Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero of the Magic was a unanimous selection for the 2022-23 NBA All-Rookie first team announced Monday.

The Orlando forward is joined on the first team by Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler, Indiana Pacers forward Bennedict Mathurin, Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams.

Banchero, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, averaged 20.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists.

Kessler averaged 9.2 points and 8.4 rebounds and finished fourth in the league with 173 blocks.

Mathurin averaged 16.7 points, second among rookies behind Banchero, and canned 100 3-pointers.

Murray led all first-year players and set a Kings rookie record with 206 3-point field goals.

Williams topped the rookie class with 103 steals and averaged 14.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists.

No. 3 overall pick Jabari Smith Jr. anchors the All-Rookie second team that includes fellow Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason, San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan, and Detroit Pistons teammates Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren.

Banchero was named to the first team on all 100 ballots, followed by Williams (99), Kessler (95), Murray (88), Mathurin (71), Ivey (43), Eason (two) and Smith (one).

–Field Level Media

The Boston Celtics will look to regain control of their Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series when they face the visiting Philadelphia 76ers in a pivotal Game 5 on Tuesday night.

The 76ers evened the series 2-2 with a 116-115 victory in overtime on Sunday in Philadelphia. James Harden scored a game-high 42 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 19.0 seconds left in overtime. He also made a jump shot that tied the game with 16.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

In addition to leading his team in scoring, Harden had eight rebounds and nine assists.

Third-seeded Philadelphia won despite trailing by five points following a Malcom Brogdon 3-pointer with 2:04 remaining in regulation.

“Quite frankly, today was a do-or-die for us,” Harden said. “We found a way to win, and that’s all that matters in the postseason.”

Harden poured in 45 points during Philadelphia’s 119-115 victory in Game 1 — when a sprained knee prevented Joel Embiid from playing — but shot a combined 5-for-28 from the field in Games 2 and 3.

“That’s what (Harden) needs to do every night,” said Embiid, who finished Game 4 with 34 points, 13 rebounds and four assists in 46 minutes. “It’s not about taking a lot of shots. It’s just about being aggressive, attacking the rim, finding guys and he was fantastic tonight.”

Boston allowed 92 points in the first three quarters of Sunday’s loss but limited Philadelphia to 15 points in the fourth, when the 76ers shot 31.6 percent from the field. That helped the second-seeded Celtics erase a 16-point, third-quarter deficit.

Despite the loss, Boston’s Al Horford took a glass half-full approach after the game.

“Just the way we responded in that fourth quarter I thought was great,” Horford said. “Our focus. Our will. I know that everybody’s feeling down (because) we lost the game and things like that (but) I’m pretty encouraged by our group. I saw something. I saw some growth in our group. Things we haven’t been able to do all year and be able to do them tonight on this type of stage.”

Jayson Tatum had 24 points, six assists, four blocks and a playoff career-high 18 rebounds to lead the Celtics. Jaylen Brown finished with 23 points but was limited to three field goal attempts in the fourth quarter, as was Tatum.

“I guess I’ve got to demand the ball a little bit more,” Brown said. “I thought good things happened when I had it in my hands. I thought our offense was OK. We chipped away, we made big-time shots, we got great looks all game long. We just came up short in the end.”

Game 6 will be played Thursday in Philadelphia, and, if needed, Game 7 will be in Boston on Sunday. The team that advances will play either the Miami Heat or the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference final.

“Our goal is to go to Boston and win,” Embiid said. “I’ll be better. We just got to go out and find a win and come back here up 3-2.”

–Field Level Media

Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia doesn’t want Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic to be suspended or fined over their brief altercation Sunday night.

Jokic was assessed a technical foul in the second quarter in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinal series in Phoenix after making contact with Ishbia.

The incident occurred after Jokic blocked Deandre Ayton’s layup attempt. Suns guard Josh Okogie and Nuggets guard Jamal Murray scrambled for the loose ball, with Okogie — and the ball — flying into the first row of the seats, close to where Ishbia was sitting.

Ishbia ended up with the ball, and Jokic came over to try and strip it from him. Jokic was somewhat successful in his attempt, but as he was prying the ball loose, the Suns owner seemed to swat it, prompting the two-time MVP to push Ishbia aside.

The gesture sent Ishbia back into his seat, where he flailed his arms up into the air as fans in the surrounding area reacted with shock.

“Great win for the Suns last night in an amazing series so far! That should be and is the only story,” Ishbia tweeted Monday. “Suspending or fining anyone over last nights incident would not be right. I have alot of respect for Jokic and don’t want to see anything like that. Excited for game 5! Go Suns!”

Great win for the Suns last night in an amazing series so far!
That should be and is the only story. Suspending or fining anyone over last nights incident would not be right. I have alot of respect for Jokic and don’t want to see anything like that. Excited for game 5! Go Suns!

— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) May 8, 2023

The Suns tied the best-of-seven series at 2-2 with a 129-124 win despite a monster game from Jokic, who finished with 53 points and 11 assists.

“The fan put the hand on me first,” Jokic said after the game. “I thought the league was supposed to protect us. Maybe I am wrong. I know who he is, but he is a fan. Isn’t he?”

Game 5 is set for Tuesday night in Denver.

–Field Level Media

The Detroit Pistons are interviewing three finalists for their head coaching vacancy this week, The Athletic reported Monday — Kevin Ollie, Jarron Collins and Charles Lee.

Owner Tom Gores is taking part in the interviews, per the report.

The Pistons are replacing Dwane Casey, who stepped down last month after five seasons as head coach.

Ollie, 50, played 13 seasons in the NBA with 11 teams before becoming the head coach at UConn for six seasons, a run that included winning a national championship in 2014. He moved on from being fired in Storrs, Conn., to take over coaching operations for Overtime Elite. He stepped down from that post in March.

Collins, 44, played 10 seasons in the NBA for four teams and has been an assistant coach for nine seasons with Golden State and New Orleans.

Lee, 38, has been an NBA assistant coach under Mike Budenholzer with Atlanta and Milwaukee the past nine seasons. Budenholzer was fired by the Bucks last week.

The Pistons posted a 121-263 record in five seasons under Casey’s watch. The team made the playoffs once during that time (2018-19) but was swept in the first round by the Bucks.

–Field Level Media