Sam Smith's 2022 All-Star Game Selection Projections on Christmas Day

DeMar DeRozan will stop in Salt Lake City later this month on the way to Springfield. That’s because the Bulls star scorer Thursday was named to his sixth NBA All-Star team for the game in Utah Feb. 19. The history of Hall of Fame enshrinements has pretty much an informal cutoff that after five All-Star selections you are a lock to swing open that door to the Hall of Fame.

On the latest Pelicans Podcast presented by SeatGeek, Joe Cardosi and Jim Eichenhofer break down the strange start and end of the game against the Dallas Mavericks. Washington Post’s Ben Golliver also joins the podcast (7:15) to discuss how he is tracking LeBron James’ record breaking season, how he thinks the Pelicans are doing midway through the NBA season, the recent public refereeing issues, and who he thinks might have been snubbed from an NBA All-Star game nod.

It should be a fun, intense atmosphere in the Smoothie King on Saturday, for a unique 5 p.m. Central tip-off against the Los Angeles Lakers (25-28). The Western Conference matchup was moved up a couple hours from its initial start time in order to move it to ESPN2 nationally. New Orleans (26-27) needs a win to stay ahead of the purple and gold in the standings. Pregame coverage on Bally Sports and 99.5 FM begins at 4:30.

The 14 reserves for the 2023 All-Star Game were announced on Thursday and joined the player pool for Team LeBron and Team Giannis. Paul George (LA Clippers) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder) Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies) Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers) Lauri Markkanen (Utah Jazz) Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies)

Last Matchup: 3/6/22 | NYK 116- LAC 93 | Amir Coffey: 16 PTS - R.J. Barrett – 24 PTS. Since the beginning of the 2000 calendar year, the Clippers are 29-14 (.674) against the Knicks, their third-best record against any opponent in the span (30-12 vs. Hornets, 31-14 vs. Bulls). However, LA has lost in each of the last three matchups.

WASHINGTON, DC -- It’s been Trendon Watford’s road trip and the rest of the Trail Blazers are just along for the ride. After playing 60 minutes total in the month of January, Watford logged 30 minutes, posted a season-high in points and was the catalyst of a second-half rally that resulted in the Trail Blazers defeating the Wizards 124-116 in front of a sellout crowd of 20,476, many of whom were there to cheer on the visitors, Friday night at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.

PHILADELPHIA – FEB. 2, 2023 - The NBA announced today that Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has been named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for January. This represents the second monthly honor in as many months for Embiid, who now has six such awards throughout his career. In...

MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL (Feb. 4, 2023) – The Minnesota Timberwolves, in partnership with UnitedHealthcare and Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities, today announced the signing of 15 new honorary team members to their roster to create the 2022-23 “Jr. Wolves Dream Team.” Presented by UnitedHealthcare, the Jr. Wolves Dream Team is comprised of youth from the Twin Cities and surrounding area, ranging in age from nine to 14 years old and include Damari, Kai, Ayden, Samani, Ahmad, Elijah, Josiah, Xavier, Davin, Johnny, Joseph, Alex, LaZavier, Christian, and Devin.

Last Matchup: 4/1/22 | LAC 153 – MIL 119 | LAC Robert Covington: 43 – MIL Jordan Nwora - 28 The Clippers and Bucks split their season series in 2021-22 with each team winning a game apiece on the road. Los Angeles scored 153 points in their latest matchup on April 2, 2022, the most points scored by either team in their 123 games against one another all-time.

Matt Taiji: Disclaimer: I know that none of the following trade proposals have a snowball's chance in Death Valley of ever even being remotely considered by the Bulls' front office. These proposals are strictly for entertainment purposes only. Credit Michael Pina of the Ringer for creating the below Chicago Bulls/NO Pelicans trade proposal.

NEW YORK, Feb. 4, 2023 – Orlando Magic center Mo Bamba has been suspended four games without pay and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Austin Rivers has been suspended three games without pay for their roles in an on-court altercation, it was announced today by Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations.

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry limped to the locker room in the second half of Saturday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. He did not return as the Warriors held off the Mavericks 119-113. The injury occurred with 2:01 left in the third quarter when Curry appeared to bang...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Today, the NBA named Sacramento Kings center-forward Domantas Sabonis as a 2023 Western Conference All-Star reserve. The honor marks the third All-Star nomination of Sabonis' career and his first with Sacramento. A seven-year veteran, Sabonis is averaging 18.8 points (61.5 FG%, 36.8 3pt%, 74.6 FT%), 12.3...

The NBA announced today that Denver Nuggets Head Coach Michael Malone was named the Western Conference Coach of the Month for games played in January. Additionally, Michael Malone and his coaching staff have secured the top seed in the Western Conference through games played on February 5th, earning them the right to coach Team LeBron in the 2023 NBA All-Star Game. Malone and his staff previously earned this honor in 2019 at NBA All-Star weekend in Charlotte.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray has been named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in January, the NBA announced today. The fourth overall selection in the 2022 NBA Draft, Murray averaged 14.0 points (51.0 FG%, 49.5 3pt%, 93.3 FT%), 5.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 32.2 minutes per game in 15 games (15 starts) during the month of January. Murray also received NBA Rookie of the Month honors for December.

0-14% What’s more, we’ll give you a breakdown of how many games each team has for the upcoming week so that you can maximize the minutes of your streamers. Without further delay, let’s get to it, starting with the schedule of games being played for next week.

Mavericks (28-25), Pelicans (26-27) New Orleans had a chance in the final minute Thursday to complete what would’ve been the biggest mathematical comeback in franchise history, but Dallas made just enough plays to hold on for what turned into a stunningly tight victory. Earlier in the proceedings, New Orleans didn’t provide nearly enough resistance on defense, while supplying too much help to the opposition on offense, turning the ball over frequently. Facing a challenging finale of their three-game road trip, the Pelicans fell behind by a huge margin early, before mounting a fourth-quarter run that made the final score tight. New Orleans outscored Dallas 63-41 in the final 24 minutes, cutting into what had been a 27-point halftime deficit.

The Wizards headed into Capital One Arena on Friday night boasting a six-game winning streak and ready to play in front of D.C. fans for the first time in nearly two weeks. After a solid first half for the Wizards, the Trail Blazers turned the tables in the second half leading to a 124-116 Wizards loss. Kristaps Porzingis and Bradley Beal combined for 66 points in the defeat.

After being down by double digits for most of the game, the Jazz again showed that they won’t go down without a fight. With a late run in which Jordan Clarkson caught fire and almost singlehandedly brought the Jazz back, Utah couldn’t complete the comeback and eventually fell 115-108 to Atlanta on Friday night.

All season long, the Orlando Magic have been at their best when they’ve let their defense fuel their offense. That tenet held true in Philadelphia as the Magic opened up their four-game road trip with two straight quality defensive outings against the Sixers and recorded a series split with the Eastern Conference powerhouse. After notching a win in the first affair, Orlando dropped a close contest in the second. It was an impressive defensive effort, considering the Magic were able to keep it tight on a night where head coach Jamahl Mosley said his team “couldn’t throw it in the ocean.”