Category: Basketball

Hubert Davis is out at North Carolina.

That means one of the most well-resourced, tradition-rich jobs in all of college basketball is open.

Expect some of the sport's biggest names linked to the opening. Will UNC stay in the family like it did with Davis, Roy Williams, Matt Doherty and Bill Guthridge since Dean Smith retired after the 1997 season?

Debate: Why Todd Golden, Nate Oats should (and shouldn't) consider UNC

Follow the latest news, updates: Will UNC basketball fire Hubert Davis?

UNC announced its "change in leadership" Tuesday, less than a week after the Tar Heels blew a 19-point lead and lost to VCU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It marked the second straight year UNC was bounced in the first round.

UNC says it will conduct a "national search" for its next coach with help from search firm Turnkey ZRG, as well as take input from "former players, former coaches and supporters of UNC Athletics"

Here's a look at some possible candidates UNC may consider:

Billy Donovan, Chicago Bulls coach 

Donovan, 60, was a two-time national champion at Florida and has been in the NBA for the last 11 seasons, including six in his current capacity as head coach of the Chicago Bulls. His history as a college coach for 19 years with the Gators, including 16 straight seasons with 20 or more wins – and his NBA ties – equip him to help UNC adapt to modern college basketball. Donovan brings perspective from the best of both worlds and would be the perfect fit in Chapel Hill.

Hayes: Time to see how serious UNC is about basketball. Go get Todd Golden

Nate Oats, Alabama

If UNC wants to fix its NCAA Tournament woes, then how about a coach who’s gone to the Sweet 16 four straight years at a football school? Oats' success includes a Final Four trip in 2024, with the Tide upsetting North Carolina along the way.

Before the NCAA Tournament, Oats fielded questions from reporters about whether Alabama had the necessary NIL support. He said his program can “be competitive” in that space. His remarks didn’t leave you thinking Alabama would outspend a program like UNC. No matter how much Oats wins, football comes first at Alabama.

That’s not such a bad thing. Oats, 51, won’t face the same type of feverish expectations as Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer does. He’ll be celebrated when his teams reach the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight, instead of questioned as to why he didn’t win a national title.

However, if Oats wants to be at a school where basketball rules, he’ll need to leave Alabama.

Oats’ teams shoot a lot of 3-pointers, but they usually make a lot of 3s. They’re an offensive force. His winning ways in March go back to his years at Buffalo. His Bulls pulled off upsets in consecutive years.  

Drama accompanies Oats' program. Just this season, you had the Charles Bediako circus, then Aden Holloway’s arrest just before the tournament. That’s nothing compared to the black eye the program endured in 2023, a situation that still lingers today, with one former Alabama player facing a capital murder charge.

If you can stomach controversy, Oats wins.

Hubert Davis buyout: Contract details for Tar Heels coach

Dusty May, Michigan coach

May, 49, has built a juggernaut this season at Michigan. One of the top coaches in the sport, May led Florida Atlantic to the Final Four before taking over the Wolverines. Since making the move to the Power 5 level, May has put together fun offenses and defenses built on positional size. He's a modern coach built to lead a modern program.

Mark Byington, Vanderbilt

Byington played in college at UNC Wilmington, and he’s been an assistant within the ACC. So, he knows the terrain but wouldn’t face the type of crippling pressure that comes with coaching your alma mater. That’s a potential sweet spot.

Byington, 49, thrived at a mid-major, taking James Madison to the second round in 2024. Then, he fixed a Vanderbilt program that had been stuck in a rut for the better part of a decade. This isn’t Jerry Stackhouse’s Vanderbilt anymore. Thanks in part to Byington and some NIL support, Vanderbilt is a solid job. Byington has a top-20 recruiting class lined up for next season. He could settle in for a nice ride at Vanderbilt, but with his stock hot, if he craves a program with the loftiest of ceilings, now probably would be a good time to strike.

Other names on this list are splashier, but Byington’s career is on the rise. You could sell this hire to a fan base that knows ball.

Mark Few, Gonzaga coach

Few, 63, has done everything at Gonzaga but win a national title. Roy Williams is a mentor and friend, which could ease the sting of moving on from Hubert Davis and the “Carolina Family” coaching tree. Few has won more than 83% of his games across 27 seasons with the Bulldogs and always seems to produce high-scoring offenses and stingy defenses. It doesn’t seem likely that he’ll leave Spokane, but it would qualify as an elite hire. 

Todd Golden, Florida

Golden was ahead of the curve recognizing the power of building an older team through the transfer portal and spotting undervalued talent who’d polished their skills at mid-majors. That strategy resulted in Golden last year becoming the youngest coach to win a national championship since Jim Valvano. The 2025 Gators' stars included included Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin, who were one-time zero-star recruits before growing their game at mid-majors.

Golden’s Gators inexplicably fizzled this March. That included some bad defensive strategy from Golden in Florida's second-round loss to Iowa. Even so, Golden's stock remains as hot as Moderna on the NASDAQ.

The big question: Why would he leave? He can win at the highest level at Florida. He’s proven that. So did Donovan. And, Golden can do it at Florida without facing UNC-level pressure. Football acts as something of a heat shield for Florida basketball coaches, and yet there’s nothing a good basketball coach can’t achieve in Gainesville.

The North Carolina job is the ultimate ego stroke. If the Tar Heels promised to make Golden the sport’s highest-paid coach and to spare no expense on his roster, perhaps that’s enough to make him at least consider leaving his great situation at Florida for a premier opportunity at UNC.

Jay Wright, retired coach

Here’s the classic “Make him say no!” candidate. And, he’d probably say no, but you don’t know if you don’t ask.

Wright went out at the top of his game, retiring from Villanova in 2022 after a Final Four finish at a school where he won two national championships.

When Wright stepped down at Villanova, he didn’t pin it on NIL or the transfer portal. Instead, he explained he felt like he’d lost his competitive edge. Did four seasons away from coaching allow him to regain that edge?

If so, he could return to coaching at a program where he’ll enjoy the resources necessary to compete at the highest level, right from the jump.

Four years into his coaching retirement, Wright, 64, works as a special assistant to Villanova’s president. He’s not shown much public interest in coming back to coaching. Still, considering his resume, it’s worth kicking the tires.

Scott Drew, Baylor

Two years ago, Drew claimed a spot near the top of Kentucky’s wish list. He turned down the Wildcats, a humbling blow to UK. Two years later, you must wonder whether Drew would benefit from a restart. His Baylor team went 16-16 and got trampled within the Big 12. Drew last reached a Sweet 16 in 2021, when he produced a national title.

Take the macro view, and Drew’s Baylor accomplishments are phenomenal. He rescued from the trash bin a program that had been rocked by a deadly scandal. He took the Bears up, up, up, until they reached the top of the sport.

Zoom in, and you realize Drew’s best days at Baylor are behind him. He’s still widely respected, and if Drew, 55, is ever going to leave Baylor, right now is likely his last best chance.

Tommy Lloyd, Arizona coach 

Like Golden, Lloyd would qualify as a home-run hire. And like Golden, the buyout situation could be tricky for UNC. Lloyd, 53, has won more than 80% of his games in five seasons at Arizona. After spending 22 seasons as an assistant under Few at Gonzaga, Lloyd has become one of the top leaders in the nation. His teams are consistently good on both ends of the floor and perennial national contenders. But would a West Coast guy want to make the move across the country if things are going so well in Tucson?

Mike Malone, former NBA coach

An underrated possibility, the 54-year-old Malone is a championship-caliber coach and has a daughter who plays volleyball at UNC. He’s been around the Tar Heels’ basketball program at times and has history as a college and NBA coach. Malone led the Denver Nuggets to an NBA title in 2023.

T.J. Otzelberger, Iowa State

This here falls into the category of meat-and-potatoes hire. Otzelberger has become a wins machine in Ames, Iowa. A Midwest native, he suits Iowa State.

Iowa State does not have a rich history of Final Fours or Elite Eights. Could he level up at a program that demands banners? It’s a fair question. He tends to do more with less at Iowa State, and that’s a compliment to his abilities. Until this year, though, Iowa State typically struggles to play up to its seed line once the tournament starts.

Otzelberger builds blue-collar teams known for defense and discipline. UNC must ask itself if that’s what it craves. If it is, then Otzelberger should get a look if and when the bigger names say no.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hubert Davis fired by UNC basketball. Candidates possible coach names

Giannis Antetokounmpo has been sidelined by the Milwaukee Bucks since March 15 and even though the team has been mum in their reasoning, the National Basketball Players Association has taken notice.

According to reporting by the USA TODAY Network's Jim Owczarski, the NBPA was informed about Antetokounmpo’s availability following the Bucks’ 32-point loss in Utah on March 19. The union reportedly took issue with the Bucks and NBA seemingly not enforcing its own rules, in this case the player participation policy, and released a statement through a spokesperson on March 24.

"The Player Participation Policy was designed by the league to hold teams accountable and ensure that when an All-Star like Giannis Antetokounmpo is healthy and ready to play, he is on the court," the statement read. "Unfortunately, anti-tanking policies are only as effective as their enforcement; fans, broadcast partners, and the integrity of the game itself will continue to suffer as long as ownership goes unchecked.

"We look forward to collaborating with the NBA on meaningful new proposals that will directly address and discourage tanking."

The league introduced the player participation policy in the 2023-24 season as a way to help ensure star players were available to play as many nationally televised games as possible. Per the policy, "unless a team demonstrates an approved reason for a star player not to participate in a game, then, among other things, the team must:

• Manage its roster to ensure that no more than one star player is unavailable for the same game.
• Ensure that star players are available for all national television and NBA In-Season Tournament games.
• Maintain a balance between the number of one-game absences for a star player in home and road games.
• Refrain from any long-term “shutdowns” in which a star player stops playing games.
• If resting a healthy player, ensure that the player is present at the games and visible to fans."

Antetokounmpo hyperextended his left knee and suffered a bone bruise after landing awkwardly March 15 against the Indiana Pacers. He left the game and later told reporters he wanted to stay in, but the team's trainers advised against it because the game was already in hand.

The Bucks played a nationally televised game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on NBC on March 17, with Antetokounmpo's status changed from questionable with a left ankle sprain to out with a knee injury 90 minutes before tip-off.

Despite missing over a week and four games since, Antetokounmpo has maintained that he is healthy and wants to play.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why is Giannis Antetokounmpo sitting? NBPA questions Bucks

North Carolina basketball is on the search for a new head coach.

Hubert Davis will not return to the Tar Heels, with the coach departing days after its stunning collapse in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Davis' time in Chapel Hill ends with a 125–54 record in five seasons and one Final Four appearance. According to Davis' contract, obtained by the USA TODAY Network, North Carolina owes Davis $5.312 million for firing him as of April 1.

UNC basketball coach candidates: Who will replace Hubert Davis? Expect big names linked

Debate: Why Todd Golden, Nate Oats should (and shouldn't) consider UNC

"We appreciate all that Hubert has done for Carolina as a player, assistant coach, head coach and community leader – he has helped make special memories we will never forget,"UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham said in a statement announcing Davis' firing. "This was not an easy decision because of Hubert's tremendous character and all he has given to the program, but we must move forward in a way that allows our team to compete more consistently at an elite level."

The firing marks what has been a rough end to Davis' tenure after such a promising start. In his first season at his alma mater, taking over Roy Williams, he led the Tar Heels to the 2022 national championship game as a No. 8 seed. But UNC was unable to hold onto a double-digit lead against Kansas in the contest.

It felt like it would be the start of a successful run for Davis and keep the blue-blood as a national power, but North Carolina hasn't gotten close since then. It started the following season the No. 1 team in the country but ended up missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010.

Opinion: Time to see how serious UNC is about basketball. Go get Todd Golden

While North Carolina made the Sweet 16 in 2024, it had first round exits in each of the past two tournaments, the first time that's happened in program history. Against VCU on Thursday, March 19, the Tar Heels surrendered a 19-point lead as the Rams forced overtime, where UNC failed to make a field goal in the extra period in the eventual loss to the 11th seed.

It was the largest comeback in NCAA Tournament first round history.

Now, North Carolina begins one of the most intriguing searches in all of college basketball.

Davis was an assistant on Williams' staff for nine seasons prior to being named head coach, and was the favorite to land the job when Williams retired. With Davis lasting just five seasons, North Carolina will have to decide if it goes outside of the "Carolina family" — someone with past ties to the program — or go for a major hire.

"Hubert cares deeply for our University, and it has been inspiring to watch him instill that love and Tar Heel tradition into the players he has coached," executive associate athletic director Steve Newmark," said in a statement. "Chancellor Roberts, Bubba and I join all of the Carolina community in thanking Hubert and his family for all they have done for UNC."

The job is considered one of the highest profile roles in all of the sport, with a rich tradition, large fan base and an abundance of resources, a coach has everything they could need to succeed. But with that, it also carries tremendous pressure, with the expectation to be a national championship contender every year. The 10 seasons since its last national championship is its longest drought this century.

No matter who North Carolina hires, it will have major ripple effects to all of college basketball.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hubert Davis fired by UNC basketball after March Madness exit, search begins

CINCINNATI (AP) — Joe Flacco has agreed to terms to return to the Cincinnati Bengals, where he will serve as a backup for Joe Burrow.

Flacco was dealt to the Bengals from the Cleveland Browns in October and made six starts for Cincinnati while Burrow was out with a toe injury.

The 41-year-old Flacco played well despite going 1-5 as a starter with the Bengals. He threw for at least 200 yards in four of his six starts, and the Bengals offense averaged more than 27 points per game.

He also started the first four games for the Browns last season with two touchdowns with six interceptions.

Flacco, who was Super Bowl MVP with the Baltimore Ravens during the 2012 season, has played for the Broncos, Jets, Eagles, Jets again, Browns, Colts, Browns again and the Bengals.

He has thrown for 48,176 yards, 272 TDs and 172 INTs in 19 seasons. He is 10-6 in the playoffs with 3530 yards passing, 26 TDs and 12 INTs.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

The Cleveland Cavaliers will try to push their winning streak to four games as they take on the Orlando Magic on national TV.

Share your thoughts as the game unfolds. If you aren’t a member of the community, sign up so you can talk to your fellow Cavalier fans and make your voice heard!

Go Cavs!

Cleveland Cavaliers head coachKenny Atkinson provided an update for injured center Jarrett Allen, and it was an encouraging one.

“He’s ramped it up in the last few days,” Atkinson said before Tuesday night’s game against the Orlando Magic. “Trending positive, watched him yesterday on the court. I think we are in the last stage of getting him ready.”

Allen has now missed nine games in a row, having first felt discomfort on March 3 against the Detroit Pistons. The team has described it as tendonitis, though there has been a bit of ambiguity since it was first thought to be a banged knee. But his impending return would be a boon for the Cavs, who have missed the pick-and-roll dynamism and rim protection. That has not stopped the Cavs from finding ways to win games, however.

Evan Mobley has filled the role of center admirably with more confidence and force of late, though his inability to hit free throws leaves a lot to be desired. But the overarching theme is that his play is translating in a way that should persist even when his front-court mate is back in the starting lineup.

“When he (Mobley) goes back to the four when Allen is back, I anticipate him playing better,” Atkinson continued. “I feel like post-All-Star, Evan has just been a different character.”

Sure enough, Mobley is shooting nearly 10% better from the floor after the All-Star Break compared to prior while maintaining similar rebounds, steals, and blocks. The return of Allen will impede those numbers, surely, but the bigger question for Mobley has been aggressiveness and confidence. If that manages to continue even with Allen’s return, it would be a very positive development for the Cavs as they head toward the postseason.

The New York Knicks (47*-25) host the New Orleans Pelicans (25-47) tonight at Madison Square Garden. This matchup gives the Knicks a chance to pad their Eastern Conference standing against a weak Western team that doesn’t always play like it. Zion broke 30 points when they played last, and Dejounte Murray has given the birds a little lift since returning 10 games ago. Underestimate them at your peril, Knickerbockers.

Tonight’s tip off is 7:30 p.m. EST on MSG and NBA TV. This is your game thread. This is The Bird Writes. Please don’t post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. Be shining stars of humanity. And go Knicks!

* Should be one more, but NBA Cups have false bottoms.

LONDON (AP) — Arsenal underlined its credentials for back-to-back Women’s Champions League titles by beating English rival Chelsea 3-1 in the first leg of the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

Also, Wolfsburg took a 1-0 lead over record eight-time champion Lyonnes in a meeting of two of the competition’s most storied names.

Stina Blackstenius — with her first Champions League goal since the winner in the final against Barcelona last season — and Chloe Kelly gave Arsenal a 2-0 halftime lead at Emirates Stadium.

Lauren James curled a brilliant long-range shot into the top corner to reduce the deficit for Chelsea but Arsenal regained its two-goal cushion when Alessia Russo drove home from the edge of the area.

Chelsea finished higher in the league stage — third place, compared to Arsenal in fifth — but has work to do in next week’s return leg across London to reach the semifinals for the fourth straight season.

Lineth Beerensteyn scored the only goal for Wolfsburg with a deflected 14th-minute shot against Lyon in the 12th Champions League meeting between the teams, which makes it tied for the most-played fixture in the competition’s history.

Four of those matches have been in finals, highlighting their status.

Kadidiatou Diani hit the post late in the game for Lyon, whose most recent of its eight titles came in 2022.

Remaining quarterfinals

The other two first-leg matches in the quarterfinals are on Wednesday, when Real Madrid hosts Barcelona in a big Spanish rivalry and Manchester United makes its debut at this stage against Bayern Munich.

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

There are few things Austin Reaves is more willing to do than appear on a fellow Lakers’ podcast.

Reaves was a frequent guest on D’Angelo Russell’s podcast, appeared on JJ Redick’s podcast prior to him becoming head coach and, on Tuesday, completed a trifecta by joining LeBron James and Steve Nash for the latest episode of “Mind the Game.”

It was an episode full of fun tidbits and anecdotes with lots of discussion about basketball as well, which comes with any episode of “Mind the Game.”

For those who may have missed the interview or are looking for a recap, we have you covered with all the best moments.

Turning down a “dream” to join Lakers

Off the rip, the episode immediately dives into Austin turning down the opportunity to be drafted and join the Lakers on a two-way deal instead. Most of it was not new information as it’s been reported he turned down being drafted by the Pistons to go undrafted and join the Lakers.

He’s also discussed making a list of teams that were the best fit with the Lakers topping the list and the Bucks being second. When asked about it by Nash, Reaves dove a little deeper into everything.

“My agents, they set up a plan. The plan was we knew LA had a two-way open on draft night and knew it was a situation to where I could possibly step in and get a contract because I don’t know how many guys were actually under contract at that time. There were a lot of free agents, a lot of signings to be done. We knew that going in.

[Detroit] called at [pick No.] 42 and they came up to me and it’s every kid’s dream to hear their name called on draft night and I’m no different. But it came down to sticking to a plan and that’s what we did. It sucked to not hear my name called but, obviously, putting ourselves in a good position was much more important.”

The little tidbit about the Lakers having lots of free agents and, as a result, a clearer opportunity for him to make the roster was some great insight by his agency. And he wasn’t wrong. In free agency in the summer of 2021, the Lakers signed Carmelo Anthony, Kent Bazemore, Malik Monk, Trevor Ariza, Wayne Ellington, Dwight Howard, Kendrick Nunn, Rajon Rondo and Deandre Jordan.

So, only a couple of players.

Reaves talked a little bit more about the list his agency made and why they felt it would work in Los Angeles.

“They have a bunch of analytics guys that were grading teams…I think it was Lakers, Bucks, maybe one other team that was Tier 1, like best possible fit…So, kind of dove into that and listened to that. On another level, like we talked about, there was maybe like four or five guys under contract at the time because they ended up having to sign like seven guys.

Knowing that there was going to be a possibility to snag that 13th, 14th roster spot and then on top of that, like [LeBron], IQ level, I feel like I have a pretty good IQ for the game and felt like that was one way I could get my foot in the door was to lean on that and lean on just knowing the game of basketball and that’s what he does.”

Making it on the Lakers

Reaves’ origin story with the Lakers has been well-documented. At the team’s player mini-camp, Reaves was so impressive that he earned a standard deal before training camp even began. He spoke about that mini-camp and the role both LeBron and Anthony Davis played in his ascension.

“We get in the gym and I think we got to playing 3-on-3 or something. I got a couple buckets then drove downhill. I thought I had a layup then AD came out of nowhere and I was like, ‘Oh, f—’ and last second, kind of behind-the-back pass to [LeBron]. He come down the lane and dunked. It was just, from then on out, they were like, ‘You’re good. Just be yourself.’ Him and AD, I’ll give them all the credit I can give them, from day one of being like, ‘Be you. On the court, off the court, whatever it is, be you.’”

Prior to even taking the court with him, LeBron had watched film of Austin in college and had an…interesting takeaway.

Getting a co-sign from @KingJames is the ultimate badge of honor.

Watch the full conversation out now on YouTube, @PrimeVideo, or wherever else you listen to your podcasts. pic.twitter.com/hcp3DIpjxf

— Mind the Game (@mindthegamepod) March 24, 2026

An upbringing in basketball and a big choice

Something Reaves talked about on the show that he had not previously mentioned was his upbringing. Both of his parents played basketball at Arkansas State, which is where they met. His brother, Spencer, played at a Division II school, Central Missouri.

As for Reaves? Well, he almost didn’t pursue basketball at all and wouldn’t have if his family had it’s preference. As a kid, Reaves played both basketball and baseball. But, entering the seventh grade, Reaves’ father told him he needed to pick one so that he could focus on that sport and, ultimately, get his college education paid for.

Following a summer of basketball with his older brother, Reaves made his choice, but it wasn’t the choice his father would have made.

“We had a summer basketball camp and I moved up two grades to play with my brother and we were beating teams by 30 and I was like, ‘Oh, this is much faster. Baseball is kind of slow.’ So I went back to my dad and I was like, ‘I want to play basketball’ and he was like, ‘You’re f—— stupid’ and I was like, ‘Damn.’

But he was like, ‘Obviously, you got my support.’…He thought I was a better baseball player. I was small. I didn’t grow until my junior year of high school. At the time, I understand why [he thought I should play baseball]. My best friend’s dad, which was our baseball coach, we were driving home, he was taking me home and I told him I was quitting baseball and he told me that basketball wasn’t going to work out and I was like ‘Well, we’ll see.’”

I think basketball worked out for Reaves.

Despite his parents playing basketball, it was Austin’s brother who played the biggest role in his early basketball career. Austin described his older brother as a gym rat who was driving to get shots up at 12 or 13 years old — which Reaves then quickly acknowledged was “probably illegal” — and brought his younger sibling with him.

“I remember there was nights that he would be going to the gym at seven, eight o’clock at night and he’d be like, ‘Hey, you want to go?’ And I was like, ‘Eh, not really’ and he’d be like, ‘You’re coming anyway.’ Like, I had no choice. He’d drag me out of the house. We’d go shoot for a couple hours and then he’d just beat me really bad 1-on-1…He’s probably the biggest basketball influence in my life. He instilled work ethic.”

That led to him landing at Wichita State and, eventually, Oklahoma. It was with the Sooners that Reaves realized he could make it in the NBA after legendary head coach Lon Kruger told him he could be a first round pick. Reaves, in fact, was not a first round pick, but if you ask LeBron James, there’s a clear and obvious reason why.

“You know why. You know why. You know how that s— is. Because they look at him. The judge the book by it’s cover situation. I saw the talent. That guy that I’m seeing [in college film] is not an undrafted [player]. There’s not way that guy goes undrafted. But, it’s – come on man.”

Coming up in the clutch

The last notable discussion to come out of the pod was a segment on playing in clutch moments. Reaves has thrived in them throughout his career — this episode was even filmed before his heroics against the Nuggets — and has not shied away from those moments.

Perhaps the biggest play in the clutch he’s made this season was the game-winner in Minnesota, which he discussed.

“Ah, we’ll win” 🤣

Austin Reaves explains what was going through his head before the game winning shot against Minnesota. Tap into the full conversation, link in bio. pic.twitter.com/pt3dD0Rgf7

— Mind the Game (@mindthegamepod) March 24, 2026

Very interestingly, that led to LeBron talking about how hard he would be on himself during clutch moments when he didn’t come through early in his career and how he came to accept the pressure of those moments.

“Early on in my career, I always hated the feeling of letting my teammates down. If I missed or whatever, if I turned the ball over, if I didn’t make the right play either shot or pass or whatever, I was like, ‘F—, I let these guys down. They trusted me to make it happen and I didn’t make it happen.’

Early on in my career, that really got to me. Then I just got to a point where it was like they’re putting you in this position because they trust you for a reason.”

The Lakers have continued to trust in Reaves throughout his career and he has rewarded them time and time again.

The trio finished the episode looking at some clips and breaking down Austin’s game before going back to an old classic between LeBron and Reaves.

“Why is Bron even in the game right now?” 😭

Austin Reaves and @KingJames explain what exactly went down in Brooklyn. Tap into AR’s episode TOMORROW. pic.twitter.com/PH3RjVhfaD

— Mind the Game (@mindthegamepod) March 23, 2026

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

We’ve officially reached the stage in the NBA’s regular season where you watch a game between two non-playoff teams and think to yourself, “who are these players?”

For the Utah Jazz, who are desperately trying everything in their power to raise their lottery odds and stay away from picks 9-16, the last few weeks have been filled with players that leave the viewer asking, “where did we get him from?”

But Ace Bailey, the Jazz’s 2025 No. 5 draft pick, is a name that everyone knows, and is one of the few reasons to tune into the Jazz. In the sea of two-way players, 10-day contracts, and jerseys made the day of, Bailey sticks out, and his recent play is giving hope that he will be a key piece for a healthy, competing Jazz team next season.

How well is Ace Bailey playing in March?

This month has been Bailey’s best statistical month in the NBA by far.

In 10 games, Bailey is averaging 21.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. That’s seven points better than his second-best scoring month in three minutes less a game. He is also shooting incredibly efficient from deep, at 43.3% on 9.7 attempts per game.

His confidence is a lot higher than in previous months too, scoring on a lot more isolation opportunities and not hesitating and catch-and-shoot threes.

In his last four games is where you really see the ceiling for Bailey, averaging 28.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.3 blocks per game.

Against the Raptors — albeit, in a blowout loss — Bailey scored 37 points and had one of the nastiest blocks of the season, pinning RJ Barrett’s layup against the backboard. Moments on defense where he showcases his athleticism and length didn’t come as often as I would’ve liked during his rookie season, but they’re not missing entirely. He has all the skills to be a decent defender in the NBA, and hopefully with the Jazz’s length across the starting lineup in 2026-27, he can dig into that more.

How real is this?

It’s always hard to tell in situations like these if a player’s late-season stats actually mean anything. Just two years ago, Kenneth Lofton secured a near 30-point triple-double for Utah, and now he plays for the Shanghai Sharks.

However, I think back to earlier in the season when Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George were playing night in and night out, and how Bailey was slowly but surely starting to mesh with the rest of the team. Making the right passes, cutting at the most opportune times, using his length as a good weak side defender.

Combine the slow process of getting him acclimated to the NBA game in November with the pure numbers that he’s putting up in March, and I think he could be a real impact player for a playoff-level Jazz team next season

A month ago, I wrote about Moses Moody seizing his opportunity. The timing felt right. The stats were backing the eye test that the Golden State Warriors, battered and shorthanded, had found something real in their 23-year-old wing, something they could finally trust.

He was no longer auditioning, we were witnessing the rise of a performer.

Last night in Dallas, Moody stole the ball from Cooper Flagg with 1:13 left in overtime, got out in space for what looked like a wide-open dunk to seal the win, planted his left foot, and the floor grotesquely gave out beneath a season that had finally started to mean something. Torn patellar tendon…season over.

Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody has been diagnosed with a torn patellar tendon in his left knee, sources tell ESPN. Moody's career-best season is over and a lengthy rehab will be required. pic.twitter.com/A8IqhgbXIL

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 24, 2026

Moses Moody deserves better

— Marcus Thompson II (@ThompsonScribe) March 24, 2026

The cruelty isn’t just in the injury. It’s in the return. Moody had missed the previous ten games with a right wrist sprain. He came back Monday and gave the Warriors everything he had: 23 points, three steals, playing that swarming defense Dub Nation is getting accustomed to. Moody changed the game for them; then they wheeled him off on a stretcher while Steph sat on the bench with his head in his hands.

That image isn’t leaving anytime soon.

This is what stings beyond any box score. Moody was the living argument for the Two-Timeline strategy actually working. The Warriors drafted him 14th overall in 2021 believing Golden State could compete for championships in the present while developing a player to carry the franchise into its next chapter. That bet looked shaky for stretches. Jonathan Kuminga, the other cornerstone of that draft class vision, is now in Atlanta. The timeline got complicated, as timelines tend to when rings are on the line and patience runs out.

But Moody stayed. Moody grew. In his fifth year, starting 49 of 60 games and averaging career highs across the board, he was becoming exactly what this roster needed: a reliable, versatile two-way wing who could guard the league’s best perimeter scorers and make sound decisions with the ball when there was no veteran safety net beneath him.

And this team needed him badly. Curry has been out 22 consecutive games with a persistent right knee issue. Butler tore his ACL in January. Horford is down with a calf strain. This team has been running a relay race through the injury report, handing the baton to whoever’s still standing. Moody was supposed to be one of the last men standing. That was his whole arc this season.

Steve Kerr postgame on Moses Moody:

"I just saw his leg buckle and I saw him go down in a heap in pain. We don't know what it is, but it sure looked bad and just hoping for the best. Whatever the best case scenario is, that's what we're all hoping for, but it looked bad . . . Mo… pic.twitter.com/bWYeXs4eLN

— Chef (@CurryForGame) March 24, 2026

The patellar tendon recovery is long. Typically nine months to a full year before a player is back at full competitive form. Moody will miss the rest of this season and likely the opening stretch of the next. He’s in year one of a three-year, $39 million extension the Warriors gave him because they believed in who he was becoming. Nothing about last night changes who he’s becoming.

The Warriors made a bet on a timeline and Moses Moody was the proof it could work. That proof isn’t gone, rather it’s just delayed, same as everything else beautiful this franchise keeps being asked to wait for.

The floor gave out. The story doesn’t.

The National Basketball Players Association had some words to say about Cade Cunningham’s award eligibility.

Cunningham has played 61 games this season, but a collapsed lung might hold him from reaching the 65-game threshold required to be considered for major awards like MVP and the All-NBA team.

ESPN reported last week that the injury could sideline him for an “extended period of time” and that he’d be re-evaluated in two weeks.

He also narrowly misses the 62-game injury exception for season-ending injuries, which goes into effect if players play more than 85 percent of their team’s games before the injury and reach 62 contests.

“Cade Cunningham’s potential ineligibility for [end of] season awards after a career-defining season is a clear indictment of the 65-game rule and yet another example of why it must be abolished or reformed to create an exception for significant injuries. Since its implementation, far too many deserving players have been unfairly disqualified from end-of-season honors by this arbitrary and overly rigid quota.” the NBAPA’s statement read, as first reported by The AP.

Cunningham is averaging 24.5 points, 9.9 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game this season while shooting 46.1 percent from the floor and 34.6 percent from 3-point range

“Cade has delivered a first-team All-NBA season,” Cunningham’s agent, Jeff Schwartz, told ESPN. “If he falls just short of an arbitrary games-played threshold due to legitimate injury, it should not disqualify him from recognition he has clearly earned over the course of the season. The league should be rewarding excellence, not enforcing rigid cutoffs that ignore context. An exception needs to be made.”

His success has helped the Pistons to a 52-19 record, the best team in the Eastern Conference. Detroit sits five games ahead of the No. 2 seed Celtics in the conference and eight games ahead of the Cavaliers in the Central Division.

But Cunningham’s injury could hamper the Pistons as they finish out the regular season.

“Obviously, it’s tough,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Thursday. “Tough for Cade to go through what he’s going through now. How important he is to the team, how important being with his team is to him doesn’t make it easy. He’s a huge part of what we do from a leadership standpoint.”

Across five years with the Pistons since being drafted with the first overall pick in 2021, Cunningham has proved his worth.

He’s averaging 22.6 points for his career, including a career-high 26.1 mark last season. He also snagged his first two All-Star selections in the last two years while finishing seventh in MVP voting in 2024-25.

Now, potentially his best season yet could result in no recognition.

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

Even by Luka Dončić’s standards, the run he’s been on recently has been something special.

He led the Lakers on a nine-game winning streak, which included a game-winner over the Nuggets and a 60-point performance against the Heat.

Luka has been named Western Conference Player of the Week for back-to-back weeks, and with the Lakers now sitting at No. 3 in the West, he is being discussed more as an MVP candidate.

But with only a couple of weeks left, is it too late for him to make a run at the current favorite, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?

For our SB Nation Reacts survey this week, we asked if you think Luka should be in the conversation for MVP and where he finishes in MVP voting.

Luka has a strong case as an MVP candidate. He’s an All-Star, the NBA’s leading scorer and undeniably the best player on a contending team.

The pushback he could face is that his defensive numbers don’t make a compelling case for him, and if the Lakers fall to fifth or sixth in the standings, critics will say he’s a great player on a mediocre team.

Still, voting hasn’t happened yet, so Dončić could still win. Also, if he keeps playing at this high a level the rest of the way, he could continue garnering support.

The KIA MVP Ladder has Luka at No. 2 in the MVP race, behind only SGA, and Nikola Jokić is third.

All three players have great cases. With the Thunder as defending champions and SGA having another great season, his individual reward might be another MVP.

Jokić remains the engine that keeps Denver running and he’s set to finish the year once again averaging a triple-double. Over the past five seasons, he’s won the MVP three times and the worst he’s finished in voting is second.

Can Luka make a push here and finish as a top vote getter in MVP voting or even win the award?

Share your opinion by voting and letting us know down below!

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.