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Tonight, Toronto Raptors will face off against the Utah Jazz, starting a 5-game home stand that will carry them to the All-Star break. This is their first of two matchups against the Jazz this season, the other slated to occur in late March.

Toronto was able to prevail in both games against the Jazz last year, earning the series sweep. This could be a good reset for the Raptors who have just dropped consecutive games against Orlando and New York. Of course, it will be important for Toronto to enter the game with the right mindset, as several “easy win” contests against the Wizards, Nets, and Hornets haven’t gone in their favour despite overwhelming odds.

So how do the Raptors walk away with this one?

Utah just finished a home stand where they dropped five consecutive games. Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George have headlined for the Jazz this season, carrying one of the weakest teams in the league to a surprising 15-34 record. Losing Walker Kessler to a shoulder surgery early on for the remainder of the season was the biggest blow, but they’re in the midst of a rebuild and the health of their vets varies by day, meaning they’re relying on young talents who are likely outperforming expectations.

Take Brice Sensabaugh for instance. Drafted in 2023, he’s averaged mediocre numbers for most of his career, but is starting to come to life for the Jazz in January. He posted almost 18-4-2 for them last month while playing 27 minutes per game. He had seven 20+ point games, one of which he ended with 43 points against the Bulls.

Of course, stats don’t necessarily give you the full picture. Interestingly enough, on paper, the Jazz have more assists and rebounds per game than the Raptors do, but despite strong individual performances and solid numbers, they haven’t been able to turn that into substantial wins.

Which leads us to what the Raptors will need to do to take advantage. Over the Jazz’s losing stretch, their turnovers were one of their biggest weaknesses. Coughing the ball up 19 times in one contest while averaging almost 16 a game almost guarantees a losing outcome. The Raptors have proven all season that this is where they shine, creating turnovers, getting out in transition, and scoring. This will be one of the keys to this game, as there will likely be more opportunities than usual to do so.

They will also have to prioritize shutting down Utah’s tandem of Markkanen and George and force the others to score. This leaves guys like Svi Mykhailiuk, rookie Ace Bailey, or sophomore Kyle Filipowski responsible for the majority of scoring which isn’t any of their strong suit.

Their injury report is extensive, with Nurkic listed as questionable. This could give Toronto a size advantage, something that they haven’t had much of this year. The combination of Barnes, Ingram, and CMB on Markkanen and Filipowski should be enough to limit him on the boards, but a group effort will be necessary to prevent easy second chance points for the Jazz.

Ingram looked more true to form in his last two outings, so hopefully he can be a factor in the win tonight as well. It would be nice for Toronto to go into the All-Star break with some momentum, and this home stand is the perfect opportunity.

Probable Starters

Toronto: Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes, Collin Murray-Boyles, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett

Utah: Lauri Markkanen, Ace Bailey, Kyle Filipowski, Svi Mykhailiuk, Keyonte George

Injury Report

Toronto: Chucky Hepburn (Out: G-League), Jakob Poeltl (Out: Lower back strain)

Utah: Keyonte George (Questionable: Left ankle sprain), Elijah Harkless (Out: G-League), Walker Kessler (Out: Shoulder surgery), Kevin Love (Questionable: Illness), Georges Niang (Out: Left foot soreness), Jusuf Nurkic (Questionable: Illness), John Tonje (Out: G-League), Oscar Tshiebwe (Out: G-League)

Where to Watch

Sportsnet @ 6:00pm

The Atlanta Hawks concluded their regular season series with the Indiana Pacers with a disappointing 129-124 loss at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday night.

Jalen Johnson notched 33-point, 12-rebound, and 10-assist triple-double, his eighth of the season ahead of what is expected to be his first All-Star nod later today. Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 21 points for the Hawks. For the Pacers, three players scored 23 or more points, led by Andrew Nembhard’s 26 points with Pascal Siakam adding 25 points.

The Hawks welcomed back Johnson to the starting lineup after missing the Houston game with left calf tightness, while Zaccharie Risacher made his long-awaited return to the lineup having last played on January 7th due to a left knee, bone contusion. Kristaps Porzingis (left Achilles tendinitis) and Onyeka Okongwu (dental fracture) remain out, while Vit Krejci was a game-day scratch with a left ankle sprain. In place of the absent Okongwu, Mo Gueye started at center.

Both teams started this game with momentum, both teams finding their opportunities at the rim/in the paint, particularly Jalen Johnson, who scored 10 first quarter points. Nembhard starred for Indiana in the first, scoring 15 points behind three three-pointers in a first quarter narrowly swinging in the Hawks’ favor.

The visitors, briefly, took a nine-point lead early in the second quarter — a lead that was, quickly, erased by the Pacers, who scored 45 points in the second quarter in another half where the Hawks concede 80 points.

The Hawks made inroads in the narrow Indiana lead in the third quarter, with CJ McCollum and Alexander-Walker scoring eight points in the third, where neither team shot the ball well from three and the high-level scoring — up to that point — slowed down. Heading into the fourth quarter, both teams found themselves in a clutch-game situation, so, let’s go through the plays down the stretch.

The Hawks never led in the fourth quarter; it was a game they were ultimately chasing down the stretch, though, a Dyson Daniels floater brought the Hawks to within one point — 114-115 — with 5:12 remaining. The Pacers extend this back to four points with this Aaron Nesmith three-pointer, leading to a Hawks timeout with just over four minutes left:

While I think Johnson could have hustled a little harder around the Jay Huff screen to prevent the penetration, it’s Corey Kispert who wanders a little farther than he needs to from Nesmith, and it’s not as though he’s rotating to the corner to cover Daniels’ man, with Daniels having to rotate and deter a shot at the rim.

Kispert is subbed out of the game at this timeout, and Johnson brings the Hawks back within one point as Johnson successfully hits the jumpshot after backing down Nembhard, drawing the ‘and-1’ on the play and dispatching the free throw:

The Pacers reply with an ‘and-’1 of their own, as Huff slips the screen, gets deep, and finishes with the reverse layup against Gueye, plus the foul:

A few things to say about this play. The Pacers ran this Nembhard-Huff screening action a lot in the fourth and, for the most part, I thought Alexander-Walker applied excellent pressure on the ball on these actions, and Gueye also did a good job of moving his feet to reciprocate the pressure Alexander-Walker exerted.

However, this play was one where Huff was able to get the slip ahead of Gueye. McCollum does a good job to read the play, rotate, and hold up Huff as well as you could ask for (almost getting his hand on the ball for the steal), and Gueye is able to get Huff back in front of him. However, Huff is in too deep at this point, and if anyone is finishing with a reverse finish it’s Jay Huff, taking the contact on the way.

Johnson tried to attack Nembhard, again, in the post, but is unable to make the same headway on the back down, and Johnson tries to rise over Nembhard again with the jumper, but this time it’s missed:

I wonder if Johnson was expecting Nembhard to make contact again for a foul call on the jumpshot here. Nembhard, wisely, keeps his hands out of the cookie jar this time — his body clearly positioned to avoid any contact on the jumper again.

Alexander-Walker’s defense creates a steal out-front, and he leads the one-man break where he’s fouled at the rim, where he would go on to miss his first free throw in seven games as he splits the pair to bring the Hawks within three points — 118-121 — with 2:51 remaining:

The Pacers extend their lead as Nesmith drives from the corner on Johnson, carves space on the drive with the contact, and finishes at the rim:

Not ideal from Johnson defensively, particularly the way Nesmith just bodied him out of the way to create the opening at the rim.

The Hawks’ hole suddenly becomes alarming, as a turnover from McCollum leads to an immediate Siakam basket in transition, putting the Pacers up by seven points with 2:17 remaining:

It’s just a bad pass from McCollum; it’s behind Gueye on the roll, and even if it wasn’t, the ball is at his feet — he was never reaching it.

Jalen Johnson comes up with two big plays to give the Hawks a chance. First, he hits the three-point at the end of the clock before taking a charge, to give the Hawks a chance to bring the lead back down to a one possession game. The Hawks work a quick shot with the Johnson-Alexander-Walker pick-and-roll, but the three from Alexander-Walker is missed:

This clip has the Pacers’ commentary, but one of the funnier moments last night was from the Hawks’ broadcast, with Brian Oliver outlining that the Hawks do not need to go for a three at this point, and, as he says, this he trails off, as Alexander-Walker hoists the three at this exact moment and misses. Difficult to describe, but pretty funny to watch!

Unfortunate miss: it’s not the worst shot in the world and Alexander-Walker can hit those… It’s one of those plays that looks a lot worse because it missed, especially with 16 seconds left on the clock.

A turnover from Nembhard gives the Hawks another chance to bring the lead down to one-possession — and now with under a minute remaining — but the Hawks miss another chance, as Johnson’s turn and drive toward the rim is deterred by Huff on the contest:

This play speaks to a larger theme of the second half which we’ll discuss later, but a lot of it has to do with Jay Huff, who does well to alter the shot at the rim. Critically, in the immediate aftermath, Daniels claims the offensive rebound on the ground and successfully calls the timeout, giving the Hawks another, crucial chance to reduce the Pacers’ lead.

Out of the timeout, McCollum is finally able to bring the Hawks within two points, successfully connecting on a fadeaway jumper in the paint:

The Pacers don’t call for a timeout, but this upcoming possession is the most important of the game. If Indiana scores, they extend the lead to two possessions (up four-plus points) with the shot clock off and force Atlanta to play the foul/free throw game. If the Pacers miss, the Hawks have a chance to tie or take the lead with the shot clock off.

In the middle of the paint, Siakam backs down Alexander-Walker, with Johnson arriving late to apply pressure. Siakam rises up to take the free throw line jumper, sinking it, giving the Pacers the crucial four-point lead:

It’s a good make from Siakam, but for neither Johnson nor Alexander-Walker to get a hand up to contest this shot will be of disappointment for the Hawks.

The Hawks charge immediately with Johnson, who gets near the rim and kicks the ball out to Gueye in the corner, who misses the three. Alexander-Walker gets in the mix for the offensive rebound and is fouled, resulting in free throws:

Hindsight is always a wonderful thing, and I think in this instance, the Hawks may have been served with Gueye kicking the ball to the more open, and reliable from three, option in McCollum. Alexander-Walker splits the free throws, bringing the lead down to three points.

The Pacers, however, hand the Hawks a gift: the in-bounder after the timeout, TJ McConnell, travels before the ball is inbounded, handing the Hawks possession with seven seconds remaining and a chance to tie the game with a three. All of a sudden, however, those missed Alexander-Walker free throws down the stretch become very costly…

However, just as the Hawks received a chance on the inbounds pass they also spurned this gifted chance, as Johnson turns the ball over on the attempted pass to Alexander-Walker, returning the ball to the Pacers where they would ice the game at the free throw line:

A tough one for Johnson and Alexander-Walker combined here, and ultimately just not a turnover you can accept in a situation like this. To get a bad shot is one thing — to not get anything is the worst outcome of all.

The Pacers seal victory, leaving the Hawks to reflect on what may have been. In the case of Hawks head coach Quin Snyder, he was left to reflect on a style of play that he was not pleased with, believing the Hawks didn’t play to the way that brings them success: driving, finding perimeter shooters, and sharing the ball. Snyder was particularly unhappy with the Hawks’ 25 assists and just 28 three-point attempts, both considerably below their season averages. Snyder would go on to mention Onyeka Okongwu specifically as the most unselfish player on the team, and while Snyder said he wasn’t ‘lamenting’ Okongwu’s absence, he is clearly perturbed by his absence and what Okongwu provides the Hawks and his fellow teammates.

“We weren’t committed to taking good shots, we weren’t committed to passing the ball,” said Snyder postgame. “We had people open. It shows in our assist totals, and it shows in the fact we got 28 threes. When we play well, we’re getting in the lane and kicking the ball out. When we play well, we’re running and we’re spacing, offensively. On the defensive end we lose focus. What you see is we play a certain way, we get a lead — or close a lead — and then we play a different way, we look like a different team during stretches. We cut it to one, it’s back to 10. We know, we just have to execute it. Often times, the other team has something to do with that.

“I’m not lamenting Onyeka not being here but he’s the most selfless ball-mover on our team. He sets an example for everybody, because when they give it to him, they know it’s going to come back to them. We’re comfortable because he’s going to make a play for someone else, and everybody has to have that mindset. You have to make a simple pass and trust in your teammates. When you do that, we don’t shoot 28 threes. We shoot 40 threes. When we do that, we don’t have 25 assists, we have 35 assists. It’s something that we believe in, I don’t think there’s any lack of buy-in. There just has to be execution in those things. It’s harder to execute in that way because it requires everybody on the same page, everybody committed to a certain way of playing. But that’s who we need to be. When we’re like that and play that way, we’re efficient. When we’re not, the game looks like it did tonight.”

Snyder was probably wanting to make a more public indictment of how the Hawks played last night, but I don’t actually think the Hawks not shooting threes or getting into the paint and finding shooters was their issue last night. In fact, the Hawks’ greatest contribution to this game was the fact they were getting to the rim and finishing there; not getting to the rim and finding shooters.

In the first quarter alone, the Hawks scored 24 points in the paint and scored another 20 points in the paint in the second quarter; scoring 44 points in the paint in the first half alone. And it wasn’t a situation where it was just Jalen Johnson scoring, for example, 18 points in the paint (though, he did lead the way) — it was everybody. Johnson scored 10 paint points, Alexander-Walker, Gueye, Luke Kennard, Daniels, McCollum all scored six paint points each: everyone was contributing and excelling in the first half in the paint/at the rim:

11 three-point attempts is obviously a low volume of threes, but with the shots the Hawks did get they, mostly made. The Hawks shot just under 55% from the field in the first half for 73 points — offense was not their issue. Defensively, that’s another conversation, but I don’t agree with Snyder when he talks about the issues he saw offensively if he’s referring, in any way, to the first half.

The second half saw the Hawks score only 20 points in the paint, seeing a far lower volume and shooting percentage in the paint and at the rim:

If the message at halftime was to shoot more threes, it was the wrong message. It completely took away the good things the Hawks were doing offensively in the first half, and you could see the Hawks settle for those jump shots more in the third quarter.

In the first half, Johnson is absolutely taking this drive into the chest of Johnny Furphy (as he did in the first half), but instead he settles for a three which is missed:

I would have liked to have seen Johnson continue to play as he had in the first half: getting into the paint and finishing, taking it to the chest of defenders who weren’t able to deal with him in the first half (scoring 21 of his 22 points in the first half), and especially to begin the third when Huff wasn’t on the floor.

While the likes of Siakam, Nembhard, Nesmith…they all scored 2o or more points in this game (extremely efficiently in the case of Nesmith and Siakam, who shot 80% and 73% respectively).

The most influential player for the Pacers in this game, I thought, was Jay Huff, and he’s a big key as to the reversal of paint scoring fortune the Hawks experienced in the second half (in addition to the coaching staff likely wanting more threes). Huff checked back into the game off the bench with 6:39 remaining in the third quarter — he did not check back out of this game until 42 seconds remained in the fourth quarter.

What Huff provided the Pacers was a clear deterrent in the paint and at the rim, one which the Hawks were wary of. Coming off the screen, McCollum knows that Huff is backpedaling and that any attempt to drive and finish inside would be futile, and he instead backs the ball out and misses a three:

If Huff isn’t there, I think McCollum likely takes this ball to the rim, similar to this next play where McCollum gets deeper into the paint as he gets downhill, and with Huff looming McCollum kicks it out to the perimeter and the three from Gueye is missed:

When Christian Koloko was on the floor, it allowed Huff to sit a lot more in the paint; when Gueye was on the floor there were times where Huff wouldn’t be centered in the paint, at least somewhat respecting the three-point threat of Gueye. Had Okongwu been available the same would be said.

With Koloko there, Huff doesn’t really need to concern himself, and he can drop deep like he does on this possession. McCollum is unable to get into the paint for a high percentage look, and has to settle for a jumpshot just outside the paint:

It’s an example of instances where the Hawks’ attempts inside the paint were so much more limited in the second half.

On the pick-and-roll with Gueye, Alexander-Walker gets separation, but he can’t take the drive to the rim with Huff looming, and Alexander-Walker elects to lean back into the jumper which is missed:

Alexander-Walker’s apprehension is understandable, as in the third quarter — one of the first plays Huff was involved in when he checked in — he was blocked emphatically by Huff:

Johnson, too, was impacted by Huff’s presence at times. While Johnson was able to exploit mismatches and score some paint points in the second half, he struggled to operate in the same manner as the first half, and when he tried to take it to Huff, he faced a similar outcome:

Something that the Hawks may have possibly seen more success in going to with Huff on the floor was the Dyson Daniels floater — the one instance Daniels whipped it out over Huff in the second half, he hit it (and the only shot he took/made in the second half):

By the time this shot was hit, it was already hitting the stretch run in the fourth, and I can’t help but wonder if the Hawks had gone to this sooner maybe they could have found some paint success with Daniels’ floater…

Going back to Snyder’s comments… I think the Hawks going away from some of their paint scoring and emphasizing more threes (not that those went down with much success; shooting 5-of-17 in the second half, 11-of-28 from three for the game) combined with Huff’s presence limiting the Hawks’ attempts/percentages in the paint/at the rim was I think, ultimately, the Hawks’ undoing in the second half. The clutch plays…The Hawks were chasing the game for all of the fourth quarter, they struggled to get stops, the Pacers made some plays, but I think the two plays the Hawks would like a do-over would be replacing the Gueye three with a McCollum, and the Johnson turnover on the inbounds pass.

Looking at the Hawks’ individual games, Johnson led the way with 33 points on 12-of-29 from the field, 3-of-6 from three, and 6-of-8 from the line. Quite a high volume for Johnson last night, barely scraping above 40% shooting from the field. Production-wise, it looks good: a 33-point triple-double, but you’d like to see more efficiency from the field. After scoring 21 points in the first half and coming out for the second half, with no Huff on the floor, I would have liked to see Johnson pick up where he left off and attacking the rim. Defensively, some questionable moments for Johnson in the fourth, which is always disappointing as the potential is there to be a plus-defender.

Speaking of defense, Alexander-Walker was excellent defensively in the second half in particular, but struggled to shoot with great efficiency, scoring 21 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the field. CJ McCollum scored a strong 18 points off the bench on 8-of-15 from the field — many of his misses in the second half were in those situations with Huff that we looked at. Mo Gueye was active last night, scoring 15 points, including 7-of-9 from the free throw line. Gueye was running the floor well, on both ends of the floor. It was a productive, and mostly positive game from Gueye — the late miss from three was unfortunate, but I think it takes away the focus on what he did do well, particularly in the pick-and-roll defense along with Alexander-Walker.

Zaccharie Risacher had a quiet return to action, scoring seven points on 3-of-5 five shooting from the field in — you guessed it — 21 minutes. While Risacher is working with a minutes restriction, he basically just played the amount of minutes he would have normally played: right in that 18-to-22-minute zone.

Quin Snyder was pleased with what Risacher did while he was on the floor, and emphasized that Risacher’s stat-line does not reflect his qualities as a player.

“He ran, he did the things we talked about before the game,” said Snyder of Risacher. “I liked that he was aggressive shooting the ball when he was open. His timing and his reads will get better, where he can drive in and keep his eyes out, keep his feet and find other people. He’s capable of doing that and has done that. The feel for those situations offensively is something — when you don’t play for a while — that’s more challenging. I thought he really came out in early in the game, I liked his aggressiveness defensively, I liked the way he guarded the ball, I like the way he rebounded. I think the key thing with Zacch, and everyone is that we can’t judge Zacch based on his stat-line. That’s not the way that Zacch improves, because he’s capable of doing a lot of things. Tonight, he looked good shooting the ball, but he also looked good making an impact in other areas that help his team win.”

I can’t say I share the same enthusiasm as Snyder, but good to have Risacher back nevertheless after a long absence. Hopefully, Risacher’s season will be able to kick on and end the season strong, because his absence at the upcoming Rising Stars game doesn’t reflect well of the perception of his contributions from the league.

All in all, a disappointing loss for the Hawks. The Pacers have played better of late, and in late-game situations, but the Hawks would have been expected to win in this spot against a team whose season has long been lost. The Hawks are without some key contributors themselves, particularly Okongwu. Gueye played well, but Okongwu is still sorely missed.

The Hawks (24-26) will hope that Okongwu will be close to returning by the time they are in action next on Tuesday, when they take on the Miami Heat (26-24) at Kaseya Center in Miami. A key matchup, not just as division rivals, but in close contest with the Heat for seeding, with a top-6 seed still within the realms of possibility.

Until next time!

AL MAZROWIAH, Bahrain (AP) — Patrick Reed’s bid for back-to-back titles on the European tour came up just short Sunday when he was beaten in a playoff won by Freddy Schott for his first title.

Reed made bogey at the first playoff hole to drop out of a three-man contest also including Calum Hill.

The 24-year-old Schott clinched victory on the second playoff hole after Hill drove out of bounds, shanked his fourth shot into water and shook hands with Schott.

Reed was seeking a second straight win, after the Dubai Desert Classic last Sunday, to complete a whirlwind week in which he also announced he was leaving LIV Golf with the aim of returning to the PGA Tour.

Ten shots off the lead heading into the weekend, the American shot 6-under 66 on Saturday and 67 on Sunday to close on 17-under par. He was tied for the lead in the final round after picking up a shot at No. 14 for a third straight birdie, but played the final four holes in 1 over.

Schott (69) bogeyed No. 17 and Hill (71), the leader of the second and third rounds, three-putted for bogey at No. 18 as they joined Reed in a playoff watched by Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa at Royal Golf Club.

___

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

We’re trying something new here on CelticsBlog where we introduce daily topics in an effort to encourage discussion and conversation. After all, I believe that if content is king, community is queen. So help us by registering an account and joining in the conversation!

The NBA trade deadline is coming up on February 5th (at 3:00 PM EST) and we’ve been speculating about trade options all season. Brad Stevens and the Celtics front office did a great job reducing payroll this past offseason, and somehow the team has hardly missed a step. In fact, several new and young players have stepped right up into bigger roles. To the point where Joe Mazzulla is being discussed for Coach of the Year (which he won’t care about) and Brad Stevens has a case for Executive of the Year.

But have they done enough for this year? Most have pointed to the lack of depth at the center position, but Neemias Queta has established himself as at least a solid starter and Luka Garza has looked more and more comfortable in his role off the bench. Perhaps rotating in cheaper center options is a way to navigate the Apron era.

What they have is working right now, and making a trade would likely take some piece away from that mix. So perhaps they shouldn’t fix what isn’t broken. As it is, they could have the best mid-season addition in the league if and when Jayson Tatum returns to the lineup.

Or perhaps you feel like the team owes it to Tatum and Jaylen Brown (who has been carrying this team on his shoulders all year) to give them the best shot at winning a title this year.

So if we fast forward to beyond the trade deadline and the Celtics have made no moves, how would you feel about that decision? Leave your thoughts in the comments below and join in the conversation!

Prior to the season, we expected the Milwaukee Bucks to make the playoffs and maybe even win a round, while the Boston Celtics were anticipating a gap year following Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury—our friends over at Celtics Blog even said as much. How wrong we were. After another loss to the Washington Generals Wizards, the Bucks are now 12th in the East at 18-28, while the Celtics are sitting pretty at 30-18, tied with the New York Knicks for second place. Trending in opposite directions—but the Bucks holding a 1-0 season lead—the sides take to TD Garden this afternoon for the inaugural NBA Pioneers Classic, which recognises the start of Black History Month and honours the legacy of NBA Pioneers Chuck Cooper, Nathaniel “Sweetwater” Clifton, and Earl Lloyd, the league’s first Black players.

Where We’re At

As you are well aware, the Bucks are the talk of the NBA for all the wrong reasons, with trade rumours galore dominating conversation. On the court, the Bucks continue to free fall, losing four in a row and eight of their last 10. It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Myles Turner is in the midst of his best stretch as a Buck (more on that below), Bobby Portis has found a new wrinkle with his passing, and Pete Nance is making a case that he’s more than just a two-way player. And, at this point, it seems losing games isn’t so bad after all, with 85% of fans agreeing that the Bucks should try and get a high draft pick.

Boston, on the other hand, continues its Cinderella season. Winners of three of their last five, the Celtics have defied the odds this season and are a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference, even if there are some cracks in the armour. Jaylen Brown continues to lead the Celtics and was recently named All-Star starter for his efforts—the first time in his career he’s received that honour. Payton Pritchard has also been in red-hot form, putting up 21.2 PPG and 4.4 APG (shooting .545/.500/.714) over his last five. But that should come as no surprise for someone who’s the most efficient isolation scorer in the league. Yet, it’s his ability to score and create without turning the ball over that’s most impressive. On the season, Pritchard has an absurd 248 assists to just 52 turnovers, crediting his offensive mastery to his roots as a quarterback. Needless to say, the Bucks could learn a few things.

Injury Report

For the Bucks, Giannis (calf), Taurean Prince (neck), and Kevin Porter Jr. (oblique) all remain out, while Gary Harris is listed as probable (hamstring soreness).

For the Celtics, it’s a clean bill of health besides Jayson Tatum (Achilles) and the G-Leaguers, with Amari Williams listed as questionable.

Player To Watch

Over the past three games, Myles Turner has had his season-high in points (31, vs. Philadelphia), rebounds (14, vs. Washington), and blocks (6, vs. Denver and Washington). In this stretch, he’s averaging 23.0 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 4.7 BPG, while shooting .568/.389/.923—the sort of output we dreamed he would offer when signed in the offseason and nearly twice as good as he’s been for the year. Digging deeper, though, there’s not as much change as there appears. Turner’s rebound percentage in this stretch (10.5%) is much the same as it has been for the season (9.4%), and his usage (21.5%) is only marginally increased from the 18.1% he’s had as a Buck (albeit much closer to the 20.7-23.4% he had with the Pacers over the last three years). What has changed, however, is his block percentage, going from 5.6% on the season to an otherworldly (and completely unsustainable) 12.1%. Moreover, his true shooting percentage has spiked from just 59% on the season to 69% over the last three. In large part, this can be attributed to Turner’s improved finishing inside, where he’s shot 88% from within five feet (compared to just 64% on the year). Not only has he been converting more from this range lately, he’s also attempting more (5.7 attempts per game, up from a measly 2.1). So, has Turner turned the corner and finally found his interior groove with the Bucks, is it that he’s getting more opportunities without Giannis dominating the interior, is Doc Rivers finally utilising him beyond floor spacer, or is this just a flash-in-the-pan hot stretch? Considering he put up just four points and three rebounds against the Celtics in their only other meeting this year, this afternoon’s game should provide at least some answers to these questions.

How To Watch

ESPN and FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin at 2:30 p.m. CST.

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As the Feb. 5 trade deadline approaches, it’s time for the Dallas Mavericks to reevaluate their path forward in building around Cooper Flagg. Dallas is at a crossroads, left with limited assets and aging, injury-prone sidekicks following Hurricane Nico. Following Anthony Davis’ hand injury and Kyrie Irving potentially nearing a return to play, the Mavericks brass need to shift their priorities to put their young and budding superstar in Flagg in a position to succeed. Success is fragile, and we have all seen how quickly it can be thrown away. It’s key that the Mavericks finally build around their young star the right way. They only have one opportunity to build around Flagg, and here are some key points Patrick Dumont and company need to consider in doing so.

Get serious about your General Manager search

Following Nico Harrison’s dismissal, the Mavericks have opted to run their front office by committee, naming Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi as co-interim general managers. According to The Athletic, the pairing will remain in that position until springtime. This will allow the Mavericks to have access to potential candidates who are currently employed. Dallas clearly prefers having a candidate with prior front office experience after Harrison tore apart the franchise. Harrison took over the reins when the Detroit Pistons hired Dennis Lindsey, previously an advisor to Harrison. Many attribute the success that resulted in the Mavericks 2024 Finals Run to the brains of Dennis Lindsey, and Dallas will have the opportunity to poach him or another executive in the offseason.

When the Adelson family bought the Mavericks, we were told they were the type of people willing to spend money on the team. While we are yet to see that come to fruition, they need to heavily pursue a competent executive to pick up the pieces of Hurricane Nico. Dumont has seemingly committed to getting the Mavericks on the right track to build around Flagg, but deciding who is responsible for getting the job done can be the difference between contention and mediocrity.

A Davis/Flagg/Irving core is nothing more than a concept that will never work

The concept of a Davis/Flagg/Irving core is nothing more than an “on paper” idea that will never pan out. Davis has a history of getting injured about every five games he plays in Dallas. He’s played 20 total games this year, and history is not in his favor for staying on the floor. Add that to Irving’s situation; he’s nearing 33 years old, returning from a year-long absence due to an ACL tear. When he comes back, there is no guarantee that he will be the same player he was last season before the injury. According to reports, Dumont wants to see the trio of Flagg/Irving/Davis play together before making any “premature” decisions on Dallas’ future. This is a losing bet that only hurts Flagg’s growth as a player and the Mavericks ability to build a competent roster around him.

At this point, Davis will at least remain a Maverick through the offseason. It is hard to imagine that there will be a list of teams lining up out the door to acquire his services because of his contract and inability to stay on the floor for more than five games at a time. If the Hawks or Raptors are willing to rekindle trade discussions, Dallas needs to move past the concept of the trio and shift its priorities to building around Flagg’s future.

Recuperate lost assets

The Mavericks flushed all of their future draft assets down the drain after spending the last seven seasons building a competitive team around Luka Doncic. Following the 2026 Draft, they don’t own another pick of their own until 2031. They need to be in the market for dealing guys like Naji Marshall and Klay Thompson, who have both driven interest among the league, for first-round picks, and not settle for a deal with a second, or two, thrown in. Dallas would be mistaken to not at least try to call up teams like the Thunder, Spurs, and Hornets to see if there is any interest in sending Dallas one of their picks back. The CBA emphasizes building through the draft, and we have seen how that can lead to success in Oklahoma City. Dallas struggled to draft players to fit around Doncic, and they have to get it right this go-around with Flagg.

Flagg has continued to show over the course of the season that he is a budding superstar, and his 49-point performance Thursday night against the Hornets was another reminder that the sky is his limit. Dallas needs to reprioritize their future to build a competitive team around Flagg, and if the time to realign its focus wasn’t yesterday, it’s now.

After his 49 point outburst against Kon Knueppel and the Charlotte Hornets, Cooper Flagg followed up with another gem against the Houston Rockets, finishing with 34 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists. He’s really taken his game to another level and it’s hard at times to remember that he’s still a teenager.

Who does this? He’s in pretty elite company.

What’s really interesting in these highlights is that he’s frequently going right at future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant, and there’s not much Durant can do to stop him. You can see his frustration here as Flagg repeatedly abuses him. In fact, after one Flagg basket, Durant slaps the ball hard enough that it pops up and hits the backboard. We saw a similarly helpless reaction the other night from Joel Embiid as he threw his hands up, realizing there was simply nothing he could do to stop him.

What’s really interesting about Flagg’s development is this: remember at the beginning of the season when coach Jason Kidd said he wanted to stress Flagg by playing him at the point? At the time, Flagg struggled a bit and a lot of people thought he was overrated, but Kidd was playing a longer game.

Flagg learned and he now he’s playing the entire court. He has point guard skills and he can defend inside. He can shoot, drive, handle, and the last weak point in his game is his three point shooting, which he’ll improve dramatically by next season.

Book it.

When Dallas gets Kyrie Irving back, they’ll effectively have a second point guard. And two shooting guards. And two small forwards, and two power forwards and a guy who can help out at center too.

And all those guys are named Cooper Flagg.

And he’s just 19, still a skinny teenager.

Imagine where he’ll be when he adds power to his game.

Actually, while it may seem to soon to ask this question, what the hey: who would you rather build around? Luka Donca or Flagg?

We’re big fans of Luka here but his conditioning has always been an issue and despite his surreal brilliance, Doncic is slow.

You can build around a slow player – Boston built perhaps the best team of all time, the 1986 Celtics, around Larry Bird – but everyone else has to adapt to how that one guy plays.

Doncic also rarely exerts himself on defense, and that’s not an issue with Flagg at all.

Statistically, you’d have to take Doncic. He’s averaging 33.7 ppg, 7.8 rebounds and 8.8 assists. That’s spectacular.

But a guy to build an entire team around? Flagg probably has more upside in that sense if only because of his two-way value and his versatility.

Actually, you can ask the same question about Knueppel and you could make a reasonable argument for building around him over Doncic. Why?

Because Knueppel has dramatically changed his team’s personality. Not too long ago, everyone wanted to make trades to improve the Hornets. Get rid of LaMelo! Brandon Miller has reached his ceiling! Trade some of the other bums!

Now, Charlotte seems like a team with a brilliant future and, like Dallas with Flagg, a lot of that is down to Knueppel. Both of these guys have completely changed their teams and people are going to want to play with them because they have an old-school approach and don’t care about anything more than winning.

As great as he is, we’re not sure you can say the same thing about Doncic.

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Temperatures in Toronto are below 20 degrees (-7 for those North of the border) but the forecast inside Scotiabank Arena is much warmer when the Toronto Raptors host the Utah Jazz Sunday.

Homegrown star R.J. Barrett is projected to be a source of heat for Toronto, and my Jazz vs. Raptors predictions call for Barrett to burn Utah on the scoreboard.

Here are my best NBA picks for February 1.

Jazz vs Raptors prediction

Jazz vs Raptors best bet: R.J. Barrett Over 17.5 points (-110)

RJ Barrett missed the middle of January with an ankle injury, and the Toronto Raptors had him on a strict minutes restriction since coming back on January 23. 

His floor time topped out at 24 minutes before logging his usual workload with 31 minutes in the loss to the Orlando Magic on Friday. He finished with 16 points on 6 of 14 shooting (0-for-5 from 3-point range), but a return home will help him find his form.

Barrett has been a much better shooter inside Scotiabank Arena and gets an advantageous matchup against the Utah Jazz tonight. The Jazz play one of the fastest tempos in the NBA, but also get burned on the fastbreak and allow easy looks at the rim. 

Utah ranks 30th in fastbreak points allowed and 19th in points in the paint allowed, while also giving up a league-high 28.6 points on transition attacks. Toronto thrives on transition (fourth most ppp), and Barrett leads that charge in fast-break buckets and PITP.

Sunday’s player models all sit north of 18 points for Barrett with a ceiling of 20.7. My number comes out to 19.3, which should have the Over 17.5 points priced around -135.

Jazz vs Raptors same-game parlay

The Raptors are playing with urgency after two straight losses. Our projections call for a 14-point win tonight.

Barrett has been battling on the board — even with his minutes restriction — snatching six or more rebounds in five of his last seven games.

Jazz vs Raptors SGP

• Toronto Raptors -11.5
• R.J. Barrett Over 17.5 points
• R.J. Barrett Over 5.5 rebounds

Our "from downtown" SGP: Bring Home The Canadian Bacon

Toronto welcomes the Jazz’s up-tempo style, as the Raps are 5-2 O/U in non-conference home games.

Jazz vs Raptors SGP

• Toronto Raptors -11.5
• Total Over 233.5
• R.J. Barrett Over 17.5 points
• R.J. Barrett Over 5.5 rebounds

Jazz vs Raptors odds

• Spread: Jazz +11.5 (-115) | Raptors -11.5 (-105)
• Moneyline: Jazz +400 | Raptors -600
• Over/Under: Over 233.5 (-115) | Under 233.5 (-105)

Jazz vs Raptors betting trend to know

The Jazz are 11-5 O/U vs. Eastern Conference opponents this season. Find more NBA betting trends for Jazz vs. Raptors.

How to watch Jazz vs Raptors

Jazz vs Raptors latest injuries

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