Category: NBA

Last Thursday, Monumental Basketball President Michael Winger gave a press conference in a “State of Monumental Basketball” address.

I’m sorry I wasn’t able to break this down in depth last Thursday. Like most of you, I had to prepare for last weekend’s winter storm. If you missed it, the whole conference is below. A h/t to malsman for posting in “The Feed” about it.

The Wizards are finished “deconstructing.” The Mystics are still in it.

Over the last three years, the Wizards have experienced their worst stretch in franchise history. However, Winger, in his opening remarks, was explicit that the Wizards are finished with deconstructing after three seasons.

Considering that Washington recently acquired Trae Young, a multi-time All-Star point guard in his prime, that’s a sign that the losing stretches are coming to an end.

The Wizards will have to make decisions about which players stay and which ones go.

There has been a lot posted about the fact that Washington has a very young lineup. And last Saturday against the Hornets, they started the youngest lineup ever in NBA history.

Part of that is by design. But it also means that some younger players may or may not be part of the Wizards’ future. Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, Bub Carrington and Bilal Coulibaly are among those who figure to be with the Wizards for their sophomore contracts. However, the Wizards’ two-way players including Tristan Vukcevic, Jamir Watkins and Sharife Cooper as well as other additions like Cam Whitmore and Will Riley, may not have the minutes to play on a rebuilding Wizards team — when it doesn’t appear that the Wizards will be rebuilding next year.

David Aldridge of The Athletic asked Winger some pointed questions about whether Young’s addition could mean that the Wizards have playoff expectations next year. Winger responded doing that he isn’t going to have set expectations. However, with Young, the current core and presumably a high 2026 draft pick.

Joshua Robbins of The Athletic also asked a question about whether the Wizards trading Deni Avdjia to the Portland Trail Blazers was a mistake. Coincidentally, the Wizards will play the Blazers tonight. Winger said no, in part because his trajectory and age was ahead of the Wizards’ current younger core of players. This could also be — in part — why Corey Kispert was traded to Atlanta along with with CJ McCollum for Young.

The Mystics are Sonia Citron’s and Kiki Irifaen’s franchise — at least by default.

Winger explained that the Mystics are in year one of their rebuild under his direct control. And by default, he acknowledged that every veteran in the WNBA is on an expiring contract given free agency this year will be hectic.

As I have noted many times over the past couple of years, this effectively means that EVERY WNBA team is deconstructing in 2026. We have no idea who will be on any of the 15 teams until opening day, except All-Star players on rookie contracts. Citron and Iriafen certainly qualify there. Same with Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever or Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings, among others.

No Mystics reporter asked any questions about playoff expectations in 2026. It’s quite frankly premature because of the pending free agency. But it is clear that at a minimum, Winger is looking forward to seeing how Washington’s 2026 draft picks mesh with Citron and Irifaen.

Winger did acknowledge a question by Kareem Copeland of The Washington Post about the Mystics’ arena size at CareFirst Arena and shared practice facility with the Wizards and whether that is a disadvantage for them. While he did toe the company line saying that CareFirst Arena does provide an intimate atmosphere for fans, Winger said that the Mystics will also be playing the majority of their games at Capital One Arena when current renovations are done. He also reiterated that the shared practice facility and the collegial atmosphere of Monumental Basketball (the Mystics, Wizards and the Capital Go-Go) are assets not hindrances.

Let us know what other things stood out from Winger’s conference in the comments below.

What to make of Jaylen Brown's comments about ‘sacrificing' for Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

On Jan. 27, 2025, the Boston Celtics owned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 32-15 record.

Exactly one year later, the Celtics own the No. 2 seed in the East with a 29-17 record.

How has Boston not missed a beat despite playing without its All-NBA First Team superstar (Jayson Tatum) and losing four key rotation players (Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet) to trades and free agency?

If you ask Holiday, it starts with the mindset of the Celtics’ other All-Star, Jaylen Brown.

“Knowing Jaylen, I feel like he takes a lot of things personally,” the Portland Trail Blazers guard told reporters Monday after his first game back at TD Garden since being traded. “He doesn’t accept a lot, especially when it comes to being bad.”

While the Celtics have gotten encouraging contributions from young players like Jordan Walsh and Hugo Gonzalez, Brown has been the head of the snake. He’s averaging career highs in points (29.6), rebounds (6.8) and assists (4.9) per game and recently was named an NBA All-Star starter for the first time in his career.

Brown has benefited from a higher usage rate with Tatum sidelined; his 22.5 shot attempts per game lead the NBA. But as Holiday suggested, the 10-year veteran also is playing with a massive chip on his shoulder, fueled by the preseason narrative that Boston would take a step back without Tatum running the show.

“I felt like I’ve sacrificed over the years in order for us to be a championship-caliber team,” Brown told reporters after the Celtics’ win over Portland. “And I think now, we’re getting to see that a little bit: what exactly I was capable of, and what I was sacrificing.

“I think, before, maybe it wasn’t so obvious. I think now, being able to be at the helm of things, and us being the second seed in the East, versus last year (when) we finished second seed in the East. It’s almost been no drop-off with four players, five players (who) are essentially gone.

“The work from the coaching staff, the work from our leadership has been great. And I just try to make myself available every single night.”

There are a couple ways to interpret Brown’s comments. The first — and one that will surely make the rounds on Boston sports talk radio — is that Brown has enjoyed being the Celtics’ bona fide No. 1 with Tatum sidelined, and that there potentially could be some friction whenever Tatum returns to the lineup. Is there a scenario where Brown isn’t exactly eager to revert to his “1B” role and let Tatum re-take the reins?

The other interpretation: Brown clearly thrives on being motivated by his critics, and this is just the latest example. This isn’t the first time Brown has mentioned sacrificing personal stats for the good of the team. In fact, he brought it up routinely over the past two seasons. The result? Tatum and Brown co-led the Celtics to an NBA title in 2024, with Brown winning NBA Finals MVP.

There very well could be an adjustment period for the Celtics when Tatum returns to action, especially as he learns to play with newcomers like Gonzalez, Luka Garza and Anfernee Simons. But given Boston’s extensive track record of success over nearly a decade with Tatum and Brown on the court, Celtics fans needn’t worry about any real or imagined power dynamics impacting the team’s success.

Per Shams Charania:

The San Antonio Spurs have three players on the 2026 NBA Rising Stars roster.

Reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle will represent the NBA Sophomores. He’ll play alongside Matas Buzelis (Bulls), Donovan Clingan (Trail Blazers), Kyshawn George (Wizards), Ajay Mitchell (Thunder), Alex Sarr (Wizards), Reed Sheppard (Rockets), Cam Spencer (Grizzlies), Jaylon Tyson (Cavaliers), Kel’el Ware (Heat), and Jaylen Wells (Grizzlies).

Ajay Mitchell, Jaylen Wells, and Cam Spencer are all second round picks who have elevated their game over the last season and a half.

Spurs guard Dylan Harper has been named to the NBA Rookies with Cedric Coward (Grizzlies), Egor Demin (Nets), Tre Johnson (Wizards), VJ Edgecombe (76ers), Kon Knueppel (Hornets), Jeremiah Fears (Pelicans), Collin Murray-Boyles (Raptors), Cooper Flagg (Mavericks), and Derik Queen (Pelicans). All players were lottery picks in the last draft.

Finally, Spurs two-way guard David Jones Garcia will represent the NBA G-League. He’ll be joined by Dylan’s brother Ron Harper Jr. (Maine Celtics), Sean East II (Salt Lake City Stars), Alijah Martin (Raptors 905), Tristan Newton (Rio Grande Valley Vipers), Yang Hansen (Rip City Remix), and Yanic Konan Niederhauser (San Diego Clippers).

This marks the first time in franchise history that the Spurs have multiple Rising Stars selections in the same season.

The Rising Star game will be played on February 13th at 9PM EST on Peacock.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis and Ja Morant are the three biggest potential targets ahead of the 2026 NBA trading deadline.

All three are injured, and all three will be sidelined well beyond the Feb. 5 deadline. This complicates the overall market.

Each player is expected to make an eventual full return to health, though each – to varying degrees – has his own complicated injury history. The problem arises in the risk potential suitors may be feeling to trade for players who have combined to miss 63 games this season, as well as the real assets required to pry those stars away from their teams.

This all points to a potential drag in the trading market, possibly making this a sleepy deadline – especially when compared to last season’s that saw stars like Luka Dončić, Jimmy Butler, De’Aaron Fox and Brandon Ingram each shipped to new teams.

As March Madness inches ever closer, we offer our latest attempt to project the men's basketball NCAA tournament field. While four different conferences are still represented on the No.-1 seed line, the upper quadrant of the bracket skews heavily toward the Big Ten.

For now the top regional seeds are unchanged from our previous installment of bracketology. Arizona has the strongest case for the top overall seed, with Michigan, Connecticut and Duke still projected to lead the regionals. The Wolverines head a group of five Big Ten squads among our projected top 12, despite preseason league favorite Purdue slipping to a No. 3 seed. Red-hot Illinois has moved up to a No. 2 along with still undefeated Nebraska, and perennial tournament contender Michigan State is also on the third line.

Mid-major power rankings: Keep eye on these teams in March

Weekend recap: Paying attention to Texas Tech yet? You should.

It might be a case of quantity over quality for the SEC, which is still well represented with 10 teams in the field but none seeded higher than Florida and Vanderbilt at No. 4 for the moment. The league’s automatic qualifier based on the current standings would be Texas A&M, though the Aggies likely will need to improve their profile should they require at-large consideration.

Seton Hall has toppled out of the field for now, leaving the Big East with just three tournament squads. The Mountain West also has three spots, though a couple of them are dangerously close to the bubble.

Bracketology: NCAA tournament field projection

March Madness Last four in

TCU, UCLA, New Mexico, Miami (Fla.).

March Madness First four out

Virginia Tech, Indiana, Missouri, Seton Hall.

NCAA tournament bids conference breakdown

Multi-bid leagues: Big Ten (10), SEC (10), Big 12 (8), ACC (8) Big East (3), Mountain West (3), West Coast (2).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness bracketology: NCAA Tournament projection led by Big Ten

With college football season over and the Super Bowl only two weeks away, many of the country’s sports fans will adopt what has become a familiar routine over the years — digging into men’s college basketball and counting down the days to the start of the NCAA tournament.

At least some of the excitement and joy from the madness of March comes from outside the sport’s biggest conferences, where smaller schools pull off the kinds of upsets that thrill fans and destroy brackets. It’s part of the beauty of NCAA tournament folk heroes, with previously little-known players, coaches, programs and schools become national darlings in an instant.

Those teams, though, can be enjoyed well before they become household names.

NCAA tournament bracketology: Big Ten dominates March Madness projection

What we learned last week: Paying attention to Texas Tech yet? You should

As March inches closer, USA TODAY Sports will do weekly rankings of the 10 best teams from outside of the five Power conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Big East and SEC), so while programs like Gonzaga or San Diego State — both of which have made the national title game in the past five years — are nobody’s idea of a mid-major, they fall into this category for the sake of this exercise.

Where do teams from outside the biggest conferences stand as February approaches?

College basketball mid-major power rankings

1. Gonzaga (21-1)

Mark Few has made the Bulldogs a model of consistent success for any program at any level of the sport and this season has been no exception. Since a loss to No. 2 Michigan in the Players Era Festival on Nov. 26, the Zags have rattled off 14 consecutive wins, a run that has included victories over Kentucky (by 35), UCLA, Oregon and Santa Clara. Graham Ike and Braden Huff form one of the best frontcourts in the country, with the forwards averaging a combined 35.9 points per game.

2. Saint Louis (19-1)

If it weren’t for a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in a 78-77 loss to Stanford on Nov. 28, the Billikens would be among the small handful of undefeated teams remaining in the sport. In its second season under coach Josh Schertz, Saint Louis has emerged as the class of the Atlantic 10, with a 7-0 conference record and only two of those games decided by single digits. College basketball folk hero Robbie Avila, who previously played for Schertz at Indiana State, is averaging a team-high 12.7 points and four assists per game.

3. Miami-Ohio (20-0)

The RedHawks are one of just three undefeated teams at the Division I level, with a 20-0 mark on the heels of a 25-win season in 2024-25. It marks the first time a Mid-American Conference team has ever won its first 20 games. Their nonconference schedule was the fourth-easiest among Division I squads, according to KenPom, but coach Travis Steele’s team has shown its mettle in pressurized situations, with overtime wins against Buffalo and Kent State, as well as a three-point victory over reigning MAC champion Akron.

4. Utah State (16-3)

The Aggies have become a launching pad for promising coaches to bigger, higher-paying jobs, with four coaches in the past six years. Through it all, though, they keep winning, with Vanderbilt transfer MJ Collins Jr. pacing this season’s team with 19.3 points per game on 42.4% shooting from 3. They’ve cooled off a bit lately, losing two of their past three after a 15-1 start, but they still look like the Mountain West favorite.

5. Saint Mary’s (19-3)

Like West Coast Conference rival Gonzaga, the Gaels win year after year and have continued it this season, with 10 wins in their past 11 games. Among the areas in which they’ve excelled? At the free-throw line, where they’re burying a Division I-best 81% of their attempts.

Coaches Poll, AP Top 25: Men's college basketball rankings after Week 12

6. Santa Clara (17-5)

Under veteran coach Herb Sendek, the Broncos are on pace for their most wins in a season in a decade while collecting several impressive victories along the way — beating, among others, Saint Mary’s, Xavier, Minnesota, Nevada and McNeese.

7. San Diego State (14-5)

The Aztecs have found their footing after a 3-3 start, winning 11 of their past 13 games (with one of those losses coming to No. 1 Arizona). As always, they’ve been fierce on the defensive end, ranking 26th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.

8. New Mexico (16-4)

After winning 30 games last season at UC San Diego, coach Eric Olen has kept things rolling in his first season with the Lobos, who are 13-2 since Nov. 21 and have picked up wins against Santa Clara, VCU, Mississippi State and Nevada.

9. George Mason (18-2)

Tony Skinn helped lead the Patriots to the 2006 Final Four as a player and has excelled since returning to the school as a coach, winning at least 20 games in his first two seasons. This squad might be his best yet. Like Miami (Ohio), George Mason feasted on a weak nonconference schedule, but it still has quality wins over VCU and George Washington.

10. Akron (16-4)

Three of the Zips’ four losses this season have come by five points or fewer, with only No. 12 Purdue beating them by a larger margin. Senior guard Tavari Johnson is one of the most dynamic scorers in the country, averaging 20.3 points per game and shooting 38.7% from 3.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College basketball mid-major rankings: Gonzaga, Saint Louis lead way

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

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More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

BOSTON — Late in the fourth quarter of the Celtics 102-94 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, Payton Pritchard crouched down in pain on the TD Garden parquet and clutched his left hand. Moments later, the Celtics guard headed into the locker room, his injury status seemingly up in the air.

But, much to the relief of the Celtics fans who braved the winter storm to watch Jrue Holiday and Rob Williams make their triumphant returns, Pritchard returned just a few minutes later and closed out the final 42 seconds of the ball game. The Celtics put away the Blazers, and improved to 29-17 on the season — the Eastern Conference’s second-best record.

Afterwards, Pritchard revealed that the injury was nothing too concerning; he simply re-injured a pinky finger that’s been bothering him for the past month.

“I’ve been dealing with it, jamming it back and forth, and then he just kind of hit it,” Pritchard said, explaining his finger turned sideways.

Pritchard said he thinks he first hurt his finger when the Celtics faced the Trail Blazers on December 28th. But it’s not something that’s put him on the injury report; he’s only missed one game in January, and that was due to listed ankle soreness.

“When you play basketball, you deal with finger injuries,” Pritchard said.

Payton Pritchard put together another strong showing vs the Blazers

On Monday, Pritchard beat both the end-of-first-quarter and halftime buzzers, while tallying 23 points on 8-16 FG, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.

The finger injury doesn’t appear to have slowed down his production. This year, Pritchard is averaging 16.8 points while shooting 45.1% from the field and 34.7% from three-point range.

In January, his counting stats have slightly decreased, but his efficiency has improved; he’s averaging 15.9 points and shooting 46.6% from the field and 39.4% from three-point range. All season long, Pritchard has had one of the best assist-to-turnover ratios in the NBA; he’s averaging 5.3 assists and 1.1 turnovers per game.

After the win over the Blazers, Pritchard said the discussions around the Celtics taking a step back this season were motivating.

“People have been doubting me my whole life,” he said. “For me, it’s like show up, go to work, figure out how to win games — and prove people wrong. So, nothing changed for me in my mindset.”

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, January 27th. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 28-20 and beat the Orlando Magic yesterday.

They host the Los Angeles Lakers tomorrow. We hear a certain someone will be in town. You won’t want to miss it.

Today’s Game of the Day

• Detroit Pistons at Denver Nuggets – 9 PM FanDuel Sports Network, NBA League Pass

Still no Nikola Jokic, but the Nuggets (31-15) are still a team worth watching. That is, if Jamal Murray doesn’t miss this game as well. Murray is currently listed as questionable with a hamstring injury.

Nevertheless, this is a chance for Cavs fans to keep an eye on the Pistons (33-11). Detroit probably won’t relinquish control of the Eastern Conference’s top seed, but you can scout the best team in the East and get a sense for how the Cavs might stack up against them.

The Rest of the NBA Slate

• Portland Trail Blazers at Washington Wizards – 7 PM
• Sacramento Kings at New York Knicks – 7:30 PM
• Milwaukee Bucks at Philadelphia 76ers – 8 PM
• New Orleans Pelicans at Oklahoma City Thunder – 8 PM
• Brooklyn Nets at Phoenix Suns – 9 PM
• LA Clippers at Utah Jazz – 10 PM

Honorable mention to the Clippers and Jazz game. I don’t know why, but I feel like that could end up being an entertaining one.

Cavs links of the day

• Cavs’ sophomore Jaylon Tyson selected for NBA’s 2026 Rising Stars game – Fear the Sword
• Cavs stay close to top of NBA power rankings – Cavs on SI
• Opposing teams are trying to trade for Cavs small forward – Fear the Sword
• “The ultimate glue guy,” Unheralded Dean Wade becoming Cavs starting lineup linchpin – Cleveland.com

NBA links

• NBA Rewind: What does Giannis really want? – New York Times
• NBA Trade Deadline: What should the Bucks do with Giannis? – ESPN
• NBA Power Rankings: Pistons surge past Thunder for No. 1 spot – NBA.com

BOSTON — Jrue Holiday ran into Neemias Queta, Xavier Tillman, Celtics staffers and Jordan Walsh while doing mobility drills in the hallway on Monday afternoon. Walsh and Holiday, who mentored the rookie during his first NBA season, talked about shoes. Walsh inquired if Holiday had anything for him. Holiday quipped Walsh doesn’t wear his shoe size.

“Different on the other side now, but it feels good,” Holiday told reporters moments before Celtics-Blazers. “Glad to be back, see a lot of familiar faces and excited to play.”

Holiday again discussed the Celtics’ front office being upfront that he would likely be traded last offseason due to second apron penalties, and appreciated the heads-up Stevens gave before Boston executed a trade to send him to Portland. Holiday briefly landed with the Blazers in 2023 in the Damian Lillard trade before Portland flipped him to Boston in a trade that involved Robert Williams III. Williams III also made his first on-court return to the TD Garden since that trade on Monday after two injury-riddled seasons away from Boston.

Those relationships from that brief crossover helped Holiday land more softly with the Blazers this time around, who he’s led through their continued rebuild, Chauncey Billups’ arrest in October, Lillard’s recovery from Achilles surgery in his return to the Blazers and Tiago Splitter’s ascension to interim head coach. Holiday missed 27 games with a hamstring injury, sitting out the Blazers’ win over the Celtics in Portland late last month before returning to average 12.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists on 46.2% shooting through his first six games back. He hasn’t been surprised with the Celtics’ success since losing him and several contributors to the 2024 championship.

“I knew that they’d do well, knowing the type of determination that this coaching staff and organization has,” Holiday said. “Being with this team for a couple of years now and knowing the type of players that they are and how they prepare, I figured that they’d be good and obviously knowing Jaylen, I feel like he takes a lot of things personally, so he doesn’t accept a lot, especially when it comes to being bad.”

Holiday said Jaylen Brown took the postseason loss to the Knicks in May personally, and credited Joe Mazzulla’s communication and coaching methods for their success as well. He also mentioned Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Queta and the coaching staff’s defiance to being proven out as drivers of success this season.

Mazzulla, who usually doesn’t comment on opposing players, even family members and returning Celtics, made an exception for Holiday. He praised Holiday’s off-court contributions as much as what he brought to Boston on the court, which included an XChange business incubator program across several cities including Boston, that Holiday remains invested in alongside Brown.

“The biggest thing that stands out is who he is as a person,” Mazzulla said. “When you take a look at a guy who’s a champion and an All-Star and comes in and accepts a completely different role, and does it with a smile on his face and does it with a level of respect and professionalism and is willing to do what it takes to win every night … the love he had for his wife, taking a year off and being there for his family and his kids and the relationship that he and his wife have, all that stuff sticks out more than the basketball, so it was great having him for the time that we did and I love him to death.”

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — England captain Harry Brook won his first toss of the series and elected to bat in the third and final ODI against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.

Brook criticized the track in the second ODI as the “worst pitch” he’s ever played on despite the visitors winning the game by five wickets and levelling the series 1-1.

England retained the same spin-heavy XI that troubled Sri Lanka in the second game. Zak Crawley couldn’t recover from his knee injury, which means Rehan Ahmed will once again open the batting with Ben Duckett.

Sri Lanka, which hasn’t lost a bilateral home series over the last five years, brought in ace spinner Wanindu Hasaranga in place of fast bowler Pramod Madushan as the wicket is expected to help slow bowlers.

Hasaranga was rested for the first two games with the T20 World Cup starting on Feb. 7.

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Lineups:

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka (captain), Janith Liyanage, Pavan Rathnayake, Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jeffrey Vandersay, Asitha Fernando.

England: Rehan Ahmed, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (captain), Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid.

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

Luka Doncic put on another scoring masterclass with 46 points as the Los Angeles Lakers claimed a 129-118 victory at the Chicago Bulls.

The Slovenia guard's haul included eight three-pointers, and he also registered seven rebounds and 12 assists at the United Center to end the Bulls' four-game unbeaten run.

Doncic becomes the quickest Laker to reach 2,000 points - achieving the feat in his 65th game since he was traded by the Dallas Mavericks last February.

It was the fourth match in a row that the 26-year-old has finished with more than 30 points and he tops the NBA scoring charts with an average of 33.8 points per game.

He joins Kobe Bryant as the only players in Lakers history with at least 45 points, 10 assists and five three-pointers in a single game.

LeBron James added 24 points, five rebounds and three assists for the Lakers with Rui Hachimura hitting 23 points off the bench.

Despite Doncic's achievements, Lakers coach JJ Redick admitted after the game that the superstar still gives him some anxious moments on the sidelines.

"He's an engine that's fully on and he likes to create out there and that's part of what makes him a great player," he said.

"Because I played with him, I have a pretty good understanding of that - not to say it doesn't test your patience at times.

"You have to be willing to live with some of the stuff he tries because more often than not you will get a great result."

Chicago Bulls (23-23, ninth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Indiana Pacers (11-36, 14th in the Eastern Conference)

Indianapolis; Wednesday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Pascal Siakam and the Indiana Pacers host Nikola Vucevic and the Chicago Bulls.

The Pacers are 7-24 in Eastern Conference games. Indiana is 5-28 against opponents with a winning record.

The Bulls are 3-7 against the rest of the division. Chicago allows 119.9 points to opponents while being outscored by 2.0 points per game.

The Pacers score 110.2 points per game, 9.7 fewer points than the 119.9 the Bulls allow. The Bulls are shooting 47.7% from the field, 0.6% lower than the 48.3% the Pacers' opponents have shot this season.

The teams play for the third time this season. In the last meeting on Dec. 6 the Pacers won 120-105 led by 36 points from Siakam, while Coby White scored 22 points for the Bulls.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jay Huff is scoring 8.3 points per game and averaging 3.7 rebounds for the Pacers. Siakam is averaging 21.8 points and 7.6 rebounds over the last 10 games.

Vucevic is averaging 16.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the Bulls. White is averaging 16.3 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Pacers: 5-5, averaging 108.2 points, 44.7 rebounds, 29.2 assists, 8.0 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 44.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.0 points per game.

Bulls: 6-4, averaging 118.2 points, 43.4 rebounds, 31.8 assists, 7.2 steals and 5.6 blocks per game while shooting 49.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.9 points.

INJURIES: Pacers: Obi Toppin: out (foot), Tyrese Haliburton: out for season (achilles).

Bulls: Noa Essengue: out for season (shoulder), Zach Collins: out (toe), Tre Jones: out (hamstring).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Milwaukee Bucks (18-26, 11th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (24-21, sixth in the Eastern Conference)

Philadelphia; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: 76ers -10; over/under is 219.5

BOTTOM LINE: Ryan Rollins and the Milwaukee Bucks visit Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers in Eastern Conference action.

The 76ers are 18-17 in conference play. Philadelphia has a 12-6 record in games decided by at least 10 points.

The Bucks are 14-14 against Eastern Conference opponents. Milwaukee allows 115.5 points to opponents and has been outscored by 3.6 points per game.

The 76ers average 116.1 points per game, 0.6 more points than the 115.5 the Bucks allow. The Bucks average 111.9 points per game, 3.9 fewer than the 115.8 the 76ers allow.

The teams play for the third time this season. The 76ers won the last matchup 116-101 on Dec. 6. Quentin Grimes scored 22 points to help lead the 76ers to the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Grimes is scoring 13.3 points per game and averaging 3.8 rebounds for the 76ers. Maxey is averaging 24.9 points and 2.9 rebounds over the last 10 games.

Rollins is scoring 16.1 points per game and averaging 4.5 rebounds for the Bucks. AJ Green is averaging 2.8 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: 76ers: 4-6, averaging 110.8 points, 41.6 rebounds, 23.0 assists, 10.9 steals and 5.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.3 points per game.

Bucks: 4-6, averaging 108.0 points, 41.4 rebounds, 26.6 assists, 6.8 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 46.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.0 points.

INJURIES: 76ers: Charles Bassey: day to day (personal), Paul George: day to day (knee), Joel Embiid: day to day (knee).

Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo: out (calf), Kevin Porter Jr.: out (oblique), Taurean Prince: out (neck).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.