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

NBA: LeBron passes Malone tally but Lakers slump

LOS ANGELES -- LeBron James moved into second place on the NBA's all-time regular season points scoring rankings on Saturday but could not prevent the Los Angeles Lakers from slumping to defeat against the Washington Wizards.

James produced a typically virtuoso performance to finish with 38 points and 10 rebounds at the Wizards' Capital One Arena.

That was enough to power James past Karl Malone into second place in the regular season scorers rankings.

But it did not stop the Lakers from sliding to a jarring 127-119 loss against a Wizards side which had been on a six-game losing streak.

James -– who holds the NBA's outright scoring record for regular season and playoff games -- started the game needing just 20 points to surpass Malone's regular season total of 36,928.

James wasted no time in hunting down Malone's benchmark, rapidly reaching double figures before moving to 16 points with back-to-back three-pointers early in the second quarter.

The four-time NBA champion then added another three-pointer to tie Malone, before finally taking sole possession of second place with a two-point layup with just over five minutes left in the second quarter.

The Washington crowd gave James an ovation after he reached the milestone, with the Lakers star saluting fans as he basked in the applause.

James' points haul leaves him with 36,947 career regular-season points, within range of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time record of 38,387 points.

But James' celebratory moment was diminished after the Lakers suffered another fourth quarter collapse to allow the Wizards to claim victory.

The Wizards outscored the Lakers 34-20 in the final period, completing a comeback from a 16-point deficit to grab the win.

Kristaps Porzingis led the Washington comeback with 16 points in the fourth quarter, part of an overall tally of 27 points.

Agence France-Presse

Zach LaVine carries Chicago Bulls past Washington Wizards

WASHINGTON — Chicago Bulls coach Jim Boylen knows that Zach LaVine can’t play as much he’d like due to a recent ankle injury.

But LaVine made the most of his 29 minutes on Friday night, scoring 19 points in the second half, including 11 straight in the third quarter, in the Bulls’ 101-92 victory over the Washington Wizards.

LaVine, who finished with 24 points, shot just three times in the first half, and turned aggressive in the second half, hitting three 3-pointers in a 2:45 stretch of the third quarter.

“He didn’t panic, he wasn’t flustered and the game turned for him,” Boylen said. “He gave it to us the second half.”

Wendell Carter, Jr. had 17 points and 13 rebounds, and Lauri Markkanen added 14 points and 14 rebounds for Chicago, which scored 100 points for just the second time in 10 games.


The Bulls have won three of four and are 5-7 since Boylen replaced Fred Hoiberg on Dec. 4.

Bradley Beal led Washington with 34 points.

The Wizards played without John Wall, who was sidelined with a sore left heel. Washington coach Scott Brooks said that he found out during the morning shootaround that Wall would be unable to play, and said he would see a specialist.

The Wizards fell to 13-23. They’ve dropped nine of 11.

Beal remains convinced that Washington can turn the season around, and he refuses to believe that with the team 10 games below .500, the season is too far gone.


“I’ll never say that,” Beal said. “I’ll never think it. I’ll never believe it. My main objective is to make sure we get out of the hole and we will.”

LAVINE TURNS IT ON

Not only did LaVine score 11 straight in the third quarter, but he secured the game with 33 seconds left with a three-point play.

“We took the game over,” LaVine said. “We made some big stops. I think the main thing is that we’re learning how to win.”

PLAYING TOGETHER

LaVine, Markkanen and Kris Dunn started together for the first time this season.

“We talked about it and I feel like we just got to keep working on doing our stuff and we’ll get better,” Markkanen said.

STRANGE LINEUPS

Four of the nine players Brooks used are in their first month with the team. They are forwards Trevor Ariza and Sam Dekker and guards Ron Baker and Chasson Randle.

“You’re going to have some funky lineups,” Brooks said. “There are going to be some strange lineups until some people get back.”

TIP-INS

Bulls: G Brandon Sampson, who was signed to a two-way contract on Thursday, did not travel with the team. . F Bobby Portis was out for his fourth consecutive game with a sprained right ankle. When he suffered the injury, the team said he’d be out one-to-three weeks. Coach Jim Boylen said that he wouldn’t guess on a return. “We’re not going to rush him,” Boylen said. “Knowing Bobby he’ll be rushing himself.”

Wizards: Wall missed his fourth game of the season. He was in the locker room before the game, but did not comment on his condition. . F Otto Porter missed his ninth straight game with a bruised right knee. Brooks said he was getting closer to a return. . F Markieff Morris was out with a neck injury.

UP NEXT:

Bulls: Visit the Raptors on Sunday

Wizards: Host the Hornets on Saturday in their only back-to-back home games of the season.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Harris scores 22, Clippers down Wizards

LOS ANGELES — In a season where putting up lots of points has been a nightly occurrence, the Los Angeles Clippers have also been trying to win with their defense.

Tobias Harris scored 22 points to lead nine players in double-figures as the Los Angeles Clippers coasted to a 136-104 victory over the Washington Wizards on Sunday night.

“It was because of our defense,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. “Everybody’s excited about the offense, but its the defense that does the dirty work and allows everybody to score.”

Lou Williams added 17 points on his 32nd birthday for the Clippers, who shot 54 percent from the field, made 16-of-29 3-pointers, and outrebounded Washington 57-45.

“As a team, we want to not only be known as an offensive team in the West, but a defensive team as well,” said Avery Bradley who had 15 points. “We know defense wins games, and that’s our mentality going into games.”

Two nights after posting a 133-113 road victory over the Houston Rockets, the Clippers held the Wizards to a season-low in points and won for the fourth time in their last five games.

“We know what we have in the locker room,” said Clippers guard Patrick Beverley. “Whatever the standings might be, whatever is said on paper, you’ve got to play the game. And we like to play the game.”

Bradley Beal scored 20 points and John Wall added 18 for Washington, which shot 40 percent and missed 22 of 27 3s. The Wizards are 1-5 this season and have lost 11 in a row to the Clippers in Los Angeles, dating back to Feb. 13, 2008.

“Our defense was horrendous. I don’t know how we expect to win,” said Wizards reserve guard Austin Rivers. “Teams are just walking into the paint, making layups, getting open threes. It just comes from effort and talking. You’ve just got to have personal pride. You’ve got to get mad when somebody scores on you.”

After Washington pulled within 81-71, the Clippers ran off 16 unanswered points, including three 3-pointers by Patrick Beverley, for a 97-71 lead with 2:15 left in the third. The Wizards missed three shots and turned the ball over twice in the run.

Leading 21-18, the Clippers capped a 14-2 spurt with a 3-pointer by Williams for a 35-20 advantage with 10:58 left in the second quarter. After two free throws by Jeff Green, back-to-back lay-ins by Harris gave Los Angeles its biggest lead to that point at 42-24 with 9:24 left in the half.


The Wizards got within 52-45 only to see the Clippers expand their lead to 69-54 by halftime. Back-to-back dunks by Harris early in the third quarter put Los Angeles up 77-60 with 8:26 left in the third.

We have to be one of the best teams chemistry-wise,” Harris said of the Clippers. “It’s just a matter of us continuing to build on that, and I think we’ve still got a ways to go in that department.”

TIP-INS

Wizards: Markieff Morris (flu-like symptoms) was a game-time decision. The Wizards were playing their fourth of five road games, their longest trip of the season, and fourth straight in the Pacific Time Zone. … Dwight Howard (gluteal soreness) missed his fifth straight game working out back in Washington.

Clippers: Avery Bradley’s 3-pointer with 4:58 left in the first quarter, his third of the game, was the 600th of his NBA career. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sank a 3-point shot from the center circle as time expired in the first quarter to give the Clippers a 28-20 lead. … Luc Mbah a Moute (sore left knee) sat out his second straight game.

FAMILY REUNION

The game was the first in which Doc Rivers coached against his son, Austin Rivers, since Austin was traded by the Clippers to the Wizards in June after four years with the lippers.

“In New Orleans (in 2014), at least the first time, it was really cool. I didn’t even know what to do. Shake his hand? Wish him luck?” said Doc Rivers. “Now, you just want to beat him. And he wants to beat me. That’s the way it is.”

MULTIPLE MILESTONES

With his fourth rebound with 3:59 left in the half, Marcin Gortat moved past Al Horford into 15th place on the NBA’s all-time Total Rebound list, and finished with seven for the game, putting him at 6,153 rebounds for his career. John Wall played his 547th game for the Wizards, moving him into 9th place on the team’s all-time list, one behind Jeff Malone.

RIVERS HOT OVER LUE

Doc Rivers did not mince words when asked about the Cavaliers decision to fire Tyronn Lue on Sunday.

“We talked for a long time because he’s really disappointed,” said Rivers. “But he has a lot to be proud of. He did a heck of a job in extreme circumstances. I’m probably no prouder of anybody who’s played for me and been a coach under me than Ty Lue. It makes me so angry when you see stuff like that, but there’s nothing you can do about it. He handled it better than me. He handled it with amazing class, thanked everybody. He’s better than me.”

UP NEXT

Wizards: Conclude a five-game road trip in Memphis on Tuesday night.

Clippers: At Oklahoma City, where they’ve lost three in a row, on Tuesday night.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Down at half, Raptors eliminate Wizards thanks to reserves

WASHINGTON — For a team that had been 0-23 when trailing at halftime in road playoff games, the Toronto Raptors sure went about ending that drought and advancing in the playoffs in an usual way: The second unit, led by Fred VanVleet, created the comeback.

Using a tremendous effort at both ends of the court from reserves, and 24 points from Kyle Lowry, the Raptors came back to beat the Washington Wizards 102-92 in Game 6 on Friday night and end their Eastern Conference first-round series.

“Those guys have some ugly possessions, but most of the time, they figure it out,” Toronto coach Dwane Casey said about his bench players, who overwhelmed Washington’s in points, 21-6, and rebounds, 15-3, in the second half. “We trust them. We trusted them all year.”


Toronto fell behind by 12 points in the first quarter and by 53-50 at the end of the second.

The Raptors’ first lead did not come until the third quarter, and they were back down by five points entering the final period.

Never in franchise history had the Raptors won after trailing at halftime in a postseason away game, the team said, citing the Elias Sports Bureau.

“It’s a different year. It’s a different team,” VanVleet said. “We’ve just got to keep our composure going forward and leave the past in the past.”

With star guards Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, who had a personal series-low 16 points, resting to begin the fourth, VanVleet steered the turnaround, and the Raptors outscored Washington 29-14 in the last quarter. Bothered by a bad right shoulder, VanVleet had played a total of three minutes in the series until Friday, but he was just what Toronto needed in this game, with five points, four assists and four rebounds.

“On the road, in a hostile environment, I just wanted to be another support guy out there, that can ease the starters a bit,” VanVleet said. “You know, me running the team and playing defense and stuff, I can do those things in my sleep.”

It allowed DeRozan to play only 33½ minutes total, and Lowry 31½, compared with more than 40 each for Washington’s All-Star guards, John Wall and Bradley Beal, who looked tired by the end.

“It was great to have our full bench back. Freddie back out there with the guys,” DeRozan said. “Just a testament to what they did all year.”


Pascal Siakam had 11 points and eight rebounds and used his length to hound Wall, while VanVleet was a pest to Beal.

Jakob Poeltl and C.J. Miles each scored seven. It was VanVleet’s 3-pointer with center Marcin Gortat in his face that tied the game at 78, and Miles’ 3 with about 8½ minutes remaining that gave Toronto its first lead of more than a single point, at 84-80.

“I’m still looking for that manual that says you can’t play that second unit. They’re too young. They’re too this. They’re too that,” Casey said. “They closed it out for us tonight.”

The home team had won each of the first five games, but the Raptors were finally able to break that road hex. The East’s No. 1 seed will face LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers or the Indiana Pacers next. The Pacers forced a Game 7 on Sunday by avoiding elimination with a 121-87 victory over the Cavs on Friday night.

Asked whether he has a preference for the upcoming opponent, DeRozan answered with one word: “No.”

This marks the Raptors’ third consecutive trip to the second round of the playoffs; they last failed to get that far in 2015, when they were swept in the opening round by the Wizards.

But this time, Washington bowed out earlier than it was hoping when the season began with grandiose talk of a run to the conference finals. Instead, the Wizards were without Wall for 41 games and wound up with the No. 8 seeding.

Wall had 23 points and eight assists in Game 6; Beal scored 32. But none of that mattered to the fans who started heading to the exits early as the Wizards’ run of eight home playoff wins in a row came to a close.

“We got some looks,” said Wall, whose entire team had only 12 assists. “We just missed them.”

TIP-INS

Raptors: After averaging 18.5 turnovers in Games 3 and 4 at Washington, Toronto had only seven in Game 6.

Wizards: Were without starting SF Otto Porter Jr., who had a medical procedure Friday to prevent permanent muscle damage because of compartment syndrome in his left leg. … Kelly Oubre Jr. started in place of Porter and hit his first 3-point attempt, before missing all six other shots he took.

UP NEXT:

Toronto will host Games 1 and 2 in the second round, no matter the opponent. The Raptors lost to the Cavaliers each of the past two seasons — swept in the second round a year ago, and beaten in six games in the conference finals in 2016.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Warriors come back to beat Wizards; Green, Beal ejected

OAKLAND, Calif. — Golden State lost its emotional leader when Draymond Green was ejected shortly before halftime. The defending champs were sloppy again, even forgetting several plays after one timeout and still somehow won — but it has hardly been easy so far.

Kevin Durant had 31 points, 11 rebounds and six assists to help rally the Warriors from 18 points down and beat the Wizards 120-117 on Friday night, a game marred by a fight between Green and Washington’s Bradley Beal that led to both being tossed.

Stephen Curry added 20 points, eight assists and five rebounds, hitting two 3s and two free throws in the final minute of the third quarter to get Golden State within 97-87 heading into the final 12 minutes. Then Klay Thompson and Durant made 3s early in the fourth for a four-point game. Thompson scored 18 points.

Durant’s jumper with 1:20 to go put Golden State up by five, but the Warriors still needed his two free throws with 9.4 seconds left. John Wall missed an off-balance 3 then Washington couldn’t capitalize on one final chance.

David West made two straight baskets for the Warriors midway through the fourth but Otto Porter Jr. hit consecutive 3-pointers for the Wizards, answering a 3 by Durant with a baseline dagger on the way to 29 points for the Wizards.

With 19.5 seconds left in the second quarter, Beal held the front of Green’s jersey with his left hand while grabbing Green around the jaw with his right. That enraged Green, who threw his right arm in frustration and wrapped arms with Beal as if hugging, then other players joined the scrum.

“It was a scuffle. I’m not going to go into details about it. I’ll do that with the league tomorrow,” Beal said. “We just got into it and things got out of hand and we both got ejected. I told my teammates I can’t put myself in a situation like that to leave them out there to battle out against a tough team without me out there.”

Green had to be pulled away from the skirmish by Andre Iguodala and Warriors security personnel. Green was tossed after getting his second technical foul. The back of his uniform was torn from near his right shoulder down to his waist.

“I thought Draymond defended himself and bit the bullet of being ejected for the game,” West said.

Green was hit with his first technical at the 8:05 mark of the second quarter for arguing an offensive foul call. He had six assists, three points, three rebounds and three blocks before his early exit.

The Warriors are still trying to figure things out, having given up 17 offensive rebounds two nights earlier in holding off the Raptors and also committing 17 turnovers — which they did again Friday.

Golden State began 1 for 10 from 3-point range while committing seven turnovers and allowing six 3s by early in the second quarter. But the Warriors did enough to win a fourth straight at home against the Wizards.

“We’re not ready, we’re still not ready,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We’re not locked in.”

Wall had 20 points and 14 assists for Washington. Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 19 and Marcin Gortat had 18 for the Wizards, whose three-game winning streak to open the season was snapped in embarrassing fashion with a 102-99 overtime loss at the Lakers on Wednesday.

AL ATTLES NIGHT

The Warriors honored beloved Al Attles, who missed his tribute night because he’s in the hospital. The 80-year-old Attles is in his 58th year with the franchise as a player, coach of the 1975 title team, a GM and now ambassador.

Kerr wore an itchy, “100 percent polyester” retro suit for the occasion, while Warriors players wore shooting shirts featuring his likeness and a bobblehead was the giveaway.

His wife, Wilhelmina Attles, son, Alvin Attles III, and Hall of Famer Rick Barry represented him during an on-court tribute after the first quarter.

“Great to honor him,” Kerr said. “I know our fans who have been following us for a long time know about Al’s influence, but 57 years with the organization, obviously he won the championship with the team in ’75, was GM, drafted Chris Mullin, one of the best players early on in the Warriors history. He’s pretty much done it all. Fitting tonight we will honor him and his family. We know he’ll be watching on TV. I hope he’s not offended by my suit.”

TIP-INS

Wizards: Washington shot 15 for 33 on 3s. … C Ian Mahinmi played almost 13 minutes after he had been questionable with a sprained left ankle.

Warriors: Key reserve Shaun Livingston was out for personal reasons to attend a funeral. … Rookie Jordan Bell was inactive for the first time as C JaVale McGee became available after sitting out Wednesday against Toronto. “Some guys are guaranteed minutes every night, some aren’t,” Kerr said of his plans in the season’s early stages.

UP NEXT

Wizards: At Sacramento on Sunday.

Warriors: Host Pistons on Sunday seeking an eighth consecutive home victory in the series.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Hibbert, Pacers rebound to beat Wizards

INDIANAPOLIS, United States—Roy Hibbert overcame his lackluster playoffs with a season-best 28 points and nine rebounds to lead the Indiana Pacers to an 86-82 victory over the Washington Wizards on Thursday (Manila time) to level the Eastern Conference semifinals at 1-1.

It was a stark contrast to Hibbert’s abysmal, scoreless showing in Monday’s loss — and most of this year’s playoffs.

But after hearing 48 hours of constant criticism and continual questions, Hibbert responded with the kind of game Indiana desperately needed. He made his first four shots, dominated the middle and produced big basket after big basket.

Game 3 is Saturday (Manila time) in Washington.

Marcin Gortat had 21 points and Bradley Beal added 17 for the Wizards.

Washington took a 77-74 lead with 5:01 left in the game. Indiana scored six straight and never trailed again.

Washington had won all four of its previous road playoff games — three at Chicago and Monday night in Indy.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Heat beat Wizards, end rare 2-game slide

MIAMI —LeBron James scored 25 points and Chris Bosh added 24 as Miami beat winless Washington 103-93 on Sunday night to end a rare two-game slide.

Dwyane Wade scored 20 points for Miami, which hasn’t dropped three straight regular-season games since Jan. 10-13, 2012. The Heat (2-2) had 32 assists on 37 field goals, including on all nine of their baskets in the third quarter.

Including playoffs, the Heat are now 100 games over .500 at home since the start of the 2010-11 season — 127-27.


Bradley Beal scored 19 points for the Wizards. Marcin Gortat finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds for Washington (0-3).

Miami’s last three-game slide was against Boston in the 2012 Eastern Conference finals, a series the Heat won in seven games.

In Michigan, Josh Smith and Andre Drummond scored 15 points each as Detroit kept Boston, 87-77, and first-year coach Brad Stevens winless.

The Pistons (2-1) trailed 65-63 early in the fourth quarter but went on a 10-0 run to take the lead for good and win their second home game in as many tries. Drummond added 12 rebounds and Brandon Jennings had 14 points in his Detroit debut.

Rookie Kelly Olynyk scored 15 points and Jordan Crawford added 13 for the Celtics (0-3).

Jennings missed most of the preseason and the first two games because of a fractured jaw caused by a wisdom tooth. Jennings came to Detroit during the offseason in a sign-and-trade deal with Milwaukee.

In Orlando, Florida, Nikola Vucevic had 19 points and 12 rebounds as Orlando routed Brooklyn, 107-86, in Jason Kidd’s coaching debut.

Magic rookie Victor Oladipo scored 19 points, 14 in the second half, as Orlando won back-to-back games for the first time since Dec. 19, 2012. Andrew Nicholson added 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic (2-2), who beat New Orleans 110-90 at home last Friday night.

Brook Lopez led the Nets with 21 points. Paul Pierce was the only other Net to score in double figures with 16 points and he grabbed seven rebounds. The Nets (1-2), who shot 38.2 percent for the game, and were outscored 66-48 in the second half.

In Oklahoma City,  Kevin Durant had 33 points and 10 rebounds and Russell Westbrook had 21 points and seven assists in his return from a knee injury to bring down Phoenix, 103-96.

Serge Ibaka added nine points and 10 rebounds for Oklahoma City (2-1), which won its fifth straight home opener and defeated Phoenix (2-1) for the 11th straight time. The Suns last beat Oklahoma City in December 2010.

Westbrook, sidelined for six months after first tearing the lateral meniscus in his right knee during the second game of the NBA playoffs, then having a medical setback, returned three to five weeks ahead of the team’s previously announced timetable.

Eric Bledsoe scored 26 points and added a career-best 14 assists for Phoenix, which opened the season with home wins over Portland and Utah. The Suns stayed with Oklahoma City thanks to 14-of-37 3-point shooting, compared to 2 of 18 for the Thunder.

In New York, Kevin Love had 34 points, 15 rebounds and five assists and Kevin Martin scored 30 points as Minnesota improved to 3-0 for the first time in 12 years by beating New York, 109-100.

Minnesota took a huge lead after a 40-point first quarter, then pulled away after the Knicks trimmed it to two in the closing minutes to move halfway to matching the 2001-02 team that set the franchise record by winning its first six.

The Timberwolves, averaging a whopping 37.3 points in the first quarter, are healthy again after an injury-wrecked 2012-13 and showing the early promise of a team that can contend for its first playoff berth since 2004.

Carmelo Anthony had 22 points and 17 rebounds for the Knicks, who have dropped two straight after a season-opening victory and drew some loud boos in the first half while appearing to be standing still on defense.

Anthony shot just 8 of 21. Metta World Peace added 17 points, but the Knicks were too far behind by the time they found any offense.

LAKERS 105, HAWKS 103

In Los Angeles, Xavier Henry scored 18 points and Pau Gasol hit two tiebreaking free throws with 6 seconds remaining for Los Angeles to get past Atlanta, 105-103.

Henry started at forward for the first time as a Laker and the 19th time in 137 NBA games. He was 5 of 11 from the field. Gasol finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Steve Nash had 13 points and six assists and Nick Young added 13 points.

Kyle Korver led Atlanta with 22 points, converting all six 3-point attempts, but he missed a 21-footer from the right baseline as time ran out. Hawks point guard Jeff Teague had 14 points and six assists after missing his first five shots.

Two nights after shooting only 37 percent from the field and blowing a 15-point lead against San Antonio, Los Angeles shot 42.7 percent.

source: sports.inquirer.net