Category: NBA

The scene in the home locker room was not an unusual one after the Sixers fell to Cleveland on Friday night, 117-115. Reporters milled about the center of the oval-shaped room. Attendants, dressed all in black, scurried here and there, cleaning up after the players. 

Veteran guard Eric Gordon, who did not play for the 34th time in 40 games this season, dressed quickly and headed for the door. Jabari Walker and Kyle Lowry lingered at their lockers. Tyrese Maxey and Trendon Watford, long-time friends and next-door neighbors in this space, commiserated at theirs. And Jared McCain, the slumping sophomore guard (also a non-participant on this night, and soon to be assigned to the G-League), was still in uniform as he sat and stared at his phone.

At the far end of the room, next to the door leading to the areas that are off-limits to civilians, an illuminated message board listed the menu for the players’ postgame spread: Meatloaf (with sweet, tangy glaze, crispy onions) … Honey-glazed chicken … Blackened barramundi (and Cajun remoulade) … Collard Greens … Hoppin John’s (rice and black-eyed peas) …

Somehow home cooking has not agreed with the Sixers this season. Somehow they are 10-11 within Xfinity Mobile Arena (and 12-7 outside it), a troubling trend for a team that at the very least has playoff aspirations.

They are the only team in the league that is above .500 overall, and below it at home. Moreover, they have never in their history finished above the break-even mark while losing more than they’ve won in their own gym.

Strange, no?

When asked point-blank why they can’t win at home, veteran forward Kelly Oubre Jr. playfully recoiled.

“Oooh, that’s a hard-hitter right there,” he deadpanned, before saying that the Sixers are prone to “lapses where we’re up, the (opposing) team gets momentum, goes on runs and we get a little bit frantic.”

Certainly the team’s spate of ill health has played a part in its home struggles. Paul George and Joel Embiid have each missed nine games in Xfinity, while Oubre sat out 12 (and 19 overall) after suffering a knee injury in mid-November. Watford also had an extended absence.

Coach Nick Nurse was not eager to pin the problem on injuries, though he is hard-pressed to explain it otherwise.

“But I would say that the prep has been great here at home,” he said. “The guys have been great as far as their concentration, the way they’re approaching the practices in the morning, all those kinds of things.”

Still, they have dropped nine of their last 14 home games, including four of their last five, after going 5-2 to start the season. Nurse said he and his staff have mulled lineup changes, changes to the group opening the second half and strategic tweaks.

“Hopefully,” he said, “it will just be one of those funky things we can just turn around. We need to, because we’ve got a lot of games coming up at home.”

There are four this week — Monday against Indiana, Tuesday against Phoenix, Thursday against Houston and Saturday against New York. There are also home dates against Sacramento, Milwaukee and New Orleans the last week of the month.

Friday’s game, the Sixers’ second straight against the Cavaliers in South Philly, was a study in frustration. While the Sixers got off to a slow start in Wednesday’s 133-107 drubbing, they faltered down the stretch in this one, frittering away an 11-point fourth-quarter lead and ultimately losing on Evan Mobley’s dunk with 4.8 seconds left, off a feed from Jaylon Tyson.

Tyson, a second-year wing, was brilliant all game long, with a career-high 39 points, including seven three-pointers in nine attempts. As Oubre said, “He had a halo over him tonight. He was shooting to God’s net.”

Tyson rescued the Cavs on a night when their leading scorer, Donovan Mitchell, missed nine of 13 shots and settled for 13 points, nearly 17 beneath his average.

“We made someone else beat us, and (Tyson) did,” Maxey said.

There were other oddities on Cleveland’s side of the ledger. Philly native De’Andre Hunter, who seemingly can’t make a shot against anybody else this season, lit up his hometown team for the second straight game, scoring 16 off the bench. Another Cavs sub, Tyrese Proctor, came in shooting 29.5 percent from the arc, but nailed three of five triple tries while scoring 13.

Embiid poured in 33 points to top the Sixers. Maxey added 22 but shot 9-for-23 from the floor against Tyson’s sticky defense.

Then there was VJ Edgecombe, the prize rookie. Somehow he took only five shots, making four. Nurse acknowledged that Edgecombe could have been more aggressive, especially in the open court. At the same time the coach said it was “just one of those games where the ball didn’t find him much.”

Little things like that added up. Quentin Grimes missed a layup and Maxey came up empty on a corner three, either of which could have stanched the bleeding when Cleveland went on a game-tying 13-2 flurry midway through the final period.

The Sixers recovered and went up seven, but Tyson sandwiched his last two bombs around Hunter’s fast-break dunk over Embiid, leading to a hectic final two minutes. Cleveland ultimately won it when Tyson collected Lonzo Ball’s inbounds pass against a fronting George, drove the baseline from left to right and shoveled a pass to Mobley, who was left unattended when Embiid came with defensive help.

And just like that, the home fans were left disappointed. Again.

“They were just kind of in their own rhythm and their own flow,” Oubre said of the Cavs, “and we’ve got to disrupt that. We could be more disruptive throughout the game and be more physical and tough with our play – not being dirty, but just going out there and letting the other team know that we’re here to stand in front of you. We’re not going to let you get what you want.”

That’s correct in a larger sense, too. The Sixers need to make a stand on their own court, need to find a recipe for success. Otherwise the home cooking is going to continue to be unsatisfying, no matter how much tangy glaze or Cajun remoulade is added to it.

What is the meaning of life?

Is it to constantly pursue new goals, to push ourselves towards our best possible selves? Is it to contemplate the horrors of the indifferent universe in the face of mass human suffering? Is it to gain control over our feeble existence, or simply to delude ourselves into thinking we can ever control anything, let alone ourselves? 

However sad, however existentially depressing or brutally nihilistic your answer is, I promise mine is worse. Because right now, the meaning of my life… is to figure out what the heck is going on with this Celtics season.

I’ve often used philosophy — particularly the existential variety — to explain important concepts in Celtics discourse. Existentialism, and its component branches, are (to me) the extension of human reason to try to explain things that resist understanding. Sports, while played by humans, is a lot like that, given that, despite mountains of “understanding” about it, we are for some reason still unable to predict the results of sporting events. Isn’t that crazy?

So philosophy has been my outlet for Celtics thoughts that never had real-world applications, and the 2021-2025 arc was perfect for that. It was a four-year microcosm of life itself, complete with failures, triumphs, self-doubt, perseverance, intrigue, boredom, and then… conclusion. Glorious conclusion! No more hope, only recollection and blissful finality.

But right now… things have unconcluded themselves. Right now philosophy is FAILING me and I don’t know what to do guys. Please help me I’m scared and the darkness is closing in and I’ve stared so long into the void it’s now staring back at me. 

It was over! Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis were gone. Jayson Tatum was out for the year. This was a gap year. I was moving on. I had astral-projected myself from this mortal coil and begun to see things big picture, biding my intellectual time until there was something concrete to dissect, something serious to discuss and get emotionally invested in. 

But Jaylen Brown said no, Payton Pritchard and Derrick White said no. Lately, Anfernee Simons has been saying no. Hugo Gonzalez and Luka Garza have repeatedly been saying no. Neemias Queta won’t stop saying no!

They all, in one voice that sounded a lot like Joe Mazzulla, said “no, you are REQUIRED to believe in us. You are required to hope that Jayson Tatum comes back this season because you are required to think we can win a championship THIS year.”

And faced with this ultimatum, I have officially blinked.

The Celtics are the two seed right now, and barring a truly unfathomable collapse, they will make the playoffs outright and avoid the Play-In. In point of fact, they might be in the EXACT SAME SITUATION THEY WERE IN LAST YEAR going into the playoffs: two seed, careening towards the Knicks in the second round. What?

I don’t think society is adequately discussing how ridiculous this is, so let me break down this blueprint for success very slowly for us:

Step 1: Lose your best player to an Achilles tear, get eliminated from the playoffs

Step 2: Use that as the excuse to gut your roster of expensive contracts, salary-dump two All-Stars

Step 3: Do not make any significant additions in Free Agency besides castoff journeymen, rely on unproven wings and bigs for massive rotational minutes

Step 4: Every single player on the team gets simultaneously better all at once, while the Eastern Conference gets simultaneously worse

Step 5: Profit

Existentialism is the extension of human reason onto the unknowable, but that is irrelevant when human reason dictates that the Celtics cannot possibly be succeeding at this level. But they are… and you can check this piece out if you want my efforts to explain why.

Because beyond the why are the implications of this whole shabang. Sports discourse is primarily driven by two things: groupthink and reactive takes. Most people in the regular person world will say what they hear other people around them saying, it’s a safe bet, and that is generally a reaction to explain why of course that happened I mean it’s so obvious for reasons x, y, z, and yada yada yada.

But find me who said x, y, or z OR yada yada yada before said thing happened! You cannot, because the people brave enough to actually try to predict the outcomes of things have to use flimsy things like logic and analytics and evidence-based argumentation rather than simply reacting to narratives and saying things will happen to sustain them. 

That’s why this Celtics season is freaking me out. Because unless you said something like, “I think Jaylen will go up a level” (no prior evidence to suggest he would, his efficiency had been decreasing year over year) or “Pritchard can become a three-level scorer playing 30+ minutes” (he’d never been anything close to that) or “I think we’re primed for a Luka Garzassaince” (are you kidding me, bro?), then you should be as shocked as I am. But I don’t feel like people are sufficiently shocked. 

It is possible that the meaning of sports — not unlike the meaning of life — is the perceived throughline between a collection of completely random events. Because if you stop and actually dissect the reasons for all the things happening, you’re probably going to find more questions than answers. 

In short, this Celtics season has taught me the folly of sports prediction in general. If I call something exactly — like when I said we should trade for Jrue Holiday or when I unironically said the Bucks would trade Khris Middleton and a swap for Kyle Kuzma a month and a half before it happened — am I actually smart? If I’m demonstrably wrong about something — like I was with this entire Celtics season — am I actually dumb? Or is this just one big cumulus cloud of randomness swirling around and I just think it looks like a seahorse?

We can draw a line of best fit only after we have all the data, but we can’t possibly predict the data itself. Reactive takes in sports work because that’s just the best we can do. If every take was proactive, we’d have a bunch of losers like me claiming credit when I was right when I was really just lucky.

I use philosophy to talk about the Celtics, and other stuff, because I have a desire to understand the world. But these Celtics have taught me that sometimes it’s okay not to understand things, but to just embrace what’s going on anyhow. In the weirdest possible way, this is me officially embracing them.

The Miami Heat swap coasts when they travel to the Bay Area to battle the Golden State Warriors on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Miami is traveling light, with standout guard Tyler Herro skipping the trip due to a rib injury. All-Star forward Bam Adebayo has done his best to fill that gap, with my Heat vs. Warriors predictions focusing on his playmaking.

Here are my best NBA picks for this non-conference clash on Monday, January 19.

Heat vs Warriors prediction

Heat vs Warriors best bet: Bam Adebayo Over 2.5 assists (-150)

With the Miami Heat backcourt down bodies, Bam Adebayo has had to do it all.

On top of scoring and hitting the boards, Adebayo has dished out a total of 17 assists the last four games. 

While Miami expects to have Davion Mitchell in action, the offense will continue to run through Adebayo with Herro sidelined. 

On the season, Bam is averaging 2.8 dimes on 4.6 potential assists. But in that four-game frame, his potential helpers have jumped to 5.5.

There’s been a spike in his playmaking over the past month, with Adebayo averaging 3.5 assists in his previous 11 games.

With Herro out, the Golden State Warriors’ defense can focus its attention on Adebayo and force the undersized center to move the ball and create for his teammates.

In his last matchup with the Dubs, Adebayo handed out three assists in another game with the limited Herro in action.

Player projections for tonight’s tilt in San Francisco range from 3.0 to 4.2 assists from Adebayo tonight, with my number at 3.5. That should have the Over 2.5 priced closer to -200 than its current ask of -150 at bet365.

Heat vs Warriors same-game parlay

The Warriors, 16-6 SU at home this season, are heating up and face a Miami team still missing its top offensive threat. 

Adebayo has taken on a bigger playmaking role the past month, averaging 3.5 dimes over his last 11 outings. Bam is projected for as many as 4.5 assists.

Stephen Curry hasn’t been as active from outside the last four games, but his projections still call for five or more triples. Curry faces a Heat defense allowing 13.8 triples per game (10th most).

Heat vs Warriors SGP

• Warriors moneyline
• Bam Adebayo Over 2.5 assists
• Stephen Curry Over 4.5 3-pointers

Our "from downtown" SGP: Big night for Wiggins

Andrew Wiggins scored 17 in this “revenge” matchup last time and is forecasted for 15+ tonight.

Heat vs Warriors SGP

• Warriors moneyline
• Bam Adebayo Over 2.5 assists
• Stephen Curry Over 4.5 3-pointers
• Andrew Wiggins Over 14.5 points

Heat vs Warriors odds

• Spread: Heat +5.5 | Warriors -5.5
• Moneyline: Heat +185 | Warriors -220
• Over/Under: Over 238.5 | Under 238.5

Heat vs Warriors betting trend to know

The Warriors are 5-1 SU and ATS when hosting Eastern Conference foes this season. Find more NBA betting trends for Heat vs. Warriors.

How to watch Heat vs Warriors

Heat vs Warriors latest injuries

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

The NBA’s MLK Day festivities continue tonight when the Indiana Pacers visit Xfinity Mobile Arena and the Philadelphia 76ers.

Indiana struggles to score buckets, and my Pacers vs. 76ers predictions expect a strong overall performance from the home team. 

Read on for my NBA picks for Monday, January 19. 

Pacers vs 76ers prediction

Pacers vs 76ers best bet: 76ers -8 (-110)

The Indiana Pacers are effectively a G-League roster right now. Without Tyrese Haliburton, their offense has dipped toward the bottom in the league, and they don’t have much interior defensive resistance.

The Philadelphia 76ers are coming off a tough loss and get a get-right game at home. When healthy, the Sixers are formidable, and they should have a full roster tonight.

Tyrese Maxey is playing at an MVP level, and rookie VJ Edgecombe is a defensive nightmare for Indiana’s guards, setting up a clear talent gap that should show for four quarters tonight. 

Pacers vs 76ers same-game parlay

Edgecombe is on a tear, averaging 20.8 PPG over his last ten, clearing 16 in seven of those. 

Meanwhile, Indiana’s league-worst offense won't provide the scoring push needed to hit the game total, and I expect a gritty, low-scoring affair. 

Pacers vs 76ers SGP

• 76ers -8
• VJ Edgecombe Over 14.5 points
• Under 228.5

Our "from downtown" SGP: Huff and Puff

Jay Huff is a versatile scoring threat, averaging 12 PPG over his previous 10, and meets a middle-of-the-pack 76ers interior scoring defense, allowing more than 50 PPG in the paint. 

Pacers vs 76ers SGP

• 76ers -8
• VJ Edgecombe Over 14.5 points
• Under 228.5
• Jay Huff Over 10.5 points

Pacers vs 76ers odds

• Spread: Pacers +8 (-110) | 76ers -8 (-110)
• Moneyline: Pacers +260 | 76ers -320
• Over/Under: Over 228.5 (-110) | Under 228.5 (-110)

Pacers vs 76ers betting trend to know

The Indiana Pacers have only hit the Game Total Over in 18 of their last 50 games (-17.20 Units / -31% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Pacers vs. 76ers.

How to watch Pacers vs 76ers

Pacers vs 76ers latest injuries

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

NBA All-Star Game starters announced: Here's who made the teams for 2026 originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The first batch of 2026 NBA All-Stars have been revealed.

The starting fives for each conference were officially announced Tuesday in the midst of the MLK Day quadruple-header on NBC and Peacock.

Here’s a look at the 2026 All-Star starters:

Eastern Conference

• Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (10th All-Star appearance)
• Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics (5th)
• Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks (3rd)
• Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons (2nd)
• Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers (2nd)

Western Conference

• Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors (12th)
• Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets (8th)
• Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers (6th)
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder (4th)
• Victory Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs (2nd)

The All-Star starters are determined based on a combination of voting by fans (50% of the vote), current NBA players (25%) and a media panel (25%). The seven reserves for each conference will be selected by NBA head coaches, with that group to be unveiled at a later date.

Jokić and Antetokounmpo were the top scorers in the combined vote for each conference. The players who just missed the cut included Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell. Here’s a look at the full results:

This year’s All-Star Game will look a little different than past years, with a revamped U.S. vs. World format. There will be two U.S. teams and one World team competing in a round-robin tournament featuring four 12-minute games.

The 2026 NBA All-Star Game is set for Sunday, Feb. 15, airing on NBC and Peacock. All events from All-Star Weekend, including the Slam Dunk Contest and Three-Point Contest, will be on NBC for the first time since 2002.

NBA All-Star Game starters announced: Here's who made the teams for 2026 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The first batch of 2026 NBA All-Stars have been revealed.

The starting fives for each conference were officially announced Tuesday in the midst of the MLK Day quadruple-header on NBC and Peacock.

Here’s a look at the 2026 All-Star starters:

Eastern Conference

• Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (10th All-Star appearance)
• Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics (5th)
• Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks (3rd)
• Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons (2nd)
• Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers (2nd)

Western Conference

• Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors (12th)
• Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets (8th)
• Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers (6th)
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder (4th)
• Victory Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs (2nd)

The All-Star starters are determined based on a combination of voting by fans (50% of the vote), current NBA players (25%) and a media panel (25%). The seven reserves for each conference will be selected by NBA head coaches, with that group to be unveiled at a later date.

This year’s All-Star Game will look a little different than past years, with a revamped U.S. vs. World format. There will be two U.S. teams and one World team competing in a round-robin tournament featuring four 12-minute games.

The 2026 NBA All-Star Game is set for Sunday, Feb. 15, airing on NBC and Peacock. All events from All-Star Weekend, including the Slam Dunk Contest and Three-Point Contest, will be on NBC for the first time since 2002.

The Detroit Pistons have won two of three head-to-head matchups with the Boston Celtics this season, and they’ll look to add another win when the Top 2 seeds in the Eastern Conference face off at Little Caesars Arena tonight.

Both teams are playing excellent defense, and my Celtics vs Pistons predictions call for a low-scoring game in Detroit.

Here are my best free NBA picks for this heavyweight bout on Monday, January 19.

Celtics vs Pistons prediction

Celtics vs Pistons best bet: Under 224 (-110)

Over the last 10 games, the Detroit Pistons have surrendered the fewest points in the Association at 104.1, and the Boston Celtics have surrendered the fifth-fewest points at 109. 

Detroit also has the best home defense, allowing just 106.7 ppg — fewer than the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center. That number has lowered to 97 points across its last six at Little Caesars Arena.

The Pistons rank 14th in pace, and the Celtics are dead last, making this matchup a methodical grind rather than a track meet. 

Celtics vs Pistons same-game parlay

Defense has led the Pistons to a 13-3 record as home favorites. I'm more comfortable taking Detroit straight up than betting the spread.

Jalen Duren has averaged 12.2 rebounds per game at home compared to just 9.5 on the road. He's pulled down at least 11 boards in 17 of 33 contests, including 10 of 16 at home.

Celtics vs Pistons SGP

• Under 224
• Pistons moneyline
• Jalen Duren Over 10.5 rebounds

Our "from downtown" SGP: Brown gets clamped

Jaylen Brown is averaging nearly 30 points per game this season, but he's recorded 31+ in just 16 of 38 games — including seven of 19 on the road.

Celtics vs Pistons SGP

• Under 224
• Pistons moneyline
• Jalen Duren Over 10.5 rebounds
• Jaylen Brown Under 30.5 points

Celtics vs Pistons odds

• Spread: Celtics +3.5 | Pistons -3.5
• Moneyline: Celtics +130 | Pistons -155
• Over/Under: Over 224 | Under 224

Celtics vs Pistons betting trend to know

Boston has hit the Under in seven of its last 10, and Detroit has gone Under in nine straight. Find more NBA betting trends for Celtics vs. Pistons.

How to watch Celtics vs Pistons

Celtics vs Pistons latest injuries

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

Happy Martin Luther King Jr Day, everybody. On a day when we remember a great man—and wonder if we’ll ever see another—a Knicks (25*-17) team that’s been less than great of late will try to leverage home-court advantage and snap a three-game losing streak.

Their opponent, the Dallas Mavericks (17-26), are flopping around near the bottom of the Western Conference barrel. After flipping Luka Dončić to the Lakers last February, Dallas defied the odds and won the draft lottery. Their number one pick, the phenom Cooper Flagg, is their new centerpiece. Pairing him with veterans Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, and D’Angelo Russell has brought uneven results, however. Injuries, road struggles, and front-office turnover have undercut consistency. Even with Flagg making a strong case for Rookie of the Year, Dallas remains well outside the playoff picture.

When they met on November 19, the Knicks slipped by the Mavs 113-111 in Dallas. Jalen Brunson scored 28 points in his return from an ankle injury. Despite poor free-throw shooting (19-of-35) and early three-point struggles, New York sealed the win when Landry Shamet hit two late triples and drew a crucial charging foul in the final seconds. The Mavericks, missing Flagg due to illness, got 23 points each from bench players D’Angelo Russell and Naji Marshall, but couldn’t overcome their starters’ limited output in a game.

Coach Jason Kidd has the Mavs playing solid defense, but their offense ranks among the worst in the league. They are one of the NBA’s worst shooting teams from downtown, which means that they’ll sizzle beyond the arc against the Knicks. Dallas will be shorthanded, with multiple rotation players sidelined. Daniel Gafford (ankle), D’Angelo Russell (illness), and P.J. Washington (personal) are all out, while Anthony Davis remains out indefinitely with a finger thing. Flagg is listed as a game-time decision with a bum ankle.

Prediction

ESPN.com favors the Knicks by 76%. Yeah, we hope. They have stumbled through a rough January, culminating in Saturday’s morale-busting loss to Phoenix. Jalen Brunson’s ankle issue and Josh Hart’s nagging injuries (both are GTD’s with sore ankles) have compounded the team’s inconsistency, as have up-and-down performances by Karl-Anthony Towns and the other starters. A win today would bail a few buckets of water out of what has felt like a sinking ship. Let’s make it so. Knicks by eight.

Game Details

Date: Monday, January 19, 2026
Time: 5:00 PM ET
Place: Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, NYC
TV: NBC
Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky

* Should be one more, but the Cup final doesn’t count.

The New York Knicks (25*-17) are gearing up for a pivotal stretch of games this week, facing the Mavs in a MLK Day matchup at home, followed by a crosstown clash on Wednesday night, and finishing with a Saturday afternoon showdown. After dropping three straight, New York needs to regain some positive upward motion against a mix of rebuilding squads and Eastern Conference contenders. Let’s take a look at the schedule.

Mon, Jan. 19 vs. Mavericks (5:00 PM, NBC/Peacock)

On MLK Day, the Knicks return home looking to halt a three-game slide against a Dallas team deep into a post–Luka Dončić rebuild. The Mavericks sit at 17–26 near the bottom of the West after lucking into the Number One pick and anointing Cooper Flagg as their future.

The Knicks edged Dallas 113–111 when the teams last met on Nov. 19, surviving poor free-throw shooting and a cold start from three behind Jalen Brunson’s 28 points and late heroics from Landry Shamet. Jason Kidd’s group still defends, but the offense ranks among the league’s worst. Dallas will again be shorthanded: Daniel Gafford, D’Angelo Russell, and P.J. Washington are out, Anthony Davis remains sidelined, and Flagg is a game-time decision.

The Knicks must win to avoid mental meltdowns across the tri-state area. Watch it on NBC.

Wed, Jan. 21 vs. Nets (7:30 PM, MSG)

The crosstown rivalry is always hyped and often falls short of expectations. 

The Brooklyn Nets have had a tough 2025-26 season so far, sitting near the bottom of the East. The rebuilding team clearly relies heavily on young talent and veterans like Michael Porter Jr. (leading scorer at almost 26 PPG), Nic Claxton, and Cam Thomas. Their January has been a mixed bag, with a comeback win and some close losses. They’ve lost eight of their last 10 (as of this writing), making them seem like an easy target for a Knicks win.

Watch it on MSG.

Sat, Jan. 24 at 76ers (3:00 PM, ABC)

The prospect of a matinee in Philadelphia has me reaching for Tums. The Sixers’ size and starry offense, led by Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Joel Embiid, demand respect. The Liberty Bells have compiled a solid record through mid-January, positioning them around the middle of the Eastern Conference pack. After a mixed start, the team has surged in January, fueled by Maxey’s MVP-caliber play (averaging around 28 PPG this month) and Embiid regaining form and confidence. With Edgecombe impressing in his debut season, plus contributions from Paul George and others, the Sixers boast a top-5 offense and defense in January. Despite recent narrow losses, they’re trending upward. You know they’ll be extra eager to defeat New York for the third time this season.

Watch it on ABC.

Go Knicks

* Should be one more, but the Cup final doesn’t count.

Maxey earns All-Star starter status for 1st time  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Tyrese Maxey has risen to All-Star starter status.

The Sixers’ lead guard was named Monday as one of five starters from the Eastern Conference for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game.

Jalen Brunson, Cade Cunningham, Jaylen Brown and Giannis Antetokounmpo were the other four East selections. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama made the cut in the Western Conference.

Starters were decided by a combination of fan voting (weighted at 50 percent), player voting (25 percent) and media panel voting (25 percent).

Maxey made his first All-Star Game in the 2023-24 season as a reserve. Though he averaged 26.3 points per game last year, his efficiency dipped and the Sixers slogged through a nightmare of a 24-58 season. 

Both Maxey and the 22-18 Sixers have been much better through the first half of the 2025-26 season. As of Monday afternoon, the 25-year-old ranked first in the NBA in minutes per game (39.4), third in scoring average (30.3 points), fourth in made three-pointers per game (3.7) and fourth in steals per game (1.9). 

“I must say I definitely missed him,” backcourt mate VJ Edgecombe said after Maxey missed two mid-December games with an illness. “He helps take some of the load off of everyone on the court. … I feel like we can be really scary, especially at the level Tyrese is playing at this year.

“He’s now at superstar level in my eyes. Some people might have different opinions, but in my eyes he’s at that superstar level. Of course the game’s going to be different without him on the floor. He just requires so much gravity.” 

The 2026 All-Star Game will be on Feb. 15 at Intuit Dome and played with a new USA vs. World format. Reserves will be chosen by the league’s head coaches and announced at a later date. 

You can never deny Adam Silver’s ambition to try new things, even when his effort proves futile.

This year, he’s outdone himself by introducing yet another wrinkle to the All-Star game, as the 24 players will now be split into three teams: two filled with Americans and the other comprised of international names. Befuddlingly, the teams are now positionless, and yet, the players selected must still include 12 from each conference, even though the competition is based on nationalities.

With the West having a significant talent advantage as usual, there are many more snubs here when compared to the East. Ultimately, I went with six international players from the West and two from the East, given that there’s no requirement to have an equal number of non-Americans selected from each.

Sorry, you’re still confused? So is everyone else, but we persevere due to the love of the game.

Here are my Western Conference All-Star selections, with the East coming tomorrow.

Starters

Shai Gilgeous-Alexandar: The reigning MVP, Shai has somehow levelled up again this year. He’s averaging 31.6 points on the highest true shooting percentage of his career (66.5) and could lead OKC to a 70-win season. Even with arguably the deepest supporting cast in the league, Shai is the main reason why the Thunder are title favorites: OKC’s offense drops from a 123.5 rating (94th percentile) to a measly 111.7 (22nd) when he sits. Shai is the rightful MVP front-runner and will go down as an all-time great. 

Luka Doncic: Luka is putting up video game numbers as usual, averaging 33.6/7.7/8.7 and leading the Lakers to a surprising 24-15 record. Even so, something seems off with him and the team: maybe it’s LA’s negative net rating, or the fact that Luka’s whining more than ever and is leading the league in free throws per game (11.7) by a wide margin (Deni is second at “just” 9.9). Still, the Slovenian Wunderkind remains one of the league’s four best players and should be in line for another First Team All-NBA appearance.

Stephen Curry: Even at 37, Steph remains arguably the game’s greatest spectacle. His 28.1 points per game is the fourth highest of his career, and the Warriors still need his brilliance more than ever. Golden State goes from having an elite 120.5 offensive rating (85th percentile) to just 111.1 (20th) when he sits, and Wardell is once again on track to lead the league in both threes made (4.6) and attempts (11.8).

Victor Wembanyama: The numbers might not seem too different compared to last year, but make no mistake: Wemby has levelled up and is now firmly entrenched as the fifth-best player in the league. Prioritizing inside scoring with his added physicality has made the Alien unstoppable, even though there are still times when he should impose more of his will. Only health can prevent Wemby from winning DPOY and being named to First Team All-NBA, and he’s already good enough to be the best player on a championship team. 

Nikola Jokic: Jokic is unquestionably the best player on the planet, and in my eyes, he’s in a tier of his own. Before his injury, the three-time MVP was having his best season ever, and maybe the best of all time — something we seem to repeat every year. Don’t believe me? Jokic was scoring 29.6 points per game while leading the league in rebounds (12.2), assists (11.0), AND true shooting percentage (71.3%). It honestly does not make sense how someone can be this good at basketball, and I’ve got no doubt that we’re watching a top 10 player ever at the peak of his powers. 

Reserves

Anthony Edwards: For the first time in his career, Ant is having an efficient season from every area on the court. The 24-year-old is shooting 56.3% from two while maintaining elite volume from deep as well (40.9% on 8.2 attempts a game). The addition of a post-game has turned Ant into a high-level scorer from all three levels, and his 72% finishing around the rim is also among the league’s best (89th percentile). The Wolves are flying under the radar once again, and another run to the Conference Finals isn’t out of the question.

Jamal Murray: Contrary to popular discourse, Murray has never actually deserved an All-Star appearance — until now. The Blue Arrow is having his best regular season by far: his 25.8 scoring average is four points more than his previous career high, and he’s doing it on a career-best 61.6% true shooting too. More importantly, he’s led the Nuggets to a 7-3 record without Jokic, which is somehow a higher win percentage than the one they have with the Joker playing. What in MJ’s name is going on??

Kevin Durant: It’s 2026, and KD is still putting up 26.3 a night on 51.6/40.4/88.7 shooting. The promise of a lighter load in Houston hasn’t materialized, as the Slim Reaper’s minutes (36.5) and field goal attempts (18.0) are still in line with his career norms. Simply put, KD remains one of the league’s most efficient bucket-getters while being the go-to option on a good team, and he’s unquestionably still one of the best players on the planet.

Chet Holmgren: The second-best player on a historically dominant team, Chet is averaging 17.9 points on a ridiculous 66.6% true shooting. His self-creation is still lacking, but there’s no question that Chet has become one of the most efficient play finishers in the league, and that doesn’t even account for his DPOY-level defense. OKC also has a +7.1 net rating with Chet playing without Shai, so he’s not just riding the coattails of the MVP frontrunner, either.

Deni Avdija: Even after last year’s jump, no one expected Deni to average 26.1/7.1/6.9 this season. He’s become a legitimate top 25 player in the league and is the only reason why Portland is in the play-in race. The Blazers are a net-neutral team with a good offense (118.1 rating, 71st percentile) when Deni plays, and they become a bottom-feeder when he sits (-11.1 net rating, 102.6 offensive rating).

Kawhi Leonard: Tree Board Man is quietly having one of the best seasons in the league: Kawhi is averaging 28.2/6.3/3.5 on 49.7/39.9/94.1 shooting. Yes, you read that right. He’s scoring almost 30 points a game while shooting basically 50/40/90, and the Clippers are 12-2 in their last 14 games after a disastrous start. Kawhi is playing at a borderline top-5 level again, and this basketball robot is showing no signs of rust at age 34.

Final spot & honorable mentions

Final spot: Devin Booker

Honorable mentions: Alperen Sengun, Julius Randle, and Rudy Gobert

I went back and forth between Booker, Sengun, Randle, and Gobert for the last spot, but ultimately went with the former. And yes, you read that right: I name-dropped the Stifle Tower in an All-Star column in the big 2026. As ridiculous as that sounds, Gobert should be the frontrunner for DPOY if Wemby doesn’t hit the 65-game requirement. He’s been the second most important Timberwolf this year, as Minnesota is somehow a +7.2 in the minutes Gobert plays without both Ant and Randle, sheerly due to an absurd 94.2 DRTG. More importantly, the Wolves are barely positive in the minutes when Ant and/or Randle play without Gobert, as their defense drops to near league-worst levels. Minnesota only becomes elite on both ends whenever the Frenchman shares the court with one or both of those two scorers.

Randle, meanwhile, is having his most efficient scoring season (60.6% TS) since becoming a go-to option, and the Wolves are sporting an all-time 125.3 offensive rating when he plays without Ant. It’s a similar story with Sengun, whose numbers are up from his All-Star campaign a year ago and have helped the Rockets thrive even in the non-KD minutes: Houston still has a +5.3 net rating while being good on both sides of the ball in the Sengun-only lineups.

However, I ultimately decided to go with Booker because he’s the #1 option on a surprising 24-17 Phoenix team with no other stars (sorry, Dillon Brooks). Yes, Booker’s shooting splits are some of the worst of his career (45.2% field goal, 30.1% from 3), but he’s still hovering around league average in efficiency, and the Suns are a +5.4 with him and -1.5 without him.

All three of the other names have compelling arguments for this last spot, but I’m going with the lone star who’s leading the team that’s overachieved the most this season.

The Milwaukee Bucks will try to forget one of the worst two-game stretches (based on point differential) and end a three-game losing streak against the Atlanta Hawks on the road for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This is the first time these two Eastern Conference foes have met this season, though the Hawks took the season series 3-2 last year. The last time they played was on March 30, 2025, when the Hawks blew out the Bucks 145-124 in Milwaukee.

Where We’re At

It’s been a rough go for the Bucks over the last several games, after they won four of their previous five games before last Sunday against the Nuggets. That hasn’t happened, as after losing to Denver by four without Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, they lost by 33 at home to the Timberwolves without Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert. Then they lost to the Spurs on Thursday by 18, but the final score doesn’t reflect how bad the game was for the Bucks, who trailed by 39 at one point and were blown out 40-16 in the third quarter. This game is crucial to re-enter the play-in race, as the Hawks are currently 10th with a 1.5-game lead over the 11th-seeded Bucks.

The Hawks are in a similar boat to the Bucks, post-Trae Young trade. They have a record of 2-3 in five games since the trade, but have lost their last three in blowout fashion. First losing by 25 to the Lakers on Tuesday, then to the Trail Blazers by 16 on Thursday, and in their return to Atlanta on Saturday, by 26 to the Celtics. C.J. McCollum has played four of five since Atlanta acquired him, averaging 17 points per game and shooting 39.4% from the floor and 13% from three-point range, for an effective field goal percentage of 41.7%.

Injury Report

There is only one Bucks player on the injury report, with Taurean Prince (neck) still out indefinitely.

The Hawks will be without Kristaps Porzingis again, as he deals with some left Achilles tendinitis, plus N’Faly Dante (torn ACL). The reigning Most Improved Player of the Year, Dyson Daniels, is questionable with a right ankle sprain. Zaccharie Risacher was a later addition to the injury report, and he’ll miss out on this one with a bone contusion in his left knee.

Player To Watch

This will be the fourth time this season the Bucks have played against McCollum. With the Wizards before the aforementioned Young deal, he hasn’t been that good during his time in the ATL, but he’s been a bit of a thorn in the Bucks’ side. In their last meeting, McCollum scored four points in the final 30 seconds to give the Wizards a one-point win at Fiserv Forum on New Year’s Eve. Maybe against a team he’s had success against, McCollum will come out of his funk and give the Bucks some trouble again.

How To Watch

Peacock at noon CST.

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The Oklahoma City Thunder head to Rocket Arena this afternoon for a 2:30 p.m. ET tip-off with the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to play like the reigning MVP that he is, and my Thunder vs Cavs predictions are eyeing him to ball out here. 

Read more in my NBA picks for Monday, January 19. 

Thunder vs Cavaliers prediction

Thunder vs Cavaliers best bet: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Over 31.5 points (-112)

The Oklahoma City Thunder look unstoppable once again in 2025-26, and their superstar is leading the way. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is second in the Association with 31.8 PPG.

SGA is averaging 30.5 points per night in January, and he’s cashed the Over in points in three of his previous five games. Last time out, Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 39 points in a rare loss to the Heat. 

Last Tuesday, he also poured in 34 in a victory over the Spurs. SGA is averaging 31.7 PPG on the road, and he averaged 35.5 across two meetings with the Cleveland Cavaliers last season. Plus, Darius Garland is out, weakening Cleveland’s backcourt defense. 

Lock this pick in with confidence as the best version of SGA shows up today. 

Thunder vs Cavaliers same-game parlay

With Garland sidelined, playmaking duties fall on Donovan Mitchell's shoulders. Yes, he’s still expected to score at a high level, but the Cavs will also be relying on him to facilitate more than usual. 

Although Spida dropped just 13 points on Friday against the 76ers, he also finished with 12 assists. Mitchell is averaging just 5.7 dimes per night, but he’s hit the Over in four of his last five outings. 

Chet Holmgren is a beast on the boards, especially lately. Overall, he’s averaging 8.5 rebounds, and he’s cashed the Over four of his last five, finishing with at least 10 boards in each of those games. 

Thunder vs Cavaliers SGP

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Over 31.5 points
• Donovan Mitchell Over 6.5 assists
• Chet Homgren Over 9.5 rebounds

Our "from downtown" SGP: Joe Cool Gets Hot From Deep

Isaiah Joe has drained Over 1.5 triples in four consecutive appearances.

Thunder vs Cavaliers SGP

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Over 31.5 points
• Donovan Mitchell Over 6.5 assists
• Chet Homgren Over 9.5 rebounds
• Isaiah Joe Over 1.5 threes

Thunder vs Cavaliers odds

• Spread: Thunder -6 (-110) | Cavaliers +6 (-110)
• Moneyline: Thunder -245 | Cavaliers +200
• Over/Under: Over 234.5 (-110) | Under 234.5 (-110)

Thunder vs Cavaliers betting trend to know

The Oklahoma City Thunder have hit the Team Total Under in 13 of their last 16 games (+9.65 Units / 53% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Thunder vs. Cavaliers.

How to watch Thunder vs Cavaliers

Thunder vs Cavaliers latest injuries

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