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The Utah Jazz look to pick up their second straight win when they host the Sacramento Kings, who are in the midst of a 13-game slide.

The Kings are without their top rebounder, Domantas Sabonis, which should open the door for Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic to have a big night on the glass.

I’ll explain why Nurkic will pick up plenty of rebounds in my Kings vs. Jazz predictions and NBA picks for Wednesday, February 11.

Kings vs Jazz prediction

Kings vs Jazz best bet: Jusuf Nurkic Over 9.5 rebounds (-112)

Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis ranks tied for third in the NBA with 11.4 rebounds per game this season, but he’ll be sidelined tonight with a back injury. That opens the door for Utah Jazz big man Jusuf Nurkic to have his own field day on the glass.

Nurkic is no slouch himself, logging 10.4 rpg this season. The Jazz center has snagged Over 9.5 boards in nine of his last 11 contests.

The Kings were already a mediocre rebounding team, allowing 44.7 opponent rebounds per game (19th), and they’ll be significantly more vulnerable on the glass without Sabonis.

Kings vs Jazz same-game parlay

Lauri Markkanen is averaging nearly 27 ppg this season and has dropped Over 20.5 points in 14 of his last 18 outings. With Keyonte George out tonight, Markkanen will be leaned on to carry the Jazz offense.

Utah is not a great team, but Sacramento is even worse. The Kings have not won a game in nearly a month, and they’re missing three of their top players tonight with Sabonis, Zach LaVine, and Russell Westbrook all sidelined.

Kings vs Jazz SGP

• Jusuf Nurkic Over 9.5 rebounds
• Lauri Markkanen Over 20.5 points
• Jazz moneyline

Our "from downtown" SGP: Double-doubles galore

Nurkic has eight double-doubles in his last 10 games, Isaiah Collier has three in his last four, and Dylan Cardwell has two in his last three.

Kings vs Jazz SGP

• Jusuf Nurkic to record double-double
• Isaiah Collier to record double-double
• Dylan Cardwell to record double-double

Kings vs Jazz odds

• Spread: Sacramento +6 (-110) | Utah -6 (-110)
• Moneyline: Sacramento +180 | Utah -220
• Over/Under: Over 230.5 (-110) | Under 230.5 (-110)

Kings vs Jazz betting trend to know

The Jazz have hit the Over in 32 of their last 45 games at home (+17.70 Units / 36% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Kings vs. Jazz.

How to watch Kings vs Jazz

Kings vs Jazz latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

Last one before the break. The Brooklyn Nets played the middle game of their three game homestand and welcomed the Chicago Bulls to Barclays Center. Brooklyn picked up another win and have won back to back games.

The opponent tonight is in their gap year. The Indiana Pacers aren’t heading to the postseason, but they’ve got plenty to focus on. They’ve been in town the past few days and took on their long time rivals, the New York Knicks, last night at MSG. The game went into overtime and the Pacers ruined the Knicks’ plans once again.

Where to follow the game

YES Network on TV. WFAN on radio. Gotham Sports on streaming. Tip after 7:30 PM.

🤕 Injuries

No Michael Porter Jr. Noah Clowney is probable while Nic Claxton has moved from questionable to doubtful. The two newest Nets, Ochai Agbaji and Josh Minott have yet to play and a roster spot remains open. All three two-ways remain with Long Island.

The following are out for Indiana:

• Tyrese Haliburton
• Ivica Zubac
• Johnny Furphy
• Obi Toppin
• Jarace Walker

And with this being night two of a back-to-back, we’ll see if anyone else sits.

🏀 The game

Brooklyn won the first meeting in November.

Last game before the break, so we’ll see how these teams manage their rotations. Indiana played a stressful game last night, so don’t be surprised if their regulars have a reduced workload tonight. With Clowney and Claxton showing up on the injury report, they may have relatively short outings as well.

Tonight is another opportunity for Brooklyn’s guards of the future to put a good outing together. Nolan Traore and Egor Dёmin have been solid and making the most out of their minutes. Jordi Fernandez sees a lot in this duo and is excited for what they can do:

“I don’t see it as one guy covering for the other: I like the shooting from both of them. Nolan’s not shy when he’s open. We’ve seen Egor shoot at a very high level. Nolan’s speed, his paint touches and pick-and-roll playmaking, same with Egor. … They have clear goals, short-term things they need to do on both ends. As long as they keep taking those steps they’re doing a great job and that’s what matters.”

The more minutes they get, the better they’ll be down the line.

When a team is on night two of a b2b and played overtime the night before, you should look to speed them up. The opponent is on tired legs and is just trying to make it through the night in one piece. For the Nets, they should look to get out and run as much as possible. Jumping out to a sizable lead early could make the difference and push the Pacers into making their All-Star plans early.

👀 Player to watch: Pascal Siakam

It takes a special player to be named an All-Star when your team is one of the worst in the league. Siakam has fought through everything this season and has continued to play at a high level for Indiana. His usage is way up, but he’s maintained his efficiency at a reasonable level. When the game is close late, Rick Carlisle can trust him to make something happen. Everyone knew that this was going to be a lost season for the Pacers. However, Siakam’s play has made things a bit more palatable to watch for Pacers fans. When Indiana returns to playoff contention next season, Siakam’s success in a scaled up role will prove to be valuable.

We’ll see how much Noah Clowney plays tonight. As we mentioned earlier, he’s on the injury report but is listed as probable. Since he’s not at full strength, does this mean we’ll see Josh Minott make his Nets debut? Tonight would be the perfect time. In the meantime, matching up against Siakam will do wonders for Clowney’s confidence if he puts a good outing together. Brooklyn’s youth movement will be something that keeps fans tuned in after the All-Star break as everyone starts gearing up for the Draft Lottery this spring.

📺 From the Vault

Tonight the Nets will be hosting their annual Chinese New Year’s celebration game. Let’s learn more about the Lunar New Year!

Here’s the full range of what the Nets are doing to celebrate.

More reading: 8 Points, 9 Seconds, SB Nation NBA, New York Post, New York Daily News, Clutch Points, Nets Wire, Steve’s Newsletter

• Brooklyn Nets Game Notes – Brooklyn Nets
• Indiana Pacers Game Notes – Indiana Pacers
• Indiana visits Brooklyn following overtime win against New York – AP
• What makes the Nets’ Day’Ron Sharpe different: ‘Can affect the whole group’ ($) – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Nolan Traoré’s evolution is giving the Nets a real floor general ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Coming to this weekend's NBA All-Star Game: John Tesh and “Roundball Rock,” being performed live.

Tesh will play the song to introduce Sunday's All-Star Game, which will be aired on NBC and Peacock, the NBA said Wednesday while unveiling the musical performances for the weekend.

Ludacris, the three-time Grammy winner, will be the headliner and perform on Saturday before the All-Star dunk contest. A pair of Grammy winners — Brandy and Sarah McLachlan — will perform the U.S. and Canadian national anthems before Sunday's All-Star Game.

Tesh will perform for the first time live inside a sports arena, the NBA said. “Roundball Rock," the league said, “celebrates the NBA All-Star Game’s return to NBC after 24 years.”

The song was the longtime anthem for NBC's coverage of the NBA from 1990 through 2002. NBC returned to the NBA broadcast lineup this season, the start of a new 11-year broadcast agreement for the league.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

The NBA All-Star break is only a day away. It is human nature to start looking ahead and thinking about time off. Heck, I have a three-day weekend coming up, and I have been thinking about it since Monday. I can only imagine what physically and mentally fatigued players across the league are feeling as the opportunity to rest is within reach. For eight days, they finally get to stop traveling and living from city to city during the grind of the season.

On a side note, I want to congratulate myself for not breaking into Michael Jackson lyrics after I wrote the words “human nature”. Why, why?

The Phoenix Suns are a team that thrives on disruption, hustle, energy, and focus. Since the beginning of February, it feels as if their edge has dulled a little bit. There are multiple reasons for this, with injuries being the primary culprit. It is also understandable to assume that human nature is taking a little bit of that edge off, as a team with bumps and bruises earned in the heat of battle is aching for rest.

When you look at the stats from before February and compare them to this month’s, you can see the blade is not as sharp as it was.

Pre-February, the Suns carried a +2.9 net rating (10th) and 111.8 defensive rating (5th). In Febraruy? Phoenix has a -3.0 net rating (19th) and 116.3 defensive rating (18th). Their rebounding percentage was 50.3% (11th), but since the dawn of February, it’s 44.2% (28th). Can we say, “tired legs”?

What makes the Suns different from many teams across the Association is that they need to keep their blade sharp at all times to be successful. This team is outperforming expectations thanks to their continued focus and energy each night. If that focus or energy is slightly off, their superpower is compromised. Because that is the NBA, where winning is hard. That is the level of competition you face every night. It happens even if it is the depleted Warriors on trade deadline day. It happens even if it is the Dallas Mavericks, a team that is clearly aiming to tank.

That will be the challenge as the second half of the season begins after the All-Star break. The Suns need to do all they can to stay as sharp as possible. The energy from opposing teams will rise as they lock in for the final stretch of the season, and playoff seeding is on the line.

When you look at the teams actively tanking, like the Wizards or the Jazz, the Suns don’t play many games against them. They play Jazz again and face the Kings, Pacers, and Mavs. No, for Phoenix, it’s the 4th-toughest remaining schedule in the NBA, per Tankathon. They will be playing against teams who will use the final third of the season as an opportunity to sharpen their knives and prepare for a deep postseason run.

Fatigue has set in, and there is no doubt about that. Whether it is physical or mental, the Suns need a break. This time off could not have come at a better time, as the arrow is starting to trend downward. Is that trend caused by fatigue or human nature? It is a possibility. The break needs to happen.

The Suns have one final test tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder. After that, the rest can occur. The hope is that they maintain focus for tonight and moving forward. The schedule is going to get tough. The Suns will have to be tougher.

The Pistons may be a little short-handed tonight as they play their final game before the All Star Break and weirdly their first game against the Toronto Raptors this season. If you missed Monday’s game and the hoopla that happened after it, both Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart were ejected for fighting along with Moussa Diabate and Miles Bridges from the Hornets. At the time of writing, the NBA is yet to announce suspensions for the players involved, but I am going to assume we know before tonight’s game.

The timing of potential suspensions for Duren and Stewart could not come at a worse time, as the Pistons enter arguably their toughest stretch of the season starting tonight against the Raptors and continuing after the All Star Break.

If you have not been paying much attention to the Raptors since this is the first time the Pistons have played them, they enter this game 5th in the Eastern Conference, but only 2 games back from the Knicks in 3rd. So, this game could have some bearing on the standings at the end of the season depending on how things go for each team after the All Star Break.

Game Vitals

Where: Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON
When: Wednesday, February 11 at 7:30 pm EST
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons (-1.5)

Analysis

It is very strange that the Pistons are playing the Raptors for the first time this season and we are almost halfway through February. They are the only Eastern Conference team the Pistons have not played yet.

As of now, the only player officially out for the Pistons is Ron Holland, who is once again out for Personal Reasons. I am going to assume that Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren do not play in this game as I would suspect the NBA announces suspensions for them at some point today. The NBA very well could wait until after the All Star festivities to announce suspensions, but given the optics of the fight that just happened on Monday, it would be weird to have both playing.

I feel like the reason the Pistons are still favored in this game is because the NBA has not technically announced the aforementioned suspensions.

If there is one positive for the Pistons, the Raptors don’t really overwhelm you with size in the frontcourt, so the potential loss of Duren and Stewart is manageable. Paul Reed is more than capable of filling in, as he showed on Monday, and newly signed 2-way player Isaac Jones could possibly get some playing time backing him up.

The more likely scenario is that the Pistons just play small and have Tobias Harris play some minutes at the 5 since Jakob Poeltl could be out with a back injury. He is currently a game-time decision.

The Raptors play a very similar brand of ball as the Detroit Pistons do. They are not quite as good defensively, but they try to turn defense into offense and do not shoot a ton of shots behind the arc. The Raptors have more players capable of hitting an outside shot, but a lot of their offense comes from the midrange and inside.

There are not a ton of teams in the league that play like the Raptors and Pistons, so it will be interesting to see how the Pistons handle a team that plays a very similar style as them.

Like the Pistons, the Raptors have two All Stars, but unlike the Pistons, they will both be available tonight. Scottie Barnes has become one of the better two-way players in the NBA. His offensive numbers won’t blow you away, but he does a little bit of everything while being able to guard the best wing or frontcourt player of the opposing team every night.

When the Raptors acquired Brandon Ingram at the trade deadline last year, there were concerns about his fit with their core but also just his ability to stay healthy. So far, he has eased both concerns as him and Barnes are a dynamic wing pairing and he has played 52 games this season. The question with Ingram was never his talent, it was always his health, so it is great to see him playing well and staying healthy.

With Ron Holland out, the Pistons could have some issues slowing down both of them, but it’s not like the Pistons don’t have other wing defenders they can throw at them. But, without two of their better rim defenders in Duren and Stewart, the Raptors might have an easier time scoring inside, although Paul Reed is no slouch on defense.

It isn’t just the Barnes and Ingram show for the Raptors, as they also have RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, who are both more than capable of getting hot offensively. If any player from the Raptors is going to get hot from beyond the arc and ruin your night it is Quickley.

This game was already going to be a challenge for the Pistons, as it is a road game against one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. Now that they Pistons are likely going to be down 3 rotation players, the task is even more difficult. But, the Pistons have defied all odds this season and have been able to win games while missing multiple rotation players countless times, so I wouldn’t put it past them to win this game.

Lineups

Detroit Pistons: (39-13): Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Paul Reed

Toronto Raptors (32-22): Immanuel Quickley, Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl

Question of the Day

How long do you think Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart get suspended?

Detroit Pistons centers Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren have been suspended for their roles in a brawl during a game against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday, Feb. 9.

Stewart's suspension is for seven games, while Duren gets two games, the league announced Wednesday.

Hornets suspensions include Moussa Diabate (four games) and Miles Bridges (four games).

This marks the fifth time Stewart has been suspended during his six-year career.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are ready for the All-Star Break, looking to put a rough few weeks behind them.

A win against the Portland Trail Blazers would help that cause.

My Trail Blazers vs. Timberwolves predictions focus on Minnesota’s newest piece, perhaps buoyed by Anthony Edwards’s possible absence, an odd twist in my NBA picks for Wednesday, February 11.

Trail Blazers vs Timberwolves prediction

Trail Blazers vs Timberwolves best bet: Ayo Dosunmu Over 13.5 points (-115)

Ayo Dosunmu scored 21 points on Monday night, his second game with his new team. His 11 points in his Minnesota Timberwolves debut also encourage this prop, even if falling short in that moment.

Minnesota was blown out, and the Timberwolves' trade deadline acquisition played only 25 minutes. As Dosunmo's workload increases, so should his scoring.

While the Portland Trail Blazers have been an enjoyable story this season, their defensive rating ranks No. 20 over the last 10 games. This is a defense ripe for Dosunmu's aggressive offense.

Trail Blazers vs Timberwolves same-game parlay

With Anthony Edwards considered questionable due to an illness, there is immediate value in Jaden McDaniels scoring more.

That has been a consistent bet all season, as the T-Wolves continue to prove they’re much more than just their dynamic superstar shooting guard.

Trail Blazers vs Timberwolves SGP

• Ayo Dosunmu Over 13.5 points
• Jaden McDaniels Over 14.5 points
• Timberwolves moneyline

Our "from downtown" SGP: Less Ant, No Problem

If Anthony Edwards does play, sharing the ball with Dosunmu before the All-Star Break may be a priority.

Edwards has also expressed some skepticism about whether he’ll even play in Sunday’s All-Star Game, as he’s seeking some rest.

Trail Blazers vs Timberwolves SGP

• Ayo Dosunmu Over 13.5 points
• Jaden McDaniels Over 14.5 points
• Anthony Edwards Under 28.5 points
• Timberwolves -5.5

Trail Blazers vs Timberwolves odds

• Spread: Trail Blazers +5.5 (-110) | Timberwolves -5.5 (-110)
• Moneyline: Trail Blazers +190 | Timberwolves -230
• Over/Under: Over 234.5 (-110) | Under 234.5 (-110)

Trail Blazers vs Timberwolves betting trend to know

The last five Blazers’ games have all cashed their Overs, exceeding bookmakers’ expectations by an average of 18.7 points per game. Find more NBA betting trends for Trail Blazers vs. Timberwolves.

How to watch Trail Blazers vs Timberwolves

Trail Blazers vs Timberwolves latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

The Washington Wizards have signed Kadary Richmond to a 10-day contract, the team announced Wednesday.

Richmond, 24, played Summer League with the Wizards before he later signed with the Capital City Go-Go, the organization’s G League affiliate.

In 23 games appearances with the Go-Go this season, the 6-foot-5 guard has averaged 8.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game on 45.7% FG. Richmond played five collegiate seasons with three programs: Syracuse, Seton Hall and St. John’s.

The Wizards’ roster sits at 13 standard NBA contracts and three two-way deals. Keshon Gilbert and Richmond now occupy the final two roster spots, with both on 10-day contracts.

Playing the same opponent on back-to-back days creates a unique dynamic with one side leaning on familiarity, while the other looks for redemption after falling short.

That’s exactly the situation for the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers, and after Tuesday’s matchup stayed Under the total, Wednesday’s meeting shapes up similarly as I break down in my Clippers vs. Rockets predictions.

With that, let’s get into my NBA picks for February 11.

Clippers vs Rockets prediction

Clippers vs Rockets best bet: Under 208.5 (-110)

These teams fared off Tuesday and essentially shared the blueprint for what to expect in the rematch Wednesday.

After the Houston Rockets picked up a 102-95 win, my pick undoubtedly takes the Under.

These are two of the Top 9 teams in the NBA in scoring defense, and both have winning Under records when playing the second night of a back-to-back.

Houston is no stranger to going low, having cashed the Under in eight of its last 10, while the Los Angeles Clippers – still awaiting the debut of Darius Garland – have worked their way Under in three of their last four.

Clippers vs Rockets same-game parlay

With Garland (toe) still sidelined, John Collins has been the second-leading scorer in all three games since trading away James Harden, while topping his 13.5 scoring line set for Wednesday each time.

Kevin Durant went 3-for-7 from distance in the win over LA, the sixth time in his last he’s banged in at least three. Against the Clips? That’s now at least three 3-point makes in four of the last five.

Clippers vs Rockets SGP

• Under 208.5 points
• John Collins Over 14.5 points
• Kevin Durant Over 2.5 three-point makes

Our "from downtown" SGP: Raining from three

It’s all about the moneyball in this lotto SGP. Reed Sheppard went 4-for-6 from distance last game, and is 13-for-26 (50%) from three-point range in his last four against LA.

Jabari Smith Jr. has been potent from long range too. His 2-for-3 effort Tuesday makes it eight times in the last nine games he’s hit at least two triples in a game.

Brook Lopez has hit a three-pointer in all six games in February, but the big man has only topped 1.5 makes in a game twice in that span.

Clippers vs Rockets SGP

• Kevin Durant Over 2.5 three-point makes
• Reed Sheppard Over 2.5 three-point makes
• Jabari Smith Jr. Over 1.5 three-point makes
• Brook Lopez Under 1.5 three-point makes

Clippers vs Rockets odds

• Spread: Los Angeles +9 (-110) | Houston -9 (-110)
• Moneyline: Los Angeles +290 | Houston -370
• Over/Under: Over 208.5 (-110) | Under 208.5 (-110)

Clippers vs Rockets betting trend to know

Los Angeles has covered four straight games vs Houston. Find more NBA betting trends for Clippers vs. Rockets.

How to watch Clippers vs Rockets

Clippers vs Rockets latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

The NBA is annoying right now. The Spurs are my perfect, beautiful angels who can absolutely do no wrong and I love them deeply and irrationally, but the NBA as a whole? Annoying. The league. The season. The vibes. It’s hard to get excited for these games right now. I feel unenthused. Unaffected. Uninspired. I’m trying to feel something, you know? It turns out that watching Victor Wembanyama stomp around on Jaxson Hayes’s sandcastle didn’t exactly do the trick.

I realize the Spurs are not blameless in the grand phenomenon of Load Management and DNP Old. If anything, they wrote the playbook for it. Tim Duncan and co.’s minutes quietly shrinking. That Miami game. The fine. Look, Pop wasn’t apologizing for it then, and most of us weren’t either. It felt rebellious. It felt punk rock. It felt smart.

And maybe it still was. At least, maybe that version of it was. Maybe I’m just a hypocrite! Fine. But whatever the league has turned into now is leaving me cold. The strategy around when and how teams are sitting people, the current iteration of the Spurs included, no longer feels like a cheeky shenanigan. It feels corporate and methodical. It’s like spending my entire day trapped in an Excel doc, only to come home and discover that my cool, fun hobby has also been corrupted by the unholy spreadsheet.

I don’t know what the fix is. I’m not even talking about tanking. The Spurs’ hands are just as unclean on that front, so it’s probably more polite to stay on the sidelines for that particular conversation. All I’m asking for is that these games matter. Just a little. I want them to have some stakes. I want it to feel important every time we line our guys up against theirs. I want it to hurt to miss a game. I want this stuff to mean something!

Because the scary little secret lurking under the surface, the one no one is really allowed to say out loud, is that it doesn’t. None of it does. The games. The league. Everything. The Thunder won the title last year? Doesn’t matter. The Spurs have won five banners? Doesn’t matter. In a real world sense, this is all pointless. It’s a game, and a silly one at that! One that’s been inflated into a giant industrial complex designed to separate us from our money as efficiently as possible and keep us coming back.

And yet.

The players keep me coming back. Their stories. Their lives. Their games. I want to watch them grow and excel and do things that make me sit back in awe of what the human body is capable of.

The fans keep me coming back. The community. The family. I want to be part of something bigger than myself. I want to feel alive when the crowd erupts after a big play. I want to hug strangers because they’re wearing the same colors as me. I want to feel joy and pain in equal measure with the people around me. I want to beam with pride every time I see San Antonio represented on the world stage.

It only matters because we care about it. Because we ascribe meaning to it. We have to figure out how to hold on to that. To blow on whatever embers of passion are still glowing in there, because the slog the regular season keeps turning into is going to extinguish it for good if we’re not careful.

Takeaways

• Ok. It was pretty cool to watch Victor for a bit there. It wasn’t a fair fight and it definitely had that tang of watching a 14-year-old dunk on an 8-foot rim. Like, yes, buddy. We see you. Maybe set your sights a little higher. But you can only play the opponent in front of you, and Victor absolutely did that. Seventeen in four minutes. Thirty-seven at halftime. Forty in twenty-six minutes. If you’re going to participate in a scrimmage disguised as a nationally televised game, at least make it art. Congrats to him on that.
• The Spurs are getting a touch better at not turning these schedule wins into full-blown emotional stress tests designed to shave years off my life. There was a time (recently!) when “undermanned opponent on the second night of a back-to-back” meant we’d flirt with disaster for three quarters before escaping with a six-point win and mild cardiac damage. This one was different. It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t transcendent. But it was competent. Mature. A touch better. Just a touch!
• I would prefer, specifically, if none of our players ever got hurt. Ever. I recognize that this is not how sports works, but you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take, yeah? Steph, we simply must protect our pelvises. I love the reckless abandon. I love the full-court sprint into a chase-down block attempt when the game is already in hand. I love it! But also, please. The Pelvi. We need them intact. Protect the pelvi.
• This was rude:

WWL Post Game Press Conference

– Speaking of things mattering, you excited for the All-Star game?

– I should revoke your press pass for a question like that.

– You’d infringe on my freedom of speech for asking a simple question?

– Brother, I’d fight you in the street for asking me to care about the All-Star game.

The NBA has announced suspensions to four players related to the extended melee between the Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets on Monday. Pistons big men Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren received a seven-game suspension and a two-game suspension, respectively. Hornets players Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate are suspended for four games apiece.

The suspensions were announced by James Jones, head of basketball operations for the league.

Stewart received the longest suspension because he left the bench to get involved in the altercation, eventually laying hands on Bridges, and because he has a history of league discipline, termed “his repeated history of unsportstman like acts” by the NBA in the release. The suspension means Stewart will not play enough games to be in contention for All-Defense honors.

Presumably, Diabate and Bridges were next in line because Diabate escalated a confrontation with Duren beyond the boiling point and had to be restrained multiple times while trying to get to Duren. Bridges, meanwhile, seemed to be the only person to land a thrown punch and proactively went after Duren after not being involved in the original dust-up. Duren “initiated the altercation,” the league says, presumably when he put his hands on Diabate’s face to shove him away after they went head-to-head following a hard foul, so he gets the least of it but does not walk out of the situation unscathed.

You can read all about how the ball began and escalated in our story from Monday.

The two-game suspension should not in any way prevent Duren from participating in All-Star weekend as a reserve for Sunday’s game.

Both Pistons players will miss tonight’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors, and the Pistons have recalled two-way big man Tolu Smith to help provide some center depth. Duren will also miss a big rematch against the New York Knicks on Feb. 19. Stewart will miss those games as well as matchups against the Bulls, Spurs, Thunder, Cavs, and Magic.

In other words, this is coming at one of the most difficult stretches of Detroit’s schedule.

What’s your reaction to the level of punishment for all involved? Sound off in the comments.

It’s the battle of the tanks as the Western Conference’s worst team, the Sacramento Kings, travel to Salt Lake City to take on the No. 13 team out West, the Utah Jazz.

Utah (17-37) and Sacramento (12-43) split their previous two meetings earlier in the regular season, and this game is vital in the tanking race. Every win — and every loss — is crucial for both teams’ lottery chances in May.

Injury Report

Utah Jazz:

Keyonte George — OUT (right ankle; sprain)

Sacramento Kings:

De’Andre Hunter — OUT (left eye; iritis)

Zach Lavine — OUT (right 5th finger; tendon injury)

Malik Monk — OUT (illness)

Keagan Murray — OUT (left ankle; sprain)

Domantas Sabonis — OUT (left knee; injury management)

Russell Westbrook — OUT (left ankle; soreness)

How to watch

Where: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT

When: 7 p.m. MT

Channel: KJZZ, SEG+

Radio: 97.5 FM 1280 AM

With the NBA All-Star Break now ready to begin, the NBA will start airing related content across multiple networks like NBA TV, NBC, Versant, Amazon and Disney (that’s ESPN and ABC). As Washington Wizards fans, this will be our best opportunity this season to see some players, namely Tre Johnson, Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George on some of these networks. That’s simply because the Wizards are one of the worst teams in the NBA and started the season with no superstars. So they just aren’t going to be on national TV very often.

That said, last month has been quite exciting for the Wizards. They now have two superstars (even if they aren’t at their peaks) with Trae Young and Anthony Davis. Don’t be surprised if Young and Davis aren’t playing this season, but it gives Wizards fans something to look forward to for the 2026-27 season. And the national media will almost definitely start to play Wizards games in their rotation again.

So here’s my question In light of the trades and national media. How many Wizards regular season games do you think will be aired on national television (we’ll include streaming as well)? Let us know in the comments below.