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Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore reportedly have taken another step toward assuming ownership of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx.

According to The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski and Shams Charania, Rodriguez and Lore exercised their option to purchase the next 20 percent of the franchises, which is a continuation of their three-step plan.

Rodriguez and Lore reached an agreement in 2021 to buy the teams in installments. They faced a Saturday deadline to inform majority owner Glen Taylor that they exercised the option, and now they have until March 15 to secure the next 20 percent. They will then have until Dec. 31, 2023, to purchase another 40 percent of the team.

If either of the next two payments are missed, Taylor will have the right to "nullify the succession plan" while retaining Lore and Rodriguez as limited partners, per Krawczynski and Charania. The duo reportedly has been in regular contact with Taylor, who acts as a mentor to them as he prepares to relinquish control of the Timberwolves, a team he's been the majority owner of since 1994.

For their part, Lore and Rodriguez have "privately expressed confidence to people within the organization, Taylor included, that everything is on track to be completed."

Krawczynski and Charania noted that Lore and Rodriguez have already undertaken more influence than limited partners usually do since they joined the ownership group last year, pointing to their roles in recruiting Tim Connelly away from the Denver Nuggets to become Minnesota's president of basketball operations. They also reportedly were consulted on the contract extension for Lynx head coach and president Cheryl Reeve.

The Timberwolves are in 11th place in the Western Conference with a 16-19 record. Minnesota will return to action on Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks (22-12). The Lynx finished the 2022 season with a 14-22 record and fell short of the playoffs.

Victor Wembanyama hasn't even hit an NBA court yet, but he's already being labeled a generational talent.

Because of the Frenchman's insane talent that has drawn rave reviews from the likes of LeBron James and Stephen Curry, the idea of teams tanking to improve their chances of selecting him with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA draft has been a hot topic this year.

Wembanyama, however, expressed confusion about the tanking approach in an interview with Le Parisien.

"Tanking? It's a weird strategy," Wembanyama said. "I find it unreasonable, and I try not to think about it. I also heard that the NBA considered changing a few rules for me, but that doesn't concern me."

Wembanyama is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA draft, topping the likes of Scoot Henderson and Amen Thompson.

The 19-year-old is 7-foot-2, has a wingspan of nearly eight feet and can play any position on the court. His combination of size, shooting and skill makes him one of the most desirable prospects the league has seen in a long time.

Wembanyama's talents were on full display in the United States for the first time in October when Metropolitans 92 met the G League Ignite in the Las Vegas showcase. He finished the first matchup with 37 points, four rebounds, one steal and five blocks, and the second game with 36 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, one steal and four blocks.

In an interview with Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press in October, Wembanyama stated that while he has drawn inspiration from some of the NBA's best players, such as Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo, he's excited to carve out his own path at the next level:

I'm gonna tell you something that's been going on in my life, like for my whole life, since I've been a kid, even before I played basketball. I've always tried to do [something] different. I'm not even talking about sports, whatever. Any field, I'm always trying to be original, something original, something one of one, something that's never been done before. And this is really how it worked in my life. I don't know where it comes from. I think I was born with it. I've always been trying to be original. Unique, that's the word.

Entering Thursday's slate, the Detroit Pistons (9-28), Charlotte Hornets (9-26), Houston Rockets (11-23), and San Antonio Spurs (10-24) had the best odds of winning the NBA draft lottery.

There's still plenty of season left, and the odds for those teams could obviously change. But if the NBA finds out teams are deliberately losing games in an attempt to secure the No. 1 overall pick and a shot at Wembanyama, there's a chance it can hand down some significant punishment.

NBA executives don't expect tampering to ever be a legitimate concern among teams given the relatively minor penalties for the infraction.

"If second-round picks are the only punishment, nothing will ever change," a general manager told NBA writer Marc Stein in the wake of the New York Knicks being docked a 2025 second-rounder by the league for holding free-agent talks with Jalen Brunson before they were permitted this summer.

It's unlikely that the Knicks will shed too many tears over losing a second-round pick in exchange for getting the jump on signing Brunson, who has been excellent for them (20.2 PPG, 6.6 APG) this season.

The NBA said the Knicks cooperated with its investigation into the team's pursuit of Brunson and the eventual four-year, $104 million contract the two sides agreed upon over the summer.

Per Zach Braziller of the New York Post, there were a "myriad of connections" between the Knicks and Brunson, including the fact that his "father, Rick, was hired to join Thibodeau's staff in June, he has known Thibodeau since he was a kid and his agent, Sam Rose, is the son of Knicks president Leon Rose. Leon Rose once represented Brunson before taking over the Knicks, and also repped his father when he was a player."

The NBA's investigation reportedly looked into the hiring of Brunson's father to Thibodeau's staff and also the team's signing of Isaiah Hartenstein to a two-year, $16 million deal, though the team was cleared of any potential wrongdoing in those inquiries.

The Knicks weren't alone. The NBA took away second-round picks from the Philadelphia 76ers in 2023 and 2024 after finding that they committed tampering infractions by holding early free-agent discussions with P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr., who both signed with the team.

Last season, the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls lost second-round picks for tampering violations.

While tampering rules prohibit teams from speaking to prospective free agents before a set date each offseason, complex free agent deals seem to quickly and mysteriously be reported on as finalized within minutes of free agency officially beginning each and every summer.

"There's not a team in this league that follows the tampering rules to a T," a front-office executive told Sarah Todd of the Deseret News in August. "But there are 30 teams in this league that find ways around the rules every day."

Even tougher punishments might not change the culture of tampering, however.

"The threat of harsher penalties and random audits doesn't even make teams flinch," a league office source told Todd. "And at this point, if we investigated every possible instance of tampering, the whole league would come to a screeching halt and nothing would ever get done."

Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo will miss Monday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves with a non-COVID-19 illness.

The 6'9" center was initially listed as questionable due to a right shoulder sprain.

Adebayo is averaging a career-high 20.8 points along with 9.8 rebounds and 0.6 blocks.

His value to the team is evident in how much the offense falls off when he's on the bench. Miami has a 112.2 offensive rating with the 2019-20 All-Star on the court and a 102.1 offensive rating when he's out, per NBA.com.

Compounding matters, the Heat confirmed their backup center, Dewayne Dedmon, is dealing with a foot injury that will keep him out of the lineup against Minnesota.

Karl-Anthony Towns is out for the Timberwolves with a right calf strain, but they'll still have Rudy Gobert at their disposal inside. It will presumably be Orlando Robinson's duty to neutralize the 7'1" Frenchman.

Gobert had four points and didn't attempt a field goal when Minnesota earned a 105-101 win over Miami on Nov. 21. He might find life a lot easier in the return game.

The Heat have dropped two straight games, putting them ninth in the Eastern Conference at 16-17. Avoiding a third successive defeat might be difficult without Adebayo.

Though fans might worry about Victor Wembanyama's injury risk because of his slender 7'2" frame, NBA scouts aren't concerned about the clear top prospect in the 2023 NBA draft.

"Some people compared his physique with Chet Holmgren, but Victor's shoulders and frame are better," a scout told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. "You don't pass on him [at] No. 1 because you're worried about an injury at his size."

Wembanyama has caught the attention of nearly everyone in NBA circles, with even current stars like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo praising the top prospect. The versatile player has an impressive handle for his size and can score in different ways while remaining an elite shot-blocker.

The upside is enough to overlook nearly any risk, making him a near-lock to go No. 1 overall in the June draft.

At just 229 pounds, durability could still be an issue in his career. Chet Holmgren (7'0", 195 lbs) will miss the entire 2022-23 season because of a foot injury after being taken No. 2 overall in the last draft. Kristaps Porziņģis (7'3", 240 lbs) has also been limited by injuries throughout his career, playing fewer than 60 games in six straight years.

Wembanyama will hope for better injury luck once he reaches the NBA.

It might take a Christmas miracle to save the 2022-23 Los Angeles Lakers.

Los Angeles' losing streak extended to four Sunday thanks to its 124-115 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in a Christmas Day showdown at American Airlines Center. The Purple and Gold were once again without Anthony Davis because of a foot injury and fell to an ugly 13-20 on the season.

At this point, the playoffs seem like a long shot at best.

LeBron James carried his team with 38 points, six rebounds and five assists, but his supporting cast had nowhere near enough pieces to keep up with Luka Dončić and Co. on the road.

Social media certainly noticed:

Lakers have failed Lebron. Man is playing out of his socks every game putting up numbers and his supporting cast does nothing.

— Ryan Moon (@ryan29moon) December 25, 2022

The Lakers just have so few NBA in the rotation. They have "maybe NBA guys" but very few "oh n, that guy's definitely in the league in three years" guys

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) December 25, 2022

https://twitter.com/raphiellej/status/1607123559570378755

LeBron deserves better pic.twitter.com/Ba3NfTBME6

— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) December 25, 2022

This game is over now. The Lakers players are well aware that the jig is up and their body language says it.

Hope the afternoon and evening games are super exciting and competitive

— 🏆LakersGuru🏆 (@GuruLakers) December 25, 2022

me watching the lakers vs me watching the lakers on christmas day pic.twitter.com/i3W5uHhGaq

— claire de lune (@ClaireMPLS) December 25, 2022

.@lakers pic.twitter.com/rMB9w5X4Rq

— claire de lune (@ClaireMPLS) December 25, 2022

Lakers fans know this game script well.

— Trevor Lane (@Trevor_Lane) December 25, 2022

LeBron is +2 in a game the Lakers are losing by 17.

Non-LeBron minutes have been a huge problem (again) in the last month.

— Jason Timpf (@_JasonLT) December 25, 2022

Laker fans rn: pic.twitter.com/Ai0x8p96yJ

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 25, 2022

IT'S RAINING 3s IN DALLAS ☔️

The Mavs have hit 8 in Q3. They lead 86-67 on ABC and ESPN.#NBAXmas 🎄🎁 pic.twitter.com/ICUWkFC79E

— NBA (@NBA) December 25, 2022

LeBron James is the oldest player in NBA history to score 30+ in 7 straight games.

Nobody has even 5 straight after turning 35.

Kobe had 10 straight when he was 34.

That’s the only other streak of 7 or more after turning 34.

Just beyond ridiculous.

— Micah Adams (@MAdamsStatGuy) December 25, 2022

It seemed like the Lakers were going to earn a much-needed win against a Western Conference playoff contender when they built an 11-point halftime lead. James was in full control, Russell Westbrook was providing a spark off the bench and the supporting cast was doing enough on the defensive side to keep the home team at bay.

And then the third quarter happened.

The Mavericks poured in 51 points in an overwhelming third quarter that saw Los Angeles counter with just 21. It was a beautiful or ugly display of basketball depending on which side one focused on, and it left the visitors fighting an uphill battle with any comeback hopes heading into the final stretch.

James did what he could by shifting into takeover mode in the fourth quarter, but Dallas had an answer every time thanks in large part to its outside shooting (18 three-pointers).

Attention now turns to a road game against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday as the Lakers attempt to snap out of this sluggish stretch.

The NBA's hottest team resides in Philadelphia.

Joel Embiid had 35 points and James Harden added a 29-point, 13-assist double-double as the 76ers came from behind to earn a 119-112 win over the New York Knicks on Christmas Day at Madison Square Garden.

The Sixers have reeled off eight straight wins, tied with the Brooklyn Nets for the longest streak in the NBA.

FINAL: Sixers 119, Knicks 112.

The first quarter was horrific. The second was up-and-down. The third and fourth were remarkable.

The Sixers win on Christmas Day thanks to utter dominance from both Joel Embiid and James Harden.

They are 20-12 and have won eight straight games.

— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) December 25, 2022

SIXERS WIN 8 IN A ROW! pic.twitter.com/9Q7uSvOlik

— Prez💊 ‘ (@PresidentEmbiid) December 25, 2022

I get the Sixers still have a ways to go to prove themselves as true contenders but BY FAR the biggest takeaway from the winning streak has been James Harden and Joel Embiid flourishing on the court together

The team is starting to take shape

— Sean Barnard (@Sean_Barnard1) December 25, 2022

Sunday's Christmas matinee did not start the way Philly hoped, as the Knicks got off to a red-hot start and led by as many as 14 points in the first half. Embiid sleepwalked through a quiet first quarter before finally turning it on late in the second, scoring seven points in the final two minutes, nine seconds to help the Sixers pull within three at the break.

Joel Embiid in the post game presser gonna be like… pic.twitter.com/ht2JPbCAHv

— Pat Egan (@Pat_Egan) December 25, 2022

The margin closed to one by the end of the third quarter, with Harden taking on a starring role thanks to a series of jaw-dropping threes. His 29 points were his most in more than two months, while his five threes tied a season high.

Sixers' defense has been disgusting today but Embiid and Harden have been about as good as they can possibly play on offense for last quarter and a half

— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) December 25, 2022

https://twitter.com/_Talkin_NBA/status/1607098399362351104

https://twitter.com/dan_olinger/status/1607092330405986304

Dreadful over the first three quarters, the Philadelphia defense finally locked in during the fourth, limiting the Knicks to just 16 points.

New York has dropped three straight since its own eight-game winning streak. The Knicks are now just 0.5 games from dropping back into the play-in picture.

The Sixers (20-12) would be the East's No. 5 seed if the season ended today.

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is making "good progress" on his shoulder injury and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, Kendra Andrews of ESPN reported Saturday.

Curry suffered a left shoulder subluxation during his team's Dec. 14 game against the Indiana Pacers, which came with a reported recovery timeline of "a few weeks," per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The guard was relieved the injury didn't require surgery.

"Surgery would've been 4-6 months," he told reporters. "Nobody was trying to deal with that right now."

Curry is a difficult player to replace considering his production as an eight-time All-Star and two-time MVP. He was named Finals MVP last season after winning his fourth NBA title.

In 26 games this year, the superstar guard is averaging 30.0 points, 6.8 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game.

With Curry unavailable, the Warriors have turned to Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson to take on bigger roles in the backcourt.

Golden State has still lost three of its four games since Curry's injury, falling to 15-18 on the season. The squad is currently in 11th place in the Western Conference.

Jae Crowder's ongoing holdout from the Phoenix Suns is reportedly not winning him any fans around the NBA.

One anonymous general manager ripped into the Suns forward, saying Crowder has alienated teams by choosing to sit out over frustration with his contract.

"He just didn't show up," the general manager told Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com. "He said he's not playing unless he gets a contract extension that he wants. I think a lot of teams are turned off by that in and of itself. Like, 'What? You don't want to play for one of the best teams in the NBA and PROVE that you're worth it so you can get a contract next year? Like, you're not that good, bro. What are you doing?' It's a weird dynamic. It's one thing if Kevin Durant's holding out because he's not getting paid enough, but Jae Crowder? Seriously?"

Crowder seemingly responded to the comments via a post on his Twitter account:

DRAG MY NAME THROUGH THE MUD, WATCH ME COME OUT CLEAN.!

— JAE CROWDER (@CJC9BOSS) December 24, 2022

Crowder is in the final year of his contract and is being paid $10.2 million this season. He is coming off a largely unspectacular 2021-22 campaign, which saw him average 9.4 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting just 39.9 percent from the field.

While Crowder is a solid role player who provides rugged defense on the perimeter, the anonymous general manager isn't particularly wrong in this case. If the market for Crowder was what he expected it to be, he'd already be wearing a different uniform.

Instead, Crowder is wasting the final year of his contract and doing nothing to help out his value on the open market. Rather than proving his worth on the court, he chose to make his stand after a largely shaky season.

The Suns have also played just fine without him, sitting at 19-14 despite missing Chris Paul for much of the season.

This gamble has already backfired in a major way for Crowder.

The New York Knicks were tied with or leading the Chicago Bulls for all but four-tenths of a second in the second half Friday.

However, that's all the Bulls needed as DeMar DeRozan knocked down the game-winning jumper in the final second to lead his team to a 118-117 road win over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

DEMAR DEROZAN CALLS GAME 🔥 https://t.co/kzqHi69SOL

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 24, 2022

It was a devastating loss for the Knicks, who wasted a season-high 44 points from RJ Barrett and a 29-point, 12-rebound outing from Julius Randle. The Knicks have dropped to 18-15 with their second consecutive loss after an eight-game winning streak.

This was a tough offensive night for Jalen Brunson, who shot 5-of-15 en route to 12 points. He dished out nine assists but also missed three of his four free throws, including a pair with 6.1 seconds remaining while the Knicks were up 117-116. DeRozan played some mind games with the 89.1 percent free-throw shooter beforehand.

DeRozan tried getting in Brunson's head to ice the game 🍿

Brunson went to the line with the Knicks up 117-116 and missed both FTs 😬 https://t.co/tkPv7x9lSK

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 24, 2022

Regardless of whether that had an effect on Brunson, the Knicks didn't make enough stops or shots down the stretch to win.

Quentin Grimes also missed a pair of free throws when the Knicks were up 115-112 a minute earlier. He shot just 3-of-11 from the field and served as the primary defender on DeRozan on the last shot after a switch. Guarding DeRozan in the mid-range is tough for anyone, though, and the longtime NBA veteran got the job done.

Brunson and Grimes have both played pivotal roles in helping the Knicks turn their season around after a sluggish 10-13 start, with the former arguably serving as the team's MVP this year after signing as a free agent from the Dallas Mavericks.

Still, this was a tough loss to stomach. NBA Twitter took notice, with some fans lamenting the loss and Brunson's late-game performance and others looking at the bigger picture.

Jalen Brunson shocked me tonight. He crumbled under pressure. That better be an anomaly

— kap (@hopefulmetsfan) December 24, 2022

https://twitter.com/KnickyFrmHarlem/status/1606488867317714945

I'll give Jalen Brunson a pass tonight if only for the fact that he has singlehandedly won us games in crunch time this year.

But damn bro you have to make those free throws...have to.#Knicks #NewYorkForever

— Petty White (@P3ttyWhit3) December 24, 2022

Checking in on Knicks fans pic.twitter.com/rh16stxdY7

— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) December 24, 2022

Did the refs miss calls? Yes.

But the Knicks missed FT’s were what cost them that game.

— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) December 24, 2022

#Knicks fans turning on Brunson already, they turn on any1 that’s not a draft pick of theirs then wonder why no star wants to play for them. If I was a NBA star I’d love to come here sparingly, drop 40-50 +win, just to stick it to the most toxic NBA fan base. #antiknickstwitter

— . (@who_is_jonsmith) December 24, 2022

Knicks handed the bulls that game, disgusting late game execution, 11 missed freethrows, 4 consecutive missed freethrows with under a minute to go, a missed defensive rebound with seconds to go that lead to a layup. They lost this game 3 times. 18-15 got to win on Xmas

— Perry G 🇺🇸 🇮🇹 (@PerryGabriele) December 24, 2022

The Knicks are 1-5 in games at MSG this season decided by 7 points or less

So many brutal losses.

— KnicksMuse (@KnicksMuse) December 24, 2022

2 close losses and some Knicks fans have completely turned on this team 😭

— KnicksMuse (@KnicksMuse) December 24, 2022

The Knicks will stay home to host the Philadelphia 76ers on Christmas Day at noon ET.