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The Golden State Warriors got back in the loss column on Tuesday, losing 113-109 to the New Orleans Pelicans. It was an odd game, and it wasn’t clear whether the Warriors should be favored or not. They were facing a very bad Pelicans team, but New Orleans was fairly healthy, and even welcomed Dejounte Murray back after more than a year on the sidelines. Golden State, meanwhile, was playing without Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler III, Kristaps Porziņģis, and Al Horford.

It was a very ugly first half, with the Warriors unable to buy a bucket. It looked for a while like they would get blown out, but they came roaring back in the second half, and took the lead. Then they lost their rhythm down the stretch, and the Pelicans took control in the final moments.

Let’s grade the shorthanded squad that came up just short against old friend Jordan Poole. As always, grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance for that player.

Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. Entering Tuesday’s games, league average TS was 57.9%.

Moses Moody

34 minutes, 24 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 5 fouls, 7-for-13 shooting, 4-for-10 threes, 6-for-8 free throws, 72.6% TS, +13

Moody stepped up in a huge way this game, just as he did on Sunday. After a few games looking a little slow and sluggish, he’s starting to take advantage of the opportunity in front of him. His shot was nice in this one, and his defense was solid, even though he almost fouled out. But what I really loved was the way he used the threat of his jump shot to attack … he took three shots inside the arc and drew eight free throws, and that was fantastic to see.

Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Best plus/minus on the team.

Gui Santos

39 minutes, 15 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks, 6 turnovers, 5 fouls, 6-for-13 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 54.0% TS, -7

It’s been a while since a Warrior played 39 minutes in a game, but if anyone can do it, it’s the endless ball of energy that is Santos. That energy mostly did good things. The 12 rebounds speak for themselves, and Santos was frequently leaping around the court, keeping a possession alive or saving a ball from going out of bounds. The five stocks certainly speaks to his activity level.

The energy sometimes did bad things, though. Six turnovers is way too many, as is five fouls, though some grace is afforded given how shorthanded the team was. Overall, it was a chaotic game from Gui, but he did more good than harm, especially considering the circumstances of the roster.

Grade: B+

Draymond Green

32 minutes, 11 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 5-for-11 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, 50.0% TS, +8

A pretty solid Dray game which, honestly, we hadn’t really seen in a while. He played really strong defense on Zion Williamson, who scored 26 points but needed 21 shots and five free throws to get there, while having his playmaking shut down. Some really nice passes from Dray, as well.

Grade: B+
Post-game bonus: Led the team in assists.

De’Anthony Melton

28 minutes, 28 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, 4 fouls, 8-for-21 shooting, 3-for-10 threes, 9-for-11 free throws, 54.2% TS, +9

There were points in this game where Melton was the only Warrior capable of getting a bucket. When no one else could score early, he was dropping it shots. He continued to be able to get looks all through the game, though his efficiency fell off rather dramatically. He was the team’s top scorer, but didn’t score very efficiently, and turned the ball over as often as he passed out an assist (though much of that was due to his teammates missing shots).

He had the highlight of the game on a massive dunk, and was a reminder as to the value of being able to get a bucket, even when the efficiency isn’t great. Especially with Curry out.

Grade: B
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points.

Pat Spencer

23 minutes, 5 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, 1 foul, 2-for-7 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, 35.7% TS, +1

Spencer couldn’t get much going in this game. It was an especially rough first half for him, though he came out of the gates in the third quarter with some big plays. But mostly, he struggled.

Grade: C

Quinten Post

23 minutes, 6 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 3-for-7 shooting, 0-for-4 threes, 42.9% TS, -13

With Horford resting, Porziņģis sick, and Trayce Jackson-Davis in Toronto, Post was the only true center that the Warriors had. And he played like one. His signature three wasn’t falling, so he took up a more old school game. He scored in the paint, going 3-for-4, gobbled up nine rebounds in just 23 minutes, and played strong interior defense. It was fun to see!

Grade: B

Will Richard

17 minutes, 0 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 foul, -19

As we’ve grown accustomed to, Richard played some strong perimeter defense. Unfortunately, that’s about all he did. That’s not strictly a bad thing: it’s still impressive for a rookie to play more than 17 minutes and be comfortable not taking a single shot. But he just didn’t provide an impact in any area of the game, except on some defensive possessions.

Grade: C
Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus on the team.

Brandin Podziemski

32 minutes, 16 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers, 1 foul, 7-for-18 shooting, 1-for-6 threes, 1-for-2 free throws, 42.4% TS, -1

My goodness, what has gotten into Podziemski on the glass? That’s now 15 boards in back-to-back games for the diminutive (by NBA standards) guard. Pretty magnificent stuff.

He struggled to score, but I liked a lot of the things he did on offense, the shots just weren’t falling. Keep rebounding like that, though, and the shots will eventually fall. Like Santos, Podz’s hustle and energy made good things happen, even where it isn’t statistically reflected.

Grade: B+
Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds.

Gary Payton II

12 minutes, 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 2-for-7 shooting, 0-for-4 threes, 28.6% TS, -11

Not a good game for Payton. His defense wasn’t as good as usual, and his offense was quite a struggle.

Grade: C-

Jonathan Kuminga

24 minutes, 27 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 9-for-12 shooting, 3-for4 threes, 6-for-7 free throws, 89.5% TS, +16

Hey, we might as well shout out Kuminga, who made his Atlanta Hawks debut and thoroughly dominated. Hawks fans are probably feeling really excited right about now. Way to go, JK.

Grade: A+

Tuesday’s DNP-CDs: Malevy Leons

Tuesday’s inactives: Jimmy Butler III, LJ Cryer, Seth Curry, Steph Curry, Al Horford, Kristaps Porziņģis, Nate Williams

CLEVELAND — Jeremy Sochan’s transition to the Knicks has not gone smoothly on the court as he tries to recover game conditioning and gets comfortable with his teammates. 

But he’s confident it will turn around. 

“It’s a process. It’s my fourth game here,” Sochan said in an interview with The Post. “So we’ll figure it out. We’ll be good.” 

Sochan managed just two rocky minutes in the first half of Tuesday’s 109-94 loss to the Cavaliers, then was benched until garbage time while finishing with no points.

Sochan, who was signed as a free agent during the All-Star break, had been given a rotational opportunity by coach Mike Brown, who said he wanted to give the forward a chance to determine his fit before the playoffs. 

But Sochan’s third-quarter shift Tuesday went to rookie Mohamed Diawara, who had been surging before Sochan’s signing but struggled in Cleveland while missing three of his four 3-point attempts. 

“It’s my first time adjusting to a different dynamic,” said Sochan, who spent his first three full seasons with the Spurs. “So it’s going to take some time to figure out and, of course, I haven’t been in a lot of game shape. So altogether there are going to [be] ups and downs. But I’m blessed and excited to be in this situation. And I truly believe I can add to this team.”

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In four appearances, Sochan is averaging one point and one rebound in 7.5 minutes. 

“I think it’s just learning how everyone wants to play. The vibe on the team and all those sorts of things,” Sochan said about his biggest adjustment. “And I think it’s pretty easy for me to learn the playbook. But now it’s learning everybody’s tendencies. What they like and what don’t like. Just trying to figure out that part. That’s offense and defense, too.” 

Fitness was also a hurdle after spending most of this season on the bench with the Spurs. 

“[Tuesday] I felt a little better than Chicago [on Sunday] and the other two games. There’s nothing you can really do to get into game shape,” Sochan said. “That’s a whole different story. But it only takes a few games and then you start feeling better.” 

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Kenny Atkinson isn’t focused on beating the Knicks in the playoffs because he doesn’t want to make the same mistake as last season, when his top-seeded Cavs were prepping for a Celtics showdown but got upset in the second round by the Pacers. 

“You have to be careful. I know last year we were thinking ‘Boston, Boston, Boston,’ and we got Indiana,” Atkinson said Tuesday. “I thought, ‘We’ve got to beat Boston.’ As a head coach, I do keep an eye on what those teams are doing, the Knicks or Boston, teams that are in our wheelhouse. Detroit, I’ll keep an eye on. But I think it’s a mistake just to focus on one team because the roulette wheel could just drop on another team.

“I’m aware of what’s going on with those teams more than, say, teams at the end of the standings.” 

The Knicks and Cavs entered the season as favorites in the East but the Pistons and Celtics emerged as surprising top two seeds nearing the end of February. 

Things move quickly in the NBA news cycle. It’s been a few weeks since the Utah Jazz were chosen to be the scapegoats for Adam Silver’s terrible plan to flatten lottery odds in 2019. Instead of the flattened odds preventing tanking, they made it worse by incentivizing middle-lottery teams to lose more. Utah had to adjust to Silver’s incompetence to do what was best for the Jazz. Just like Utah was worse off because of Silver’s decision-making, ESPN is now worse off as well.

The Utah Jazz are “old news” now, everyone is slowly forgetting the big story a few weeks ago. Everyone but the Jazz, that is. And you can count on the Jazz not forgetting anytime soon. If you haven’t noticed, there have been some news stories recently involving the Utah Jazz, but the reporters have been different.

When the Jazz traded for Jaren Jackson Jr., it wasn’t Shams Charania who broke the news, it was Chris Haynes.

BREAKING: Utah Jazz star Jaren Jackson Jr. is likely to miss the remainder of the season to undergo surgery on his left knee to ensure his longterm health after a localized PVNS growth was discovered post trade, league sources tell me. pic.twitter.com/pHeJT8NphE

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 12, 2026

When the news that Jusuf Nurkic was out for the season due to nose surgery broke, it was Haynes, not Charania, who broke it again.

BREAKING: Utah Jazz starting center Jusuf Nurkić will undergo a surgical procedure on his nose Wednesday that will sideline him for the remainder of the season, league sources tell me. pic.twitter.com/MFYjY333GU

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 23, 2026

And it’s not just breaking news stories that are now being sent to different reporters, relationships are being cut off as well. On his podcast on February 13, Brian Windhorst said he was done talking about tanking, that the Jazz are an organization of “good people” just trying to do what’s best for their team. He talked about not wanting to talk about tanking anymore because he didn’t want to ruin any more relationships, like the one he apparently had with Utah.

It may seem like a small thing to some, but those relationships matter. Utah is a part of interconnected relationships and is a contact that can provide news and rumors. Now, that’s gone. Hope it was worth it for a week of bullying a small market team. And in all honesty, this might not be the only team. The Pacers have to be frustrated as well, and it appears they may be looking to fire back at Silver and ESPN, also.

Rick Carlisle was recently on the radio and said the league asked the Pacers to consider medicating Aaron Nesmith so he could play in the game they were fined for sitting out players.

The league asking if the Pacers would consider medicating Aaron Nesmith so that he could play in the game that they were fined for sitting out players seems like a massive overreach. Absurd. https://t.co/2MlvhjWLTN

— Caitlin Cooper (@C2_Cooper) February 24, 2026

Adam Silver could not look worse. He apparently wants to force teams to play injured players now? It seems insane, considering the issues the league is having with players going down with injuries. Just another example of horrible leadership from Adam Silver and the NBA. The question that comes from this is, what are the stories we don’t know about?

One thing you can bet is that these leaks and changes would not have happened had Adam Silver not put out some sort of bat signal to bully the Jazz and Pacers. Now, he gets even more bad press, and those reporters who salivate over access are now without the most important thing a reporter needs: sources.

Hope it was worth it, ESPN and Adam Silver, you can bet that Utah and Indiana will not forget, and no doubt if a vote ever comes to remove Adam Silver, you can count on two teams being involved.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Micah Robinson scored 20 points, Xavier Edmonds added 17 and TCU rolled to a 90-78 victory over Arizona State on Tuesday night.

TCU took the lead for good with about six minutes to play before halftime led by as many as 18 points in the second half.

Edmonds and Robinson each made three of TCU's eight 3-pointers. Brock Harding shot just 1 of 10 from the floor but made 8 of 11 free throws and finished with 10 points and distributed 11 assists for the Horned Frogs. Tanner Toolson added 12 points and Liutauras Lelevicius scored 10.

TCU (18-10, 8-7 Big 12) has won five of its last six and four straight against Arizona State (14-14, 5-10).

Maurice Odum scored 21 points and had 10 assists to lead the Sun Devils. Anthony Johnson added 18 points and Massamba Diop 13.

Edmonds scored 14 points and Lelevicius added nine to help TCU take a 33-30 lead to halftime. With 13:30 left, TCU started a 9-0 surge for a 58-46 lead and the Horned Frogs held a double-digit advantage for most of the remainder.

Up next

Arizona State hosts Utah on Saturday.

TCU plays at Kansas State on Saturday.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

While the anticipation for a primetime heavyweight bout was warranted, the Knicks never came close to resembling a threat to the Cavaliers with crucial playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference at stake.

The fatal combination of poor three-point shooting, costly turnovers, and jumbled defense knocked the Knicks out early on Tuesday night at Rocket Arena, and head coach Mike Brown didn't bother to describe the 109-94 loss with any fancy adjectives. He cut right to the chase.

"An ugly game, obviously. We didn't do much right defensively, we didn't do much right offensively," Brown said. "Our turnovers in the first half really put a damper on things we were trying to do... We had some decent looks throughout the course of the game, but we couldn't knock a shot down."

Held below 100 points for just the sixth time this season, the Knicks couldn't buy a bucket from beyond the arc, and that start-to-finish cold spell heavily influenced their pace and cohesion. They shot a measly 27 percent from three (10 of 37), their fourth-worst mark of the 2025-26 campaign.

To make matters worse, the Knicks struggled to score from anywhere on the floor during the third quarter, as the Cavaliers held them to a season-low 11 points. It was the Knicks' worst shooting quarter (3 of 20) since 2018, and also their worst third-quarter points output since 2022.

"One of the things we have to do better, especially offensively, is play with pace," Brown said. "Our pace isn't good. We have to do a better job of getting to the corners, we have to do a better job of playing with pace in the frontcourt."

Now, the turnovers. The Knicks committed 11 in the first half, finishing with 16 that produced 17 points in transition from the Cavaliers. The sloppiness disrupted their rhythm and thwarted any chance of a late comeback -- akin to what the Knicks showed the same Cavaliers on Christmas Day.

Rightfully so, the Knicks directed most of their attention toward stars Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, who combined for a tolerable 43 points. But they didn't have much of a plan for Jarrett Allen, who caused fits down low with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Brown didn't see the Knicks defending "on a string," with sharp attention to the Cavaliers' ball movement.

Jalen Brunson scored a quiet 20 points on 6 of 19 shooting, and Mitchell Robinson was the Knicks' lone bright spot with 16 boards -- eight came on offense -- and 11 points in 19 minutes off the bench.

But the most confounding performance belonged to Karl-Anthony Towns. Despite scoring 14 points, he attempted just a single shot in the second half, finishing a perfect 5-for-5, and was responsible for five giveaways. A far cry from the stellar 28-point, 11-rebound double-double he delivered against the Bulls on Sunday.

"There were some things we could've done better defensively, but our offense was non-existent, in terms of pace, the ability to touch the paint, and spray the ball," Brown said. "All that stuff came to play in that third quarter."

Now tied with the Cavaliers for third in the East playoff picture -- although New York has the tiebreaker -- the Knicks (37-22) will wrap up their brief Midwest road trip on Friday night against the Bucks. They're 2-2 since the All-Star break, and of their five-worst shooting displays from three this season, three have come in February.

Tonight’s game is sort of a triage game for the Houston Rockets. In addition to their usual out-for-the-season guys, they will be without Jae’Sean Tate once again as he misses the next four to six weeks, as well as Amen Thompson, who has quadriceps tendonitis. It’s going to either force Ime Udoka to expand his rotation (lol) or give even more minutes to Kevin Durant.

The Sacramento Kings have been a thorn in Houston’s side for the past two seasons. The Rockets have lost their last four games in California’s capital and last season were swept by the Beam Team. The Kings just snapped a 16-game losing streak by knocking off the also-tanking Memphis Grizzlies. Houston wants to win this game and Sacramento doesn’t. But the players don’t always follow the script.

Houston has to fly out right after this game to Orlando for the second night of a back-to-back against a Magic squad that has tonight off. It would behoove Houston to wrap this game up by the third quarter to allow the starters to rest a bit in anticipation of the challenge that Orlando presents. However, we all know how it goes with this team in the fourth quarter.

Tip-off

7pm CT

How To Watch

Space City Home Network

Injury Report

Rockets

Steven Adams: OUT

Fred VanVleet: OUT

Amen Thompson: OUT

Jae’Sean Tate: OUT

Kings

Domantas Sabonis: OUT

De’Andre Hunter: OUT

Zach LaVine: OUT

Dylan Cardwell: OUT

Devin Carter: GTD

The Line (as of this post)

HOU -15.5

Check here for updates

Looking ahead because we can

Tomorrow (Thursday) night on the road against the Orlando Magic

One of the most recognizable faces in pop music took his seat courtside at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night and immediately ignited the crowd and The King. 

Justin Bieber didn’t just sit courtside Tuesday night as the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Orlando Magic—he became LeBron James’ biggest cheerleader. Every spin move from LeBron drew a clenched fist.

Every time he hit a three, Bieber stood and applauded. When LeBron bullied his way into the lane and splashed another jumper to push the Lakers ahead 16-10, Bieber popped up from his seat and started gassing up The King. 

Justin Bieber sitting courtside tonight at the Lakers game against the Orlando Magic pic.twitter.com/0qWe16oc3l

— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) February 25, 2026

LeBron poured in 10 first-quarter points with the calm of a man who understands his own greatness. Luka Dončić added 11 points, four rebounds, and four assists in a quarter that felt like a clinic. The Lakers shot north of 50 percent and led 33-25 after one.

Before the game, as players were being introduced, LeBron went up and greeted Bieber. Fans online started calling the moment “LeBieber James,” half jokingly, of course. 

JBiebs courtside pic.twitter.com/od7dz7Rdgc

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 25, 2026

The Lakers’ maligned defense was in a 2-3 zone for most of the night, and it surprisingly worked against the 30-26 Magic team that is fighting for playoff position in the Eastern Conference. 

Justin Bieber courtside in LA! #NBACelebRowpic.twitter.com/wKf6DD1EKs

— NBA (@NBA) February 25, 2026

The best moment of the first half came when Luka Doncic broke Moritz Wagner’s ankles on a crossover, and then drilled a stepback three-pointer in his face. 

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Luka breaks Wagner's ankles, then buries the three-pointer. LA up 33-25 after one. https://t.co/c3QcKpbVBh

— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) February 25, 2026

The Lakers led the Magic 56-53 at the half, as they try and bounce back from an embarrassing blowout loss to the rival Celtics on Sunday.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Nijel Pack scored 22 points, Mohamed Wague added 18 points and Oklahoma used its first-half eruption to ride out a 91-79 win over Auburn on Tuesday night.

Wague made 10 of 12 foul shots, Derrion Reid scored 16 points and Xzayvier Brown 14 for Oklahoma (14-14, 4-11 Big 12) to end its two-game losing streak.

Keyshawn Hall scored 26 points and made all 11 of his foul shots and Kevin Overton scored 26 with the help of 5-for-10 shooting from distance for Auburn (15-13, 6-9).

It was Oklahoma's first 90-point plus scoring effort since a 92-91 win over then 15th-ranked Vanderbilt on Feb. 7.

The Sooners shot a higher percentage from 3-point range — 71.4% (10 for 14) — than their 58.3% mark (7 of 12) from the foul line before halftime.

Following Overton's 3-pointer to get Auburn within 33-31 with 7:55 before halftime, the Sooners went on an 11-3 run over the next three-and-a-half minutes to build their first double-digit lead to 44-34 with 4:31 left before the break.

The Sooners led 51-42 at halftime and stayed ahead by double digits for most of the second half.

Up Next

Auburn: Hosts Ole Miss on Saturday.

Oklahoma: Travels to LSU on Saturday.

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CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points, James Harden added 20 and the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled away in the second half for a 109-94 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.

Jarrett Allen had 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Cavaliers won for the eighth time in nine games.

Jalen Brunson had 20 points and Mikal Bridges scored 18 for the Knicks. Mitchell Robinson pulled down 15 rebounds, one off a season high.

New York shot 35 of 86 as Bridges and Brunson were a combined 12 of 36. The Knicks shot 27% from 3-point range (10 of 37). Cleveland came into the game with the fourth-worst defense in the league on 3-pointers.

The Cavaliers and Knicks are both 37-22 and tied for third place in the Eastern Conference. But New York would have the head-to-head tiebreaker edge if the teams are tied at the end of the season after taking two of three meetings.

76ERS 135, PACERS 114

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Joel Embiid had 27 points in his return to the lineup after missing five games with right shin soreness and right knee injury management, Tyrese Maxey scored 32 points, and Philadelphia beat Indiana.

Embiid scored 20 points in the first half, sinking 11 of 17 shots in 26 minutes. VJ Edgecombe chipped in with 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting for the 76ers, who shot 58%.

Andrew Nembhard and Micah Potter each scored 23 for the Pacers, with Potter’s total a career high. Quenton Jackson had 15 points and rookie Kam Jones added a career-high 13 points.

Pacers leading scorer Pascal Siakam was out with a left wrist sprain. The Pacers also were without Aaron Nesmith, who missed his third consecutive game with right ankle sprain.

Indiana shot 42% from the field and committed 16 turnovers. Philadelphia held a 44-41 rebounding edge with Maxey leading the way with nine rebounds. Jarace Walker had 10 rebounds for the Pacers.

The 76ers showed their dominance inside with a 82-52 edge in points in the paint.

MAVERICKS 123, NETS 114

NEW YORK (AP) — Marvin Bagley III scored 22 points, Naji Marshall had 21 and Dallas beat Brooklyn after both teams arrived in New York earlier in the day.

Both clubs played road games on Sunday and neither was able to fly into the New York area because of a blizzard. The Mavericks stayed in Indiana and the Nets remained in Atlanta. Both flew Tuesday and arrived in the early afternoon.

The change in schedule didn’t affect the Mavericks, who scored a season-high 76 points in the first half and won their second straight after a 10-game skid.

Brandon Williams had 19 points and 10 assists, while Klay Thompson added 17 points for the Mavericks, who shot 58.5% from the field while playing their fourth consecutive game without No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg because of a sprained left foot.

THUNDER 116, RAPTORS 107

TORONTO (AP) — Cason Wallace matched his career high with 27 points, Isaiah Joe had 22, and short-handed Oklahoma City beat Toronto for its fifth win in six games.

Alex Caruso scored 16 points, Luguentz Dort had 15 and Isaiah Hartenstein 11 as the NBA-leading Thunder won their third straight in Toronto.

Oklahoma City is an NBA-best 21-7 on the road.

Canadian star and reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remained sidelined for the Thunder because of an abdominal strain. He didn’t travel with the team on its lone regular-season visit to Canada.

In his place, Wallace provided his second straight 20-point game, adding six assists and eight rebounds.

Oklahoma City was also without Ajay Mitchell (abdominal strain) and Jalen Williams (strained right hamstring). Caruso returned after missing Sunday’s home win over Cleveland because of a sprained left ankle.

RJ Barrett scored 21 points and Immanuel Quickley and Ja’Kobe Walter each had 17 but the Raptors lost for the first time in three games.

Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram each scored 15 points and Jamal Shead added 13.

HAWKS 119 WIZARDS 98

ATLANTA (AP) — Jonathan Kuminga scored a season-high 27 points in his debut for the Hawks, who blew hapless Washington in Trae Young’s return to Atlanta.

Acquired by the Hawks at the trade deadline after falling out of favor in Golden State, Kuminga came off the bench to make a huge impact for his new team.

He delivered a thunderous dunk shortly after taking the court for the first time near the midway point of the first quarter, breaking into a big smile as he headed the other way.

That was only the start of Kuminga’s big night. Having completed his recovery from a left knee bone bruise, the high-flying forward from Congo knocked down a trio of 3-pointers to go along with seven rebounds, four assists and two steals in 24 1/2 minutes.

Young was the focus at the beginning of the night. The longtime Hawks star was dealt to the Wizards in early January, ending an eight-year tenure that included four All-Star Game berths and an improbable run to the Eastern Conference finals in 2021.

The point guard has yet to play for his new team, which seems mainly concerned with landing a high draft pick for next season as Young recovers from knee and quadriceps injuries.

HORNETS 131, BULLS 99

CHICAGO (AP) — Brandon Miller scored 23 points, Kon Knueppel added 21, and hot-shooting Charlotte won a team record eighth straight road game, routing Chicago.

The Hornets shot 51.6% from the field and were on-target from beyond the arc, sinking 25 of 57 3-points attempts, one shy of the team record.

LaMelo Ball scored points 16 and Miles Bridges also had 16 in his return from a suspension. The Hornets outscored the Bulls 42-16 in the third quarter — including a decisive 22-2 run — and handed the Bulls a 10th straight loss, matching their longest slide since January 2019.

Matas Buzelis scored a career-high 32 points for Chicago, which was hurt by turnovers — 19 in this one. Patrick Williams and Guerschon Yabusele each had 11 points.

Knueppel finished with three 3-pointers on six attempts to up his long-range field goals total to 201. Playing in his 58th game he became the fastest player to reach 200 3s.

PELICANS 113, WARRIORS 109

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Zion Williamson scored 26 points, Dejounte Murray added 13 in his first game in nearly 13 months, and New Orleans beat injury-depleted Golden State.

Saddiq Bey scored 18 points, including a reverse layup he spun off the glass while being fouled to give New Orleans a 107-101 lead with 1:47 left. Former Warriors guard Jordan Poole added 12 points for New Orleans, which won its second straight and posted its fourth victory in six games.

De’Anthony Melton scored a season-high 28 points for Golden State, but missed a free throw with 1:23 left and his team trailing by just four points.

Moses Moody scored 24 for the Warriors, who’ve lost three of four while taking the court missing several key players.

The Warriors played without Stephen Curry (right knee), Kristaps Porzingis (illness) and Al Horford (left toe). Curry, who has missed eight straight games, did not make the trip to New Orleans, coach Steve Kerr said. Only nine Warriors saw action in the game.

BUCKS 128, HEAT 117

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Kevin Porter Jr. matched his season high with 32 points and Bobby Portis and Ryan Rollins scored 21 apiece as Milwaukee beat Miami for its fourth win in five games.

Kyle Kuzma added 19 points and Ousmane Dieng 11 for the Bucks.

Norman Powell scored 26 points, Bam Adebayo finished with 18 points and nine rebounds and Andrew Wiggins had 16 points for the Heat, who had their three-game winning streak halted.

Tyler Herro and Kel’el Ware each scored 14 points and Pelle Larsson 10 for Miami. Davion Mitchell, who returned after missing a game due to illness, added eight points and eight assists.

CELTICS 97, SUNS 81

PHOENIX (AP) — Derrick White scored 22 points, Neemias Queta had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Boston used a big third quarter to beat Phoenix.

Sam Hauser shot 6 for 14, including 4 for 10 from 3-point range, to add 16 points and the Celtics — playing without All-Star Jaylen Brown (right knee contusion) — won their fourth in a row and for the ninth time in their last 10 games.

Baylor Scheierman had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Collin Gillespie had 15 points and Grayson Allen scored 14 as the Suns lost for the fourth time in their last five games. The Suns played without their top two scorers, Devin Booker (right hip strain) and Dillon Brooks (left hand fracture), who combined average nearly 46 points per game.

The Celtics led 50-46 at halftime but took control by outscoring the Suns 30-11 in the third quarter, including a 16-0 run.

TIMBERWOLVES 124, TRAIL BLAZERS 121

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 34 points and made five 3-pointers to help Minnesota hold off Portland, its fourth win in its last five games.

Jaden McDaniels added 27 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and five blocks for the Timberwolves.

Donte DiVincenzo had 19 points and made five 3-pointers, and Julius Randle had 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Rudy Gobert scored just 10 points but had 19 rebounds and changed the game defensively.

Jrue Holiday led the Blazers with 22 points. Jerami Grant had 18 points, and Donovan Clingan scored 11 points and grabbed 15 rebounds.

Scoot Henderson had 19 points, six rebounds and five assists off the bench.

It was a tight, physical, back-and-forth affair with 15 lead changes, but Minnesota’s 3-point shooting (17 of 35) was enough to hold off the Blazers, who were 14 of 35 from deep.

MAGIC 110, LAKERS 109

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Wendell Carter Jr. made a go-ahead putback with 6.7 seconds to play, Paolo Banchero scored 36 points and Orlando finished a strong West Coast trip with a victory over Los Angeles.

LeBron James missed a fallaway 3-point attempt on the final shot by the Lakers, who went 4-4 on a disappointing homestand spanning the All-Star break. Los Angeles has lost four of six and fallen into sixth place in the West, repeatedly failing to beat playoff-caliber teams.

Desmond Bane scored 22 points and Carter had 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Magic, who have won six of eight overall after taking three of four on the road out of the break. That surge — capped by their fourth consecutive win over the Lakers — has moved the Magic within a half-game of sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

Orlando rallied from an early double-digit deficit to take a five-point lead with 5 1/2 minutes left, but Rui Hachimura hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 2:14 to play for the Lakers. Bane drilled a go-ahead 3 with 34.6 seconds left, but Doncic found James under the basket for a dunk to reclaim the lead.

After Carter scored on the Magic’s second offensive rebound of their final possession, Luka Doncic belatedly got the ball to James, whose desperation shot didn’t go.

PHOENIX (AP) — Derrick White scored 22 points, Neemias Queta had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and the Boston Celtics used a big third quarter to beat the Phoenix Suns 97-81 on Tuesday night.

Sam Hauser shot 6 for 14, including 4 for 10 from 3-point range, to add 16 points and the Celtics — playing without All-Star Jaylen Brown (right knee contusion) — won their fourth in a row and for the ninth time in their last 10 games.

Baylor Scheierman had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Collin Gillespie had 15 points and Grayson Allen scored 14 as the Suns lost for the fourth time in their last five games. The Suns played without their top two scorers, Devin Booker (right hip strain) and Dillon Brooks (left hand fracture), who combined average nearly 46 points per game.

The Celtics led 50-46 at halftime but took control by outscoring the Suns 30-11 in the third quarter, including a 16-0 run.

The Celtics also held a huge advantage on the boards, outrebounding the Suns by 27, 61 to 34.

Up next

Celtics: At Denver on Wednesday night.

Suns: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.

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

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers came away with an impressive 109-94 victory over the New York Knicks to pull even with them in the standings.

The stats in the table below are taken from Cleaning the Glass.

	Effective Field Goal Percentage	Offensive Rebounding Percentage	Offensive Turnover Percentage	Free Throw Rate
Cavs	50.6%, 29th percentile	33.3%, 70th percentile	11.7%, 76th percentile	25.6, 74th percentile
Knicks	46.5%, 11th percentile	34.6%, 77th percentile	18.1%, 20th percentile	16.3, 27th percentile

Now, let’s dive into the numbers.

• The Knicks were held to 11 points in the third quarter. Cleveland won this frame by 13 to push their halftime lead of six to 18 heading into the final quarter, all but sealing the win.
• New York went 1-12 from three in the third quarter. The Cavs dared the Knicks to beat them from beyond the arc all evening, but they weren’t able to do so for this 12-minute run, which contributed to this game getting out of hand.
• The Cavs held the Knicks to just 1-3 shooting at the rim in the third quarter. Head coach Kenny Atkinson has prioritized protecting the rim over defending the three-point line this season. The benefits of this approach showed through during the team’s third-quarter run.
• Cleveland is 19-2 when Jarrett Allen scores 15 points or more. The guards found a way to get him involved early and often. He went 7-8 from the field and was a factor on both ends.
• James Harden finished with fewer than seven assists for the first time as a Cavalier. He played well despite the lack of assists. He finished with 20 points and four helpers in the victory.
• The Cavs are now 5-10 when Mitchell plays and scores 23 or fewer points in a game. This was one of the rare times the Cavs have won when Mitchell hasn’t had an outsized impact on scoring.
• Cleveland won the second-chance points battle 16-15. Mitchell Robinson had six of the Knicks’ 11 offensive rebounds. The Cavs finished with 13 offensive rebounding with Allen having three.
• The Knicks turned it over 17 times to the Cavs’ 11. Cleveland cleaned up both areas they struggled with against the Oklahoma City Thunder: rebounding and turnovers.
• Both teams struggled to finish at the rim as they both finished below the 20th percentile in rim shooting accuracy. Cleveland went 44.4% from the restricted area while New York went 57.1%.
• This is the seventh time the Cavs have held an opponent under 100 points. The Knicks finished with a 100 offensive rating (9th percentile).
• Dean Wade finished with a team-best plus/minus of +22. Wade had a great performance after really struggling against the Thunder on Sunday. He provided 11 points on 4-9 shooting with eight rebounds.
• The Cavs attempted nine more free throws. Donovan Mitchell was able to get to the line consistently as he went 11-14 from there.
• This was the fifth time Harden attempted no free throws in a game since 2021. Harden was aggressive and probably deserved a few trips to the line. Overall, he hasn’t gotten to the charity stripe as much as he likely deserved.
• Six Cavaliers finished in double figures scoring, including the entire starting lineup: Mitchell (23), Harden (20), Allen (19), Jaylon Tyson (12), Evan Mobley (12), and Dean Wade (11).