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Zion Williamson is putting in work since the All-Star break, pushing the New Orleans Pelicans out of the Western Conference basement with 10 wins in their last 16 games.

With no first-round draft pick, New Orleans lacks an incentive to tank down the stretch, and Williamson is stacking the box score with points, rebounds, and assists.

Our Pelicans vs. Knicks predictions single out that latter stat — assists — with my NBA picks calling for Zion to pump up his playmaking at MSG tonight.

Pelicans vs Knicks prediction

Pelicans vs Knicks best bet: Zion Williamson Over 2.5 assists (-115)

Since coming off a minutes restriction in January, Zion Williamson has been a force, but he’s done so with the New Orleans Pelicans being selective about his usage, running the offense through him — not necessarily for him.

For all his sound and fury at the rim, Williamson is an underrated passer.
 
He generates 6.3 potential assists per game, trickling down to an average of 3.3 dimes. He’s dished out 3+ assists in 21 of his last 34 outings, including four helpers in the loss at Cleveland on Saturday.

Tonight’s player projections range between 3.4 and 4.4 assists for Zion.

Pelicans vs Knicks same-game parlay

The New York Knicks are in pursuit of the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, which would earn them home court if they run into Boston in the playoffs. Game models have the Knicks getting by the Pelicans tonight.

Mikal Bridges is one of the streakiest scorers in the NBA. New York's small forward seems to have snapped another cold shooting slump with a 6-for-11 night and 14 points in the win over Washington. He’s projected for a similar stat line tonight.

Pelicans vs Knicks SGP

• Knicks moneyline
• Zion Williamson Over 2.5 assists
• Mikal Bridges Over 12.5 points

Our "from downtown" SGP: Zion’s Garden Party

Superstars tend to get up to play at MSG. Zion’s projections lean toward 21 points and three assists, and let’s not forget how explosive a shot blocker he is. The Pelicans have also been one of the better ATS bets over the past month and a half.

Pelicans vs Knicks SGP

• Pelicans +8.5
• Zion Williamson Over 20.5 points
• Zion Williamson Over 2.5 assists
• Zion Williamson Over 0.5 blocks

Pelicans vs Knicks odds

• Spread: Pelicans +8.5 | Knicks -8.5
• Moneyline: Pelicans +280 | Knicks -360
• Over/Under: Over 231.5 | Under 231.5

Pelicans vs Knicks betting trend to know

The Pelicans have covered the spread in 20 of their last 30 games for +10.10 units and a 31% ROI. Find more NBA betting trends for Pelicans vs. Knicks.

How to watch Pelicans vs Knicks

Pelicans vs Knicks latest injuries

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PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods has put himself into the lineup Tuesday night for his Jupiter Links team in the TGL final, waiting until the last day to make his first appearance in the tech-infused indoor league.

Woods has been at every match as a captain and a cheerleader while recovering from a seventh back surgery last October. He has gone more than a year since competing anywhere because of a ruptured Achilles tendon in March 2025.

Jupiter Links lost the opening match Monday night in the best-of-3 final against Los Angeles and now has to win two matches at the SoFi Center.

Wood said last week after Jupiter won to reach the finals he has been trying to play the matches.

“I’ve been trying to come back. But it just hasn’t worked out that way,” he said. “I’ve had a bad run of injuries last year. I think it’s been a year and a few days since I blew out my Achilles. And so then I’ve had two back operations. So it’s been a little rough go. But the guys here, this team, we have so much fun, I really don’t want to screw up the lineup, I just want these guys to keep playing.”

Woods will be replacing Kevin Kisner, who was on the losing end of the decisive hole in singles. Jupiter had a 5-4 lead when Los Angeles threw the hammer — meaning the hole was worth two points — for the par-5 closing hole.

Sahith Theegala had the length to easily reach the green in two and set up a two-putt birdie. Kisner, who has spent most of March in the booth for NBC's coverage of the PGA Tour, drove into the rough, laid up in the rough and hit wedge that didn't quite reach the green. His birdie chip from 20 feet to tie the hole — and win the match — narrowly missed to the left.

Woods joins Tom Kim and Max Homa for Jupiter Links. Akshay Bhatia had been filling in as an alternate, but he is in New Delhi this week on a sponsor invitation to play the Hero Indian Open.

___

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

Several former Rutgers basketball players have made their mark on the NBA this season. Dylan Harper has looked good coming off the bench for the San Antonio Spurs, while his brother, Ron Harper Jr, has contributed solid minutes to the Celtics when he was called up from the G-League. After taking some time to adjust to the NBA in the first half of the season, Dylan’s former teammate and good friend Ace Bailey is starting to prove why he was drafted so high.

Over the past few games, Bailey has scored 95 points for the Utah Jazz. He recorded 33 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists in the team’s 128-96 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. He followed that up with a 25-point game in a losing effort to the Philadelphia 76ers before scoring 37 points in a losing effort to the Toronto Raptors. He is the fifth-youngest NBA player to score 25 points per game in three straight games. The four ahead of him are LeBron James, Cooper Flagg, Carmelo Anthony, and Devin Booker.

While it is stunning how well he has done in this recent set of games, this reflects an overall trend that shows him starting to adjust to the league overall. In the 10 games the Jazz have played since the start of March, Bailey has scored at least 20 points in five of them and has had 15 or more points in all but three. His average of 21.2 points this month is his highest monthly average since joining the league. His overall shooting percentage has gone up drastically as well, as he is hitting 46.6 percent of his shots from the floor and 43.8 percent of his shots from three.

Bailey will look to continue his streak of dominance as the Jazz are set to play a very vulnerable Washington Wizards team next on their schedule.

In addition to Bailey, Dylan Harper has had a few solid outings in his last few games, recording 24 points against the Indiana Pacers and 21 points against the Miami Heat. He is still being used largely in a reserve role, recording just over 20 minutes per game in most of his appearances, while Bailey, on the other hand, has been playing around 30 minutes on average. This is largely due to the teams that each of them is on, rather than their overall skill.

The hope is that Bailey will finish the season strong and give the Jazz faithful a reason to be excited for the future while both Harper brothers continue to contribute meaningful minutes on a playoff contender.

Down a fair few key guys, the Milwaukee Bucks got an almighty butt-whooping in their second visit to LA this season, falling 129-96 to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Bucks tried hanging in there, but their lack of offensive juice became too much against the Kawhi-led Clippers. Funnily enough, this was the first game between these two sides this season; they meet on Sunday in Milwaukee for the second. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast, Bucks In Six Minutes, below.

Player Grades

Ryan Rollins

27 minutes, 13 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 5 turnovers, 6/16 FG, 1/5 3P, -37

Started well, going 5/8 in the first half (which included him taking Kawhi one-on-one and winning), but tailed off in the second half. Looked pretty fatigued, which is reflected in his turnovers. Also had nothing to slow down Darius Garland.

Grade: C+

Myles Turner

20 minutes, 7 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists, 2/7 FG, 1/5 3P, -22

I liked the looks he took from three, but they just didn’t go in. He seems to play worse without KPJ being there to get him open looks. That said, his defensive awareness was poor, losing his man a few times. Moreover, it’s not good enough to get no boards when the team gave up 11 offensive rebounds for the game. Brook Lopez dominated this matchup, ironically.

Grade: D+

AJ Green

20 minutes, 15 points, 2 assists, 4/5 FG, 4/5 3P, +4

All of his three-point attempts came in the second half, and he made the best of them. AJ has been building as of late.

Grade: B

Bobby Portis

19 minutes, 11 points, 6 rebounds, 5/12 FG, 0/2 3P, -24

Scored multiple times from his trusty wing post-ups, but looked a step slow against some of their athletes, getting burned at the rim by the likes of Jordan Miller and Kobe Sanders. He did well when he was guarded by Isaiah Jackson, though.

Grade: C-

Ousmane Dieng

26 minutes, 7 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 turnovers, 3/8 FG, 1/4 3P, -37

Way more of a mixed bag for Ous than the last game. Unlike the case with Booker, he had nothing for Kawhi (then again, it’s freaking Kawhi). Also, he was bothered by physicality, giving the ball away way more than he should have.

Grade: C+

Pete Nance

31 minutes, 11 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 5/12 FG, 1/4 3P, -14

Like Rollins, Nance started well but tailed off in the second half. Had a nice back-cut for the dunk, as well as a slam in transition (dude sneakily has bounce). And although his second half wasn’t great (3/8 shooting), it should be taken in context as to who he was out there with for most of that half.

Grade: C

Jericho Sims

19 minutes, 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 turnovers, 2/2 FG, -22

His first bad game in a minute. Jericho seemed bothered by the amount of physicality they were using, and simply wasn’t as effective as a switch defender as he had been, getting roasted by Garland in one instance. Had butter fingers catching the ball on a few occasions.

Grade: D+

Taurean Prince

19 minutes, 5 points, 6 rebounds, 2/7 FG, 1/5 3P, -22

Missed most of his shots and had some poor possessions guarding Kawhi. On one occasion, guarding him in the corner, he didn’t really even try to move his feet, instead reaching for the ball and allowing the blow-by.

Grade: D+

Gary Trent Jr.

31 minutes, 20 points, 7/13 FG, 6/10 3P, -12

A real breakout game for Gary. Granted, many of his makes came in garbage time, but still, he took each shot with the confidence of someone who’s been a regular in the rotation.

Grade: A

Andre Jackson Jr.

16 minutes, 3 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 1/1 FG, +11

Credit where it’s due, AJax came into the game and made a positive imprint, primarily through his passing. He even had a few hockey assists (when they pass to the guy who gets the assist), which he won’t get credit for. On one occasion, he made a really nice lefty hook pass off the roll-replace action to AJ Green. Even took (and made) a three with confidence, as his defender went under the screen.

Grade: A-

Doc Rivers

Eh. With what Doc had at his disposal, I can’t poke too many holes in his game; the team looked worn down, both physically and emotionally. Continuing to give Trent more minutes has been a good move. I get the decision, but starting Prince over Green isn’t the move to make if you’re looking at this from a future-focused POV. Again, not saying it’s necessarily the “wrong” decision, though.

Grade: C

Garbage Time: Thanasis Antetokounmpo,

Inactive: Kyle Kuzma, Kevin Porter Jr., Cam Thomas, Alex Antetokounmpo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Gary Harris, Cormac Ryan

Bonus Bucks Bits

• Doc referenced the team losing in Utah and then bouncing back in Phoenix as a sign that one bad night doesn’t mean they are a bad team.
• As I wrote in the rapid recap, the Bucks began the third quarter shooting 1/11 from the floor; they also shot their first free throw at the 3:59 mark (on a technical foul) since the first quarter. Yikes.
• Per Eric Nehm, This is the Bucks’ 10th loss by 25 or more points.
• The Bucks had 22 turnovers, 14 of which came in the first half.
• Darius Garland looked so much better than he did when he first came back.
• Jordan Miller and Kobe Sanders have been godsends for the Clippers.
• Bogdan Bogdanovic, who obviously has an interesting history as it relates to the Bucks, has fallen out of Ty Lue’s rotation for most of this season.

Up Next

The Bucks finish out the road trip tomorrow night in the PNW against the Blazers. Catch the game at 9:00. p.m. CDT on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin.

San Antonio is on a heater! They have now won six in a row and 22 of 24, making them the best team in the NBA over the last couple of months by a notable margin. Furthermore, many of these wins have been against good-to-excellent teams, and had last night’s game occurred a couple of weeks ago I would have counted Miami in that set.

However, the Heat’s outlook has dimmed considerably since their win over Milwaukee on March 12th, and – even though they have plenty of incentive to fight for wins over the next couple of weeks – Miami was clearly overwhelmed last night, allowing the Spurs to take firm control by halftime. Even so, the game produced a number of box score highlights, including several rare occurrences:

• San Antonio followed up its dominant rebounding performance against Indiana with an even better showing against the Heat, including a +24 edge in total rebounds and +10 margin on the offensive glass. One result of this was that the Spurs had notable advantages in offensive opportunity, including seven more field goal attempts and eight more free throws.
• Speaking of free throws, San Antonio was also excellent from the line, going 25-of-28. Even so, Miami generated a FT% margin of +5.71 percentage points by missing just one free throw in 20 attempts. Unfortunately for the Heat, their only award for this achievement is joining an ignominious club: In the 16,743 regular season games since the start of 2012-2013, this is just the 16th contest in which a team has lost by 25+ points while having a FT% of at least 95% on 20+ attempts.
• The margin of victory also seems remarkable when one considers that Miami made 16 threes, one more than the Spurs. In the same set of 16,743 regular season games this is just the 17th case in which a team lost by 25+ points while having a positive 3PM differential and making 16+ shots from distance. Of course, the reason this combination is so rare is that teams that make this many threes tend to be shooting well, which was absolutely not the case for Miami last night.
• As I already mentioned, offensive volume was a big part of the Spurs’ easy victory last night; for example, San Antonio still outscored the Heat by six at the free throw line despite Miami’s edge in FT%. Volume and efficiency were also important from the field, where the Spurs’ extra shots and +7.52 percentage-point FG% margin helped them earn a +10 FGM differential.
• Including this game, only 153 winners have had FGM and FTM differentials of at least +10 and +6 (respectively) in the 16,743 regular season contests since the start of 2012-2013. The average margin of victory in this set is just over 36 points, and only 14 other members of the group have won by 25 or less. As such, San Antonio’s win last night can be seen as an underachievement, though I won’t be losing any sleep over it.

What are Team Graded Box Scores?

Very briefly, these box scores grade winner-loser differentials for basic box score statistics, with the grade being based on the winning team’s differential relative to other NBA winners during a defined reference period. Think of it like a report card for understanding how a given winner performed relative to other winners. The reference period used runs from the start of the 2012-2013 season to the latest date of play, including only games in the same season category (i.e., regular season and playoff games are not compared to each other).

Data Source: The underlying data used to create these box scores was collected from Basketball Reference. In all cases, the data are collected the morning after the game is played. Although rare, postgame statistical revisions after data collection do occur and may affect the results after the fact.

HAFJELL, Norway (AP) — Olympic ski champion Lucas Pinheiro Braathen of Brazil adds World Cup giant slalom season title.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Suns fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Ten games left. That is all that separates the Phoenix Suns from the end of the regular season, and it brings them to a place they have never been before as a franchise, staring down the reality of the Play-In Tournament. 

It is still a relatively new wrinkle in the NBA, introduced in 2021, and Phoenix has managed to avoid it up to this point. The closest they came was in 2024, when they landed in the sixth seed and were promptly swept by Minnesota in the first round. Now it feels inevitable. The numbers back it up, with Basketball Reference giving the Suns a 91.8% chance to finish seventh in the Western Conference, which plants them firmly in Play-In territory.

A lot can shift over ten games. The NBA has a way of bending expectations when you least expect it, but the runway is short and the direction feels set. Phoenix is trending toward hosting a Play-In game, one night with everything on the line, a chance to secure the seventh seed and earn a date with the second seed out West. That reality starts to shape the way you look at the standings, because it is no longer about climbing; it is about positioning and survival. You begin scanning the teams circling that eighth spot, wondering who you would rather see, who presents the cleaner matchup, who carries the kind of chaos you want no part of. 

So let’s take a look at the group fighting for that final Play-In position, and what each potential opponent could mean for the Suns.

Los Angeles Clippers

Odds of 8th seed: 62.4%

The Clippers sit under .500 at 35–36, 4.5 games back of Phoenix for that seventh seed, and with only 11  games remaining, it is a steep climb to make up that kind of ground. It can happen – the league has a way of tightening and twisting late in the year – but the math is not in their favor. Still, they sit squarely in the conversation as a potential Play-In opponent, and they are not a team you casually dismiss.

Since December 20, the Clippers are 29–15, the sixth-best record in the NBA over that stretch, and it speaks to how they have reshaped themselves on the fly. They moved on from a significant portion of their core, sending James Harden to Cleveland and Ivica Zubac to Indiana. And instead of folding, they found a rhythm. There is structure to what they do, there is confidence in how they play, and it shows up night after night.

The Suns split the season series 2–2, although the timing of those games matters. Three of those matchups came in the opening weeks of the season, back when everything still felt fluid and undefined, and only one has come since the calendar flipped to 2026. That game, February 1, was a 117–93 Clippers win that never felt competitive.

In March, the Clippers are 8–5, a notch above the Suns at 6–6 over the same stretch, and it reinforces the idea that this is a team playing with purpose as the season tightens. If this is the matchup that materializes, it would not be comfortable and it would not be forgiving.

Portland Trail Blazers

Odds of 8th seed: 26.2%

The Portland Trail Blazers sit a half-game behind the Clippers, which sets the stage for a tight race between those two teams as the season winds down. Every night carries weight for them, every result nudges the standings, and it feels like that eighth seed could swing back and forth all the way to the finish line. They have already dropped two games to the Clippers this season, and with two more matchups remaining, including that 81st game on April 10, there is a built-in pressure point that could decide who stays afloat and who slips to ninth.

Phoenix holds a 2–1 edge over Portland this year, although the lone loss tells a story of its own. That 92–77 defeat on February 22 came under some strange circumstances. The Suns were without Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks, and rolled out a starting group of Collin Gillespie, Jalen Green, Ryan Dunn, Royce O’Neale, and Mark Williams. It never found a rhythm. The offense stalled possession after possession, the shots did not fall, and the numbers reflect it. Phoenix shot 36.5% from the field, one of their roughest nights of the season, and finished with their lowest scoring output in nine years.

It is the kind of game you log, you remember, and you try to contextualize when projecting forward. Because while the Suns have had success against Portland, they have also seen how quickly things can get muddy against them, especially when the roster is stretched and the margin for error disappears.

Golden State Warriors

Odds of 8th seed: 7.5%

Golden State feels like a team running on fumes right now. They are 2–9 in March as injuries have chipped away at their rotation, and they are hanging on more than they are building anything sustainable. From a Phoenix perspective, there is a quiet sense of relief in that, because a healthy Warriors team has a way of turning every possession into a problem. The Suns are 1–2 against Golden State this season, with their lone win coming in a tight 99–98 game on December 18.

The Warriors sit at 33–38, two games back of the eighth seed, and the path forward is narrow. It would take a real push over their final 11 games to climb into position, and they are fighting uphill in the tiebreaker scenarios as well. Portland holds the edge after taking three of four in their season series, and the Clippers have won two of three so far, with one more meeting still on the schedule.

That final Clippers game, the last game of the regular season, lingers as a potential swing point. If the standings stay tight, it could carry real weight. For now, Golden State remains in the mix, but it feels fragile, a team searching for stability at the exact moment the season demands it.

Those are the names on the board, the paths that could cross with Phoenix when the Play In lights come on. And with the Suns essentially settled into their spot, the lens shifts a bit. It is no longer about chasing, it is about watching, about tracking the chaos unfolding beneath them and seeing which version of it rises up to meet them.

So the question becomes simple, even if the answer is not. Who do you want?

That is where we are. Ten games left, and instead of scoreboard watching above, it becomes about the teams below, about rooting for outcomes that shape the cleanest path forward. Not an easy path, because nothing about this team has been easy, but the one that gives you the best chance to survive and move on.

Saints target two positions in pre-draft visits

Seems like a pattern is starting.

2026 NFL Draft: Saints Hold Valuable Trade Asset with No. 8 Pick

The trade back conversation is back.

Cameron Jordan Fuels Chiefs Rumors by Congratulating Travis Kelce on $54.7M Contract

The Cam Jordan saga continues.