Category: NBA

With the All-Star break approaching, the Milwaukee Bucks may already have one foot out the door, eyeing some time away. The Oklahoma City Thunder, meanwhile, could be more locked in as injuries create added opportunities for their reserves.

My Bucks vs. Thunder predictions bet on one of those reserves, not usually seen in NBA picks but now front and center on Thursday, February 12.

Bucks vs Thunder prediction

Bucks vs Thunder best bet: Aaron Wiggins Over 17.5 points (+100)

It should be a surprise if the Oklahoma City Thunder play Jalen Williams tonight after aggravating his hamstring last night in Phoenix.

He has impressed in his two games back from injury, but stressing any muscular issue tonight would be foolish.

In his and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s absences, someone has to handle the ball for OKC. Enter Aaron Wiggins. His last two games as a starter featured 17 and 20 points, both just last week between Gilgeous-Alexander’s injury and Williams’s return.

With them both again sidelined, expect Wiggins to pour it in before heading to a beach for a week.

Bucks vs Thunder same-game parlay

Isaiah Hartenstein dished out six assists just last night, becoming an offensive fulcrum as the Thunder lose so many playmakers.

Bucks vs Thunder SGP

• Thunder moneyline
• Aaron Wiggins Over 17.5 points
• Isaiah Hartenstein Over 4.5 assists

Our "from downtown" SGP: Buck Starts Here

As the Bucks tank, Cameron Thomas should prove to be an exception in production, particularly with the All-Star Break looming. Milwaukee’s newest signee needs to impress after spending so much time idling on Brooklyn’s bench this season.

Bucks vs Thunder SGP

• Thunder -13
• Isaiah Hartenstein Over 4.5 assists
• Cameron Thomas Over 17.5 points
• Aaron Wiggins Over 17.5 points

Bucks vs Thunder odds

• Spread: Bucks +13 | Thunder -13
• Moneyline: Bucks +475 | Thunder -650
• Over/Under: Over 214.5 | Under 214.5

Bucks vs Thunder betting trend to know

Oklahoma City has gone 2-1-1 against the spread since Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was shut down at least through the All-Star Break. Find more NBA betting trends for Bucks vs. Thunder.

How to watch Bucks vs Thunder

Bucks vs Thunder latest injuries

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

Utah Jazz forward Jaren Jackson Jr. will undergo surgery after a post-trade physical revealed a growth in his left knee, the team announced Thursday.

Jackson consulted with several medical professionals after the localized pigmented villonodular synovitis growth was detected in an MRI. He will undergo surgery during the NBA All-Star break.

It’s unclear how long Jackson will be out. A team spokesperson said they would provide an update on his return after the surgery.

Utah acquired Jackson from Memphis as part of an eight-player deal. A rebuilding Grizzlies team received three first-round picks alongside Georges Niang, Kyle Anderson, Walter Clayton Jr. and Taylor Hendricks. Utah gained Jackson, Jock Landale, John Konchar and Vince Williams Jr.

Jackson was drafted by the Grizzlies with the No. 4 pick in the 2018 draft. He was a two-time All-Star in Memphis and the 2023 NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Jackson has played in three games for Utah against Orlando, Miami and Sacramento. He helped the Jazz to a 115-111 win against Miami with 22 points and five assists, and a Wednesday night 121-93 rout of Sacramento with 23 points and four assists.

Jackson has averaged 19.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 blocks in 48 games this season.

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

The Portland Trail Blazers head to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz tonight.

With Utah missing three of its top scorers, my Blazers vs. Jazz predictions expect rookie Ace Bailey to pick up the slack. 

Here are my best free NBA picks for this clash on Thursday, February 12.

Trail Blazers vs Jazz prediction

Trail Blazers vs Jazz best bet: Ace Bailey Over 17.5 points (-110)

The Utah Jazz received tough news today, with recently acquired All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr. ruled out for the rest of the season. Second-leading scorer Keyonte George (23.8 ppg) remains sidelined with an ankle injury while leading scorer Lauri Markkanen (26.7 ppg) has been given tonight off.

That opens the door for rookie Ace Bailey to take on a larger scoring role. He's finding his rhythm after a slow start to the season and is averaging 16.1 ppg over the last 12 games.

He has a favorable matchup tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers who play at the seventh-fastest pace in the league and rank 26th in defensive rating over the last two weeks.

Trail Blazers vs Jazz same-game parlay

The absence of Jackson and Markkanen will also open up more frontcourt minutes for Kyle Filipowski. He’s grabbed 10+ rebounds in five of his last nine games and played fewer than 12 minutes in each of the four contests when he fell short of that mark.

Even with productive outings from Bailey and Filipowski, the shorthanded Jazz will have a tough time winning this game. The non-correlated multiplier from backing a pair of Utah player props while taking the Portland moneyline is hard to ignore.

Trail Blazers vs Jazz SGP

• Ace Bailey Over 17.5 points
• Kyle Filipowski Over 8.5 rebounds
• Trail Blazers moneyline

Our "from downtown" SGP: Ace in the Hole

With Utah missing three of its top players and Portland without second-leading scorer Shaedon Sharpe (21.4 ppg), let’s follow the line movement on the total, which has fallen from 239 to 234.5.

Trail Blazers vs Jazz SGP

• Ace Bailey Over 17.5 points
• Kyle Filipowski Over 8.5 rebounds
• Trail Blazers moneyline
• Under 234.5

Trail Blazers vs Jazz odds

• Spread: Trail Blazers -7.5 (-115) | Jazz +7.5 (-105)
• Moneyline: Trail Blazers -290 | Jazz +235
• Over/Under: Over 234.5 (-110) | Under 234.5 (-110)

Trail Blazers vs Jazz betting trend to know

Utah is 7-1 ATS in the last eight meetings between these Northwest Division foes. Find more NBA betting trends for Trail Blazers vs. Jazz.

How to watch Trail Blazers vs Jazz

Trail Blazers vs Jazz latest injuries

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

SAKHIR, Bahrain (AP) — Max Verstappen says it is “no fun” to drive the new Formula 1 cars and sweeping changes for 2026 mean the series no longer feels like F1.

Regulation changes for 2026 have made cars smaller and lighter, with a key role for the strategy of charging an on-board battery and using electrical energy to boost speed.

“It’s actually no fun at all to drive,” the four-time champion told broadcaster Sky Sport in a German-language interview during testing on Thursday, likening it to the all-electric series Formula E, where managing energy is crucial to strategy. “What should I say about that? It’s a bit like Formula E on steroids.”

Verstappen predicted it would be difficult to manage the car's energy at tracks like Melbourne, which hosts the season-opening Australian Grand Prix next month.

“I don’t know what else to do about it, you know, it isn’t the original Formula 1 feeling any more,” said Verstappen, who was second-fastest on the opening day of testing Wednesday and sat out Thursday.

Leclerc fastest on Day 2

Charles Leclerc led the way for Ferrari on Thursday, going fastest by half a second from champion Lando Norris.

While some rivals hit reliability issues, Leclerc's performance was an encouraging sign for Ferrari following its winless 2025 season.

McLaren's Norris, who had been fastest Wednesday, racked up the most laps on Thursday with 149, close to triple a full Bahrain Grand Prix race distance.

Oliver Bearman was third-fastest for Haas, which had another strong day after Esteban Ocon was fourth on Wednesday.

There were issues at Mercedes, where Kimi Antonelli managed just three laps in the morning before handing over to George Russell, and at Red Bull, where Isack Hadjar spent much of the morning waiting for the team to get his car running.

Teams can only run one car on track in the test. As well as Verstappen, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari was among those to sit out the day.

There are three days of testing this week, with three more next week.

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AP Formula 1: https://apnews.com/hub/formula-one

My son brought home his mid-term grades last week, and I realized that it would be fun to give players on the surprising Suns team one, too. The grades are somewhat subjective and are on a curve: they’re based on expectations for the player, value for salary, past performance, statistical impact, and the subjective eyeball test.

If Collin Gillespie and Devin Booker get the same grade, it’s not because Gillespie is as good as Booker; it’s because an undrafted two-way player has made himself into a very good starter, and Booker has played at his usual All-Star level.

So here we go in alphabetical order by last name:

Grayson Allen: B+

This is going to be a common theme: Grayson Allen is having a career year in points and minutes per game because the Suns can’t seem to stay healthy for more than 5 minutes at a time, literally. He has stepped up and hit clutch shots. However, his shooting efficiency is down (36.8% from three), and his on-court/off-court numbers suggest that he’s not helping quite as much as his numbers suggest.

Devin Booker: A

His numbers are down across the board, including a putrid 31.3% career low 3-point percentage. Even if Father Time and lots of NBA minutes are catching up with him, his three-point shooting should still be good. So, why does he still get an A? Because he answered the question of whether a Suns team with an unbalanced roster, led by him, could actually be a good team, and the answer was yes. If they had more talent at power forward, they’d likely be the 2 team in the West now.

Jamaree Bouyea: A

This might not make sense, but the expectations for a two-way undrafted free agent pulled out of the G-League are pretty low. His previous stints in the NBA didn’t show this sort of potential. The expectations for him were to be a warm body on the bench, ensuring the team met the mandatory minimum number of players active. Instead, he’s basically the team’s fourth guard in the rotation with Booker and Green out, while averaging 15 mpg.

His shooting efficiency is good, defense is good, and his net +/- per 48^th is 6^th on a good team. So, he gets an A mostly for exceeding expectations by a huge margin.

Koby Brea: Incomplete

Brea has played a grand total of 8 minutes over 2 games for the Suns in garbage time minutes: not enough to make any sort of judgment. That said, his play in the G-League has been “meh”.

Dillon Brooks: A-

This was a tough one. He’s exceeding expectations by having a career year in points per game, while maintaining shooting efficiency on a par with previous years where he wasn’t expected to carry the offensive load. He’s shown an array of crafty moves on offense (including a reliable, unguardable Jordan-esque turnaround fadeaway jumper from mid-range) and is much more than just a 3-and-D guy.

His fiery personality energizes the team. At the same time, his antics cost the team points, and his net +/- numbers suggest he’s not helping as much on the court as the raw numbers suggest. In the end, the “minus” is for the techs.

Ryan Dunn: C

Dunn gets a passing grade for playing exactly the way he did last year. There’s been very little noticeable improvement in his game, other than slightly improved rates of rebounding and free throw percentage (which is still an awful 64%). You’d hope for some sort of tangible improvement on a team starved for front-court depth, but there hasn’t been any.

Thus, he gets a C for doing the absolute minimum by not regressing in his second year, but it is still disappointing: other players have stepped up to fill the void when given the opportunity, and he hasn’t.

Rasheer Fleming: D+

In my draft analysis, I liked Fleming’s physical tools, including his size, athleticism, wingspan, vertical, and shooting touch. What I didn’t like was his lack of instinctive play and mediocre-at-best basketball IQ, and I worried that he was a tall athlete and not a basketball player.

So far, the latter has been true. On a team where Isaiah-Freaking-Livers is the best power forward on the team, he cannot carve out a niche for himself. The +/- numbers bear out the eye-test observation that he looks lost. D+ for failing to meet the very minimal expectation of being better than a perpetual NBA journeyman. 

Collin Gillespie: A+

Collin’s raw numbers don’t jump out at you, but you can sense he makes the team better. The advanced stats bear it out as well: he leads the team in raw +/- and also leads the team when you calculate net +/- per 48 differential. He’s a former two-way player, doing it all on a league-minimum contract for a team that could finish the season as high as second in the West.

Gillespie has become as crucial to the team’s success as Booker. Easy A+ for exceeding expectations by a ridiculous amount.

Jordan Goodwin: A+

Goodwin is having a sneaky career-best year and is quietly one of the best defensive guards in the NBA. Dunks and Threes’ Estimated Plus Minus stat rates him as the fifth-best guard in the NBA defensively. He passes the eye test as well: you can see him wreaking havoc and turning deflections and steals into points at the other end. He’s got uncanny instincts for where the ball will be, and where he needs to be on defense.

He’s having a career year in most categories, including three-point percentage (35.6%). His 6’10” wingspan on a 6’2” guard makes him a solid rebounder as well. He’s fifth on the team in +/- per 48 differential. The Suns are getting a ridiculous return on investment on another vet minimum contract, earning him an A+.

Jalen Green: Incomplete

Green has played eight games for the Suns, and he has limped off the court with an injury in three of them. It’s tough to rate his play because we haven’t seen enough, but if he can’t start to stay healthy, this turns into an F. A perpetually injured Jalen Green has the same value as Bradley Beal’s dead money on the court and the salary cap.

Oso Ighodaro: B+

Ighodaro has developed into an absolute defensive menace, ranking in the 96^th percentile in both estimated and actual defensive +/-. He’s fourth on the team in net +/- per 48 differential on the team and ran away with the back-up center job from Nick Richards, who the team opted to deal at the trade deadline.

There are some egregious holes in his game: his offense is negligible, and free throw shooting percentage execrable (49%, down from 58% last year). He has no shooting range, and his shot-put style floater doesn’t go in nearly enough.  On the plus side, he sets good screens, passes the ball well, and maintains a 1.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio as a center. The Suns are getting amazing value again out of a mid-second round pick. In most respects, he’s doing better than Ryan Dunn.

Isaiah Livers: C+

Isaiah Livers is the best power forward on the Suns while averaging 2.3 ppg and 2.0 rpg on 42.3% shooting in 10 minutes per game. He’s also second on the team in net +/- per 48 differential. He gets that high number by being the only marginally competent payer on the Suns with the size for the position, sort of like Will Ferrell in “Elf”. He’s not playing any better than he did in his previous stints in the NBA: he’s just better than the other guys doing the same job (which is why I bled 3000 words on how the Suns can upgrade at PF). 

C+ for exceeding expectations by a little bit. He’s not a great student. He’s just the only one in his grade not eating the minty-fresh Elmer’s glue.

Khaman Maluach: D-

Man Man is another guy that I love as a person, and hate seeing on the court. When the Suns drafted him, I loved the size, athleticism, and potential. I didn’t love how raw he is, how little experience he has playing basketball, and ESPECIALLY how much he reminded me of all-time draft bust Hasheem Thabeet.

So far, he’s doing worse than Thabeet. He’s super young, has plenty of room to grow, and has shown some flashes in the G-League, but that’s not the NBA. He has a long way to go. So, D+ for failing to meet most expectations of a tenth pick in a loaded draft, but not an F for working hard, having a good attitude, and having a lot of room to grow.

Royce O’Neale: B-

Royce is another Suns player having a career year, but it’s mostly due to the team’s utter lack of frontcourt depth. On the plus side, he’s a 40% three-point shooter who provides spacing and doesn’t make many mental mistakes. He’s just solid. On the downside, at 32, he’s getting slower and slower, turning him into a traffic cone on defense. Or a matador.

Regardless, he’s not the defensive plus he used to be. He’s also undersized at PF and ranks fourth from last on the team in net +/- per 48 differential. All that said, he gets a B- for being game every night to guard whoever he’s told to, providing spacing, and holding down a starting spot at a position he’s too small for.

Mark Williams: B

Can you give a player a good grade for not getting hurt? The knock on Williams has been his health and his lackadaisical defense. This year, he’s been great with the former and average at best on the latter. He is somewhat under-utilized on offense, despite his efficiency, averaging his career average of 12 ppg and 8 rpg. On defense, he should be able to do more with his size and athleticism. But, unlike Ayton, you can see consistent effort. He will receive some reward in the offseason, but the Suns can’t over-pay for a guy producing his numbers, which put him behind Iggy in terms of on-court +/- metrics. So, B for exceeding expectations in terms of health and effort (though I could be talked into a B+).

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Now it’s your turn. Time to dish out your All-Star Break report cards!

Washington Wizards guard Bub Carrington was named a replacement for the Castrol Rising Stars game, the NBA announced Thursday.

Wizards guard Bub Carrington will replace fellow sophomore and teammate Alex Sarr on Team T-Mac in the 2026 Castrol Rising Stars.

Sarr is out with a hamstring strain.

Rising Stars: Friday, Feb. 13 | 9 PM ET | Peacock pic.twitter.com/VlbD2NrShD

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) February 12, 2026

Carrington replaces teammate Alex Sarr, who is sidelined for “approximately two weeks” with a right hamstring strain.

The second-year guard has appeared in all 53 of Washington’s games this season. He’s averaged 10.2 points and 4.6 assists per game on 39.3% 3PT.

That's tuff Bub 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/yfecdwSZS9

— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) February 12, 2026

Carrington will join teammates Tre Johnson and Kyshawn George, who were earlier selected as Rising Stars.

The Castrol Rising Stars game is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET on Friday. It will be streamed on Peacock.

Utah Jazz forward Jaren Jackson Jr. is likely to miss the rest of the regular season with a knee injury, the team announced.

The team said Jackson will undergo surgery to remove a localized pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) growth in his left knee, and the injury was identified after an MRI.

Jackson, Jr. will have surgery in the coming days over the All-Star break, and the team said he is expected to make a full recovery.

Jackson Jr., 26, is averaging 19.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.4 blocks in 48 games this season for Utah, who sit at 18-37 at the All-Star break and will likely miss the postseason for the fourth straight year. He was traded last week from the Memphis Grizzlies, where he spent the first seven seasons of his career, to the Jazz in a deal that included three first-round draft picks.

Jackson Jr. won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2022-23, is a two-time NBA All-Star, and a two-time All-Defensive First Team selection

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jaren Jackson injury update: Jazz All-Star out for the year

The NBA Trade Deadline, for better or worse, is behind us. Out goes Jared McCain and Eric Gordon. In comes draft picks and a bunch of seemingly temporary players.

Despite what your opinion might be, the Sixers freed up two roster spots and seem to be weighing all options there. But who makes sense? Is there any name out there who isn’t totally washed and can spell a soon-to-be 40-year-old Kyle Lowry some rotation minutes?

Before diving into names, I want to mention one answer to the Sixers’ now two vacant standard spots that’s already on the roster: Jabari Walker. Walker has been a serviceable rotation player for most of his Sixers tenure, though Daryl Morey seemed coy about actually converting him in his post-trade deadline presser. I’d argue Walker is probably better than most of the names I’m about to get into, and he’s still quite young. He’s limited, but he embraces the dirty work and does the little things this team needs. We’ll see what happens there, but it feels likely the Sixers bring in at least one new addition to bolster the group.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s survey the market. Pre-existing names or guys expected to be available in the near future. Can we find someone who fills the gaps and isn’t totally cooked? It won’t be easy, but let’s comb through it.

Chris Paul

Paul is an interesting potential name for the Sixers for several reasons. The future Hall of Famer has put together a tremendous career. Heading into the season, he was supposedly on a farewell tour, with retirement looming at year’s end. That didn’t really materialize.

Paul and the LA Clippers had a falling out early in the season, resulting in him being essentially banished and sitting in limbo for most of the year. That was until the trade deadline, when he was moved to Toronto and then bought out. Now he’s a free agent, likely looking for one final stretch of NBA basketball.

Paul has history with Daryl Morey, both good and bad. The Houston Rockets traded for him and paired him with MVP James Harden, producing arguably the best Rockets team of that era. The highs didn’t last long. Harden pushed for Russell Westbrook, Paul was sent out, and that trade marked the beginning of the end for that group.

Understandably, the relationship between Paul and Morey cooled after that. It’s been years, though, and time heals things. For argument’s sake, let’s say Paul would be open to Philly. Does it make sense?

I’d lean no. Paul is a small guard whose athletic burst has completely faded. He can’t score around the rim anymore. In his later Phoenix years, even while starting, he nearly abandoned paint scoring altogether because he just couldn’t finish consistently at his age and size.

But the thing about CP3 is the intangibles. He can still pass, still organize, still play real point guard. He’s the archetype people constantly beg for in the comments. The issue is that this team’s long-term vision clearly revolves around the Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe backcourt. They want the ball in their hands. At this stage, Paul’s value comes with the ball in his hands too, and that overlap creates tension.

The Sixers already have a veteran point guard in Kyle Lowry. Paul might be more playable, but is that really saying much? I’m not sure it meaningfully shifts anything.

Lonzo Ball

The former No. 2 overall pick has become something of a favorite among Sixers Twitter. A 6-foot-6 guard with real passing IQ is exactly what fans have been asking for since Maxey took the leap. But if it’s that simple, why is Ball available?

It comes down to injuries. Ball became the first player in NBA history to undergo a meniscus transplant, which effectively saved his career. He had limited success after the surgery with Chicago, who later traded him to Cleveland as a major offseason addition. It didn’t work. Ball looked like a shell of himself athletically and, at times, disengaged. He fell out of the rotation entirely and finished his Cavs tenure shooting 30.1 percent from the field and 27.2 percent from three. That’s rough.

He was eventually rerouted to Utah and bought out. So should the Sixers buy low?

My answer is a quick no. Credit to Ball for coming back from devastating knee injuries. But his previous athleticism is gone. Similar to Paul, he isn’t a factor near the rim and rarely attempts drives. That’s a pretty big issue for a table-setting guard. His defense, once a strength, has regressed hard. Add in the poor efficiency and it’s difficult to justify the gamble.

The idea of Ball is intriguing. The current version probably isn’t.

D’Angelo Russell

OG Process fans will see D’Angelo Russell’s name and feel a little nostalgia. He was the guy many wanted after the 2015 lottery. Years later, he’s bounced around and now finds himself in another rebuilding situation, having fallen out of favor.

Russell isn’t physically washed like Paul or Ball, but he’s been a one-dimensional player for most of his career. He doesn’t give you much defensively, so all of his value comes on the offensive end. Even with the Mavericks struggling this season, we know what Russell brings: microwave scoring, shooting and some secondary playmaking.

Despite having decent size, you’re plugging in a real question mark defensively. Nick Nurse has generally preferred length and defensive versatility around his guards, and Russell doesn’t check that box.

Still, if we’re being honest, he’s one of the better bets on this list to actually produce something. The Sixers need shooting badly after losing McCain and dealing with the Paul George suspension. Russell can provide that, if you’re willing to live with the rough stretches and questionable decisions.

I’m not racing to the buyout table for him. But he’s not an automatic no either, which is more than can be said for some of these names.

Kyle Anderson

Anderson has long been floated as a potential Sixers target. He’s not flashy, but he’s consistently been an impactful rotation player. Even this year in Utah, he averaged 7.1 points in 20.6 minutes while shooting 54.6 percent from the field across 20 games.

He fits the Nick Nurse mold well. At 6-foot-8, he has the size to switch across multiple positions. He isn’t a high-volume shooter from deep, but he can knock down open shots. Inside the arc, his game is unorthodox but effective. He finishes well and can lean on a floater or midrange when needed.

The issue is volume and spacing. The Sixers desperately need reliable perimeter shooting at a high rate, and that’s not Anderson’s calling card. They also already have similar archetypes in Trendon Watford, Kelly Oubre, Dominick Barlow and potentially Jabari Walker if he’s converted.

In a vacuum, he’s a solid player. In this specific context, the fit feels a little redundant.

Chris Boucher

Boucher is at least a name the Sixers have been linked to by a notable source. He also has familiarity with Nick Nurse from their Toronto days. And it’s worth mentioning the Sixers haven’t had a true backup stretch big in a while, which Boucher would theoretically address.

He most recently spent time with Boston, stuck at the end of the rotation and appearing in just nine games. The sample size is small, but the numbers weren’t encouraging. That said, he was productive in Toronto the year prior, playing 17.2 minutes per game across 50 appearances.

Signing Boucher would be a bet that he isn’t completely cooked and that Boston simply wasn’t the right situation. If he can return to form, he gives you a small-ball five who can shoot and a versatile four next to one of the Sixers’ centers. He’s familiar with Nurse’s system, which helps.

I’d lean toward other options, but the prior interest makes him someone to keep an eye on.

Khris Middleton

Middleton is one of the biggest names here. Multiple All-Star appearances next to Giannis. A key piece on a championship team. But recent years haven’t been kind. He was moved to Washington in the Kyle Kuzma trade and later sent to Dallas as part of their forward-looking approach. Injuries have piled up, and that’s largely why Milwaukee moved on.

This year he averaged 10.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 24.3 minutes, shooting 43.3 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three. The numbers aren’t eye-popping, but they’re respectable in a reduced role.

Even with the knee and ankle issues, Middleton can still shoot. The defense isn’t what it once was, but it passes the eye test more often than not. For a wing his size, he can run pick-and-roll and make smart reads.

With George sidelined and Oubre taking on more than he probably should, Middleton makes a lot of sense. He soaks up wing minutes, provides ball handling Nurse can trust, and adds shooting. When George returns, he can scale down into a smaller role comfortably.

Age and health are the question marks, but the Sixers could do much worse than Middleton.

Haywood Highsmith

Highsmith should be familiar. He was one of the few Division II players to turn pro, grinding through the Delaware Blue Coats before earning a two-way with the Sixers. He never got an extended opportunity here. That came with Miami, where he worked his way into becoming a legitimate rotation piece.

The Heat later sent him to Brooklyn in what amounted to a salary dump. He’s been rehabbing a knee injury and is nearing a return.

A reunion makes sense. Highsmith still has supporters within the organization, and there was free-agent interest a few seasons ago. He developed into a quality 3-and-D wing in Miami, and that’s exactly what the Sixers need.

He’s not flashy and doesn’t carry huge upside, but he might be the safest name on this list. I’d argue he’s the best defender among these options, and he provides shooting. That two-way combination is rare on the buyout market.

Personally, he sits at the top of my list.

Georges Niang

From one former Sixer to another, Niang is likely to hit the buyout market. He had some of his best years in Philadelphia before signing a big deal in Cleveland. Since then, he’s been traded again and landed in Utah, where there’s little incentive to prioritize him.

We know what Niang brings. Shooting and floor spacing. Not much else.

He isn’t a strong defender, and I wouldn’t trust him in high-leverage playoff minutes. But shooting isn’t in abundance right now, and Niang can provide it cheaply and reliably.

It wouldn’t be the worst move. It also wouldn’t be the most ambitious one. Ideally, the Sixers find someone who helps now and offers some long-term upside. Niang feels more like a short-term patch than a real solution.

There’s no perfect name here. That’s the reality of the buyout market. But if the goal is plugging real holes without sacrificing size, defense or shooting, a few of these options make more sense than others.

MILAN (AP) — Emily Clark scored twice, Ann-Renee Desbiens stopped 17 shots and Canada secured second-place in Group A with a 5-0 win over Finland in women’s hockey on Thursday at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Canada played without injured captain Marie-Philip Poulin for a second straight outing, and bounced back from its worst loss and first shutout loss in Olympic play in getting beaten 5-0 by the United States on Tuesday.

Poulin sustained a lower-body injury in a 5-1 win over Czechia on Monday. She skated for the first time on Thursday, and is anticipated to return during the knockout stage.

The game against Finland closed preliminary round play after being postponed by a week because of the Finns’ roster being depleted by a stomach virus.

The outcome settled the quarterfinal matchups, with Group A’s top-seeded and tournament-favored Americans facing host nation Italy on Friday. Italy went 2-2 and clinched Group B’s third and final playoff seed.

Canada will open the quarterfinals on Saturday against Germany. Czechia will face Group B winner Sweden.

Finland finished fourth in Group A and will play fifth-place Switzerland. Finland was blanked in each of its three losses and its only preliminary round win was a 3-1 victory over the Swiss.

Kristin O’Neill had a goal and assist. Jennifer Gardiner and Daryl Watts also scored for Canada.

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AP Olympic coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant said that he is playing on an "old head" team at the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, but said there isn't a concern about how hard his team will play.

Durant will suit up for the USA Stripes team in the All-Star Game, which features a U.S. vs. the World format. Other "old heads" on the team with the 37-year-old Durant include Stephen Curry (age 37, but injured and will not play), LeBron James (41) and Kawhi Leonard (34).

The 16-time All-Star also said people should ask the Europeans players if they will play hard, because in the past they haven't, just like players from the United States

"You should ask the Europeans and the World team if they're going to compete," Durant said "If you look at Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic now, let's go back and look at what they do in the All-Star Game. Is that competition? So we haven't questioned what they've been doing. But we're going to question the old heads, and the Americans.

"But these two dudes out there, Luka and Jokic, they don't care about the game at all. These dudes be laying on the floor. They're shooting from half court. But you've got to worry about the old heads playing hard? I can read between the lines, bro. It's just an overall topic that everybody's been talking about."

Durant was asked about San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama, who said he plans on giving maximum effort.

"We'll see," Durant said.

"He said that last year too, They said it was the worst All-Star Game that people watched. So we're going to see. Who knows what's going to happen? This format might change the game, but who knows? We'll see."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kevin Durant wonders if World will play hard in NBA All-Star Game

Hey, the Sixers only lost by 49 points on Wednesday night! What a way to cruise into the All-Star break!

Before this weekend’s festivities, I’m here to hit you with the latest edition of my “5 Sixers thoughts” column. Let’s get after it…

The Sixers sure could use Jared McCain and Isaiah Joe right now…

The Sixers’ cringeworthy handling of the trade deadline saw them part with second-year sharpshooter Jared McCain, a fan favorite. It’s always a good sign when the best team in the NBA wants to acquire a good, young player you’re trying to get rid of, right?

Anyway, on Wednesday evening, McCain dropped 12 points while shooting 2-for-3 from deep in 22 minutes off the bench in a blowout Oklahoma City win over Phoenix. Isaiah Joe, another Sixers castoff, nailed six threes in 18 minutes in a reserve role for the win.

The Sixers, a team now starved for guard talent and shooting in the aftermath of the trade deadline, could certainly use a couple guys like McCain and Joe!

Put it this way… The McCain-Joe duo made eight threes on Wednesday. In the Sixers’ embarrassing nationally televised loss to New York, the team only made six threes total while shooting a putrid 19 percent from deep overall.

Great stuff, everyone!

The trade deadline was the nail in the coffin for the Sixers’ feel-good energy

I couldn’t have been vibing with this Sixers team more throughout January. Joel Embiid looked the best he had in years. The backcourt duo of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe was dazzling and they were seeing key contributions from role players on top of it all. I was ready to see this team put up a fight come the postseason!

The way the Sixers carried themselves at the trade deadline last week, however, was crushing.

They discarded McCain, made sure to dip below the luxury tax and didn’t improve the on-court product. That’s a triple-whammy.

It’s a shame. I know Sixers fans are massively burned out on this franchise, but it did feel like the tide might have been turning a bit ahead of what could’ve been a spirited playoff run. Now? Why should people lock in when the organization itself doesn’t even want to lock in? A 49-point loss at home where Knicks fans overtook the arena is the culmination of this.

25 years ago this week…

I like looking back at the 2001 Sixers a quarter of a century later. February was a great time for this franchise that year.

On Feb. 11, 2001, an instant-classic All-Star Game took place where Allen Iverson himself would win All-Star Game MVP and the Eastern Conference took down a West squad that featured a daunting starting lineup of Jason Kidd, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Chris Webber and Tim Duncan. Iverson put up a game-high 25 points, adding five assists and four steals along the way.

Two days later, in an Eastern Conference Finals preview, the Sixers went to Milwaukee and beat the Bucks, as Iverson dropped 49 points in the win. The very next day, in a Valentine’s Day matchup in South Philadelphia, the Sixers defeated the Lakers 112-97. The NBA Finals preview saw Iverson out-duel Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal with a 40-point outburst.

That all might as well be 250 years ago at this point.

Tyrese Maxey’s usage is increasingly becoming an issue

Maxey has been such a godsend for this team, but he is leading the league in minutes played, rather unnecessarily I’d add. The Sixers’ lack of guard depth is a huge issue there, but there is absolutely no reason he should be playing 32 minutes in a game the team lost by 49 points, as was this case on Wednesday against the Knicks. It’s nonsensical! There’s a difference between drastic load management and coaching realizing when a game is no longer in doubt and living to fight another day.

Enjoy the All-Star break!

I mean that sincerely. The Sixers don’t play for another week. Enjoy your respite from hoops. Go to the movies. Read a book. Go out to dinner with friends or loved ones. Do anything that’s not basketball related ultimately so that you can be ready to scream and be angry for the second half of the season and the playoffs.

It’s a light night of hoops action with just three games on the NBA schedule, but no worries, I’ve found the best player prop for each game.

They include a big night for Chet Holmgren as OKC takes on Milwaukee, and newly minted All-Star Deni Avdija getting buckets against the Jazz.

Those and more NBA picks for Thursday, February 12, below. 

Best NBA player props today

Prop #1: Chet Holmgren double-double

+100 at bet365

Chet Holmgren is a bad matchup for most teams, but he’s a particularly bad matchup for the Milwaukee Bucks, especially when Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t playing.

The Bucks have little interior presence when Giannis is out and almost no rebounding. Milwaukee ranks 26th in rebounding rate and 17th in opponent rebounds per game.

That’s the key to Holmgren recording a double-double. He’s putting in more work on the glass, averaging 9.3 rebounds over his last nine games, recording six double-doubles over that span. 

I’d much rather take the Oklahoma City Thunder big man to record another double-double at even money instead of a juiced rebounding prop.

• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Prime Video

Prop #2: Deni Avdija Over 22.5 points

-105 at bet365

Mr. Do It All for the Portland Trail Blazers is set up for a big night against the Utah Jazz.

Deni Avdija earned his first All-Star selection by averaging 25.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.6 assists and we could go a bunch of ways in this matchup. But with the way the Jazz play defense let’s lock in on the buckets Avdija will get tonight.

Utah enters this matchup ranked dead last in defensive rating and opponent scoring, surrendering 125.8 per contest.

The Jazz also allowed Avdija to go off for 33 points when they last met back in December. 

• Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: KUNP, KJZZ

Prop #3: Deandre Ayton Over 12.5 points

-120 at bet365

Luka Doncic will miss another matchup against his old team when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Dallas Mavericks. That means someone else will need to step up for the Lakers. 

That has me looking at Deandre Ayton. The Lakers' big man has been inconsistent, but this matchup sets up well for him.

The Mavericks have been solid defensively most of the season. Except for one area. In the interior. Dallas allows the most opponent points in the paint in the NBA.

Ayton is averaging 13.2 points per game this season, so let’s take a shot at over 12.5 tonight.

• Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Prime Video

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

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Sarr of the Washington Wizards is expected to miss Friday's Rising Stars event at All-Star weekend because of a strained hamstring.

The Wizards said Thursday that Sarr will still go to the festivities in Los Angeles, but the approximate recovery time for the injury is two weeks. Bub Carrington, his Washington teammate, will replace Sarr on the Rising Stars roster.

The 7-foot Sarr is averaging 17.2 points and 7.8 rebounds a game in his second NBA season after being picked No. 2 in the 2024 draft. He's also second in the league with 2.0 blocks per game.

Washington returns from the break next Thursday with a home game against Indiana.

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