NEW ORLEANS, LA - FEBRUARY 24: Gui Santos #15 of the Golden State Warriors drives to the basket during the game against the New Orleans Pelicans on February 24, 2026 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Today, Gui Santos signed a three-year, $15 million contract with the Golden State Warriors.
This time two years ago, he was playing in the G League for the Santa Cruz Warriors. He was called up in November of 2023, but was still routinely sent back to Santa Cruz. In early 2025, he made his first career start, and now, he routinely starts. Though he is now a forward, the Brazilian big man used to be a point guard, and that adjustment was one of the most important things in his journey to becoming a rotational NBA player.
“The key word for that is patience,” Santos said in a press conference yesterday. “Because when I got here, I was a point guard playing back in Brazil… and I spent the whole year in the G-league just learning how to fit in the system here.”
Santos, drafted by the Warriors with the 55th pick in 2022, has done a lot of learning and growing since joining the league. He is currently averaging 6.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. At only 23 years old, and with a bright future ahead of him, things can only go up from here.
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Alina Muller and Hannah Brandt scored in a shootout and the Boston Fleet beat the Ottawa Charge 3-2 on Saturday to break a tie for the PWHL lead.
Muller and Abby Newhook scored in regulation, and Aerin Frankel stopped 23 shots to help Boston improve to 8-3-2-2. Muller tied it at 2 on a power play with 6:34 left in regulation on a deflection off the skate of Ottawa’s Kathryn Reilly.
Rebecca Leslie scored twice for Ottawa, and Gwyneth Phillips made 21 saves. The Charge are 4-5-1-7. Leslie has 10 goals for a share of the league lead.
BOSTON, MA - FEBRUARY 27: Baylor Scheierman #55 of the Boston Celtics drives to the basket during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on February 27, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Baylor Scheierman has suffered a left thumb fracture and is questionable to appear in Saturday’s game, the Celtics announced on Saturday.
Scheierman has started the last six games for the Celtics; in that span, he’s averaged 8.7 points and 5 rebounds. He’s become an increasingly important part of the Celtics’ rotation as of late, averaging 24.3 minutes per game in February.
Jayson Tatum is OUT tomorrow.
Baylor Scheierman is questionable with a Left Thumb Fracture.
Given that the Celtics have not entirely ruled Scheierman out, it’s possible that this is an injury he plans on trying to play through. If he is sidelined, the Celtics could go with Ron Harper Jr. in the lineup again; Harper Jr missed has started two games this season, both with Jaylen Brown sidelined.
Scheierman was not previously on the Celtics injury report, so it’s likely he suffered the injury in Friday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets.
Jayson Tatum remains sidelined
There was lots of speculation that Jayson Tatum would make his season debut on Sunday, but the Celtics star remains sidelined as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles suffered last May.
Tatum could return any day in the coming weeks, but he also has maintained that he has not made an official decision about whether or not he will return this season.
Last week at Celtics practice, Tatum said he still had no set return date. He said he won’t play until he’s 100%, and didn’t disclose what percent he was at.
“I feel like I’m beating a dead horse,” Tatum said. “I’m taking it one day at a time. This is something that’s very serious. The injury that I had is just a long journey. For me, it’s just easier to take it one day at a time and see how I progress from there.”
Without Tatum, the Celtics have held up better than most expected; they have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at 39-20, and the fifth-best record in the NBA. The Celtics have won 8 of their last 10 games.
The 76ers have the 6th-best record in the East at 33-26.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - FEBRUARY 26: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers holds his hips during the game against the Miami Heat at Xfinity Mobile Arena on February 26, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Well, it turns out this was a highly-anticipated injury report for both teams.
Ahead of their showdown with the Boston Celtics on NBC Sunday, the Sixers have officially ruled out Joel Embiid for their next three games with a right oblique strain.
This happened to Embiid earlier in the week against the Miami Heat, when he got Kel’el Ware to bite on a pump fake, causing him to jump and hit Embiid in the ribs with his knee inadvertently. He didn’t really miss much of that game due to it, but he was favoring his midsection the entire rest of the contest.
After a quick 4-of-7 start the game, Embiid was clearly hampered by this. He shot 4-of-13 the rest of the night with two ugly turnovers. Here’s a clip of the play where it happened.
Joel Embiid has gone to the locker room with discomfort in his ribs from this inadvertent knee from Kel'el Ware pic.twitter.com/LMsaDiiM0r
Embiid was not a participant at the Sixers’ most recent practice. A team spokesperson told reporters that he had been feeling an increase of soreness in the area since that Heat game and still had some consulting with the team’s medical staff to do.
Joel Embiid did not participate in practice today. He’s reporting increased soreness in his right side. Meeting with medical staff and his status will be updated with the injury report later today.
Upon the release of the official report, the team announced that Embiid underwent an MRI that revealed the strain, ruling him out for the two games following Boston as well.
An MRI today revealed that Joel Embiid suffered a strained right oblique, per Sixers.
Embiid will miss the team’s next three games and be reevaluated following the upcoming back-to-back.
This once again puts the Sixers in a precarious spot as they desperately try to cling on to the sixth seed in the East. They went 1-4 in their most recent five-game stretch without Embiid, three of those losses being decisive blowouts at that. It’s also a bummer because we will again be robbed of the rematch between Embiid and Victor Wembanyama when the Spurs come to Philly early next week.
So the Sixers will be shorthanded, but at least they won’t be the first team to take on the Boston Celtics at full strength this season. Despite the rumblings and weird advertisements tied in with NBC, Jayson Tatum will not be making his season debut Sunday night.
Tatum of course hasn’t played since last May, when he tore his Achilles tendon in his right leg during Game 4 of the second round of the playoffs against the New York Knicks. It’s truly remarkable that he’s so close to returning this was even considered a possibility by some. At least the Sixers caught this break, and they won’t see Tatum unless these teams see each other in the playoffs.
ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (AP) — Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt of Germany clinched their seventh men's doubles World Cup luge overall season title Saturday, while Selina Egle and Lara Kipp of Austria claimed the women's doubles crown for the second straight season.
Wendl and Arlt were third in the men's doubles race at St. Moritz, good enough to lock up the season title with one race left. Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl of Austria won the race, with Italy’s Ivan Nagler and Fabian Malleier second.
Egle and Kipp didn't even finish in the medals; they were fifth in the women's race and still clinched their points title. Olympic champions Andrea Voetter and Marion Oberhofer of Italy won the race, with Elisa-Marie Storch and Pauline Patz of Germany second, followed by Anda Upite and Madara Pavlova of Latvia third.
In the women's singles race, Olympic champion Julia Taubitz of Germany won on Saturday and moved closer to the overall points title.
Merle Fraebel of Germany was second and Verena Hofer of Italy was third. Taubitz now has a 19-point lead over Fraebel headed into next week’s finale at Altenberg, Germany, meaning a first- or second-place finish will clinch the title regardless of what anyone else does in the race.
Austria’s Hannah Prock was only 30 points back of Taubitz entering the race — but couldn’t slide on Saturday following an emergency appendectomy. Taubitz, Fraebel and Austria’s Lisa Schulte are the only women left with a mathematical chance at the title.
Summer Britcher of the U.S. was seventh in the women’s race, and is fourth in the world rankings. Britcher is the only USA Luge athlete competing in the World Cup this weekend.
CHICAGO (AP) — Jonathan Bamba scored in the first half, and the Chicago Fire scored twice in stoppage time to secure a 3-0 win over CF Montréal in their home opener on Saturday.
Chicago (1-1) controlled the match throughout, taking a 1-0 lead into halftime after Bamba finished from the center of the box in the 27th minute. The Fire generated steady pressure and limited Montréal’s chances despite playing the final 34 minutes a man down following a red card to Jonathan Dean in the 56th minute.
The Fire secured the match in stoppage time as Hugo Cuypers converted a penalty in the 90th minute to make it 2-0, and Robin Lod added a third moments later with a finish from close range.
Chicago dominated the attacking numbers, finishing with an 18-4 advantage in shots and an 11-2 edge in on-target shots while producing 4.0 expected goals. Montréal (0-2) managed just 0.1 expected goals and rarely threatened.
Goalkeeper Chris Brady made two saves for the shutout, while Thomas Gillier kept the visitors within reach for much of the afternoon with seven saves.
The win extended Chicago’s unbeaten streak against Canadian opponents to six matches dating to 2024 and marked the Fire’s first victory of the season after opening with a road loss at Houston.
HARRISON, N.J. (AP) — Julian Hall scored to lead the New York Red Bulls in a 1-0 victory over the New England Revolution on Saturday as the 17-year-old became the youngest player in MLS history to score in each of his club's first two games of the season. Hall headed the goal in the 53rd minute for his MLS-leading third goal of the year. He received a headed assist from 16-year-old Adri Mehmeti. The initial cross came from a 17-year-old Matthew Dos Santos.
It's the second game at the helm of the Red Bulls (2-0-0, 6 points) for former US Men's National Team captain Michael Bradley.
The Red Bulls dominated possession 66 to 34 percent, and 12 shots to five for the Revolution (0-0-2, 0 points).
USMNT-capped goalkeepers Ethan Horvath and Matt Turner had two and three saves for Red Bulls and the Revolution, respectively.
Up next
Revolution: Initial home opener scheduled for March 7 with the Houston Dynamo was postponed because their field was not ready. Their new home opener and next scheduled game is March 15, against FC Cincinnati.
PHOENIX, AZ - FEBRUARY 24: The sneakers worn by Ron Harper Jr. #13 of the Boston Celtics during the game against the Phoenix Suns on February 24, 2026 at PHX Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Tre Donaldson scored 15 points, Miami took control with a huge first-half run, and the Hurricanes defeated Boston College 76-54 on Saturday.
Miami trailed 13-6 early in the first half but the Hurricanes outscored the Eagles 30-6 over the final 15 minutes to lead 36-19 at halftime. BC missed 12 of 13 shots in one stretch.
A 13-2 run near the midway point of the second half helped the Hurricanes push their lead to 55-31. Later in the half, reserve guard Noam Dovrat drilled 4 of 5 3-pointers and Miami's lead reached 27 points.
Ernest Udeh Jr. had 11 points and 12 rebounds and Tru Washington scored 14 points for Miami (23-6, 12-4). Dovrat scored a season-high 12 points. He has made 5 of his last 7 3-point tries.
Boden Kapke scored 18 points and Fred Payne and Jayden Hastings each scored 11 for Boston College (10-19, 3-13).
Miami's win squares the overall series 31-31.
Miami remains in third place in the ACC with two regular-season games remaining. The top four teams earn byes into the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament, which takes place March 10-14 in Charlotte, N.C.
Up next
Miami: The Hurricanes visit SMU on Wednesday and host No. 24 Louisville on Saturday.
Boston College: at No. 11 Virginia on Tuesday and home against Notre Dame on Saturday.
CINCINNATI (AP) — Day Day Thomas matched a career-best with seven 3-pointers and scored a season-high 26 points, Moustapha Thiam added a double-double and Cincinnati routed Oklahoma State 91-68 on Saturday.
Thomas was 7 of 11 from deep and made 5 of 6 free throws. Thomas also reached the 1,000-point mark for his career on the first of two free-throw attempts with 5:42 remaining before halftime. His 3-pointer with 8:22 left gave the Bearcats a 32-point lead midway through the second half.
Thiam scored 24 points on 10-of-18 shooting and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds. Jizzle James and Baba Miller added 11 points apiece for Cincinnati (16-13, 8-8 Big 12).
The Bearcats have won five of their last six games.
Vyctorius Miller scored 15 points to lead Oklahoma State (17-12, 5-11), which has lost six of their last seven. Kanye Clary and Jaylen Curry each added 11 points and Andrija Vukovic scored 10.
The Bearcats never trailed and had a double-digit lead on James’ 3-pointer with 11:41 left in the first half.
Up next
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys are on the road against UCF on Tuesday.
Cincinnati: The Bearcats host No. 19 BYU on Tuesday.
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Nick Martinelli scored 22 points, including the game-winner with 1.8 seconds left, for Northwestern in a 63-62 win over Oregon on Saturday afternoon.
Northwestern called a timeout with eight seconds left, down 62-61. Martinelli caught the ball and was well defended. He pivoted to the left, hooked the shot around the defender and watched the ball swirl around the rim before finally sinking.
Takai Simpkins's half-court heave for the Ducks hit the top of the backboard to end it.
Martinelli added 11 rebounds and seven assists, a career high, for the Wildcats (13-16, 5-13 Big Ten). Jayden Reid scored 11 points.
Nate Bittle scored 19 for Oregon (11-18, 4-14). Kwame Evans Jr. added 15 and Simpkins finished with 11. The Ducks led 36-29 at halftime, built on a 15-3 run to close out the first half.
Oregon continued to dominate, taking an early lead after the break from a jumper and 3-pointer from Bittle. Northwestern took the lead back off a 15-6 run with 10:56 to play.
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 7: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors smile during the game on February 7, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Golden State Warriors host the Los Angeles Lakers for their final game in the month of February. The primetime matchup is scheduled for 5:30 PM PT in San Francisco and will be broadcast on ABC.
The Warriors enter tonight’s matchup back to three games above .500 after Wednesday’s 133–112 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. It was a complete team effort from Golden State, with eight of their nine available players scoring in double figures, led by rookie Will Richard’s 21 points. That energy showed up defensively as well, as Golden State forced 16 turnovers that turned into 33 points. After the game, Brandin Podziemski — who finished second on the team with 19 points — praised the group’s collective approach.
Brandin Podziemski said his approach doesn’t change when he starts at the point for Golden State. As for the depth of double-figure scorers, “It seems like it’s been a them when we’ve won.”
The test gets tougher tonight for Golden State as they take on a Lakers team that sits 3.5 games ahead of them in the standings. The season series is split at one game each, with Los Angeles taking the most recent matchup earlier this month, 105–99.
De’Anthony Melton is expected to return after resting the second night of a back-to-back, but the Warriors will still be shorthanded. Stephen Curry has been ruled out for his 10th consecutive game, and Kristaps Porzingis — who missed the past two games due to illness — has now officially been ruled out as well.
Kristaps Porzingis will miss his fourth straight game with what the Warriors are listing as an illness @NBCSWarriors
No Steph Curry or Kristaps Porzingis against the Lakers. Draymond Green remains probable
Without their primary scoring options, the Warriors have leaned on ball movement, pace, and perimeter shooting to generate offense. Against Memphis, Golden State shot 41.3 percent from three and recorded 37 assists. Expect that approach to continue tonight against a Lakers team loaded with offensive firepower — including the NBA’s leading scorer Luka Dončić — but one that ranks 24th in the league in defensive rating (116.8).
Kerr again affirmed ball movement and pace are crucial for the short-handed Warriors to win: “That’s the formula for sure. And we’ve got to continue to plug away. I’m really enjoying coaching these guys. They’ve been great. Just the energy, the enthusiasm supporting each other.”
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Bobby Durkin, Cade Tyson and Langston Reynolds combined to score 65 points to lead Minnesota past UCLA 78-73 on Saturday.
Durkin scored 23 points exclusively on his 7 of 11 behind the arc, before hitting a pair of free throws with 12 seconds left. Tyson and Reynolds each scored 21. Tyson was 8 of 12 from the field and 3 of 5 behind the arc. Reynolds was 8 of 14 shooting to go with six assists.
The Golden Gophers (14-15, 7-11 Big Ten) have won three of their last four, with their lone loss coming to No. 3 Michigan on Feb 24.
Tyler Bilodeau poured in 32 points for the Bruins (19-10, 11-7), two shy of his career high set earlier this season. He was 13-of-21 shooting and 4 of 7 behind the arc with eight rebounds.
Eric Dailey Jr. added 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting with six rebounds. Skyy Clark had 17 and five assists. Donovan Dent tied his career high, set a week prior in an overtime win over Illinois, with 15 assists.
Up next
UCLA will host No. 12 Nebraska on Tuesday.
Minnesota will face Indiana on the road on Wednesday. ___
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 10: Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns brings the ball up court against the Dallas Mavericks at Mortgage Matchup Center on February 10, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The NBA is in a constant state of tinkering. Adam Silver is always adjusting and experimenting in real time. He’s trying to solve one problem while occasionally creating another. You see it in the NBA Cup. You see it in the All-Star Game formats that require a flow chart and a deep breath to explain. There is always a new lever being pulled, a new idea being tested under Adam Silver’s watch.
It makes you wonder how this era will be remembered in ten or twenty years. Will it be viewed as innovative? Progressive? Necessary? Or will it feel like a stretch of seasons where the league kept throwing concepts at the wall, searching for traction, with only a few actually sticking.
One of the most impactful tweaks has been the 65-game minimum for end-of-season awards, something the league instituted before the start of the 2023-24 season. We are now on year three of this arbitrary line, and the potential impact it might have on the history books is legit. Most Valuable Player. All-NBA. All-Defense. The rule is simple on its face. Play 65 games, and you qualify. Miss 18 or more, you are out. There is no gray area.
It was Silver’s response to load management, an attempt to discourage teams from strategically shelving stars in the name of preservation. The thinking was straightforward. Tie availability to legacy and tie it to contract incentives. Make it matter tangibly.
Whether it fully solved the issue is another conversation. It placed durability back into the spotlight, made it part of the awards discourse again, and forced organizations to weigh rest against recognition. Like many league-wide experiments, it addressed a real concern. The long-term ripple effects are still playing out.
Adam Silver is trying to solve a real issue, although in my opinion, he is circling around the cleanest answer without ever touching it. The solution has been sitting there the whole time. Fewer games. Reduce the total. Ease the cumulative strain. If the tax on a player’s body is lighter, the incentive to strategically rest him decreases.
This version of the NBA is not the league from twenty years ago. The pace is faster, the space is wider, and the defensive ground to cover is massive. Bigs are chasing guards on the perimeter. Guards are crashing into seven-footers at the rim. Every possession asks more of the body than it once did. Add in stretches of scheduling that still feature as many as 16 back-to-backs for certain teams, and you are almost inviting fatigue to take over.
Instead of trimming the schedule, which would impact revenue, the league landed on 65 games as the line in the sand. An arbitrary number that attempts to legislate availability rather than address the wear and tear that limits it in the first place.
And now we are staring at a strange possibility. Some of the best players in the world may not qualify for the very awards that define their seasons. Nikola Jokic. Shai Gilgeous Alexander. Luka Doncic. Kawhi Leonard. Giannis Antetokounmpo. Stephen Curry. Players who shape the league narrative could find themselves on the outside of MVP or All-NBA conversations because they land on the wrong side of a games played ledger.
That creates tension. Voters are evaluating greatness while glancing at a participation threshold. Seasons remembered with an asterisk of availability. The intent was to discourage load management, but the byproduct might be award races that feel incomplete. The league wanted stars on the floor. Everyone does. The question is whether tying legacy to 65 games addresses the root of the issue, or whether it simply reshuffles the consequences.
In a season where so many primary stars have missed chunks of time, the 65-game rule is about to open doors that in other years would have stayed closed. All-NBA spots are usually a gauntlet. This year, the math is reshaping the field. Players who might have been on the fringe in a traditional season suddenly find themselves with a clearer lane because others cannot clear the availability bar.
One of those players, had he remained fully healthy, is Devin Booker.
Booker has missed 16 games already. The margin is razor-thin. Miss two more, and the All-NBA conversation ends. Not because of production, not because of impact, but because of a ledger. Two more absences in the final 22 games, and he is mathematically disqualified. That is not to say he would be sneaking in undeservedly. His play speaks for itself. In a year where several superstars are hovering around the cutoff, his consistency when available has strengthened his case. The shifting landscape has quietly improved his odds.
Although that is the tension of this rule. It turns the stretch run into a health countdown. Every questionable tag matters. Every maintenance night carries weight. The focus drifts from performance to participation.
So now it becomes simple arithmetic. 22 games left. Two games of cushion. The difference between an All-NBA nod and watching from the outside might come down to something as routine as a sore ankle or a scheduled rest day. In a season already defined by attrition, the rule adds another layer of drama, one that has nothing to do with shot making and everything to do with availability.
