The Golden State Warriors are sending center James Wiseman to the NBA G League for an “extended period,” beginning Tuesday.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Monday night that Wiseman will play for the Santa Cruz Warriors for at least 10 days.

“We will keep him there for an extended period to get really good practice time and (play) some games and it’s not gonna be one game and bring him back,” Kerr said. “We want to give him maybe 10 straight days, something like that, and come back and we all know things happen in this league and he’s gonna find his way back to the rotation at some point.”

Wiseman hadn’t played in three games before appearing in Monday night’s game against San Antonio, recording a minus-6 in eight minutes on the floor.

“He needs reps. He needs to play,” Kerr said. “It’s not easy when you don’t get minutes.”

He’s averaging 6.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 13.4 minutes in 11 games with no starts thus far.

“I don’t look at this as a demotion,” Wiseman said. “I’m just ready to go out there and hoop.”

Wiseman, 21, missed all of the 2021-22 regular season recovering from a knee injury. The Warriors selected him No. 2 overall in the 2020 draft.

–Field Level Media

The Portland Trail Blazers will look to continue their strong start to the season when they open a three-game homestand against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night.

Portland has won nine of its first 13 games to sit in a tie for first place with Denver in the Western Conference. The start is even more impressive due to six-time All-Star guard Damian Lillard missing five contests because of a calf strain.

Lillard was in fine form on Saturday, putting up 29 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds, but the Trail Blazers lost 117-112 to the Dallas Mavericks to complete a 4-2 trip. The excursion included victories over the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat.

“I think it was a great road trip for us, could have been great with this one,” Lillard said afterward. “Obviously if you told us we was going to get 4-2 when we left Portland, we would have said we’ll take it.

“Wish we would have been able to get this one, but 4-2 going back home for a short stretch is fine with me.”

Lillard is averaging 28.6 points as one of three Portland players topping 20 per game. Anfernee Simons is averaging 22.3 and Jerami Grant 20.7.

Grant scored a season-best 37 on 13-of-22 shooting against Dallas. He has tallied at least 23 in five of the past six games and is averaging 25.7 during that stretch.

Big man Jusuf Nurkic (adductor soreness) is listed as questionable for Tuesday after missing the previous three games.

The Trail Blazers have routinely dealt with injuries, as Josh Hart is the lone starter who has played all 13 games. Reserves Drew Eubanks and Nassir Little also haven’t missed any time.

Lillard likes how the team has dealt with adversity.

“I think the main thing I’ve learned is that we are really together through the good, the bad, the struggles, the ups and downs, especially over the course of a game,” he said. “And that’s a good sign for a team.”

Not much went right for the Spurs on Monday as they were drubbed 132-95 by the Golden State Warriors at San Francisco in the opener of a five-game trip.

San Antonio was outscored 99-69 over the final three quarters. The Spurs shot just 25 percent (10 of 40) from 3-point range while Golden State knocked down 51.1 percent from deep (23 of 45).

Tre Jones missed his first game of the season due to a stomach illness, and San Antonio badly missed the third-year pro, who is averaging 12.3 points and a team-high 6.6 assists.

“It would have been great to have Tre, but the Warriors played better than we did in every facet,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “We didn’t move it very well. I thought we were a little bit soft. They shot it very well; we didn’t. The ball didn’t move, so we got beat pretty good.”

Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan, picked ninth overall in this year’s draft, was tabbed to start at point guard and had 12 points and seven rebounds in 24 1/2 minutes but committed three turnovers without recording an assist.

“We had been talking about it for a while now and running it in practice and stuff,” Sochan said afterward of playing the point. “It comes naturally for me to see the court.”

Keldon Johnson scored 15 points and Keita Bates-Diop added 12 for San Antonio, which has dropped six of its past seven games after starting 5-2.

The Spurs swept all four meetings with the Trail Blazers last season by an average of 27 points.

–Field Level Media

The Los Angeles Clippers will play the second leg of a Texas back-to-back on Tuesday night, visiting NBA leading scorer Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.

Los Angeles scored its third win in the past four games with a 122-106 victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday. Clippers forward Paul George finished with 22 points, eight rebounds and five assists, continuing to shoulder the load with Kawhi Leonard out.

After missing the entirety of last season due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament sustained in the 2021 playoffs, Leonard appeared in two of the Clippers’ first three games this season before returning to the sideline with knee issues.

George, meanwhile, has scored at least 22 points in seven of the past eight games. Los Angeles is 6-2 over that stretch. For the season, George is averaging 24.5 points per game on 45.7 percent shooting from the floor.

“It’s more so a credit to our team when we are moving the ball, sharing the ball,” George said Monday after five teammates joined him with double-figure scoring on the night.

Six Clippers who have appeared in at least 10 games are averaging 10.5 points per game or more. Among that group is John Wall at 12.6 points per game.

Wall missed the Monday game due to injury management, but Los Angeles coach Tyronn Lue told reporters afterward that Wall would be available for the Tuesday trip to Dallas.

The Clippers come in to face a Mavericks squad that opened a five-game homestand with a victory over Portland on Saturday. Dallas rebounded from a two-game losing streak to defeat the Trail Blazers 117-112.

Doncic recorded a triple-double of 42 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, continuing his impressive opening stretch to the 2022-23 season.

Doncic’s average of 34.3 points per game leads the NBA, outpacing the second-most prolific scorer, Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid, by two points per contest. Doncic also is tied for fifth in the league in assists at 8.1 per game.

As explosive as Doncic has been on offense, Dallas will enter the Tuesday matchup having thrived on defense. The Mavericks are holding opponents to 107.2 points per game, which is ranked fifth in the NBA.

Another statistic of note: Dallas is 7-0 when Josh Green makes a 3-pointer.

The reserve wing, who is averaging 6.3 points per game, is shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc this season. He was 2-for-5 against the Trail Blazers.

“Honestly, I never really looked at it,” Green said following Dallas’ practice on Monday. “My goal is every game, just go in the game and shoot the ball. I know I can shoot the ball, no matter what the percentages are. I trust my teammates, they trust me. If I’m open, I’m going to shoot it.”

As a team, Dallas is attempting an average of 38.3 3-point shots per game and making 13.3 per contest, a rate of 34.8 percent that ranks 18th in the NBA. Los Angeles comes in holding opponents to 34.7 percent from deep, the 10th-best figure in the league.

–Field Level Media

Bam Adebayo scored 14 of his season-high 30 points in the fourth quarter, helping the host Miami Heat rally to a 113-112 win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.

Devin Booker, who led the Suns with 25 points, missed two potentially game-winning shots in the final 6.2 seconds. On the first one, Booker’s mid-range jumper was blocked by Jimmy Butler. Booker retrieved the ball and missed a desperation turnaround 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the game.

Adebayo scored the game’s final points on free throws with 35 seconds left. Butler produced a double-double for the second time in three games, posting 16 points and 13 rebounds.

The Suns’ Deandre Ayton had a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Duane Washington Jr., working on a two-way contract, scored 21 points to lead the Phoenix bench. That reserve unit also featured Damion Lee, who scored 14 points.

Hornets 112, Magic 105

Mason Plumlee racked up 18 points and 10 rebounds and LaMelo Ball, in just his second game of the season, had 17 points and nine assists, as Charlotte snapped an eight-game losing streak by beating host Orlando.

Terry Rozier (17 points), Kelly Oubre Jr. (16), Theo Maledon (14), P.J. Washington (14) and Jalen McDaniels (10) joined the list of seven double-figure scorers for the Hornets, who are still without injured forward Gordon Hayward.

Franz Wagner had 23 points and Wendell Carter Jr. had 20 points to pace Orlando. Orlando closed within 96-87 just under the eight-minute mark of the fourth on Bol Bol’s jumper. But the Hornets fed Plumlee for a couple of shots to help thwart the comeback bid. Ball’s floater stretched the lead to 104-89 with slightly more than three minutes to play.

Celtics 126, Thunder 122

Jayson Tatum had 27 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and three blocks as host Boston came from behind to earn a win over Oklahoma City.

Jaylen Brown added 26 points, and Marcus Smart heated up in the fourth quarter to finish with 22 points, eight assists and five rebounds, helping the Celtics to their seventh straight win.

All five Thunder starters scored in double figures, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 37 points. Luguentz Dort had 21 with three 3-pointers, and Aleksej Pokusevski logged a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds.

Clippers 122, Rockets 106

Paul George scored a team-high 22 points, Reggie Jackson added 17 points and visiting Los Angeles cruised to a victory over Houston.

Jalen Green paced the Rockets with 25 points and seven assists and added six rebounds. Kevin Porter Jr. chipped in 20 points and seven rebounds but missed 12 of 18 shots. The Rockets were undone by their lackadaisical ball security and poor shooting in the first half. The Clippers turned 11 Houston turnovers into 16 points before the break while the Rockets missed 10 of 13 3-pointers.

When reserves Norman Powell (17 points) and Terance Mann (14 points) scored in succession with just under eight minutes left in the game, the Clippers extended to a 108-87 lead.

Warriors 132, Spurs 95

Jordan Poole poured in a season-high 36 points, 19 of them in a dominating first half, as Golden State waltzed to a win over visiting San Antonio in San Francisco.

Stephen Curry added 16 points for Golden State in three quarters of play, with Anthony Lamb hitting for 17, Jonathan Kuminga pouring in 15, Moses Moody tallying 11 and Andrew Wiggins contributing 10.

Keldon Johnson led the Spurs with 15 points while Keita Bates-Diop and Jeremy Sochan tallied 12 apiece, Josh Richardson scored 10 and Jakob Poeltl grabbed 10 rebounds for San Antonio.

Hawks 121, Bucks 106

De’Andre Hunter scored a season-high 24 points, and Atlanta ended a nine-game losing streak in Milwaukee.

It was the second time the Hawks have beaten Milwaukee this season and marked the first home loss for the Bucks. Two of Milwaukee’s three losses this season have come against Atlanta.

Hunter made a pair of 3-pointers and was 10-for-10 at the line, and Trae Young added 21 points and nine assists. Clint Capela added 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Milwaukee was led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had 27 points — 11 of them at the line — and eight rebounds.

Raptors 115, Pistons 111

Dalano Banton scored a career-high 27 points and depleted Toronto held off host Detroit.

Chris Boucher had 20 points and O.G. Anunoby supplied 19 points and seven rebounds for the Raptors, who had lost six straight to the Pistons. Malachi Flynn added 12 points.

Jaden Ivey led Detroit with 21 points and eight assists. Bojan Bogdanovic had 18 points, Marvin Bagley III added 16 and Alec Burks chipped in 15 for Detroit, which has lost four straight.

–Field Level Media

Jordan Poole poured in a season-high 36 points, 19 of them in a dominating first half, as the Golden State Warriors waltzed to a 132-95 win over the visiting San Antonio Spurs on Monday in San Francisco.

The game was the second of a road-home back-to-back for the Warriors, who lost in Sacramento on Sunday. Golden State has captured three of its past four games while the Spurs have dropped six of their past seven.

The Warriors led by 16 points at halftime and ran away from San Antonio in the third quarter, scoring the first 15 points of the period on the way to a 99-68 advantage.

Stephen Curry added 16 points for Golden State in three quarters of play, with Anthony Lamb hitting for 17, Jonathan Kuminga pouring in 15, Moses Moody tallying 11 and Andrew Wiggins contributing 10.

Keldon Johnson led the Spurs with 15 points while Keita Bates-Diop and Jeremy Sochan tallied 12 apiece, Josh Richardson scored 10 and Jakob Poeltl grabbed 10 rebounds for San Antonio.

The Spurs played without starting point guard Tre Jones, who had a stomach bug, while Golden State’s Klay Thompson missed the game to rest as has been the Warriors’ routine with him on the second night of back-to-backs this season.

The Warriors started the game with a bang, scoring 14 of the first 18 points before settling for a 33-26 lead after one period of play. San Antonio was never closer than four points the rest of the way. Curry scored seven points in the second period, including a ringing 3-pointer with 30.8 seconds remaining to help the Warriors assume a 61-45 advantage at the break.

In addition to Poole’s 19 points at the half, Curry had 10. Golden State hit 11 3-pointers over the first 24 minutes, outscoring the Spurs 33-12 from beyond the arc.

Nine players scored for San Antonio in the first half, led by seven points from Bates-Diop, as the Spurs were held to their lowest scoring output for a first half this season.

–Field Level Media