A little vigilance on D goes a long way toward creating opportunities on offense. Los Angeles Lakers guard Smush Parker reaches in to break up a Utah Jazz pass attempt on one end of the court then takes the rock the length of the floor himself to cap off the break with a 180-degree reverse on February 13, 2006.

Smush Parker

Smush Parker picks pocket, takes off for soaring reverse slam on other end

After four quarters and two overtimes, Deron Williams was ready to go home — but not until he experienced the joy of hitting a game-winner for his hometown team. The suburban Dallas native gave the sellout Dallas Mavericks crowd a taste of what made him a three-time NBA All-Star as he grabbed the inbound pass on the final play of the second overtime and pump faked his Sacramento Kings defender before draining a fadeaway 3-pointer at the buzzer. The heroic shot sent the crowd into a delirium and turned a would-be gutting two-point loss into a thrilling 117-116 victory on January 5, 2016. Williams shot 10 of 18 for a team-high 25 points to go with four assists and two steals in the Mavericks’ 22nd consecutive home victory over the Kings.

Deron Williams

Deron Williams fuels Dallas frenzy with fadeaway game winner vs. SAC

Elite scorers make it look easy. Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker uses his handle to create space from his defender then steps back into the smooth, uncontestable triple. These were three of Booker’s 25 against the LA Clippers on January 3, 2021

Devin Booker

Devin Booker clears space with handle, steps back into three-pointer

Unchecked in transition, future 2020 Slam Dunk Contest champion Derrick Jones Jr. had to give the Toronto Raptors an appetizer of the next All-Star break's main course. The Miami Heat reserve forward left jaws dropped in the arena when his squad came up with a steal on defense and set out in transition. Heat big man Bam Adebayo waited for the 2-on-1 fast break to develop and then tossed a lob in the air that saw Jones Jr. rise to stratospheric heights and throw down a gravity-defying one-handed slam. Jones Jr. only scored four points, but two of them were all anybody was left talking about after the game on March 10, 2019. 

Derrick Jones Jr.

Derrick Jones Jr. skies through rafters for Dunk of the Year lob

The Sacramento Kings will play their first playoff game in 17 years in their home arena. Kevin Huerter helped make that fantasy a reality. Huerter has been spectacular in his first season in Sacramento and he lit up the New Orleans Pelicans on both ends, first coming up with a steal on defense before racing the other way and finishing with a transition slam. The fifth-year shooting guard scored a game-high 25 points on 9 of 16 shooting — 6 for 10 from downtown — while also contributing five rebounds, eight assists and two steals in the 123-108 win on March 6, 2023. 

Kevin Huerter

Kevin Huerter intercepts pass, takes ball coast-to-coast for slam

Still fighting to find his footing as a rookie, Spencer Dinwiddie snuck up on the Washington Wizards and announced his arrival in style. In the second half of a long season, the 38th overall pick in the 2014 draft flew under the radar in Washington’s game plan but over its defense. After a midrange jumper came up short, the first-year pro immediately sprung into action following his shot, collecting the miss and hammering home a putback slam. Dinwiddie shot 8 of 14 for a season-high 20 points off the bench to go with four rebounds and eight assists for the Detroit Pistons on February 28, 2015. 

Spencer Dinwiddie

Spencer Dinwiddie skies for putback in breakout game as rookie

Following a 38-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the first round, Raymond Felton and the Dallas Mavericks had to dig deep. As soon as Russell Westbrook’s missed 3-pointer with the game tied in the closing minute of the fourth quarter landed in Felton’s hands, the veteran guard was laser-focused on delivering his squad a much-needed win. Felton gained a step on Westbrook on a strong drive to the basket and managed to score a contested, go-ahead layup over Steven Adams with 28 seconds to play. The Thunder never led again, and Felton’s 21 points, 11 rebounds and three assists were critical in Dallas tying the series with an 85-84 Game 2 triumph on April 18, 2016. The 21 points were more than double Felton’s regular season average, and he averaged a playoff career-high 15.0 points per game that postseason.

Raymond Felton

Raymond Felton bests Thunder with go-ahead drive in 2016 Playoffs

On a night when his teammates needed extra support on the offensive end, Nenê provided. The veteran big man, who averaged a shade over nine points per game in the regular season, erupted with a perfect night at the most opportune time for the Houston Rockets. Holding a 2-1 series lead and playing before a raucous Oklahoma City Thunder crowd late in a one-point game, Steven Adams drifted out to the 3-point line to guard the ball and left Nenê all alone underneath the basket. Trevor Ariza found his teammate for an open and-1 layup, and the subsequent free-throw conversion gave the Rockets a four-point lead with 11 seconds to play. Nenê went nuclear to the tune of a team-high 28 points on a flawless 12-for-12 from the field, adding 10 rebounds in the 113-109 win on April 23, 2017 to take a commanding lead in the series.

Nenê

Nenê fuels Rockets W with flawless shooting night in 2017 Playoffs

There’s court vision, and then there’s Ricky Rubio court vision. The Minnesota Timberwolves point guard flashed his elite passing ability against the Los Angeles Lakers after a teammate jarred the ball loose from D’Angelo Russell and into the hands of Rubio underneath the opponents’ basket. Before anybody else even realized what had transpired, Rubio flicked a behind-the-back pass half the court’s length to an in-stride Brandon Rush, who traversed the rest of the way for a fastbreak throwdown. Rubio produced 19 points, three rebounds, a game-high 15 assists and three steals on March 24, 2017, and his 9.1 assists per game average during the 2016-17 season represented a career high. 

Ricky Rubio

Ricky Rubio whips behind-back feed down court for transition hoop

Reggie Bullock was so fired up for his first game with new teammate Kyrie Irving that he nearly shot the lights out of the building. Bullock got the Dallas Mavericks rolling right away in the first quarter, draining a wide open corner three-pointer off a dish from Tim Hardaway Jr — one of five first-quarter triples for Bullock, who scored 15 of Dallas’ 41 points in the period. Bullock finished with 18 in the game on 6 of 12 from downtown while adding five rebounds, six assists and two steals as the Mavs secured a 110-104 victory over the LA Clippers in Irving’s debut on February 8, 2023.

Reggie Bullock

Reggie Bullock drills fifth three of red-hot first quarter

As long as it goes in it doesn’t matter how you got there. Locked in a tight battle against the Memphis Grizzlies, Marcus Smart drives into the lane before coming head-to-head with Santi Aldama. Smart absorbs a body blow that sends him toppling to the hardwood and on the way down flicks up a desperation shot that somehow finds the bottom of the net. The underrated Boston Celtics point guard produced a solid all-around game with 15 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists in his team’s hard-fought 109-106 victory on November 7, 2022.

Marcus Smart

Marcus Smart finishes left-handed scoop shot through contact

Never underestimate James Harden’s ability to come up with creative new ways of making plays for his Philadelphia 76ers teammates. Back in Houston on the court he called home for parts of nine seasons, the 2018 MVP shifts into facilitator mode when he whips a low-to-the-ground bounce pass to a cutting Shake Milton, who finishes the possession with an easy layup. The 10-time All-Star managed 21 points, four rebounds, seven assists, two steals and four triples in Philly’s overtime battle against the Houston Rockets on December 5, 2022.

James Harden

James Harden flings nonchalant dime into post for bucket

Marketplace