JONAS VALANCIUNAS

Franz Wagner had 30 points and nine assists, Cole Anthony scored 22 off the bench and the Orlando Magic beat the New Orleans Pelicans.

But since November 15, Ayton's made a concerted effort to be more aggressive on offense and defense — and it's benefited fantasy managers. He's easily one of the steals of the draft for fantasy managers and could continue to rise up the rankings if he improves from the line. Fantasy managers likely lost a bit of leverage to sell high after Simmons' was providing third-round value over the past two weeks. He's only contributing 0.8 combined steals and blocks for fantasy managers this season. I can't call it, but I doubt fantasy managers will be able to move Giddey for much, given his deficiencies outside of points, rebounds and assists.

Trey Murphy III scored 22 points and the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans overcame Luka Doncic’s latest prolific performance to beat the Dallas Mavericks 113-111.

Zion Williamson returned from a one-year absence with 25 points and nine rebounds, powering the New Orleans Pelicans to a season-opening 130-108 rout of the Brooklyn Nets.

The 2022-23 NBA season is fast approaching, which means it's time to start getting ready for your fantasy basketball drafts. [Get in on the fun this fantasy hoops season: Create or join a league now!] Karl-Anthony TownsMy in-depth takes on Jokic, Embiid and Towns this season can be found in my first mock draft here. Precious Achiuwa has a shot at earning the starting center spot for the Toronto Raptors if Nick Nurse decides to move Pascal Siakam to the power forward position. He and Steph Curry looked very comfortable running pick and roll, and if he stays healthy, there's a good chance he could eat into Kevon Looney's minutes and take over the starting center spot.

COLOGNE, Germany — (AP) — Lithuania unsuccessfully protested its double-overtime loss to Germany at the EuroBasket tournament Sunday, arguing that referees did not award it a free throw following a technical foul in regulation. Maodo Lo scored 21 points for Germany (3-0) and Daniel Theis added 11. Vlatko Cancar led Slovenia with 22 points, Goran Dragic added 20, Klemen Prepelic scored 12 and Mike Tobey finished with 11. Igor Drobnjak and Bojan Dubljevic each had 17 points for Montenegro, Nemanja Radovic added 16 and Kendrick Perry scored 12. Alperen Sengun led Turkey with 21 points on 10-of-14 shooting.

COLOGNE, Germany — (AP) — Lithuania protested its double-overtime loss to Germany at the EuroBasket tournament on Sunday, arguing that referees did not award it a free throw following a technical foul in regulation. Maodo Lo scored 21 points for Germany (3-0) and Daniel Theis added 11. Vlatko Cancar led Slovenia with 22 points, Goran Dragic added 20, Klemen Prepelic scored 12 and Mike Tobey finished with 11. Igor Drobnjak and Bojan Dubljevic each had 17 points for Montenegro, Nemanja Radovic added 16 and Kendrick Perry scored 12. Alperen Sengun led Turkey with 21 points on 10-of-14 shooting.

Zion Williamson agent Austin Brown says the star forward has agreed to a five-year extension with the New Orleans Pelicans worth $193 million.

A source with direct knowledge of the agreement said the Houston Rockets are trading center Christian Wood, their leading scorer and rebounder this season, to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for four players and a draft pick.

Suns Pelicans Basketball Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul (3) passes between New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas (17) and guard CJ McCollum (3) in the first half of game 6 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Thursday, April 28, 2022 in New Orleans. Paul had the most field goals without a miss in a playoff game, hit all four of his free throws and had eight assists as the top-seeded Suns overcame a 10-point halftime deficit. Paul helped put the Suns up for good, at 102-101, on an assist on Deandre Ayton’s dunk with 2:12 left. Paul had 13 points in the quarter, but New Orleans used an 11-5 run to take an 85-82 lead into the final period. Pelicans: The Pelicans started the season 1-12 and 3-16 but still made the play-in tournament and pushed the top-seeded Suns to a Game 6.

Suns Pelicans Basketball New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) shoots against Phoenix Suns guard Landry Shamet in the first half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series in New Orleans, Sunday, April 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton) (Matthew Hinton)NEW ORLEANS — (AP) — Brandon Ingram scored 16 of his 30 points in the third quarter and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Phoenix Suns — playing without injured star Devin Booker — 118-103 in Game 4 on Sunday night to tie the first-round series. Booker strained his right straight after scoring 31 first-half points in the top-seeded Suns' Game 2 loss. Deandre Ayton led the Suns with 23 points and eight rebounds, and fellow center JaVale McGee had 14 points. Pelicans: The Pelicans committed 46 turnovers in the first three games to the Suns’ 28, leading to a point differential of 72-27.

Brandon Ingram scored 16 of his 30 points in the third quarter and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Phoenix Suns — playing without injured star Devin Booker — 118-103 in Game 4 on Sunday night to tie the first-round series.

Game 1s brought greatness out of some.

Chris Paul scored 19 of his 30 points during a brilliant fourth-quarter shooting display and the Phoenix Suns beat the New Orleans Pelicans 110-99 on Sunday night in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series.

CJ McCollum scored 27 of his 32 points in the first half, Brandon Ingram shook foul trouble to add 27 points and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the San Antonio Spurs 113-103 on Wednesday night in a Western Conference play-in game.

Klay Thompson's season-high 41-point performance included seven 3-pointers for the Golden State Warriors, who clinched the third seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a 128-107 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Ja Morant had 21 points and nine assists in his return from soreness in his right knee, Dillon Brooks scored 23 points and the Memphis Grizzlies routed the New Orleans Pelicans 141-114 on Saturday night to tie the 2012-13 franchise record for victories in a season at 56.

CJ McCollum received a 90-second standing ovation in his first visit to Portland since a February trade to New Orleans, then scored 25 points to lead the Pelicans over the Trail Blazers 117-107.

Luka Doncic had 49 points and 15 rebounds and the Dallas Mavericks never trailed in a 125-118 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night, their sixth victory in seven games.

Brandon Ingram scored 31 points, Josh Hart hit two clutch 3-pointers in the second half to thwart an Orlando rally, and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Magic 110-104 on Thursday night.

Devonte Graham’s 61-foot heave at the buzzer lifted the New Orleans Pelicans to a 113-110 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

A person familiar with the situation says the Memphis Grizzlies have agreed to trade center Jonas Valanciunas to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for center Steven Adams, guard Eric Bledsoe and an exchange of first-round choices in this week’s draft.

Toronto coach Nick Nurse is an American.

Donovan Mitchell scored 26 of his 30 points in the first half and the Utah Jazz advanced to the second round of the playoffs, beating the Memphis Grizzlies 126-110 on Wednesday night in Game 5.

Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points, and the top-seeded Utah Jazz grabbed a 3-1 lead by holding off the Memphis Grizzlies 120-113.

Kyle Anderson had 11 points and 13 rebounds, and Jonas Valanciunas had 10 points and 13 rebounds. That's when Mitchell scored on a three-point play to put the Jazz ahead to stay at 110-109. Utah scored the first four points and led 34-22 after the first quarter. Grizzlies: Memphis came in having won eight of its last 10. The Grizzlies are 6-2 over their last eight Game 3s, with this loss joining 2016 when they were swept by San Antonio.

Donovan Mitchell scored 10 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter and the top-seeded Utah Jazz beat the Memphis Grizzlies 121-111 on Saturday night to take a 2-1 lead in the first-round series.

Dillon Brooks had 31 points and seven rebounds and the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies beat the top-seeded Utah Jazz 112-109 in the opening game of their first-round playoff series.

Grizzlies Warriors Basketball The Memphis Grizzlies celebrate after defeating the Golden State Warriors in an NBA basketball Western Conference play-in game in San Francisco, Friday, May 21, 2021. Jordan Poole hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:50 left in OT for Golden State only to see Xavier Tillman answer with a baseline 3 moments later. Poole lost the ball out of bounds leading to Morant's basket with 4 seconds left, then Poole made another improbable 3 with 2 seconds remaining. Warriors: The Warriors had won six straight home games after wrapping up the regular season with a 6-0 homestand. ... Golden State won 10 of the last 12 at home in all.

Ja Morant made consecutive jumpers in the final 48 seconds of overtime and scored 35 points, Memphis had an answer for every Stephen Curry flurry, and the Grizzlies are headed back to the playoffs for the first time in four years after holding off the Golden State Warriors 117-112 in a thrilling play-in game.

The Grizzlies will play the Golden State Warriors or the Los Angeles Lakers, who played later Wednesday night for the No. Memphis pulled out all the stops possible in a pandemic in the biggest home game since the Grizzlies' last playoff appearance in 2017 against these very Spurs. Gay dunked late in the first quarter, starting the Spurs on a 22-3 run that pulled them within 41-39 of the Grizzlies. ... DeRozan led the Spurs in scoring this season and in all but one of their final six games. Grizzlies: Memphis improved to 35-11 when leading after three.

Dillon Brooks scored eight of his 24 points in the fourth quarter to help put Memphis ahead to stay and the Grizzlies eliminated the San Antonio Spurs 100-96 on Wednesday night in the first Western Conference play-in game.

Cole Anthony made a 3-pointer with 0.1 seconds remaining, giving him a career-best 26 points, and the Orlando Magic defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 112-111 on Saturday night.

Dillon Brooks scored 20 points, Jonas Valanciunas added 14 points and 15 rebounds, and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Orlando Magic 92-75 on a poor shooting night for both teams.

Nikola Jokic scored 47 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer late in the second overtime, and the Denver Nuggets rallied to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 139-137.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, right, goes to the basket as Memphis Grizzlies center Xavier Tillman defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)LOS ANGELES – Anthony Davis scored 35 points and LeBron James had 28 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in the Los Angeles Lakers' seventh consecutive victory, 115-105 over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night. Montrezl Harrell scored 14 points for Los Angeles, which extended its longest win streak in a year even after falling behind by 20 points in the first quarter. The Lakers had their fourth straight terrible start on their homestand, but they took their first lead late in the third quarter. Lakers: Alex Caruso had two points and six assists in his return from a two-game absence with a hand injury.

That can mean a positive COVID-19 test, an inconclusive test or potential exposure to someone who tested positive. He was pulled at halftime of Memphis’ game against Brooklyn on Jan. 8 but played the Grizzlies’ next game Jan. 11 against Cleveland. ___The Atlantic Coast Conference announced that Saturday's Pittsburgh-Boston College men’s basketball game has been postponed. The conference also said Pittsburgh's men's game at Wake Forest scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 7, will move to this Saturday evening. ___Georgetown’s men’s basketball game at Xavier scheduled for next week has been postponed because of a coronavirus-related issue in the Hoyas’ program.

(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)Another NBA game was called off Sunday because of coronavirus concerns, and the Memphis Grizzlies said center Jonas Valanciunas will not play Monday because of the league’s health and safety protocols. The 76ers played in Memphis on Saturday night, losing 106-104 in a game where Valanciunas played 20 minutes. He was pulled at halftime of Memphis’ game against Brooklyn on Jan. 8 because of some sort of virus-related issue, but was back on the court for the Grizzlies’ next game Jan. 11 against Cleveland. Minnesota, which had a game Friday called off after Karl-Anthony Towns revealed he tested positive, is scheduled to play Monday in Atlanta. Cleveland’s game in Washington on Sunday also was called off, as was the planned rematch between the clubs on Monday.

James had 22 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, Anthony Davis added 17 points and nine rebounds as the Lakers opened a two-game set in Memphis with a 108-94 victory over the Grizzlies on Sunday night. “We were doing a lot of jostling with Memphis,” James said, “At the start of the fourth, I wanted to try and implement myself and my scoring a little bit more. After surrendering 36 points in the first quarter, the Lakers held the Grizzlies to 18, 21, and 19 over the final three periods. …G Alex Caruso missed his fourth game under the health and safety protocol. Gasol played 10-plus seasons with the Grizzlies.

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, right, wears a boot on his left foot after suffering an injury during the team's NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Monday, Dec. 28, 2020, in New York. The Grizzlies earned their first victory of the season, outlasting the short-handed Brooklyn Nets 116-111 in overtime Monday night. Morant was hurt late in the first half when he leaped to block a shot by Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot and landed on the Nets forward's foot. Morant watched Brandon Clarke score the go-ahead basket on a follow shot with 41 seconds left in overtime before the Grizzlies put it away with free throws. “Early in the season I think guys are still acclimating to back-to-backs, let alone an overtime back-to-back,” Nets coach Steve Nash said.

FILE - In this Aug. 15, 2020, file photo, Portland Trail Blazers' Jusuf Nurkic (27) and Memphis Grizzlies' Jonas Valanciunas (17) reach for the opening tip in an NBA basketball play-in game in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The 2020-21 NBA schedule will feature a play-in tournament and an NBA Finals that could run all the way until July 22 keeping some players from competing in the Olympics. (Kevin C. Cox/Pool Photo via AP, File)NEW YORK – The 2020-21 NBA schedule will feature a play-in tournament and an NBA Finals that could run all the way until July 22 — keeping some players from competing in the Olympics. The league debuted the play-in tournament this year at Walt Disney World, though it only featured the Nos. The second half is March 11 to May 16, with the play-in tournament May 18-21.

Portland finished eighth in the West, Memphis was ninth, and the Grizzlies needed to sweep a two-game matchup to advance. They had a chance, up eight in the final quarter, before Portland did what Portland does in the bubble find a way at the end. The Grizzlies' 42-point third quarter matched the second-highest scoring period of the season for Memphis and was the second-highest scoring third quarter in franchise history. LOOKING AHEADThe Lakers went 2-1 against the Blazers this season, with the road team winning all three games. Anthony Davis (32.0 ppg) and LeBron James (24.7 ppg) led the Lakers; Lillard (36.0 ppg) and Whiteside (22.0 ppg) led the Blazers.

8 team two straight times to advance to face the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference for a second straight season. The Grizzlies were eighth in the West with a 3 -game lead over the rest of the pack when they arrived at Florida. TIP-INSBucks: Starting guard Wesley Matthews missed a second straight game with a sore right adductor. UP NEXTThe Bucks will face the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs.