Category: NBA

The NBA Rising Stars Challenge will serve as the headline event for Friday’s All-Star Weekend festivities in the Los Angeles area.

Rookies Kon Knueppel (Charlotte Hornets) and VJ Edgecombe (Philadelphia 76ers) will be among the talent competing in the tournament.

Knueppel is averaging 18.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in 53 games played for Charlotte. He will play for Team T-Mac. Edgecombe has averaged 14.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 49 games played for Philly. He’ll play for Team Vince.

Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg was expected to compete, but was a late scratch due to injury. Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr was also scheduled to participate but will not play due to a hamstring injury.

Ace Bailey (Utah Jazz) and Bub Carrington (Washington Wizards) were named as their respective replacements.

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

Things change quickly in the NBA. Fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers know that better than anyone else. This past trade deadline came with many changes, from small moves like salary dumping Lonzo Ball to seismic changes like swapping Darius Garland for 11-time All-Star James Harden.

In our last fan survey, we focused on that big move.

Forgive the typo on our graphic. I didn’t want to bother our team with changing this on short notice. But we asked Cavs fans (not Rockets fans) to grade the Harden trade. Here are the results:

Roughly two-thirds of Cavs fans gave this move an A. Only 1% of fans gave it below a C, and zero fans thought this was an F.

We should clarify that the survey was held this week. So this isn’t an immediate reaction to the Harden trade. Seeing three straight wins with Harden dishing the ball has certainly raised our opinions of the deal.

For our second question, we wanted to know if this move raised Cleveland’s ceiling. To no surprise, the fans again showed that they are all-in on the beard.

A whopping 96% of Cavs fans believe their ceiling is higher now with Harden. That’s probably the highest percentage we’ve had on a survey yet. I can’t necessarily blame them. The Cavs have won five straight and hold the best record in the NBA since December 29th.

FanDuel has Cleveland with the sixth-highest odds to win the NBA Finals. They rank third in the East, behind the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons. I’d expect those numbers to improve if the Cavs keep rolling after the All-Star Break.

NEW YORK (AP) — Perri Page scored a career-high 25 points to go with 10 rebounds, Riley Weiss scored 20 of her 23 points in the second half, and Columbia beat No. 24 Princeton 70-56 on Friday night to sweep the season series.

Columbia (16-6, 7-2) earned its third victory over an AP Top 25 team in program history — with all three coming against Princeton.

Columbia outscored Princeton 22-10 in the third quarter, with 11 points from Weiss, to take a 47-41 lead into the fourth.

The Lions used a four-point possession early in the fourth to help pull away. Fliss Henderson grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back while being fouled to give Columbia a 52-43 lead. Henderson missed the free throw, but the Lions secured the offensive rebound and Weiss made a jumper from the baseline for an 11-point lead.

Henderson finished with 12 rebounds to go with eight points for Columbia. Page reached 20 points for the fourth time this season. Weiss, who was coming off a 38-point performance with nine 3-pointers on Saturday, went 4 of 8 from 3-point range.

Princeton (19-3, 7-2 Ivy League) was led by Fadima Tall's 16 points and Olivia Hutcherson's 12.

Princeton opened the second quarter with a basket to take a 22-11 lead. Columbia used a late 7-0 run to get within 29-25 with 44 seconds left in the first half before Hutcherson made a shot in the lane while being fouled for a six-point halftime lead.

Two weeks ago, Columbia defeated then-No. 19 Princeton 73-67 on the road.

Up next

Princeton plays at Cornell on Saturday.

Columbia hosts Pennsylvania on Saturday.

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Zaccharie Risacher plays for Team T-Mac in a spotlight for rookies and sophomores as part of a four-team round robin format competition.

Please join in the comments below as you follow along.

Where, When, and How to Watch and Listen

Location: Intuit Dome, Los Angeles, CA

Start Time: 9:00 PM EDT

Streaming: Peacock

Sometimes progress shows up quietly — it isn’t always flashy and it isn’t always immediate. But since assuming a bigger role, Egor Dëmin has given the Nets every reason to feel confident about their ‘bold’ investment in him.

You can make what you want out of the accolades — he’s 19 years old and pundits said he didn’t have a jump shot at the Draft. We believed them, he’s proving us wrong. He’s averaged 10.8 points on 39.6% shooting from deep — 16.7 points in games which he’s played 30+ minutes. Perhaps it’s more than an accolade. It’s a reflection of how far he’s come, and how quickly he’s adapted to the NBA game. As for Friday… he’s in good hands.

DID YOU SEE VC… WITH EGOR?

Egor will represent Team Vince.

ICYMI

We got — not one, not two, not three — but FOUR Nets players on one podcast.

The Teams

(Via NBA.com)

💬 DISCUSSION

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

Sometimes progress shows up quietly — it isn’t always flashy and it isn’t always immediate. But since assuming a bigger role, Egor Dëmin has given the Nets every reason to feel confident about their ‘bold’ investment in him.

You can make what you want out of the accolades — he’s 19 years old and pundits said he didn’t have a jump shot at the Draft. We believed them, he’s proving us wrong. He’s averaged 10.8 points on 39.6% shooting from deep — 16.7 points in games which he’s played 30+ minutes. Perhaps it’s more than an accolade. It’s a reflection of how far he’s come, and how quickly he’s adapted to the NBA game. As for Friday… he’s in good hands.

DID YOU SEE VC… WITH EGOR?

Egor will represent Team Vince.

OH AND BY THE WAY…

We got — not one, not two, not three — but FOUR Nets players on one podcast.

The Teams

(Via NBA.com)

💬 DISCUSSION

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

Welcome to the Game Thread. Veterans of the Game Thread know how we do things around here, but for all you newbies we have a few rules. Our community guidelines apply and basically say be cool, no personal attacks, don’t troll and don’t swear too much.

All Star weekend is here. Tonight’s schedule:

• 6:00 PM CT—All Star celebrity game (ESPN)
• 8:00 PM CT—Rising Stars G1; Team Austin vs Team Melo (Peacock)
• 8:55 PM CT—Rising Stars G2; Team Vince vs Team T-Mac (Peacock)
• 9:35 PM CT—Rising Stars Championship; winner of G1 vs winner of G2 (Peacock)

Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper are on Team Melo, and hopefully they’ll have a good game and win a trophy at the end. Carter Bryant was a last minute addition to Team Vince, and he’s also in the dunk contest tomorrow, so not all of the Spurs participants can be Rising Stars champions tonight. It’s going to be a fun night for the players and fans, but I don’t expect to see much quality basketball. Not tonight, not all weekend.

Game Prediction:

Stephon Castle finds is hard to not play defense, gets benched by Melo, who never played defense in his life.

All Star Friday Night
February 13, 2026
Reminder: It is against site policy to post links to illegal streams in the comments.

MADRID (AP) — Sergio Herrera produced a string of superb saves to win a point for Osasuna in a 0-0 draw at Elche in La Liga on Friday.

Home side Elche had the lion’s share of the chances but Herrera used his hands, body, and legs to thwart the forwards over and over, including twice in the final minutes.

“That’s football, these things happen,” Elche coach Eder Sarabia said. “We were vastly superior and produced a brilliant performance, but sometimes you still don’t win. It was a 4-0 or 4-1 kind of game.”

Elche looked a different side from the one that lost its previous three league games and was more incisive than the team six places above it.

However, Herrera’s heroics meant it ended with just one point that lifted it two places, into 13th. Its winless league runs extended to seven matches. It has the same points as the two teams below it, Sevilla and Alaves.

Osasuna remained in ninth place.

Only six points separate Athletic Bilbao in 10th from Rayo Vallecano in the relegation zone.

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

2026 Sixth Man of the Year odds

Player		Movement
Naz Reid	<<+185>>	▲
Keldon Johnson	<<+320>>	▲
Jaime Jaquez Jr.	<<+475>>	▼
Ajay Mitchell	<<+1200>>	--
Reed Sheppard	<<+1400>>	▼
Ayo Dosunmu	<<+1500>>	▲
Anthony Black	<<+1800>>	▼
Anfernee Simons	<<+2000>>	▲
Tim Hardaway Jr.	<<+2000>>	▲
Grayson Allen	<<+2800>>	▲

Odds as of 2-13-2026.

NBA Sixth Man of the Year favorites

Naz Reid of the Minnesota Timberwolves has already been a past winner of the award, but bettors are seeing him recapture that scoring-and-efficiency combo that helped him earn the honor as his name remains among the more respected and realistic long-shots.

Close behind him in the latest Sixth Man of the Year race is Keldon Johnson, who has been providing the San Antonio Spurs with valuable scoring and athleticism off the bench for his team.

Meanwhile, Ajay Mitchell has drawn attention thanks to his consistent production and efficient play — his early-season form has many calling him a serious 6MOTY candidate.

Reed Sheppard gets in the mix with his breakout role off the bench and elevated minutes in Houston with the Rockets.

Covers NBA betting tools

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Understanding NBA Sixth Man of the Year odds

Most sportsbooks will display odds in the American format as listed above. We'll use 2022-23's 6MOY race as an example: 

As the season progressed, with Immanuel Quickley having been a huge favorite, his odds had a minus (-) sign ahead of the number: 

• Immanuel Quickley -300

This means that a bettor needs to wager $300 to win $100. Other candidates with worse odds would have a plus (+) sign ahead of the number. Early in the season, before any clear favorite is established, betting options will be listed as such: 

• Russell Westbrook +650

Here, a bettor stands to profit $650 for every $100 wagered. 

If American odds aren't your thing, simply use our odds converter to switch the odds to decimal or fractional format. Most online sportsbooks also give you the option to change the odds format that you see.

Popular NBA futures markets

• NBA championship odds
• NBA MVP odds
• NBA Rookie of the Year odds
• NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds

NBA 6MOY betting trends

Here are some trends you'll want to keep in mind when betting on NBA Sixth Man of the Year: 

• Guards have absolutely owned this award recently, winning 6MOY in 10 of the past 12 seasons.
  
  
• Naz Reid's 2024 win marked only the fourth 6MOY win by a center in its 41-year history (Montrezl Harrell '20, Roy Tarpley '88, and Bill Walton '86).
  
  
• Both Jamal Crawford ('10, '14, '16) and Lou Williams ('15, '18, '19) are recent three-time winners, so voter fatigue may matter less in this market. 

Cash your ML bets quicker with bet365's early win payout

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How is NBA Sixth Man of the Year decided?

The NBA Sixth Man of the Year is awarded to the league's best bench player each season. A variety of factors go into evaluating who the top reserve is:

Consistent statistical impact

The 6MOY must consistently provide a significant impact on the game whenever entering from the bench. This impact should be palpable and discernible in terms of offensive, defensive, or playmaking contributions.

Scoring prowess

The candidate should display an ability to contribute significantly to the team's scoring efforts. This can be evidenced by an impressive points-per-game average, especially in crucial moments of the game. Scoring tends to be the single most important stat for Sixth Man voting.

Versatility

The awardee should demonstrate the capability to adapt to various game situations. This encompasses two-way play, as well as adaptability to different styles and opposing lineups.

Role-player mentality

The recipient must exhibit a selfless approach to the game, willingly accepting their role as a substitute player and deferring to stars, while able to fill a variety of needs for team success.

Impact on team success

The award recipient should have a discernible impact on the team's overall success during the regular season, especially in terms of on-off metrics that measure a player’s impact on their team’s bottom line, and value relative to potential replacements.

NBA Sixth Man of the Year history

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

Greetings, Panthers fans. Welcome to the weekend.

Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.

You know the drill.

This is now an open thread

HULL, England (AP) — Pedro Neto scored a hat trick, including directly from a corner kick, as Chelsea beat Hull City 4-0 in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Friday.

Also, Wrexham reached the fifth round for the first time in 29 years after beating Ipswich 1-0 in an all-Championship matchup.

Hull and Chelsea had met eight times before in the FA Cup and Chelsea progressed every time. Host Hull never looked like halting that arresting run as the Premier League side took control from the off.

Pedro Neto’s drilled shot from just outside the box gave Chelsea the lead going into halftime, and his low corner squeaked through a throng of bodies straight into the goal six minutes into the second period.

Young Brazilian Estêvão made it 3-0 minutes later when he side-footed home from 12 meters out, and Pedro Neto finished a nicely worked fourth.

“Pedro Neto is an incredible player,” Liam Delap, who recorded three assists, told TNT Sports. “He is playing in a position he is not even used to but he showed his quality.

Wrexham roll on

Wrexham will discover in Monday's draw who it meets next for a place in the quarterfinals.

A first-half goal from Josh Windass separated Wrexham from Ipswich, which didn't get a shot on target.

Both teams are in contention for promotion to the Premier League; Ipswich was in third place and hoping for an immediate return to the league it left last summer. Wrexham was seven points behind in sixth and bidding for a fourth consecutive promotion that would take it into the top tier for the first time in its 158-year history.

“We started both halves well but we weren’t able to get the goal," Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna told BBC Wales. “Second half we tried everything ... but we just couldn’t get back into the game.

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

Malik Beasley was a free agent looking to re-sign a three-year, $42 million contract with the Detroit Pistons before he was named in a federal investigation about an NBA gambling scandal.

Beasley's attorneys stated that he was cleared of any wrongdoing in the federal case in August. Beasley is still under investigation by the NBA related to suspicious prop bets placed during the 2023-24 season. Despite the issues, he has found a place to play basketball this season.

Beasley, 29, reportedly signed a deal to play in Puerto Rico for the Santurce Crabbers, a team owned by Grammy Award-winning and Super Bowl 60 performing artist Bad Bunny, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

PISA, Italy (AP) — Luka Modrić scored a late winner for AC Milan to beat Pisa 2-1 and close the gap on Serie A leader Inter Milan to five points on Friday.

Inter plays fourth-placed Juventus on Saturday.

Milan had drawn three of its last six games, including against struggling Fiorentina and Genoa, and made heavy work of a match against the second-from-bottom club that had won only one league game all season.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek got the opener just before halftime when he rose unmarked to head home a cross from the right, and Niclas Füllkrug missed a penalty as Milan took control after a slow start.

However, Pisa threatened to dent the visitor’s title hopes when Felipe Loyola equalized with 20 minutes left.

Former Tottenham and Real Madrid midfielder Modrić came to Milan’s rescue six minutes from time when he stole into the box and poked home the winner.

There was still time for Milan’s Adrien Rabiot to be sent off but no more time for goals and Massimiliano Allegri’s men celebrated an important three points.

Pisa was equal on points with Verona. Fiorentina was three above both teams and Lecce another three points clear.

The Milan teams meet in the city derby at the San Siro on March 8.

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

DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — Borussia Dortmund beat Mainz 4-0 to extend its unbeaten league run to 15 games and close the gap with Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich to three points on Friday.

The result, anchored by three first-half headers, left Dortmund three points behind Bayern, which is at Werder Bremen on Saturday.

Although its European form has been poor, Dortmund has been the form team in the Bundesliga and came into the game having won its last five in a row; it showed precisely why by overwhelming Mainz from the kickoff.

Serhou Guirassy’s perfect header from a free kick on the right after nine minutes set Dortmund on the winning path and six minutes later it was 2-0.

Again, the damage came from a cross from the right and a header, Maximilian Beier meeting Ryerson’s delivery at the far post.

Guirassy rounded off a near perfect half of football when his header almost on the goalline made it 3-0 shortly before halftime.

Dortmund was able to take its foot off the gas in the second half but there was still time for a fourth when Ramy Bensebaini nudged a corner into the net nine minutes from time.

It was a rude awakening for a Mainz side that appeared to have put its early season struggles behind it over the last few weeks.

Last weekend’s win against Augsburg lifted it out the relegation zone for the first time since September. Friday’s defeat left it 14th, four points above the drop zone but only two clear of Wolfsburg and Werder, both of which have a game in hand.

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