Category: Basketball

The Cleveland Cavaliers couldn’t stop what has been a bad Orlando Magic offense on Wednesday, which led to their 128-122 defeat.

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

	Offensive Rating	Effective Field Goal Percentage	Offensive Rebounding Percentage	Offensive Turnover Percentage	Free Throw Rate
Cavs	128.4, 86th percentile	59%, 75th percentile	28%, 47th percentile	10.5%, 84th percentile	19.1, 42nd percentile
Magic	133.7, 92nd percentile	58.8%, 74th percentile	25%, 31st percentile	6.3%, 98th percentile	32.9, 92nd percentile

Now, let’s dive into the numbers.

• The Magic converted 21 of their 25 shots at the rim (84%, 92nd percentile). The Cavs had no answer for Orlando’s size. They desperately missed Jarrett Allen in this one.
• Orlando outscored Cleveland by 11 points at the free-throw line. The Magic were able to get to the free-throw line often, going 28-37 (75.7%). Meanwhile, the Cavs couldn’t get to the line and had trouble converting when they did, going 17-26 (65.4%).
• Evan Mobley went 2-7 from the charity stripe. He’s struggled with his free-throw shooting all season, as he came into this game converting 63.4% at the line. This is a sizeable dip from shooting 72.5% last season.
• The Magic turned it over just six times. You’re going to have a good offense if you get to the basket, the line, and keep possession of the ball.
• Orlando had their seventh-best offensive rating for a game this season (133.7). They did this without the benefit of shooting well from beyond the arc. They converted just 34.3% of their three-pointers.
• Desmond Bane scored 11 of his game-high 35 points in the fourth quarter. His off-balance three with 18 seconds left ended Cleveland’s chance of a comeback.
• Donovan Mitchell struggled to find his shot in the fourth quarter, going 2-8 from the field in that frame. This wasn’t Mitchell’s most efficient game. He still scored 25 points, but he wasn’t able to establish the offensive rhythm we’re used to seeing.
• James Harden — who scored a team-high 30 points — took just two shots from the field in the fourth quarter. Harden has ceded the scoring burden to Mitchell, particularly in the clutch. However, on a night like this where he had it going, the Cavs needed him to call his own number more down the stretch.
• Keon Ellis went 5-8 from three. He did exactly what you wanted him to do offensively, as he finished with 20 points.
• Dennis Schroder provided 0 points. He’s struggled in his last three outings. He’s combined for just six points on 2-11 shooting in his previous three games combined.
• Jaylon Tyson struggled once again, providing just four points.
• Dean Wade was scoreless and registered a team-worst plus/minus of -10. He isn’t in there to score, but you’d like to see him take more than two shots. Wade also struggled to contain Paolo Banchero, who finished with 25 points.
• Cleveland converted 83.3% of their shots at the rim (91st percentile). This was a good outing for the offense despite the loss. They were able to spread Orlando’s formidable defense out and create lanes to attack the paint.

CHICAGO (AP) — Tariq Francis scored 29 points to lead No. 14 seed Rutgers over 11th-seeded Minnesota 72-67 on Wednesday night in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.

Rutgers (14-18) faces sixth-seeded UCLA on Thursday.

Jamichael Davis hit a 3-pointer with 6:47 to play that gave Rutgers the lead for good. It was part of a 17-5 run that pushed the Scarlet Knights' advantage to 64-57 with 1:53 remaining. Emmanuel Ogbole's dunk capped the surge, and the Scarlet Knights then shot 8 of 8 from the free-throw line to seal it.

Francis shot 9 of 16 from the floor and made five 3-pointers. Davis added 13 points and hit three 3s to go with six assists. Ogbole finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. Harun Zrno also made two 3s to help Rutgers set a program record with 10 made 3-pointers in a conference tournament game.

Cade Tyson scored 18 of his 24 points in the second half for Minnesota (15-17). Bobby Durkin added 15 points and Grayson Grove 10.

Grove scored all 10 of his points in the first half for Minnesota, which shot 52% (12 of 23) for a 31-29 halftime lead. Francis made four 3s and scored 16 points for Rutgers.

Minnesota won at home in the regular-season matchup against Rutgers, 80-61.

Up next

Rutgers plays on Thursday against No. 6 seed UCLA, which beat the Scarlet Knights 98-66 on Feb. 3.

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OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Ivan Demidov broke a tie with 7:20 left, Jacob Fowler made 32 saves and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Ottawa Senators 3-2 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory.

Demidov scored off Alex Newhook's rebound and Montreal held on a night after beating Toronto 3-1 at home.

Juraj Slafkovsky and Alexandre Texier also scored for Montreal, with Demidov assisting on Slafkovsky's power-play goal in the first period.

Texier tied it at 2 on a wraparound with 2:31 left in the second.

Drake Batherson scored twice for Ottawa. Linus Ullmark stopped 20 shots.

Montreal’s Jake Evans played his 400th NHL game.

Up next

Canadiens: Host San Jose on Saturday night.

Senators: Host Anaheim on Saturday.

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NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Trey Murphy III scored 28 points, Dejounte Murray added 27 and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Toronto Raptors 122-111 on Wednesday night, spoiling Brandon Ingram's return to the city where he played for six seasons.

Murray had his highest-scoring game since his return from a torn right Achilles tendon that sidelined him for more than a year. Zion Williamson added 19 points for the Pelicans, who have won seven of 10.

In his first game at New Orleans since he was traded to Toronto in February of last year, Ingram finished with 22 points. The 10-year veteran also surpassed 11,000 points for his career.

Immanuel Quickley scored 25 points for Toronto, which has lost six of eight. This defeat dropped the Raptors from fifth to seventh in the Eastern Conference, one-half game behind Orlando and Miami.

Murphy shot 8 of 12 from the field and 5 of 8 from 3-point range. Both teams made 14 3-pointers, but New Orleans did it on 29 attempts (48.3%) and Toronto needed 44 (31.8%).

The Pelicans led 60-58 at halftime and expanded their lead to 18 points in the third quarter. The Raptors got back within two early in the fourth, but New Orleans responded with an 8-0 run and Toronto never got closer than six the rest of the way. Murphy put it away when he hit a 3 with 2:19 left for a 116-101 lead.

During the first quarter, the Pelicans played a video tribute to Ingram, who averaged 17.6 points and made his first All-Star Game during his time in New Orleans.

Up next

Raptors: Host Phoenix on Friday.

Pelicans: At Houston on Friday.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t have enough tonight against the Orlando Magic.

All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

James Harden

30 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 4 turnovers

Harden was in full maestro mode tonight. He abused Orlando’s defense for 30 points on 11-16 shooting, showing no signs of trouble against Paolo Banchero. The Cavs maybe would have benefited from treating this like a retro-Rockets game from Harden. He was the only creator in the offense that felt consistently good.

With that said, I have to crush both Harden and Mitchell for their defense. The point of attack has been a massive weakness recently. It starts with the backcourt.

Grade: B

Donovan Mitchell

25 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 turnovers

This is one of those games where I felt the stats were worse than they looked for Donovan. He had some great highlights, including a filthy windmill gather over Banchero. But he also galringly missed Evan Mobley under the basket at one point. And he attempted some shots that I can only describe as rushed. His 25 points came on 24 field goal attempts (granted, a few of them were taken in desperation at the end of the game).

As mentioned, both Mitchell and Harden take a hit for their defense tonight.

Grade: C-

Evan Mobley

18 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks

The first quarter was a weird one for Mobley. He missed a few easy shots and got into early foul trouble. The fouls remained an issue, but he eventually found his touch. Still, it’s obvious how much the Cavs miss Jarrett Allen to help protect the paint. Mobley can only do so much on his own.

Grade: B

Jaylon Tyson

4 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists

Not a good one from Tyson. He shot 1-4 and only played 18 minutes. I think he should have gotten a longer leash, but he didn’t do anything in his minutes to make Kenny change his mind.

Grade: D

Dennis Schroder

0 points, 2 assists

Yikes. This might have been the worst game Schroder has played as a Cavalier. He picked up 4 fouls and shot 0-5 in just 18 minutes.

Grade: F

Sam Merrill

13 points, 2 assists, 4 rebounds

Merrill wasn’t great at containing the point of attack defensively. He did, however, nail 2-5 three-point attempts while converting all of his attempts inside of two-point range.

Grade: B–

Keon Ellis

20 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block

Ellis has scored 39 points across his last two games. He shot 5-8 from downtown tonight and delivered a barrage that nearly stole this from Orlando.

Grade: A+

Dean Wade

0 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block

A classic stinker from Wade. We’ve seen this type of game before, even if I maintain that Wade is an otherwise positive contributor more often than not. These nights still happen.

Grade: F

Thomas Bryant

12 points, 5 rebounds

Bryant gave the Cavs everything he could in 19 minutes. They needed him to contribute with Mobley in foul trouble and Allen on the bench. Can’t ask for much more.

Grade: A

The Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Orlando Magic 128-122 in a game that didn’t feel as close as it looked. Let’s go over today’s winners and losers.

LOSER – Foul Trouble

Do you like free throws?

If you answered yes, then the last two nights of NBA basketball must have been a dream. As for the rest of us, this is getting old.

I’m not here to complain about the whistle. Refs miss calls all the time, though, I will point out that Cleveland has had to (successfully) use both of their challenges more than a few times recently. Simply getting it right the first time would be preferable. Not T’ing up a player for being upset about the umpteeth incorrect call is even better.

And if you really want to do your job, maybe get a crucial out-of-bounds call right at the end of the game. There are a million cameras in the arena. We review countless plays each game. Why does Kenny Atkinson need a third challenge to get the correct call?

Now that’s out of my system, let’s talk about where the Cavs are at fault.

Protecting the paint starts with securing the perimeter. Free paths to the basket can put your helpside defense into awkward positions. Orlando’s runway drives to the rim took full advantage of this tonight. The Cavs couldn’t seal the gaps, and Evan Mobley was routinely tasked with having to clean things up. That resulted in four fouls to start the third quarter for Mobley.

Naturally, the game changes when your defensive anchor is in foul trouble. Not having Jarrett Allen makes it worse. The Magic continued to attack the paint, knowing that Mobley was at a disadvantage. And the game grew chippier as it went on.

WINNER – James Harden vs The Mismatch

Orlando opened this game with Paolo Banchero defending James Harden. It’s honorable for the opposing team’s best player to accept a defensive challenge like this. Was it a good idea? Probably not.

Harden didn’t appear bothered at all by Banchero. In fact, he actively hunted him in isolation. Harden accelerated around PB multiple times in the first half en route to 16 points on 6-9 shooting. We saw some classic drives to the basket and stepback jumpers from Harden along the way.

The Cavs’ offense never felt like it was fully rolling tonight. The Magic did a fine job of turning this game into a rock fight. Harden delivered the only moments that felt smooth. He felt little resistance getting around Banchero and was just as successful whenever he drew Wendell Carter Jr. onto the perimeter, too.

Harden finished with 30 points (11-16 shooting) and 8 assists.

Drawing and beating mismatches will prove valuable in the playoffs. We’ve known for a full decade that Harden thrives in those scenarios. It’s good to see it in Cleveland, even with a loss.

LOSER – Spacing

Okay, listen, you’re gonna have to bear with me on this. Because if it wasn’t for a late surge of three-point shooting from the Cavs, this category would have made perfect sense.

Before Cleveland’s near comeback in the final minutes, the Cavs had been shooting 12-35 from downtown. Not too shabby, but certainly not great.

Now let’s add more context.

Orlando made their goal pretty clear tonight. Pack the paint defensively and funnel to the ball to Cleveland’s role players. That put pressure on Dean Wade, Jaylon Tyson, Dennis Schroder, and even Evan Mobley to space the floor and make plays. They all combined to sh00t 0-5. That speaks for itself.

Other players did step up. In fact, it was Keon Ellis going ballistic in the final frame that snapped the Cavs back to life. Sam Merrill and James Harden were plenty efficient, as well. But if you focus on the players whom Orlando dared to beat them — you can see why the Magic had success.

Cleveland’s offense sputtered throughout the night. Sometimes, you just need a barrage of three-pointers to get you out of the ditch. That barrage came just a few minutes too late.

The Cleveland Cavaliers dropped a chippy game to the Orlando Magic 128-122 due to their inability to defend the paint and clutch shot-making from Desmond Bane.

The Magic have a bad offense. They can’t shoot from the outside and don’t have many playmakers. They do, however, have size, and that was an issue for a Cavs team that desperately missed Jarrett Allen, who sat out this game with a knee injury.

Orlando set the tone early, scoring 38 points in the first quarter while going 11-12 in the paint and attempting seven shots at the free-throw line. They were able to consistently outmuscle the Cavs’ smaller defenders, which became a theme for the entire evening.

The Cavs were able to take advantage of their smaller, faster lineup on the other end of the court at the beginning of the night, but they weren’t able to keep pace for 48 minutes.

The three-ball being average for most of the evening and leaving far too many points at the free-throw line (17-26, 34.3%) eventually did the offense in. After scoring 35 points in the first quarter, they were held to just 27 the next two, which wasn’t enough considering how poorly their own defense was playing.

The Cavaliers went into the second half tied, but lost their grip on the game at the start of the third quarter. Bane’s 12 points on 4-4 shooting in that frame had a lot to do with that. Orlando pushed its lead to 10 at the end of the third quarter.

The Magic carried that momentum into the fourth. They extended their advantage to 12 at the halfway point of the final frame, before the Cavs attempted a comeback that was far too late in the making.

Cleveland cut the deficit to two with threes on four-straight possessions to make it a two-point game with 39 seconds left. They needed one more stop to give themselves a chance to tie or take the lead, but Bane had other ideas. He hit a tough, off-balance triple with a hand in his face late in the shot clock to put the game away.

Earlier this week, Kenny Atkinson said he wanted to see the role players step up to claim a spot in the playoff rotation. Ellis seems to have taken that message to heart. He was the unquestioned best Cavalier on the defensive end and more than did his job offensively. Ellis poured in 20 points on 6-9 shooting with 12 of them coming in the fourth quarter.

James Harden led Cleveland in scoring with 30 points on an efficient 11-16 shooting with eight assists and four turnovers.

Donovan Mitchell wasn’t able to establish his usual rhythm and was inefficient in the clutch. He went just 2-8 from the field in the final quarter. Mitchell finished the game with 25 points on 9-24 shooting with five assists and three turnovers.

Evan Mobley had a solid night from the field, but being in foul trouble and not being able to convert from the free-throw line (2-7) kept him from being as effective as you’d like. He ended the evening with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists.

Bane led the Magic with a game-high 35 points on 12-19 shooting. Paolo Banchero provided 25 points in the victory.

The victory extends the Magic’s winning streak to five. The Cavs are now up 2-1 in the season series against Orlando. Their final meeting of the regular season will be Tuesday, March 24.

The Cavs are back in action on Friday when they head on the road to take on the Dallas Mavericks. Tip-off is at 7 PM.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Former Michigan linebackers coach Chris Partridge sued the university, its board of regents and its athletics director Wednesday for firing him in 2023 while the NCAA investigated allegations of in-person scouting and sign-stealing.

Partridge's lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Michigan argues that his “termination was wholly unjustified and without legitimate cause," saying that the school violated his Fourteenth Amendment right to due process.

“The University of Michigan unjustly terminated Partridge’s employment and spread false and damaging information regarding his professional conduct, tarnishing Partridge’s hard-earned reputation and inflicting irreparable harm on to his career and personal well-being,” the lawsuit said.

Michigan did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press requesting comment. The Big Ten declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Partridge was fired from Michigan in November 2023 as the NCAA investigated allegations that former university staffer Connor Stalions purchased tickets to scout the school's opponents and sent people to those games to record teams signaling in their plays. In-person scouting is banned by the NCAA. Stalions resigned earlier that month.

In 2025, the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions determined that Stalions had orchestrated a scouting scheme for years. It also found recruiting violations and fined the school millions of dollars. Partridge was largely cleared of any wrongdoing.

But just after Partridge's firing, rumors swirled about why he was let go. He took to social media at the time to say that he had no knowledge of any scouting scheme and that he was fired for failing to abide by the school’s directive to avoid discussing the inquiry with “anyone associated with the program.”

“Additionally, at no point did I destroy any evidence related to the ongoing investigation,” he had said in an online post.

Partridge went on to serve as outside linebackers coach for the Seattle Seahawks, helping them clinch a Super Bowl win last month.

The lawsuit states that Partridge was told by the university that he was fired for telling a player that he should “get an attorney," despite being instructed not to communicate with the athletes during the investigation.

Partridge confirmed that he did say that to a player. But, he said in the lawsuit, the football staff was never told to stop communication with players, which would have caused the football program to “come to a screeching halt.”

“Partridge was a scapegoat who was wrongly fired simply because he told a player he had the right to have counsel,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit also said that the school smeared his reputation, including when some athletics department employees and at least one Board of Regents member told a sportswriter that Partridge was fired for “destroying evidence." That information was then reported by several news organizations, including the AP, which cited reporting by Yahoo Sports that Partridge "allegedly tried to cover up evidence."

Partridge was fired just before the Wolverines became football national champions. One day after he was fired, the school and the Big Ten Conference agreed that then head coach Jim Harbaugh would serve the final two games of his three-game suspension in return for the conference ending its investigation into the sign-stealing allegations.

The lawsuit seeks damages to be determined at trial, along with clearing Partridge’s name and reputation.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Robert McCray V scored 30 points and Florida State continued its winning ways beating California 95-89 in the second round of the ACC Tournament on Wednesday.

The eighth-seeded Seminoles (18-14) advance to play top-seeded Duke on Thursday in the quarterfinals.

McCray finished shooting 10 of 17 — including a thunderous windmill dunk off a steal. Lajae Jones scored 15 points, Chauncey Wiggins 14 and reserve Kobe MaGee scored all of his 13 in the first half.

Dai Dai Ames scored 27 points, Chris Bell 17, Justin Pippen 15, John Camden 11 and Lee Dort grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds for ninth-seeded Cal (21-11).

Cal darted to a 9-2 lead before the Seminoles took control. Florida State went on a on a 13-4 run and took the lead for good on a MaGee 3-pointer with 12:13 before halftime.

Florida State shot 53% (18 of 34) including 7 of 14 — after missing its first five — from 3-point range in the first half. Cal shot 41% (11 of 27) including a paltry 27% (3 of 11) from past the arc in the first half.

The Seminoles led 46-32 at halftime and stretched their lead to 56-39 with 16:31 left.

Florida State has won 11 of its last 14 against conference foes since dropping its first five to start ACC play.

Cal has lost three of its last four and now sweats its potential NCAA Tournament berth fate.

Up next

Florida State: Advances to the quarterfinals.

Cal: Awaits Selection Sunday.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Malik Dia scored 23 points, AJ Storr added 18 off the bench, and 15th-seeded Mississippi knocked off No. 10-seed Texas 76-66 in the second round of the SEC Tournament on Wednesday night.

Mississippi, led by former Texas coach Chris Beard, put a dent in the Longhorns' NCAA Tournament aspirations. The Longhorns (18-14) were thought to be among the last handful of teams in consideration for an at-large bid. After losing five of their last six games, their hopes are fading.

Texas, which trailed by 11 points at halftime got eight points from Jordan Pope in the early minutes of the second half and it was his 3-pointer that had the Longhorns within 53-48 about seven minutes into the half.

Like they did for much of the second half, the Rebels (13-19) answered the Texas push with a rally of their own. Ilias Kamardine scored six points in a 7-0 run that had Ole Miss up by double digits again at 60-48. Texas chipped away over the next six minutes — mostly at the free throw line —and it was 66-63 with four minutes remaining.

Storr then scored eight points over the final 2 1/2 minutes while Texas only managed a free throw from Dailyn Swain and a dunk by Nic Codie.

Texas made 12 of 15 free throws in the second half, 21 of 25 for the game.

Kamardine scored 16 points and James Scott had 10 for Ole Miss.

Swain had 22 points and 12 rebounds for Texas. Pope scored 16 and Matas Vokietaitis added 10.

Up next

Ole Miss moves on to play seventh-seeded Georgia on Thursday. No. 2-seed Alabama awaits in the quarterfinals.

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BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) — Nasir Whitlock scored 18 points, Joshua Ingram and Edouard Benoit each added 15, and second-seeded Lehigh beat No. 4 seed Boston University 74-60 on Wednesday night to win the Patriot League Tournament and clinch its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2012.

Hank Alvey added 14 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two blocks for Lehigh (18-16).

Ingram hit a 3-pointer and Whitlock followed with a step-back jumper to make it 13-12 and the Mountain Hawks led the rest of the way.

Ben Defty made 8 of 11 from the field and finished with 21 points and eight rebounds for BU (17-17). Michael McNair added 14 points, Chance Gladden 11 and Donte Tisinger Jr. 10.

Gladden hit a logo 3-pointer at the buzzer Sunday to help BU beat No. 1 seed Navy 73-72.

The Terriers won the 2020 conference tournament, but the ensuing NCAA Tournament was canceled due to COVID.

Up next

BU: Season complete.

Lehigh: Awaits its seeding and opponent for the NCAA Tournament.

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CHICAGO (AP) — Nick Martinelli scored 28 points, Jake West added 18 and 15th-seeded Northwestern knocked off No. 10-seed Indiana 74-61 on the second day of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday.

The Wildcats (15-18) trailed 37-36 at halftime then held cold-shooting Indiana to 24 points in the second half. Northwestern now has a seven-game winning streak against the Hoosiers (18-14).

Martinelli made 5 of 7 shots early in the second half while Indiana was mired in a 2-for-11 shooting slump, leading to a 57-47 Northwestern lead with 10 minutes remaining.

Jordan Clayton made one free throw for a 70-52 Wildcats lead with about 5 1/2 minutes left. Both teams limped home from there, with the Wildcats missing their last seven shots and Indiana making only 1 of 4 down the stretch.

At one point in the second half the Hoosiers went six minutes without making a shot and they went 3 for 15 from the field in the final 14-plus minutes.

Lamar Wilkerson scored 17 points and Tayton Conerway had 14 for Indiana. Tucker DeVries had eight rebounds and six assists but was only 2-for-9 shooting for six points.

Northwestern led only once in the first half, when Tyler Kropp's 3-pointer gave the Wildcats a 33-32 lead with 2:49 remaining before halftime. Nick Dorn responded with a 3 for Indiana and the Hoosiers went on to lead 37-36 at the break.

The Hoosiers have lost six of their last seven games.

Up next

Northwestern plays seventh-seeded Purdue on Thursday. No. 2 seed Nebraska awaits in the quarterfinals.

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LeBron James’ return to the Lakers lineup is still up in the air heading into Thursday’s game against the Bulls.

On Wednesday’s injury report, LeBron is listed as questionable yet again. He is still listed with both a right hip contusion and left foot arthritis.

The addition to the injury report is Marcus Smart, who is listed as doubtful with a right hip contusion.

Lakers’ injury report vs. Chicago tomorrow. Marcus Smart has been added and is listed as doubtful: pic.twitter.com/Yqi26K3QDy

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) March 12, 2026

LeBron has missed the last three games after initially injuring his elbow against the Nuggets. However, it’s his foot that has kept him out of recent games. The hip contusion is an entirely new injury that only surfaced during his absence.

Jaxson Hayes was a very late scratch for Tuesday’s game against the Wolves but looks set to return to the lineup. Maxi Kleber, however, is still listed as questionable with a back strain. He has also been dealing with back soreness for multiple games.

Smart’s addition is entirely new. After injuries in recent years that limited his availability, he has played in 41 of the Lakers’ last 42 games. In short, injuries have not been nearly as much of an issue this season.

Thursday’s opponent in the Bulls have been one of the worst teams in the league since the trade deadline. They did not win a game in February and have just three wins since late January.

But taking anyone lightly in the NBA can result in a loss, something the Lakers have learned firsthand this year. Fortunately, it’s not been a trait they’ve had of late, so regardless of who is available, the Lakers should be able to still take care of business.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

Arizona State is parting ways with longtime men's basketball head coach Bobby Hurley, athletics director Graham Rossini announced on Wednesday, March 11.

"Bobby Hurley has made incredible contributions to the sport of basketball, and that certainly includes many memorable moments during his time as our head coach," Rossini said in a statement. "While we will not be extending his contract, we are so grateful for the 11 years that Coach, Leslie, Cameron, Sydney, Bobby Jr., and he spent with us at ASU.

"We wish Coach well moving forward and we are thankful for his leadership while at ASU."

According to multiple reports, Hurley is expected to be placed on administrative leave until his contract expires in June. He leaves as the second-winningest coach in program history behind only Ned Wulk with a 185-167 record in 11 seasons.

The announcement comes just hours after the Sun Devils were eliminated from the Big 12 tournament in a 91-42 blowout loss to No. 7 Iowa State.

Arizona State had a promising start to the season after finishing runner-up at the Maui Invitational and losing a closely contested game against Gonzaga. They couldn't find consistency from then on, however.

That was evident in January, where a pair of crucial conference wins at home against Kansas State and Cincinnati sandwiched a stretch of key losses to Houston, West Virginia and Arizona, none of which was particularly close.

The Sun Devils finished the season with a 17-15 record and entered the Big 12 tournament as the last place seed.

"I don't have any regrets," Hurley told reporters after the game. "I laid it out on the line the best I could every night."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Arizona State parting ways with men's basketball coach Bobby Hurley

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

The Golden State Warriors have a serious decision to make this offseason: should they re-sign Kristaps Porziņģis? The former All-Star has looked brilliant when on the court with the Dubs, following a deadline deal that sent Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks.

But staying on the court has been an issue. He’s appeared in just three games in his month-plus with the team, and has now had an issue suiting up every year for the last decade. The talent is tantalizing, and there’s no doubt that he’s an excellent fit with the team. But is he worth committing to beyond this year, especially if his All-Star talent drives up his price? Let us know how you feel!