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What you need to know for Wednesday’s slate

By Jim McCormick and Kyle Soppe

Cavalier Kevin: The Cavaliers won’t have Evan Mobley for tonight’s matchup against the Mavericks and Jarrett Allen remains sidelined, setting up Kevin Love (70% available) for a robust role in Cleveland’s depleted frontcourt. Love has sported a 27.5% usage rate and enjoys a team-high leap in fantasy points per minute with both Allen and Mobley off the floor this season. Love’s raw production is also impressive. He has averaged 27.4 points, 13.5 rebounds, and a whopping 13.4 3-point attempts per 36 minutes when Allen and Mobley are off the floor.

Rocket Man: There are a handful of games on tonight’s full slate that pit playoff teams against one another and carry significant meaning for the NBA’s second season… Rockets-Kings is certainly not one of them. That said, we are in the business of compiling fantasy numbers and this game is as good a spot to do so as any on the board. Josh Christopher (99% available) is far from a finished product, but he showed promise Monday night against the Spurs (20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists). He’s averaged 20.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists per 36 minutes over his past three games. In a game with two bottom-5 defenses and top-10 paced offenses, there’s plenty of hidden value and Christopher is an easy way to get exposure to the fireworks in Houston.

Riding The Wiz: Fading a team on the second night of a back-to-back is common, but like anything, it’s worth taking a look at the data before blindly committing to a train of thought. The Wizards have covered five of their past six games in such situations and, dating back to last April, overs are 12-3 in their past 15 such spots. Washington has also seen 10 of their past 12 home games go over the total, so while a Magic-Wizards game is far from a star-studded affair, don’t dismiss it as a potential fun one tonight when it comes to prop betting and DFS roster construction.

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Pick Poku: We touted Aleksej Pokusevski (90% available) as a strong play against Portland on Monday,. Poku responded with a career-high 11 dimes, finishing the overtime win two boards shy of his first career triple-double. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and several other key members of the rotation out for tonight’s matchup with the Hawks, Pokusevski is an ideal pickup ahead of tonight’s massive 11-game slate. Keep an eye on Tre Mann‘s (90%) status, as he could command a rewarding creation role if active. If Mann can’t go, Theo Maledon (98%) is the guard to target for the Thunder.

Davion Day: There isn’t a better widely-available talent among point guards than Davion Mitchell (70% available). Mitchell has posted at least 21 points and at least seven dimes in each of his past four games. The Kings likely won’t have De’Aaron Fox or Domantas Sabonis for the rest of the season, which vaults Mitchell into a valuable role against the Rockets tonight. Dejounte Murray scored a career-high 33 points against Houston’s porous defense, evidence Mitchell is poised for success. For those in deep and demanding formats, center Damian Jones (99% available) has averaged 14 points and nearly six boards over his past four games.

Game of the Night

Miami Heat at Boston Celtics
7:30 p.m. ET, TD Garden, Boston, MA

Line: Celtics (-4)
Moneyline: Celtics (-190), Heat (+160)
Total: 215 points
BPI Projected Total: 212.5 points
BPI Win%: Celtics (74%)

Key players ruled out: Robert Williams III

Notable: The Heat covered on Monday as a 14-point favorite against the Kings, snapping a streak of seven straight ATS losses.

Best bet: Celtics (-4). Boston is 9-3 ATS in their past 12 games and faces a Heat team that is dealing with internal turmoil (0-7 ATS). The Celtics are home and rested, considering Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Al Horford did not play Monday against the Raptors. The Celtics are 2-0 against the Heat this season and will look to go for the sweep tonight. — Anita Marks

Breaking down the rest of the slate

Phoenix Suns at Golden State Warriors
10 p.m. ET, Chase Center, San Francisco, CA

Line: Suns (-4)
Moneyline: Suns (-250), Warriors (+205)
Total: 224.5 points
BPI Projected Total: 218 points
BPI Win%: Suns (76.6%)

Key players ruled out: none

Notable: Nobody can slow the Suns these days and that includes the books: Phoenix has covered seven of their past eight games.

Best bets: Suns (-4); Chris Paul over 24.5 points + assists. The Warriors have been a shell of themselves without Stephen Curry (1-6 ATS). Draymond Green is not playing well and Golden State has started games slowly each night. The Suns are healthier, rested and sport offensive and defensive firepower. Devin Booker has averaged 27 PPG this season and Mikal Bridges is arguably one of the best defensive players in the NBA. The Suns are 13-1 ATS when playing a team they previously lost to. — Marks

Dallas Mavericks at Cleveland Cavaliers

7 p.m. ET, Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland, OH

Line: Mavericks (-2.0)
Moneyline: Mavericks (-130), Cavaliers (+110)
Total: 214.5 points
BPI Projected Total: 221 points
BPI Win%: Mavericks (56.5%)

Key players ruled out: Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

Notable: The Cavaliers have failed to cover five straight games and have actually seen their past two go under the total (their previous six games all went over).

Denver Nuggets at Indiana Pacers

7 p.m. ET, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN

Line: Nuggets (-9.5)
Moneyline: Nuggets (-450), Pacers (+350)
Total: 232 points
BPI Projected Total: 237 points
BPI Win%: Nuggets (75.3%)

Key players ruled out: none

Notable: The Pacers have failed to cover four straight and have cashed just one over ticket in their past six.

Fantasy Streamer: Oshae Brissett (available in 93.4% of leagues) missed Monday’s game, but isn’t listed on the injury report today. In the five games he played before Monday, he averaged 16.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.6 3PG, 1.2 SPG and 0.6 BPG. Also keep an eye on Keifer Sykes (100.0% available), who started in place of Malcolm Brogdon on Monday. Sykes scored 16 points, had four 3-pointers and four assists in 34 minutes. — Andre Snellings

Orlando Magic at Washington Wizards

7 p.m. ET, Capital One Arena, Washington D.C.

Line: Wizards (-3.0)
Moneyline: Wizards (-150), Magic (+130)
Total: 218.5 points
BPI Projected Total: 223 points
BPI Win%: Wizards (59.7%)

Key players ruled out: Wendell Carter Jr., Jalen Suggs

Notable: Four of Orlando’s past five games have gone under the total.

Fantasy Streamer: Chuma Okeke (95.4% available) likely moves back into the starting lineup in place of Wendell Carter Jr. In his two starts replacing Carter last week Okeke averaged 12.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.5 3PG and 1.5 BPG in 34.5 MPG. — Snellings

Charlotte Hornets at New York Knicks

7:30 p.m. ET, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

Line: Hornets (-3)
Moneyline: Hornets (-140), Hornets (+120)
Total: 222 points
BPI Projected Total: 220 points
BPI Win%: Knicks (58.3%)

Key players ruled out: none

Notable: The Hornets are 6-3 ATS in their past nine and recently, their success has been coming in a different fashion: three straight unders, quite the change from a team that was an over machine back in November.

Minnesota Timberwolves at Toronto Raptors

7:30 p.m. ET, Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON, CA

Line: Raptors (-3)
Moneyline: Raptors (-145), Timberwolves (+125)
Total: 229.0 points
BPI Projected Total: 229.5 points
BPI Win%: Raptors (59.1%)

Key players ruled out: none

Notable: Unders are 10-5 in Toronto’s past 15 games as they look to improve their seeding and avoid the play-in tournament.

Sacramento Kings at Houston Rockets

8 p.m. ET, Toyota Center, Houston, TX

Line: Kings (-3.0)
Moneyline: Kings (-150), Rockets (+130)
Total: 229.5 points
BPI Projected Total: 230 points
BPI Win%: Rockets (50.2%)

Key players ruled out: De’Aaron Fox

Notable: Don’t look now, but the Rockets have covered three straight. Houston over/unders are always high and recently, too high: six unders in their past seven.

Atlanta Hawks at Oklahoma City Thunder

8 p.m. ET, Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK

Line: Hawks (-12)
Moneyline: Hawks (-800), Thunder (+550)
Total: 230 points
BPI Projected Total: 229 points
BPI Win%: Hawks (75.5%)

Key players ruled out: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Questionable: Tre Mann

Notable: Baby steps. The Hawks have covered consecutive games after going 2-9 ATS in their previous 11 games.

Memphis Grizzlies at San Antonio Spurs

8:30 p.m. ET, AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX

Line: Grizzlies (-5)
Moneyline: Grizzlies (-220), Spurs (+189)
Total: 232.5 points
BPI Projected Total: 222.5 points
BPI Win%: Grizzlies (65.2%)

Key players ruled out: Ja Morant

Notable: The Grizzlies aren’t just winning without Ja Morant, they are covering (five straight, three as a favorite and two as an underdog).

Dejounte Murray scored a career-high 33 points against the Rockets on Monday night and could have another big night in store against the Grizzlies. AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith

Best bet: Dejounte Murray over 23.5 points. Who knew that the Spurs they would still be competing to make it into the postseason after the trade deadline? Murray has been the elixir and should score over 23 points tonight — in what I expect to be a high-scoring game against Memphis. Lots of motivation for Murray to shine tonight. — Marks

New Orleans Pelicans at Portland Trail Blazers

10 p.m. ET, Moda Center, Portland, OR

Line: Pelicans (-14.5)
Moneyline: Pelicans (-1400), Blazers (+800)
Total: 225.5 points
BPI Projected Total: 226.5 points
BPI Win%: Pelicans (85.6%)

Key players ruled out: none

Notable: The Blazers have been the bizzaro Suns: they aren’t just losing, they are losing by more than expected. Portland is just 4-12 ATS over their past 16 (they’ve lost by at least 17 points in five of their past eight games).

Fantasy Streamer: Drew Eubanks (73.0% available) has seen his production increase due to the astounding number Trail Blazers injured. He’s averaged 17.2 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 2.5 APG, 0.8 SPG and 0.5 BPG in 32.3 MPG over his past 10 games. Eubanks notched back-to-back double-doubles, including Monday’s career effort of 27 points and 14 rebounds in 41 minutes. — Snellings

Analytics Edge

BPI highest projected totals

1. Denver Nuggets (122.5 points)
2. New Orleans Pelicans (119.3 points)
3. Atlanta Hawks (118.4 points)

BPI lowest projected totals

1. Miami Heat (102.8 points)
2. Golden State Warriors (104.9 points)
3. Portland Trail Blazers (107.2 points)

BPI top probability to win (straight up)

1. New Orleans Pelicans (85.6%)
2. Phoenix Suns (76.6%)
3. Atlanta Hawks (75.5%)

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Colorado State junior David Roddy will enter the 2022 NBA draft but will maintain his college eligibility and retain the option to return to school, he told ESPN on Wednesday.

“This process is a great opportunity for me to get feedback on what I need to improve and test myself against other draft prospects,” he said.

Roddy, the No. 31 prospect in the ESPN 100, was named Associated Press All-America honorable mention and Mountain West conference player of the year after averaging 19.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks in 33 minutes per game.

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He helped lead Colorado State to its first NCAA tournament appearance in nine years as a No. 6 seed, highest in school history.

“The amount of hard work that was put in over the offseason was something special and for it to all pay off in a tournament appearance was an unforgettable feeling. NBA teams saw all the different facets of my game, from shooting, passing, defending 1 to 5, and leading a team. They saw a lot of winning plays and dirty work. I hope they saw a kid with heart that can learn a lot more and get better at a very fast pace.”

Roddy was an all-state quarterback in high school, drawing Division I scholarship offers in football as well. He has a unique physical profile for an NBA prospect, standing 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds, and seeing most of his minutes at power forward and center for Colorado State.

“NBA teams can learn a lot from my journey. I had to earn everything that I have achieved and nothing was given to me. I have gone through a lot of adversity and thrived in every role you can have on a team. From being a sixth man to just a shooter to the leading scorer and vocal leader of a team, there are several important aspects that can help better an NBA organization. Being under the radar helps with motivation and my drive to compete.

Roddy made dramatic improvements with his perimeter game as a junior, shooting 44% for 3, finishing second on his team in assists, and emerging as one of the most dangerous mismatches in the college game. Roddy put himself on the radar of NBA scouts early in the season with a 36-point outing in a win over Creighton, going 7-for-10 from beyond the arc. He had a dominant season in the Mountain West conference, which sent four teams to the NCAA tournament, helping him become one of just 24 players to be named an AP All-America honorable mention.

Roddy’s ability to punish smaller players inside the paint, shoot out of a variety of actions, and create offense for himself and others handling the ball in transition or the pick-and-roll is intriguing to NBA scouts projecting to the modern game, drawing comparisons to players like Grant Williams and Talen Horton-Tucker.

“I am looking forward to showing NBA teams that I can thrive in any situation. Whether the pace is slow or fast, free-flowing or stagnant, there are so many facets and intricacies that I have learned over time that will help me be one of the best and most important players on the court. But mostly I am just excited to chase a childhood dream and make it a reality.”

The NBA draft combine will be held May 16-22 in Chicago, and the draft will be June 23 in Brooklyn, New York.

Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service used by NBA, NCAA and international teams.

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Blanca Burns worked her first game as an NBA referee earlier this season, a clash between the Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs on Dec. 27. Before the night was over, she found herself on the receiving end of several loud complaints from legendary Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.

For Burns, that potentially intimidating moment was offset by plenty of experience dealing with far more menacing nitpickers: parents of middle school athletes.

“They’re pretty fierce and they don’t hold back,” Burns told ESPN. “Putting myself in those intense situations at the lower levels [has helped in the NBA].”

The first Mexican-born female referee to officiate an NBA game, Burns understandably wants to go down in history as a solid pro. She also wants to officiate at the Olympic Games, fulfilling a lifelong dream of representing Mexico at the international level. However, she believes her ultimate legacy lies in being a trailblazer who can inspire the next generation, and hopefully, bring more Latin American women into the fold.

Burns’ own obsession with the game can be traced to her native Torreon, in the northern Mexico state of Coahuila. After her family moved to El Paso, Texas, then, Oklahoma, it only grew stronger.

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“Ever since I was a little girl, I always had a basketball in my hand,” Burns said. “I played the game at every level in school.”

Her talent eventually took her to Mid-America Christian University in Oklahoma City, where she played two seasons of NAIA ball as a point guard. Later, as a way to make ends meet during her time in college, she began working games featuring preschoolers at her local YMCA in Oklahoma City. At 25 dollars a pop, Burns often worked four games a day to earn an even hundred.

As Burns began moving up the ranks as a referee, her focus eventually shifted from playing to officiating. Since 2018, she’s balanced NCAA commitments with regular officiating duties in the G League and earned her first NBA assignment this season.

Through her first handful of games, Burns has already received high-profile assignments featuring some of the league’s biggest stars. Two nights after her debut in San Antonio, Burns was part of the crew calling the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies. Though refs are expected to be stoic, Burns was not above relishing the moment, even if she did so internally.

“You see LeBron [James] and Ja [Morant] there, and to actually be on the court with them — it’s something I’m never going to forget,” Burns said. “At the same time, you realize you’re there to do a job, so you check your emotions.”

Naturally, Burns’ next goal is to become a regular NBA referee.

Blanca Burns got an earful from Spurs coach Gregg Popovich during her NBA officiating debut in December, but she’s handled much tougher critics at lower levels of the game. Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images

This season, she is listed as one of nine part-time officials who also have responsibilities in the G League. Within its group of 75 full-time officials working the 2021-22 season, the NBA lists six women, the highest number in league history: Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling, Ashley Moyer-Gleich, Simone Jelks, Natalie Sago, Jenna Schroeder and Danielle Scott.

According to the NBA, 42% of G League referees are women. Thus, it won’t be any surprise to those watching closely when more women show up to call NBA games in the near future.

“It does take time to develop officials,” said Monty McCutchen, the NBA’s senior vice president, head of referee development and training, in an interview with NBA.com. “So my predecessors recognized this and put those seeds into the G League. Now, we’re bearing the fruit of this.”

The added presence of female officials at NBA games is consistent with the expanded role women in general are having in other areas of the league.

During Burns’ debut assignment in San Antonio, Becky Hammon — the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces head coach who is also a Spurs assistant — sat at the front of the bench alongside Popovich, while analyst Holly Rowe (who works for ESPN as well as the Jazz) called the action on television.

“I would just say the NBA has done a great job of putting us out there. If that continues to happen, people won’t be surprised by seeing women as referees,” Burns said. “I can do just as good a job as a man can.”

The NBA’s efforts to expand into Mexico and the whole of Latin America could be an important tool to help Burns reach her goal of full-time status in the short-term. During the NBA’s last visit in 2019, commissioner Adam Silver announced the Mexico City Capitanes would become the first G League franchise to set up shop outside of the United States and Canada. The team made its debut in 2021.

Wednesday, March 30
Heat at Celtics, 7:30 p.m.
Suns at Warriors, 10 p.m.

Sunday, April 3
Mavs at Bucks, 1 p.m. (ABC)
Nuggets at Lakers, 3:30 p.m. (ABC)

All times Eastern

“That would be the dream, for sure. When the Capitanes came in, I told my family members in Mexico City all about it. After COVID, they’re ready to go to games. That would be awesome,” Burns said.

In the meantime, Burns is dedicated to putting herself out there as much as she can to ensure the next basketball-crazed young girl can trace a path to the highest echelons of pro basketball — even if it means taking the road less traveled.

“I try to go to summer camps and reach out to girls at the high school level and tell them it’s possible for women to do this,” Burns said.

“I need to continue giving myself exposure, so that they say ‘Oh my gosh, if she did it — I can do it.'”

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IT’S JUST AFTER THANKSGIVING and former Georgetown University point guard Chris Wright, 32, is inside an Italian gym, picking up his kids from an after-school program. He hunts for some quiet to tell his life story, but squeaks of sneakers and yelps ricochet around us. His daughter vies for his attention, to which Wright patiently says, “Sit here, sweetie.”

Quiet is a monumental pursuit for a father of three, implausible when compounded by the grueling schedule of a professional basketball player. Wright stars for Derthona Basket, in one of the world’s best non-NBA leagues, in an Italian wine township at the foot of the Alps. He’s halfway around the world from Bowie, Maryland, where his basketball journey began, eventually leading him to Georgetown, Europe and the NBA.

He discovers a backroom, shelter from the noisy schoolchildren. Wright takes a deep breath, adjusts the camera, and shares the moment where that journey was nearly derailed 10 years ago.

It was 2012, and Wright was in Turkey playing for the now-defunct Olin Edirne. When he first arrived, he and his coach butted heads, so Wright was determined to mend fences. Sprint drills were completed with fervor, jump shots flicked with added panache, defense executed with floor-slapping zeal. In months, he’d gone from target to talisman. So, when he felt tingling in his right foot one day, he thought it was a casualty of overuse. He’d sleep it off, he reasoned. But, by the next morning’s shooting drills, it had spread to his right hand, then arm, then entire leg — his whole right side numb.

Then he couldn’t get out of bed.

“I couldn’t walk. I fell to the floor,” Wright says. “I was paralyzed.”

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Lying immobile and alone, 5,000 miles from everyone he loved, Wright was terrified, unsure of what was happening to his body. He didn’t know if he’d ever walk again, let alone hold a basketball.

Overnight, his livelihood and identity had been ripped away. He’d soon be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and doctor after doctor would tell him his career was over. Wright had every reason to turn bitter, but he refused. As he stands here now, a decade later, he remembers the decision he made then, and the resolve he found: He wouldn’t retire, he would relearn how to walk and run, and he’d damn sure play basketball again.

“I never cried one time, I never had that feeling it was over,” he says. “I just said, ‘We’re going to figure this out.'”

After he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Chris Wright was told by several doctors that his days playing basketball were over — but he never gave up his dream. Alessandro Grassani for ESPN

YEARS AFTER LEAVING MARYLAND, Chris Wright is still a local legend. He was a McDonald’s All American in 2007 and left St. John’s College High School as the school’s all-time leading scorer. While he found success at Georgetown — he’s still sixth in career assists — a lingering hand injury hampered him during pre-draft workouts, and he went unselected. Then the NBA locked out its players, so Wright joined the same Turkish league where Hedo Turkoglu, Ersan Ilyasova and Enes Kanter Freedom blossomed. He eventually blossomed too, playing the best basketball of his life, scoring 18-plus points in four out of his previous six games in Turkey.

A local doctor had looked at Wright, who was still unable to walk, and admitted he couldn’t find a culprit before clearing him to return to basketball.

“‘Go back to practice?'” Wright recalled. “‘I can’t f—ing move.'”

So he was referred to a specialist in Istanbul, a 3 1/2 -hour drive from Edirne. It wasn’t long before a diagnosis was delivered: “sclerosis multiplex” — Americanized for Wright’s benefit. Before he left the room, he was on his phone scouring medical websites. His heart sank.

As a friend drove him home, Wright’s diagnosis leaked in local media. He was in a dead zone — internet access but no cell reception — still researching the illness wreaking havoc on the wiring of his nervous system. Once back at his apartment, his phone erupted with 500-plus texts, calls and notifications from loved ones. He still couldn’t walk and certainly hadn’t talked to the media. “I don’t even know what I have, what it is yet,” Wright recalls thinking. “I just know I physically can’t do anything.”

Wright knew what he needed to do: return home to Maryland.

ORLANDO WRIGHT ISN’T SURE where his son Chris would be if it weren’t for John Thompson III. He not only coached him through 88 wins in four years, Thompson also gave the Wright family access to the Georgetown team’s medical staff when Wright returned home from Turkey in 2012.

“That was so fortunate,” Orlando says. “It opened doors for us. Most of these [specialists], you couldn’t get appointments for six months; we [got] appointments within a week.”

Wright quickly met with several doctors to get an assessment of his condition. They explained that multiple sclerosis, also known as MS, is an autoimmune disease that attacks the protective covering of nerve fibers called myelin, causing scar tissue or lesions. This leads to communication issues between the brain and the rest of the body.

At least half a dozen doctors told Wright to retire, except for one: Dr. Heidi Crayton.

In 2007, Crayton opened the Multiple Sclerosis Center of Greater Washington, located about 20 minutes from Georgetown. She’d come a long way from the neurology fellow at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital who initially balked at her mentor’s suggestion to specialize in MS. Though the first suspected case of multiple sclerosis was discovered around 1400, the first FDA-approved medicine to treat MS didn’t hit the market until 1993. Quantities were limited and there was a lottery for patients to obtain it. Two more medicines came out in 1996, but they were physically draining and often completely sapped patients.

Chris Wright shows a book written by neurologist Filippo Martinelli Boneschi, who devotes an entire chapter to Chris’ story. Alessandro Grassani for ESPN

These medications slowed the degenerative process and combated future lesions, but reversing damage wasn’t yet possible. The general consensus is that life expectancy for multiple sclerosis patients is, on average, 7 to 14 years shorter. “It was diagnose and adios,” Crayton says. “People were told in the prime of their life that they had this degenerative condition and nothing could be done.”

But Crayton loved puzzles and, to her, few were as necessary to solve as the one around MS. She wound up an investigator in clinical trials for a once-a-month injection called TYSABRI in the early 2000s. One study says nearly 70% of patients who received the injection remained relapse-free, while 97% developed no new lesions.

“It was a game-changer,” Crayton says.

Crayton met Wright in 2012. He was despondent, but she was optimistic about his chances of recovery. She was on the cutting edge of MS research, knew treatments had evolved and that Wright hadn’t quite fulfilled his destiny.

“His dad said, ‘You don’t understand: Basketball is his life, his identity,'” Crayton recalls.

Wright wasn’t walking properly and his tingling had morphed into excruciating pain. Ten days of steroid shots allowed him to begin an aggressive treatment plan after bloodwork. Patients who go on TYSABRI need to be screened for the John Cunningham virus, or JCV, which is harmless in others but problematic for MS patients. Being above a certain threshold, when combined with TYSABRI, could lead to a rare brain infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), long-term disability and even death.

But Wright was negative. He’d start monthly injections immediately and continue the treatment for close to a decade.

Armed with a game plan and being stateside post-NBA lockout, he set his sights on a return. He retaught himself how to move first, then play basketball, a day at a time.

“I kept grinding out, told myself I would walk again, run again, jump, shoot, dribble, everything,” he says. “[Relearning] was the hardest part, but it happened quick.”

Wright wound up on the D-League’s Iowa Energy in 2012-13, averaging 15.5 points, 7.0 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals. By season’s end, he was an all-star, scoring 15 points and dropping a game-high seven dimes in the contest.

On March 13, 2013, his persistence was rewarded when the Dallas Mavericks signed him to a 10-day contract. Two days later, he made his debut, becoming the first-known NBA player with multiple sclerosis. In a year, Wright went from nearly paralyzed to sharing a court with Dirk Nowitzki and Vince Carter.

“The universe spoke to me,” he says. “Making the NBA solidified it for me. I did it [and] it wasn’t supposed to be done. This is a live universe and I’m living testimony to that.”

When he returned home a year prior, the universe spoke in another way, too. One that might have saved him just as equally as Crayton, medicine or basketball.

He fell in love.

Chris Wright signs autographs before a Dallas Mavericks game on March 15, 2013. Brandon Wade/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Getty Images

WRIGHT, VIA ZOOM thousands of miles away, stops himself.

“Family … that’s been my lifeline,” he says. “They’re the reason I’ve [done] something there’s no blueprint to.”

Wright met his wife, Erin, at 13. They dated sporadically in high school, but grew apart and lost each other’s number.

Had Wright not fallen out of that bed in Turkey, they wouldn’t have reconnected. During early dark days back home, when walking wasn’t a given, let alone an athletic career, those closest to Wright say Erin weathered the storm.

“Their lives kept coming back together,” says Diane Wright, his mother. “He’s blessed.”

Erin played basketball at the University of Richmond and Morgan State University. She was about to be named an assistant coach at High Point University in 2012 when her father ran into Chris at a Maryland mall. He’d just started treatment and her father insisted he call Erin — so he did.

“My dad would never hook me up with a guy,” Erin says. “That says something about Chris’ character.”

On their first date as adults, Wright told Erin about his diagnosis. While they ate, she googled MS under the table and felt the same dread that he initially felt. She asked if he was sure he’d be OK.

“He confidently responded ‘yes,’ in true Chris Wright manner,” Erin says. “We pretty much decided after the first date that this was forever.”

MS or not, they wouldn’t fall out of touch again. His diagnosis was theirs.

“He really wasn’t sure what was going to happen,” Diane says. “[Erin] stepped right in.”

Turkey was the last place abroad Wright played without Erin. They married in 2015 and have three kids: CJ, 9; Charlotte, 6; and Camilla, 2.

The stint with the Mavericks, on top of being named a D-League all-star, had given Wright back his basketball life. After CJ was born, a team in France called, then Italy. Then it was off to Puerto Rico, then Israel, before Italy called them back.

“It can’t be overlooked that — while traveling the world, still playing basketball — he keeps his family close and they go everywhere together,” Thompson says. “It’s unique.”

“I kept grinding out, told myself I would walk again, run again, jump, shoot, dribble, everything,” Wright says. “[Relearning] was the hardest part, but it happened quick.” Alessandro Grassani for ESPN

Wright helped Italy’s Victoria Libertas survive a relegation battle in 2015, then was denied insurance in Israel before facing doping allegations in Italy. He’d tested positive for the banned substance Modafinil, an ingredient in TYSABRI also used to treat narcolepsy. He was blacklisted, then defended himself in court all summer of 2016 while facing an 18-month ban. When his name was cleared, he’d missed free agency.

“All the jobs I was up for were gone,” Wright says, exasperated.

Stipulations are written into Wright’s contracts tying his employment to not missing games due to MS complications — a challenge he welcomes. In Trieste, Italy, a two-year deal finally materialized; he was getting paid well and on time for the first time in his career.

“My wife loved that city, my kids are in school, we were immersed in the community,” Wright says. “[Then] the owner” — Luigi Scavone, eventually implicated in large-scale tax evasion — “was found fleeing the country with 10 million euros in a Gucci bag.”

In March 2020, the Wrights were in Poland when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down borders. Two hours after his season ended, one in which Wright averaged 18.6 PPG on 51.7% shooting with 6.7 APG in the Basketball Champions League, his family frantically packed up and fled as the country closed down around them.

Later that year, a deal materialized, in Turkey of all places. Wright had barely been back since 2012. This time, Erin and her relentless optimism, not to mention their kids, were with him. “They kept calling and I had to conquer that,” Wright says. “When I got off the plane, I broke down.”

He led the league in assists and posted a career-high 39.3% from deep.

“I knew he would play for a long time,” says Thompson, now the VP of player engagement for Monumental Basketball, which includes the NBA’s Washington Wizards and WNBA’s Mystics. “The basketball gods still smile on him.”

Wright laughs. “It’s been a roller coaster.”

“And not one of those new, metal smooth-riding ones,” Erin adds. “A wooden, squeaking ride.”

Wright is, no surprise, the motor of Derthona, currently fifth in Italy’s Serie A. The NBA door might be closed, but he says he has valuable years left before the coaching talk. For now, he’s all ball.

“I don’t feel like I’m losing a step,” Wright says. “I want to keep playing, I want to win.”

Wright takes a photo of a Derthona Basket poster that features his image in Tortona, Italy. Alessandro Grassani for ESPN

By 2019, Wright had responded so well to treatment that he and Crayton decided to wean him off TYSABRI. In retesting, he’d marginally eclipsed the threshold for JCV, terrifying his family. But medicines had advanced since 2012. Wright knew he could handle a change.

“It’s hard for me not to get misty every time I see him,” Crayton says. “I’ve seen him blossom.”

Crayton suggested Mavenclad, a treatment comprised of 20 pills over a two-year period. When it came to market, it was the only FDA-approved drug for relapsing MS, with 10 years of safety data.

“It doesn’t wipe out your immune system like other drugs. It’s [a] reboot,” Crayton says. “It takes away the bad guys and lets the good kids come out to play.”

Wright just finished his second year of treatment. Ten years after his diagnosis and relearning how to walk, he’s medication-free. Crayton anticipates MS being “a nonissue” for the rest of his life. But she also knows it feels too good to be true. This is, after all, the illness so bleak it seemed fruitless to devote her career to 15 years ago. Now it is, in some respects, beatable.

“This is why you do this, right?” she asks.

Chris Wright drives past a defender in Milan, Italy, on Jan. 9, 2022. Roberto Finizio/Getty Images

IT’S JUST BEFORE CHRISTMAS and presents and holiday decor fill Wright’s Zoom backdrop. Erin’s parents are visiting and, off-screen, they fuss with their grandchildren riding a yuletide high. Extra hands or not, Wright seems at peace.

I ask how it feels being medication-free considering how ludicrous that seemed 10 years ago. It’s not lost on him that March, the anniversary of his diagnosis, happens to be MS Awareness Month.

He peppers his reflections with wisdom from Socrates, Ta-Nehisi Coates and Malcolm X. He’s elegiac and unabashed, noting that life is meant to be lived with dignity and decency.

“It’s about the endless pursuit of self,” he concludes.

The concept of time — truly healthy time — is novel. Crayton anticipates Wright’s post-medication life will be devoid of medical community fanfare. Normal. Boring even.

As a spouse and father, Wright knows he can’t obsess over basketball like he once did. At least for not much longer. “As a parent, you got to leave it at the door,” he says. “You’re in constant motion — what is time, really? [Other than something] to make the most of.”

After Wright’s diagnosis, some urged Erin to distance herself — but she ran toward what scared her. “People are amazed he’s playing with MS,” Erin says, “[but] I see playing as helping his MS.”

Those closest to Wright say he’s a coaching natural and believe he would thrive with a college program.

“If you want your soul to be felt through eternity,” Wright says. “You teach.”

One day, but not yet. Wright has faith in whatever lies ahead.

“At the end of the day,” Wright says, “what’s faith without any work?”

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As the NBA’s 2021-22 regular season draws to a conclusion on April 10, teams near the middle of the standings are battling for postseason seeding with a special focus on the league’s play-in tournament.

Held before the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs, the play-in tournament adds an exciting wrinkle to the end of the regular season. Teams were already less incentivized to tank games down the stretch because of the flattened lottery odds instituted in 2019. Now that the top 10 teams in the standings will finish the regular season with at least a chance to make the playoffs, more franchises will stay in the mix for longer.

The play-in tournament will be held April 12 through April 15.

Here’s everything you need to know about the setup this season. (Matchups will be added once they are decided):

MORE: Current NBA standings

How does the NBA play-in tournament work?

There will be six total games involving eight teams as part of the play-in tournament, split up between the two conferences.

2 Related

The teams that finish Nos. 1-6 in each conference will be guaranteed playoff spots, while team Nos. 7-10 in the standings will enter the play-in. Any team that finishes worse than No. 10 will be in the lottery.

Here’s how the games will work:

Game 1: The No. 7 team in the standings by winning percentage will host the No. 8 team, with the winner earning the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. The losing team gets another chance in Game 3.

Game 2: The No. 9 team will host the No. 10 team, with the winner moving on to Game 3. The loser is eliminated and enters the NBA draft lottery.

Game 3: The loser of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 matchup will host the winner of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 matchup, with the victor grabbing the No. 8 seed in the postseason. The loser of Game 3 also enters the lottery.

This means that the teams with the seventh-highest and eighth-highest winning percentages will have two opportunities to win one game to earn a playoff spot, while the teams with the ninth-highest and 10th-highest winning percentages need to win two straight games to advance.

What’s next after the play-in?

Once the play-in winners, seeded No. 7 and No. 8 from each conference advance, the 2022 NBA playoffs will begin on April 16. Game 1 of the NBA Finals is June 2.

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PHOENIX — Corbin Burnes‘ Cy Young Award-winning performance last year has resulted in him getting the Opening Day assignment for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Brewers manager Craig Counsell announced Tuesday that Burnes would start the Brewers’ April 7 opener against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The Cubs haven’t yet named their starting pitcher.

Burnes, 27, has been one of baseball’s best pitchers the past two seasons after struggling through a difficult 2019 campaign.

He went 1-5 with an 8.82 ERA in 2019 but followed that up by going 4-1 with a 2.11 ERA in the pandemic-delayed 2020 season. Last season, Burnes went 11-5 with an MLB-leading 2.43 ERA and struck out 234 while issuing only 34 walks in 167 innings.

This will be Burnes’ first Opening Day start. Brandon Woodruff started the Brewers’ season opener each of the past two years.

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GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Chicago White Sox acquired outfielder Adam Haseley in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.

Chicago sent minor league pitcher McKinley Moore to Philadelphia for Haseley, a .264 hitter over parts of three big league seasons. Outfielder Blake Rutherford was designed for assignment by the reigning AL Central champions to make room on their 40-man roster.

The White Sox lost Andrew Vaughn on Sunday when he got hurt making a diving catch in the outfield. The 23-year-old Vaughn, the No. 3 pick in the 2019 amateur draft, was diagnosed with a hip pointer, but he could start playing in games again in one to two weeks.

Haseley was selected by Philadelphia with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2017 amateur draft. He made his big league debut in 2019, batting .266 with five homers and 26 RBIs in 67 games.

Haseley opened last season as the Phillies’ center fielder, but he appeared in just nine games with the big league club. He hit .233 in 56 games in the minors.

Moore, 23, was selected by Chicago in the 14th round of the 2019 draft. The 6-foot-6 right-hander went 2-2 with a 4.20 ERA in 37 games in the minors last year.

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Iowa sophomore Keegan Murray will enter the 2022 NBA draft.

“I am forever grateful that Coach [Fran] McCaffery gave me the opportunity to live out my dream,” Murray told ESPN on Tuesday. “Iowa will always be my home and I’m forever grateful to be part of Hawkeye Nation.”

Murray, the No. 5 prospect in the ESPN 100, was named a consensus first-team All-American after averaging 23.5 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 32 minutes per game. He led Iowa to a Big Ten tournament championship, being named Most Outstanding Player after scoring a record 103 points in four games.

He is currently a finalist for some of the most prestigious postseason awards in college basketball, including the Wooden, Naismith and Lute Olson awards, all of which are presented annually to the top player in Division I men’s basketball.

Murray took a unique trajectory to emerging as a potential top-five pick this June. He graduated from Prairie High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with only one Division I scholarship offer from Western Illinois, prompting him to spend a post-graduate year at DME Academy in Florida, along with his twin brother, Kris.

“I went into my first year at Iowa trying to learn,” Keegan Murray said. “I had the national player of the year on our team in Luka Garza, and veterans coming back. My goal was to learn from them and establish what I can do to get minutes and benefit our team, which meant being a hustle guy and really solid defensively. I tried to fill that role as best I could.”

Murray came off the bench as a freshman and averaged 7.2 points in 18 minutes per game. He then exploded into arguably the best player in college basketball as a sophomore, ranking fourth in the country in scoring and first in player efficiency rating (PER).

“The big emphasis for me in the offseason was becoming a better all-around player physically,” Murray said. “I put on 15 pounds and was able to increase my vertical leap. I was [6-foot-8], 205 pounds coming into college. I grew to around 6-9, and between 220 to 225 pounds, which helped a lot.”

Murray started this season projected as a first-round pick, but quickly proved to be one of the best NBA prospects in all of college basketball, as a 6-9 forward with a modern skill set and outstanding versatility on both ends of the floor. He shot 40% on 3-pointers this season, finished second in the country in transition scoring thanks to his ability to push the ball aggressively off the defensive glass, and proved capable of punishing smaller players inside the post. Perhaps most interesting from an NBA standpoint is the way he defended all over the floor for Iowa, be it spearheading the top of the Hawkeyes’ full-court press, switching onto smaller players in pick-and-roll coverages, or putting a body on centers inside the paint.

“Before I came to Iowa I always played on the wing,” Murray said. “This was the first time I played the 4 and 5. We were small in the Big Ten. I’ll do whatever is needed to win because of my skill set. This year I needed to play the 5. I feel like in the NBA, I can play 2 to 5. I can adapt to any position I’m put in.

“I’m looking forward to showing NBA teams my versatility on both ends of the court. I’m a lot more athletic than people realize. I’m as competitive a player as you’re going to get. It doesn’t show from my facial expressions, but I love the game of basketball and competing every single night was a blessing for me. I’m not worried about what spot I get drafted. I want to be in the best situation possible and play for a team that values my game and understands what I can excel at.”

The NBA draft combine will be held May 16-22 in Chicago, and the draft will be June 23 in Brooklyn, New York.

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Iowa sophomore Keegan Murray will enter the 2022 NBA draft.

“I am forever grateful that Coach [Fran] McCaffery gave me the opportunity to live out my dream,” Murray told ESPN on Tuesday. “Iowa will always be my home and I’m forever grateful to be part of Hawkeye Nation.”

Murray, the No. 5 prospect in the ESPN 100, was named a consensus first-team All-American after averaging 23.5 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 32 minutes per game. He led Iowa to a Big Ten tournament championship, being named Most Outstanding Player after scoring a record 103 points in four games.

He is currently a finalist for some of the most prestigious postseason awards in college basketball, including the Wooden, Naismith and Lute Olson awards, all of which are presented annually to the top player in Division I men’s basketball.

Murray took a unique trajectory to emerging as a potential top-five pick this June. He graduated from Prairie High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with only one Division I scholarship offer from Western Illinois, prompting him to spend a post-graduate year at DME Academy in Florida, along with his twin brother, Kris.

“I went into my first year at Iowa trying to learn,” Keegan Murray said. “I had the national player of the year on our team in Luka Garza, and veterans coming back. My goal was to learn from them and establish what I can do to get minutes and benefit our team, which meant being a hustle guy and really solid defensively. I tried to fill that role as best I could.”

Murray came off the bench as a freshman and averaged 7.2 points in 18 minutes per game. He then exploded into arguably the best player in college basketball as a sophomore, ranking fourth in the country in scoring and first in player efficiency rating (PER).

“The big emphasis for me in the offseason was becoming a better all-around player physically,” Murray said. “I put on 15 pounds and was able to increase my vertical leap. I was [6-foot-8], 205 pounds coming into college. I grew to around 6-9, and between 220 to 225 pounds, which helped a lot.”

Murray started this season projected as a first-round pick, but quickly proved to be one of the best NBA prospects in all of college basketball, as a 6-9 forward with a modern skill set and outstanding versatility on both ends of the floor. He shot 40% on 3-pointers this season, finished second in the country in transition scoring thanks to his ability to push the ball aggressively off the defensive glass, and proved capable of punishing smaller players inside the post. Perhaps most interesting from an NBA standpoint is the way he defended all over the floor for Iowa, be it spearheading the top of the Hawkeyes’ full-court press, switching onto smaller players in pick-and-roll coverages, or putting a body on centers inside the paint.

“Before I came to Iowa I always played on the wing,” Murray said. “This was the first time I played the 4 and 5. We were small in the Big Ten. I’ll do whatever is needed to win because of my skill set. This year I needed to play the 5. I feel like in the NBA, I can play 2 to 5. I can adapt to any position I’m put in.

“I’m looking forward to showing NBA teams my versatility on both ends of the court. I’m a lot more athletic than people realize. I’m as competitive a player as you’re going to get. It doesn’t show from my facial expressions, but I love the game of basketball and competing every single night was a blessing for me. I’m not worried about what spot I get drafted. I want to be in the best situation possible and play for a team that values my game and understands what I can excel at.”

The NBA draft combine will be held May 16-22 in Chicago, and the draft will be June 23 in Brooklyn, New York.

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