Category: NBA

The timing could not have been more perfect.

While on the other side of the globe some of the world's best athletes in their sports represent their countries at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, this year the best of the NBA will take on that international format:

USA vs. the world.

The pride in representing your country could bring the most competitive All-Star Games we have seen in years. Remember, each of the last seven MVP awards have been won by players born outside the USA — and they are coming to compete.

"I'm never stepping onto the court to lose, you know, or not caring," said the Spurs Victor Wembanyama, who was voted a World starter by the fans. "Just like at home, I'm never stepping into a board game, not caring or thinking I'm gonna lose, or I'm thinking it's okay to lose.

"So I'll be out there, might as well win."

Here's all you need to know about the 2026 NBA All-Star Game and how not to miss a moment of the action/

How to watch the 2026 NBA All-Star Game:

• When: Sunday, February 15
• Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA
• Time: 5:00 PM ET
• Live Stream: NBC andPeacock

All-Star Game format

This year, the NBA All-Star Game returns to NBC and debuts on Peacock — and it falls right in the middle of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. That was a perfect setup for the first-of-its-kind All-Star Game format, a USA vs. World showdown that fans and players have been asking for.

The 24 All-Star players have been divided into three teams, two USA teams — USA Stripes and USA Stars — and one World Team. Those three teams will compete in a round-robin tournament of four 12-minute games, each team playing at least two games.

At the end of the round-robin, the two top teams will play a championship game (the fourth 12-minute game of the day) for the title. (If there is a tie, it comes down to point differential.)

The 75th NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 15, at 5 p.m. Eastern, an earlier time than in previous years, leading into more coverage of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

USA vs. World Rosters

There are two USA teams — Stars and Stripes — and one World team. Fans voted for five starters from each of the Western and Eastern Conferences, and the NBA coaches voted in the 14 reserve players (plus NBA Commissioner Adam Silver added one more USA player to balance the rosters, and also picked the injury replacements). The league divided up the teams.

Here are the rosters:

World Team

• Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee/Greece)
• Luka Doncic (Los Angeles Lakers/Slovenia)
• Nikola Jokic (Denver/Serbia)
• Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio/France)
• Karl-Anthony Towns (New York/Dominican Rep.)
• Pascal Siakam (Indiana/Cameroon)
• Deni Avdija (Portland/Israel)
• Jamal Murray (Denver/Canada)
• Alperen Sengun (Houston/Turkiye)
Coach: Toronto's Darko Rajakovic (Serbia)

USA Stars

• Cade Cunningham (Detroit)
• Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia)
• Anthony Edwards (Minnesota)
• Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City)
• Jalen Duren (Detroit)
• Devin Booker (Phoenix)
• Scottie Barnes (Toronto)
• Jalen Johnson (Atlanta)
Coach: Detroit's J.B. Bickerstaff

USA Stripes

• Jalen Brunson (New York)
• Jaylen Brown (Boston)
• LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers)
• Kevin Durant (Houston)
• Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland)
• Kawhi Leonard (LA Clippers)
• Norman Powell (Miami)
• Brandon Ingram (Toronto)
Coach: San Antonio's Mitch Johnson

Voted in as starters but not playing due to injury

• Stephen Curry (Golden State)
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City/Canada)
• Both Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo have missed games this week with injuries, but neither has been officially ruled out yet. The World team currently has nine players; if one drops out, there will be no need for Adam Silver to name a replacement.

What other NBA events are on NBC and Peacock for All-Star Weekend?

Friday

• Rising Stars G1: Team Melo vs. Team Austin - 9:00 PM ET
• Rising Stars G2: Team Vince vs. Team T-Mac - 9:55 PM ET
• Castrol Rising Stars Championship - 10:35 PM ET
• NBA HBCU Classic Presented by AT&T - 11:00 PM ET

Saturday

• State Farm 3-Point Contest - First Event - 5:00 PM ET
• Kia Shooting Stars
• AT&T Dunk contest

How to watch NBA on NBC and Peacock:

Every moment of All-Star Weekend — the Rising Stars challenge on Friday. (Feb. 13), All-Star Saturday Night with the 3-Point Contest and Dunk Contest (Feb. 14), as well as the All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 15 — will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.

The 75th NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 15, at 5 p.m. Eastern, a time earlier than in previous years, leading into more coverage of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Peacock NBA Monday will stream up to three Monday night games each week throughout the regular season. Coast 2 Coast Tuesday presents doubleheaders on Tuesday nights throughout the regular season on NBC and Peacock. On most Tuesdays, an 8 p.m. ET game will be on NBC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones, and an 8 p.m. PT game on NBC stations in the Pacific and often Mountain time zones.

Check local listings each week. Both games will stream live nationwide on Peacock. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball across NBC and Peacock on Feb. 1, 2026. For a full schedule of the NBA on NBC and Peacock, click here.

How to sign up for Peacock:

Sign up here to watch all of our LIVE sports, sports shows, documentaries, classic matches, and more. You'll also get tons of hit movies and TV shows, Originals, news, 24/7 channels, and current NBC & Bravo hits—Peacock is here for whatever you're in the mood for.

NBA on NBC 2025-26 Schedule

Click here to see the full list of NBA games that will air on NBC and Peacock this season.

What devices does Peacock support?

You can enjoy Peacock on a variety of devices. View the full list of supported devices here.

Welcome to the Fantasy Basketball Minutes Report. Every week, I will review each team's updated minutes per game to see which players are seeing the court more or less than in previous weeks. With this information in hand, I'll try to discuss any relevant fantasy risers or fallers; players who we should be adding off waivers or removing from our teams.

The charts below are also great for exploring on your own. You can track the minutes over the last three, five, and ten games, and for the entire season, to see which trends stand out to you.

All of this data was made accessible by Kyle Bland, who is incredibly talented and also extremely generous. Be sure to follow him to check out all of his baseball data as well.

2025-26 Fantasy Basketball Top 200 Rankings: Should managers hold Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr.?

The “ethics” of tanking and their impact on fantasy basketball were on full display Saturday night in Orlando.

• Raphielle Johnson,

Atlanta Hawks

After the trade deadline, the Hawks are fielding a team without Trae Young,Kristaps Porziņģis, and Vít Krejčí. That has led to a slightly larger role for Corey Kispert, but Jock Landale has stepped into the role the team had envisioned for Porziņģis. He's not really fantasy viable, but CJ McCollum has continued to be a top-70 asset in fantasy leagues with over 30 minutes per game. We'll see if any of that changes once Jonathan Kuminga (knee) gets cleared to play.

Boston Celtics

The addition of Nikola Vučević has changed the Celtics center rotation a bit, pushing Neemias Queta into more of a backup role. Vučević is not playing huge minute totals, but he has two double-doubles in three games with the Celtics and has been firmly inside the top-75 players in fantasy leagues. His value for Boston will mainly come with his rebounding, but he provides them with a consistent interior option on offense as well.

Brooklyn Nets

Surprisingly, Michael Porter Jr. was not moved at the deadline. That could start the process of him being held out a little bit more, as well saw on Wednesday when he didn't play against the Pacers. The Nets may also start doing that with Noah Clowney and Nic Claxton, who were also held out on Wednesday, so this could turn into an ugly situation where it's hard to trust anybody in Brooklyn. If we do get more consistent minutes for Nolan Traore, then it's worth keeping an eye on because he's averaged 17 points, 8.0 assists, and 2.8 rebounds over his last four games.

Charlotte Hornets

Monday's altercation in the game against the Pistons has led to suspensions for both Moussa Diabaté and Miles Bridges. I covered the fallout from that in a video this week. The Hornets also added Coby White at the deadline, but he has not yet debuted due to a calf injury, so we'll need to see how the rotation shakes up when he finally takes the court with his new team.

Chicago Bulls

After the trade deadline, the Bulls now have one of the shortest teams in the NBA. The guard-heavy rotation could also change in the next week or so if the team can get back Josh Giddey (hamstring) and Tre Jones (hamstring). That would likely cut into some of the minutes that Jaden Ivey and Anfernee Simons are seeing, but it seems more likely that Collin Sexton would move back into a bench role. Trading away Nikola Vučević also means that Jalen Smith should be the starting center in Chicago, but he's currently dealing with a calf injury. That means Guerschon Yabusele and Nick Richards are splitting minutes until Smith returns, and Yabusele likely moves to a bench role. There is a lot still to sort through here.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Obviously, the biggest shake-up at the deadline was the Cavaliers adding James Harden. Evan Mobley remains sidelined with a calf strain, and Max Strus still has yet to play this season, so the Cavaliers' rotation is pretty tight right now. Keon Ellis and Dennis Schröder have entered the rotation as backup guards, which has pushed guys like Craig Porter Jr. out of the rotation, but neither is playing enough to be relevant in fantasy basketball leagues.

Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks were finally able to trade Anthony Davis away, bringing in Khris Middleton and Marvin Bagley III. However, Cooper Flagg is now sidelined with a sprained foot, and so the hope is that he won't be out much beyond the All-Star break. Bagley III is technically coming off the bench behind Gafford, but is playing more minutes and playing better, so we'd love to see him get a bit more of an opportunity.

Denver Nuggets

Nuggets have gotten back Nikola Jokić, Christian Braun, and Cameron Johnson in the last couple of weeks, but they also lost Peyton Watson (hamstring) and remain without Aaron Gordon (hamstring). With Jokić back, this team is really about him and Jamal Murray. Braun could push for top-125 value in fantasy leagues, but Johnson continues to not really be a huge contributor in his minutes.

Detroit Pistons

The aforementioned brawl between the Pistons and Hornets will have some ripple effects in Detroit as well, with Jalen Duren being suspended for two games and Isaiah Stewart getting suspended for seven. Paul Reed will step into a much better role, but the Pistons will otherwise adjust by giving more usage to their other prominent players like Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris.

Golden State Warriors

The Warriors traded for Kristaps Porzingis at the deadline, but he is still not healthy enough to play, nor is Stephen Curry, who has missed time with a knee injury. That has led to an increase in minutes for Gui Santos, who is averaging 14.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.8 steals in over 30 minutes a game. Pat Spencer has also been a top-70 player with Curry sidelined, so those are two guys to keep an eye on for this team that is clearly in transition.

Houston Rockets

The Rockets surprisingly didn't make a meaningful move at the deadline, so their situation remains unchanged. Reed Sheppard continues to be a streaky performer this year, but he's in a hot stretch right now.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers made a huge splash, trading for Ivica Zubac, but he has not yet played a game this season as Indiana tries to walk the tightrope of holding onto their first-round pick, which is protected for picks 1-4 and 10-30. That means they'll do things like play their full team and beat the Knicks, and then come back the next day and rest most of their starters. That's going to make it hard to trust anybody here down the stretch.

Fantasy Basketball Week 2 Injury Report: Luka Dončić, Anthony Edwards headline the list of sidelined stars

The Pacers, Lakers and Thunder are among the teams with lengthy injury reports at the halfway point of Week 2.

• Raphielle Johnson,

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers went from being one of the hottest teams in the NBA to trading away James Harden and Ivica Zubac in the blink of an eye. Darius Garland (toe) has not yet debuted and remains without a timetable for return, which has led to a much bigger role for Bennedict Mathurin than expected. Brook Lopez has also slid into the starting center role, but you have to wonder if the Clippers will eventually give Isaiah Jackson a chance to take that job.

Los Angeles Lakers

Austin Reaves is back, but now Luca Doncic is dealing with a hamstring injury. The team is hoping he can return after the All-Star break, but it's unclear. The Lakers still have not pushed Reaves too much coming off his calf injury, which has led ot big minutes for Marcus Smart and even a start for Kobe Bufkin. That should likely change when this team is healthy after the break.

Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies traded away Jaren Jackson Jr. at the deadline, but held onto Ja Morant. However, this is still a team that is focused on developing its young talent. That has led to plenty of minutes for Walter Clayton Jr., who was running as a starter before suffering a bruised calf. Ty Jerome has also played well since returning from injury and has been a top 50 player over the last month. GG Jackson should also take on a lot of Jackson's minutes and remains a player to watch while Cedric Coward is still battling a knee injury.

Miami Heat

The Heat stood pat at the deadline, which was a bit of a surprise, and they are still dealing with injuries to Tyler Herro and Norman Powell, which has impacted minutes a bit. Jaime Jaquez Jr. has played a huge role all year and continues to be a top 50 player, while rookie Kasparas Jakučionis has stepped into a much bigger role and been a fringe top 100 player over the last two weeks.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks made a few moves at the deadline to try to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo happy while he sits out with a calf injury. Cam Thomaswas signed to be a high-volume scoring option alongside Kevin Porter Jr., who remains the driving force without Giannis. Nobody else is producing with any consistency. Ryan Rollins is battling a foot injury, and Jericho Sims is doing little with his minutes. This remains a team with major issues.

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves continue to operate a narrow rotation. They added Ayo Dosunmu at the deadline, and he is taking on the role as the primary bench option. It's really just the starters, him, and Naz Reid who are contributing right now.

New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans didn't make any major moves at the deadline, so Yves Missi will remain in a little-used bench role. Trey Murphy III is dealing with a shoulder injury, but that shouldn't sideline him for too long, and Bryce McGowens is now back in a consistent role off the bench with Jose ALvarado traded to New York.

New York Knicks

The Knicks brought in Jose Alvarado at the deadline in part because of his elite on-ball defense, but also because Miles McBride will miss the remainder of the regular season after sports hernia surgery. Alvarado should slot directly into McBridge's minutes, but Landry Shamet has seen a bit uptick in minutes and usage with OG Anunoby sidelined with a toe injury. We've also seen the Knicks try to be cautious with Mitchell Robinson's minutes of late, which has led to more minutes for Mo Diawara. Expect the Knicks to sign another big man now that they have a roster spot.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell are still out, but it's possible that they could return shortly after the All-Star break. The Thunder did get Jalen Williams back, but then he left Wednesday's game with a hamstring injury, so we'll have to see how serious that turns out to be. That could lead to more minutes for Jared McCain, who was added at the deadline. Cason Wallace has filled in well, averaging 13.9 points, 4.3 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals over his last three games.

Orlando Magic

Both Wagner brothers are back for Orlando, with Franz Wagner coming back for two games and Mo Wagner being back for the last four. The Magic are still being cautious with Franz's minutes, but those could tick up after the All-Star break. Once that does happen, it will be interesting to see what happens with usage because Jalen Suggs has been on fire, averaging 12.5 points, 9.3 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 steals, and 2.5 blocks over his last four games.

Philadelphia 76ers

Paul George is still serving his suspension, and Joel Embiid is dealing with some soreness inhis surgically repaired knee, so this has not been a great week for the 76ers' veterans. The team also tarded away Jared McCain at the deadline, which allowed them to sign Dominick Barlow to a standard contract. Kelly Oubre Jr. has seen a nice bump in minutes and usage with George suspended and has been a top 100 player over the last seven games.

Phoenix Suns

Jalen Green is back from yet another hamstring injury, and Devin Booker also returned this week, but both of them sat out the second game of a back-to-back as well. That could just be a precaution heading into the All-Star break, but it's nice to see the Suns getting healthy. Their team remained largely the same after the deadline, so Booker, Dillon Brooks, and Grayson Allen will still carry a large chunk of the scoring load. Although, Allen's production could be hurt by Green being back.

Portland Trail Blazers

Scoot Henderson is back for the Trail Blazers, and I recorded a video talking about his potential impact on the rotation. For now, Jrue Holiday is still playing a lot, and he is under contract for next season, so I don't expect that to change much. If anything, Caleb Loveis going to see his minutes take a big hit. Portland also added Vít Krejčí at the trade deadline, but he remains just a shooting specialist off the bench for now.

Sacramento Kings

The Kings didn't make any moves at the deadline, but they remain in full tank mode. That has meant days off for all of Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, and Russell Westbrook in the last week. Much like with the Nets, Pacers, Jazz, and Wizards, the Kings are going to try to tank without making it obvious that they're tanking and so it's going to be hard to trust anybody here. Maxime Reynaud has stepped into a bigger role with Sabonis sidelined, and Dylan Cardwell also emerged as a high-energy rebounder and defender off the bench. I interviewed him last week, so check that out.

San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs are another team that stood pat at the deadline, but they recently released Jeremy Schoan, and Stephon Castle suffered a pelvic contusion earlier this week, which I discussed in a video. Other than that, they're pretty healthy and have a similar rotation to what we've seen throughout the year.

Toronto Raptors

The Raptors were rumored to make a big splash at the deadline but wound up standing pat instead. RJ Barrett has returned from his injury and is back to playing over 30 minutes a game. Jakob Poeltl (back) also made his return this week, but it's hard to rely on him to play too much with his persistent injuries. Collin Murray-Boyles is also dealing witha thumb injury that kept him out on Wednesday, but perhaps it won't linger too long after the break.

Utah Jazz

What the Jazz are doing is brutal. Despite adding Jaren Jackson Jr. at the deadline, the team doesn't want to win games, so they frequently sit Jackson Jr., Lauri Markannen, and Jusuf Nurkić in the fourth quarter of games. With Keyonte George also sidelined, it's really hard to trust anybody here, especially now that Jackson Jr. has reportedly been shutdown for the season with a knee injury that the Jazz happened to uncovered a week after they traded for him.

Washington Wizards

The Wizards are another team that's not trying to win basketball games. They acquired Anthony Davis at the trade deadline, but are going to use his finger injury to keep him out as long as possible, despite them claiming that he will play this season.We know Trae Young is also sidelined for a while, and Alex Sarr will be out for at least the next two weeks with a hamstring injury. The Wizards are bad enough that they are likely going to play their young players down the stretch, so you can likely still rely on Sarr, Kyshawn George, and even Will Riley, who has emerged as a top-125 player in fantasy basketball over the last two weeks, averaging 14.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.4 steals in his last eight games.

Injuries are forcing last-minute lineup changes for the 2026 Castrol NBA Rising Stars game, which helps tip off NBA All-Star weekend in Los Angeles on Friday night.

Dallas' Cooper Flagg (left mid-foot sprain) and Washington's Alex Sarr (hamstring) are now out of the competition, their teams report.

Utah forward Ace Bailey and Washington guard Bub Carrington have been named injury replacements, the league announced.

With all due respect to Bailey and Carrington, this is a letdown for fans. Flagg has lived up to the hype of being the No. 1 draft pick last June, he is already an NBA star. With that, Carmelo Anthony made him the top pick in the player draft for the Rising Stars Game (more on the format below). Sarr has been more under the radar, but the No. 2 pick a season ago has played well for the Wizards, averaging an efficient 17.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game this season.

Bailey has found his footing with the Jazz of late, and in his last 15 games, he is averaging 15.4 points and 5.1 rebounds while shooting 46.6% from the field. Carrington is averaging 10.2 points per game and leads Washington with 110 three-pointers made this season while shooting 39.3% from 3-point range.

How to watch the 2026 Castrol NBA Rising Stars

• When: Friday, Feb. 13
• Where: Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California
• Time: 9 p.m. ET; championship at 10:35 p.m. ET
• TV/Streaming: Peacock

NBA Rising Stars format

The top 10 rookies and top 10 sophomores — as voted on by league assistant coaches — earned spots in the game.

Hall of Fame players and analysts on NBC's Showtime show — Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady — each drafted a team of seven players. The fourth team, coached by current NBC Sports analyst Austin Rivers, is composed of G League Rising Stars.

The teams will play in a straight four-team tournament format. Team Melo will face Team Austin at 9 p.m. ET, followed by Team Vince vs. Team T-Mac at 9:55 p.m. ET. The winners will meet in the championship.

In each semifinal game, the winner is the first team to reach or surpass 40 points. The championship game will be won by the first team to reach or surpass 25 points.

Rosters, players in NBA Rising Stars

Team Melo

• Cooper Flagg (Dallas Mavericks)*
  * Out with left midfoot sprain
• Reed Sheppard (Houston Rockets)
• Stephon Castle (San Antonio Spurs)
• Dylan Harper (San Antonio Spurs)
• Jeremiah Fears (New Orleans Pelicans)
• Donovan Clingan (Portland Trail Blazers)
• Collin Murray-Boyles (Toronto Raptors)
• Ace Bailey (Utah Jazz)*
  * Replaces Cooper Flagg

Team T-Mac

• Kon Knueppel (Charlotte Hornets)
• Kel'el Ware (Miami Heat)
• Tre Johnson (Washington Wizards)
• Alex Sarr (Washington Wizards)
  * Out with hamstring strain
• Ajay Mitchell (Oklahoma City Thunder, out with an injury)
• Jaylon Tyson (Cleveland Cavaliers)
• Cam Spencer (Memphis Grizzlies)
• Zaccharie Risacher (Atlanta Hawks)*
  * Replaces Ajay Mitchell
• Bub Carrington (Washington Wizards)*
  * Replaces Alex Sarr

Team Vince

• VJ Edgecombe (Philadelphia 76ers)
• Derik Queen (New Orleans Pelicans)
• Kyshawn George (Washington Wizards)
• Matas Buzelis (Chicago Bulls)
• Egor Dёmin (Brooklyn Nets)
• Cedric Coward (Memphis Grizzlies)
• Jaylen Wells (Memphis Grizzlies)

Team Austin

(G League Rising Stars)

• Sean East II (Salt Lake City Stars)
• Ron Harper Jr. (Maine Celtics)
• David Jones Garcia (Austin Spurs) [injured, will not play*]
• Yanic Konan Niederhäuser (San Diego Clippers)
• Alijah Martin (Raptors 905)
• Tristen Newton (Rio Grande Valley Vipers)
• Yang Hansen (Rip City Remix)
• Mac McClung (Chicago Bulls)

How to watch NBA on NBC and Peacock:

Every moment of All-Star Weekend — the Rising Stars challenge on Friday. (Feb. 13), All-Star Saturday Night with the 3-Point Contest and Dunk Contest (Feb. 14), as well as the All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 15 — will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.

The 75th NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 15, at 5 p.m. Eastern, a time earlier than in previous years, leading into more coverage of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Peacock NBA Monday will stream up to three Monday night games each week throughout the regular season. Coast 2 Coast Tuesday presents doubleheaders on Tuesday nights throughout the regular season on NBC and Peacock. On most Tuesdays, an 8 p.m. ET game will be on NBC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones, and an 8 p.m. PT game on NBC stations in the Pacific and often Mountain time zones.

Check local listings each week. Both games will stream live nationwide on Peacock. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball across NBC and Peacock on Feb. 1, 2026. For a full schedule of the NBA on NBC and Peacock, click here.

How to sign up for Peacock:

Sign up here to watch all of our LIVE sports, sports shows, documentaries, classic matches, and more. You'll also get tons of hit movies and TV shows, Originals, news, 24/7 channels, and current NBC & Bravo hits—Peacock is here for whatever you're in the mood for.

If one were cynical, one would point out that this news came down just after the tanking-to-hold-on-to-their-pick Jazz won two in a row despite sitting Jaren Jackson Jr. — and Lauri Markkanen — in the fourth quarters of those games.

Utah's Jaren Jackson Jr. is out for the remainder of the season and "will undergo surgery to remove a localized pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) growth in his left knee," the team announced Thursday.

The team said the growth was identified on an MRI during Jackson's post-trade physical. The team reportedly consulted medical experts, as well as Jackson and his representation, before deciding to have the surgery now, during the All-Star break.

A PVNS growth is a rare and benign (noncancerous), it does not spread to other parts of the body. The Orthopedic Surgery & Sports Medicine center in Kansas City adds this: "PVNS is a progressive joint disease that gradually worsens and can cause bone damage and arthritis. In a healthy joint, the synovium produces a small amount of fluid that lubricates the cartilage and aids in joint movement. However, in PVNS, the synovium produces extra fluid, causing swelling in the joint and making movement very painful."

It's still difficult not to find the timing very convenient for the Jazz.

Utah owes its first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but it is top-eight protected. Utah wants to hold on to that pick so it can add one more high draft pick to its young core of Keyonte George, Ace Bailey and Walker Kessler (out injured for the season). That young group, paired with a front line of Jackson and Markkanen, looks like a playoff team in the West on paper — Utah has signaled it's done with the losing part of its rebuild and wants to start winning... but not until next season.

Currently the Jazz would enter the NBA Draft Lottery with the sixth-worst record in the league, and with that a 96.2% chance of retaining their pick. However, with a third of the league now tanking heading into what is projected to be one of the best and deepest drafts in years, the Jazz need to keep losing to ensure they hold that position and don't worsen their odds of giving that pick to OKC.

Which led the Jazz to come up with a loophole in the league's Player Participation Policy that forces them to play recent All-Stars Markkanen and Jackson — the Jazz did play them for 25 minutes a night through the first three quarters, then benched all their stars in the fourth. That strategy opened the door for Orlando to come from behind in the fourth and beat Utah last weekend.

Now Jackson is out for the remainder of the season, which is a short-term plus for Utah. Jackson, a former Defensive Player of the Year, is averaging 19.4 points plus grabbing 5.7 rebounds and blocking 1.4 blocks per game this season — he helps teams win. He and Markkanen form an All-Star-level front court.

Which Jazz fans are very excited about and want to see — but not until next season.

The Portland Trail Blazers (26-29) travel to the Delta Center to face the Utah Jazz (18-37) tonight, aiming to snap a four-game road losing streak and secure a season series sweep. The Blazers take to the court after getting smacked by the Timberwolves in Minnesota last night, 133-109. Julius Randle poured in 41 and the T-wolves turned 25 Portland turnovers into 43 points. Jrue Holiday scored 23 and Scoot Henderson 18 points in the loss.

The Jazz (18-37) are looking to defend their home court and avoid being swept this season by their Northwest Division rivals. Utah has won two straight including last night at home against the Kings, 121-93. Starting in place of the injured Shaedon Sharpe, Isaiah Collier scored 12 and handed out 14 assists in the win. Scoring was not a problem last night and has not been a part of the problem for the Jazz most nights this season. They play with pace and average 118.3 points per game. They limited the Kings to 93 points last night, but defense has been the issue. The Jazz are dead last with a bullet this season allowing a league-worst 125.8 points per game (Washington is second-worst allowing 123.1 points per game).

This contest is the third of four games between the teams this season with Portland having won the first two following a 136-134 victory on October 29 and a 137-117 blowout on January 5.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds courtesy of DraftKings recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

After 24 years, the NBA is back on NBC and Peacock, combining the nostalgia of an iconic era with the innovative future of basketball coverage. The NBA on NBC YouTube channel delivers fans must-see highlights, analysis, and exclusive and unique content. 

Game Details and How to Watch Live: Trail Blazers at Jazz

• Date: Thursday, February 12, 2026
• Time: 9PM EST
• Site: Delta Center
• City: Salt Lake City, Utah
• Network/Streaming: KJZZ-TV, KUNP 16, NBA League Pass

Rotoworld has you covered with all the latest NBA Player News for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Game Odds: Trail Blazers at Jazz

The latest odds as of Thursday courtesy of DraftKings:

• Moneyline: Portland Trail Blazers (-310), Utah Jazz (+250)
• Spread: Trail Blazers -8.5
• Total: 238.5 points

This game opened Trail Blazers -7.5 with the Total set at 237.5.

Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NBA schedule! 

Expected Starting Lineups: Trail Blazers at Jazz

Portland Trail Blazers

• PG Jrue Holiday
• SG Jerami Grant
• SF Toumani Camara
• PF Deni Avdija
• C Donovan Clingan

Utah Jazz

• PG Isaiah Collier
• SG Ace Bailey
• SF Lauri Markkanen
• PF John Konchar
• C Jusuf Nurkic

Injury Report: Trail Blazers at Jazz

Portland Trail Blazers

• Shaedon Sharpe (calf) has been declared OUT for tonight’s game
• Kris Murray (back) is listed as questionable for tonight’s game
• Matisse Thybulle (thumb) has been declared OUT for tonight’s game

Utah Jazz

• Keyonte George (ankle) has been declared OUT for tonight’s game
• Elijah Harkless (hamstring) has been declared OUT for tonight’s game
• Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee) has been declared OUT of tonight's game

Important stats, trends and insights: Trail Blazers at Jazz

• The Trail Blazers are 10-16 on the road this season
• The Jazz are 11-17 at home this season
• The Jazz are 31-24 ATS this season / 16-12 ATS at home
• The Trail Blazers are 29-26 ATS this season / 12-14 ATS on the road
• The OVER has cashed in 29 of the Trail Blazers’ 55 games this season (29-26)
• The OVER has cashed in 32 of Utah’s 55 games this season (32-23)
• Each of these teams is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games overall
• Deni Avdija managed just 11 points last night at Minnesota (3-14 from the field)
• Donovan Clingan is averaging 13.2 rebounds per game through 6 games in February
• Ace Bailey is averaging 15.6 points over his last 5 games

Rotoworld Best Bet

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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
 
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for tonight’s Trail Blazers and Jazz game:

• Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline
• Spread: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play ATS
• Total: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Game Total OVER 238.5

Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar! 

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

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