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Booker, Suns roll to 6th straight win, beating Magic 109-90
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) drives between Orlando Magic forward Dwayne Bacon (8) and center Nikola Vucevic (9) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021, in Phoenix. That made a drama-free blowout over the Orlando Magic a welcome change Sunday night. Devin Booker scored 27 points, Mikal Bridges added 21 and the Suns cruised to their sixth straight victory, beating the short-handed Magic 109-90 in a game that was never particularly close. โWe did what we had to do to win the game,โ Suns coach Monty Williams said. He shot 10 of 16 from the field against the Magic ... Deandre Ayton added 10 points and 13 rebounds.
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Curry goes off again with 10 3s as Warriors hold off Magic
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, left, dribbles against Orlando Magic forward Gary Clark during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. Curry knocked down 10 3-pointers on the way to 40 points and also contributed eight rebounds and five assists, leading the Golden State Warriors past the undermanned Magic 111-105 on Thursday night. โI just told him he looks great, he looks quick, he looks healthy, he looks like heโs loving it,โ Clifford said. Nikola Vucevic had 25 points, 13 rebounds and five assists as the Magic lost a third straight game, seventh in eight and ninth of 11. ... Golden State hasn't lost two in a row at home this season.
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VanVleet sets Raptors mark with 54 in 123-108 win at Orlando
Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet, left, drives around Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony (50) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)ORLANDO, Fla. โ Fred VanVleet set a franchise record with 54 points and hit a career-best 11 3-pointers as the Toronto Raptors beat the short-handed Orlando Magic 123-108 on Tuesday night. AdNorman Powell had 23 points for Toronto, and Kyle Lowry posted a triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Orlando, which has lost 12 of 14, tried almost every guard on its roster against the 6-foot-1 VanVleet with little to no success. AdMagic: Orlando was without Gordon, who severely sprained his left ankle later in Sundayโs game against Toronto. Magic: Orlando hosts Chicago on Friday and Saturday in a two-game set.
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Practice time will be in short supply in NBA this season
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra watches during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Friday, Dec. 25, 2020, in Miami. (AP Photo/Joel Auerbach)The Miami Heat just wrapped up two consecutive days of practice, which is significant for this reason: It might not happen again for a while. Practice time is something that will be in short supply around the NBA this season; teams are basically playing every other day, and that โ along with travel and mandated days off โ realistically leaves time for no more than two practices per week. โI think you need to adjust and at least weโre all on an even playing field, so itโs all relative,โ Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. Every team in the NBA will have similar practice quandaries, which comes with the territory of having plenty of four-game weeks.
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'Explosive' Durant scores 15 in 1st preseason game with Nets
Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (7) passes during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020, in New York. Durant played just under 24 minutes as Brooklyn beat the Washington Wizards 119-114 on Sunday night in its preseason opener. Durant scored 11 points on 3-for-3 shooting during that stretch while Irving scored 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting to help the Nets take a 30-18 lead. Late in the first half, Irving threw a long pass to Durant, whose reverse layup gave the Nets a 58-35 lead. Danilo Gallinari added 17 points and DeโAndre Hunter added 15 for Atlanta, which made 17 3-pointers.
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Williams, Gray lead No. 8 Florida State past North Carolina
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. โ While many eyes were on North Carolina freshman Cole Anthony, it was Florida State freshman Patrick Williams who had one of his best performances. 8 Florida State beat North Carolina 65-59 on Monday night. Florida State has won 19 straight home games โ 11 this season and the last eight in 2018-19. North Carolina went 0 for 17 during a long stretch of the second half and Florida State was able to build a comfortable lead. North Carolina shot 21 of 68 (30.9%) from the field.
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Underclassmen thriving at the point in college basketball
Duke guard Tre Jones (3) jumps to block Winthrop guard Russell Jones Jr. (0) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Durham, N.C., Friday, Nov. 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)Iowa Stateโs Tyrese Haliburton knows well the challenges that face young point guards in college basketball. Tar Heels coach Roy Williams emphasizes mentality in teaching young point guards more than honing a crossover dribble or pull-up jumper. Now considered a possible NBA lottery prospect, Haliburton has a simple answer on how challenging it is for young point guards in college basketball. ___Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap___More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and http://www.twitter.com/AP_Top25