FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Top-seeded Taylor Fritz beat Marin Cilic in straight sets and No. 2 Ben Shelton rallied past defending champion Denis Shapovalov on Saturday night, setting up a Dallas Open final between the world's highest-ranked Americans.
Fritz had 22 aces in his 7-6(5), 7-6(3) victory, while Shelton sparked his game with a scintillating crosscourt forehand winner while facing three break points early in the second set and going on to a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) win.
The 28-year-old Fritz is ranked seventh in the world, two spots ahead of Shelton, who is coming off an Australian Open quarterfinal appearance that ended with a loss to Jannik Sinner in straight sets.
Fritz, a 10-time ATP Tour champion, and Shelton split their first two meetings. Shelton has three tour titles.
“Are you guys telling me that's the final you want to see?” Shelton asked, prompting cheers from fans at the indoor football stadium that is also the practice field of the Dallas Cowboys at club headquarters. “I'm super-excited for that matchup.”
Shelton came back from a set down for the second consecutive match, after beating Miomir Kecmanovic in the quarterfinals.
The 23-year-old was down a set and facing three break points at 1-1 in the second when the crosscourt winner got him going. He later had two set points on the seventh-seeded Shapovalov's serve, and converted the second to force the deciding set.
Shelton won three of the last four points in the tiebreaker, clinching the victory with another forehand winner.
Fritz had three set points in the first tiebreaker and three match points in the second against the unseeded Cilic.
The 2024 U.S. Open finalist closed out the first with his third consecutive ace after Cilic saved two set points.
One of Cilic's eight double faults — Fritz didn't have any — gave Fritz an early opening in the second tiebreaker. Fritz won his first match point when the 2014 U.S. Open champion's service return went long.
The 37-year-old Cilic used his powerful serve to escape several tough spots in a match with 38 aces. Cilic, who was seeking his 600th career singles victory, saved all five break points against him, while Fritz didn't face any in his third victory in four meetings with Cilic.
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Josh Hubbard scored 32 points, Achor Achor scored 18, and Mississippi State ended a three-game skid by beating Ole Miss 90-78 on Saturday.
Hubbard finished 12-of-16 shooting and Achor went 6 of 8. Jayden Epps added 12 points for Mississippi State (12-13 4-8 SEC). The Bulldogs shot 57% (33 of 58).
Malik Dia tied a career-high with 32 points and reserve AJ Storr scored 21 for Ole Miss (11-14, 3-9). When he was at Bellarmine, Dia scored 32 points on Jan. 7, 2024 when the Bruins beat Drake 87-65.
The Rebels now have dropped seven straight. Mississippi State entered having lost eight of nine.
Mississippi State built a 13-3 lead and never trailed. Travis Perry made a 3-pointer with 8:13 before halftime and AJ Storr followed with a layup 30 seconds later to bring the Rebels within 24-21.
The Bulldogs countered when Jamarion Davis-Fleming threw down a dunk, Epps made a pair of foul shots and Hubbard made a 3 to stretch the margin to 10.
Storr made a layup and Dia's jump shot reduced the Ole Miss deficit to 31-26 with 4:20 remaining before halftime. Mississippi State used a 16-2 run to close the half with a 47-28 lead.
The Bulldogs led by double digits the entire second half.
Bryant produced a perfect score on his first dunk attempt of the final round, but couldn’t complete his initial dunk on his second attempt, which made the difference in the contest.
Johnson showed a level of confidence and showmanship with his dunks and dancing on the court as a representative of the Bay Area.
Keshad Johnson NBA stats
Johnson has averaged 2.9 points and 1.8 rebounds per game in 37 games played during his two seasons with the Miami Heat. Johnson has also competed in the G-League.
When was Keshad Johnson drafted?
Johnson went undrafted in 2024. He signed a two-way contract with the Heat on July 1, 2024. His contract was converted from a two-way contract to a regular contract by Miami on Dec. 26, 2024.
Where did Keshad Johnson go to college?
Johnson spent the first four seasons of his college career with San Diego State, from 2019 to 2023. He decided to transfer to Arizona for his final season of eligibility. He started the last 107 games he played in college career.
Keshad Johnson college stats
Johnson averaged 7.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and one assist per game in 149 games played during his college career.
Where did Keshad Johnson go to high school?
The forward went to San Leandro High School, just south of Oakland, California.
A second-year forward out of Arizona, Johnson was crowned champion of the slam dunk Contest. An Oakland native, Johnson represented for the Bay Area from his introduction to every dunk, which was followed by a little dance.
"First and foremost, thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for allowing me to be here. Everybody's journey is different," Johnson said. "So all the kids out there, keep dreaming. Have crazy faith. Crazy faith, not just regular faith. Have crazy faith. Anything can happen."
Johnson danced his way to victory with showstopping dunks, showing an array of moves and love to California along the way.
"I just came out here and showed the people who Showtime was. We had all the legends out. I'm from California, brought my own Bay Area swag to L.A. We're all one. It's for the whole West Coast right here, baby," Johnson said. "In the Bay, we do it a little different, you know, we got our own little swag. So I had to bring the legend E-40 out, you know? And do my little thizz, do my little smeeze, put on, you know. And I'm also taking this back to the 305, in Miami too."
Johnson said it's a blessing to be in his shoes.
"I would just say like the blessing that God give me, it's abundant," he said. "They keep flooding, they keep flooding, and it's really beyond, beyond my comprehension. So that's why I just have to take a second and really thank Him. I'm speechless right now. It's the Lord. I give it all credit to the Lord, all glory to God."
Check out the highlights from the 2026 slam dunk contest, including all dunks and scores from the competition.
The dunk competition order in the first round went as followed:
Carter Bryant, San Antonio Spurs
Jase Richardson, Orlando Magic
Keshad Johnson, Miami Heat
Jaxson Hayes, Los Angeles Lakers
Check out some of the dunks and highlights from Saturday's slam dunk showcase:
NBA Slam Dunk Contest: First Round
Spurs guard and Southern California-native Carter Bryant got things going as he walked on to the floor with "Still Dre" by Dr. Dre playing in the background.
His first dunk was an ode to Vince Carter, as Bryant pulled out a 360-degree windmill jam.
He scored a 45.6 on the first dunk.
Riverside’s Carter Bryant walks out to Still Dre
On the first try he went up, down, and around on a 360 windmill, earning a 45.6 from the judges
Keshad Johnson represented for the Bay Area, the Oakland native bringing out legendary rapper E-40, as they were giggin' and going dumb to 40 Water's "Tell Me When To Go."
For his dunk choice, Johnson brought out a rock-the-cradle, Dr. J-esque type dunk as he leaped over E-40, while displaying the hand over the head, Karl "Mailman" Malone style.
To cap his dunk, he gave the fans his best dougie. He scored a 47.4 for the dunk, not the dance.
Lakers center Jaxson Hayes seemed a little nervous and had a less-than-impressive first dunk, but he was saved by Dwight Howard, a judge, who gave a generous 47 score to keep the fellow big man in contention.
Hayes scored the lowest on his first dunk so he was the first to land a second dunk. For his second choice, he decided to spice things up a bit.
The Lakers' seventh-year center went with a self-toss, tap to himself before going for an East Bay, between-the-legs funk dunk. He was awarded a 47.2 on the second dunk.
Jaxson Hayes taps it to himself & goes between the legs for his second slam in @ATT Slam Dunk 😤
Bryant, on his second dunk, gave the crowd a self-toss, windmill jam where he nearly saw inside of the rim he was so high. He earned a 49.2 on the dunk. He advanced to the final round.
Johnson, who earned the nickname "Flight 305," scored a 45.4 on his second dunk, which was a reverse cradle, two-hand slam. He advanced to the final round with the jam.
Johnson "squabbled up" after the dunk, this dance being more LA-inspired, fitting for the site of All-Star weekend.
Keshad Johnson’s second dunk moves him into the FINAL!
Johnson opened the final round with a self-toss, between-the-legs reverse dunk. He scored a nearly-perfect, 49.6 score for his first dunk of the final round.
His dance afterwards, just a little smeeze dance, another ode to the Bay Area.
Bryant, in the final round, answered Johnson's opening dunk with a jaw-dropping jam of his own. Bryant brought out the self-toss, between-the-legs at the front of the rim.
He was given a perfect 50 for the action.
CARTER BRYANT WITH A 50 🔥
He needs a 47.5 on his final attempt to win @ATT Slam Dunk!
Johnson, for his final dunk attempt, responded with a one-handed windmill from just inside the free throw line. He got a 47.8 score which put him in position to secure the win.
It was Bryant's contest to win but multiple misses in the final round as time ticked down led to his demise. He attempted a between-the-legs self-toss, 180-degree reverse two-hand jam. He never made it.
He wouldn't go without a jam, finishing with a 360-degree slam as the dunk clock wound down. He earned a 43 for it.
Unaware of the rules, Bryant could've allowed time to expire and chose one dunk to attempt.
Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard hoists the trophy after tying the record with his third three-point title Saturday at Intuit Dome. (Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)
On a holiday celebrating love and affection, thousands of enthusiastic basketball fans showed up at Intuit Dome to cheer for their favorite NBA players in a trifecta of skills competitions on the eve of the league’s 75th annual All-Star Game.
Getting Saturday off to a scintillating start was the three-point contest — one of All-Star Weekend’s most coveted prizes since Larry Bird won the initial contest in 1986 as well as the next two.
Portland’s Damian Lillard joined Bird and Craig Hodges (1990-92) as the only three-time winners with a stunning exhibition in the final round, ending up with a score of 29 — two better than runner-up and 2018 champion Devin Booker of Phoenix. Lillard equaled the best final-round score, set by Karl-Anthony Towns in 2022.
“I came out here excited to do it,” said Lillard, a nine-time All-Star who is sitting out this season after surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon last April. “I can’t say I knew I’d win but I came in confident. This is my sixth time doing it … this felt like a game to me.”
Lillard went second in the finals and watched anxiously from the bench as it looked like Booker would overtake him before missing his last three shots from the corner.
“At the end I was at his mercy but it worked out,” said Lillard, who won with 26 points in 2023 and 2024. “I was once a fan too — as a kid I went to the All-Star Game in Oakland— and fans want to see their guys. That’s what made me want to be a part of it.”
In the first round, eight players had 70 seconds to shoot 27 balls from five designated spots on the court. Booker posted the highest score (30) and also making the finals with 27 points each were Lillard and Charlotte rookie Kon Knueppel. Donovan Mitchell (24), Norman Powell (23), Jamal Murray (18), Tyrese Maxey (17) and Bobby Portis Jr. (15) were eliminated.
Next up was the shooting stars competition, which returned to All-Star Weekend after a 10-year hiatus and featured four teams, each consisting of two current NBA players and one retired “legend.”
Jalen Brunson, Towns and Allan Houston led Team Knicks to a 47-38 triumph over Team Cameron, made up of Duke alums Jalen Johnson, Knueppel and Corey Maggette, a former Clipper.
“This was cool and the game’s become more and more international,” said Brunson, who got passes from his dad, Rick, a New York assistant coach. “Basketball is a universal language. Winning’s always fun, not just beating a team from Duke.”
In the semifinals, Team Knicks beat Team Harper (Dylan Harper of San Antonio, Ron Harper Jr. of Boston and their father, five-time NBA champion Ron Harper) while Team Cameron beat Team All-Star (Scottie Barnes of Toronto, Chet Holmgren of Oklahoma City and three-time All-Star Richard Hamilton).
From left, Rick Brunson, Allan Houston, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns hold the winners' trophies after the shooting stars competition. (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
Was it a case of the old guy carrying the young guys?
“He did his job,” Towns joked about Houston, who played for the Knicks from 1996 to 2005 and serves as general manager of their G League team.
Shooting stars was a regular feature from 2004 to 2015 and originally featured an NBA player, a WNBA player and a retired player on each team shooting from four locations. This year, each team had 70 seconds to score points by shooting from seven areas worth anywhere from two to four points.
Rounding out the Valentine’s Day festivities was the crowd-pleasing slam-dunk contest, showcasing the individuality and athleticism of its four first-time participants: Lakers center Jaxson Hayes, San Antonio forward Carter Bryant, Miami forward Keshad Johnson and Orlando rookie guard Jase Richardson.
Johnson, who measured a 42-inch vertical leap at the 2024 draft combine, ultimately raised the gold trophy following a final round total of 97.4. He made a side-to-side move at the rim on his penultimate attempt, then sprinted the length of the court and soared for a windmill jam on his last effort.
“Everyone make some noise,” the jubilant Johnson told the roomful of reporters afterward. “It’s a dream. I beat the odds. Every year I watched the dunk contest and I learned from all the people before me.”
Slam dunk winner Keshad Johnson goes between the legs while dunking. (Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)
Bryant settled for second with 93 despite a perfect score of 50 after he bounced the ball off the floor, under his leg for a one-handed stuff that drew thunderous applause on his first try before making a less-difficult 360-degree shot with time running out on his second attempt.
“I really wanted him to finish that last one,” Johnson said. “Both of us are from U of A [Arizona], so we wanted to put on a show and we did.”
In the opening round all four players attempted two dunks, receiving a score between 40 and 50 per try. Bryant (94.8) and Johnson (92.8) qualified for the final dunk-off, in which both got two more attempts.
“Dunking is an art and it’s kind of hard to come up with new stuff,” said Johnson, an Oakland native who leaped over Bay Area rapper E-40 on his first dunk. “My goal is to just be myself and put my own flavor in it.”
Spurred on by the hometown crowd, Hayes was third at 91.8 while Richardson, the son of two-time winner Jason Richardson, was last at 88.8.
Judging were former champions Nate Robinson, Dominique Wilkins, Brent Barry, former Lakers center Dwight Howard and fans on the NBA app.
Lakers center Jaxson Hayes rises for a tomahawk dunk. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Julius Irving won the first dunk contest in 1976, the year before the ABA-NBA merger. Robinson (2006, 2009, 2010) and Mac McClung are the only three-time winners. McClung, the previous champion and only player to win three years in a row, announced in January he would not defend his title.
That opened the door for a new winner in Johnson.
“Being undrafted and in the G League and being the underdogs at San Diego State… I’ve learned how to dream dreams,” said Johnson, who keyed the Aztecs' surprising run to the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16 in 2023 before transferring to Arizona. “I’m so grateful to be here. I’m from Oakland, the West Coast is home to me and I felt like the fans were with me.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nate Ament scored 22 points, including nine of Tennessee's last 11 points, and the Volunteers defeated LSU 73-63 on Saturday night.
The game was tied six times, the last at 50-all before Ja’Kobi Gillespie buried two 3-pointers and J.P. Estrella scored on three tip-ins to send Tennessee to a 62-53 lead with seven minutes left.
Marquel Sutton scored seven points to get LSU within 64-60 two minutes later, but Ament closed out the win with a jumper and five free throws.
Ament was just 6-of-19 shootings but 10 of 11 from the line. He had nine rebounds. This was the freshman's sixth 20-point game in the last nine.
Estrella had 16 points and nine rebounds and Gillespie scored 12 for the Volunteers (18-7, 8-4 SEC).
Sutton and Jalen Reece each scored 15 points, Pablo Tamba 13, and Michael Nwoko 10 for LSU (14-11, 2-10).
A 12-3 run gave Tennessee a 21-10 lead midway through the first half and the Vols' largest lead was 31-19 after two Ethan Burge 3s. A three-point play by Nwoko and a 3 by from Tamba helped LSU get within 35-29 at the half.
The Tigers made three 3s in the first four minutes of the second half and took their first lead of the game when Sutton hit two free throws and followed up a minute later with a dunk for a 44-41 advantage.
Tennessee has won five straight in the series.
LSU coach Matt McMahon announced on Saturday that point guard DJ Thomas Jr. will have surgery on his left-foot and will miss the rest of the season.
Team Knicks took home the Shooting Stars victory on a thrilling last-second shot by Jalen Brunson to beat Team Cameron on Saturday night at NBA All-Star Weekend.
The trio of Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and NBA legend Allan Houston put up 47 points after Brunson and Houston drained two half-court shots in the final seconds, beating Team Cameron's 38 points in the competition's first showing at the NBA All-Star Weekend festivities.
The contest consisted of shots from various spots on the court, including a layup, from the elbow and a few three-point shots.
DALLAS, TX - FEBRUARY 03: North Carolina State Wolfpack guard Tre Holloman (#5) dribbles the ball as SMU Mustangs guard B.J. Edwards (#0) applies pressure during the ACC college basketball game between the SMU Mustangs and the North Carolina State Wolfpack on February 3, 2026, at Moody Coliseum in Dallas, TX. (Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Game Summary:
I would guess Miami got pretty much what they wanted in the first half, other than making free throws. McNeil was 0-1, Williams had 5 points, and Copeland was driving to the basket a lot and only had 2 assists. Rebounding was a nightmare to watch, Miami had 11 offensive rebounds and led total rebounds 20-13.
The second half was very similar, however Paul McNeil got hot and while the Wolfpack wasn’t doing a lot well, they were scoring and slowing the Hurricanes enough to maintain a lead. Then the Wolfpack just gave the game away.
With 1:07 left, Lubin grabbed a rare offensive rebound and put it back in for a 76-69 Pack lead. NC State would not score again. Lubin turned it over, then Holloman turned it over, Copeland fouled with 27 seconds, but they missed, then Copeland got fouled with 17 seconds left and missed the front end of the 1 & 1, and with NC State holding a 2-point lead, at the 3 second mark Williams fouled the 3PT shooter. Washington made all three free throws for the final score, 77-76.
Teams
eFG%
TO%
OR%
FTR
Wolfpack
57.3%
15.9%
28.6%
27.3%
Miami
50.0%
14.1%
48.8%
29.9%
Overall Takeaways:
The Pack had this game won, and gave it away in the final minute
Miami had 20 offensive rebounds resulting in 12 more FG attempts
Coach Wade Post Game Comments
Individual Highlights
Matt Able had one of his better games and tied for the scoring lead with Lubin with 17
AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Australia has won the New Zealand leg of the SailGP series, though racing was overshadowed by a crash involving New Zealand and France on Saturday which left a sailor from each team with serious injuries.
Driver Tom Slingsby steered the Australian Flying Roos to victory in the three-boat final Sunday ahead of Spain and Britain. Britain won the first event of the series in Perth, Australia and now shares the overall series lead with the Australians.
Organizers decided to break the fleet into two groups for racing on the second day Sunday because of expected high winds. For the first time in SailGP history 13 boats took part in racing Saturday and congestion on a narrow course might have been a factor in the crash which saw the New Zealand and French boats extensively damaged.
Louis Sinclair, a “grinder” who works the winches on the New Zealand boat, suffered compound fractures to both legs when the New Zealand Black Foils and France collided at almost 90 kmh (56 mph).
‘Successful surgery’
In a statement Sunday, the New Zealand team said "Sinclair has had successful surgery on his right leg overnight after injuries suffered during yesterday’s collision with France.
“The medical team involved in Sinclair’s treatment have been fantastic and are pleased with the results of the surgery and are positive about his ongoing recovery.”
Team New Zealand said “a comprehensive review of yesterday’s incident will be conducted in coordination with SailGP.”
France strategist Manon Audinet also was injured in the crash. The French team said Audinet suffered abdominal injuries.
“She was thrown forward on impact and actually broke the steering wheel of the French boat,” a team statement said. “The entire Team France has Manon Audinet and Louis Sinclair in their thoughts and stands fully alongside them during this time.”
Racing against the clock
New Zealand and France now face a tight schedule to repair their boats in time for the next leg of the series in Sydney in two weeks time. France suffered damage to one hull but the New Zealand boat seems to be far more extensively damaged.
Racing on Sunday took place in gusty conditions ahead of an impending thunderstorm and the highest speed recorded by any of the matching 50-foot catamarans was 101.99 kmh (63 mph).
Damian Lillard hasn't played in a single NBA game this season, but he returned to competition to participate in the 3-point shooting contest during All-Star Weekend at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, on Saturday, Feb. 14.
Lillard found familiar success in his return and joined Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only players in NBA history to win the 3-point shooting contest three times. He had won the contest in 2023 and 2024.
Lillard spent the prior two seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks after spending the first 11 years of his career with the Portland Trail Blazers. Lillard suffered a torn Achilles tendon last season in the playoffs while with the Bucks.
Damian Lillard wins the 3-point contest
Devin Booker falls short in 3-point contest
Lillard scored 29 points in the final round and set the score that Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns needed to beat. Booker had a hot start to his performance but finished with 27 points, falling short of Lillard's total.
Kon Knueppel competes in 3-point contest's final round
Booker finished the first round with the highest score, 30. Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel was the third member to advance to the final round after finishing the opening round tied with Lillard at 27.
Kon Knueppel opens the @StateFarm NBA 3-Point Contest with a score of 27 🎯
Knueppel finished 4-of-5 on the first rack of the final round but struggled to keep the pace throughout the rest of the racks. He finished the final round with just 17 points.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 14: Jaxson Hayes #11 of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks during the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest during 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend at Intuit Dome on February 14, 2026 in Inglewood, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the GettyImages License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Stop if you’ve heard this before, but the Lakers had someone in the dunk contest put up a dud.
His timing clearly was off and based on the run up, it’s probably safe to assume he was going for a free throw line dunk, which he missed by some distance. Unsurprisingly, he got the lowest score in the first round at 44.6 — the average of the five scores from the judges — which meant he was the first dunker of round two.
This dunk was better, as he went between the legs after tapping the ball to himself.
Jaxson Hayes taps it to himself & goes between the legs for his second slam in @ATT Slam Dunk 😤
That one earned him a more respectable score of 47.2, but his complete dud in the first round kept him from moving on to the finals.
Maybe let’s stop putting Lakers in the dunk contest anymore.
Keshad Johnson of the Heat went on to win the event. Carter Bryant of the Spurs finished second while Jase Richardson of the Magic missed out on the finals with Hayes.
Earlier in the afternoon, Damian Lillard came away victorious in the first event of the night in the 3-point contest despite not playing this season due to a torn Achilles. He beat out Kon Knueppel from the Hornets and Devin Booker from the Suns, the latter of whom choked down the stretch.
Damian Lillard's 2nd Round Score: 30 🎯
He has the score to beat in the Final Round of the @StateFarm NBA 3-Point Contest!
They beat out Team Cameron — comprised of Duke players — in the final. Despite having Knueppel and Jalen Johnson on the team, Corey Maggette carried them in the final and nearly won the whole dang thing.
The NBA has a tanking problem. It's had a tanking problem for years. This year, it's getting worse because the upcoming draft has multiple great players.
Earlier this week, the NBA fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for failing to play healthy players.
During a Saturday press conference held in connection with the All-Star Game, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the issue at length.
"It's been part of this league for a long time," Silver said regarding the practice of not trying to win in order to get a better draft pick. "I mean, back in the 1960s there was a coin flip. At some point, I think it was in the 1980s, we moved to a lottery. That lottery has been changed roughly five times over the years, to try to stay ahead of some of the behavior of our teams.
"The incentives are not necessarily matched here. I think that the tradition in sports where the worst performing team receives the first pick from their partners. When any economist comes and looks at our system, they always point out you have the incentives backwards there. That doesn't necessarily make sense. I think there was a more classical view of that, in the old days, where it was just sort of an understanding among partners about, in terms of behavior.
'I think what we're seeing is a modern analytics where it's so clear that the incentives are misaligned. . . . Are we seeing behavior that is worse this year than we've seen in recent memory? Yes, is my view, and which was what led to those fines. And not just those fines, but to my statement that we're going to be looking more closely at the totality of all the circumstances this season in terms of teams' behavior, and very intentionally wanted teams to be on notice. And there is a bit of a note, when you see it quality to this, I mean, we spend a lot of time at the league office going back and forth with teams on injury reports, on coaches' decisions. It's not a position necessarily we want to be in, but . . . it's not what the fans want at the end of the day."
Or do they?
"[M]y caveat is, and this is where teams are in a difficult place, many of you in this room have written, understandably, about our teams, that the worst place to be, for example, is to be a middle of the road team," Silver said. "Either be great or be bad, because then that will help you with the draft. And so, in many cases, you have fans of those teams. It's not what they want to pay for to see poor performance on the floor, but they're actually rooting for their teams in some cases to be bad, to improve their draft chances. So, I think we're coming at it, I'd say, in two ways. One is, again, focusing on the here and now. The behavior we're seeing from our teams, and doing whatever we can to remind them of what their obligation is to the fans, and to their partner teams. But number two, as I also said in that statement, the Competition Committee started earlier this year, re-examining the whole approach to how the draft lottery works. And ultimately any changes will require a vote of the Board of Governors. So then we'll need to go in front of the Board. But there have been lots of different ideas out there over the years, not just necessarily changing the draft lottery odds yet once again, but looking at whether there's a better system here to try to align incentives.
"I think when the point about this year, when you look at totality of the circumstances, I mean, of course, I'm paying attention to what's happening, and the perception is, you have a very deep draft class this year, a perception. Who knows whether this will be the reality, but the next two years' draft classes aren't as good. There's no doubt that's affecting the behavior of our teams. But at the end of the day, I think there needs to — I think all the teams need to step back, the ownership of those teams — and just as a reminder that we're all in this together, that we want to have fair competition, we want to have fair systems, and to keep an eye on the fans, most importantly, and their expectation that we're gonna be putting the best product forward."
For as long as the best draft picks are tied to the worst records, tanking will be a problem in every pro sport — including the NFL. And the punishments imposed this week by the NBA are a slap on the wrist. To truly eradicate tanking, the only solution is to take away the pick the tanking team is hoping to maximize.
Would that be extreme? Yes. Would it be effective? Absolutely.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Malik Reneau scored 26 points and Miami scored the last eight points of the game to beat North Carolina State 77-76 on Saturday night.
N.C. State scored seven straight points to take a 76-69 lead with 1:07 remaining. Then Reneau answered with a three-point play and Tru Washington added a layup to pull Miami to within 76-74 with 32 seconds left.
With 13 seconds to go, N.C. State's Quadir Copeland missed a free throw. The Wolfpack's Darrion Williams fouled Washington on a 3-point attempt on the following possession with three seconds remaining. Washington sank all three of his free-throw attempts before Matt Able missed a 3-pointer to end it.
Reneau shot 12 of 19 from the floor and grabbed six rebounds. Shelton Henderson added 17 points and nine boards for Miami (20-5, 9-3 Atlantic Coast Conference). Tre Donaldson chipped in with 14 points and Washington finished with 13 for the Hurricanes, who have won three straight and five of their last six games.
Able and Ven-Allen Lubin scored 17 points apiece to lead N.C. State (18-8, 9-4). Copeland and Williams added 11 points each. The Wolfpack have lost back-to-back games since they had their six-game win streak snapped with a 118-77 loss to No. 24 Louisville.
Able made three 3-pointers and scored 15 points, and Copeland and Lubin added nine apiece to help N.C. State build a 43-37 halftime lead. Reneau scored 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting to pace Miami in the first half.
Up next
Miami: The Hurricanes host Virginia Tech on Tuesday.
N.C. State: The Wolfpack play at home Tuesday against No. 11 North Carolina.
INGLEWOOD, CA — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver took a forceful stand against tanking in his NBA All-Star Weekend press conference, talking at length about the hot-button topic that's "been part of this league for a long time."
Earlier this week, the league fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and Indiana Pacers $100,000 for violations of its player participation policy and conduct detrimental to the league. They aren't the only teams openly tanking, though, ahead of a 2026 draft that's thought to be one of the strongest in recent years.
Silver's response at the Intuit Dome on Saturday was just as blatant.
"Are we seeing behavior that is worse this year than we’ve seen in recent memory? Yes, is my view," he said. "Which was what led to those fines, and not just those fines but to my statement that we’re going to be looking more closely at the totality of all the circumstances this season in terms of teams’ behavior, and very intentionally wanted teams to be on notice."
In addition to more fines, Silver was asked if he would consider stripping draft picks from teams that continue to tank.
"There is talk about every possible remedy now to stop this behavior," he said.
Silver also mentioned that the league has had economists look at the draft lottery system and point out how the incentives — the worst-performing teams receiving the best odds for a pick and the teams that just miss out on the playoffs being stuck in the middle of the road — are backwards.
"I think there was a more classical view of that in the old days, where it was just sort of an understanding among partners in terms of behavior," Silver said. "I think what we’re seeing is modern analytics where it’s so clear that the incentives are misaligned. ... The worst place to be, for example, is to be a middle-of-the-road team. Either be great or be bad, because then that will help you with the draft.
"In many cases, you have fans of those teams — remember, it’s not what they want to pay for to see poor performance on the floor, but they’re actually rooting for their teams in some cases to be bad to improve their draft chances."
Silver added that the league is focused on both the short-term response — fines and putting teams on notice about tanking — while also looking for a long-term solution to a problem that has been ever-evolving.
Former Commissioner David Stern introduced the draft lottery in 1985, which Silver said the league has made adjustments to "about five times." Some in the media have begun calling for the draft to be abolished entirely and, while that's an extreme end of the spectrum, Silver admitted Saturday that it might be time — past time, even — for the league to reassess.
"It’s a bit of a conundrum," Silver said. "The All-Star is 75 years old. The league is 80 years old. It’s time to take a fresh look at this to see to whether that’s an antiquated way of going about doing it. Ultimately, we need a system to fairly, I think, distribute players. I think it’s in the players’ interest as well as the teams that you have a level of parity around the league. There’s only so many jobs and so many cities.
"... What we’re doing, what we’re seeing right now, is not working; there’s no question about it. Yes, is there more I can do? Have I attempted not only to respond to behavior we’ve seen but send a clear message that we’re going to be scrutinizing everything we see going forward? Absolutely."
Adam Silver discusses prediction markets
With the news of Giannis Antetokounmpo's recent investment in Kalshi, Silver took a moment to discuss where the league stands as far as prediction markets go.
"We currently are looking at prediction markets essentially in the same way that we’re looking at sports betting markets or sports betting companies," Silver said. "We have a rule that was collectively bargained with the Players Association that players can make, I will call them, de minimis investments in sports betting companies, and we’re applying the same rule to prediction markets."
The rule is that players cannot hold more than a 1% interest in sports betting — and now, by extension, prediction market — companies. To Silver's knowledge, Antetokounmpo's stake in Kalshi is "much smaller" than that, so he is not in violation of any league rules.
But it's still an issue that Silver is keeping a close eye on.
"It’s rapidly evolving," he said. "Prediction markets have now come on the scene fairly recently as, I don’t know how else to say it, major sports betting marketplaces. Whether prediction markets are allowed to go forward in the form they’re in now will, I think, be ultimately an issue for the courts and for Congress.
"But even if they go away, the league is now dealing with essentially 40 different jurisdictions that have legalized sports betting in the United States. Still a huge illegal market. I’d say one other category that I hardly ever hear people talk about is that the last I looked, there are probably 80 countries in the world outside of the United States that also have legalized betting on the NBA."
ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) — Madison St. Rose led with 15 points and seven rebounds and No. 24 Princeton rode a big second half to defeat Cornell, 59-38 on Saturday.
The Tigers (20-3, 8-2 Ivy League) bounced back from a loss against Columbia on Friday to win their third game in their past four contests. It was the second-lowest scoring game of the season for Princeton after a 58-49 win over Brown on Jan. 24.
Skye Belker had 12 points, four rebounds, and two assists for the Tigers. Fadima Tall added 11 points and six rebounds.
Cornell closed the first half on a 7-0 run to lead 23-15 at halftime, but Princeton erupted for 23 points in the third quarter to turn an eight-point deficit into a ten-point lead.
Princeton controlled the game in the second half, surrendering just 15 second-half points on the way to a comfortable victory.
Clarke Jackson and Paige Engels led the Big Red (8-15, 3-7) with eight points each. Cornell was held to 31% shooting and 24% from beyond the arc.
Up next
Both teams return to action next Saturday, when Princeton hosts Brown and Cornell visits Harvard.
