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The youthful Lakers raced up the court, chasing a fast-break bucket against the Golden State Warriors.?But Larry Nance Jr. remained near the rear of the pack, pacing himself, surveying everything before him, calculating space and angles, searching, most of all, for an open runway.Throughout a game, the 23-year-old Lakers forward hopes for these moments, almost hunting them but not quite. Hes learned that if he hunts too much, rarely do they unfold just the way he wants: culminating in a powerful, sky-scraping, momentum-shifting slam that blazes across social media and sends fans screaming out of their seats.Above all, Nance, one of the NBAs highest and most exciting flyers, has learned patience. Most of the time, he doesnt have to seek these moments as they will often find him. He just needs to be in the right place at the right time and ready. When a shot goes up, for instance, Nance tracks its arc, then tries to position himself carefully among the rims tall timbers so that he can snatch the ball if it ricochets. Seven, eight times out of 10, Im very certain of where its coming off, he said.Sometimes an opponent will try to box him out, then turn to look at Nance and notice that Nance doesnt seem to be going anywhere. If the opponent falls for this ruse, they will turn away and go chase the rebound. And thats when you crash right on top of them, Nance says. Thus, the simple but effective formula for his signature putback dunks: lure prey into a false sense of security, then strike.When it comes to fast breaks, Nance will trail the action -- not too much but enough that the opposing defense might lose sight of him for a split second. This allows him to slip into the lane unnoticed, where, if all goes as planned, a teammate will feed him a pass which hell turn into a rim-rocking highlight. But first, Nance needs an open runway. If he sees one emerge, hell start to pick up speed, lining up his steps just so, preparing for liftoff, which is what he did early in the second quarter against the Warriors on Nov. 4.After receiving a pass from guard Jordan Clarkson, Nance exploded off the court, ascending skyward much like his famous father, Larry Nance Sr., the NBAs first slam dunk champion, did decades ago. The Lakers once measured the younger Nances vertical leap at 44 inches, though they believed their devices werent calibrated correctly and that he can actually jump higher than that -- and against the Warriors, Nance utilized every bit of bounce in his legs, taking off a few steps inside the free-throw line. Only Warriors forward David West separated Nance and the rim, and as Nance soared by, holding the ball in his right hand high over his head like a torch, he placed his left hand on Wests head, almost palming it.Then Nance dropped the hammer in poster-worthy fashion. Staples Center went wild; the Lakers bench did, too.For Nance, the dunk wasnt just a highlight, a viral sensation; hes had plenty of those -- so many that he says his teammates are very used to them and only offer him a high-five and a pat on the back afterward.Nick [Young] shoots 3s, I dunk, Nance said. Everybodys good at what theyre good at.There are other aspects of his game that Nance excels at, too, such as rebounding or being a versatile defender. His offense has picked up steam, too, and he scored a career-high 18 points against Chicago on Nov. 30.But his dunk against Golden State marked one of the biggest leaps forward in his young career, one of the first moments that he could trust his right knee since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in February 2014, when he was a junior for the University of Wyoming. Immediately after that injury, Nance, like many who have sustained it, wasnt sure if hed ever have the same explosiveness again. All he knew was that it would take a while -- perhaps years -- to truly know.During his rookie season with the Lakers, after being drafted with the 27th pick in the first round in 2015, Nance remained cautious. Understandably, he worried that his knee might fail him, so he didnt put much pressure on it when executing various moves. This past July, during summer league competition in Las Vegas, he planted his right leg and threw down a breath-stealing dunk against the Philadelphia 76ers, but even then, Nance still didnt feel like his explosiveness had completely returned. That changed on Nov. 4.Before taking off against the Warriors, Nance planted his right foot and leaped, as he did before the injury, but it all came second nature, without worry -- and that was the first thing he noticed when he watched replays of his vicious slam after the game.You know, my knee didnt hurt when I did that -- it felt solid, it didnt cave in, Nance said he told himself. Thats pretty good.Said Nance, That was a page-turner for me, because I knew I was feeling well. I knew my legs were strong -- they were of equal strength and everything. When I planted on that right leg and was able to explode the way I did, it was [like] -- Im good now. I feel great.Nance believes his quickness and explosiveness have returned to his pre-injury levels, and now that they have, the next question on many fans minds is whether hell showcase his aerial acrobatics in the 2017 NBA dunk contest, which will be held in New Orleans. He received an invitation to last seasons event in Toronto but declined in part because he physically didnt feel capable. Like many others in February, Nance watched Minnesota guard Zach LaVine and Orlando forward Aaron Gordon put on one of the most exciting dunk contests in the history of the event.On my way to do some lunges and squats... Nance tweeted after, enticing those who hoped hed follow in his fathers footsteps and win the competition, perhaps as soon as this February.Ive always maintained that at some point, I would love to, Nance said. I just dont know when. I dont know if its this year. I dont know if its next year. I dont know at this point. Ive just got to be ready.And as for living up to his father? Nance says he feels no burden, largely because the 1984 contest his father competed in is far different than whats done today. Man, they hadnt even thought of doing an under-the-legs dunk over a mascot, Nance said. Guys do windmills in warm-ups now; thats nothing. Its a different contest.He said he hasnt studied past dunk contests, hasnt really considered what hed even do if he were in one. Honestly, if they threw me in one right now, Id get last place, because I have no idea what I would do, Nance said. It would just take a lot of planning, which I havent [done]. Instead of worrying about dunks, Im trying to figure out my jump shot and stuff like that.But, he pointed out, there are two kinds of dunkers -- those who are at their best during a game and those who are their best during a contest. Very few can do both. I dont know if Im that rare breed of both yet, Nance said. I havent really tried it. What he does know is that hes a in-game dunker. I see somebody in front of me, and thats what I like to do, he said.Larry Nance Sr., a three-time All-Star and 13-year veteran with the Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers, told ESPN in January that if his son wants any help preparing for the dunk contest, Ill do anything he wants. But, Larry Sr. pointed out, with a touch of pride, that his son is a far better high-flyer than his old man: I could jump really well, but hes just so much stronger, and he just jumps so much easier than I did. Ill give it to him. I had my day. And nothing makes me prouder. Nothing makes me prouder, trust me, than if he just flat-out out-dunks me.Larry Sr. continued, All the little dunks I did, he can do them so easy; there wont be no tips on none of those. Two-hand ball dunk, he can do that. He can cup it and dunk it. If he ever gets invited to be in the slam-dunk contest, Im sure Ill spend some nights awake trying to come up with some stuff. His chances of winning should be as good as anybody elses.And what would Larry Sr. think of his son winning it all? That would be awesome, Larry Sr. said. That would be cool.On that note, Larry Nance Jr. agreed. It would be very cool, he said. It would be a cool story and everybody would love it.Nance Jr. added with a smile: If and when the time comes, I will be ready. Hugh McElhenny Jersey .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights. Johnny Strzykalski Jersey . 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It only took me three days to realize that.Del Rio said that outside of the location there hasnt been much change in the preparation for the Raiders (5-2) this week. The team is practicing on the campus of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.Were just going about our business, Del Rio said. This happens to be a beautiful city but the works the same. Put the last game behind you and get ready for the next. Understand what they like, what theyre good at, their strengths; things like that. I think its very normal in terms of preparation and how were going about our business.Wide receiver Michael Crabtree said he was very impressed with the facilities at IMG and when he was asked to compare it to the Raiders facility in Alameda, California, he said that its coming along, but IMG is IMG.Ive never seen nothing like that, Crabtree added. Its pretty nice. I just dont know when those guys go to school. It seems like its sports year-round.Quarterback Derek Carr said he has taken a little more time than his coach to appreciate the sunny weatherr and palm trees but otherwise hes been focusing on the Bucs secondary, most notably cornerbacks Brent Grimes and Vernon Hargreaves III.ddddddddddddCarr said that Grimes natural athleticism makes him a tough challenge.Grimes is pound-for-pound one of the best athletes in this league and its not even close, Carr said. He can jump out of the gym. He can stop on a dime. It makes it real tough to play against him. I remember playing against him when he was at Miami.Carr said he is also impressed with Hargreaves and said its easy to see why the Buccaneers selected him with the No. 10 pick in the 2016 NFL draft.You see why hes a first-round pick, you see why he went to Florida and why he was a high school All-American, Carr said. You can see all of those things. Hes a really good player.Another player familiar with Hargreaves is wide receiver Amari Cooper. The two matched up against each other on Sept. 20, 2014, when the Alabama Crimson Tide played the Florida Gators. Cooper had 10 catches for 201 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Crimson Tide to 42-21 win.I remember him from college, Cooper said. So it will be cool to play him again.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '