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Watch 32-year-old Andre Ingram score his first points for the Lakers (VIDEO)

By Dane CarbaughApr 11, 2018, 12:30 AM EDT
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Andre Ingram played 10 seasons in the G-League. On Monday, Ingram was signed to the Los Angeles Lakers roster for the final two games of the season.

And on Tuesday, Ingram got MVP chants at the free-throw line at Staples Center.

During the Lakers’ game against the Houston Rockets, Ingram checked in and walked onto an NBA floor as a player for the first time. His signing was detailed by the Lakers via their social media platforms, and so fans were anticipating Ingram’s arrival.

When Ingram finally did check in, he got a round of applause from the home crowd.

Via Twitter:

That’s a pretty cool story and a nice ending to it as the season wraps up for the Lakers.

Report: Kevin Durant to opt out of contract, restructure deal with Warriors

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By Kurt HelinApr 11, 2018, 3:13 AM EDT
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Kevin Durant is going to be a free agent this summer.

That is just a technicality, however. Unlike LeBron James or Paul George or DeAndre Jordan — free agents whose landing spots this summer are to be determined — Durant isn’t going anywhere. He wants to stay a Warrior.

However, after doing the team a favor and not bleeding them dry last summer in a new short-term deal (allowing the Warriors to retain Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston), Durant now is going to opt out negotiate something longer-term and for more cash, reports Chris Haynes of ESPN.

A nine-time All-Star and the reigning NBA Finals MVP, Durant will be turning down a salary of $26.2 million, a figure well below that for a player of his caliber, in order to restructure a new deal with the Warriors, sources said.

It has yet to be decided what contractual route Durant will take, sources say, but there are no real incentives — for himself or for the team — to take such a drastic reduction in pay this time around.

Maxed out, Durant can make north of $35 million next season, with his contracts going up from there. The Warriors will pay him whatever he asks, the only question is how deep it will take the Warriors into the luxury tax. Even without Durant on the books, Golden State has about $102 million in salary locked in for nine roster spots. The salary cap is estimated to be about $108 million, with the luxury tax line at about $130 million — with Durant the Warriors will be into the tax, and they will still have to round out the roster with four or five (likely at a minimum salary). Their free agents include David West, Kevin Looney, Zaza Pachulia, Nick Young, and JaVale McGee.

Durant could get a four-year deal worth around $158 million (final numbers will depend on the final salary cap number), or take a shorter deal that gets him out sooner and into the free agent market again. As a third option, he could sign four-year with player options after the first two or three years, which would let him jump back in the market sooner.

He also could take less money again, but don’t bet on it. KD has earned the right to get paid.

76ers get team-record 15th straight win, 121-113 over Hawks

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Associated PressApr 10, 2018, 11:59 PM EDT
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ATLANTA (AP) JJ Redick scored 28 points and the surging Philadelphia 76ers set a franchise record with their 15th consecutive victory, holding off the Atlanta Hawks 121-113 Tuesday night to move a step closer to locking up the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The 76ers overcame a tough night for rookie star Ben Simmons, who missed the morning shootaround after coming down with the stomach flu. He still managed to put up 13 points, 10 rebounds and six assists before fouling out with 7 seconds remaining.

Simmons picked up a technical in the third quarter for arguing all the way down the court about a call that didn’t go his way.

His teammates helped pick up the slack. Redick hit 6 of 9 from beyond the 3-point arc, while former Atlanta players Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli burned their old team. Ilyasova scored 26 points, Belinelli added 20 and the duo combined for nine 3-pointers.

Philadelphia went 17 of 37 beyond the arc.

Just two years removed from a 10-72 debacle, the 76ers can lock up the East’s third seed with a home victory over Milwaukee in the regular-season finale Wednesday night. The rebuilding Hawks were long ago eliminated from playoff contention, closing out their worst season since 2005 with a record of 24-58.

They can only hope to duplicate the remarkable turnaround in Philly.

Taurean Prince led the Hawks with 27 points.

TIP-INS

76ers: G T.J. McConnell went down hard midway through third quarter after running into Dewayne Dedmon‘s pick near the top of the key while trying to keep up with Prince. It wasn’t exactly a fair fight – Dedmon outweighs McConnell by 55 pounds. McConnell was down for a couple of minutes before walking slowly to the bench. He was able to return, though he failed to score in 19 minutes. … Philadelphia’s last loss was March 13 at home to Indiana. In all, the 76ers have won 26 of their last 31 games. … F Dario Saric went out in the opening minute after he sustained a cut lip and chipped tooth.

Hawks: Rookie G Antonius Cleveland fouled out of the game after playing just 13 minutes. … Prince hurled up a franchise-record 18 3-pointers, making six. … Atlanta was outrebounded 54-39.

UP NEXT

76ers: Returns to Philadelphia to close out the regular season with what could be a first-round playoff preview. Milwaukee holds a 2-1 edge in the season series, with each team holding serve on its home court.

Hawks: It’s on to 2018 for Atlanta, whose 10-year playoff streak pretty much ended before the season began.

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Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/paul%20newberry

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For more AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

Donovan Mitchell on Ben Simmons and ROY: “I really don’t care”

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By Dane CarbaughApr 10, 2018, 11:45 PM EDT
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Things aren’t going super great for Donovan Mitchell when it comes to his battle against Ben Simmons for Rookie of the Year. Never mind the stats for a minute, the back-and-forth between the two has reached a fever pitch.

On Tuesday, the Utah Jazz rookie arrived to his home arena wearing a hooded sweatshirt that appeared to be a dig at Simmons. Unfortunately for Mitchell, because of the text that was written on the hoodie, it was actually in favor of Simmons being classified as a rookie, despite the Sixers wing having been drafted in 2016.

As that photo made the rounds on social media, ESPN published a story featuring comments from Mitchell. The Jazz guard said he didn’t care about Simmons’ apparent disrespect after the Sixers ball-handler said he wasn’t impressed with other rookies.

Via ESPN:

“I really don’t care,” Mitchell told ESPN. “The biggest thing for me is that we’re in the fourth seed and fighting for the third seed. If I’m worrying about individual awards, I’m giving up on my teammates and what we’re trying to build here. Clearly, I’m not the one losing sleep over this. I don’t care.”

…

“I got concerned at first,” he told ESPN. “I thought it was something serious. Then I heard about what he said and I was like, ‘whatever.’ That’s not my concern.”

But that’s not even the juicy part. In an addendum to his story, Chris Haynes tweeted out a quote from Mitchell that didn’t make the article. In the quote, Mitchell tried to make an analogy comparing Simmons’ situation to getting an extra year to study for an exam.

The strangest part, for me at least, is that this appears to be a direct reference to a joke I tweeted out on Monday. Here’s my tweet, then Mitchell’s quote:

Social media is weird, man. Quick, who was the Rookie of the Year in 2010? Right. Who cares. At least both these dudes are legit franchise cornerstones.

Too bad we won’t get to see them square off again this year unless it’s in the NBA Finals.

Here’s a first look at Joel Embiid’s face mask (PHOTO)

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By Dane CarbaughApr 10, 2018, 10:30 PM EDT
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It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for, especially if you’re a Philadelphia 76ers fan. Joel Embiid — out with an orbital fracture — now has a protective mask.

Will he play with it when he returns? For how long? Will he keep it on for comfort all through the playoffs, á la Rip Hamilton?

We can afford to ask seemingly innocuous questions like this, of course, because the Sixers are currently on a 14-game winning streak led by Ben Simmons. Since Philly isn’t in a bind, and nobody is panicking about Embiid returning quickly, we’re left to ponder his broken face.

Now, courtesy social media, we have our first look at Embiid’s new facial attire. To be perfectly frank: it’s sort of cool-looking.

Via Twitter:

It’s also worth taking some time today to prepare yourself for the slate of incoming “mask off” tweets that will echo around Twitter once Embiid eventually removes it.

Simmons was doing non-contact drills this past week, so it’s still not clear when he will return.