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The Miami Heat have dropped four straight games, and they’ll look to get back on track Monday when they host the San Antonio Spurs, winners of five straight.

The home team will be close to full strength, and my Spurs vs Heat predictions expect Miami to keep it close against the powerhouse visitors.

Here are my free NBA picks for this cross-conference showdown from Kaseya Center on Monday, March 23.

Spurs vs Heat prediction

Spurs vs Heat best bet: Heat +4.5 (-110)

The Miami Heat have played great basketball at home this season, winning 23 and covering in 36 games at Kaseya Center. Miami sports the second-highest cover percentage as a home underdog, going 7-2 against the spread.

Miami just covered in a one-point loss to Houston, and that was without Norman Powell, Jaime Jaquez, and Andrew Wiggins.

All three are expected to suit up, and they'll all play a part in helping the Heat's Top 10 home offense keep up with the San Antonio Spurs' explosive offense, while Bam Adebayo can focus on containing Victor Wembanyama.

Spurs vs Heat same-game parlay

The Heat rank 10th in offensive rating at home, while the Spurs rank ninth on the road.

Bam has been on a heater, and Miami has a plethora of scoring options to rack up points. The Spurs will have Stephon Castle back, and Devin Vassell could return as well, giving San Antonio extra firepower.

Since scoring a historic 83 points, Adebayo has averaged 25.3 points across his last four outings, going for 22+ three times. He leads the Heat in minutes in that span, clocking in at a whopping 39.1.

Spurs vs Heat SGP

• Heat +4.5
• Over 243
• Bam Adebayo Over 21.5 points

Our "from downtown" SGP: Bunch of buckets

Wemby has averaged 28.7 points across his last nine games, going for 27+ in six of them. He finished with 27 points in his first matchup with the Heat, and he’ll need to be at his best to keep up with a hot Miami offense.

Castle will return following a two-game absence, and Andrew Wiggins is expected to play after eight games on the sidelines.

Castle scored 21 against the Heat earlier in the season, and he averaged 21.8 points in five games before sustaining his hip injury. Wiggins scored 12+ in seven of eight contests before injuring his toe, and he dropped 24 in his first meeting with the Spurs.

Spurs vs Heat SGP

• Bam Adebayo Over 21.5 points
• Victor Wembanyama Over 26.5 points
• Stephon Castle Over 16.5 points
• Andrew Wiggins Over 11.5 points

Spurs vs Heat odds

• Spread: Spurs -4.5 | Heat +4.5
• Moneyline: Spurs -200 | Heat +165
• Over/Under: Over 243 | Under 243

Spurs vs Heat betting trend to know

The Miami Heat have covered the first-half spread in 33 of their last 50 games (+15.85 Units / 27% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Spurs vs. Heat.

How to watch Spurs vs Heat

Spurs vs Heat latest injuries

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Don’t blame Mikal Bridges for his paltry stats. Blame the role.

That was the message from teammate Josh Hart, who said the criticism of Bridges is “unfair” since he’s getting even fewer opportunities than even last season.

“He’s been doing what’s been asked of him,” Hart said. “And I’ve said it before — when you’re a guy who, for a year and a half [with the Brooklyn Nets] when you’re the No. 1 guy and he’s getting those plays called for him.

“Last year, he didn’t have many plays called for him. This year, he probably has even less plays called for him. So obviously there’s a mental hurdle he needs to get through and that’s something where some of us can help him. I think he gets some of that unfair flak just because he’s doing what’s asked of him. And if we were to sit there and say, go shoot 15 shots a game, he would be efficient and he could do it. But that’s not what’s been asked of him.”

Indeed, Bridges is averaging fewer shot attempts, minutes and points than in his previous three seasons — including his 1 ½ years with the Nets as their top scorer. On the Knicks this season, he’s been the fourth or fifth option. But Bridges was also misfiring with his opportunities and stuck in a deep slump.

Since the All-Star break, entering Sunday’s win over the Wizards, he was averaging just 10.4 points on 40.6 percent shooting and 31.3 percent from beyond the arc.

And it was worse lately.

In the eight games before the Knicks’ win over the Wizards on Sunday, Bridges was down to averages of just 7.3 points on 33 percent shooting — including 25 percent on 3s. So he was taking fewer shots but missing them at a much higher rate since February.

On Sunday, coach Mike Brown reiterated his belief that Bridges would break out of the slump. The coach said his faith stems from Bridges’ attitude and his long history as a productive player. He had 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting against Washington.

“He’s shown time after time that he’s a high-level player. And he’s done it,” Brown said. “I’ve been around many players who have gone through their ups and downs throughout the course of the season.

“And he works at it very hard. And he cares at a high level. Usually when you have that combination from a veteran guy that’s produced the way he’s produced in the NBA, it tends to lead to good results, eventually.”

Still, Bridges’ slide felt more prolonged and severe than the run-of-the-mill funk. And Brown responded by giving Bridges fewer minutes, which was easier since Landry Shamet was surging as the backup.

One difference Sunday was that the insurance option — Shamet — was unavailable. The two-way guard sat for the first time since Jan. 14 because of a knee injury sustained in Brooklyn two nights earlier.

Shamet’s official injury designation was a sore right knee, which Brown said was banged. It meant opportunities were available for other bench players — specifically Mohamed Diawara and Jordan Clarkson — or potentially for Bridges to get more runway to break out of his slump.

“There are going to be some minutes to grab,” Brown said. Bridges played 30 minutes Sunday.

Hart wants to help where he can — but he also noted that Bridges’ reduced role shouldn’t be overlooked.

“Try to make sure to get him involved a little bit more, get him the ball when he’s running in transition, get him in position to be successful,” Hart said. “He’s been doing what’s been asked of him.”

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The Milwaukee Bucks are still barely eligible for the Play-In tournament, while the Los Angeles Clippers are playing for seeding.

The 29-41 Bucks will be the best team the Clippers have faced in the last four games, but Milwaukee will be without Giannis Antetokounmpo and possibly Kyle Kuzma. 

That’s why my Bucks vs.Clippers predictions and NBA picks look for L.A. to cover the big spread on Monday, March 23.

Bucks vs Clippers prediction

Bucks vs Clippers best bet: Clippers -13)

The Los Angeles Clippers are 7-2 in their last nine games as a home favorite. 

Many of their woes can be traced back to an awful start to the season. Overall, the Clippers boast the ninth-best offensive efficiency in the NBA, which will help against a Giannis-less Milwaukee Bucks team that can't stop anyone.

Milwaukee has struggled recently, particularly against good teams. It had lost six of seven before winning Saturday.

That win over Phoenix was the Bucks' first in 13 games vs. a team with a winning percentage above .300. They won't be remotely competitive in Inglewood tonight.

Bucks vs Clippers same-game parlay

Both teams rank in the Bottom 10 in pace of play, but the cutoff takes that into account. This is the lowest Over/Under Los Angeles has faced in the last 11 games. And it's gone Over seven times against those higher totals. 

Darius Garland has blossomed since arriving in Los Angeles at the trade deadline, increasing his scoring by more than three points per game. He’s averaged 24.2 in the last seven and 25 in the last five. He’s also shooting 40 percentage points higher from the field and 130 percentage points higher from three.

Bucks vs Clippers SGP

• Clippers -13
• Over 222
• Darius Garland Over 20.5 points

Our "from downtown" SGP: No Kawhi, no problem for Garland & Jones

Garland has averaged 3.9 made treys a game with Los Angeles and 4.7 over the last six, including five or more in four of those. He’s 28 for his last 52 from deep for a .538 percentage.

Derrick Jones Jr. has 23 assists in March, but nearly half (11) have come in the last three games. Jones has also been scoring, with double figures in 10 of 13 March games, including 37 across the last two. With Kawhi Leonard questionable, he’ll have more opportunities on offense.

Bucks vs Clippers SGP

• Clippers -13
• Darius Garland Over 20.5 points
• Darius Garland Over 3.5 made threes
• Derrick Jones Jr. Over 12.5 points
• Derrick Jones Jr. Over 1.5 assists

Bucks vs Clippers odds

• Spread: Bucks +13 (-110) | Clippers -13 (-110)
• Moneyline: Bucks +575 | Clippers -850
• Over/Under: Over 222 (-110) | Under 222 (-110)

Bucks vs Clippers betting trend to know

The Clippers have covered the Spread in 32 of their last 50 games. Find more NBA betting trends for Bucks vs. Clippers.

How to watch Bucks vs Clippers

Bucks vs Clippers latest injuries

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Week 21: The Spurs’ “return from the Rodeo Road Trip” six-game homestand continued against three more postseason-bound teams. After a tight first half against the Boston Celtics, who had Jayson Tatum back from last season’s Achilles rupture, the Spurs took control after Jaylen Brown got himself ejected, with Victor Wembanyama leading the way with 39 points on 8 three-pointers. He then missed the next game against the Nuggets with a sore ankle, and while the Spurs were in control most of the night, they went cold late in the third quarter, blowing a 20-point lead as Denver rallied back to end their five-game winning streak. Finally, they returned to form to get revenge on the Hornets for their January 31 winter storm debacle to finish the homestand 5-1.

Week 22: 4-0 (53-18, 2nd in West)

119-115 win at Los Angeles Clippers

Back on the road facing a Clippers squad missing Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs got out to a sluggish start, getting down 17-3 before surging back to take a 66-52 halftime lead. They would eventually get ahead by 24 points, but then the Spurs got complacent and let the Clippers, led by Darius Garland, back in the game, causing fears of a reverse outcome from a couple weeks prior. Fortunately, the Spurs did just enough to stay ahead and hit their free throws in the waning seconds to secure the victory.

132-104 win at Sacramento Kings

The Spurs continued their season-long trend of dominating on the second night of a back-to-back, and they didn’t need much help against a lowly, shorthanded Kings squad. The Spurs were red hot from three, hitting a franchise-record 25 of them from 10 different players, and the game was essentially over by halftime. About the only thing of note that happened was Russell Westbrook passed Steve Nash on the all-time assist leaders board.

101-100 win vs. Phoenix Suns

The Suns may have been missing Dillon Brooks, but they continued to show why they are a thorn in the Spurs’ side and potentially tough first round opponent. The Suns shooters were hot, and without Stephon Castle’s perimeter defense, the Spurs had trouble containing Collin Gillespie and Devin Booker. But like always, they fought back, with Wemby going into MVP mode to hit his first NBA go-ahead game-winner with a second left, after the Spurs had successfully forced the ball into rookie Rasheer Felmming’s hands on the other end, who missed both free throws. The thrilling victory secured the Spurs’ first playoff berth since 2019.

134-119 win vs. Indiana Pacers

It wasn’t always pretty, but even without trying their hardest for much of the game, the Spurs were simply too talented for the severely shorthanded Pacers. With Castle and Devin Vassell sitting this one out, Dylan Harper got the first start of his NBA career and didn’t flinch, tying his career high of 24 points to go along with 4 rebounds and 3 assists, and Keldon Johnson led the bench with 24 points in a wire-to-wire blowout that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.

Power Rankings

John Schuhmann, NBA.com — 2 (last week: 2)

OffRtg: 118.0 (4) DefRtg: 110.5 (3) NetRtg: +7.5 (4) Pace: 100.8 (12)

The Spurs might not catch the Thunder, but they’re looking good to finish with the league’s second-best record. They’re 21-2 since Feb. 1, with 12 of those 21 wins coming against other teams with winning records.

Three takeaways

1. The Spurs ranked seventh offensively at the All-Star break, and they’ve had the league’s fourth-most-improved offense since the break. They’ve scored 124.7 points per 100 possessions over their last 11 games, with eight guys averaging double-figures over that stretch. Not all eight have played in all 11 games, but the offense has continued to roll, even though at least one of Dylan Harper, Stephen Castle or Devin Vassell has missed each of their last five.
2. The Spurs came back from 10 points down with less than five minutes left to beat the Suns on Thursday, with Victor Wembanyama draining the game-winning jumper with 1.1 seconds left. San Antonio is one of two teams – the Sixers are the other – with a league-high five wins (they’re 5-11) in games they trailed by double-digits in the fourth. Wembanyama is one of eight players with at least five buckets (he’s 5-for-8) to tie or take the lead in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime.
3. It’s worth remembering that the Spurs were one of four teams that were worse than average on both ends of the floor in each of the last three seasons. They’re now 10.3 points per 100 possessions better than they were last season (minus-2.8), which would be the eighth biggest season-to-season jump in the 30 seasons for which we have play-by-play data. (The Hornets have seen the second biggest.)

Coming up: The Spurs will play six of their next seven games on the road, but after visiting the Heat on Monday, they’ll play five straight games against teams with losing records. Both Castle and Vassell are listed as questionable for the game in Miami.

Law Murray, The Athletic — 2 (last week: 2)

New players added after Week 1: C Mason Plumlee, PF Emanuel Miller (two-way)
Departed players from Week 1: PF Jeremy Sochan, PF Riley Minix (two-way)

The Spurs are officially back in the playoffs for the first time this decade. They are 26-5 since they last lost back-to-back games (at Minnesota and Oklahoma City more than two months ago). And we all have our alien overlord Victor Wembanyama to thank. You all know what comes next, and that is all of you hating the Spurs again, if nothing else because of Wemby’s commitment toward farm-to-table ethical hoops. I’m fascinated to see what this group does starting next month. They are basically the 2024 Thunder, which means seeing Luka Dončiç in the second round is going to get spooky. Prepare for “lack of experience” narratives and the like. Yes, I know De’Aaron Fox and Week 1 starter Harrison Barnes are here. But Fox has won as many playoff series as you and I, and Barnes hasn’t won one since leaving the Warriors a decade ago. San Antonio even has former 2024 Thunderbuddy Bismack Biyombo to warn his new teammates about the upcoming playoff run, along with Mason (not Mike Muscala) Plumlee, who is here because Jeremy Sochan is not. Every first-time playoff team needs a lottery-pick scapegoat, and the Spurs figured to get off Sochan before the playoff run. See, the Thunder had to wait for the maiden playoff run to get off Josh Giddey. Maybe the Spurs really are ahead of the curve.

Brett Siegel, Clutch Points — 2 (last week: 2)

The Spurs’ recent string of success goes back even longer than the Thunder entering March. Since the start of February, the Spurs have gone 21-2, ranking first in win percentage and first in offensive rating and also leading the league in net rating. Their only two losses during this span were to the New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets, two premier playoff threats in both conferences.

Aside from their depth and defensive toughness, what makes the Spurs a real title threat this season is none other than Wembanyama. He sets the tone for San Antonio on offense, and Wemby alters his opponent’s offensive mindset every play because of his defensive abilities and length in the paint.

Oh, and Wembanyama has made it his personal mission to step up and play his best basketball of the season heading into the playoffs.

“Right now, in my mind is taking great care of my body cause I also want to win the MVP and the DPOY,” Wembanyama stated recently. “So, I’m trying to press the gas from now until the end of the season. Really take care of my treatment, take care of my sleep, take care of my routine, and show up for my team.”

Just because they don’t have a whole lot of playoff experience doesn’t mean the Spurs won’t be successful in the postseason. This team has exceeded expectations all season, and we have yet to see them play their best basketball. Other than the Thunder, nobody else has the depth and size to be able to compete against the Spurs.

Coming up: Mon. 3/23 at Miami Heat (38-33); Wed. 3/25 at Memphis Grizzlies (24-46); Sat. 3/25 at Milwaukee Bucks (29-41)

Prediction: 3-0 — No reason to predict a loss here. While the Spurs embark on a stretch that will feature six of seven games on the road before they close on a four-game homestand, this is arguably their easiest of the remaining three weeks (not than any will be that hard) despite being entirely on the road. The Heat have gone 1-4 since Bam Adebayo’s (infamous?) 83-point game, in including losing four straight, but they are in a brutal standings battle between the 5th and 10th seeds, so the Spurs should expect their best effort. Beyond that, the Grizzlies and Bucks are all-but eliminated from the postseason, stars Ja Morant and Giannis Antentokounmpo are out, and former problem Grizzly for the Spurs Jaren Jackson Jr. was traded to Utah.

It was a rough week for the Phoenix Suns. After finishing the previous week with a loss, the team endured its worst losing streak of the season and went 1–4 this week, losing their first four games and winning their last. Still sitting in 7th in the Western Conference, it’s looking like the Suns are going to be hosting a play-in game next month.

Here are the main questions for Week 22 we want your thoughts on:

Struggling in the Clutch

Two of the four Suns losses this week were by one possession, and Phoenix was leading the Celtics late when they fell to Boston. Against San Antonio, the Suns struggled down the stretch, missing free throws, and in the final 7:49 during their loss to the Bucks, they allowed Milwaukee to go on a 24–14 run to close the game. The offense struggled numerous times down the stretch when it needed to perform to secure wins this week.

The team has had success throughout the season late in games, but this week was different. What do you think the main reason the team struggled to close out games this week was? How much does the arduous schedule the team had play into it? Would the losing streak have been shorter if the rotation had been healthier?

Getting Rest

With five games in seven days, including the first three being in three different cities, it was the busiest week of the season for the Suns, and they struggled through it. Phoenix has been depleted, and it continued to deal with the injury bug this week. Grayson Allen played on Monday against the Celtics and missed the rest of the week with a knee injury, and after not missing a game the whole year, Royce O’Neale has missed the last three games with knee soreness.

Mark Williams and Dillon Brooks remain on the shelf with their foot and hand injuries, respectively.

The good news for the Suns? After facing the Nuggets on Tuesday, they’ll have four days of rest until their next game. With the Playoffs and Play-In now less than a month away, how should Jordan Ott and company handle the rest of the season from a health standpoint? The Suns are four games behind the sixth seed and four-and-a-half ahead of the eighth seed.

Collin Gillespie is Turning it Around

After a rough start to the month, Collin Gillespie has gotten back into a rhythm in his past three games, averaging 19.3 points per game and hitting at least four threes in all three contests. During Sunday’s win against the Toronto Raptors, the guard went an efficient 6/9 from the field and 4/6 from deep, while Jalen Green and Devin Booker both scored at least 20 points.

Since both Booker and Green returned to the lineup, it had been a struggle for Gillespie to find his role in the offense as a scorer, but it looks like he’s done so. How encouraging is this recent streak from Gillespie playing alongside two ball-dominant scorers?

On the Suns’ Plate This Week

After their busiest week of the season, Phoenix will play just two games this week, hosting the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday and the Utah Jazz on Saturday. The large break between the two games without any travel is much needed for a Phoenix team running on fumes.

Don’t tell anyone we told you, but you’d be forgiven if you missed some Dallas Mavericks games lately with March Madness seeping through the public consciousness for the last 96 hours. But both worlds work hand-in-hand, as the Mavericks navigate lottery positioning while the NBA season comes to a close.

And while positioning (losing) doesn’t sound so exciting, there are still some wild swings that could take place as a group of four teams between the fifth and eighth spots cluster closer and closer. The Utah Jazz, New Orleans Pelicans, and Memphis Grizzlies keep pacing around this liminal space of the back part of the top ten with the Mavericks. Here at Lottery Watch we’re taking a weekly pulse of what may have changed and what’s up next.

Lottery standings

After the Mavericks sort of inexplicably beat the Cleveland Cavaliers just over a week ago, on the road no less, they dropped three straight last week and find themselves precariously in sixth place — two games back of the Jazz in fifth, and 1.5 games ahead of the Grizzlies and Pelicans. Those slim margins are of note because the swing from sixth to eighth means a 10-percent shift in a shot at a top four pick.

To make it just a little stressful, the Mavericks do have the fourth toughest remaining schedule in the league. But those pesky Grizzlies have the second toughest. The one relief is knowing the Pelicans, who owe their unprotected pick to the Atlanta Hawks, have zero incentive to lose.

Weekly schedule

• Dallas Mavericks: vs. Golden State Warriors, @ Denver Nuggets, @ Portland Trail Blazers
• Utah Jazz: vs. Toronto Raptors, vs. Washington Wizards, @ Denver Nuggets
• Memphis Grizzlies: @ Atlanta Hawks, vs. San Antonio Spurs, vs. Houston Rockets
• New Orleans Pelicans: @ New York Knicks, @ Detroit Pistons, @ Toronto Raptors

One magic spin

Each week we’ll take one spin around the block at tankathon.com and see where the chips fall. In a chilling turn of the simulator, this our fifth edition, the Atlanta Hawks for the fifth time in a row jump to the number one overall pick. There is voodoo in this simulation.

The Mavericks slide back a spot for the first time in several weeks. If you’re watching close to mock drafts across the internet, this puts them right on the fringes of that second tier behind the consensus top three. This paints a picture of both why the positioning is so vital — not because it ensures jumping up, but protects them if/when they slide back.

Hubert Davis stands in a pool of quicksand wearing concrete shoes after a second straight early out in the NCAA Tournament.

Yes, UNC was without its best player, Caleb Wilson, because of injury, but this is the type of job where no excuse is satisfactory for a Day 1 NCAA Tournament exit — particularly, when the previous season also ended in the first round.

Davis sits on the hottest seat in college basketball, his future in doubt.

Hayes: Time to see how serious UNC is about basketball. Go get Todd Golden

Hubert Davis buyout: Contract details for Tar Heels coach

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The NBA picks up where March Madness left off with a whopping 10 games on the schedule to tip of a new week.

That means an endless supply of player props to bet on, and I’ve found my three favorite, including Jalen Johnson bullying the Grizz on the glass, while we double up with Amen Thompson.

Those and more NBA picks for Monday, March 23, below.

Best NBA player props today

Player	Pick
Jalen Johnson	Over 10.5 rebounds	+105
Amen Thompson	double-double	+235
Kristaps Porzingis	Over 15.5 points	-115

Prop #1: Jalen Johnson Over 10.5 rebounds

+105 at bet365

Injuries have ravaged the Memphis Grizzlies, which means we’ve been riding with Ty Jerome points props. But books have caught on, so it's time to pivot. 

The Grizz have had no presence on the glass, ranking dead last in rebounding rate and surrendering the second-most opponent rebounds per game since the All-Star game.

So, let’s keep it simple for tonight’s game against the Atlanta Hawks. Jalen Johnson is one of the best rebounders in the NBA, averaging 10.4 per game. 

His rebounding total tonight is 10.5, and he has topped that number in two of his last three games.

• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: FDSN Southeast-Memphis, FDSN Southeast-Atlanta

Prop #2: Amen Thompson double-double

+235 at bet365

The Houston Rockets’ Amen Thompson has been an absolute beast on the boards lately. He’s hauling down a whopping 9.6 rebounds per game over his last 12 games, and I’m betting he keeps that up tonight against the Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls are already looking ahead to next season and aren’t showing much defense or effort on the glass. Chicago ranks 21st in rebounding rate and 28th in opponent rebounds per game since the All-Star break.

Thompson has grabbed 10 or more rebounds seven times over these 12 games and in four of his last five, making a double-double at this price a great bet.

• Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SCHN, CHSN

Prop #3: Kristaps Porzingis Over 15.5 points

-115 at bet365

The Dallas Mavericks might be the only team in the NBA with less interior presence than the Golden State Warriors.

The Mavs are a young roster going through growing pains, but they’ll need to get bigger in the future because they rank dead last in opponent points in the paint.

Luckily for the Dubs, Kristaps Porzingis is expected to return after a minor back injury he suffered vs. the Detroit Pistons on Friday night.

Porzingis had scored 17 or more points in three of his four games before that. With a point total of just 15.5, I love the Over.

• Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Peacock

These props are available now at bet365, one of our best betting sites.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Tyler Kolek showed out in two different arenas on Sunday.

In G-League duty, he erupted for 42 points — going 9-for-14 from 3-point range — along with 11 assists in the Westchester Knicks’ 141-131 win over the Greensboro Swarm. He was then recalled by the Knicks and bolted for Madison Square Garden, where he was available for the Knicks’ 145-113 rout of the Wizards.

As the blowout grew, the Garden crowd chanted “We want Kolek” during the fourth quarter. And coach Mike Brown eventually obliged. Kolek played the last five minutes and put on a show, scoring 11 points and drilling three 3s.

“That’s an amazing feat,” coach Mike Brown said. “To play in a G-League game in the afternoon and come play in an NBA game, it’s gotta be a weird feeling. But these guys are pro athletes, they do a great job taking care of their bodies and our performance group does a good job with them in that area too. For them to be able to do that, to me, is an amazing thing.

“And then the group came out and I thought they played well. It was fun to see Tyler hit some shots and hear the crowd cheering his name.”

“Tyler Ko-lek, Tyler Ko-lek” chants rang around MSG as a fun exclamation point for an easy Knicks win. Kolek posed with a sign in the Knicks locker room that had 53 written on it after the game, representing his combined point output from the two games.

“It’s tough,” Jalen Brunson said of Kolek. “He was able to play well down there and then came here and continued it. That’s just him being professional, that’s him being himself. We have a lot of guys on this team that are very high character, very good work ethic and he’s one of them.

“That’s just who he is.”

Pacome Dadiet also pulled double duty, scoring 32 points in Westchester before getting some garbage time minutes for the Knicks at night.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NBA STANDINGS AND KNICKS STATS

Brown said that Landry Shamet, who missed Sunday’s game due to knee soreness, “banged” his knee during the Knicks’ win over the Nets on Friday. He’s still being evaluated.

With a Knicks win and Celtics loss, the Knicks are now just a ½ game out of the No. 2 seed in the East.

“Honestly, I’m not even looking at the standings,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “I didn’t even know that. I’m just focused on this locker room and this team. We can’t control Boston losing, Detroit losing.”

The Knicks demolished the Wiz Kiz on Sunday, capping a week that has New York just half-a-game behind Boston in the standings.

On top of that, Tyler Kolek made history, scoring 53 points on a single day playing for two professional teams in New York and Westchester.

Here’s the latest from your favorite people in the NBA universe.

Mike Brown

On his preferred playoff rotation depth:

“For me, I like to play 9 or 9.5 guys — 10 if you can. It gets hard because we have guys on our roster willing to play 34 minutes. When you have multiple guys, four or five guys, who are worthy of that, it makes it a little harder to give other guys extended minutes. I’ve felt we’ve tried to do a good job of giving our young guys an opportunity to play and other guys an opportunity to play.”

On keeping rotational players ready:

“Being with Steve Kerr, one of the things they used to do is start someone different every once in a while, someone who might not have played in three or four games. The only rhyme or reason they did it is to let them know that they have to be ready. Your number can be called at anytime. I liked that, but I didn’t go quite that route. I do like the fact that guys can think, ‘Oh, OK. My number can be called at any time, so I have to stay ready.’ It’s not just lip service. It can happen because they saw it happen. I threw Diawara out there a couple of times as a rookie. Doing that keeps guys engaged and on their toes, especially when guys are handling their minutes as professionals, which all of our guys have done.”

On the improved start to the game against Washington:

“We talked about it. Our biggest thing is making our opponent feel us and we did a better job in that area. I thought we did a nice job moving the ball and trying to take the right shots. I thought overall, it was a lot better than what we’ve done in a couple of games.”

On avoiding overreaction to bad game stretches:

“There was a time when we were struggling, I think in the third quarter, coming out of halftime. Two games ago, we were great. Against Indiana, we were great. I’m not gonna lie, I don’t remember who we played before that. Against Golden State, we stunk. I don’t know who we played before that. So you try to prepare your guys and not overreact to struggles that you may have that could be short-term or temporary. So we’re not to a point where I’m gonna try to do something out of the box with the guys. They are a veteran group and like I said, we’ve struggled in other areas throughout the course of the year before. So I’m gonna keep doing what we’re doing and in due time, if we need to change this or change that I’m definitely not opposed to it, as all you guys know, from our players to our staff, I’m not opposed to somebody else saying ‘hey, let’s do this instead of that.’”

On seeding and home-court advantage:

“The higher the seed, the better, mainly because the fans at MSG are awesome and playing in this environment during that time, you couldn’t ask for anything better. But at the end of the day, if we truly believe that we are THAT team, it truly don’t matter where we got to go and who we got to face.”

Jalen Brunson

On playing the Knicks way early against the Wizards:

“I think we came out and we played our style. They had a decent run where they tied the game back up, but after that we got the lead, played well with the lead and didn’t look back after that.”

On Jose Alvarado’s bench energy:

“It helps the team no matter what. You kind of wish he was on the court, because he’s a little bit quieter than on the bench. He does so much for this team on and off the court. It’s constant energy. Kind of regardless of how he’s playing, he always has the energy. That’s a skill, that’s a skill that makes someone last in the league a long time. It’s great to have him.”

Josh Hart

On the comparisons to Andre Iguodala:

“Andre is extremely talented, definitely was a better player in this league than I am. But we can be like an older version of Andre. Older, less athletic, scoring version of Andre. But it’s cool, Andre is someone who is highly respected for everything he’s done for the game. So it was cool.”

On finding pride in doing the dirty work and connecting his teammates:

“I take a lot of pride in it. Especially right now, you just look at numbers and you don’t understand the process of the game. A lot of people think you can just throw five guys in that score X amount of points, and that’s how it’s gonna be. But that’s not always what it is, situations are different. So for me, especially in that starting group, I’m a guy that’s gonna connect the dots, a guy that’s gonna try to be unselfish, get other guys involved, get other guys flowing in good rhythm. I think that gets overlooked, but for me, I take pride in it.”

Mitchell Robinson

On the need to have better starts after the Brooklyn scare:

“We just got to come in ready to go. We can’t take that one like we did this one to start the game. Come out and be prepared to go on Sunday.”

Mikal Bridges

On needing better team starts after escaping the Nets game alive:

“We just got to come out better. That’s pretty much it. We got to be better as a team.”

Jose Alvarado

On the MSG introduction when he started with Brunson out:

“It’s really emotional. If you watched the video of me when they said the starting five and they said me, I pointed to my parents. It’s just something I know where they sit at, I’m always going to look for them and it’s just cool to have them at the game all the time now. New Orleans was pretty tough because they lived out here. So now they can come to every game they want.”

On playing in Brooklyn as a Knick:

“It’s cool. It’s just cool all the time to play with a Knicks jersey on. But obviously playing at Brooklyn, playing against Brooklyn pretty special. Being a kid from down the street, I was raised probably 10 minutes down the street from Barclays Center. It got expensive. My grandma still lives there, my dad’s mom. She lives in the projects right there down the street from Fort Greene. She still lives there. So me and my dad, we go visit. We could walk there. I just remember it being a train station. Obviously, it got developed to a nice city area.”

On not imagining playing for the Knicks:

“I didn’t really think of it like that. I didn’t think none of this. I didn’t think I was going to be playing for the Knicks.”

On energy becoming his NBA skill:

“I didn’t think that growing up. But as I got closer, into college and going into my NBA career, it keeps me in the NBA. That’s one of the reasons I got to the NBA and it separates me from being just in the NBA if that makes sense. I just figured out that’s what God blessed me with, and I’ve just got to do it at a high level.”

On Brunson and Hart teasing him:

“They headaches. They’re good people. They’re great guys. We’ve just got a relationship, they think they can say whatever. But it’s all love and fun. Those guys are great.”

For the Long Island Nets, not much is going right at this moment. With the Brooklyn Nets having the three two-ways, Malachi Smith and the remaining Flatbush 4, Long Island has been left with slim pickings and a four-game losing streak.

However, a stroke of luck did favor them Sunday evening. Despite coming up just short against the Capital City Go-Go in Capital City, the Long Island squad is heading back to the G-League playoffs! A combination of other scores around the league helped the Nets back in.

At the moment, they’ve got the seventh seed in the post-season and would play the second seed, the Greensboro Swarm, in North Carolina likely on March 31. Other than the Finals, all the league playoff matches are single elimination, aka win or go home…

The last time Long Island made it this far came two years ago when they got all the way to the conference finals before losing to the Maine Celtics. The team saw a major turnaround this season with the likes of the Flatbush 5’s Danny Wolf, Ben Saraf, Drake Powell, and Nolan Traore, and the three Brooklyn two-way stars – Chaney Johnson, EJ Liddell and Tyson Etienne – leading the charge to get them in this spot.

Now, the question is how many of their three two-ways and 10-day Malachi Smith will be available for the post-season. With Brooklyn losing players to injury one after another, will they send any of the four players back? Indeed, Brooklyn has to make a decision Monday on what to do with Smith who’s initial 10-day runs out. If they renew him, he’ll be with the big club through March 31. If they don’t, he would presumably return to Nassau Coliseum.

Sunday’s game was promising building block game for all five of Long Island’s new starters. After going down 46-23 after the first quarter, Long Island entered the fourth quarter down by ten. Long Island tied the game to force overtime but missed all of its shots in the extended session, as it fell to the Go-Go by seven, 127-120.

Leading the way in this one was second-year Long Island player, Trevon Scott. Scott finished having arguably his best shooting game of the season, connecting on 10 of his 16 tries, including shooting 40% from deep, for a total of 22 points. He also had seven rebounds and two assists to go with it. He was one of just three Nets starters to score over 20 points in this game.

The 6’9” 29-year-old has been one of the team’s stalwarts for the entire season working with the Flatbush 5 and other young players and playing in all but one of Long Island’s games, 46 in all. Scott who hasn’t played in the NBA since 2022 and then only two games with the Cavaliers is a basketball vagabond. He’s played in the G League as well as the French, Canadian and Puerto Rican leagues.

Other normally bench players got big minutes with the two-ways and Smith with Brooklyn. Very promising with the playoffs right around the corner.

Hunter Cattoor, 6’3” 25-year-old point guard, put together a career night, finishing with 21 points. He connected on eight of his 14 tries, including going five-for-nine from deep. Cattoor also had six rebounds, four assists, and a game-leading three steals. This may have been Cattoor’s best all-around showing that we’ve ever seen from him.

David Muoka once again got the start at the center position. Muoka flirted with a double-double after he connected on 10 of his 14 tries for 20 points and hauled in nine boards. Since being named a starter, we’ve seen Muoka show a different and more complete side of himself. He also had two steals and a game-leading three blocks, playing the big-man role.

Terry Roberts flirted with a triple-double, numbers we saw him put up quite often at the end of last season when Killian Hayes first got called up to Brooklyn. Roberts finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists. He also had two steals while playing a clean game and finishing with zero turnovers. However, shooting was a bit of an issue for Roberts, as he connected on just four of his 13 tries. including missing both his tries from deep.

Dre Davis was the fifth and final starter for Long Island on Sunday. Davis, the Seton Hall and Ole Miss product was coming off a career-high of 25 points. The 24-year-old 6’6” wing finished with 15 points on Sunday and had four rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block but missed all six of his 3-point attempts and turned the ball over four times, the most on the team.

One of the biggest difference makers for Long Island on Sunday came off the bench as Javon Freeman-Liberty once again shined. He finished with 15 points, connecting on four of his eight tries, including shooting 25% from deep. He also forced overtime for Long Island as he connected on both of his tries from the foul line to tie the game at 120 with 15 seconds left. Freeman-Liberty also had four rebounds, five assists, and one steal.

Next Up

The Long Island Nets (18-15) return to the court on Tuesday, as they match up with their cross-town rivals, the Westchester Knicks. Long Island looks to get back in the win column after dropping its last four games, with the playoffs quickly approaching. The game tips off at 7:00 p.m. EST and can be watched on ESPN+ and the Gotham Sports app.

• Boxscore: Capital City Go-Go 127, Long Island Nets 120 (OT) – G League
• Game Highlights: Capital City Go-Go 127, Long Island Nets 120 (Video) – G League