Category: NBA

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Brandin Podziemski scored 12 of his 18 points in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter and the Golden State Warriors beat the Denver Nuggets 128-117 on Sunday.

Podziemski shot 7 of 16 and added 15 rebounds and nine assists. Al Horford hit six 3-pointers and finished with 22 points and seven assists as the Warriors ended a two-game losing streak despite being without Stephen Curry (knee), Kristaps Porzingis (sick) and Jimmy Butler (torn right ACL). Draymond Green (back) was also a late scratch.

Moses Moody had 23 points and seven rebounds for the Warriors. DeAnthony Melton added 20 points.

Nikola Jokic had 25 points, 20 rebounds and 12 assists for Denver. It’s Jokic’s fifth triple-double in seven games, 19th of the season and the 183rd of his career.

Jamal Murray scored 21 points for the Nuggets, who had won three of five. Christian Braun scored 18 and Bruce Brown added 12.

CELTICS 118, LAKERS 89

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Jaylen Brown had 32 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and Boston swept the season series in the NBA’s most storied rivalry with a victory over Los Angeles.

Payton Pritchard scored 30 points with six 3-pointers and eight assists for the Celtics, who have won three straight and eight of nine as they attempt to close the gap on Detroit atop the Eastern Conference standings.

Brown and Pritchard scored 19 points apiece in the second half, and Pritchard wrapped up the win on a step-back 3-pointer with 3:24 to play, prompting the Lakers to empty their bench amid scattered boos.

Luka Doncic had 25 points and LeBron James got the 43,000th point of his career while scoring 20 for the Lakers, who fell short at home against a probable NBA title contender for the third time in two weeks. Los Angeles was held to its second-lowest point total of the season.

76ERS 135, TIMBERWOLVES 108

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Tyrese Maxey had 39 points and eight assists, VJ Edgecombe made a career-high six 3-pointers and finished with 24 points, and Philadelphia beat Minnesota to snap a four-game losing streak — all by double figures.

Maxey made 16 of 28 shots from the field and hit four of Philadelphia’s 21 3-pointers. Quentin Grimes had 19 points, which included five 3s, and seven assists. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 18 points and four steals.

Coming off a 126-111 defeat Saturday night at New Orleans, the Sixers were again without center Joel Embiid, who missed his third straight game since the All-Star break due to right shin soreness. Embiid also sat out three of the last five games going into the break with soreness in his right knee.

Minnesota had its three-game win streak snapped. Anthony Edwards scored 19 of his 28 points in the first half for the Timberwolves. Jaden McDaniels added 19 and Julius Randle scored 18.

THUNDER 121, CAVALIERS 113

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Isaiah Joe scored 22 points and Cason Wallace added 20 points and 10 assists to help the short-handed Oklahoma City beat Cleveland.

Chet Holmgren had 17 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks for Oklahoma City (44-14), which made 21 of 41 3-point attempts (51.2%), including six by Joe, and converted 17 turnovers into 31 points.

The Thunder played without injured starters Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain) and Jalen Williams (strained right hamstring). and key contributors Ajay Mitchell (abdominal strain) and Alex Caruso (sprained left ankle).

Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and Sam Merrill each had 20 points for Cleveland (36-22), which lost for the first time in eight games. The Cavaliers, who made 13 of 39 3-pointers (33.3%), fell behind early but couldn’t complete the comeback against the hot-shooting Thunder.

RAPTORS 122, BUCKS 94

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Immanuel Quickley scored 32 points and Toronto snapped Milwaukee’s three-game win streak with a victory.

Toronto’s Brandon Ingram had 22 points, and Sandro Mamukelashvili added 19. Quickley was 5 of 11 on 3-point attempts and had nine assists and three rebounds.

Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. led the Bucks with 21 points each. Cam Thomas scored 15 off the bench. Milwaukee lost for just the second time in its last eight games.

Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo missed his 11th straight game since straining his right calf on Jan. 23. The Bucks are 15-15 with Antetokounmpo and 9-16 without him this season.

HAWKS 115, NETS 104

ATLANTA (AP) — Jalen Johnson had 26 points and 12 rebounds and Atlanta rallied from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Brooklyn for the Nets fourth straight loss.

CJ McCollum added 16 points and eight rebounds in his first start since joining the Hawks as part of a trade that sent Trae Young to the Wizards. Jock Landale had 17 points in 16 minutes off the bench, knocking down all three of his 3-point shots. Onyeka Okongwu threw down a thunderous slam over Nic Claxton in the third quarter and finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks.

Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Claxton returned after missing three games with ankle and hip injuries to finish with 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

MAVERICKS 134, PACERS 130

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Khris Middleton scored 25 points and P.J. Washington added 23 to lead Dallas over Indiana, snapping a 10-game losing streak.

Middleton also had seven rebounds and seven assists and was one of six Mavs players to score in double figures. Washington grabbed nine boards, and Marvin Bagley III had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Dallas ended its longest slide since skids of 10 and 15 games in 1997-98, and won for the first time since Jan. 22 against Golden State.

All-Star forward Pascal Siakam returned from a three-game absence and led the Pacers with 30 points while grabbing eight rebounds. Andrew Nembhard had 22 points and 11 assists. Jarace Walker added 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

Kobe Brown scored a career-high 15 as Indiana fell to 0-3 since the All-Star break, losing its first home game since Feb. 3 — the longest stretch between home games in the franchise’s NBA history.

HORNETS 129, WIZARDS 112

WASHINGTON (AP) -- LaMelo Ball made a career-high 10 3-pointers and scored 37 points to help Charlotte rout Washington for a four-game season sweep.

Ball attempted 15 3-pointers. Kon Knueppel added 28 points, and Brandon Miller had 22. The Hornets made 12 of 14 3-pointers in the third quarter to blow open the game, and finished 25 of 46 from long range.

Bilal Coulibaly scored 15 of his 17 points in the first quarter for Washington. The Wizards dropped to 16-40, missing a chance for their first three-game winning streak since February 2025.

Charlotte had lost three of four since a nine-game winning streak ended just before the All-Star break. The Hornets (27-31) are 10th in the Eastern Conference, a half-game behind Atlanta and 1 1/2 games ahead of Milwaukee.

TRAIL BLAZERS 92, SUNS 77

PHOENIX (AP) -- Donovan Clingan had 23 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots to lead Portland past the short-handed Phoenix.

Jerami Grant also scored 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting. The Trail Blazers bounced back from an ugly 157-103 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday and have won five of their past seven.

Portland built a 20-point lead by late in the third quarter and settled for a 71-57 advantage heading into the fourth. Collin Gillespie hit two 3-pointers to cut it to 80-69 with 7:36 left but Grant responded with a 3 to turn back the rally.

Gillespie led Phoenix with 18 points, and Jalen Green had 13. Coming off a 113-110 double-overtime win over Orlando at home Saturday, the Suns shot just 36.9% from the field and the 77 points were a season low.

It was a sloppy game for both teams — the Blazers had 21 turnovers and the Suns had 19.

KNICKS 105, BULLS 99

CHICAGO (AP) -- Karl-Anthony Towns had 28 points and 11 rebounds for his NBA-leading 39th double-double and New York outlasted the sliding Chicago for their second straight victory.

Towns scored six straight points — on a 3-pointer, a layup and free throw — after Chicago took a 95-94 lead with 3:52 left in regulation on Matas Buzelis’ 3. Mikal Bridges hit another 3-pointer with 27 seconds left, and Jalen Brunson iced it with two free throws.

Brunson had 19 points and nine assists to help New York deal the Bulls a ninth straight loss, their longest skid since a 10-game slide in January 2019.

Landry Shamet added 16 points for the often cold-shooting Knicks, who shot 44.7% from the floor after overcoming an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Houston 108-106 in New York on Saturday.

Buzelis finished with 15 points for Chicago. Jalen Smith had 12 before leaving the in the third quarter with right calf tightness, and Isaac Okoro had 12. Guerschon Yabusele had 11 points and 13 rebounds.

MAGIC 111, CLIPPERS 109

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Desmond Bane scored 36 points and Paolo Banchero added 16 points and eight assists as Orlando held on for a victory over Los Angeles.

Wendell Carter Jr. had 15 points and 14 rebounds and Tristan da Silva scored 13 for the Magic, who improved to 5-2 since Feb. 5.

Kawhi Leonard shrugged off an ankle injury to score 37 points and Bennedict Mathurin added 21 points and nine rebounds off the bench for the Clippers, who are 4-5 since Feb. 2. Mathurin missed a 3-point attempt to win the game at the buzzer.

Jordan Miller had 14 points for the Clippers.

Leonard exited Friday’s loss against the Los Angeles Lakers with an ankle sprain. Mathurin was playing in his fifth game for the Clippers after he was acquired at the trade deadline from the Indiana Pacers.

Orlando won despite going 8 of 23 from 3-point range, two games after setting a franchise record with 27 3-pointers in a victory at Sacramento. Jalen Suggs missed his second consecutive game for the Magic with back spasms.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Khris Middleton scored 25 points and P.J. Washington added 23 to lead the Dallas Mavericks over the Indiana Pacers 134-130 on Sunday, snapping a 10-game losing streak.

Middleton also had seven rebounds and seven assists and was one of six Mavs players to score in double figures. Washington grabbed nine boards, and Marvin Bagley III had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Dallas ended its longest slide since skids of 10 and 15 games in 1997-98, and won for the first time since Jan. 22 against Golden State.

All-Star forward Pascal Siakam returned from a three-game absence and led the Pacers with 30 points while grabbing eight rebounds. Andrew Nembhard had 22 points and 11 assists. Jarace Walker added 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

Kobe Brown scored a career-high 15 as Indiana fell to 0-3 since the All-Star break, losing its first home game since Feb. 3 — the longest stretch between home games in the franchise's NBA history.

The Pacers played without Aaron Nesmith, recently acquired Ivica Zubac and T.J. McConnell because of injuries, and coach Rick Carlisle said before tip-off that injured All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton is also now suffering from shingles. Dallas rookie Cooper Flagg also sat out for the third straight game with a sprained left foot, missing his only appearance in Indianapolis this season.

Dallas led most of the game but struggled to put this one away.

The Mavs led 36-33 after one quarter, 71-66 at halftime and then used a 12-3 third-quarter run to take a 94-84 lead. Indiana closed to 117-114 midway through the fourth but never regained the lead.

Up next

Mavericks: Will try to win their second straight Tuesday at Brooklyn.

Pacers: Hope to get their first post-break win Tuesday when they host the 76ers.

___

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

Playing the second game of a back-to-back, the New York Knicks (36*-21) face the Chicago Bulls (24-33) tonight at United Center. The Bulls list Anfernee Simons as day-to-day with a wrist issue and Jaden Ivey out with knee soreness. The Knicks are heavily favored thanks to Chicago’s eight-game skid and general stinkability.

Tip-off at 8 PM ET on MSG. This is your game thread. This is Blog a Bull. Please don’t post illegal streams or large, kinky pics of your poodle. And go the Knicks!

* Should be one more, but the Cup Final was a hill of beans. 

Everywhere Pat Riley went, success — and his Armani suits — followed.

New York: an NBA Finals appearance, two Eastern Conference finals and a Coach of the Year award in four seasons. Miami: Riley’s third Coach of the Year honor, the NBA Executive of the Year award (2011) and three NBA titles as a coach/executive in a tenure with the Heat that’s lasted over 30 years.

But for Riley, his legendary basketball resume will always come back to Los Angeles. 

And that was once again the case on Sunday afternoon when the Lakers unveiled their 8-foot, 510-pound statue of the franchise legend ahead of their home game against the Celtics, their longtime rival.

“You go back and look to that period, and you go back to that time and look where I am today, this is where I ended up. I don’t know how I got here,” Riley said. “But I got here, and now there’s a statue out there and that plaza of stars. 

“I’m so grateful. I really am. It’s beyond gratitude. I’m so grateful to be honored and to be with those who are the giants that I jumped up on their shoulders and they carried me.”

Riley was the Lakers’ head coach for nine seasons (1981-90) during the “Showtime” era, leading the franchise to four NBA championships (1982, ’85, ’87, ’88), with two of those titles coming against the Celtics. 

The 80-year-old Riley made it clear during his speech before the statue was unveiled that his professional competitiveness against Boston hasn’t changed. 

“The time has come to kick some ass,” Riley said. “To kick some Boston ass.”

A 2008 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, Riley was part of six Lakers NBA championship teams as a player (one; 1972), assistant coach (one; 1980) and head coach.

Riley’s statue was appropriately placed between the statues of Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — fellow franchise legends whom Riley coached during the Lakers’ dominance in the ‘80s. 

The pose for Riley’s statue was of him wearing a Giorgio Armani-tailored suit with crocodile leather belt and the 1985 championship ring and raising his right hand — a signal throughout the Showtime era for Johnson to pass to Abdul-Jabbar for his skyhook.

“Pat, to me, sort of set the standard for modern NBA coaches,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “I have always looked at the NBA in sort of two very distinct eras: make the demarcation point either right at merger or in 1980-81, right around that time when Dallas joined as the 23rd team. That, sort of to me, is the beginning of the modern NBA, and that’s right when the Lakers’ run started. And Pat just set the standard for what a modern NBA coach should be. It’s a good-looking statue. We paused a little bit to make sure that we got it right. I thought the statue looked good.”

Even though the focus was on him for most of Sunday, Riley was equally complimentary of Redick.

“I love JJ, I really do,” Riley said. “My teams competed against him in various teams that he played with. He’s a fiery guy. He could shoot the hell out of the ball. He was tough as nails.

“Sometimes I look back and I remember myself at that time, and I looked at JJ and I think they picked the right person. There’s just a quality about him I think that goes above and beyond. And they have a hell of a team for him right here, right now with (Luka) Dončić and (Austin) Reaves and obviously with LeBron (James). And so I think (Lakers president of basketball operations/general manager) Rob (Pelinka) will continue with the new ownership to build that team and to compliment those players. But they have a great opportunity, and I think JJ will be a great coach for it.”

The Golden State Warriors pulled off one of their most surprising wins of the year on Sunday, shocking the Denver Nuggets 128-117. Merely winning was surprising, given that the Nuggets are a significantly better team, and the Warriors were playing their seventh straight game without Steph Curry. But before the game tipped off, the Dubs were dealt a one-two combo of adversity, making the difficult task downright daunting.

First, a few hours before the game began, the Warriors announced that recent trade acquisition Kristaps Porziņģis, who was set to play his second game with the team, was sick and would not be able to make it to the arena. Steve Kerr made it sound like it’s a very serious illness for Porziņģis, as the coach revealed that the stretch big may not join the Warriors on their upcoming two-city road trip.

And then, just minutes before the game began, the Warriors announced that Draymond Green was dealing with a lower back injury, and wouldn’t play.

So the Dubs, sans Curry, Green, Porziņģis, and Jimmy Butler III, took on the 36-21 Nuggets, who were playing without Aaron Gordon, but were otherwise healthy.

Golden State took the challenge and ran with it from the opening tip. The starting five of Pat Spencer, De’Anthony Melton, Moses Moody, Gui Santos, and Al Horford came out firing, with incredible ball movement and some Curry-esque shooting from deep. If you blinked, you missed Horford draining a pair of triples as the Warriors immediately took an 11-2 lead.

While the Warriors’ offense was firing on all cylinders, so too was the consensus best player in the world, Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, who was picking apart Golden State’s defense. At the mandatory timeout, just over five minutes in, the Nuggets had made six field goals … and Jokić had assisted on all six of them. But crucially, the Warriors still led, as their ball movement was going tit for tat with Jokić’s wizardry.

As the first quarter went on, both offenses played beautifully. Christian Braun was feasting on the Dubs with cuts galore, while Santos was doing a little bit of everything to keep Golden State afloat. It looked like the Nuggets were about to erase the lead late, but Golden State ended the first quarter with a huge flurry, with Santos and rookie Will Richard leading the way. To the shock of everyone in the building, the Warriors led 39-27 after the opening frame, and had shot a blistering 9-for-19 from three-point range. Horford had finished the quarter with 11 electric points, while Moody had scored eight.

It’s always expected that the favored team will respond after that sort of quarter. The Warriors got their surprising punch in, but presumably the Nuggets would wake up, adjust, and play better in the second. And indeed, Denver notably tightened up their defense to open the second frame, while first-time All-Star Jamal Murray went to work, chipping away at the lead.

But the Warriors wouldn’t let him chip away too much. The second quarter was a complete team effort, with all nine healthy players contributing across the board: there were deflections and loose balls gathered, rebounds gobbled up, and plenty more threes. It was an exhausting fight for them to stay on top, but stay on top they did, and they led 76-67 at halftime, with a stunning 15 made threes. Against all odds, with Curry sidelined, they set their season record for most points in the first half.

Unfortunately, the halftime hangout sapped Golden State’s shooting ability. When they returned from the break, they had cashed in the threes for turnovers, instead. In fact, after nine threes in the first quarter and six more in the second, the Warriors didn’t make a single shot from beyond the arc in the third quarter.

And as that happened, the Nuggets chipped away. They were playing so well on offense, with Jokić now turning to scoring, rather than passing, to pick apart Golden State’s defense. On the other end, the Warriors started the frame moving the ball well, but just couldn’t hit shots. Yet as the frustration mounted, they started to force the issue, and eventually the turnovers started to fill up the stat sheet.

At the 7:05 mark, a pair of free throws from Braun tied the game. It was the first tie since it was 2-2 in the opening moments of the game. At the 4:59 mark, Denver finally took the lead.

At that point, it felt like the game was well on its way to being over. The Warriors had gotten their surprising run in early, and the Nuggets had now responded. When the talent deficit is that big, the expectation is that once the dam breaks, there’s no putting it back together. You hang onto the lead for as long as you can, and once you lose it, it’s over. And indeed, it felt that way, as the Nuggets pushed the lead to eight points, which somehow felt insurmountable.

Turns out it wasn’t, though. Though the Warriors trailed 101-95 entering the fourth quarter, they still brought the energy and confidence to the fourth quarter.

Golden State opened the scoring in the final frame with a Brandin Podziemski and-one. And then, at the 10:02 mark, they tied the game when Gary Payton II kicked the lid off the bucket and drained a three. It was the team’s first triple of the half, and ended a stretch of 14 consecutive misses from beyond the arc.

The Nuggets would soon have a five-point lead, once again giving many the sense that the Warriors had used up their shots at an upset. And then they flipped the game entirely on its head. Payton made another three, and at the 6:00 mark, Moody scored at the rim in transition, tying the game and forcing the Nuggets to call timeout.

That timeout did nothing. The Warriors got a stop, then Podziemski — who had his best quarter of the season — drained a three. Horford stole the ball from Jokić, and Podziemski made a mid-range jumper. Melton stole the ball from Braun, and a few seconds later had a transition layup. Just 1:18 after David Adelman had called timeout, he called another one, with the Warriors now leading by seven points.

The second timeout barely did anything, either. On the opening possession, Melton stole the ball from Murray, and then found Horford for yet another three. It capped a 15-0 Golden State run, and gave the Warriors a 10-point lead with just over four minutes remaining. Suddenly the Nuggets look like they had woken up in the middle of basketball game, and had no idea where they were, how they got there, or what they were supposed to do. Based on poise and execution, you wouldn’t be able to guess which team was a championship contender, and which team was missing four of their best players.

It turned into a 20-2 run, as the Dubs pushed the lead to 13 points. Their offense was mostly nonexistent in the final two minutes of the quarter, but their defense smelled blood in the water, and put the clamps on Denver. The Nuggets never got closer than nine, as the Chase Center erupted to celebrate a 128-117 win.

Moody led the scoring with 23 points on 9-for-16 shooting, including 4-for-9 from deep, and added seven rebounds and five assists in one of his better games of the year. Horford was nothing short of sensational, with 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting, including a blistering 6-for-7 from three-point range. Horford only grabbed one rebound, but dished seven assists, while recording three steals and two blocks. Despite drawing the opening assignment against Jokić, Horford didn’t commit a foul all night. Melton also hit the 20-point mark, with 20 points on 7-for-18 shooting, plus four rebounds, two assists, and a whopping four steals (Golden State had 14 on the night).

But the biggest star might have been Podziemski, who nearly had a triple-double. Podz only shot 7-for-16 from the field, but finished with 18 points, a career-high 15 rebounds, nine assists, and one steal. He was dominant all over the court in the fourth quarter, despite entering the frame just 1-for-10 from the field. But he scored 15 of the team’s 33 points in the critical frame, while being a menace on the glass and playing exceptional defense. He helped the Warriors win the bench battle 44-28.

The Warriors overcome a typically superstar performance from Jokić, who had 35 points, 20 rebounds, 12 assists, three steals, and two blocks. Murray added 21 points and Braun 18, but the Warriors forced 13 turnovers out of that star trio. Most importantly, the Nuggets shot just 8-for-31 (25.8%) from three-point range, while the Warriors, despite their cold third quarter, went 21-for-52 (40.4%).

With the win, the Warriors improve to 30-27 on the season. They now hit the road for a back-to-back in the south, visiting the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday and the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.

The Los Angeles Lakers honored former coach Pat Riley during a ceremony outside Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, Feb. 22. The ceremony concluded with the unveiling of a bronze statue of the legendary coach’s likeness.

It’s the 15th statue put up outside the arena, joining a list of notable figures from Lakers history, including Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Riley’s statue is nearly eight feet tall and weighs 510 pounds and is located between the statues of Abdul-Jabbar and Johnson, his two star players on the "Showtime" Lakers of the 1980s.

Riley did not have head coaching experience when he was promoted to head coach of the Lakers during the 1981-82 season. But Riley became the perfect fit for the Lakers during the 1980s and the "Showtime" Lakers went to seven NBA Finals under Riley, winning four championships (1982, 1985, 1987, 1988).

“This right here is off the charts of being honored,” Riley told CBS Los Angeles.”I am just so privileged to have this here.”

Here’s a look at the statue:

A Lakers icon forever enshrined. Congrats, Coach 💛 pic.twitter.com/pn8bGJtAs1

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 22, 2026

Pat Riley coaching record

Riley spent 24 years as a head coach and compiled 1,381 regular-season and playoff victories, which ranks fifth in NBA history. He has a regular season record of 1,210-694 (.636 winning percentage). In addition to his four championships with the Lakers, Riley won another title with the Miami Heat in 2006 and has added two more rings as an executive.

Is Pat Riley in the Basketball Hall of Fame?

Riley was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lakers unveil Pat Riley statue celebrating former coach

From the moment JJ Redick was hired as the Lakers’ head coach, he was compared to Pat Riley.

While some of it was just overzealousness and an attempt to hype the new man in charge, Redick does share some similarities with Riley.

For starters, both were former players who transitioned from the court to the media and then became Lakers head coaches with zero experience in that role.

Both also use a ton of hair products to keep their hair styled and, in their first season in charge, they each won 50 games.

Riley is obviously a tier above almost every coach in NBA history, Redick included, which is why the Lakers honored him on Sunday with a statue.

Still, Riley thinks the world of Redick and spoke highly of him during his press conference following the ceremony.

“I love JJ,” Riley said. “I really do. We competed against him. My teams competed against him in various teams that he played with. He’s a fiery guy. He can shoot the hell out of the ball. He was tough as nails. Sometimes I look back and I remember myself at that time and I look at JJ and I think they picked the right person.

“There’s just a quality about him, I think, that goes above and beyond. And they have a hell of a team for him right here, right now, with [Luka] Dončić and [Austin] Reaves, and, obviously, with LeBron [James]. I think Rob [Pelinka] will continue, along with the new ownership, to build that team, to complement those players. But they have a great opportunity and I think JJ will be a great coach for them.”

That’s high praise from Riley, and similarly, Redick has nothing but great things to say about him.

“I grew up watching ‘90s basketball and those Knicks and Heat teams and just how physical and tough-minded they were,” Redick said before LA took on the Clippers on Friday. “Then, obviously, played against Riles in Orlando when he was still coaching. Just the – the culture word is overused – but just a sustainable level of consistency that Miami has had since he’s been there

“What he was able to do as a head coach for the Lakers, I think it’s the North Star for any coach to be in one place for basically close to a decade and win a bunch of championships. That’s all we can ask for.”

Redick has a lot of work left to do to reach Riley’s level of infamy. But the respect is there, as is the love, and it’s great to see the current Lakers coach receiving so much adoration from one of the best to ever do it.

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

The Cleveland Cavaliers fought hard to erase an early 23-point deficit, but they weren’t able to keep up with the Oklahoma City Thunder’s hot outside shooting. The Thunder prevailed 121-113.

The starting lineup doesn’t work in every context; this is one of them. Lu Dort and Cason Wallace‘s size and strength made it difficult for Donovan Mitchell and James Harden to attack off the dribble. The rest of the starters weren’t able to do much as Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen are all play finishers and not play creators. This hurt the Cavs and was part of the reason why they turned it over seven times before the first subs entered the game.

I’m in favor of Wade starting in most situations. His defense and rebounding add a different dimension for this team. However, there are some matchups where Cleveland would be better served starting someone like Jaylon Tyson or Sam Merrill. This is one of them.

The Cavs lost the five minutes the starters shared the floor by 14. They won the other 43 minutes by six.

You don’t want to over-index one game, but outings like this are why it’s fair to wonder if Wade can be a difference maker in the playoffs.

As mentioned, this wasn’t a great matchup to use Wade as a starter. There wasn’t a player that they specifically needed him to defend. When he doesn’t have that, his utility goes down, which only highlights how he can be a limited offensive player.

The Cavs needed players who could shoot or provide some level of ball handling. Wade was hesitant to pull the trigger and isn’t an on-ball creator. He had just one field-goal attempt in 18 minutes despite the defense being more than okay to cheat off him. You’re completely handicapping your offense if neither he nor his teammates trusts him to be an active part of the offense.

The Cavs wouldn’t start Wade if they played the Thunder in a seven-game series. They’d just use him off the bench as a backup. So, again, you don’t want to make too much of this one game. But there are other matchups, like against the Detroit Pistons, where the Cavs need Wade to guard the opponent’s best player. Wade can only be placed in a spot to do so if he provides something offensively.

The Cavs need to find alternative ways to get Allen involved. After spending the last few weeks talking about how they need to get him the ball early, he took just one shot in the first quarter. As has been the pattern, this carried over for the entire game as Allen had just six field goal attempts in over 28 minutes.

The Thunder deserve some credit for this. They did a great job of collapsing passing lanes and sending help whenever Allen did get the ball. Cleveland’s poor outside shooting allowed them to gamble as much as they did. That said, the Cavs’ offense didn’t really have a way to get him the ball besides just trying to force-feed him in the pick-and-roll.

Teams know that Allen is the key to getting their offense involved, especially after the addition of Harden. Allen’s rim pressure opens the floor up for the guards and for shooters on the perimeter. But if it gets shut down, things can become stagnant like it did in Oklahoma City.

Not every team has the ability to stop Allen with a drop big as good as Isaiah Hartenstein and the perimeter defender the Thunder have. It’s not like it’s the most replicable strategy. At the same time, a team like the Pistons — who the Cavs could face in the playoffs — can do something similar with their defensive personnel.

Allen needs to be a bigger factor than he was. There’s just not many situations where the Cavs are going to beat an elite opponent if he’s held to just six shot attempts.

Keon Ellis continues to impress with his defensive effort. He finished with two steals and was once again incredibly disruptive.

There aren’t many players of his size who can alter defensive possessions as he does. Plays like the one below are an example of that.

Ellis rotates like he’s going to contest Chet Holmgren’s drive. Holmgren assumes that Ellis is going back to the wing, but instead, he comes down and forces Holmgren out of his shot. It’s not often a 6’4” guard forces a 7’1” center out of a jumper.

It’s difficult to keep someone this impactful defensively off the court.

There’s room for more Merrill and Harden two-man screening actions.

Merrill is a good screener and had his shot working on Sunday as he went 6-10 from three. Only one of those six triples was assisted by Harden, but the ease with which the shot was created makes you wonder why they don’t use it more often.

Here, a simple ghost screen from Merrill creates a wide-open look due to how much attention Harden draws to the ball. It helps that Harden can make behind-the-back passes with ease.

It can work to create open looks for Harden as well. Here, the ghost screen makes an opening for Harden to get to his patented left-handed layup.

These two have shown a natural chemistry in their first six games together. They should lean into that much more than they currently are. This has the potential to be as lethal a combination as Harden and Allen.

The spacing principles with Harden need work.

Head coach Kenny Atkinson is trying to find ways to keep elements of his movement offense while working in the isolation sets that Harden is comfortable with. In the previous five games, the Cavs were able to make that work. They weren’t on Sunday as Harden turned it over five times, with a few coming because the spacing just isn’t where it needs to be.

We talked about the starters not providing much spacing. This is an example of that. Four defenders are in the paint along with three Cavaliers when Harden committed the offensive foul.

And here, Dennis Schroder is stuck trying to relocate to the corner in the middle of Harden’s drive, which disrupts the spacing, leading to the turnover.

The Thunder are a tough matchup for Cleveland’s backcourt. There aren’t many teams that have more disruptive guard defenders than Dort and Wallace. They don’t give up many 30+ point games from an opposing guard. That means that the rest of the offense needs to be in sync, and they weren’t.

As was seen here, the Cavs’ offense has the potential to be good — and they were for stretches on Sunday — but they certainly aren’t fine-tuned yet. The spacing wasn’t great, they couldn’t find a way to get Allen involved, it’s fair to wonder where Mobley fits into the Harden offense, and the rotations are a work in progress. Games like this are going to expose those issues.

The Cavs are very much a work in progress. The talent is there, but they don’t know who they are and how they want to play enough to quite be on the Thunder’s level. In many ways, they’re trying to build the plane in the air.

Nothing from this game makes me think that the Cavs can’t reach that level. Even though the Thunder were without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, they shot uncharacteristically well from three. Making more than half of your outside shots is going to make any team incredibly tough to beat. The Cavs also didn’t do themselves any favors with the turnovers and poor shooting, yet they still had chances to win this one.

Even though they failed this test, going through struggles like this is necessary. The Cavs aren’t far off. The question is whether they have enough time to actually put all the pieces together.

Game 58. Suns n’ Blazers.

The Sacramento Kings are looking to fill their roster after losing players to injury in the last few weeks. 

Sacramento reportedly agreed to sign guard Killian Hayes to a 10-day contract deal, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Hoops Hype’s Michael Scotto. 

Hayes most recently appeared in nine games for the Cleveland Charge, the G-League affiliate of the Cleveland Cavaliers. He averaged 22.4 points and 8.5 assists in nine games. 

His last NBA appearance was during the 2024-25 season with the Brooklyn Nets, where Hayes averaged nine points in 27 minutes. He appeared in six games. 

Who is Killian Hayes?

Hayes, 25, was drafted with the seventh overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft to the Detroit Pistons. 

Hayes spent four seasons with the Pistons. His best season arguably came during the 2022-23 campaign when he posted career-highs in games played (76), points per game (10.3), assists (6.2), and steals (1.4). 

Kings add more depth

Sacramento wasn’t done after the Hayes 10-day signing. 

The team adds more depth to their roster following their announcement that recently acquired forward Deandre Hunter is ruled out for the season with ongoing left eye iritis, an injury that required surgery.

“Hunter was diagnosed with a retinal detachment in his left eye. This afternoon, Hunter underwent successful surgery to repair the injury,” the team said in a Feb. 20 news release. “Hunter is expected to make a full recovery and an update will be provided in approximately eight weeks.”

With the news of Hunter, who joined Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine to be ruled out for the final months of the season, they decided to add more depth. 

The Kings signed Patrick Baldwin Jr. to a two-way contract deal.

Baldwin, 23, most recently played for the San Diego Clippers, G-League affiliate of Los Angeles.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sacramento Kings, Killian Hayes agree to 10-day deal

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Olivia Miles scored 15 of her 26 points in the final 5:21 and finished with her fifth triple-double this season, rallying No. 12 TCU to an 80-73 victory over Iowa State on Sunday and extending the Horned Frogs' winning streak at home to 41.

TCU trailed 66-53 with 7:35 remaining before Miles took over to ensure the Horned Frogs (25-4, 13-3) tied Texas for the longest current home streak, while staying atop the Big 12 Conference with their fourth straight win.

Miles, who played at Notre Dame from 2020-2025, scored six straight points to ignite a 16-4 run capped by Taylor Bigby’s 3-pointer and TCU trailed 70-69 with 2:54 left.

Miles extended the run with a go-ahead jumper, two free throws and another jumper over the next two minutes for a five-point lead. She made 3 of 4 foul shots in the final 48 seconds as TCU outscored Iowa State 31-15 in the final quarter.

Miles missed 12 of her first 14 shots before making 6 of 7 in the fourth. She added 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Martz Suarez posted a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Clara Silva scored 11.

Audi Crooks had 22 points, six rebounds and four assists before fouling out for the Cyclones (21-7, 9-7). Jada Williams scored 15 on 6-for-23 shooting, adding 11 assists. Addy Brown chipped in with 11 points and seven rebounds.

Crooks had eight points and Iowa State led by as many as 10 in the first quarter before settling for a 24-16 advantage. Miles and Suarez both scored five in the second period to help TCU cut it to 40-34 at halftime.

Crooks had two layups in the final 1:28 of the third quarter and Iowa took a 58-49 lead into the fourth.

Up next

TCU: At Cincinnati on Wednesday.

Iowa State: Hosts Oklahoma State on Wednesday.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Raegan Beers, who averages a double-double, had 18 points and 18 rebounds in No. 11 Oklahoma's foul-filled 100-93 win over No. 21 Tennessee on Sunday.

Sahara Williams had 22 points and Aaliyah Chavez scored 19 points for the Sooners (21-6, 9-5 SEC). Payton Verhulst scored 17 points and Zya Vann added 15 as Oklahoma's starters all scored in double figures and totaled 93 points.

There were 53 fouls and 79 free-throw attempts. Oklahoma made 36 of 46 free throws and Tennessee made 23 of 33. Oklahoma made more free throws than baskets (30).

Tennessee's Jaida Civil opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer that cut Oklahoma's lead to 71-67. A few minutes later the Lady Vols were within three points before Oklahoma tacked on four free throws at the beginning of an 8-2 run.

A layup by Williams gave Oklahoma an 86-77 lead with 4:14 remaining. The Sooners attempted only two more shots the rest of the game and they scored their last 14 points on free throws.

Talaysia Cooper scored 22 points, Civil 21 and Nya Robertson 18 for Tennessee (16-10, 8-6). Civil had 10 rebounds. The freshman played 33 minutes off the bench and collected her first double-double.

Tennessee led throughout the first quarter and it was 22-20 heading to the second period. An 8-0 run got the Sooners within 30-29 and a 3-pointer from Vann gave them their only lead of the first half, 47-45 at the break.

Up next

Tennessee: The Lady Vols wrap up the regular season at No. 7 LSU on Thursday and at home against No. 5 Vanderbilt on Sunday.

Oklahoma: The Sooners host Arkansas on Thursday and visit Missouri on Sunday.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball.

Turnovers, an early deficit, and hot outside shooting from the Oklahoma City Thunder did the Cleveland Cavaliers in on Sunday afternoon. They lost their first game in February 121-113.

The stats in the table below are taken from Cleaning the Glass.

	Effective Field Goal Percentage	Offensive Rebounding Percentage	Offensive Turnover Percentage	Free Throw Rate
Cavs	55.1%, 55th percentile	31.9%, 66th percentile	17.2%, 26th percentile	15.9, 26th percentile
Thunder	61%, 84th percentile	30%, 56th percentile	16.3%, 33rd percentile	17.4, 34th percentile

Now, let’s dive into the numbers.

• The Cavs coughed it up on 37% of their possessions in the first quarter (0th percentile), leading to 17 points off turnovers. This resulted in Cleveland being down by 23 midway through the first quarter and 15 at the end of one. You can’t come out of the gates that poorly against the defending champions and expect to win on the road, regardless of who’s in the lineup.
• Cleveland turned it over just seven more times in the last three quarters, but still gave up 31 points off turnovers overall. The Cavs’ giveaways were costly. This is a Thunder team that has struggled to score in the half-court without their two best offensive players. That isn’t much of an issue if you’re able to generate that many points off turnovers.
• Donovan Mitchell and James Harden combined for eight turnovers. There’s context behind why they turned it over this much — mainly the minutes with the starting lineup were bad — but they simply needed to be better. It’s difficult to win games if your two best offensive players aren’t protecting the ball like they need to.
• Oklahoma City outscored Cleveland by 24 points from beyond the arc. The Thunder went a scorching 21-41 (51.2%, 96th percentile) from three. Meanwhile, the Cavs couldn’t get their outside shots to fall as they went 13-39 (33.3%, 35th percentile).
• The Thunder hit as many two-point shots as they did from three, 21, and did so on a worse percentage, 46.7%.
• Oklahoma City tied its third-best three-point percentage in a game and tied their fourth-most threes in a game this season. This was an exceptionally good shooting day from a team that has struggled from beyond the arc when they’re without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jaylin Williams, and Alex Caruso. On the season, OKC had shot just 34% (19th percentile) without all three on the court before Sunday.
• Sam Merrill was the exception to the Cavs’ poor shooting, going 6-10 from three. He carried Cleveland’s lifeless offense for stretches. The Cavs played their best basketball of the day when he was on the court, as he led the team in plus/minus, being a +6.
• Cavaliers outside of Merrill went just 7-29 from three (24.1%). It’s a make-or-miss league. The Cavs weren’t making their shots, this included Mitchell, who went 0-6 from beyond the arc.
• The Cavs outscored the Thunder 56-40 in the paint. Cleveland finished 72.2% of their looks at the rim (65th percentile) and 52% of their attempts in the short midrange (75th percentile). Harden and Mitchell were a big reason why, as they went 13-17 (76.5%) inside the paint. Their ability to score inside kept them in the game.
• Cleveland’s bench scored 47 points. Merrill (20 points) and Dennis Schroder (11 points) contributed to the Cavs’ reserves outscoring the Thunder’s 47-37.
• Jarrett Allen took just one shot in the first quarter. The Cavs have talked a lot about why it’s important to get Allen involved early. They weren’t able to do so as he registered no first-quarter points.
• The starting front court didn’t score until four and a half minutes into the second quarter. The Thunder’s two-big configuration of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein outplayed Evan Mobley and Allen. OKC’s starting duo combined for 30 points, 22 rebounds, and three blocks in 60 combined minutes. Cleveland’s duo had 26 points, 15 rebounds, and no blocks in their 54 minutes. The Cavs lost this matchup.
• Going along with that, the Thunder outscored the Cavs 17-8 in second-chance points. The Thunder grabbed only one more offensive rebound. They made the absolute most of their opportunities, as they did with their points off turnovers.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Jaloni Cambridge scored 33 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter, and No. 10 Ohio State used a 15-0 run to rally for a 88-83 victory over Southern California on Sunday.

It was Cambridge's fifth 30-point game this season. The sophomore was 12 of 21 from the field and 8 of 9 from the line as the Buckeyes (23-5, 11-4) snapped a two-game losing streak.

Cambridge also had three steals and forced USC to commit a season-high 25 turnovers as the Trojans (17-10, 9-7 Big Ten) had their six-game winning streak come to a close.

USC's Jazzy Davidson scored a season-high 32 points, including six 3-pointers, before fouling out with 1.1 second left. The freshman also had six rebounds and four assists.

Ohio State's Chance Gray had 16 points and Kennedy Cambridge scored 14 points and four steals before fouling out with 4:06 remaining.

Kennedy Smith had 18 points and Dayana Mendes 13 for the Trojans.

There were 13 lead changes and six ties before Ohio State took control.

The Buckeyes trailed 65-61 early in the fourth quarter before going on their decisive run. Jaloni Cambridge had seven points as Ohio State was 5 of 7 from the field while USC committed four turnovers.

The Trojans missed their first seven shots in the fourth quarter and had an 8:17 drought from the field. They made a late surge to get within 86-83 on a 3-pointer by Mendes with 2 seconds remaining, but Cambridge made a pair of free throws after being fouled by Davidson to make it a two-possession game.

Ohio State was 23 of 28 from the foul line. The attempts were a season-high while the makes were one off from tying it.

Up next

USC: At Penn State on Wednesday.

Ohio State: Hosts No. 6 Michigan on Wednesday.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball.