curry finished with 24 points, the only other Warrior with at least 20 Friday. Klay Thompson had nine points. Both of them were banged up slightly in the game, but Kerr said he’s hopeful they’ll both be good to go Sunday.

Draymond Green had his fifth career playoff triple-double of 16 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists after not playing well in Game 5.

Warriors center Kevon Looney expects to see the Rockets employ some of the same defensive schemes used by the Clippers, who twice won in Oakland, including a 31-point comeback that was the biggest in NBA history.

“Defending the pick-and-roll is going to be huge,” Looney said. “The Clippers punched us in the mouth and woke us up. They showed us it’s not a cakewalk in the West. Every game is going to be hard.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Harden, Rockets trounce Bulls

HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets aren’t where they want to be, but are feeling much better after following a season-high four game skid with consecutive wins, capped by Saturday night’s victory over the Chicago Bulls.

James Harden made six 3-pointers and scored 30 points to help the Rockets down the Bulls 121-105.

The victory comes a night after the Rockets ended their losing streak with a win 136-105 win at San Antonio.

Now coach Mike D’Antoni is looking for his team to maintain this momentum on its upcoming three-game road trip.

“We need to go show everybody who we need to be,” D’Antoni said. “We may not be there yet but we’re getting there … we just need to go get some wins.”

Harden said health is the biggest reason why Houston has played better recently.

“It’s just having a full roster,” he said. “Chris (Paul), Gerald (Green) and Nene coming back in these last few games. Having a full roster and guys that can help each other out is key.”

Houston was up by 12 entering the fourth quarter and used a 13-7 run to start the period and make it 100-82 with 8½ minutes left. Eric Gordon made two 3-pointers in that stretch and P.J. Tucker added a three-point play. Chicago couldn’t cut into the lead after that and the Rockets were up by 20 with about three minutes left when D’Antoni cleared the bench.

Zach LaVine had 29 points for the Bulls, who lost their sixth straight game and for the 10th time in 11 games.

Chicago’s Lauri Markkanen had 10 points and four rebounds in his season debut after missing the team’s first 23 games with a sprained right elbow he sustained in training camp. He entered the game with about 4½ minutes left in the first quarter and played 26 minutes.

“I felt good and I had no problems with my elbow,” he said. “That’s a positive. I was just glad to be out there.”


Clint Capela added 18 points and 15 rebounds for Houston and Paul had 12 points and tied a season high with 13 assists in his second game back after missing three with a sore hamstring.

Houston led by 10 at halftime before the Bulls used a 12-6 run to open the third quarter and cut the lead to four. Parker led Chicago in that stretch, scoring eight points.

The Rockets got back on track after that, scoring the next five points to push the lead to 67-58 with about seven minutes left in the third.

“Coming out of the break, I thought we had great momentum in the second half, and they throw in a couple of bombs,” Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg said. “We have to keep fighting and work on being more consistent.”

Houston led by eight later in the third when Harden made a 3-pointer just before the shot clock expired to make it 74-63 with 4½ minutes left in the quarter.

The Bulls added a layup seconds after that, but Houston scored the next six points, capped by a 3 from Harden with Jabari Parker in his face to make it 80-65 about 90 seconds later.

LaVine scored all of Chicago’s points in a 7-2 run later in the third to cut the deficit, but Green made a 3-pointer with a few seconds left in the quarter to put Houston up 87-75 entering the fourth.

TIP-INS

Bulls: Hoiberg said that he will limit Markkanen’s minutes in his first games back. … LaVine has scored at least 20 points in 20 games this season. … Justin Holiday, who had 11 points, has made at least one 3-pointer in a franchise-record 35 straight games. … Parker finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Rockets: Nene had 10 points and four rebounds in his season debut after missing Houston’s first 21 games with a strained right calf. … Harden has scored 30 points or more in six of the last eight games.

REMEMBERING BUSH

The Rockets played a video before the game and had a moment of silence for former President George H.W. Bush, who died on Friday night in Houston at 94. The video featured images of Bush sitting courtside at several games and posing for pictures with various former players and coaches.

UP NEXT

Bulls: Visit Indiana on Tuesday night.

Rockets: Visit Minnesota on Monday night.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Paul, Rockets roll past Spurs for 12th straight win

HOUSTON — Chris Paul had 28 points, eight assists and seven steals to lead the Houston Rockets to their 12th straight victory, a 124-109 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night.

Paul became the first player in NBA history to post 28 points, eight assists and seven steals in a game against the Spurs. In the past 10 years, that stat line has been achieved just 10 times — Paul has done it six of those times. The Rockets are unbeaten when he plays this season.

Paul’s dazzling performance came on a night James Harden had one of his worst 3-point shooting nights of the season, making 6 of 18 from the field, including 2 of 11 from 3. Harden had 28 points, seven rebounds and six assists, scoring half his points on 14-of-16 shooting from the free-throw line.

The Rockets are on the fourth-longest win streak in franchise history and the longest since a franchise-best 22 straight in the 2007-08 season.

All Rockets starters and reserve Eric Gordon had scored in double figures by the end of the third quarter. Clint Capela had 18 points and 10 rebounds, Gordon scored 14 points, Ryan Anderson had 12, and Trevor Ariza added 11.

The Rockets beat the Spurs for just the third time in their last 12 meetings.

LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs with 16 points. Joffrey Lauvergne had 14, Patty Mills had 13 and Davis Bertans scored 12, all off the bench for San Antonio.

The Rockets jumped to a 31-16 lead at the end of the first quarter and led 60-43 at the half. The Rockets entered the fourth quarter with a 92-72 lead.

Kawhi Leonard played in his second game back after making his season debut on Tuesday night in Dallas after missing the first 27 games of the season with a right quadriceps injury. Leonard, who has been recovering from a quadriceps condition that causes pain and weakness in the knee, started and had 12 points in 17 minutes, all in the first half.

Before the game, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich hinted before the game that Leonard and Tony Parker were unlikely to play Saturday night in Dallas in the second half of San Antonio’s back-to-back.

TIP-INS

Spurs: SF Kyle Anderson missed his sixth straight game with a sprained left MCL, but he is progressing well and could return after San Antonio’s back-to-back in Houston and Dallas, possibly as early as Monday when the Spurs host the Clippers. … Danny Green started and played through left groin tightness, scoring two points in 19 minutes.

Rockets: Houston played its first game without Luc Mbah a Moute, who suffered a dislocated right shoulder on Wednesday night against Charlotte. Mbah a Moute could be out 2-3 weeks with the injury. … The Rockets improved to 19-1 when leading after the third quarter, winning by double digits for the 17th time in 27 games.

UP NEXT

Spurs: Host Dallas on Saturday night.

Rockets: Host Milwaukee on Saturday night.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Chris Paul fined $25,000 for criticizing female official

NEW YORK — Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul has been fined $25,000 for criticizing a female official after a loss at Cleveland.

The NBA announced the fine on Saturday. Paul was given a technical by rookie referee Lauren Holtkamp on Thursday night in the third quarter of a 105-94 loss to the Cavaliers, a game that featured five technicals against the Clippers.

After the game, Paul called the technical on an inbounds play “ridiculous” and said “this might not be for her.” Holtkamp is one of two female officials in the NBA.

Paul appeared to say something to her as he waited for an inbound pass after a Cavaliers’ free throw. Paul said Friday that he was only upset with the call.

The penalty is in line with others the NBA has levied for criticism of officials.

source: sports.inquirer.net