Nowitzki, Gasol, Parker head star-studded Hall of Fame class

LOS ANGELES -- Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, Tony Parker, Dwyane Wade and San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will be ushered into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame later this year, the organization confirmed on Saturday.

The star-studded class of 2023, who will be enshrined at a ceremony in August, also include trailblazing WNBA player and coach Becky Hammon, the Hall of Fame announced.

German star Nowitzki, former Los Angeles Lakers Spanish ace Gasol and France's Parker are three of the most successful international stars ever to grace the NBA.

Parker won four NBA championships during the Spurs' dominant reign between 2003 and 2014, while Gasol was a key part of the Lakers team that won back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010.

Nowitzki, who is sixth on the NBA's all-time scoring list with 31,560 points, was named NBA Most Valuable Player in 2007 and Finals MVP four years later after helping the Dallas Mavericks win the title.

Reacting to Saturday's announcement, Nowitzki paid tribute to international players who had paved the way for his generation in the NBA.

"I think there were a few guys who blazed the way for us a little bit," Nowitzki said. "And then the next wave came with Pau, Tony and myself. And if we help to make the game truly global and help some kids along the way that's obviously truly humbling for all of us."

Barcelona-born Gasol, meanwhile, recalled how watching the US 'Dream Team' at the 1992 Olympics staged in his hometown had helped inspire his basketball journey.

"I always had in mind the effect that the 'Dream Team '92' had on my life and how basketball and sports can affect and inspire kids' lives, so I just wanted to do that," Gasol told ESPN.

The 6ft 2in (1.88m) tall Parker reflected how people had doubted his ability to be successful in the NBA due to his height.

"Growing up the NBA dream was very far away," Parker said.

"When I was telling people my dream they were all laughing at me saying 'You're too small, you're too skinny, you will never make it in the NBA'. Now I'm the one laughing."

Wade was a three-time NBA champion with the Miami Heat in 2006, 2012 and 2013 and won finals MVP in 2006.

The 41-year-old, who retired from the NBA in 2019, also won Olympic gold with the United States in the 2008 Beijing Games.

The 74-year-old Popovich, meanwhile, is one of the NBA's elder statesmen, one of only five NBA coaches in history to have won five championships.

- 'Out of body experience' -

Popovich also led the United States to gold in the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

"Those of us who've ended up in this position -- it's incredible," Popovich said in a recorded message on ESPN on Saturday.

"It's an honor, and something that one does not think about when going through your years in this game. It's an awesome thought to think about all the players that I've had the honor to coach, who are the ones who won the games.

"I sit here amongst people who I've always been in awe of myself. So to be in this situation is kind of an out of body experience."

Nowitzki, Wade, Parker, Gasol and Popovich are all being inducted into the basketball pantheon at the first attempt, a rarity under the Hall of Fame's eligibility rules which reflects their stellar achievements in the sport.

Joining Popovich in the Hall of Fame will be former assistant Hammon.

Hammon is a six-time All-Star and coached the Las Vegas Aces to the WNBA Finals crown in 2022. The 46-year-old was also Popovich's assistant coach in San Antonio from 2014 -- the first woman assistant coach in the NBA.

She remains the only woman to take charge of an NBA team during a regular season game after stepping in when Popovich was ejected during a clash with the Lakers in 2020.

Agence France-Presse

Spurs use stingy defense to down Hornets

LOS ANGELES -- Pau Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge combined for 34 points as the San Antonio Spurs completed a two-game season sweep of the Charlotte Hornets with a 106-86 win on Saturday.

San Antonio, who improved to 12-7 on the season, led by 11 points at halftime and stretched the lead to as many as 20 points in the fourth quarter at the Spectrum Center arena in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The Spurs defence held the cold-shooting Hornets to just 29 first-half points and 22.2 percent shooting from the floor.

The Spurs also got 15 points from Rudy Gay, 14 from Kyle Anderson, 11 from Manu Ginobili and 10 from Patty Mills.

The Hornets dropped to 8-11 on the season and have now lost eight of their last 11 games.

Kemba Walker led Charlotte with 18 points despite missing about five minutes in the third quarter with a bruised left shoulder.

The Hornets also got 12 points each from Frank Kaminsky and Jeremy Lamb, and 10 points and 11 rebounds from Dwight Howard.

Elsewhere, J.J. Redick hit eight three-pointers and scored 29 points as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the struggling Orlando Magic 130-111 at the Wells Fargo Center.

Redick drained six three-pointers in the first half and the Sixers never trailed after the first quarter en route to their fifth win in six contests.

Philadelphia won despite the absence of starting point guard Ben Simmons, who is out with an elbow injury.

Sixers centre Joel Embiid produced his ninth double-double of the season with 18 points and 14 rebounds.

T.J. McConnell also delivered a double-double with 15 points on seven-of-12 shooting and 13 of the Sixers' 34 assists. Dario Saric added 21 points. McConnell was in the starting lineup in place of Simmons.

Elfrid Payton scored 22 points for Orlando, which dropped its eighth game in a row.

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Thunder's Westbrook eyes history, but Spurs get win

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook edged closer to NBA history with his 39th triple-double of the season, but it wasn't enough to hold off the San Antonio Spurs.

The Spurs, who trailed by as many as 21 points in the third quarter, rallied for a 100-95 victory in Oklahoma City.

Kawhi Leonard scored 20 of his team-high 28 points in the second half and pulled down 10 rebounds to fuel the Spurs comeback.

"It's what I have been seeing from him for 74 games," San Antonio's Manu Ginobili said. "The kid can play. He is strong and he's hard-nosed and he's going to keep going. In the second half, he really stepped up and made some huge plays."

Westbrook, conversely, struggled down the stretch. He connected on just eight of 22 from the field and turned the ball over eight times.

He nevertheless produced 32 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists.

He is two triple-doubles shy of matching Oscar Robertson's NBA record 41 in a season, with seven games to play.

Robertson himself says he's rooting for Westbrook to get the record.

"I always thought he was a great basketball player," Robertson told ESPN.com. "I think he's been tremendous for the team, his fans and also for television."

Westbrook was more concerned with the lesson the Tunder can take from the tough defeat as they hurtle toward the playoffs.

"I think this is huge, especially so they will know what games will be like," Westbrook said. "Every night is going to be like this and they have to be ready."

Russell's triple-double binge has put him at the forefront of the Most Valuable Player discussion.

But Leonard staked his claim to featuring in that conversation -- and had plenty of help with 17 points from Pau Gasol and 14 from LaMarcus Aldridge.

It was Aldridge who put the Spurs ahead by one point with 56.1sec remaining. Oklahoma City's Steven Adams and Aldridge then exchanged layups and the Spurs led 96-95 with 18.7sec to play.

After a timeout, Westbrook drove into the lane, where his layup was blocked. Leonard produced a three-point play to seal the game.

"They were just playing with a more sense of urgency than we did," Westbrook said. "Guys have to be ready to step up and they played with a little bit more sense of urgency than we did."

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Aldridge leads short-handed Spurs over Suns

LOS ANGELES -- With San Antonio's leading scorer Kawhi Leonard sidelined by illness, LaMarcus Aldridge stepped up with 27 points on Wednesday to lead the Spurs to a 119-98 NBA victory over the Phoenix Suns.

Leonard missed his first game of the season with a stomach bug.

"He just couldn't keep anything down today, so he stayed home," coach Gregg Popovich said.

In his absence, Aldridge hit 10 of his 12 shots from the floor, following up a 33-point performance in a win over Chicago on Sunday with another outstanding effort.

"When LaMarcus plays aggressive like that we are a better team -- he's in attack mode, and he's looking for his teammates and tonight Phoenix couldn't guard him," said veteran Spurs point guard Tony Parker, who matched his season high with 20 points.

Pau Gasol added 16 points and 10 rebounds and and David Lee came off the bench to score 12 points apiece for the Spurs, who beat the Suns by 15 points earlier this month but found themselves trailing, 64-58, at halftime.

The Suns got off to an explosive start, connecting on 68.8 percent from the floor in the first quarter but they still trailed, 30-27, after the period as nine turnovers led to 13 points for San Antonio.

A 9-2 scoring run in the second quarter saw the Suns take the lead, but the Spurs got the young Phoenix squad's measure in after the interval.

"We did a lot better in the second half," Parker said. "Our energy was better and we tried to create turnovers and play more physical on the defensive end."

The Suns, led by reserve guard TJ Warren's 23 points, coughed up 22 turnovers -- the most for a San Antonio opponent this year.

"We played a great first half -- we played aggressive on the ball and got some deflections on defense," Suns coach Earl Watson said. "Things reversed in the second half. We are a young group trying to establish a culture and that can't be done overnight.

"We have to be a defensive team all four quarters and keep our focus. Turnovers hurt us, but with a young team, turnovers are going to happen."

The Spurs out-scored Phoenix, 61-34, in the second half, their focus sharpening as the Suns' waned.

"The whole game for us was picking up the intensity in defensive pressure in the third and fourth quarters," Popovich said.

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Spurs remain unbeaten on the road

WASHINGTON -- LaMarcus Aldridge scored 24 points as the San Antonio Spurs kept their undefeated record on the road intact by beating the Washington Wizards 112-100 on Saturday.

San Antonio also played Friday night but the back-to-back NBA games didn't faze them as they improved to 10-0 on the road and won their eighth straight overall.

Asked for what has impressed him most during the winning streak, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said, "The fact that a lot of the new guys have caught on so quickly.

"Kyle Anderson and Jon Simmons haven't played much before. David Lee, Davis Bertans, and Dewayne Dedmon and Pau (Gasol) just all got here, so they've blended in very well pretty quickly. It was surprising."

Tony Parker had 20 points and Kawhi Leonard scored 19 for the Spurs (14-3), who shot 53.3 percent from the field before a crowd of 17,066 at Verizon Center arena.

Simmons scored 15 points and Patty Mills 13 as San Antonio's reserves outscored Washington's 35-18.

The Spurs also outscored Washington 23-10 from the free throw line and led by 19 points in the second half.

Bradley Beal finished with 25 points and John Wall added 21 for the Wizards who have won a season-high two straight. Otto Porter tallied 14 points as Washington dropped to 5-10 on the season.

"It's tough, but we knew that coming in," Beal said of facing the Spurs. "That's not an excuse for us not to compete and us not to go out and try to win a game, but you have to give credit where it's due."

The Wizards beat the Orlando Magic 94-91 on Friday for its first road victory of the season.

Parker scored 11 points and the Spurs shot 50 percent from the field for a 54-44 lead at the intermission.

After Washington closed to 69-62 midway through the third quarter, San Antonio seized command with a 16-7 surge during which Aldridge and Mills each sank a three-pointer and scored five points.

The Wizards looked undisciplined at times, losing Markieff Morris in the third quarter when the starting forward was ejected after arguing with the officials over a foul call. Morris had 12 points in 19 minutes.

Ian Mahinmi, who was acquired in the offseason, made his season debut for the Wizards after missing the first 14 games due to knee surgery. His impact was limited though as he finished with one point in 15 minutes of playing time.

- Westbrook posts triple-double -

In Oklahoma, Russell Westbrook posted his seventh triple-double of the season as he powered the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 106-88 win over the Detroit Pistons.

Westbrook posted 17 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds to earn back-to-back triple-doubles on consecutive nights.

It was also his 44th career triple-double, which ties him with Cleveland's LeBron James.

The Thunder had five players score in double figures. Anthony Morrow came off the Thunder bench and poured in a season-high 21 points. Steven Adams added 16 points and nine rebounds. Victor Oladipo scored 18 as Oklahoma City improved to 10-8.

Tobias Harris led the Pistons with 21 points on eight of 18 shooting. Ish Smith, who once played for the Thunder, posted 14 points and three assists.

In Charlotte, North Carolina, Kemba Walker scored 28 points, and Jeremy Lamb had 18 points and 17 rebounds, and the Charlotte Hornets snapped a four-game losing streak with a 107-102 win over the New York Knicks.

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Snell comes on strong as Bulls topple Raptors

CHICAGO -- Tony Snell scored 16 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter as the Chicago Bulls improved to 12-5 at home with a 104-97 win over the Toronto Raptors on Monday.

Pau Gasol, Derrick Rose and Snell combined for 64 points as five players reached double figures for the Bulls who collected their second NBA victory in three games.

Forward Gasol scored 22 points and pulled down seven rebounds while Rose contributed 20 points and four assists for Chicago (17-12). Rose has now registered back-to-back 20 points games for the first time this season.


Raptors guard Kyle Lowry led all scorers with 28 points on nine-for-15 shooting. Guard DeMar DeRozan added 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for Toronto, who dropped to 19-13.

Toronto dropped its sixth consecutive contest against the Bulls. The Raptors have not beaten Chicago since December 2013.

Snell helped the Bulls pull ahead by double digits in the final quarter. He drove past guard Terrence Ross and forward Luis Scola for a layup to make it 84-74 with 9:22 left in regulation time.

On the next possession, Snell made a three-pointer to give Chicago a commanding 87-76 lead.

Jonas Valanciunas played his first game for the Raptors after missing 17 contests with a broken hand.

Valanciunas finished with nine points on four-of-seven shooting in 21 minutes of playing time.

Elsewhere, guard Monta Ellis scored a season-high 26 points, and the Indiana Pacers snapped Atlanta's six-game winning streak with a 93-87 win at Bankers Life Fieldhouse arena.

Pacers centre Ian Mahinmi, who scored 13 points, tipped in a missed Ellis shot with 16.3 seconds remaining to give Indiana a 92-87 lead.

Solomon Hill and Chase Budinger each added 10 points for Indiana.

"Everybody's willing to learn and ready to step up when their names called," said Hill, who played 26 minutes on Monday with CJ Miles injured.

The Pacers six game win streak was the longest active streak in the NBA.

Paul Milsap led the Hawks with 24 points, Jeff Teague tallied 18, Thabo Sefolosha netted 14 and Al Horford finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Hill's driving layup with 6:21 to play pushed the Indiana lead back to nine at 86-77.

After the Hawks cut the Pacers' lead to 76-73, Budinger and Hill scored consecutive field goals to give Indiana an 80-73 advantage with 8:46 left in the fourth.

Indiana won despite being without Miles (sore back) and not getting much production from all-star Paul George, who scored just nine points on three-of-14 shooting from the field.

Indiana shot 43.7 percent, and Atlanta shot 41.9 percent while the Pacers' bench outscored the Hawks' reserves 14-10 in the opening 24 minutes.

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Gasol, Rose help Bulls get past Celtics in OT

Bulls 109, Celtics 104 (Overtime)

Pau Gasol scored 29 points with 16 rebounds, and the Chicago Bulls held on for a win in overtime against the Boston Celtics.

Aaron Brooks added 19 points for the Bulls (24-10), who won for the ninth time in the past 10 games.

Chicago won despite playing without leading scorer Jimmy Butler who missed the game on bereavement leave.

Boston forward Evan Turner scored a season-high 29 points to lead the Celtics (11-20).

- - -

Nuggets 114, Grizzlies 85

Ty Lawson had 25 points and 11 assists, guard Arron Afflalo scored 23, and the Denver Nuggets routed the Memphis Grizzlies.

Kenneth Faried had 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Nuggets, who led by as many as 33 to end a three-game skid.

The Grizzlies (24-9) had their Southwest Division lead trimmed to a half-game over Dallas.

- - -

Jazz 101, Timberwolves 89

Trey Burke scored a season-high 28 points and the Utah Jazz continued their recent run of success, using a big third quarter to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Jazz (12-22) led by six at halftime, then went on a 30-20 run in the third quarter, leading by as many as 20 points at one point.

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Bulls beat Pacers for 7th consecutive victory

Jimmy Butler scored 27 points and grabbed nine rebounds and the Chicago Bulls held off a late rally to beat Indiana, 92-90, Monday for their seventh consecutive NBA victory.

Spanish star Pau Gasol added 20 points, while Derrick Rose contributed 17 despite 5-of-20 shooting for the visiting Bulls, who improved to 22-9, two games behind Toronto for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

The Bulls nearly squandered a 21-point lead with a sluggish fourth quarter in which they were outscored 25-11.

A 3-point play by Chicago's Mike Dunleavy, who pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds, put the Bulls ahead 75-54 late in the third quarter, but Chicago missed an unprecedented 17 shots in a row until Gasol broke the futility streak with a turnaround jumper with 3:27 remaining in the fourth quarter.

While the Bulls went silent, the Pacers scored 20 points in a row at one stretch, with Lavoy Allen's layup midway into the final period putting Indiana in front and Luis Scola's basket putting the Pacers ahead 86-83.

Butler sank a 3-pointer with just over a minute remaining to put the Bulls back on top and C.J. Watson missed a baseline 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have won the game for Indiana.

Chris Copeland came off the bench to lead Indiana's six double-figure scorers with 17 points, netting 13 of them in the fourth quarter.

The Pacers slid to 11-21, 11 1/2 games behind the pace-setting Bulls in the Central division.

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Gasol heavily courted by Chicago Bulls

Pau Gasol is being heavily courted by the Chicago Bulls, Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers, but the NBA champions are still in the running for the 13-year veteran free agent.

Gasol, limited to 60 games last season, is the top offseason target of the San Antonio Spurs, who are making another push to gain favor with the 7-footer.

- -

Veteran point guard Steve Blake agreed to a two-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Yahoo Sports reported Blake would make $2 million each season of the contract.

- -

The Charlotte Hornets extended an offer sheet to restricted free agent forward Gordon Hayward, the team announced Thursday.

Terms were not disclosed, but the deal is a four-year, $63 million offer, according to multiple reports.

In accordance with the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, Hayward's current team, the Utah Jazz, has three days to match the offer.

- -

The Washington Wizards officially re-signed center Marcin Gortat, the team announced Thursday.

Multiple media outlets reported previously that Gortat received a five-year, $60 million deal. (Editing by Frank Pingue)

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Lakers shock OKC behind career-high from Meeks

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 114-110, despite a triple-double from OKC’s All-Star forward Kevin Durant.

Jodie Meeks scored 24 of his career-high 42 points in the second half, while becoming only the third player to reach the 30-point mark this season for Los Angeles.

Pau Gasol added 20 points and 11 rebounds for the injury-ravaged Lakers, who had lost 29 of their previous 37 games.

Meantime, Durant had 27 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists for his third triple-double of the season.

Serge Ibaka also registered a double-double of 21 points and 15 boards in a losing effort for Oklahoma City. -- Report from ANC

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Lakers score come-from-behind win vs Pistons

Forward Wesley Johnson scored 27 points and the Los Angeles Lakers used a late 12-0 run to propel them to a 106-102 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

Forward Shawne Williams had 20 points and nine rebounds and guard Jordan Farmar and center Pau Gasol had 13 points apiece for the Lakers (9-8).

Guard Rodney Stuckey led Detroit (6-10) with 22 points.

--

Heat 90, Raptors 83

Forward LeBron James scored 27 points for the Miami Heat in a 90-83 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

Guard Dwyane Wade added 22 points for the Heat while guard DeMar DeRozan led Toronto with 25 points and forward Rudy Gay scored 21 points with 11 rebounds for the Raptors

- -

Hawks 88, Mavericks 87

The Dallas Mavericks, up by 17 points in the third quarter, went stagnant offensively after point guard Jose Calderon sprained his ankle and the Atlanta Hawks took advantage to win 88-87.

Forward Al Horford hit a 20-foot jumper with 4.2 seconds left to give the Hawks their first lead since the opening quarter before Dallas guard Vince Carter missed a jumper at the buzzer.

Point guard Jeff Teague had 25 points for the Hawks (9-8), nine of them coming in the second half, while forward Dirk Nowitzki and Calderon each had 16 points for Dallas (10-7).

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Rockets 114, Nets 95

Continuing their torrid play at home, the Houston Rockets jumped out to an early double-digit lead and coasted to a 114-95 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

The Rockets (12-5) claimed their sixth consecutive home triumph by dominating the injury-plagued Nets (4-12) from the opening tip.

Brooklyn played without starters Deron Williams (left ankle) and Kevin Garnett (rest) while reserves Jason Terry (left knee) and Andrei Kirilenko (back spasms) were also out.

Rockets forward Chandler Parsons scored 21 points.

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Pelicans 121, Sixers 105

Jrue Holiday scored 20 points, made 13 assists, seven rebounds and three steals in his first game back in Philadelphia to help the Pelicans to a 121-105 victory over the Sixers.

The Pelicans (7-8) received 26 points from guard Eric Gordon and 22 points and 10 rebounds from forward-center Anthony Davis, 18 points from forward Ryan Anderson and 16 from guard Tyreke Evans.

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Lakers' Gasol congratulates Gilas

MANILA, Philippines – Los Angeles Lakers big man Pau Gasol sent his congratulations to the Philippine national basketball team on Twitter after Gilas Pilipinas qualified to the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain.

Gasol, a member of the Spain national team, congratulated Gilas, Iran and Korea after the three teams earned berth to the world championships.

“Congratulations to Gilas, Iran and Korea for qualifying for the Spain’s world championships next year! See you there!” Gasol tweeted last weekend.

Iran won the 27th FIBA Asia Men’s Basketball Championship last Sunday, with Gilas finishing in second place and South Korea ending up third.

When thanked by the Gilas Pilipinas Twitter account, Gasol replied: “It’s going to be a great championship! Congratulations again for qualifying!”

As hosts, the Spanish team already qualified to the World Cup. Olympic gold medalists United States have also qualified.

Gasol’s teammate with the Lakers, Kobe Bryant, also congratulated the Philippine team during his visit to Manila last Monday and offered some words of advice.

“Just believe in yourselves. They have to tune out the noise and don’t get all caught up in the hoopla and the attention, because if they do, they’ll forget what they can do,” Bryant said. “If they focus internally and go out there next summer ready to win.”

The 2014 FIBA World Cup will be held in six different cities in Spain from August 30 to September 14, with the final round being held in Barcelona and Madrid.

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