ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Cameron Carr scored 26 points and Obi Agbim hit the winning free throw with 1.3 seconds left to give Baylor an 87-86 victory over UCF on Saturday night.
UCF used a 17-6 run, capped by Devan Cambridge's two free throws, to knot it 86-all with 25 seconds left.
Following timeouts from both sides with 3.2 seconds remaining, Agbim was fouled by Riley Kugel on a 3-point attempt. Agbim missed his first free throw but made the second, and then purposely shot at the front of the rim on the final attempt to run out the clock.
Carr was 6 of 13 from the floor, 4 of 8 from long range and made all 10 of his free-throw attempts. It was his second consecutive game scoring 26 points. Dan Skillings Jr. added 15 points, Isaac Williams IV had 14 and Agbim finished with 12 for Baylor (15-14, 5-11 Big 12).
Tounde Yessoufou scored nine and has 511 points this season, breaking the previous program record (509) for points by a freshman. He also grabbed eight of the Bears' 35 rebounds.
Kugel scored a career-high 26 points to lead UCF (20-8, 9-7).
Baylor took the lead about midway through the first half, and closed on a 12-6 surge for a 56-42 halftime advantage. The Bears never trailed in the second half.
Up next
Baylor: The Bears play at No. 5 Houston on Wednesday.
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Brian Schwake had two saves for Nashville SC on Saturday night in a 0-0 tie with FC Dallas.
Matthew Corcoran, a 20-year-old midfielder who made his first start of the season and the fourth of his career, was shown his second yellow card in the 84th minute and Nashville (1-0-1) played a man down the rest of the way.
Schwake, who had his first shutout in his second MLS start, made a diving stop of a shot by Anderson Julio from outside the area in the first minute of stoppage time.
Michael Collodi had a save for Dallas (1-0-1).
Nashville had 54% possession but was outshot 10-7, 2-1 on target.
Joaquín Valiente made his MLS debut when he subbed on for Patrickson Delgado in the 62nd minute.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - FEBRUARY 28: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks to pass the ball during the game against the Golden State Warriors on February 28, 2026 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Listen, there are losses you see coming, and then there are losses that still somehow feel like catching a stray. The Golden State Warriors fell 129-101 to the Los Angeles Lakers Friday night, and honestly? The box score is doing them a favor by not including the vibe. IT WAS DEPRESSING.
Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Kristaps Porzingis all missed the game. And without that super trio, Golden State sent a crew of guys who were genuinely trying out there and got reminded, rather loudly, that trying only gets you so far against a team built different.
Oh, and it just happened to be Luka Doncic’s birthday. Cool timing, Warriors.
Luka turned in a 26-point, 8-assist, 6-rebound gift-wrapped performance and looked like a man who specifically requested a Warriors beatdown on his birthday cake. 4-of-9 from three, efficient when it mattered, and just different enough from the Luka we’ve seen lately to make it sting a little extra. Happy birthday, big fella. The Dubs paid for the party.
The Warriors starters were a collective nightmare. Draymond Green went -30 in 24 minutes. That’s not a plus/minus for the future Hall-of-Famer, that’s a hostage situation. De’Anthony Melton shot 3-of-12 from the field Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody combined to go 8-of-23 in an effort that showed they definitely have growing to do. The bench tried (Gary Payton II had a sneaky 12 points, Malevy Leons showed some life ) but this was a waves-on-a-sinking-ship situation.
Barkley sarcastically apologizes to the Lakers, says they’re serious contenders.
The Lakers? 53% from the field, 46% from three, 47 rebounds. LeBron James cooked for 22 in 28 minutes and didn’t even break a sweat. Austin Reaves tossed in 18 like it was a pick-up game in his driveway.
And look, no one’s blaming the guys who suited up. They competed with the wrong tools for the job. You can’t ask a backup band to headline Madison Square Garden and then wonder why the crowd left early. This is the Warriors’ reality right now: impossibly gutsy when the moment calls for it, impossibly limited when the moment calls for stars. Curry changes every single calculation on both ends. Without him, the math just doesn’t work.
Watching this Warriors Lakers blowout should make everyone watching realize tha Stephen Curry deserves MVP every year
Both of the Lakers’ stars flirted with triple-double performances but sat out the latter part of the second half. Doncic was celebrating his 27th birthday on Saturday.
Austin Reaves contributed to the offense with 18 points.
Los Angeles snapped a three-game losing streak that had it entering this game just 1-3 following the All-Star break.
The Lakers improved to 35-24 on the season. The Warriors fell to 31-29.
LeBron James stats vs. Warriors
Points: 22
FG: 7-for-13
3PT: 4-for-6
Free Throws: 4-for-5
Rebounds: 7
Assists: 9
Steals: 1
Blocks: 0
Turnovers: 4
Fouls: 1
Minutes: 28
Luka Doncic stats vs. Warriors
Points: 26
FG: 9-for-17
3PT: 4-for-9
Free Throws: 4-for-4
Rebounds: 6
Assists: 8
Steals: 1
Blocks: 1
Turnovers: 2
Fouls: 2
Minutes: 29
How did Lakers celebrate Doncic's birthday?
After the Lakers' victory over the Warriors, Doncic told ESPN what he received for his birthday from his teammates.
DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 25: Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves is guarded by Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets on December 25, 2025 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets Date: March 1st, 2026 Time: 2:30 PM CST Location: Ball Arena Television Coverage: ABC Radio Coverage: Wolves App, iHeart Radio
After a relatively mundane month of February, the kind where the Timberwolves looked like they were physically present but spiritually on a beach somewhere, March is kicking the door down with a steel chair.
This is the month where the standings stop being a fun little scoreboard and start feeling like a knife fight. March is the month where you look up and realize you have 20-something games left and every dumb January faceplant is now sitting in the corner like a credit card bill you ignored.
And it starts Sunday afternoon with the Denver Nuggets. National TV. Two conference heavyweights. Two franchises that have spent the last few years taking turns trying to rip each other’s souls out in the playoffs. Anthony Edwards versus Nikola Jokic.
This is more than just a standings game. It’s a pride game. It’s the type of game where Wolves fans will either spend the rest of Sunday walking around the house like they’re ten feet tall… or staring at the wall trying to remember why they chose this life.
The Wolves have been building toward this moment. They survived the first two stops of this road trip against the Blazers and Clippers, even though both of those wins were more stressful than they had any right to be. But they won. They banked the wins. And now they arrive at the prizefight. They get to stare straight at the Nuggets and say: We’re coming for your spot.
Denver is vulnerable in a way that makes this feel even bigger. Jokic has missed time this year. Aaron Gordon, one of most underappreciated “essential” players in the league, has been sidelined with a hamstring. He might be back Sunday, but even if he plays, he’s almost certainly not going to be peak Gordon. Denver’s had some uneven weeks. They’ve felt human.
The problem, of course, is that their version of “human” is still: Nikola Jokic sauntering into a triple-double like it’s his morning coffee order. The Wolves know that better than anyone, because Denver has taken all three meetings this season. Their most recent victory was Christmas Day, when the Nuggets built a commanding lead, the Wolves summoned that 2024 Game 7 comeback energy, Ant hit yet another clutch shot to force overtime… and then Denver still walked away with the win like the villain in a movie who gets shot and keeps walking.
This is Minnesota’s final chance to avoid the regular-season sweep. It’s also their chance to leapfrog Denver in the standings and finally stop spending the entire season looking up at them like the Nuggets are some mountain peak the Wolves can’t quite climb.
#1: Play Team Defense Like It’s 2024 Again
The Wolves didn’t beat Denver in that 2024 playoff series because they had one magic trick. They beat them because they played connected defense with five guys moving like a single organism. That version of Minnesota has shown up this season… in brief flashes. Most notably in their last game against OKC, when they swarmed the champs like they’d been personally insulted.
“In flashes” doesn’t work against Denver. If you help lazily, Jokic finds the open guy. If you ball-watch, Murray’s got a dagger in your chest before you realize he’s open. If you rotate late, you’re giving up layups and corner threes all afternoon.
This starts on the perimeter, where the Wolves guards need to put Jamal Murray in a straight jacket keep him from going on one of his patented heaters. They need to rotate with purpose and prevent Jokic from setting up his teammates with open threes and easy cuts. The guards have to actually contain dribble penetration so Rudy isn’t living in emergency mode.
And then it ends with Rudy. Which brings us to…
#2: You Can’t Stop Jokic, But You Can Make Him Miserable
There’s no stopping Jokic. He’s the best player on the planet for a reason. You survive him. You limit the damage. You pick your poison and hope the poison is only mildly lethal.
Minnesota has done this before. The blueprint is still sitting right there in the 2024 playoff tape. It starts with Rudy Gobert being Rudy Gobert, making the paint feel crowded and annoying. Jokic wants to dictate where you stand and what you do. Rudy has to resist that gravity.
And then you throw bodies at him. Julius Randle has to use his size like a bounce He’s not going to out-skill Jokic, but he can out-physical him at moments. Naz Reid needs to bring help as the second big, and use his ability to launch from deep and drive to space the floor to keep Jokic uncomfortable on defense.
The goal isn’t to hold Jokic to 14 points. The goal is to make him work, make him feel every possession, and most importantly, prevent him from going nuclear like he did on Christmas. Because once Jokic hits that mode where he’s scoring, assisting, and controlling the universe, it may as well be “game over”.
#3: The Ball Has to Move, and the Shots Have to Drop
Thursday night in LA was a slog. The Wolves offense looked like it was trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube while wearing oven mitts. Shots rimmed out, possessions died, and everything got sticky.
Sticky offense against Denver is how you lose by 12 and spend the fourth quarter doing math like, “If we just hit three straight threes and get two stops and Jokic misses twice…“
Minnesota’s best version is when the offense has flow with Ant and Randle as scorers and facilitators, allowing shooters to get clean looks in rhythm. It keeps their teammates engaged, cutting and moving with purpose instead of standing around watching hero ball.
If Ant and Julius turn into black holes, they’re playing into Denver’s hands. Denver wants the Wolves to make it a two-man show. They want predictable. The Wolves have to play like a five-headed monster. They have too many weapons to reduce themselves to “Ant bails us out.”
But, when the open looks come? Donte, Naz, Jaden, Ayo, and the rest of the crew have to make them.
#4: Win the Boring Stuff
Big games are decided by the stuff that doesn’t make the highlight reel.
Rebounding: You cannot give Denver second chances. On the flip side, Rudy turning misses into putbacks is a cheat code. It’s how you survive stretches where the jumpers go cold.
Turnovers: Guarding Jokic is already difficult enough. Erasing a hard-earned defensive stop by coughing the ball up and allowing an easy transition basket is demoralizing.
Free throws: Minnesota cannot keep leaving points at the line like it’s some quirky personality trait. Against Denver, you don’t get to throw away free points and then act shocked you lost by four.
This is the game where you have to play grown-up basketball.
#5: You Need Peak Ant and Peak Julius
Let’s start with Julius Randle.
He’s been in a funk. There have been games where he looks like he’s wearing ankle weights on defense.
But here’s the truth: the Wolves don’t have another option. They need Beast Julius, the guy who can bully smaller defenders, collapse the paint, make smart kickouts, and occasionally remind everyone he’s capable of turning a quarter into his personal WWE match. If Minnesota gets that version of Julius, the game tilts.
And then there’s Ant.
Ant is going to have moments where he has to put on the cape, but Chris Finch was begging him late against the Clippers to move the ball for a reason. There were possessions where the Wolves were up four with a chance to create meaningful separation, Ant dribbled the clock down, forced an inefficient shot, missed, and suddenly LA was scoring before Minnesota even set its defense. It happened multiple times. That hero ball worked against a depleted Clippers team. It will not work against Jokic.
This is the distinction: we don’t need Superman. We need the Avengers.
Ant has to be the best version of himself, the one who scores but also makes everyone else better. The one whose gravity bends the floor and creates clean looks for the Wolves’ talent snipers. The one who wins the game in the first three quarters so the fourth quarter isn’t a coin flip.
This Is the “Flip the Script” Opportunity
The Wolves have spent most of this season looking up at Denver in the standings. Sunday is the chance to flip that dynamic. It’s the chance to change the season-series story. It’s the chance to take a big step toward that three-seed dream that keeps popping up every time Minnesota strings together a few wins. It’s the chance to set the tone for March, a month that’s going to be a gauntlet of West Coast road games, heavyweight matchups, and real tests.
If you’re a Wolves fan, you know how this goes. The Wolves are capable of beating anybody. They’ve proven it. They can look like a contender with a capital C.
They can also sleepwalk, get disinterested, treat the moment like it’s optional, and wake up too late.
So the game is simple:
If they bring the switch-on defense,
if they make Jokic work,
if the ball moves and the shots fall,
if they win the boring stuff,
and if Ant and Julius play like leaders instead of solo artists…
…they can win this game. They can take the standing spot. They can plant the flag.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - FEBRUARY 28: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks to pass the ball during the game against the Golden State Warriors on February 28, 2026 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
After three straight losses, the Lakers got a sorely-needed win on Saturday, crushing the Warriors 129-101. LA led nearly wire-to-wire, hit a season-high 19 3-pointers and cruised to a very comfortable victory.
The purple and gold shot 53.3% overall and held Golden State to just 27.3% from range.
The game started with a Draymond Green dunk after both teams missed their first two shot attempts. Austin Reaves was cooking early with four points. Both LeBron James and Marcus Smart drained 3-pointers. Los Angeles jumped to an eight-point lead.
At the 7:43 mark, the Warriors were sitting on only two points.
Out of a Golden State timeout, Moses Moody knocked down a triple. The Lakers were having a great game from behind the arc, converting on five of seven attempts. LeBron was a perfect 2-2 on his triples.
The Lakers are hot from 3 early, hitting 5 of 7, including LeBron's 2 for 2, but allowed 3 quick layups to GSW in transition after Lakers makes that kept the Warriors in range at 23-11.
Gary Payton II provided a spark off the bench for the Warriors with four points. Reaves was leading all Laker scorers with nine points. Golden State picked up its play towards the end of the quarter by scoring four in a row, but LA was still in control of the game with a 13-point lead.
The second period began with Los Angeles converting on two 3-pointers, one from Luke Kennard and one from LeBron, extending their lead to 21, which led to a timeout by Golden State.
LA continued to extend its lead over the Warriors to as much as 24. LeBron was still a perfect 4-4 from behind the arc. He and Reaves were the only Lakers in double figures with 14 and 11, respectively.
The Warriors began to find their offense with a 13-2 scoring run, while Los Angeles suddenly went cold from the field.
LA ended the quarter well, stopping Golden State’s scoring run to keep an 18-point lead at halftime. The Lakers managed to play well despite Luka Dončić scoring just10 points in the half.
Good half for the Lakers, who take a 65-47 lead into the locker room.
LA hit 9 of 17 3's, including a perfect 4 for 4 from LeBron (20 points), and held GSW to 40% FG's.
Luka began the third period by draining two 3-pointers in a row. Ayton then converted on a hook shot to push it to a 26-point lead for Los Angeles. After Golden State knocked down two triples, Luka responded with two more 3-pointers as he was red-hot from behind the arc.
The Warriors were shooting a brutal 22% from behind the arc.
LA’s incredible night from behind the arc continued with Jake LaRavia and Reaves both draining 3-pointers. As a team, Los Angeles was shooting 51% from the three.
Gui Santos surged with seven points, trying to put some life back into the Warriors. Kennard entered double figures after converting on a jumper. The Lakers had extended their lead to as much as 30 and headed into the fourth comfortably ahead.
Most serious game the Lakers have played in a while
LeBron opened the final frame converting on a pair of free throws. Kennard knocked down his third triple of the night. Maxi Kleber started to get in on the scoring with four points. Moody and LaRavia exchanged triples, prompting a Warriors timeout. They were down by 31.
Both sides emptied their bench with just over half the period remaining.
Key Player Stats
Luka finished with 26 points, six rebounds and eight assists. LeBron ended with 22 points, seven rebounds and nine assists. Reaves pitched in with 18 points and three assists.
Kennard continued his stellar play off the bench with 16 points, three rebounds and three assists. Marcus Smart notched eight points with five rebounds and two steals. Jaxson Hayes scored six points with five rebounds.
Ayton had a rough offensive night with four points but did grab 10 rebounds. LaRavia pitched in with 15 points, five rebounds and three assists. Kleber had four points with three blocks.
The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday at 6:30 PM PT.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Diego Rossi scored late in the second half to offset a two-goal effort by Dejan Joveljić, rallying the Columbus Crew to a 2-2 draw with Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night.
Rossi found the net unassisted in the 82nd minute to help the Crew (0-1-1) earn a point on the road after falling 3-2 to the Portland Timbers in a season opener in Oregon.
Wessam Abou Ali scored in a second straight match, finding the net unassisted off a turnover in the 33rd minute to stake Columbus to a 1-0 lead that it carried into halftime.
Sporting KC (0-1-1) pulled even three minutes into the second half when Joveljić used assists from Jake Davis and Calvin Harris to score the club's first goal of the season. Joveljić had 18 goals in 32 appearances last season after coming over from the 2024 MLS Cup champion Los Angeles Galaxy.
Joveljić gave Sporting KC a 2-1 lead with an unassisted goal in the 72nd minute.
Patrick Schulte stopped two shots in goal for the Crew — in their first season under Henrik Rydstrom after Wilfried Nancy left to coach in Scotland.
John Pulskamp totaled three saves for Sporting KC, which was coming off a 3-0 road loss to the San Jose Earthquakes to begin the season under first-year coach Raphael Wicky.
Sporting KC is 5-2-9 in home openers at Sporting Park and 16-4-11 in home openers all time.
Sporting KC has a 7-2-4 record in the last 13 matchups with the Crew and leads the all-time series 26-23-10, including a 14-9-5 mark at home.
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said on social media Saturday that the school is working to try and help a few former players return home from Israel where they are playing professionally.
The trio of former Gamecocks — Tiffany Mitchell, Destiny Littleton and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan — as well as other former WNBA players are playing basketball in Israel, which along with the United States, launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday.
“Please pray for our @GamecockWBB @TiffMitch25 @2121Mikiah @dstnylttltn24 who are in a war zone in Israel,” Staley said on X. "We are working a plan to get home. Let us pray for our loved ones to return home safely asap! Thank you in advance.”
Mitchell played last season in Seattle, while Harrigan was on the Phoenix Mercury. Other players in the Israeli league with WNBA ties include Victoria Vivians, Christyn Williams, Shyanne Sellers, Arella Guirantes and Evina Westbrook.
“It’s 12:48 am and I’m going to attempt to get some sleep,” Littleton tweeted. “Prayers for safety for everyone impacted.”
SANDY, Utah (AP) — Teenager Aiden Hezarkhani scored his first career goal, Ariath Piol scored early in the second half and Real Salt Lake continued to dominate the Sounders at home with a 2-1 victory on Saturday.
Real Salt Lake (1-1-0) improves to 14-1-4 when the Sounders (1-1-0) visit America First Field. Seattle hasn't won in Sandy since winning a U.S. Open Cup match in 2016.
Hezarkhani staked Real Salt Lake to a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute, scoring with assists from defender Juan Manuel Sanabria — in his league debut — and Luca Moisa. Hezarkhani, 18, played 57 minutes in two appearances last season.
Piol made it 2-0 two minutes into the second half with assists from 18-year-old Zavier Gozo and defender Philip Quinton. Piol had a goal and two assists in 24 appearances as a rookie last season. Quinton's assist was his first in 50 career appearances. Gozo's assist was his first this season and fourth in 29 career appearances.
Seattle cut its deficit to a goal when Cristian Roldan took a pass from Albert Rusnák and found the net in the 62nd minute.
That was it for the Sounders in their first match since learning Jordan Morris would miss 4-to-6 weeks with a quad injury he suffered eight minutes into a season-opening 2-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids in Seattle.
Rafael Cabral saved eight shots for Real Salt Lake as the 35-year-old begins his second season in the league.
Andrew Thomas finished with two saves for the Sounders as mainstay Stefan Frei moves into a backup role.
Dec 5, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Ryan Nembhard (9) drives to the basket around Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Dallas is set to host the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, their final home game before playing eight of their next nine games on the road.
OKC is fresh off a hard-fought OT victory against conference foes Denver, while Dallas is coming off an equally crucial matchup against Memphis, and it’s safe to say both teams were pretty happy with the outcomes of their last games.
This matchup should prove to be a much easier walk for both teams to get where they’d like to go, as Oklahoma has defeated Dallas twice already this season, the last victory coming in the form of a 21-point drubbing back in early December. Though with Dallas owning the Thunder’s first this season (currently the 29th pick as Detroit has the league’s best winning percentage), Thunder losses should also be of interest to Mavs fans with an eye towards the future
Flaggless in Dallas
Even in a season where the goal isn’t to compete for a championship, or even a postseason birth for that matter, when you have a player like Cooper Flagg put together a historic rookie performance, there’s still reason for engaged viewing. It’s unlikely that Flagg, who’s been out of action since the All Star break with a foot injury, will return to the floor quite yet. He’s officially a game-time decision as of this writing.
That’s all well and good, but for fans’ sake, hopefully at least some of the younger core will be back in action after nearly all of them were out for the Memphis game. With no Flagg and Derek Lively out for the season, the only young guys Mavs fans have to watch in hopes of future development are the recently re-signed Ryan Nembhard and perhaps Marvin Bagley, should the Org see fit to keep him around after this season.
A perfect storm
For a team like Oklahoma City, going 6-and-4 over their last 10 games is a bout as close to a “slump” as you’re going to get. Comparing the team’s performance in wins and losses over those games, it’s actually remarkable how little difference there is in how the Thunder perform, suggesting that Thunder losses are more about opponent overperformance than their own underperformance. Field goal attempts, rebounds, free throw attempts are all about equal between wins and losses for Oklahoma City.
About the only notable difference is, in their wins, the Thunder take fewer threes and shoot about 8% better from the floor, and their opponents score about 108 points versus scoring just 115 in games they lose.
So I suppose the blueprint for beating the Thunder is to try and catch them on an off shooting night where they’re settling for more threes and hope your own team gets a little hot. Otherwise, good luck to you.
About the on
Dwight Powell, Mr. Maverick
They’ll never make me hate you, Dwight Powell. From Rondo-trade throw-in, to putting up historically efficient offensive numbers (his 2021-22 season is second all-time for Ortg), to a guy who has survived every roster shakeup since the Nowitzki era. He’s gotten to where he is by never trying to do more than he was capable of, filling a specific role, and being the ultimate team-first kind of guy. Who is more deserving to just go out there and run amok for a while? Powell’s three-point shooting experiment ended after 2018-19 (a big reason his offensive efficiency spiked after that), and the most he’s taken in a season since then is 39. Fewer than one attempt every two games. He’s had five or fewer the past three seasons, on only three so far this year. Let him shoot. He should work to surpass his season’s worth of three-point attempts in a single game. Also, I want to see if Adam Silver considers letting Dwight Powell shoot seven threes in a game worthy of a fine for anti-competitive practices.
How to watch/listen
You can watch the game at 7:00 pm on KFAA Channel 29 or MAVS TV (streaming), or listen at 97.1FM KEGL (English), and 99.1FM KFZO (Spanish).
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - FEBRUARY 26: Jonathan Kuminga #0 of the Atlanta Hawks reacts during the third quarter against the Washington Wizards at State Farm Arena on February 26, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After a lengthy saga, Jonathan Kuminga was finally traded from the Golden State Warriors to the Atlanta Hawks at the trade deadline in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis. In his first game with the Hawks a 119-98 win over Trae Young’s Washington Wizards, Kuminga logged 27 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals in 24 minutes. Considering how tumultuous his time with the Warriors was, this was great to see — especially because Kuminga is only 23 years old, and the sky is the limit for the young forward. Kuminga started off so promising for Golden State, so it’s great to see that a change of scenery seemed to help his game.
On his podcast, Draymond Green had this to say:
“Incredible, incredible game.
JK was just getting out and running. [When the Hawks are] hitting him in transition, he gets to it. Once he gets downhill and he gets dunks, then the three-ball starts falling…Just a beautiful game and I’m happy to see it.
I actually talked to him the night before on FaceTime. I’m like, “Man, when are you playing?” He’s like, “I’m at it tomorrow, big bro. I’m back tomorrow night.” I’m like, “Let’s get it.” And, you know, the young fella came out with 27 [points]. What a great debut. Happy to see him playing. Happy to see him smiling.”
With a new young core emerging for the Hawks following Trae Young’s departure to the Washington Wizards, there’s a chance that Kuminga may thrive in a starting role, or at least lead the bench mob.
“I just want to see the young fella keep it going,” Green said. “I know he will. Just continue to get better man. Take advantage of the opportunity. New beginnings don’t come around often, so you’ve got to take advantage of them when you get them.”
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Timo Werner assisted on a goal in his MLS debut on Saturday night and the San Jose Earthquakes beat Atlanta United 2-0.
Preston Judd and Ousseni Bouda each scored a goal for San Jose.
Judd gave San Jose a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute. Following an Atlanta turnover in its defensive half, Jamar Ricketts raced to the left corner of the 18-yard box and lobbed a cross to the front post, where Judd skipped a header into the net.
Werner, a 29-year-old forward acquired in late January, made his MLS debut when he subbed on for Judd in the 61st minute and quickly made an impact.
On the counter-attack in the 79th minute, Werner played a cross from the right side to a charging Bouda for a half-volley finish from point-blank range that made it 2-0.
The Earthquakes (2-0-0) had just 45% possession but outshot Atlanta 13-8, 6-1 on target.
Daniel De Sousa Britto — known simply as “Daniel” — had a save and recorded his second consecutive shutout.
Lucas Hoyos had four saves for Atlanta (0-2-0). The 36-year-old Hoyo replaced 41-year-old Brad Guzan, who retired at the end of last season after making 225 appearances over the club’s first nine MLS seasons.
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 28: Jamal Shead #23 of the Toronto Raptors plays defense during the game against the Washington Wizards on February 28, 2026 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Washington Wizards returned home on Saturday for a contest against the Toronto Raptors. Washington led by three at halftime but succumbed to Toronto’s second-half surge in its 134-125 loss.
Washington made five of its first eight 3-pointers to begin the game and shot 7-13 from deep in the opening quarter. Jamir Watkins, who didn’t play in the Wizards’ 126-96 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday, made his first two triples, as did Jaden Hardy, who bounced back after a 5-for-19 shooting display in his last showing.
Bilal Coulibaly starred in the first half, tallying 11 points, four rebounds and four assists, all of which were team highs at the time. The Raptors trimmed Washington’s 13-point advantage to just three at halftime, with the score 64-61 entering the second half.
Kyshawn George continued his perfect shooting by knocking down a 34-foot three before dunking through contact on the ensuing offensive possession to give him 14 points on 5-for-5 shooting. But George missed his next two shots, and as he cooled off, so did the Wizards.
Will Riley made some nifty passes in the third quarter to pull Washington back, but Toronto’s improved effort gave it a 98-92 lead entering the final frame.
The Wizards rested four of their five starters — George, Coulibaly, Bub Carrington and Tre Johnson — for the entire fourth quarter as the Raptors pulled away. Johnson (ankle sprain) and George (knee contusion) were on minutes restrictions, coach Brian Keefe said pregame.
Washington competed for four quarters for the first time in four games, but it wasn’t enough as they fell to the Raptors, 134-125. Riley scored a team-high 19 points on 6-10 FG.
Feb 28, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra reacts against the Houston Rockets during the second quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Signs of life against another Florida team might have been premature. The Rockets were largely outsmarted today by the Heat. You might say Miami nightlife is undefeated, and that playing at 3:30 in the afternoon was never going to work out well for the young Rockets, but there might have been a little more on display today than that. Or a lot less.
What I mean by that is, over the Rockets past 20 games, roughly 1/4 of an NBA season, and 1/3 of the games they’ve played so far, the team has an NBA average number of points or above, about 114 points, exactly five times. One was an overtime game they lost to the 76ers. But let’s count it. That means the Rockets did not reach NBA average scoring in 75% of those games. The other teams against whom they exceeded average, just average, scoring: Indiana, New Orleans, Utah and Sacramento. Those are all terrible teams, two are tanking deliberately and those teams have managed 65 combined wins this season, with none of them above 18.
Looked at another way, the Rockets have managed to break NBA average scoring exactly one time, or in 5% of their games, in the past 20, against a decent NBA opponent. Once.
That’s, frankly, inadequate offense.
You might want to blame this on the players, and to an extent it’s true, I think. You might want to blame it on the style of play, and the utter lack of offensive structure or purpose. I’d apportion that blame 25% Players 75% Coaching and Approach. Your view may differ and you are most welcome to it. There’s no guarantee I’m right.
The most positive thing for the Rockets long term, though, is that I am right. If the players are the heart of the problem, the future of the Rockets as a legitimate contender is in deep trouble. Unless more development occurs. It’s hard to see offensive development at the moment, as many of the young Rockets have flatlined, or declined as offensive players under Ime Udoka. You can blame them for their own decline, that’s certainly one approach. One I disagree with.
Why was 20 year old Alperen Sengun a more efficient player under Stephen Silas of all people? In Silas’ last season Sengun had a 60 True Shooting Percentage. It declined slightly in Udoka’s first season to 59% (rounding up both times). Now it seems stuck at 55% over the past two seasons, and currently falling. Why isn’t a maturing player getting better? Character flaw? Laziness? What changed? It’s a general rule of thumb that players tend to get better until around age 26-28. That isn’t happening. It’s not happening with most of them. Why?
It’s easy enough to blame the players, until you realize that even with one of the all time scoring greats, playing very well, the Rockets, as a team, have not broken average scoring against any but essentially the absolute weakest of NBA teams for 95% of the past 20 games, amounting to 1/3 of their season. Is the whole team at fault, individually, as bad players? Or is it something else? Because that’s simply woeful offensive output. One player playing more hasn’t fixed it. Why? In my view, because the problem is systemic.
On to today’s version of “Lather, Rinse, Repeat”.
The Rockets play two games against Miami every season. You can almost set your clock to them being outsmarted by the Heat in one of those games. Lately, despite a recent Finals appearance, Miami has been good, not great, or even below average. That’s something you might very well blame on their players, or rather the talent level, as they are never poorly coached. But they are awake. Miami’s front office, and their head coach Eric Spoelstra,seem capable of seeing the team’s flaws, and taking steps to fix them.
Miami hired former Memphis lead assistant, and Ja Morant casualty, Noah LaRoche to teach them his motion, largely pick and roll free, offense. This, to me, was Spoelstra’s recognition that his approach simply wasn’t producing enough points. Has it worked? In a word, yes. Miami is averaging above the NBA average of 114 points per game, at 119. Last season, with essentially the same crew, minus norm Powell, they scored 110 on average. It might be just due to Powell, but seeing how many times that offense mismatched the Rockets without a pick, I’m dubious. In my view, due to positive coaching action, their offense is far better. A talent problem still remains if a team’s best player is Bam Adebayo.
I would argue that Miami boasts a lot less talent than the Rockets. Yet, once again, the Rockets got outsmarted and outplayed by the Heat. Sure, the Rockets have injuries, and it’s fair to mention it. But in the 4th quarter the Rockets simply got stonewalled by a zone defense. Again. They had no answer except to charge into 2-4 defenders and put up a terrible shot, over and over and over. This lead to predictably bad results, minus HoF player Kevin Durant, who took, but made, similarly awful shots.
There are ways to beat a zone. Good high school teams have zone buster sets, and attacks. The Rockets appear to lack any such thing. Still if the zone defense is good, and Miami’s is very good, and mobile, then there are certain things that must happen to break it.
One is, get behind it with baseline cuts, and player movement without the ball into the back of the zone, and either shoot, or pass it out when the zone reacts by converging at the rim.
Nope, the Rockets didn’t do that. Nobody moves.
Another is to overload the zone, and either find a screen for a shot in the overload, or whip the ball back to the non overloaded side that could be open.
No. Again, no player movement from the Rockets, they just stand, “spaced out” watching a one on four attack. Why the team stands around like that, as there isn’t a player really capable of a drive and kick attack most of the time (I include Reed, Amen AND Fred VanVleet in this assessment) baffles me.
Another is to set up a distributor in the middle of the paint, and have players cut into or out of the zone. The idea is to force coverage of the player in the paint, and then catch the zone out of position with passes out, or attacks by that player.
Nah. That speaks to purpose. Of recognizing a likely problem, and having a solution ready. Miami’s “go to” change up is always a zone defense of some sort. The waited around in a close game, until the 4th quarter, then went to it and choked the Rockets out. The Rockets managed a losing 22 points in the 4th.
Another is to attack the rim, and then kick the ball to shooters, or cutters, having, again, pulled the zone out of shape and forced help.
Well, the Rockets certainly attacked into the teeth of the zone. They didn’t pass out, and no one moved, cut, or followed those attacks. They stood around waiting for offensive rebounds, as if those, rather than baskets, were the goal. (There are other zone breaking methods, of course, but rest assured, we saw none of those, either.)
The good news is that the Rockets lost their lead in the 3rd quarter, late. So they did not add a 12th blown 4th quarter lead to their already commanding 11 blown 4th quarter leads. Nice to be far out ahead of the pack of literally any good NBA team in something, right? (Pelicans are next with 9 such blown leads. The average is about 4.)
This looked like most other Rockets losses. The defense holds yet another opponent below NBA average points, but loses because the Rockets themselves can barely break 100 points against all but the worst of the NBA.
I wish I had more sunshine for you, but that’s what I’m seeing. With no change in sight, and no recognition, at least publicly, that change is needed. The Rockets have enough raw talent to hang around third in the Western Conference. But they could be so much more.
Philadelphia center Joel Embiid, who has already missed 28 games this season, will miss at least three more after an MRI revealed an oblique strain, the team announced Saturday.
Embiid was bothered by his oblique during Thursday night's win over Miami, even going back to the locker room for a short stint after being hit by Kel'el Ware. Embiid returned to the game and hit a clutch 3-pointer in the final minute, but did not speak to reporters after the game (and coach Nick Nurse had no update on his condition.
Embiid had played in the 76ers' last two games after missing the previous five with knee and shin issues. When he has played, he has been brilliant this season, averaging 26.6 points and 7.5 rebounds a game. Philadelphia, currently the No. 6 seed in the East (1.5 games ahead of Orlando and the play-in), and it needs a healthy Embiid to have a shot to pull off an upset in the playoffs.
