Category: NBA

The Los Angeles Lakers have managed to show resiliency on and off the court, extending their winning streak to four straight games.

The Lakers are third in the Western Conference with a 41-25 record, trailing the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.

Coach JJ Redick credited the team for beginning to understand the importance of playing united during the stretch.

“It goes back to the human element and what they are comfortable doing as basketball players,” Redick said about his players before the Lakers’ 120-106 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.

The team followed up that performance with a 142-130 win against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday and have won seven of its last eight games.

The trio of Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves has led the way for the team – but often not all at the same time.

“The human struggle to want what you want while also having the emotional maturity and recognition that you have someone next to you hasn’t been so clean, but losing a training camp and the start of the year (without James), then losing AR for a long stretch, I think we are starting to get it,” Redick said.

“... thats just the nature of it and that’s the nature of every big three that’s played together and we are going to get there and I think we have seen some positive signs. With LeBron, I know he recognizes the importance of having Luka as the engine and all he really wants is to impact winning and I’ve said that now for the past two weeks, but we are going to get there.”

James is dealing with a right hip contusion and left foot arthritis, which caused him to miss the first three games during the streak, leaving Doncic and Reaves to take on a bulk of the workload offensively.

The trio was back on the court together Thursday, with Doncic falling just short of a triple-double performance. Doncic produced 51 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists against the Chicago Bulls.

Doncic received MVP chants in the final minutes of the fourth quarter when heading to the bench.

Doncic also led a strong second-half effort on Tuesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, just hours after a report surfaced regarding his breakup from his fiancée and a potential custody battle. The couple has two children together.

Doncic produced a triple-double with 31 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds against the Timberwolves. He scored 19 of his 31 points in the second half. Reaves also added 31.

Reaves followed that performance up with 30 against the Bulls.

The duo’s scoring ability was not taken lightly by Timberwolves coach Chris Finch, who mentioned before Tuesday’s game that he expected Reaves and Doncic to take on the bulk of the offensive workload while James was out.

With James back on the court for the Lakers on Thursday against the Bulls, he scored 18 points to go along with seven assists and seven rebounds.

What has impressed players such as Doncic the most this week is the team’s defensive performance, which held Minnesota to 45 points in the first half.

"I think we played some of our best basketball games of the season,” Doncic said after the Minnesota game. “It starts on defense. Everybody's putting in the effort and that's not easy to do. I think we're doing it now."

The Lakers have averaged 41.1 rebounds per game this season, which ranks 26th in the league, but collected 47 against Minnesota.

Lakers center Deandre Ayton led the team in rebounding with 12, to go with his 14 points against the Timberwolves.

"It's great for his teammates to see him have a really good performance on both ends of the floor," Redick said. "It's better for (Ayton) to have a game like that against a really good team, one of the best teams in basketball. … It's good for his confidence."

He also had a double-double (23 points and 10 rebounds) against the Bulls.

While the Lakers remain focused on winning a potential playoff run, Doncic and James were among the members to spend time with patients at a UCLA Health medical center.

“You go there, and you realize that you’d really have problems in your life,” Doncic told reporters on Thursday. “Health is the most important thing in your life, so you realize you don’t have problems at all. Just having interactions with them was super amazing and I’m really appreciative for that.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LA Lakers beat Chicago Bulls, peaking before NBA playoffs

The deliberations among the Men's NCAA Tournament selection committee remain mostly private each year, with only a few interviews done by its chair each year on Selection Sunday serving as the only official rationale for who's in, who's out and where every team is seeded for March Madness.

The 2026 NCAA Tournament is shaping up to be a fascinating bracket, as season-long favorites appear headed for a No. 1 seed and a particularly soft bubble filled with iffy resumes comes into focus ahead of Selection Sunday. Like last season, the selection committee will have seven metrics based on computer models and formulas listed on its team sheets and how each is weighed can be a point of contention that has lasting impact given the importance NCAA tournament performance has on the overall perception of a program.

Each ranking or rating is separated into two distinct categories — predictive metrics and results-based metrics. The NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET), KenPom, ESPN's BPI and the Torvik rankings are considered predictive rankings that measure how good a team is based on its offensive and defensive efficiency, adjusted for opponent strength and location. The KPI, ESPN's Strength of Record (SOR) and Wins Above Bubble (WAB) are results-based rankings that judge how hard it was for a team to attain its résumé.

For many teams, the two types of ratings largely converge by the end of the regular season. For others, however, there can be a wide swath of outcomes based on how a game was played and whether it was won or lost. These are the schools from major and mid-major conferences that often inspire the most robust conversation and debate among committee members, either over their selection into the NCAA tournament field as an at-large bid and/or their potential seeding.

Here are 10 teams with the most at stake heading into Selection Sunday based on their polarizing rankings among the metrics used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee:

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March Madness 2026: NCAA tournament metrics' most polarizing teams

Records reflect games played on March 12.NET and WAB rankings reflect games played on March 11.

Miami (Ohio) (31-1)

• NET: 54
• KenPom: 93
• BPI: 90
• Torvik: 87
• KPI: 47
• SOR: 21
• WAB: 33

The RedHawks’ undefeated run through the regular season is one of the most compelling stories heading into this year’s March Madness, in part because of the uncertainty about what the NCAA Tournament selection committee might do if Miami (Ohio) didn’t win the Mid-American Conference tournament and the league’s automatic bid. Well, that discussion is now reality after Miami’s stunning loss to UMass in the MAC tournament quarterfinals on Thursday.

While the RedHawks’ predictive metrics are that of a team from a one-bid league, their results-based numbers suggest they’re deserving of an at-large bid into the bracket despite not playing a quadrant one game this season. The selection committee’s decision here is likely to shape the larger narrative surrounding the mid-major selection process on Selection Sunday and mid-major scheduling moving forward. 

Auburn (17-16)

• NET: 38
• KenPom: 38
• BPI: 26
• Torvik: 42
• KPI: 45
• SOR: 43
• WAB: 44

Perhaps no team could potentially benefit from this year’s soft bubble like the Tigers, who took another step toward securing an at-large bid by beating Mississippi State to open the SEC Tournament. Auburn’s late-season swoon put it in jeopardy of missing the NCAA Tournament and then former coach Bruce Pearl brought a national spotlight when he recently argued the Tigers were more deserving of a March Madness at-large bid than Miami (Ohio). Steven Pearl’s hiring as coach will get even more uncomfortable should Auburn complete this collapse and not hear its name called on Selection Sunday.

North Carolina (24-7)

• NET: 24
• KenPom: 31
• BPI: 26
• Torvik: 30
• KPI: 13
• SOR: 19
• WAB: 19

The Tar Heels are going dancing for the second year in a row under coach Hubert Davis, but their seeding on Selection Sunday bears watching. The results-based metrics suggest North Carolina could potentially warrant a top-four seed, especially if it were to reel off a couple more quality wins at the ACC tournament. But predictive metrics like KenPom and ESPN’s BPI currently have UNC hovering around the top 30, which would be more in line with earning a No. 7 or No. 8 seed. How the NCAA tournament selection committee views that gap could affect the Tar Heels’ odds of advancing and Davis felt pressure after last season’s first-round exit from the NCAA Tournament.

Louisville (23-9)

• NET: 14
• KenPom: 17
• BPI: 11
• Torvik: 14
• KPI: 25
• SOR: 25
• WAB: 22

The Cardinals could be a quandary to seed, with a wider range of metrics than most top 25 teams. Louisville doesn’t have a bad loss on its resumé but it also had just four wins over teams currently projected to make the NCAA Tournament field during the regular season. Its best win is over Kentucky (NET: 27) at home more than four months ago. However, three of the four predictive metrics used by the selection committee – including the NET – have Louisville projected as a top-15 team. This seed line will be hard to project on Selection Sunday.

Iowa (21-12)

• NET: 25
• KenPom: 25
• BPI: 32
• Torvik: 25
• KPI: 49
• SOR: 38
• WAB: 39

The Hawkeyes are lucky a lot of bubble teams lost this week or else their quick exit from the Big Ten tournament against Ohio State on Thursday might make the next couple days more nerve-wracking. Iowa will enter the 2026 NCAA Tournament having lost four of its past five games and seven of its previous 10 games, including road setbacks to conference doormats Maryland and Penn State. Its seeding profile was already going to be a challenge for the selection committee and the Hawkeyes’ recent issues could leave them with a lower seed than expected despite predictive metrics mostly inside the top 25. 

UCF (21-10)

• NET: 51
• KenPom: 53
• BPI: 55
• Torvik: 57
• KPI: 28
• SOR: 41
• WAB: 38

The Knights seemed safely in the field for most of February (and probably still get into the field after a dramatic comeback win in overtime against Cincinnati on Wednesday at the Big 12 tournament). But UCF’s seed line could test the NCAA Tournament selection committee because its predictive metrics have lagged behind its results-based rankings all season long. UCF’s 10-9 record in quad one and two games this season compares favorably with other teams competing for the last at large bids, but the Knights remain outside the top 50 in the KenPom and Torvik rankings after a three-game losing skid to Baylor, Oklahoma State and West Virginia to close the regular season. 

Texas (18-14)

• NET: 42
• KenPom: 39
• BPI: 39
• Torvik: 45
• KPI: 45
• SOR: 46
• WAB: 65

There could be a fascinating debate in the selection committee room revolving around the Longhorns, Missouri and Oklahoma of the SEC. Texas has the best NET, KenPom and BPI rating among the three thanks to its top-20 offense, but enters Selection Sunday with losses in five of its past six games after a first-round setback to Ole Miss on Wednesday at the SEC tournament. Oklahoma’s five-game winning streak entering Thursday included wins over Missouri and Texas. Missouri, meanwhile, leads in every results-based metric, which is why the Tigers’ spot in the field feels more secure than Texas or Oklahoma. The Longhorns have notable wins over Alabama and Vanderbilt in January, a 2-1 record this season against Missouri and Oklahoma, and several blowouts early to boost their predictive metrics. But they’ve also got a quad three loss on their resume, something neither Missouri nor Oklahoma have on theirs. 

Cincinnati (18-15)

• NET: 46
• KenPom: 43
• BPI: 43
• Torvik: 31
• KPI: 58
• SOR: 67
• WAB: 66

Coach Wes Miller entered his fifth season leading the Bearcats mentioned on hot seat lists and his departure seemed a foregone conclusion once Cincinnati began this season poorly. A surge in recent weeks, including wins over BYU and Kansas, boosted the Bearcats’ predictive metrics to that of a bubble team. Their results-based metrics still lag, however, with a quad four loss to Eastern Michigan in November looming particularly large now that they lost Wednesday’s Big 12 tournament game to UCF. This year’s soft bubble offers a glimmer of hope ahead of Selection Sunday, which could well determine Miller’s future.

Stanford (20-12)

• NET: 62
• KenPom: 60
• BPI: 73
• Torvik: 60
• KPI: 41
• SOR: 63
• WAB: 56

The Cardinal’s metrics aren’t going to help them in the bubble conversation ahead of Selection Sunday, especially after their loss to Pittsburgh in the opening round of the ACC tournament. Stanford is outside the top 60 in predictive metrics and outside the 50 in results-based rankings, but a closer look at their resume explains why they will be considered by the selection committee. The Cardinal have a 9-8 record in quad one and quad two games. Most of their competition for the final at large spots have better metrics but don’t have an above .500 mark against the best teams on the schedule like Stanford.

VCU (24-7)

• NET: 44
• KenPom: 46
• BPI: 47
• Torvik: 52
• KPI: 32
• SOR: 42
• WAB: 42

If the Rams can’t secure the Atlantic-10 Conference’s automatic NCAA Tournament berth, their at-large candidacy could become a talking point on Selection Sunday. They certainly don’t want to risk losing Friday’s A-10 Conference tournament quarterfinal matchup. VCU’s predictive metrics lag behind its results-based metrics because its only loss in the past two months occurred on the road against league leader Saint Louis. But the Rams’ best wins in non conference play were over Virginia Tech and South Florida. VCU’s latest trip to March Madness could be decided by how tough the selection committee perceives the rest of the A-10 to be this season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NCAA bracketology 2026: Most polarizing teams by March Madness metrics

Miami (Ohio) dropped its MAC quarterfinal to UMass to fall to 31-1 but the RedHawks don’t fall out of the USA TODAY Sports bracketology field prediction after an unbeaten regular season.

Thanks to results elsewhere during conference championship week – including one crucial result in the SEC – the RedHawks dip down the No. 11 line into one of the NCAA tournament play-in games. This wouldn’t be a terrible result for Miami, which is located just an hour from Dayton, Ohio, which hosts the play-in round.

Miami stays ahead of fellow bubble teams such as Auburn and Missouri, which lost in the second round of the SEC tournament, and Indiana, a loser to Northwestern in the Big Ten tournament.

Auburn had a chance to punch its NCAA ticket by beating Tennessee but couldn’t stop freshman Nate Ament, who returned from injury after missing about two weeks and poured in 27 points in the Volunteers’ 72-62 win. Missouri lost 78-72 to Kentucky and is now on the wrong side of the bubble.

Indiana was in position to make the field before its second loss of the season to Northwestern.

The bubble remains messy but is starting to get a little clearer as contenders advance in or fall out of tournament play.

One contender making a late move is Oklahoma, which dropped nine midseason games in a row but has rebounded to go 8-2 in its last 10. The Sooners have recently added wins against Auburn, Texas before strong efforts against South Carolina and Texas A&M at the SEC tournament.

Two contenders to watch are Mountain West rivals San Diego State and New Mexico, which will meet in the conference semifinals. While the Aztecs or Lobos could make it easy by going ahead and winning the MWC title, the winner of the semifinal is in good shape for an at-large spot.

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March Madness last four in

Santa Clara, Virginia Commonwealth, SMU, Miami (Ohio).

March Madness first four out

New Mexico, Oklahoma, Auburn, Indiana,.

NCAA Tournament bids conference breakdown

Multi-bid leagues: SEC (10), Big Ten (9), ACC (8), Big 12 (8), Big East (3), West Coast (3), Atlantic 10 (2), MAC (2).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness bracket predictions: NCAA Tournament bubble picture changes

Based on recent NCAA tournament trends, only a few teams are likely true national championship contenders once March Madness officially gets underway.

Seven of the last eight national champions were No. 1 seeds, with Connecticut the lone exception as a No. 4 seed in 2023. The Huskies were also a bit more talented than their seed displayed, especially as they repeated as national champions the following season.

REQUIRED READING: March Madness live bracketology: NCAA Tournament bracket updates today

Moreover, 18 of the last 25 national champions since 2000 have been No. 1 seeds. The last team higher than a No. 4 seed to win the national championship was also UConn in 2014, meaning the Huskies hold both spots as the highest-seeded teams to win a title since 2000.

Three No. 3 seeds have won national titles since 2000, and one No. 2 seed has won during that time.

Suffice to say, if a team dominates the regular season, it's a good predictor of national championship odds. Here's a look at the nine teams that can win a national championship in 2026 based on seeding trends:

Duke

Duke, the No. 1 overall seed in USA TODAY Sports' bracket projections, has been a wagon this season. Led by true freshman Cameron Boozer, one of the top national player of the year candidates, the Blue Devils finished 29-2 in the regular season with a long list of impressive wins over fellow projected 1-seeds in Michigan and Florida; 2-seed Michigan State; 4-seeds Kansas and Virginia; and 6-seed North Carolina (twice).

Duke ranks No. 1 in adjusted defensive efficiency and No. 5 in adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom, and is likely the national championship front runner right now.

Arizona

Arizona is a lock for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament alongside Duke, Michigan and Florida. All the Wildcats did this season was dominate one of the best conferences in college basketball.

Arizona finished the season with a 29-2 record, including a 16-2 mark in Big 12 play. The Wildcats lost back-to-back games to Kansas and Texas Tech in February, but won every other game otherwise, including wins over Iowa State, Kansas, Houston, Alabama, UConn and Florida.

Arizona ranks No. 3 in adjusted defensive efficiency and No. 7 in adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom. It also ranks No. 15 in strength of schedule.

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Michigan

Another lock for a No. 1 seed, Michigan also dominated the regular season. The Wolverines suffered one loss in Big Ten play, which came to Wisconsin early in the season before they ran the table in the conference, only losing again to Duke in a neutral site game in February.

Michigan has the tools to win a national title and forms a big three alongside Duke and Arizona as the top contenders for the national title, with Florida likely right behind.

Florida

Defending national champion Florida was 9-5 at one point this season after dropping its SEC opener to Missouri. That followed nonconference losses to UConn, Duke, Arizona and TCU. But then something clicked for the Gators, and they went on to win 16 of their last 17 games to end the regular season, looking like one of the top national title contenders once again.

Led by a trio of returners from last season's national championship team in Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu, Florida boasts one of the strongest frontcourts in college basketball. The Gators are the current front runners to earn the last No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, which puts them easily in national title contention, especially with their run to end the regular season.

Florida ranks fourth in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom, which coincidentally is only behind the three teams ahead of it on this list.

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UConn

UConn has proven capable in the past of winning a national championship from a variety of different seeding spots in the NCAA tournament. The Huskies are shaping up to be a No. 2 seed in 2026, though, putting them near the very top of national title contenders.

UConn's upset loss to Marquette to end the regular season might have cost its chance at a No. 1 seed, but coach Dan Hurley's squad has the potential to win the school's third title in four seasons. The Huskies lack a go-to scorer, but have a trio of veterans in Solo Ball, Tarris Reed Jr. and Alex Karaban, along with projected NBA lottery pick Braylon Mullins and Georgia transfer Silas Demary Jr. that makes one of the best starting lineups in college basketball.

UConn was a No. 8 seed last season and still nearly took down eventual national champion Florida in the second round of March Madness.

Michigan State

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo has one of his better squads in recent years, led by standout guard Jeremy Fears Jr., who leads the Big Ten in assists per game (9.1) this season.

The Spartans last won a national title in 2000, although they were runners-up in 2009. They've also reached three Final Fours since 2010. Michigan State is projected as a No. 2 seed in USA TODAY Sports' projections.

Houston

Houston returned three starters from its runners-up squad a season ago, and replaced the players it lost with a pair of five-star true freshman, including Kingston Flemings, a projected top-five pick in the upcoming NBA draft.

Flemings raised the Cougars' offensive ceiling this season, pacing the team with 16.5 points and 6.4 assists per game. They also have their typical strong defense, which ranks No. 6 nationally, per KenPom.

Coach Kelvin Sampson is one of the best coaches to never win a national title, and he has led Houston agonizingly close in recent years. Maybe the Cougars get over the hump in 2026 as a projected No. 2 seed, per USA TODAY Sports.

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Gonzaga

Three No. 3 seeds have won the national championship since 2003, and Gonzaga is projected to be on the No. 3 line in 2026, per USA TODAY Sports. The Bulldogs have one of the best frontcourts in college basketball with Graham Ike and Braden Huff, and will be a tough out if they can get strong play from their backcourt or get hot from 3-point range.

Gonzaga has one of the best coaches in the sport in Mark Few and have been runners-up for the national championship in both 2017 and 2021. It also has the defense to make a run, which ranks ninth, per KenPom.

Kansas

Never count out the Jayhawks and coach Bill Self in March Madness, especially with one of the best scorers in college basketball on their roster.

True freshman Darryn Peterson has been healthy as of late, playing 29 or more minutes in all five of Kansas' final games of the regular season. His availability raises Kansas' ceiling tremendously in the NCAA tournament.

Kansas also has a strong defense, led by Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Flory Bidunga. Kansas, also led by veteran guards Tre White and Melvin Council Jr., has a team capable of winning a national championship when Peterson is at his best.

Kansas is projected to be a No. 4 seed by USA TODAY Sports, and one No. 4 seed has won a national title since 2000 (UConn in 2023).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness predictions: One of these teams will win NCAA Tournament

Now that’s more like. The Wizards fell behind the Orlando Magic by as much as 19 points in the second, roared back with a +15 fourth quarter to send the game to overtime, briefly took a one-point lead in the extra period, and still brought home the loss they needed. Now that’s a quality tank loss.

For my money, the best part of this game was 21-year-old Bilal Coulibaly taking over Washington’s offense late. In just 6:41 of playing time in the fourth, he shot 5-9 from the floor (including a banked-in three from the wing) to score 13 points. He finished the game with 29 — a new career high.

Now, the offensive takeover was creaky at times. That banked in three was lucky, and Orlando defenders made him convert some very difficult shots.

And yet, the takeover was something I’ve wanted to see since they traded up a spot to draft him. In a close game the players wanted to win, Coulibaly tried to dominate and mostly succeeded. Orlando couldn’t keep him out of the paint when he committed to driving.

Maybe the creaky, clunky experience last night will lead to a smooth and confident takeover in the future.

Maybe.

At least we got a taste of hope last night.

Back to reality, it’s still in Washington’s best interest to keep on losing. They’ve lost 10 in a row to move into third worst behind the Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings. The Pacers are currently on an 11-game skid. The Kings — a franchise as committed to getting things wrong as the Wizards — have won four of their last six. The race to the bottom is real.

Thoughts & Observations

• Trae Young is a truly abysmal defender. I’ve known this, as has everyone else who’s watched him play over the course of his career. Seeing it up close again has been…well…a tough reminder. I mean, I’m used to seeing terrible perimeter defense from guys wearing Wizards uniforms. Young is a whole new thing — I haven’t seen defense this ineffective since Isaiah Thomas was starting.
• When the Magic saw Young between them and the basket, they drove right at him and mostly got layup line opportunities. He seemed to try to take a charge once, though I suspect he just couldn’t get out of the way fast enough.
• We’ve probably all seen highlights of Draymond Green having wrecking ball defensive possessions where he moves around the floor blowing up the opponent attempts to run offense. In the first quarter (possession ending around 6:57), Young had the opposite of that. He matadored dribble penetration that produced a paint touch, peel switched onto a cutter, who he fouled.
• Sure sign that I’m a curmudgeon — watching Tre Johnson turn down a semi-open three-point attempt to drive in and toss up a floater annoys me. For all but a few — and Johnson is not among the few — floaters are crummy shots. Necessary at times, but only as a last resort. Just. Drive. To. The. Basket.
• The Wizards coaching staff has done a great job all season designing halfcourt set plays. They ran a beautiful one to start the second quarter — Tristan Vukcevic set a back screen at the three-point line for Justin Champagnie, who came wide open on his cut to the rim. Unfortunately, it was Bub Carrington making the lob pass, and he’s terrible at throwing lobs. Champagnie could barely tip the ball, and the Wizards failed to score.
• Too many injuries in this one. Sharife Cooper took a hard fall for the Wizards and didn’t return. Jonathan Isaac sprained his left knee after leaping for an alley-00p. Jalen Suggs banged knees, took a hard fall on that knee, and then took another hard fall going for a block. Orlando needs him healthy.
• I had many notes last night about Suggs and his teammates picking on Young. Suggs especially.
• Orlando’s broadcast team made a big deal of saying Vukcevic’s name correctly. Only problem? They got it wrong. Every time. For the record, it’s pronounced Vook-sevitch. Not Vook…chevitch.
• Leaky Black has been a problematic defender in his (brief) stint with the Wizards, and he had some rough possessions last night. He also had some good possessions — the first one I’ve seen from him since he arrived in Washington.
• I continue to think Paolo Banchero is mightily overrated. Black, Coulibaly, and Anthony Gill repeatedly forced him to take fading midrange twos — exactly the shots NBA defenses want to give up. And he’s not good at shooting them.
• Speaking of Wizards coaches designing good set pieces, the sideline out of bounds play with 18 seconds left was great. They slalomed Coulibaly through a couple screens, which forced Orlando to switch Banchero onto Coulibaly and put Tristan da Silva in weakside help position. Banchero was out of position on the catch, and Coulibaly attacked fast. da Silva came to help, and Coulibaly dropped a pass to Black for a dunk. Great design and execution.
• If the goal was to win, the Wizards coaches blundered when they didn’t foul on what turned out to be Orlando’s final possession of overtime. They let the Magic run the clock to about six seconds, and then failed to even get a shot up when they got the ball back. If.

Four Factors

Below are the four factors that decide wins and losses in basketball — shooting (efg), rebounding (offensive rebounds), ball handling (turnovers), fouling (free throws made).

The four factors are measured by:

• eFG% (effective field goal percentage, which accounts for the three-point shot)
• OREB% (offensive rebound percentage)
• TOV% (turnover percentage — turnovers divided by possessions)
• FTM/FGA (free throws made divided by field goal attempts)

FOUR FACTORS	WIZARDS	MAGIC	LGAVG
eFG%	52.4%	54.5%	54.3%
OREB%	25.5%	23.9%	26.0%
TOV%	13.1%	11.3%	12.7%
FTM/FGA	0.200	0.270	0.208
PACE	104		99.3
ORTG	114	118	115.4

Stats & Metrics

PPA is my overall production metric, which credits players for things they do that help a team win (scoring, rebounding, playmaking, defending) and dings them for things that hurt (missed shots, turnovers, bad defense, fouls).

PPA is a per possession metric designed for larger data sets. In small sample sizes, the numbers can get weird. In PPA, 100 is average, higher is better and replacement level is 45. For a single game, replacement level isn’t much use, and I reiterate the caution about small samples sometimes producing weird results.

POSS is the number of possessions each player was on the floor in this game.

ORTG = offensive rating, which is points produced per individual possessions x 100. League average so far this season is listed in the Four Factors table above. Points produced is not the same as points scored. It includes the value of assists and offensive rebounds, as well as sharing credit when receiving an assist.

USG = offensive usage rate. Average is 20%. Median so far this season is 17.7%.

ORTG and USG are versions of stats created by former Wizards assistant coach Dean Oliver and modified by me. ORTG is an efficiency measure that accounts for the value of shooting, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers. USG includes shooting from the floor and free throw line, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers.

+PTS = “Plus Points” is a measure of the points gained or lost by each player based on their efficiency in this game compared to league average efficiency on the same number of possessions. A player with an offensive rating (points produced per possession x 100) of 100 who uses 20 possessions would produce 20 points. If the league average efficiency is 115, the league — on average — would produced 23.0 points in the same 20 possessions. So, the player in this hypothetical would have a +PTS score of -3.0.

Players are sorted by total production in the game.

WIZARDS	MIN	POSS	ORTG	USG	+PTS	PPA	+/-
Bilal Coulibaly	37	80	124	28.6%	1.9	132	-11
Justin Champagnie	17	37	155	21.3%	3.1	270	3
Bub Carrington	28	60	158	14.3%	3.6	166	11
Leaky Black	28	60	184	10.5%	4.3	160	14
Trae Young	21	46	134	26.0%	2.3	188	-13
Alex Sarr	23	50	115	23.7%	0.0	157	-14
Tristan Vukcevic	21	45	88	25.6%	-3.1	81	-4
Jamir Watkins	16	35	110	18.7%	-0.3	58	-1
Anthony Gill	16	35	118	13.5%	0.1	34	5
Sharife Cooper	3	6	146	31.7%	0.6	-48	3
Will Riley	33	72	74	13.2%	-4.0	-13	-6
Tre Johnson	23	49	26	23.2%	-10.2	-171	-12

MAGIC	MIN	POSS	ORTG	USG	+PTS	PPA	+/-
Tristan da Silva	41	89	119	20.0%	0.6	186	3
Jalen Suggs	34	74	129	28.8%	2.8	223	6
Jett Howard	20	43	191	21.0%	6.8	375	-1
Desmond Bane	42	91	132	17.4%	2.6	130	14
Wendell Carter Jr.	34	73	119	19.2%	0.6	157	13
Jevon Carter	21	47	109	10.9%	-0.3	55	-7
Paolo Banchero	42	92	90	22.4%	-5.2	24	11
Noah Penda	14	30	77	5.1%	-0.6	48	-12
Moritz Wagner	11	24	88	29.1%	-1.9	45	4
Jonathan Isaac	1	3	58	33.0%	-0.6	0	-2
Goga Bitadze	4	9	33	20.0%	-1.5	-114	-4

So this is where we are to prevent further embarrassment of the LSU basketball program. 

It’s a $5 million decision. 

It’s one thing to fire Matt McMahon, whose awful tenure at LSU has been surpassed only by the depth of apathy among a once loud and engaged fan base, and pay him $10 million to not coach. 

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It’s quite another, apparently, to shell out $5 million to get Will Wade — hang on, we’ll get to that stupidity — out of his contract at NC State. 

If you’re willing to spend $10 million to change the fortunes of your basketball program, which has lost 30 SEC games in the past two seasons, how could you not be willing to peel off more Benjamins for the guy you want? 

Now, to the guy LSU apparently wants: Will flippin' Wade.

That’s right, Mr. Strong Ass Offer is the coach the passionate and persistent LSU fan base wants returning to the fold. The last time Wade was in Baton Rouge, he left after back-to-back NCAAA Tournament appearances. 

And, you know, after leaving a three-year NCAA probation in his wake for allegedly paying players before it was now hip to do so (see: “strong ass offer” to a recruit caught on FBI wiretaps).

He was also given a two-year show cause order from the NCAA, which is essentially an order that publicly outs you as a next-level cheater. 

But Wade got players to LSU. Wade won big. Wade got to the tournament. 

And besides, we’re paying players now, baby!

A quick reminder to the good folks at LSU: Wade is a cheater. A next-level cheater. 

If you don’t think he’ll find a way to cheat again to gain an advantage, you’re the same person who thinks Brian Kelly is going to willingly reduce his massive buyout to get back in football somewhere else.

Wade is a helluva coach, and the obvious temptation is there. He was happy at LSU, he knew whom to schmooze and how to keep everyone happy in a football-mad state. 

McNeese took a chance on Wade a year after his removal from LSU — with his show cause order intact — and after sitting 10 games as part of an NCAA suspension, he led the Cowboys to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.

Wade then left this season for NC State, which also wasn’t concerned about Wade’s checkered past, and — I know this is going to shock you — has the Wolfpack a near-lock for the NCAA Tournament.

That’s five NCAA tournaments over the past five seasons he has coached. And if we forget the pandemic season (how could we not?), it’s six NCAAs in six seasons — and eight in 11 non-pandemic seasons (two at VCU).

Bottom line: Dude can coach.

So it’s easy to see why LSU wants Wade back in the fold, easy to understand after the Maravich Assembly Center has looked like a cavernous hole the past two seasons. 

They want to win, and they want the P-Mac rocking again. 

All it’s going to cost is $15 million. 

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.  

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Wade back to LSU? That's the rumor. Here's what it will cost

There’s an old rule in hiring: Don’t repeat your last mistake.

Syracuse basketball tried going the former player and unproven head coach route when it hired Adrian Autry from the Jim Boeheim tree. It failed. Syracuse fired Autry this week, ending a bad tenure that produced three straight unsatisfactory seasons.

It’s not Gerry McNamara’s fault the Orange flopped under Autry, and yet it probably doesn't help McNamara’s chance of getting the job.

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McNamara’s jersey hangs in the rafters at the JMA Wireless Dome, and he’s got Siena headed to the NCAA Tournament in his second year coaching the Saints. That’s one more NCAA bid than the Orange achieved the past five seasons.

And, still, better options exist. More proven options, certainly.

Saint Louis’ Josh Schertz, not McNamara, would be the home-run hire for a proud but battered program that’s withered in this pay-for-play era, the continuation of a downward slide that began after Syracuse betrayed the Big East in favor of the ACC.

“This is one of the most storied programs in college basketball,” retiring athletic director John Wildhack said after firing Autry, “and we intend to hire a proven winner who will build on that legacy.”

Wildhack is a lame duck, but he should know that being a “storied program” matters less than ever. Money trumps tradition, and Boeheim says whomever replaces Autry requires more financial support to build the roster.

“If you don't have enough resources, that puts you behind," Boeheim said on the ACC Network.

No argument, but although Boeheim exonerated Autry from any responsibility for the results of the past three seasons and instead blamed Syracuse’s players, the reality is this was a total-system failure.

To fix it, try hiring someone who’s fixed every program he’s ever coached.

Schertz would fit that mold.

Syracuse says it wants 'a proven winner.' Sounds like Josh Schertz

First, Schertz coached in Division II Final Fours. Then, he positioned Indiana State for NCAA Tournament consideration in 2024 with the most exciting Sycamores team in more than a decade, if not since the Hick from French Lick. The selection committee snubbed Schertz’s Sycamores. So, they took their show to the NIT, where they reached the finals.

Now, he’s resurrected SLU in just two seasons. The Billikens have credentials good enough that surely the committee can’t ignore them, no matter what goes down in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Never mind the blender of hype and scrutiny Miami (Ohio) received the past few weeks, because SLU is the mid-major with Sweet 16 potential.

Schertz is no Syracuse alumnus, but he’s a career winner who also just happens to be a Yankees fan from Brooklyn, New York.

Syracuse could hire McNamara, or it could target a coach who builds rosters full of guys who shoot like McNamara. Schertz’s teams fill it up from 3-point range.

“I want people to watch us play and say, ‘Man, I want to come back and see more,’" Schertz said in an interview after SLU hired him. "(The offense) is very fast-paced. … It’s a style of play where guys play for one another and unselfishly."

"It’s something where, when people give us a chance, they’ll get hooked," he added.

If you’re wondering, Syracuse ranked 17th in the 18-team ACC in 3-point percentage this season. It ranked last in free-throw percentage.

No coach will win if his team can’t put the ball in the hole, I can promise you that.

And, anymore, it’s also difficult to win big without a bundle of cash.

Jim Boeheim to Syracuse basketball: Pony up

Syracuse would need to pay up if it hopes to lure Schertz out of Saint Louis. Just as importantly, it’d need to show Schertz it’s able to pony up for his roster.

Syracuse reportedly spent about $8 million on its roster this season. That’s enough to expect better performance than Autry’s final team supplied, but it’s not enough to expect a return of Syracuse’s good ol’ days.

"You have to look at (the investment)," Boeheim said on the ACC Network.

You could call this Syracuse freefall the righteous comeuppance for the Orange’s role in the unraveling of the old Big East Conference, but this goes deeper than karma.

Never short-change the influence of money.

The Orange became bruised after jilting the Big East for the ACC, but they turned rotten in this pay-for-play era.

The knee-jerk reaction would be to target McNamara. If money is the problem, wouldn’t a program legend like McNamara ignite the donor class? Then you remember Autry himself played for the Orange.

Hiring a famous alumnus is no magic wand. Ask Georgetown and St. John’s, two of Syracuse’s former Big East brethren, about that. Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin were legendary players and bad coaches.

McNamara is showing promise as a coach. He’s undeniably been a good hire for Siena, but with Syracuse in such dire straits, wouldn’t it be wiser to go with someone more proven? Syracuse would have a hard time landing anyone who’s won more than Schertz’s nearly 78% clip across the D-I and D-II levels.

And, remember that old hiring principle? If the last guy fails, do something different next time.

No school has ever gone wrong hiring Schertz.

Blake Toppmeyer is a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Josh Schertz, not Gerry McNamara, would be top pick for Syracuse job

In Detroit, the black-eyed Susan grows along lonely highways and in vacant lots. It pushes through gravel and broken glass. It survives heat that cracks the earth and winters that freeze it solid. When the wind bends its stem, it cracks back in place.

Its petals are a grungy yellow, the shade of anxiety, orbiting a bruised center. Black-eyed, signaling it can take a punch. It’s the kind of flower Pistons legend Dennis Rodman would wear in his hair. Hard to kill. Just like the Detroit Pistons.

It was the perfect symbol during their bleak three-season stretch (2021-24). They finished the 2023-24 season 14-68, the worst record in franchise history. They went winless for an entire calendar month. They lost a record-setting 28 games in a row, and Monty Williams, hired to stabilize a rebuild, lasted only one season before being run out of town. The organization hit bottom with an 82-game public elegy.

To understand what happened next, remember what Detroit was at their apex.

At the start of the century, the Pistons were the kings of the East in late May and early June. The 2004 championship team beat a Lakers roster built on Hall-of-Fame star power: Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton and Karl Malone.

The Pistons beat them with defense and collective force: five fingers forming an iron fist. The only roughnecks to dethrone Shaq and Kobe in the Finals.

After the ‘04 title, they whiffed on young players, while their No 2 pick in the ‘03 draft, Darko Miličić, continued to haunt their chances of winning a second chip. Detroit made the playoffs twice between 2011 and 2023 and were swept both times. Their three title banners continued to collect dust.

Cade Cunningham was taken first overall in 2021. Then, a series of consecutive No 5 picks that brought in defensive demons: Jaden Ivey in 2022. Ausar Thompson in 2023. Ron Holland in 2024. It was clear Detroit had individual talent, but not the leadership to make them a team. After Williams was fired, JB Bickerstaff took over the team in the summer of 2024. While head coach in Cleveland, he remembered the games against Detroit as two teams battling in the mud over a knife. The Pistons played hard. They just couldn’t finish.

For Bickerstaff’s first training camp, he had to burn the loss out of their pores. Bickerstaff believed Detroit could anchor themselves in defense and toughness the way earlier eras had, but within the modern game. That approach aligned with Trajan Langdon, who took over basketball operations in 2024. Langdon valued structure and consistency. He had played in a disciplined system at Duke and worked in the San Antonio Spurs front office.

Langdon’s first question was about Cunningham. After years of losing and coaching changes, did he still believe in Detroit? Reflecting on that 28-game losing streak, he revealed how differently he sees the game: “When we had that streak, we were talking championship, believe it or not … To be where we are now is cool. But it’s just a step in this process. We have a long way to go.”

Cunningham was raised in Arlington, Texas – concrete, beige, unromantic. He learned early how to build something out of nothing.

Some pieces were already in place. Jalen Duren was a powerful interior presence who could rebound and finish in pick-and-rolls. Isaiah Stewart brought energy and defensive versatility. Thompson showed tricked-out defensive instincts as a rookie, capable of guarding multiple positions and applying full-court pressure. The defensive potential was obvious from the jump.

Langdon knew his kinetic young core needed veteran guidance. So he began adding vets who didn’t need to be taught professional habits. In the season following the 14-win collapse, Detroit won 44 games and returned to the playoffs. But the defense! After ranking near the bottom of the league in defensive efficiency, the Pistons clawed, snarled and gnashed into the top tier. Midway through the 2024-25 season, Detroit rose to second in defensive rating. This off-season, Langdon added Duncan Robinson, Caris LeVert and Javonte Green, while seeing huge growth from Daniss Jenkins and Paul Reed.

As the NBA moved forward, the Pistons embraced the physicality of the past. They send waves of players who embrace contact and contest everything, like piranha stripping you down to bone.

They currently stand atop the Eastern Conference as the projected No 1 seed. Cunningham has cemented his place as the best guard in the East. No one else can match his combination of defense, IQ, size and table-setting. This season, he’s a top-three MVP candidate, averaging 25.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists. He leads the league in total assists (508), and his on-off numbers quantify the assault. With Cunningham on the floor, Detroit outscores teams by 10.2 points per 100 possessions, a plus-7.2 on/off swing. The Pistons can imbibe their enemies before strangling them with their own weaknesses.

As Cunningham’s pick-and-roll partner, the 6ft 10in, 250lb Duren is producing 18.5 points and 10.8 rebounds a night on 63.4% shooting. Almost everything he does happens at the rim. His 7.3 field goals per game are mostly dunks, placing him among the league’s leaders in two-point makes. Nearly all his attempts come inside 10 feet – meaning the last thing defenders see are his pearly whites before the ball gets shoved through the cylinder.

The Pistons clear 60 points in the paint per game and have topped 70 on multiple occasions during their midseason surge. Duren’s rim finishing and offensive rebounding are central drivers. But like every great Pistons team of the past, their weakness lies in shooting. They’re 22nd in three-point percentage (34.9%), 27th in attempts (31.8), and 28th in makes (11.1) per game.

Pistons fans have seen it repeatedly: 6-of-31 in Denver, 7-of-36 against San Antonio, 6-of-27 against Cleveland. When sniper Duncan Robinson doesn’t have it, the offense has no other release valve. Now Cunningham sees two and three bodies at the nail, and the half-court bogs down into contested pull-ups or late-clock bailouts. Detroit can win the possession game, but in the playoffs, that inability to consistently generate and convert volume threes can cause an upset.

The mid-season trade of Ivey for Kevin Huerter raised their floor but lowered their ceiling. Now, when Cade has an inefficient night, the Pistons don’t have a reliable secondary shot-creator to stabilize from the perimeter.

And that brings us back to Bickerstaff. His regular-season résumé has been strong at 343–342 overall (.501) and an excellent 88–52 (.629) in Detroit so far – but his playoff history raises legitimate questions. He owns a 9–19 postseason record (.321), including a 2–4 mark in his first postseason in Detroit last year. Most notably, he was outcoached by Tom Thibodeau in back-to-back postseasons with the Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons.

Like the Pistons these past few years, the black-eyed Susan gets stepped on as soon as it breaks through the soil. As long as the stem holds, it survives. Detroit has survived three of the worst seasons in NBA history. Now they’re looking to get their lick back.

Inside the locker room, the phrase “New Bad Boys” circulates – a nod to the championship brutality of the early 1990s. Sometimes that edge spills over. On 9 February against the Charlotte Hornets, it did.

Duren and Charlotte’s Moussa Diabaté met beneath the rim, breath to breath – first a shove, then a swing. Bodies flooded the lane. Miles Bridges doubled back toward the scrum. Then Isaiah Stewart – “Beef Stew,” Detroit’s resident enforcer – came flying off the bench and into the chaos, as if summoned by the franchise’s ghosts.

Because in that instant, time spiraled. In its unraveling, Stewart’s punch no longer belonged just to him. It was Rodman’s, Bill Laimbeer’s, Ben Wallace’s. Dozens of Pistons players smashing through time and into the mouth of their opponents. In the same way, the team’s name is stitched into their jerseys; their identity is etched in the marrow of the players who bear it.

Just like the Malice at the Palace two decades prior, suspensions were handed down. Stewart got seven games, mainly for leaving the bench to fight, and of course, his reputation. Duren received a two-game suspension for initiating the scrap. Even with their two biggest dogs out, the Pistons’ rise continues.

As of early March, Detroit run the East. Two years earlier, they had been synonymous with losing. Like the black-eyed Susans that grow through broken glass, the Pistons took the punch, spat blood-soaked teeth and kept standing. Now, it’s Detroit’s turn to hit back.

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz won the toss Friday and elected to field against Pakistan in the second one-day cricket international.

Bangladesh leads the three-match after fast bowler Nahid Rana skittled Pakistan for 114 with a career-best figures of 5-24 in a resounding eight-wicket win on Wednesday.

While Bangladesh retained the same playing XI, Pakistan made one change.

Pakistan gave another chance to its inexperienced batters despite Sahibzada Farhan, Shamyl Hussain, Maaz Sadaqat and Abdul Samad, who were all on ODI debut in the first game, struggling to cope with the pace of Rana and off-spin of Mehidy.

Pakistan recalled fast bowler Haris Rauf in place of leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed in a hope the wicket will suit the fast bowlers more.

___

Lineups:

Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Maaz Sadaqat, Shamyl Hussain, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Hussain Talat, Abdul Samad, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Mohammad Wasim, Haris Rauf.

Bangladesh: Saif Hassan, Tanzid Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (captain), Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Mustafizur Rahman

____

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

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said he gives the "game everything" after breaking the 63-year-old NBA record for the most 20-point games in a row.

The reigning MVP scored 35 points for the Oklahoma City Thunder in a 104-102 win against the Boston Celtics – extending a sequence of scoring at least 20 points that began on 1 November 2024 and now stands at 127 consecutive games.

The legendary Wilt Chamberlain held the previous record with a 126-game streak between October 1961 and January 1963.

"All the records and accomplishments are great, but they don't matter if you don't win and that's all that was on my mind," said Gilgeous-Alexander, who starred for the Thunder as they won the NBA title last season.

"I would have given the record for the W any day of the week. I'm glad we won and I got the record."

Gilgeous-Alexander made history when he sank a 20-foot jumper with seven minutes and four seconds remaining in the third quarter as he reached 21 points in the game.

He went on to add 14 more points in a performance which also included nine assists and six rebounds.

"I just give the game everything I have," said the 27-year-old Canadian.

"There are so many things in basketball and life that you can't control. I've just found success in focusing on the things I can control and giving my best effort.

"I put my head down and done those things and look up and I've accomplished a few things."

The victory was a seventh in a row for the Thunder, who are top of the Western Conference with a 52-15 record, while the Celtics (43-23) are second in the Eastern Conference.

LOS ANGELES — As the NBA’s leading scorer and one of the few players who can make an argument as the best player on the planet, Luka Dončić doesn’t need anyone to inspire him to be great.

Luka’s drive is what makes him such a force of nature and a fierce competitor. When it’s being used for good, he dominates opponents and leads his team to victory. And, at times, it works against him, and he gets technical fouls for saying the wrong thing in the heat of the battle.

In the Lakers’ 142-130 win against the Bulls, we saw the best aspects of his competitive fire, and it came from an unlikely place: Bulls forward Matas Buzelis.

During the second quarter, unprompted, Buzelis decided to start trash-talking Luka.

The moment surprised Luka, but once he took in what was said, Dončić borrowed a page from Michael Jordan’s book and took it personally.

“I’m not going to say what he said, but if I would’ve said that, I would definitely get a tech,” Luka said postgame. “But really, these games, sometimes you’re going easy and we kind of went easy in the first quarter, then he woke me up.”

Luka knocked down a 3-pointer over Buzelis shortly after his remarks. Upon releasing the shot, Dončić smiled maniacally and added some words to his actions.

Luka and Matas chirping 👀

📺Stream Bulls-Lakers: https://t.co/c3215XVUbupic.twitter.com/LuAo8SF9kH

— Bulls on CHSN (@CHSN_Bulls) March 13, 2026

The officials talked to both players and calmed the situation down, but the damage had already been done. Luka was fully engaged and seeing red.

Dončić tormented Chicago the rest of the night with a buffet of buckets. He scored on long twos, hit eight of nine from the charity stripe, and knocked down nine 3-pointers. It wasn’t just Luka’s scoring that was elite, he dominated the defensive glass with 10 boards and had a team-high nine assists.

When it was all said and done, he had 51 points, making this the first time he hit the half-century mark as a Laker.

As he was being subbed out of the contest during the closing seconds, the Lakers showered him with praise for his efforts. LeBron James was encouraging fans to get loud, and they responded by chanting “MVP” as Dončić walked off the floor.

After the game, head coach JJ Redick took a moment to commend his superstar for finding a way to turn this interaction into a peak performance.

“It’s not just the fact that he responds to a rough play or trash talking, it’s that he can channel it,” Redick said. “And he can channel it while still doing all the other things that needs to be done. And that’s obviously reflected in his defensive rebounding, his assists, his steals. Again, another game where he gets the high assist number with low turnovers. He’s playing as well as anybody in the NBA right now.”

With the Lakers playing against the Bulls without Jaxson Hayes, Maxi Kleber and Marcus Smart, Luka’s gaudy numbers weren’t just welcomed, but necessary.

Los Angeles is fighting for playoff positioning, and even games that seem like easy wins on paper have to be played with a certain level of seriousness and urgency.

Luka upped his backcourt production with the frontcourt depth missing, and it led to LA’s fourth consecutive win, placing them as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference with 16 games to go.

Nights like these are a reminder that Luka is a superstar player and whatever weaknesses and gripes one might have with his game, the good far outweighs the bad. And when he gets hot, he is one of the most electrifying players to ever step on a basketball court.

And as for Buzelis, he revealed the key takeaway he had from this experience after the game.

“Probably not to talk to him.”

Good idea, Buzelis, good idea.

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

Phoenix Suns (39-27, seventh in the Western Conference) vs. Toronto Raptors (36-29, seventh in the Eastern Conference)

Toronto; Friday, 7:30 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Raptors -4; over/under is 218.5

BOTTOM LINE: Phoenix visits the Toronto Raptors after Devin Booker scored 43 points in the Suns' 123-108 win against the Indiana Pacers.

The Raptors are 17-16 on their home court. Toronto ranks fourth in the NBA with 28.8 assists per game led by Immanuel Quickley averaging 6.1.

The Suns have gone 17-14 away from home. Phoenix is 17-20 against opponents with a winning record.

The Raptors score 113.4 points per game, 2.4 more points than the 111.0 the Suns allow. The Suns are shooting 45.4% from the field, 1.0% lower than the 46.4% the Raptors' opponents have shot this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Scottie Barnes is shooting 49.9% and averaging 18.8 points for the Raptors. Quickley is averaging 2.5 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

Collin Gillespie is scoring 13.4 points per game and averaging 4.2 rebounds for the Suns. Royce O'Neale is averaging 2.7 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Raptors: 4-6, averaging 111.4 points, 39.3 rebounds, 26.1 assists, 9.6 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 46.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.9 points per game.

Suns: 7-3, averaging 108.2 points, 44.2 rebounds, 23.6 assists, 8.8 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 43.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 105.4 points.

INJURIES: Raptors: Scottie Barnes: day to day (illness), Collin Murray-Boyles: day to day (thumb).

Suns: Grayson Allen: day to day (knee), Dillon Brooks: out (hand), Mark Williams: out (foot).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Washington Wizards (16-49, 14th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Boston Celtics (43-23, second in the Eastern Conference)

Boston; Saturday, 6 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Washington travels to Boston looking to stop its eight-game road skid.

The Celtics have gone 28-14 against Eastern Conference opponents. Boston is third in the Eastern Conference with 33.5 defensive rebounds per game led by Nikola Vucevic averaging 6.6.

The Wizards are 11-30 against Eastern Conference opponents. Washington gives up 123.9 points to opponents and has been outscored by 11.1 points per game.

The Celtics average 15.4 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.6 more made shots on average than the 13.8 per game the Wizards give up. The Wizards average 12.9 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.1 fewer made shots on average than the 14.0 per game the Celtics allow.

The teams meet for the third time this season. The Celtics won 146-101 in the last matchup on Dec. 5.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jaylen Brown is scoring 28.4 points per game with 7.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists for the Celtics. Payton Pritchard is averaging 10.8 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 39.1% over the past 10 games.

Bub Carrington is averaging 9.9 points and 4.6 assists for the Wizards. Will Riley is averaging 15.0 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Celtics: 6-4, averaging 108.7 points, 49.4 rebounds, 25.7 assists, 5.1 steals and 5.6 blocks per game while shooting 44.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 101.9 points per game.

Wizards: 0-10, averaging 114.8 points, 39.4 rebounds, 23.0 assists, 6.7 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 46.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 130.3 points.

INJURIES: Celtics: Jayson Tatum: day to day (conditioning), Nikola Vucevic: out (finger), Derrick White: day to day (knee).

Wizards: Jamir Watkins: day to day (foot), Anthony Davis: out (finger), Cam Whitmore: out for season (shoulder), Kyshawn George: out (elbow), D'Angelo Russell: day to day (not injury related).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Memphis Grizzlies (23-42, 11th in the Western Conference) vs. Detroit Pistons (47-18, first in the Eastern Conference)

Detroit; Friday, 7:30 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Pistons -15.5; over/under is 232.5

BOTTOM LINE: Memphis visits Detroit looking to stop its three-game road skid.

The Pistons have gone 25-8 in home games. Detroit is 9-5 in games decided by less than 4 points.

The Grizzlies are 11-22 in road games. Memphis ranks sixth in the Western Conference with 11.6 offensive rebounds per game led by Zach Edey averaging 3.9.

The Pistons are shooting 47.9% from the field this season, 0.5 percentage points higher than the 47.4% the Grizzlies allow to opponents. The Grizzlies average 13.6 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.9 more makes per game than the Pistons allow.

The teams square off for the second time this season. The Pistons won the last matchup 114-106 on Nov. 4, with Cade Cunningham scoring 33 points in the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jalen Duren is averaging 18.5 points and 10.5 rebounds for the Pistons. Cunningham is averaging 19.0 points over the last 10 games.

Jaylen Wells is averaging 12.8 points for the Grizzlies. GG Jackson is averaging 16.2 points and 5.9 rebounds over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Pistons: 5-5, averaging 115.4 points, 46.3 rebounds, 26.9 assists, 9.8 steals and 7.1 blocks per game while shooting 46.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.2 points per game.

Grizzlies: 2-8, averaging 117.5 points, 37.7 rebounds, 28.4 assists, 9.8 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 47.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 121.4 points.

INJURIES: Pistons: Ausar Thompson: day to day (ankle), Caris LeVert: day to day (wrist).

Grizzlies: Santi Aldama: day to day (knee), Taj Gibson: day to day (reconditioning), Walter Clayton Jr.: day to day (ankle), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: out for season (finger), Ty Jerome: day to day (calf), Ja Morant: out (elbow), Scotty Pippen Jr.: out (toe), Zach Edey: out for season (ankle), Cedric Coward: day to day (knee), Cam Spencer: day to day (back), Brandon Clarke: out (calf).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

New York Knicks (42-25, third in the Eastern Conference) vs. Indiana Pacers (15-51, 15th in the Eastern Conference)

Indianapolis; Friday, 7:30 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Knicks -11.5; over/under is 227.5

BOTTOM LINE: Indiana hosts New York looking to stop its seven-game home losing streak.

The Pacers have gone 11-30 against Eastern Conference opponents. Indiana is ninth in the Eastern Conference with 26.5 assists per game led by Andrew Nembhard averaging 7.3.

The Knicks are 27-15 in conference games. New York is fourth in the Eastern Conference scoring 117.2 points per game and is shooting 47.4%.

The Pacers are shooting 45.0% from the field this season, 0.7 percentage points lower than the 45.7% the Knicks allow to opponents. The Knicks average 14.7 made 3-pointers per game this season, 3.0 more made shots on average than the 11.7 per game the Pacers give up.

The teams meet for the third time this season. In the last meeting on Feb. 11 the Pacers won 137-134 in overtime led by 30 points from Pascal Siakam, while Jalen Brunson scored 40 points for the Knicks.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jarace Walker is averaging 11.1 points for the Pacers. Micah Potter is averaging 13.0 points over the last 10 games.

Karl-Anthony Towns is scoring 20.0 points per game with 11.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists for the Knicks. Brunson is averaging 22.1 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 41.8% over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Pacers: 0-10, averaging 112.9 points, 38.8 rebounds, 29.2 assists, 7.5 steals and 3.8 blocks per game while shooting 45.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 128.4 points per game.

Knicks: 6-4, averaging 114.2 points, 47.6 rebounds, 30.1 assists, 8.4 steals and 3.8 blocks per game while shooting 48.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 104.9 points.

INJURIES: Pacers: Obi Toppin: day to day (foot), T.J. McConnell: day to day (hamstring), Pascal Siakam: day to day (knee), Johnny Furphy: out for season (knee), Tyrese Haliburton: out for season (achilles), Quenton Jackson: day to day (calf), Aaron Nesmith: day to day (ankle).

Knicks: Josh Hart: day to day (knee), Karl-Anthony Towns: day to day (knee), Miles McBride: out (ankle).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.