Category: NBA

The Dallas Mavericks (23-46) host the Atlanta Hawks (37-31) on Wednesday in a battle of two teams who faced off just over a week ago. Tipoff at American Airlines Center is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

The Hawks took the win over the Mavericks in the teams’ first meeting of the year, 124-112, on Mar. 10 in Atlanta. Klay Thompson shot the lights out in the second half, scoring 18 of his team-high 21 points as Dallas tried to dig itself out of the hole the Mavs dug themselves with yet another slow start. Nickeal Alexander-Walker led all scorers with 29 points for the Hawks in the win, while Jalen Johnson added 27 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.

Winning

That win over the Mavs eight days ago was the Hawks’ seventh in a row at the time. They have since rattled off wins over the Brooklyn Nets, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Orlando Magic to extend their current win streak to 10 games entering Wednesday’s contest.

Alexander-Walker is coming off a career-high scoring night in Monday’s 124-112 win over the Magic. The guard in his seventh season out of Virginia Tech scored 41 points on 12-of-21 shooting, including a 9-of-14 night from 30-point range, and grabbed seven boards in the win. Johnson has grabbed 34 rebounds and dished 34 assists in the team’s last three games as well.

So, the same two guys who gave the Mavericks hell the first time around are really going well for Atlanta recently.

Losing

Dallas, meanwhile, is coming off Monday’s demoralizing 129-111 loss at the New Orleans Pelicans. Having reached the point in a long season where losing has become at least an acceptable outcome, it’s hard to envision the Mavericks offering a ton of resistance as the Hawks seek their 11th straight win.

Daniel Gafford is questionable with an illness as of the 6:15 p.m. injury report on Tuesday, and so is Caleb Martin, with plantar fascia soreness. Brandon Williams is doubtful after suffering a blow to the head in Monday’s loss to the Pelicans.

These developments open the door to heavier minutes for guys like recent two-way signee John Poulakidas and longtime Mavericks’ reserve Dwight Powell. The Mavs have won just twice in their last 14 games and currently sport the sixth-worst record in the NBA.

Drawing a blank?

It’s getting tougher and tougher to find a reason to sit through an entire Mavericks game as the 2025-26 season wears on. But, Cooper Flagg has become appointment television once more, with 21 or more points in each of his last three games. P.J. Washington has finally strung together back-to-back good nights, scoring 20 points in Sunday’s 130-120 win at the Cleveland Cavaliers and backing it up with 18 more in Monday’s loss to New Orleans.

Can Flagg work his way back to front-running in the NBA Rookie of the Year race? Can Washington find his groove down the stretch in the small-ball lineups head coach Jason Kidd has employed out of necessity in recent games?

It might be a stretch, but if you squint, sometimes there is still a feint glimmer of something resembling hope for the future with the Mavs starting a rebuild in the face.

How to watch

The Mavericks and the Hawks tip off from American Airlines Center at 7:30 on Monday. The game will be televised locally on KFAA Channel 29, and the stream will be on MavsTV and NBA League Pass where available.

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

The Lakers have plenty of optionality in the summer since they have very few players on the books for the upcoming season. That flexibility works both ways, however, as players who are not under contract can also walk away from the franchise after this season.

One player whose future is up in the air is LeBron James. He will be an unrestricted free agent, and with his talent still being at an All-Star level, there will undoubtedly be interest in his services in what appears to be a shallow free agency pool.

His future will be a hot-button topic from the moment the Lakers season comes to an end until a decision is made in free agency. As things stand, there is no indication of which way he is leaning, either on whether he’ll play or, if he does, which jersey he’ll be wearing next season.

So, for our SB Nation Reacts survey this week, what does the future hold for LeBron James?

LeBron has a couple of options here. For starters, he could return to LA and continue his longest stint with one franchise and end things here with the Lakers.

President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka has made it clear that he’d like to see LeBron retire here. Figuring out the contract numbers could be tricky, but the Lakers seem to be on board with him coming back if that’s his desire.

The other clear option would be LeBron returning to the Cavs. Cleveland is a contending team and not only could James help them, but it’d be a picture-perfect ending to a historic career.

It’s hard to imagine LeBron starting somewhere else this late into his career, but we know teams have expressed interest in James.

The Warriors had conversations with the Lakers about trading for LeBron. With James as a free agent, they can just talk to him directly and try to convince him to join Steph Curry for one final attempt at a title.

But what if LeBron is happy with the story ending now?

LeBron has consistently stated he is unsure about his future, but his actions certainly indicate this could be it. He was rather emotional after watching the Cavs’ tribute to him during his only game in Cleveland this season.

James can always walk away from the game, and at age 41, having played more years than any NBA player, no one would blink twice if he ended things here.

But what do you think? Share your opinion by voting and letting us know down below!

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

After suffering a scary fall in Sunday’s win over Indiana, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss a significant chunk of time with a hyperextended knee and a bone bruise. The Bucks reported that Antetokounmpo would miss at least one week after undergoing testing. Bucks staff changed his injury designation to out shortly before Tuesday’s primetime clash against Cleveland. Originally designated as questionable due to an ankle sprain, his knee injury marks a big setback as he continues to bounce back from a calf strain that kept him out for an extended period of time.

The injury occurred with roughly 3:50 left in the third quarter of their game against the Pacers. With the teams tied at 81, Giannis spun past Jay Huff off a transition play and finished with the dunk, landing stiffly on his left knee.

Although Giannis played a couple of minutes after the scary fall—albeit gingerly—he checked out of the game with roughly three minutes to go and didn’t return. After the game, Giannis brushed off injury concerns as typical wear and tear.

“I had the conversation with Luke and Tommy, and again, I don’t think anything changed,” Giannis told The Athletic after the win against the Pacers. “I wanted to get back in the game. They looked at me and said, ‘No, it’s not worth it.’ We were up 13, 15. They were like, ‘No, no way, it’s not worth it.‘”

“I’m just going to go back home, sleep, see how I feel tomorrow, try to lift some weights. And if I have a little bit of discomfort, then I’ll go from there. But as of now, I’m not really bothered by it at all.”

With Giannis out, the team faces a bleak future where qualifying for a play-in spot seems far away, but tanking isn’t a viable option. Giannis will likely miss the Bucks’ remaining 15 games, capping an injury-riddled season where he averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game in 36 games played.

The Bucks have struggled without Giannis this season, going 11-20 in his absence and suffering despondent losses like their blowout loss to Boston or their struggles against the blatantly tanking Nets. With fellow frontcourt mate Myles Turner also suffering from injuries, the Bucks will look to Ryan Rollins, Kevin Porter Jr., and Bobby Portis to fill in the missing production. The 28-39 Bucks will continue their season tonight against the 41-27 Cavs.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will try to get back on track as they take on the rudderless Milwaukee Bucks for the fourth and final time this season.

Share your thoughts as the game unfolds. If you aren’t a member of the community, sign up so you can talk to your fellow Cavalier fans and make your voice heard!

Go Cavs!

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr. and forward Santi Aldama will miss the rest of the season after each had surgery on Tuesday.

Pippen had an operation on his right big toe and Aldama had a procedure and injection to address discomfort in his right knee. The team said both procedures were successful and the players will be ready for next season.

The Grizzlies (23-44) have lost eight straight games and entered Tuesday night nine games back in the race for the final play-in berth in the Western Conference. Star Ja Morant has played in only 20 games this season, missing the last 25 with a left elbow injury.

Pippen had a similar procedure in October and didn’t make his season debut until last month. In 10 games, he averaged 11.4 points.

Aldama was averaging 14 points and 6.7 rebounds this season.

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

HYDE PARK — A whole lot changed for the Celtics after the midseason trade deadline. It’s well-known that the team lost four players: Anfernee Simons, Xavier Tillman, Josh Minott, and Chris Boucher. But some of the players who weren’t traded saw their situations directly impacted, too.’

Luka Garza is one such example. Garza, who joined the team as a free agent last summer, had carved out a consistent role in the rotation when the Celtics opted to flip Simons for Nikola Vucevic in an effort to bolster their frontcourt.

At that point, Garza had played double-digit minutes in 25 consecutive games, establishing himself as Neemias Queta’s primary backup. Vucevic, a former All-Star and perennial NBA starter, was undoubtedly going to shoulder significant frontcourt responsibilities, and it was almost inevitable that Garza’s minutes would decline.

To Garza’s surprise, after the trade, teammates went out of their way to encourage and motivate him.

“When the Vooch trade happened, obviously, it was an amazing thing for our team, and he’s a great player,” Garza said on Tuesday afternoon at a court renovation in Hyde Park. “But obviously, guys know, as a team, that that would probably impact my minutes a little bit. And, I was just really surprised at some of the guys coming up to me and really just kind of giving me motivating thoughts and being like, ‘Hey, like, stay ready. We’re going to need you. You’ve done good things for us.’”

Garza was struck by the fact his teammates opted to so thoughtfully consider his situation in the aftermath of that trade.

“As people, as players, that’s the kind of guys that are in that locker room,” he said. “And for me, that really meant a lot. I’m always going to be the guy with a very positive mindset. But, when you hear things like that, it helps you a lot.”

Garza, who has been in the NBA since 2021, said the Celtics’ locker room stands out when it comes to off-court camaraderie.

Last week, for example, the team watched a movie together in Oklahoma City. And, players regularly grab food and discuss things unrelated to the game itself.

“Guys get more comfortable with each other as the season goes on — obviously, you’re on the road, you start going to dinner more, and just kind of learning more about each other.”

So, when adversity strikes, players know they can lean on one another.

“With this team, I think it’s honestly unique, just how close we are off the court,” he said. “Just everyone wanting to know about each other’s personal lives, and checking in, and all those kinds of things.”

Game 69.

The Knicks (44*-25) return home to face the struggling Pacers (15-53), who enter on a 13-game losing streak. New York beat them just days ago behind big showings from Jalen Brunson, Mitchell Robinson, and OG Anunoby. Indiana has been one of the league’s worst teams on both ends and is dealing with major injuries. As of this writing, Brunson is ruled OUT and Robinson is available.

Tip-off is 7:30 pm EST on MSG. This is your game thread. This is Indy Cornrows. Please don’t post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. Enjoy each other’s company, respectfully. And go Knicks!

* Should be one more, but NBA Cup Finals wins blow away like dandelions.

This is officially the doggiest of dog days. The Detroit Pistons face a bad Washington Wizards team that is also out most of its impactful players — Anthony Davis is out, of course, but so is Trae Young, veteran D’Angelo Russell, and a sliver of its young core in Kyshawn George, Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly and Cam Whitmore. Detroit will again be without Isaiah Stewart, who is likely to miss at least the next week with a left calf strain. It will also be the second game back for Ausar Thompson, who looked rusty in a loss to the Toronto Raptors after a five-game absence. There isn’t much to say about a game like this other than that perhaps it will be interesting to monitor the rotation. Caris LeVert is given so much and provides so little. Will there continue to be baby steps forward for Kevin Huerter? Will it be another DNP-CD for the struggling Daniss Jenkins? How much more does Marcus Sasser to solidify himself a spot in the rotation? Is there enough talent around Ron Holland to let him do all the dirty work? This is also Detroit’s first game against the Wizards since a disheartening 126-117 loss on Feb. 5. And it is the first of two straight in D.C. I’m imagining Detroit will want to put this game away early. Can they actually do it?

Game Vitals

When: 7 p.m. ET
Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons -19.5

Projected Lineups

Detroit Pistons (48-19)

Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren

Washington Wizards (16-51)

Bub Carrington, Tre Johnson, Will Riley, Justin Champagnie, Julian Reese

The Celtics will face an extremely shorthanded Golden State Warriors team on Wednesday night at TD Garden.

Nikola Vucevic will miss his sixth straight game as he recovers from a right fing finger fracture he suffered last month, but the rest of the Celtics are available. Jayson Tatum will play in his sixth game of the season after making his return from an Achilles rupture earlier this month; so far this season, he’s averaging 20 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game.

The Warriors, meanwhile, continue to be extremely shorthanded. Jimmy Butler is out for the season after tearing his ACL, while Steph Curry has been sidelined since before the All-Star break as he deals with a knee injury.

Al Horford (right calf strain), Moses Moody (wrist), and Seth Curry (left adductor strain) will all miss Wednesday’s match-up. Quenten Post (right foot injury management) and LJ Cryer (left hamstring injury management) are questionable, while Gary Payton II is probable with a left tibial contusion.

Kristaps Porzingis has dealt with illness on and off throughout the year, but he’s expected to play on Wednesday. The former Celtics big man has only appeared in 22 games this season.

How the Celtics, Warriors stack up

The Celtics and Warriors have faced off once this season — in January at the Chase Center — and Boston came away with an 11-point win. Both Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis played in that game, with the latter making his Warriors debut.

The Celtics are 45-23, and are 3.5 games behind the Detroit Pistons for first place in the Eastern Conference.

The Warriors are 33-35 and have the 9th-best record in the Western Conference. With Curry sidelined, they’ve dropped 7 of their last 10 games, and are currently fighting for positioning in the play-in tournament.

Celtics-Warriors tips off on Wednesday night at 7pm.

TORONTO (AP) — The Hockey Hall of Fame this week unveiled a new showcase of artifacts from the Milan Cortina Olympics, including the pucks scored by Jack Hughes to win gold for the U.S. men and Megan Keller for the U.S. women, each in overtime against Canada.

Hughes told ESPN on Tuesday that he wants the puck so he can give it to his father, Jim. The New Jersey Devils center previously said when asked about the puck during other media appearances that had no idea where it was other than that it wasn't in his possession.

The Hall of Fame has had it all along.

“These donated items represent defining moments on the world’s biggest stage and carry powerful stories of national pride and hockey history at its highest level,” Hall of Fame President and CEO Jamie Dinsmore said in a statement Monday about the Olympic showcase. “The Olympics ’26 display will help ensure that these unforgettable Olympic moments are preserved for our guests from around the world to experience.”

A stick from American Brady Tkachuk and gloves from teammate Jack Eichel, along with jerseys from Canada captain Sidney Crosby and Sweden forward William Nylander, are among the more than 70 items that will be on display for a limited time.

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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

The Deandre Ayton era in Los Angeles has been a rollercoaster ride. In the best moments, Ayton has been as joyful as anyone on the team and a walking double-double.

The lows, however, include games in which he seems disinterested in playing and reports of his dissatisfaction with his role on the team.

Despite the frustration that watching Ayton can bring, his talent level is so high that you have to respect it and use it to help you win games.

After being a big factor in Saturday’s win over the Nuggets, Ayton was equally impressive in Houston on Monday, stepping up in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers earn their sixth straight win.

Ayton’s performance wasn’t a shock, but it was a surprise given that he went to the bench midway through the third and didn’t start during the opening minutes of the fourth.

But Lakers head coach JJ Redick went to him during clutch time, and Ayton delivered. He was a perfect 3-3 from the field, grabbed a handful of offensive boards and his back-to-back baskets in the final minutes were the exclamation points on this statement win.

After the game, Redick talked about why he brought Ayton back and how it paid off.

“We all recognized that he had not played in a significant portion of the game and then you factor in the real-time effect of that,” Redick said. “I was pretty adamant that I wanted him in the game. [Assistant coach] Greg [St. Jean] went over to him and made sure that he was ready to go and then he helped us win the game and that’s what I told him.

“We walked off the court together and he was in good spirits. But, he did. His offensive rebounding and the couple of buckets he got down the stretch were huge.”

When Ayton is a monster on the boards, the Lakers win games. He had six offensive rebounds against the Rockets and ended the night with 11. The Lakers are 14-2 when Ayton has 11 or more rebounds.

Ayton sitting down for such a long stretch in the second half could have set him up for failure when he checked into the game late in the fourth. He was ready for the moment, though and that didn’t go unnoticed by LeBron James.

“He was amazing,” LeBron said. “I mean just the fact he was sitting over there for as long as he did and stayed locked in on the game and come in and finish the game. [He was] able to get a tip dunk, couple of jump hooks around the rim, a couple rebounds around the rim. He helped us finish the game.”

Ultimately, Ayton was brought to the Lakers to help them win games of this magnitude. All of LA’s biggest hopes and dreams are still in play this season. If Ayton plays well this spring and summer, then everything else will be forgiven and forgotten.

So far during these recent big moments against the best in the West, Ayton has shown he’s more than capable of being a peak performer.

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

The Washington Wizards play the Detroit Pistons at 7 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena. Chat about it in the comments below!