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It’s not December, but the holidays came early for fans of the Toronto Raptors during NBA All-Star Sunday.

The ghosts of Raptors past and present played an instrumental role for their respective teams – for the most part.

It may be awhile until All-Star weekend returns to Toronto because of the a bitter cold 2016 February, but the Raptors made the most of their moment in Los Angeles.

Scottie Barnes deserves the spotlight

In another universe, Scottie Barnes was drafted to a different franchise and plays more often in front of an American audience. In that reality, Barnes draws more pseudo-comparisons to Magic Johnson and is constantly talked about as a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

Since this version of Barnes plays for the Raptors, basketball fans outside of Canada often miss out on seeing his basketball genius. With an opportunity to showcase his unique skillset under the bright lights of All-Star Weekend, Barnes was locked in from the moment he got off the bench in game one against Team World.

Barnes is the perfect supplementary player in this type of environment. He plays defence, rebounds the ball, and can quarterback the fast break. When most All-Stars would rather play wide receiver in this setting, Barnes becomes invaluable.

His contagious energy sparked a 10-2 run that would ultimately set the stage for the first of several dramatic finishes. With the game hanging in the balance, it was Barnes who squared up defensively against Victor Wembanyama. Despite the NBA desperately wanting Wembanyama to attempt a game-winner, the French big man had no choice but to give the ball up to a teammate.

In overtime, Barnes endeared himself to onlookers with his physicality against Wembanyama. It was perhaps fate that decided Barnes would be rewarded for his efforts. With Team World making the mistake to help off the three-point line despite a two-pointer not capable of hurting them (first team to five points wins), Barnes knocked down a catch-and-shoot triple from the left wing to seal the victory.

One reason why Team Stars eventually took the tournament crown was the undeniable synergy between Barnes and Detroit Piston Cade Cunningham. The two previously headlined the juggernaut high school team Montverde Academy in 2019-2020. Their chemistry was on full display throughout the night. An example of this was when Barnes flowed into a natural dribble-handoff off the sideline-out-of-bounds play. It resulted in clean left corner three for Cunningham.

Barnes averaged 3.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists while shooting 83.3 per cent.

Brandon Ingram wasn’t his best

For the first time since 2019-20, Brandon Ingram set foot in an NBA All-Star game. Ingram was 22 years old the last time he was recognized as one of the league’s best players. He had been drafted to Team Giannis and played a game-low eight minutes. Ingram finished with two points while shooting 25 per cent from the field and missing all three of his three-pointers.

Six years later and Ingram is a vastly advanced player in comparison to his days as a Los Angeles Laker. But that didn’t seem to improve his chances at a more productive All-Star outing. Ingram finished with three total rebounds and one assist in three games. He shot 0-for-3 on the night and registered a DNC-CD in the championship.

The highlight of his night was a sleek pass to former Raptors legend Kawhi Leonard. It wasn’t a good sign when Ingram missed his first three. Things got worse when Cunningham denied him at the rim.

Ingram’s play style may not mesh with the free-flowing All-Star format. But that’s okay. Ingram deserved to be there and he’ll get another chance in the years to come.

Kawhi Leonard had fun with it

The game between Team Stripes and Team Stars produced a kind of drama that only the greats could author. Kawhi Leonard’s performance was eerily similar to what he put together in Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Raptors and the Golden State Warriors.

Down 27-20 with 6:11 left, Leonard raced up the court and calmly knocked down a three from the top of the arc over the outstretched arm of former Raptor teammate Pascal Siakam. He later hit two more triples before finishing his solo 11-0 run with a turnaround baseline jumper over Siakam.

With the game on the line, Leonard hunted a switch to find New York Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns. Seconds later, Leonard drilled the three that would eventually become the game-winner.

A “talented” supporting cast

While Pascal Siakam was on the wrong end of several highlight plays, he thrived and looked like he belonged amidst the best in the league. He received a lot of criticism for his All-Star selection because of how lowly the Pacers have been this season, but Siakam ended up playing an important role for Team World, especially with Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic losing interest in the festivities.

In his first All-Star appearance, the Miami Heat’s Norman Powell struggled with his normally reliable three-ball (0-for-5). But he did make the most of his time on the court for Team World against Team Stripes in the Round Robin finale. Late in the contest, Powell drove to the basket and found Wembanyama for a corner three. Moments later, Powell corralled a missed shot by Canadian Jamal Murray and scooped the ball into the net for two points to give Team World a 43-40 lead.

On the final possession of the game, head coach Darko Rajakovic designed a nifty big-on-big off-ball screening action with Towns and Wembanyama. Unfortunately, Wembanyama couldn’t knock down the open three.

INGLEWOOD, CA. — The savior of the NBA All-Star Game wasn’t Adam Silver, or whichever league exec came up with the revised “U.S. vs. World” format, or even the format itself.

It was a 7-foot-4 French phenom who, through stubborn persistence, forced the hands of the world’s best basketball players to give more.

Victor Wembanyama swatted the opening tip off to teammate Jamal Murray and sprinted until he got underneath the rim. He sealed off Cade Cunningham and begged for the ball. Murray whipped a pass that Wembanyama — seemingly in one single motion — caught on ascent to the rim before flushing a forceful dunk.

It took six seconds to alter the course of the NBA All-Star Game.

After 54 games, the Boston Celtics have the third-best Net Rating in the NBA, and I still cannot wrap my mind around it. How is it possible that a team that lost its best player and its most important rim protectors, built a roster with young players and minimum contracts, and still kept winning at a high level? How can it be both? It shouldn’t — but it is.

It is paradoxical.

What is even more intriguing is that the Celtics’ overachieving season is built on smaller statistical paradoxes that help us better understand how they’ve been able to win so many games.

Better without the best

The Celtics’ overall Net Rating, per cleaningtheglass.com (that removes garbage time), is +7.3 so far this season, ranking them third between the Detroit Pistons (+8.6) and the San Antonio Spurs (+6.2). Yet, depending on who is on the court, the Celtics’ Net Rating varies from +3.0 to +20.3.

To give it some context, the Denver Nuggets’ overall Net Rating is +3.8, and they are considered by many analysts to be the second-best team in the West after the Thunder. So, at their worst, the Celtics are still a very competitive team. But the paradox lies in the players’ on-court Net Ratings.

Looking at the numbers in the chart below, it is pretty clear that the Celtics’ overall performance is at its worst when the Celtics’ best player is on the court — which shouldn’t be the case. But it is.

It is paradoxical.

So how can this be possible? Well, the numbers show that the Celtics’ offensive level is pretty stable with or without Jaylen Brown on the court: a 120.6 offensive rating with him and 121.6 without him. Boston isn’t as aggressive on the offensive boards when he is playing, leading to fewer second chances. However, when he is on the court, both shooting efficiency and free-throw rate improve.

Defensively, however, the Celtics are allowing a 116.7 offensive rating to their opponents with JB on the floor. Yet, once he sits, the defense steps up and the opponents’ offensive rating drops to 107.3 points allowed per 100 possessions. That is a better defensive rating than the OKC Thunder this year.

When JB is on the bench, the Celtics become far better at forcing turnovers and at limiting opponents’ free-throw attempts. There is also a significant drop in opponents’ shooting efficiency when he is sitting. From my understanding, this is caused by three factors.

First, his backups are absolute madmen on defense. Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman, and Jordan Walsh have shown that they are here to play hard and defend at all costs. Second, Jaylen Brown mostly plays against opposing starters — but for what it’s written, this is also the case for Derrick White, and we don’t see the same pattern in his numbers. And third, the offensive load that Jaylen Brown has to carry influences his impact negatively on the other end, leading to more lapses in the Celtics’ defense.

Can the Celtics keep performing like one of the best teams in the league without their best players? So far, the Celtics have posted a +14.3 Net Rating without Jaylen Brown (and Jayson Tatum) — but how long can it last? The numbers also show how much this Celtics team needs Derrick White on the court, despite his offensive struggles this season.

The numbers above clearly show that as long as Derrick White is playing, the Celtics can compete at the highest level. Knowing that Jayson Tatum is coming back, these paradoxical numbers give hope that this group might be talented enough to make a deep playoff run, considering how good they can be even without their two stars on the court.

The rim is better protected without rim protectors

With the departures of Luke Kornet and Kristaps Porzingis, the defense was supposed to perform at a lower level, especially when it came to rim protection. Yet, while the defense is slightly worse than last year (from 5th to 8th in defensive ranking per cleaningtheglass.com), it isn’t because of rim protection. In fact, it has somehow improved when looking at both volume and efficiency numbers. Once again, it is quite paradoxical.

Opponents’ rim accuracy didn’t rise as we might have expected. The Celtics remain in the top 10 at limiting efficiency at the rim, thanks to Jordan Walsh, Neemias Queta, and Derrick White. As the Celtics lost their three best inside defenders, others rose to the occasion and helped the team protect the paint.

Not only were the Celtics able to remain elite at limiting efficiency at the rim, they are now the best team in the league at reducing the volume of shots allowed there. Opponents are taking only 24% of their shots at the rim against Boston, while the league average sits at 31%. So, if the Celtics have remained elite at rim protection without their best rim protectors, why isn’t the defense as good as last year?

Well, size still matters. The Celtics have struggled to contain opponents’ offensive rebounding, dropping from 7th to 16th in defensive rebound rate. Also, the increased aggressiveness from the wings and the lack of size inside give opponents more opportunities at the free-throw line, as Boston fell from 1st to 13th in opponent free-throw rate.

Efficient scoring without efficient scorers

Per basketball-reference, the league-average offensive efficiency is around 115.5 points per 100 possessions, and the Celtics are five points per 100 possessions above that mark. Logic would suggest that the Celtics’ biggest scorers — let’s say all players with above a 20% usage rate — are also above league-average efficiency.

How could a team be five points per 100 possessions better than league average if its four biggest scorers are at or below league-average efficiency? It shouldn’t — but it is.

It is paradoxical, and it works.

Indeed, Derrick White is 10% below league-average True Shooting, Jaylen Brown is 1% below, while both Anfernee Simons and Payton Pritchard are right at league-average level. Yet, the Celtics have the second-best offense in the NBA. How?

It comes down to two things. First, as one of the best defensive teams in the league, the Celtics generate more possessions than their opponents. Through aggressive defense, controlling the boards, and limiting turnovers on offense, they are less dependent on pure shooting efficiency because they simply take more shots than their opponents.

Second, it comes from the rest of the roster and how the coaching staff optimize them. While the main guys are struggling to reach league-average efficiency, the rest of the team is thriving — and that is because Jaylen Brown and the other creators are generating space for the role players. Luka Garza, Neemias Queta, Josh Minott, Jordan Walsh, and Baylor Scheierman are all at least 5% more efficient than league average.

That is yet another Celtics paradox that circles back to the first one. This team is elite because its role players are able to perform at their highest level.

Because of Joe Mazzulla and his staff. Because of Brad Stevens and his roster construction. Because of Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchard, and Derrick White — their gravity, their creation, their leadership — they have created an environment where the stars can struggle, and the team still thrives.

That may be the biggest paradox of all.

This version of the Celtics isn’t dominant because everything is perfect. It’s dominant because the system absorbs imperfection. Because when one pillar weakens, another strengthens. Because when the stars are inefficient, the role players become surgical.

It shouldn’t work.

But somehow, it does — and that may be the clearest sign yet that this team is far more resilient, and far more dangerous, than we initially believed.

Keshad Johnson danced and dunked his way into the NBA history books.

Johnson became the third member of the Miami Heat organization to win the Slam Dunk Contest.

He held off San Antonio Spurs rookie Carter Bryant in the final round.

Both players represented California, with Bryant coming from Riverside and Johnson representing Oakland.

Johnson considered himself an under-the-radar second-year player entering the week, with the mindset of wanting to make a name for himself.

“I can’t make this up right now.  I’m still kind of speechless,” Johnson told USA TODAY. “This all started with it just being a dream. I was a kid who grew up watching the slam dunk contest, which was the main event for me.”

The snow is finally melting, and that means March — and the accompanying madness — is right around the corner.

The 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament begins in Dayton with the First Four and ends two hours to the west with the Final Four and the national championship game in Indianapolis.

Below are the dates and venues for the entire tournament, with links to buy tickets.

Bracketology: Latest March Madness projection a month away from Selection Sunday

March Madness 2026 schedule 

Here’s a rundown of the schedule for the 2026 NCAA men's tournament:

• First Four: March 17-18
• First round: March 19-20
• Second round: March 21-22
• Sweet 16: March 26-27
• Elite Eight: March 28-29
• Final Four: April 4 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
• National championship game: April 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis

March Madness 2026 game locations, venues, tickets 

First- and second-round games will be held at eight cities spanning across four time zones. Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games will be held at regional sites before the final four teams converge on Indianapolis in early April.

Here’s a look at where 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament games will take place:

• First Four: Dayton, Ohio; UD Arena (Buy tickets)
• First/second round: Buffalo, N.Y.; KeyBank Center (Buy tickets)
• First/second round: Greenville, S.C.; Bon Secours Wellness Arena (Buy tickets)
• First/second round: Oklahoma City; Paycom Center (Buy tickets)
• First/second round: Portland, Ore.; Moda Center (Buy tickets)
• First/second round: Tampa; Benchmark International Arena (Buy tickets)
• First/second round: Philadelphia; Xfinity Mobile Arena (Buy tickets)
• First/second round: San Diego; Viejas Arena (Buy tickets)
• First/second round: St. Louis; Enterprise Arena (Buy tickets)
• Sweet 16/Elite Eight: Houston; Toyota Center (Buy tickets)
• Sweet 16/Elite Eight: San Jose, Calif.; SAP Center (Buy tickets)
• Sweet 16/Elite Eight: Chicago; United Center (Buy tickets)
• Sweet 16/Elite Eight: Washington, D.C.; Capital One Arena (Buy tickets)
• Final Four: Indianapolis; Lucas Oil Stadium (Buy tickets)
• National championship: Indianapolis; Lucas Oil Stadium (Buy tickets)

When is Selection Sunday 2026?

The 68-team bracket for the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament will be unveiled on 6 p.m. ET, Sunday, March 15.

Where is 2026 Final Four?

This year's men's basketball Final Four and championship games will be at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on April 4 & 6. Click here to buy tickets.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NCAA tournament 2026 schedule: March Madness dates, locations, tickets

DELHI, India (AP) — Afghanistan shrugged off back-to-back defeats in its first two games to finally register a first win at cricket’s Twenty20 World Cup, beating the United Arab Emirates by five wickets on Monday.

Azmatullah Omarzai hit 40 not out off 21 balls and opener Ibrahim Zadran scored 53 off 41 deliveries as Afghanistan, coming off the narrowest of narrow losses to 2024 runnerup South Africa in a Group D contest decided after a second Super Over, finished on 162-5 in 19.2 overs.

It was a good all-round showing from Omarzai, who also picked up 4-15 in four overs to help restrict UAE to 160-9 after his team had won the toss.

Afghanistan, though, only has a slim chance of qualifying for the Super Eights.

New Zealand has four points from two wins and could knock out Afghanistan if it beats Canada in Chennai on Tuesday. The Afghans play Canada in their final game in Chennai on Thursday.

Monday’s result meant South Africa became the third team to qualify for the Super Eights, joining India and West Indies in the tournament’s second stage.

Meanwhile, England won the toss and opted to bat against Italy in their Group C game in Kolkata.

Victory would confirm England's spot in the Super Eights.

Unbeaten co-host Sri Lanka plays struggling Australia in a Group B contest in Pallekele later.

Australia must win to stay alive in the tournament.

___

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

We're less than four weeks away from Selection Sunday, and some teams considered locks in the preseason for March Madness will let their dancing shoes gather dust.

While teams like Miami (Ohio), Saint Louis, Clemson and Virginia have been surprises, plenty of men's basketball teams have gone splat this season.

Here's a look at 10 schools who have disappointed this year, including one already looking for a new coach and a few bluebloods who have fans nervous.

Bracketology: Check out latest March Madness projection

Oregon

Ranked just outside the preseason coaches poll (received second-most votes outside top 25), the Ducks have been a disaster this season. Losing All-Big Ten guard Jackson Shelstad to a season-ending injury didn't help, but Oregon was already just 6-6 when he went down.

The Ducks (9-16, 2-12) finally snapped a 10-game losing streak on Feb. 14 by beating last-place Penn State.

"The guys were feeling it," coach Dana Altman said. “It’s been a long six weeks, that’s for sure, for them, as much or more than our staff.”

Altman had won at least 20 games in each of his previous 15 seasons in Eugene, but the Ducks are on pace to their worst season since going 8-23 in Ernie Kent's second-to-last campaign in 2008-09.

Baylor

We're sure there aren't too many people shedding a tear for the Bears. Baylor opened the season 10-2, then added a former NBA draft pick to its roster, causing plenty of consternation across the country.

Since the addition of 2023 draft pick James Nnaji, Baylor is 3-9 and sinking to the bottom of the Big 12 standings.

The Bears received 13 votes in preseason top 25, but at 13-12 they are flirting with their first losing season since 2006-07.

Baylor has won at least one game in each of the past six NCAA tournaments. This March, they will be lucky to play in the NIT or Crown.

By the way, Nnaji is averaging 1.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.

Creighton

The Bluejays were ranked No. 23 in the USA TODAY Coaches preseason poll and picked to finish third in the Big East. That ain't gonna happen. Unless Creighton (13-13, 7-8) wins the Big East tournament it's likely going to miss the NCAA tournament for the first time in six seasons.

Creighton is risking its first losing season since going 14-19 in 2014-15 (its second season in Big East). The Bluejays have lost five of their past six games and get No. 5 UConn and No. 17 St. John's next.

Kansas State

The headline moment of All-Star Weekend didn’t come from a dunk, a logo three, or the league’s new tournament format. It came when Stephen Curry stepped onto the floor wearing Klay Thompson’s signature shoes.

Silver, sparkling KT 11s, customized to celebrate the four championships they won together. Title years etched into the design. A nod to Klay scoring 37 points in a quarter, still the all-time record, stamped on the back. A tribute shining under arena lights before a single shot went up. And the timing made it even more meaningful. Just days earlier, Thompson had signed a lifetime deal with ANTA, one of the rarest honors in basketball sneaker history. Curry didn’t just congratulate his former teammate privately. He showed up on the biggest stage of the weekend wearing Klay’s shoes.

For a player as brand-aligned as Curry, whose Under Armour partnership helped build an entire signature empire, switching shoes, even briefly, isn’t something that happens without some thought. This wasn’t a sponsorship obligation or rollout strategy. It was Curry giving flowers in real time.

And it doubled as a homecoming moment. The game took place in Los Angeles, where Klay grew up and first built his basketball identity before becoming a Warrior and eventually a four-time champion. So while Thompson may not have been on the floor as an All-Star, his presence still found its way onto the court through the teammate who shared every major chapter of that journey.

Klay’s lifetime deal itself tells the story of a career built differently. Back in 2015, while most stars chased Nike or Adidas contracts, Thompson partnered with ANTA and quietly built one of the most successful basketball brands in Asia. Over twelve years, he’s sold more than ten million pairs across eleven signature models, turning “China Klay” from internet joke into genuine cultural icon through tours, clinics, and real connection with fans.

Lifetime sneaker contracts are reserved for a tiny circle: Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Dwyane Wade, Damian Lillard. Now Klay Thompson joins that list, proof his global impact goes far beyond whatever his current box scores read in Dallas. They built a dynasty together, taking four rings and inspiring an entire generation along the way.

The Splash Brothers redefined basketball’s geometry. And in the middle of All-Star Weekend, Curry let Klay’s shoes shine. A quiet thank-you from one legend to another, proof that some bonds don’t fade when teammates go separate ways.

Anthony Edwards was named Most Valuable Player of the NBA All-Star Game as the USA Stars beat the USA Stripes 47-21.

The Minnesota Timberwolves guard scored 32 points and added nine rebounds and three assists to claim the Kobe Bryant Trophy.

In the 75th edition of the NBA All-Star Game there was a change from the traditional Eastern Conference against Western Conference format.

A new round-robin tournament consisted of four 12-minute games between two sides from the United States - one filled with young players and the other with veteran stars - and one group of international players.

Edwards, 24, along with Oklahoma City Thunder's Chet Holmgren, each scored eight points as the Stars dominated the championship game while team-mate Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers scored nine.

"It means a lot," Edwards said of his MVP award. "I love Minnesota, and I know Minnesota loves me. I said I wasn't going to put on a show for them but I gave them a show."

The Stripes missed their first 10 shots in the final as the younger Stars team raced into a 12-1 lead. The Stars later added a 15-0 run for a 33-9 advantage as the veterans were well beaten.

NBA all-time scoring leader LeBron James, 41, who was making his 22nd appearance in the All-Star Game, added five for the Stripes.

In the round-robin opener at Los Angeles Clippers' Intuit Dome, Edwards scored 13 points as the USA Stars beat the World team 37-35.

Yet he was afterwards keen to highlight the performance of San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama, with the Frenchman producing 14 points, six rebounds and three blocks in his side's defeat.

"I ain't going to lie, Wemby set the tone," said Edwards. "He came out hard and we had to follow that. We had to pick it up and we did that."

The World team were without injured stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander while Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic combined for only two points, two rebounds and two assists.

They lost the third game 48-45 to the Stripes, meaning they were eliminated and the final would be a repeat of the second game, which the Stripes had won 42-40.

The new format was seen as a success after criticism of recent editions being lacklustre.

Former US President Barack Obama, who was courtside, said: "I know a lot of people have been concerned about the All-Star Game, not seeing as much effort. But we saw it."