Category: Basketball

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — San Antonio Spurs All-Star Victor Wembanayama will miss Thursday night's game against the Denver Nuggets due to right ankle soreness.

Wembanyama was questionable and ruled out after going through pre-game warmups.

The 7-foot-4 center from France went through his pre-game workout about 25 minutes earlier than normal. He walked off the court after shooting free throws and speaking to a member of the Spurs training staff.

San Antonio, which has won five straight and 16 of its last 17 games, is second in the Western Conference at 48-17. Denver (40-26) is fifth in the West.

Wembanyama was named the West's Player of the Week after leading the Spurs to a 4-0 record for the week ending March 8. He averaged 26 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.8 blocks.

Wembanyama must play in 13 of San Antonio's final 16 games for end-of-season award eligibility. The NBA requires players to play at least 20 minutes for 65 games during the 82-game regular season.

Wembanyama has played in 51 games this season. He is credited with a 52nd game after playing in the NBA Cup Final, which does not count toward the regular-season standings or statistics, but is part of the 65-game requirement.

Spurs forward Harrison Barnes, who missed five straight games with a left ankle injury will play Thursday. Barnes played in 364 consecutive games before sitting out.

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

TORONTO (AP) — Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews left Thursday night against Anaheim after a knee-on-knee hit from Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas.

Trying to make a move around Gudas in the slot in the second period, Matthew stook a direct blow to his left leg and crashed to the ice. The U.S. Olympic captain stayed down before being helped to the locker room.

Gudas, the bruising Czech defender whose hit ended Canadian captain Sidney Crosby’s Olympics in the quarterfinals, was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct.

Matthews snapped a 12-game goal drought earlier in the period on a power play. The center has 27 goals and 26 assists in 60 games this season.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

The Cleveland Cavaliers will look to rebound from a frustrating loss to the Orlando Magic by taking on Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks.

Dallas hasn’t had much success in the win column this season, but Flagg is the real deal. He’s one of the most well-rounded prospects we’ve seen in recent seasons, as he’s a solid playmaker and a threat to score at all three levels, even though he has some room to grow with this three-point shot. Flagg is averaging 20.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game on .470/.299/.804 shooting splits.

As seen on Wednesday, the Cavs are a work in progress, especially defensively. We’ll see if the Cavs can clean up that end of the floor against a Mavs team that will be on the second leg of a back-to-back.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (40-26) at Dallas Mavericks (21-44)

Where: American Airlines Center – Dallas, TX

When: Fri. March 13 at 7:30 PM

TV: Prime Video

Point spread: Cavs -12.5

Cavs injury report: Jarrett Allen – OUT (knee), Tyrese Proctor – OUT (quad), Max Strus – OUT (foot), Olivier Sarr – OUT (G League)

Mavs injury report for Thursday’s game vs. Grizzlies: Kyrie Irving – OUT (knee), Dereck LIvely II – OUT (foot), Klay Thompson – OUT (rest), Moussa Cisse – OUT (G League), John Poulakidas – OUT (G League), Tyler Smith – OUT (G League)

Cavs expectedstarting lineup: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Sam Merrill, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley

Mavs expected starting lineup: Naji Marshall, Max Christie, Cooper Flagg, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford

Previous matchup: The Cavs defeated the Mavs the day after the Luka trade.

Here’s a look at both teams’ impact stats via Cleaning the Glass.

	Offensive Rating	Defensive Rating	Net Rating
Cavs	118.2 (7th)	114.1 (12th)	+4.1 (7th)
Mavs	110.5 (28th)	115.5 (16th)	-5 (25th)

Last year, on its way to the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament and the program’s second Final Four appearance, Auburn became one of the most breathlessly discussed teams in men’s college basketball.

The Tigers’ star player, Johni Broome, was at the center of a season-long national player of the year debate with Duke’s Cooper Flagg. They had an exceptionally old roster, with five players in their rotation who were at least 21 years old, including one, 25-year-old Chad Baker-Mazara, who was old enough to run for a seat in Congress. At the head of the operation was coach Bruce Pearl, a man who, for all of his teams’ accomplishments, has been a subject of controversy for much of his career, going all the way back to his days as an assistant at Iowa in the late 1980s (you can Google “Bruce Pearl Deon Thomas”).

And, to think, the 2025-26 edition of the Tigers may be even more polarizing.

March Madness pressure meter: 5 teams with most at stake

Bracket live updates: Auburn, Miami Ohio shake up NCAA Tournament field

Even with Pearl enjoying retirement and his son, Steven, at the helm, Auburn has perhaps the most contentious resume for an at-large berth to the 2026 NCAA Tournament. The Tigers have a power-conference pedigree, a talented roster and a handful of highly impressive wins, but they’re just 17-16 this season after falling 72-62 to Tennessee in the second round of the SEC tournament Thursday, March 12.

The argument around their candidacy has only ramped up in recent weeks, as the elder Pearl, now working as an analyst for TNT and CBS Sports, has publicly belittled the at-large hopes of fellow bubble dweller Miami (Ohio), which went a perfect 31-0 in the regular season before losing to UMass in the quarterfinals of the MAC tournament Thursday.

Its tournament case has touched on some of the rawest, most searing divides in college basketball — namely, whether the final at-large spots should go to middling power-conference teams or mid-major squads with gaudy records that fell short in their conference tournaments. It’s a split that has only gotten more pronounced as the NCAA mulls tournament expansion, raising questions about which kind of teams will end up getting those additional spots.

So what’s at the heart of the dispute over the Tigers? Let’s take a deeper look at their NCAA Tournament resume:

Auburn basketball’s record is bad

The SEC tournament loss to Tennessee was Auburn’s 16th defeat of the season, putting it only one game above .500 (mind you, the NIT used to require participants have at least a .500 record). If the Tigers are selected for the 68-team field, they’d have the most losses ever for an at-large team. No squad with more than 15 losses has ever made the cut for March Madness.

That record includes a 7-11 mark in SEC play during the regular season, which put it 12th in the 16-team conference. Though the conference was considered stronger and deeper last season, six SEC teams got into the 2025 NCAA Tournament with sub-.500 conference records, including two, Oklahoma and Texas, that were 6-12 in league competition.

Those subpar records for Auburn become even more glaring when compared to other teams fighting for the final at-large berths into the tournament — a group that includes, among others, 20-13 SMU, 20-12 Missouri, 21-11 UCF, 26-8 Santa Clara, 24-7 VCU and, of course, 31-1 Miami (Ohio).

Auburn’s March Madness resume metrics are solid

While win-loss records understandably are the most obvious way to measure a team, there are a slew of other metrics that are a part of the team sheet examined by the NCAA Tournament selection committee when trying to fill in the 68-team bracket.

Thankfully for Auburn, a number of those statistical barometers are much kinder to the Tigers.

As of early Thursday evening, Auburn is No. 38 in the NCAA’s NET rankings (though it will likely drop a spot or two when those are updated Friday morning), No. 39 on KenPom, No. 41 on Torvik, No. 26 on BPI and No. 45 on KPI (those final two, like the NET, haven’t been updated to reflect the Tennessee loss).

How can a team that narrowly avoided a losing record be well within the statistical range of a typical at-large team? Much of it comes back to the quality of the Tigers’ schedule. 

Auburn has played 17 Quad 1 games this season, tied for the most of any Division I team. Though it hasn’t fared particularly well in those contests, with a 4-13 record, it has picked up a handful of notable wins. The Tigers beat No. 13 St. John’s in a neutral-site game on Nov. 26. It has home victories against No. 17 Arkansas and Kentucky. And, most impressively, it has a 76-67 road win over reigning national champion Florida, which is the Gators’ only home loss this season.

For all those numbers, the most important one to keep in mind heading into Selection Sunday may well be this one: 0.62. That was the Tigers’ Wins Above Bubble mark entering the day Thursday. It’s a metric NCAA senior vice president for basketball Dan Gavitt has said will be weighed heavily when trying to sift through bubble teams. That mark ranks Auburn No. 44, putting it behind, among others, No. 31 TCU, No. 33 Miami (Ohio), No. 35 Ohio State, No. 36 UCF, No. 37 Santa Clara, No. 40 Missouri and No. 42 VCU, though it also puts it ahead of No. 45 SMU, No. 46 Texas, No. 49 New Mexico, No. 51 Indiana and No. 53 Oklahoma.

Will Auburn make NCAA Tournament?

There’s nothing resembling a clear consensus on whether the Tigers will make the field, though they’re just outside of the field according to Bracket Matrix, which compiles and averages out dozens of mock brackets.

Here’s a look at where various outlets have Auburn:

• USA TODAY Sports: First team out
• ESPN: First team out
• CBS Sports: No. 11 seed (First Four)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Auburn basketball has most polarizing 2026 NCAA Tournament resume

There was a lot of reaction to Bam Adebayo’s historic, 83-point outburst earlier this week, with many ripping the Miami Heat and coach Erik Spoelstra for facilitating it, particularly in the fourth quarter.

When it came time to respond to that criticism, Spoelstra, for his part, said he didn’t care.

“I apologize to absolutely no one, period,” he told reporters Thursday, March 12 prior to Miami’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks. “Going into the game, it’s a Tuesday night game, going against a team where they’re not playing for anything, where their organization is trying to lose — we’ve already lost a game in that kind of situation.

“We (had) players that were sitting out, and I spoke to Bam, as our best player and team captain, for him to be locked in and ready. And he sure was.”

More: Did tanking and free-throw tactics ruin Bam Adebayo's historic 83-point game?

On Feb. 9, the Heat had lost a game against the Jazz when Utah sat Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jusuf Nurkić — three of their best players — for the entire fourth quarter.

It became apparent early on Tuesday, March 10 that Adebayo and the Heat were not looking to repeat that same mistake against the Wizards. In the first quarter, Adebayo scored 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting, including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. It set the franchise record for most points in a quarter, and was 10 points off of Adebayo’s previous career high for an entire game.

“Everything was at stake,” Spoelstra continued. “The way he played in the first quarter had nothing to do with what happened afterwards. It was about our opportunity. And as the leader of the team, he approached that opportunity appropriately.

“The fact that he was still in the game at the end. This is what our fans want to see, and this is what you really want to see happen in this league: for there to be some competitive storylines. And a brilliant, magical night appeared out of nowhere.”

More: Jaw-dropping stats from Bam Adebayo's 83-point game

Many critics of the performance pointed to the fourth quarter as an example of "unethical" basketball and a devolution of the game. At one point, when the Heat were up 27 points late in the quarter, they intentionally fouled Washington so that Adebayo would have more chances to score. Miami also fed Adebayo the ball, so that he could chase the mark for the second-most points scored in an NBA game, 81, previously held by Kobe Bryant.

Adebayo finished the game 20-of-43 and made 36 of his 43 free throw attempts, both of which are NBA records for a single game.

“Most of the people that made comments didn’t even watch the game,” Spoelstra added. “That’s unethical.”

Spoelstra said he and his staff rewatched the fourth quarter to see how the sequence played out.

“He had 70-plus, going back and forth, all that happened under 2 minutes,” Spoelstra said. “He was already 76 deep at that point. And damn right we’re going to go for it.

“I’ve seen people say: ‘You’ve got to be a purist.’ I’m a Darwinist in this league.”

There were also plenty of people, from opposing players or coaches, who expressed admiration for Adebayo’s achievement. One common takeaway from Adebayo’s performance was that it put a target on Miami’s back.

“It doesn’t take away anything from our organization, how we feel about Bam, how special that night was,” Spoelstra said. “Our fan base is electrified by this moment. This locker room has wanted something. …

“There’s going to be a buzz now. There will be a responsibility to that buzz. Good. I want there to be pressure on our team. I’m banking on that bringing out another level for our group.”

The Heat are 37-29 and in sixth place in the East.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Heat coach Erik Spoelstra defends Bam Adebayo 83-point game

Dwight Howard has officially announced the end of his basketball career.

Howard has not played in the NBA in 1,434 days but spent 18 years in the league, playing for seven different teams.

Howard already has received one of the top honors for a player, being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025.

Not only was Howard known for his defensive ability, but also for his playful personality during the early years of his career.

After spending the 2021-22 season with the Los Angeles Lakers, he spent the final year of his active playing career with the Taoyuan Leopards in Taiwan for the 2022-23 season.

Dwight Howard career stats

Howard averaged 15.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game during his career. He started 1,078 of the 1,242 games he played in. He led the league in rebounds five times and blocks twice.

Dwight Howard success

Howard reached the NBA Finals twice during his career, winning a championship as a key reserve player for the Lakers in 2020.

During his prime, he also led the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals in 2009 as the Eastern Conference representative. The Magic lost the series to Kobe Bryant and the Lakers 4-1.

Howard was named to eight All-NBA teams and five All-Defensive teams. He finished his career as a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and an eight-time All-Star.

The Hall of Famer also competed in multiple Slam Dunk contests, winning the title in 2008.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dwight Howard officially retires 4 years after final NBA appearance

NEW YORK (AP) — Brooklyn Nets center Day'Ron Sharpe will miss the rest of the season because of a torn ligament in his left thumb.

The Nets said Thursday that Sharpe would need surgery to repair the tear of the ulnar collateral ligament and that updates would be provided after he had it.

Sharpe is Brooklyn's primary backup to Nic Claxton, playing in 62 games and starting seven. He has averaged 8.7 points and 6.7 rebounds and leads the Nets in field goal percentage at 60.1%. The 2021 first-round pick tops all Nets reserves in total points, assists and steals.

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

LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) — Myka Perry scored 15 of her 21 points in the second half, Harmanie Dominguez made five 3-pointers and finished with 18 points, and No. 3 seed Stephen F. Austin beat top-seeded McNeese 71-59 on Thursday to win the Southland Conference Tournament and clinch an NCAA Tournament berth for the second consecutive season.

Stephen F. Austin (25-9), which lost both regular-season matchups against the Cowgirls, have won nine of the last 11 in the series which the Ladyjacks lead 52-15.

McNeese (28-5), which set the program's single season wins record, saw its 21-game win streak — the longest in school history — come to an end.

Kaylinn Kemp made a layup and then a 3 before Perry added a layup that capped a 7-1 spurt to open the fourth quarter and give the Ladyjacks an eight-point lead with 6:39 remaining. Dakota Howard answered with a three-point play but Dominguez made a layup and a 3-pointer to make it 62-42 with 4:28 left.

Ashlyn Traylor-Walker and Dominguez hit 3-pointers and Perry converted a three-point play down the stretch to hold off the Cowgirls.

Howard finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven steals for the Cowgirls. The freshman went into the game leading the team in scoring (12.5 per game), rebounding (6.0), and total steals (80). Arianna Patton and Jalencia Pierre added 11 points apiece.

The Cowgirls, who went 10-21 last season, won the conference’s regular-season title under first-year coach Ayla Guzzardo.

Up next

McNeese: The Cowgirls have an automatic berth into the WNIT.

Stephen F. Austin: Awaits its seeding and opponent in the NCAA Tournament.

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Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP mobile app). AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

The Dallas Mavericks (21-44) play the final leg of this six-game road trip on Thursday night against the Memphis Grizzlies (23-41). Dallas is riding the league’s longest losing streak and is looking for some kind of positive momentum. The Grizzlies have lost five in a row after notching wins over Dallas and then Indiana back in late February. This is a theoretical race to the bottom but the last time these two teams play, Memphis beat the brakes off the Mavericks.

Here are the main things you need to know:

• WHO: Dallas Mavericks vs Memphis Grizzlies
• WHAT: Last road game before a very brief stop in Dallas
• WHERE: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
• WHEN: 7:00 pm CST
• HOW: KFAA Channel 29, MavsTV streaming, NBA League Pass

The injury report for the Mavericks is once again pretty solid, which is great now that the team is openly tanking. Of course we won’t be seeing Kyrie Irving or Dereck Lively. The two-way guys are all doubtful again. Klay Thompson is also going to miss this one with planned rest.

It’s the Grizzlies who have a LIST of folks out. Santi Aldama is out with injury management. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is out recovering from surgery. Brandon Clarke has a calf strain. Waler Clayton Jr. has an ankle sprain. Cedric Coward is managing an injury, but it’s undisclosed. Zach Edey is recovering from ankle surgery. Taj Gibson won’t be playing, and he’s essentially listed out with OLD. Ty Jerome is managing an injury. Ja Morant’s been out for a while with his injury. Scotty Pippen is out. Cam Spencer is questionable.

The Mavericks are currently the favorite, which given the health differences, I get the line. But Memphis has also beaten Dallas every time this season. If Dallas does somehow lose this one, that will be an impressive display of tanksmanship.

Be sure to chime in with your predictions in the comments!

Consider joining Josh and me on Pod Maverick live after the game on YouTube, we should start LATE. Thanks so much for spending time with us here at Mavs Moneyball. Let’s go Mavs!

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka held off Victoria Mboko, 7-6 (0), 6-4, in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday, keeping the top-ranked player in women's tennis in the running for her first title at Indian Wells.

After winning every point in the first-set tiebreaker, Sabalenka got the one break she needed to win the second set and move on to the semifinals against 14th seed Linda Noskova of Czechia, a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 winner over unseeded Australian Talia Gibson.

Also moving on to the semifinals for just the second time at Indian Wells was ninth-seeded Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, who knocked off second-seeded Iga Swiatek of Poland, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.

Svitolina broke to go up 5-4 in the third set and held serve for the match. She was slated to play Friday against the winner of Thursday night's quarterfinal match between American Jessica Pegula and Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.

In the men's draw, second-seeded Jannik Sinner of Italy defeated 25th-seeded American Learner Tien, 6-1, 6-2, ending the run of the youngest American — at age 20 — to play in a quarterfinal at Indian Wells since his coach, Michael Chang, won the tournament in 1992.

Sinner, who served 10 aces and double-faulted only once, will play his semifinal match on Saturday against German Alexander Zverev, a 6-2, 6-3 winner over France's Arthur Fils.

Sabalenka hasn’t lost a set in the tournament, but was pushed by the 10th-seeded Mboko, a 19-year-old Canadian who won the 2025 Canadian Open — and whom Sabalenka defeated 6-1, 7-6 (1) in the fourth round of the Australian Open earlier this year.

Mboko was “serving much better than she did in that match in Australia — definitely a bit more confident and was playing more brave," Sabalenka said. "I think that’s why the scoreboard was bit closer than in Australia.”

Sabalenka put 94% of her first serves in play and was not broken, but did have to fight off five break points.

“That was a tough battle today," Sabalenka said. "Happy with the level I played in those key moments in each set.

“I was focused on my game plan. I was just playing point by point," Sabalenka said. “I’m pretty happy with the way I’m serving so far.”

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

The Nets won two straight and then lost by 38 to the Pistons in a revenge game. It all checks out during this long, strange season. Egor Demin, Michael Porter Jr, Nolan Traore, and Day’ron Sharpe are all out. This comes after the news that Sharpe would be out for the remainder of the season. t

The trio of two-way players are available. We’ll see if/how they’ll surprise us tonight.

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🏀 KEY INFO

Who: Brooklyn Nets (17-48) at Atlanta Hawks (34-31)
When: 7:30 PM ET
Watch: YES Network

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✍️ Game Preview

This is also a night for Noah Clowney to do a bit more. Clowney has had plenty of bright spots this season and now that we’re moving in to the middle of March, this represents a chance for him to do a bit more on offense. Games like this will help him figure out what parts of his game can get better as he fights to be a starter next season. – Brian Fleurantin | Read more

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💬 DISCUSSION

Share your thoughts and react, but please be respectful. NetsDaily prides itself on being a safe space for Nets and basketball fans alike to have healthy conversation. Reach out to Anthony Puccio or Net Income with any issues.

The Detroit Pistons will be facing an undermanned, undersized edition of the Philadelphia 76ers tonight at Little Caesars Arena. The Sixers injury situation is gruesome. Not only are Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, and Kelly Oubre out, but they are without the following big men — Joel Embiid, Adem Bona, Andre Drummond, and Johni Broome. “Who do they have left to play center,” you might be asking yourself. Well, I’m asking myself that, too, and I’m not really sure what the answer is. The only player they have taller than 6-foot-8 is Dominick Barlow, who has that beaten by one inch. Trendon Watford and Jabari Walker are their only other pseudo big men available, and they also have to manage 48 minutes at power forward somehow. Jalen Duren, who grew up in Pennsylvania and played high school ball in Philly, come on down. Paul Reed, who was waived by the Sixers and claimed by the Pistons a couple of years ago, it’s your time to shine. Let’s not let this winnable game slip away.

Game Vitals

When: 7 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Watch: Prime Video
Odds: Pistons -14.5

Projected Lineups

Detroit Pistons (46-18)

Cade Cunningham, Marcus Sasser, Duncan Robinson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren

Philadelphia 76ers (35-30)

VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes, Justin Edwards, Trendon Watford, Dominick Barlow

The Brooklyn Nets have shut down Day’Ron Sharpe, their 24-year-old back-up center, after he was diagnosed with a tear of his left thumb ligament, the team announced shortly before Thursday’s game with the Atlanta Hawks.

Brooklyn Nets center Day’Ron Sharpe has been diagnosed with an ulnar collateral ligament tear in his left thumb. Sharpe, who will require surgery to repair the ligament, will miss the remainder of the season. Further updates will be provided following the procedure.

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) March 12, 2026

The Nets did not initially state how Sharpe had injured his thumb or when but later Jordi Fernandez said the thumb had been bothering Sharpe all season and believed the injury may have occurred vs. the Grizzlies Monday. Indeed, Sharpe has been wearing a brace on his left thumb recently. Sharpe has become one of the NBA’s top back-ups and recently became the top offensive rebounder by percentage in NBA history (200 games or more.)

He’s the second Nets player in the last two days to get shut down. It was announced Wednesday that Egor Dëmin, who has been dealing with plantar fasciitis in his left heel since his pre-draft workouts a year ago, will also sit for Brooklyn’s final 16 games.

The decision also leaves the Nets short, literally and figuratively, at the 5 with only one natural center, Nic Claxton, although 6’11” Danny Wolf, more of a forward, is likely to fill in Thursday night. On Monday, the Nets did not renew 7-footer Grant Nelson’s 10-day contract; though Nelson profiles as somewhat of a tweener long-term, he certainly would give Brooklyn more size up front.

At the moment, Brooklyn is a half-game out of third place in the lottery standings and two games out of the worst record in the NBA. The decision to shut down two rotation players — particularly Sharpe — could certainly affect their ping-pong ball fortunes going forward.

To this point in the season, Sharpe has appeared in 62 games for Brooklyn, the most of any Net. The team is also nearly seven points per 100 possessions better with Sharpe on the floor, also a team-best. This continues a three-year long trend with the bruising back-up big; since the beginning of the 2023-24 season, the Nets have a nearly even -0.09 net rating with Sharpe on the floor in 2,990 minutes, and a sad -8.54 net rating in the 8,062 minutes he has been sitting on the bench, per PBP Stats

As we’ve noted, on/off data isn’t the be-all end-all, there’s some wonky 3-point numbers involved, and Sharpe is no perfect center. Still, the UNC product has made a name for himself as one of the most effective reserves in the league. This season, he even made a high percentage of his shots around the rim — previously a wart in his profile. Is he aided by playing low-minute totals, often against other bench units? Perhaps. Still, his production this season was undeniable…

Players averaging 16+ points, 12+ rebounds, and 4+ assists per 36 minutes on 55% shooting or better this season:

Giannis Antetokounmpo
Nikola Jokic
Day'Ron Sharpe https://t.co/uQ9N0rHgkj

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) March 12, 2026

Officially, Day’Ron Sharpe averaged 8.7/6.7/2.3 on 63.8% true shooting this season, playing 19 minutes a night. All of those numbers represent a career-high.

After leading the Nets to a comeback win against the Detroit Pistons on Saturday, Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff was full of praise for Sharpe: “He’s got great size, he plays extremely hard, he’s physical on the interior, he doesn’t back down … The thing that stands out when you watch the tape is just the effort that he puts forth. And when you mix that effort with his size and skill, he can create problems for you on both ends.”

As for Brooklyn’s head coach, Jordi Fernández spoke about the injury before the Nets took on the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday evening, saying, “I’m very happy with what I’ve seen from Day’Ron, the hard work he’s put in and how much better he’s gotten.”

Coach Fernández on the injured Day'Ron Sharpe. #NETSonYESpic.twitter.com/RKVoFpKKXa

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) March 12, 2026

Fernández also added that he “believed” the injury occurred on Monday night against the Memphis Grizzlies, but that the thumb had been “bothering” Day’Ron previously.

Now, Day’Ron Sharpe can look ahead to the summer, where the Brooklyn Nets have a team option for the second year of the two-year, $12.5 million contract they signed him to last summer. The team could, of course, choose to decline that option and hope to sign Sharpe to a long-term deal. Either way, #29 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft has progressed quite nicely since arriving in Brooklyn, though his fifth season in the NBA has come to a premature end.

It’s the second game of the Suns’ six-game road trip, and the Pacers are the most winnable game. The Suns cannot lose this game.

Boston Celtics (43-21) at Oklahoma City Thunder (51-15)
Thursday, March 12, 2026
9:30 PM ET
Game #66, Road Game #35
TV: Prime Video
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WWLS/WKY, Sirius XM
Paycom Center

The Celtics complete their 3 game road trip with a stop in Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder. The Celtics won the first game in Cleveland on Sunday and then lost to the Spurs on Tuesday night. The Thunder haven’t played since Monday. This is the first of 2 meetings between these 2 teams this season. They will meet for the final time in Boston on March 25. The Celtics are 47-59 against the Thunder overall all time and they are 22-30 in games played in Oklahoma City.

The Thunder won the Championship last season and in the off season, they did very little to change their team. They made no trades and brought in no new players. They lost Dillon Jones who went to the Wizards. They did re-sign Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Jaylin Williams and Ajay Mitchell. At the trade deadline, They traded picks to Philadelphia for Jared McCain and they traded Ousmane Dieng to Charlotte for Mason Plumlee, who they waived.

The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 3.5 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are 2 games ahead of 3rd place New York , 3.5 games ahead of 4th place Cleveland, 6.5 games ahead of 5th place Orlando and 6th place Miami and 7 games ahead of 7th place Toronto. The Celtics are 15-8 against Western Conference opponents. They are 22-12 on the road and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a loss in their last game. (The Knicks, Cavs, and Raptors are playing as I write this so that may change.)

The Thunder are 1st in the West, 2.5 games ahead of 2nd place San Antonio, 10 games ahead of 3rd place Houston, 10.5 games ahead of the 4th place Lakers and 5th place Minnesota, 11.5 games ahead of 6th place Denver and 12.5 games ahead of 7th place Phoenix. They are 15-6 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 27-6 at home and 9-1 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 5 games.

After this game at Oklahoma City the Celtics will head home where they will host Washington, Phoenix and Golden State. Next, it is one game at Memphis before a 3 game home stand against Minnesota, Oklahoma City and Atlanta. Then it’s back on the road for a 4 game trip through Charlotte, Atlanta, Miami and Milwaukee. They will then play two games at home against Toronto and Charlotte before one game on the road at New York. They will finish the season with 2 games at home against New Orleans and Orlando.

The Celtics may be shorthanded in this game with 4 players listed on the injury report at this time. The good news is that Payton Pritchard has been upgraded to available. Jayson Tatum is out for injury management after playing the last 3 games they may want to monitor his workload. Derrick White is listed as questionable due to a right knee contusion. Nikola Vucevic is out due to surgery on his injured finger. I have no idea who will start if both Tatum and White are out. I made a wild guess it will be Sheierman and Harper, Jr.

The Thunder may also be shorthanded for this game. Isaiah Hartenstein will miss a third straight game due to a bruised left calf. Jalen Williams is listed as out due to a strained right hamstring. Thomas Sorber is out for the season with a torn ACL. Brandon Carlson has been ruled out for a seventh straight game due to a back strain. Once again, I really don’t know who will start for the Thunder but took a guess at it.

Probable Starting Matchups
PG: Baylor Scheierman vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

SG: Ron Harper, Jr vs Cason Wallace

SF: Jaylen Brown vs Luguentz Dort

PF: Sam Hauser vs Jaylin Williams

C: Neemias Queta vs Chet Holmgren

Celtics Reserves
Payton Pritchard
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Amare Williams
Jordan Walsh

2-Way Players
Ron Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
John Tonje

Injuries/Out
Nikola Vucevic (finger) out
Payton Pritchard (neck) available
Jayson Tatum (injury management) out
Derrick White (knee) questionable

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Thunder Reserves
Branden Carlson
Alex Caruso
Isaiah Joe
Jared McCain
AJay Mitchell
Aaron Wiggins
Kenrich Williams

2 Way Players
Brooks Barnhizer
Branden Carlson
Payton Sandfort

Injuries/Out
Branden Carlson (back) out
Thomas Sorber (ACL) out
Nikola Topic (G-League) out
Jalen Williams (hamstring) out

Head Coach
Mark Daigneault

Key Matchups
Baylor Scheierman vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He is shooting 55.1% from the field and 38.3% from beyond the arc. Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning MVP and is one of the leaders to win it once again this season. He is the key to the Thunder’s winning ways. In order to slow the Thunder, the Celtics must slow down SGA. I’m just guessing that Scheierman will start at the point but White may play and it’s possible that Joe will go with someone else to start here.

Neemias Queta vs Chet Holmgren
Holmgren is averaging 17.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.9 blocks per game.  He is shooting 55.2% from the field and 35.6% from beyond the arc.   Holmgren is a threat to grab rebounds and block shots near the basket and the Celtics need to try to keep him out of the paint.  He can also hit threes and so the Celtics need to stay with him on the perimeter as well.

Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is always the biggest key to winning.   This is going to be a tough matchup for the Celtics as the Thunder are first in the league with a defensive rating of 106.2 while the Celtics are 5th with a defensive rating of 111.8.   The Celtics need to tighten up their defense and make playing defense a priority especially against this Thunder team that plays lock down defense. It will be even harder for the Celtics on defense if both Derrick White and Jayson Tatum are out. 

Rebound – Rebounding  is also a key to winning.  The Celtics need to rebound on the defensive end to keep the Thunder from getting second chance points and they need to rebound on the offensive end to give themselves extra possessions.  The Thunder are 15th with 43.8 rebounds per game while the Celtics are 5th with 46.3 rebounds per game.  Much of rebounding is desire and effort and the Celtics as a team have to put in the extra effort to grab rebounds.

Take Care of the Ball – The Celtics need to keep their focus and not turn the ball over.  The Thunder are 1st in the league with 22.1 points off turnovers per game. They are also 4th with 9.7 steals per game.  The Celtics have to move the ball because they are a much better team when they move the ball and don’t over dribble.   But they must focus and make careful passes and not get sloppy.  They also have to be aware when dribbling the ball so as not to allow the Thunder to get steals.  The Thunder will make them pay if they get sloppy and turn the ball over.

Be Focused and Ready for a Tough Game –  The Thunder are a very good team and they play exceptional defense.  The Celtics have to be ready to go to the basket if they struggle from three.  They also have to be ready to shoot from midrange if both the paint and the perimeter are defended tightly.  The Celtics must stay focused on playing hard for 48 minutes and on playing tough defense and on playing the right way.  They can’t afford to let the Thunder play harder than them. 

X-Factors
On the Road –  The Celtics are playing in their 3rd straight road game.  The Thunder have the advantage of being at home in front of their fans and they have great fans.  The Celtics need to overcome the distractions of travel and playing on the road in front of hostile fans.  This is also the final game of a road trip and those are among the toughest games to win as the team is road weary and sometimes focus isn’t where it should be because of it. 

Officiating –  Officiating is always an x-factor. How the refs call the game has a big influence on how the teams play. Will they let them play or call every little bit of contact? Will they call it evenly or will they favor one team or the other. It all effects the outcome of the game and the Celtics need to play the right way and not allow the officiating to take them out of their game.  They can’t let bad calls and no calls take away their focus.