Julius Randle embraced Tom Thibodeau's work-first mentality and became the NBA's Most Improved Player in their first season together. 

"When I first got hired I asked him to come in so we could spend some time, just to get to know each other," Thibodeau told ESPN. "And when he came in, you never know the type of shape someone's in, I had an impression of him from coaching against him. I knew he was talented and all those things, but you don't know who the person is. And when I saw -- he was in incredible shape. So I was working him out myself and I saw his work capacity."

During their workouts, Thibodeau saw that they shared basketball values.

"You could see how highly motivated he was," Thibodeau said. "And then when we had our short bubble, just his willingness to come in and work and lead and I could see how hungry he was. I felt like this was the guy that could help set the tone for us. And then he improved in every facet of the game. It's his passing -- we always knew he had the ability to drive the ball, to post-up -- but then adding the 3.

"And the willingness to work and sacrifice for the team -- he's the first guy in, he'll stay late, he comes in every night, all those things. So everything that you would want from a leader and your best player -- he's done that. He's got an unbelievable work ethic, he's a team-first guy, he wants to win, so he's earned everything that he's gotten."

Friday night's Play-In Game between the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies averaged over 3.6 million viewers, according to Ben Cafardo of ESPN.

It was the second most watched game of the season on ESPN, and won the night across primetime and in all key demos.

The Play-In Game between the Lakers and Warriors drew ESPN's best NBA rating since 2019.

The NBA is looking to restart a conversation over having a midseason tournament, sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Adam Silver is reportedly gaining optimism for a midseason tournament due to the momentum of the play-in tournament.

A potential midseason tournament has never reached a vote of the board of governors.

The league would need an agreement with a two-thirds majority of its teams, as well as an agreement with the NBA Players Association. Conversations over the tournament could begin this year, though is too late to implement for the 2021-22 season.

There have been previous discussions over a eight-team single-elimination tournament in which the winning team would receive $1 million per player.

There were concerns that star players would prefer having the schedule break that would come from not qualifying for the tournament. 

But the NBA is optimistic due to elite players embracing the competitive nature of recent All-Star Game changes and the play-in tournament. 

When James Harden was in college at Arizona State, he would frequently run pickup on campus after games and practices to test out the concepts he learned in practice. The extra work diversified Harden's game and sped up his development. 

While Harden left Arizona State for the NBA in 2009, he has returned to Phoenix in recent offseasons and will incorporate current players into his workouts to try new moves on.

Harden began doing agility and football-oriented drills last year in Houston. 

“He plays off counteraction,”  said Antwi Atuahene, Harden’s teammate at ASU and close friend. “So he knows of everything that’s going on. That’s why he can adapt so quickly. He doesn’t force anything. He makes sure everything is in a flow. It’s all about adaptability with James. That’s the thing I think he adds over a lot of people. He knows what he brings to the table and makes everyone else adapt to him.”

Harden has been praised for how he has adapted his game since joining the Brooklyn Nets in January. The Nets are 28-7 in the regular season when Harden played and just 12-11 in games he didn't. 

Harden's knowledge of the league’s personnel also helped influence how Houston built its roster. In 2016, Harden knew the Rockets would be better served with Clint Capela at center instead of Dwight Howard. Harden similarly knew Gerald Green would thrive in Houston despite just playing pickup with him.

Steph Curry scored 46 points in 40 minutes during the Golden State Warriors 113-101 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Curry clinched the scoring title, while the Warriors clinched the No. 8 seed in the West with the win.

"He's been great for a long time, though, so it's hard to say he's at his best now because he's been like this for years. I think what's different this year is just the supporting cast is different. We've got a much younger team; he's been asked to do a lot more with this group and he's gone above and beyond what we've asked of him.

"Just an incredible season and I'll just leave it at that. He's never been better than he is right now," said Steve Kerr of Curry's play this season.

Curry averaged 32 points this season, with his previous career-high at 30.1 points per game.

Curry is also the second oldest scoring champion at age 33.

"I've been blessed to be back healthy and be able to just play night in, night out at a high level. And the work that goes into it, it pays off, and it's something that I really, really rely on, especially at this point in my career. As the years go on, that is the difference-maker for me. Nobody really sees it on a day-to-day (basis), but I'm really proud of what I put into it, and the team -- they know who they are -- that help me and push me and motivate me. I'm going to keep doing that until I can't anymore," said Curry after the game.

The Warriors play the Lakers on Wednesday night in the Play-In Tournament. 

The Charlotte Hornets are set to increase their home attendance capacity to 12,000 fans.

The number represents 60% of total capacity.

The Hornets are currently No. 8 in the Eastern Conference standings as of Saturday morning. 

Marv Albert will retire following the 2021 NBA playoffs, reported Andrew Marchand and Phil Mushnick of the New York Post.

Albert and TNT are expected to make a formal announcement soon. 

TNT has reportedly began contacting NBA personnel to pay tribute to Albert during the playoffs.

Albert's retirement is unrelated to Chris Webber's recent departure from TNT.

Chris Webber and TNT parted ways before the NBA playoffs, reported Andrew Marchand of the New York Post.

Marchand reported last week that there was a feeling that TNT did not want Webber to return next season.

Reggie Miller took Webber's place alongside Marv Albert on Thursday.

Grant Hill and Jim Jackson have been mentioned as potential replacements for Webber. 

The Golden State Warriors and James Wiseman had an up and down first season together. Wiseman missed training camp due to COVID-19 and then was placed in the starting lineup on opening night only to have his minutes fluctuate wildly before he was eventually lost to the season with a torn meniscus. 

"I have no doubt James is going to make a huge impact in this league," Steve Kerr said prior to the Warriors' game against the Utah Jazz at Chase Center. "He's gonna be a helluva player, but it takes time and you can't rush that process, unfortunately. It just has to happen on its own time, so he'll get there, but we'll just have to keep working with him. The good thing is he's a great student, and he's a hard worker and got a great approach. I have great belief in James."

Russell Westbrook recorded his 182nd career triple-double during Monday night's 125-124 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, breaking Oscar Robertson's record for all-time triple-doubles.

Westbrook finished the game with 28 points, 21 assists, and 13 rebounds.

"It's just a blessing. You put so much into the game, so much time, you sacrifice so much, to be able to just be mentioned with guys like Oscar, Magic and Jason Kidd, those guys, is something I never dreamed about as a young kid growing up in LA. Truly grateful for moments like this," said Westbrook after the game.

Westbrook, who is averaging a triple-double on the season, has recorded 36 triple-doubles this year. 

Westbrook added that he didn't know how far he could stretch his record.

"I guess we will see in another 50 years or so. I don't know. Through the good, the bad and the ugly, I always stay true to myself," Westbrook added about his mentality. "I will never change because I have been blessed to be able to play this game at a level that nobody else can play at. And I won't stop until I can't play no more."