Category: NBA

While the anticipation for a primetime heavyweight bout was warranted, the Knicks never came close to resembling a threat to the Cavaliers with crucial playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference at stake.

The fatal combination of poor three-point shooting, costly turnovers, and jumbled defense knocked the Knicks out early on Tuesday night at Rocket Arena, and head coach Mike Brown didn't bother to describe the 109-94 loss with any fancy adjectives. He cut right to the chase.

"An ugly game, obviously. We didn't do much right defensively, we didn't do much right offensively," Brown said. "Our turnovers in the first half really put a damper on things we were trying to do... We had some decent looks throughout the course of the game, but we couldn't knock a shot down."

Held below 100 points for just the sixth time this season, the Knicks couldn't buy a bucket from beyond the arc, and that start-to-finish cold spell heavily influenced their pace and cohesion. They shot a measly 27 percent from three (10 of 37), their fourth-worst mark of the 2025-26 campaign.

To make matters worse, the Knicks struggled to score from anywhere on the floor during the third quarter, as the Cavaliers held them to a season-low 11 points. It was the Knicks' worst shooting quarter (3 of 20) since 2018, and also their worst third-quarter points output since 2022.

"One of the things we have to do better, especially offensively, is play with pace," Brown said. "Our pace isn't good. We have to do a better job of getting to the corners, we have to do a better job of playing with pace in the frontcourt."

Now, the turnovers. The Knicks committed 11 in the first half, finishing with 16 that produced 17 points in transition from the Cavaliers. The sloppiness disrupted their rhythm and thwarted any chance of a late comeback -- akin to what the Knicks showed the same Cavaliers on Christmas Day.

Rightfully so, the Knicks directed most of their attention toward stars Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, who combined for a tolerable 43 points. But they didn't have much of a plan for Jarrett Allen, who caused fits down low with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Brown didn't see the Knicks defending "on a string," with sharp attention to the Cavaliers' ball movement.

Jalen Brunson scored a quiet 20 points on 6 of 19 shooting, and Mitchell Robinson was the Knicks' lone bright spot with 16 boards -- eight came on offense -- and 11 points in 19 minutes off the bench.

But the most confounding performance belonged to Karl-Anthony Towns. Despite scoring 14 points, he attempted just a single shot in the second half, finishing a perfect 5-for-5, and was responsible for five giveaways. A far cry from the stellar 28-point, 11-rebound double-double he delivered against the Bulls on Sunday.

"There were some things we could've done better defensively, but our offense was non-existent, in terms of pace, the ability to touch the paint, and spray the ball," Brown said. "All that stuff came to play in that third quarter."

Now tied with the Cavaliers for third in the East playoff picture -- although New York has the tiebreaker -- the Knicks (37-22) will wrap up their brief Midwest road trip on Friday night against the Bucks. They're 2-2 since the All-Star break, and of their five-worst shooting displays from three this season, three have come in February.

Tonight’s game is sort of a triage game for the Houston Rockets. In addition to their usual out-for-the-season guys, they will be without Jae’Sean Tate once again as he misses the next four to six weeks, as well as Amen Thompson, who has quadriceps tendonitis. It’s going to either force Ime Udoka to expand his rotation (lol) or give even more minutes to Kevin Durant.

The Sacramento Kings have been a thorn in Houston’s side for the past two seasons. The Rockets have lost their last four games in California’s capital and last season were swept by the Beam Team. The Kings just snapped a 16-game losing streak by knocking off the also-tanking Memphis Grizzlies. Houston wants to win this game and Sacramento doesn’t. But the players don’t always follow the script.

Houston has to fly out right after this game to Orlando for the second night of a back-to-back against a Magic squad that has tonight off. It would behoove Houston to wrap this game up by the third quarter to allow the starters to rest a bit in anticipation of the challenge that Orlando presents. However, we all know how it goes with this team in the fourth quarter.

Tip-off

7pm CT

How To Watch

Space City Home Network

Injury Report

Rockets

Steven Adams: OUT

Fred VanVleet: OUT

Amen Thompson: OUT

Jae’Sean Tate: OUT

Kings

Domantas Sabonis: OUT

De’Andre Hunter: OUT

Zach LaVine: OUT

Dylan Cardwell: OUT

Devin Carter: GTD

The Line (as of this post)

HOU -15.5

Check here for updates

Looking ahead because we can

Tomorrow (Thursday) night on the road against the Orlando Magic

One of the most recognizable faces in pop music took his seat courtside at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night and immediately ignited the crowd and The King. 

Justin Bieber didn’t just sit courtside Tuesday night as the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Orlando Magic—he became LeBron James’ biggest cheerleader. Every spin move from LeBron drew a clenched fist.

Every time he hit a three, Bieber stood and applauded. When LeBron bullied his way into the lane and splashed another jumper to push the Lakers ahead 16-10, Bieber popped up from his seat and started gassing up The King. 

Justin Bieber sitting courtside tonight at the Lakers game against the Orlando Magic pic.twitter.com/0qWe16oc3l

— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) February 25, 2026

LeBron poured in 10 first-quarter points with the calm of a man who understands his own greatness. Luka Dončić added 11 points, four rebounds, and four assists in a quarter that felt like a clinic. The Lakers shot north of 50 percent and led 33-25 after one.

Before the game, as players were being introduced, LeBron went up and greeted Bieber. Fans online started calling the moment “LeBieber James,” half jokingly, of course. 

JBiebs courtside pic.twitter.com/od7dz7Rdgc

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 25, 2026

The Lakers’ maligned defense was in a 2-3 zone for most of the night, and it surprisingly worked against the 30-26 Magic team that is fighting for playoff position in the Eastern Conference. 

Justin Bieber courtside in LA! #NBACelebRowpic.twitter.com/wKf6DD1EKs

— NBA (@NBA) February 25, 2026

The best moment of the first half came when Luka Doncic broke Moritz Wagner’s ankles on a crossover, and then drilled a stepback three-pointer in his face. 

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Luka breaks Wagner's ankles, then buries the three-pointer. LA up 33-25 after one. https://t.co/c3QcKpbVBh

— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) February 25, 2026

The Lakers led the Magic 56-53 at the half, as they try and bounce back from an embarrassing blowout loss to the rival Celtics on Sunday.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Nijel Pack scored 22 points, Mohamed Wague added 18 points and Oklahoma used its first-half eruption to ride out a 91-79 win over Auburn on Tuesday night.

Wague made 10 of 12 foul shots, Derrion Reid scored 16 points and Xzayvier Brown 14 for Oklahoma (14-14, 4-11 Big 12) to end its two-game losing streak.

Keyshawn Hall scored 26 points and made all 11 of his foul shots and Kevin Overton scored 26 with the help of 5-for-10 shooting from distance for Auburn (15-13, 6-9).

It was Oklahoma's first 90-point plus scoring effort since a 92-91 win over then 15th-ranked Vanderbilt on Feb. 7.

The Sooners shot a higher percentage from 3-point range — 71.4% (10 for 14) — than their 58.3% mark (7 of 12) from the foul line before halftime.

Following Overton's 3-pointer to get Auburn within 33-31 with 7:55 before halftime, the Sooners went on an 11-3 run over the next three-and-a-half minutes to build their first double-digit lead to 44-34 with 4:31 left before the break.

The Sooners led 51-42 at halftime and stayed ahead by double digits for most of the second half.

Up Next

Auburn: Hosts Ole Miss on Saturday.

Oklahoma: Travels to LSU on Saturday.

___

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CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points, James Harden added 20 and the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled away in the second half for a 109-94 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.

Jarrett Allen had 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Cavaliers won for the eighth time in nine games.

Jalen Brunson had 20 points and Mikal Bridges scored 18 for the Knicks. Mitchell Robinson pulled down 15 rebounds, one off a season high.

New York shot 35 of 86 as Bridges and Brunson were a combined 12 of 36. The Knicks shot 27% from 3-point range (10 of 37). Cleveland came into the game with the fourth-worst defense in the league on 3-pointers.

The Cavaliers and Knicks are both 37-22 and tied for third place in the Eastern Conference. But New York would have the head-to-head tiebreaker edge if the teams are tied at the end of the season after taking two of three meetings.

76ERS 135, PACERS 114

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Joel Embiid had 27 points in his return to the lineup after missing five games with right shin soreness and right knee injury management, Tyrese Maxey scored 32 points, and Philadelphia beat Indiana.

Embiid scored 20 points in the first half, sinking 11 of 17 shots in 26 minutes. VJ Edgecombe chipped in with 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting for the 76ers, who shot 58%.

Andrew Nembhard and Micah Potter each scored 23 for the Pacers, with Potter’s total a career high. Quenton Jackson had 15 points and rookie Kam Jones added a career-high 13 points.

Pacers leading scorer Pascal Siakam was out with a left wrist sprain. The Pacers also were without Aaron Nesmith, who missed his third consecutive game with right ankle sprain.

Indiana shot 42% from the field and committed 16 turnovers. Philadelphia held a 44-41 rebounding edge with Maxey leading the way with nine rebounds. Jarace Walker had 10 rebounds for the Pacers.

The 76ers showed their dominance inside with a 82-52 edge in points in the paint.

MAVERICKS 123, NETS 114

NEW YORK (AP) — Marvin Bagley III scored 22 points, Naji Marshall had 21 and Dallas beat Brooklyn after both teams arrived in New York earlier in the day.

Both clubs played road games on Sunday and neither was able to fly into the New York area because of a blizzard. The Mavericks stayed in Indiana and the Nets remained in Atlanta. Both flew Tuesday and arrived in the early afternoon.

The change in schedule didn’t affect the Mavericks, who scored a season-high 76 points in the first half and won their second straight after a 10-game skid.

Brandon Williams had 19 points and 10 assists, while Klay Thompson added 17 points for the Mavericks, who shot 58.5% from the field while playing their fourth consecutive game without No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg because of a sprained left foot.

THUNDER 116, RAPTORS 107

TORONTO (AP) — Cason Wallace matched his career high with 27 points, Isaiah Joe had 22, and short-handed Oklahoma City beat Toronto for its fifth win in six games.

Alex Caruso scored 16 points, Luguentz Dort had 15 and Isaiah Hartenstein 11 as the NBA-leading Thunder won their third straight in Toronto.

Oklahoma City is an NBA-best 21-7 on the road.

Canadian star and reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remained sidelined for the Thunder because of an abdominal strain. He didn’t travel with the team on its lone regular-season visit to Canada.

In his place, Wallace provided his second straight 20-point game, adding six assists and eight rebounds.

Oklahoma City was also without Ajay Mitchell (abdominal strain) and Jalen Williams (strained right hamstring). Caruso returned after missing Sunday’s home win over Cleveland because of a sprained left ankle.

RJ Barrett scored 21 points and Immanuel Quickley and Ja’Kobe Walter each had 17 but the Raptors lost for the first time in three games.

Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram each scored 15 points and Jamal Shead added 13.

HAWKS 119 WIZARDS 98

ATLANTA (AP) — Jonathan Kuminga scored a season-high 27 points in his debut for the Hawks, who blew hapless Washington in Trae Young’s return to Atlanta.

Acquired by the Hawks at the trade deadline after falling out of favor in Golden State, Kuminga came off the bench to make a huge impact for his new team.

He delivered a thunderous dunk shortly after taking the court for the first time near the midway point of the first quarter, breaking into a big smile as he headed the other way.

That was only the start of Kuminga’s big night. Having completed his recovery from a left knee bone bruise, the high-flying forward from Congo knocked down a trio of 3-pointers to go along with seven rebounds, four assists and two steals in 24 1/2 minutes.

Young was the focus at the beginning of the night. The longtime Hawks star was dealt to the Wizards in early January, ending an eight-year tenure that included four All-Star Game berths and an improbable run to the Eastern Conference finals in 2021.

The point guard has yet to play for his new team, which seems mainly concerned with landing a high draft pick for next season as Young recovers from knee and quadriceps injuries.

HORNETS 131, BULLS 99

CHICAGO (AP) — Brandon Miller scored 23 points, Kon Knueppel added 21, and hot-shooting Charlotte won a team record eighth straight road game, routing Chicago.

The Hornets shot 51.6% from the field and were on-target from beyond the arc, sinking 25 of 57 3-points attempts, one shy of the team record.

LaMelo Ball scored points 16 and Miles Bridges also had 16 in his return from a suspension. The Hornets outscored the Bulls 42-16 in the third quarter — including a decisive 22-2 run — and handed the Bulls a 10th straight loss, matching their longest slide since January 2019.

Matas Buzelis scored a career-high 32 points for Chicago, which was hurt by turnovers — 19 in this one. Patrick Williams and Guerschon Yabusele each had 11 points.

Knueppel finished with three 3-pointers on six attempts to up his long-range field goals total to 201. Playing in his 58th game he became the fastest player to reach 200 3s.

PELICANS 113, WARRIORS 109

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Zion Williamson scored 26 points, Dejounte Murray added 13 in his first game in nearly 13 months, and New Orleans beat injury-depleted Golden State.

Saddiq Bey scored 18 points, including a reverse layup he spun off the glass while being fouled to give New Orleans a 107-101 lead with 1:47 left. Former Warriors guard Jordan Poole added 12 points for New Orleans, which won its second straight and posted its fourth victory in six games.

De’Anthony Melton scored a season-high 28 points for Golden State, but missed a free throw with 1:23 left and his team trailing by just four points.

Moses Moody scored 24 for the Warriors, who’ve lost three of four while taking the court missing several key players.

The Warriors played without Stephen Curry (right knee), Kristaps Porzingis (illness) and Al Horford (left toe). Curry, who has missed eight straight games, did not make the trip to New Orleans, coach Steve Kerr said. Only nine Warriors saw action in the game.

BUCKS 128, HEAT 117

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Kevin Porter Jr. matched his season high with 32 points and Bobby Portis and Ryan Rollins scored 21 apiece as Milwaukee beat Miami for its fourth win in five games.

Kyle Kuzma added 19 points and Ousmane Dieng 11 for the Bucks.

Norman Powell scored 26 points, Bam Adebayo finished with 18 points and nine rebounds and Andrew Wiggins had 16 points for the Heat, who had their three-game winning streak halted.

Tyler Herro and Kel’el Ware each scored 14 points and Pelle Larsson 10 for Miami. Davion Mitchell, who returned after missing a game due to illness, added eight points and eight assists.

CELTICS 97, SUNS 81

PHOENIX (AP) — Derrick White scored 22 points, Neemias Queta had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Boston used a big third quarter to beat Phoenix.

Sam Hauser shot 6 for 14, including 4 for 10 from 3-point range, to add 16 points and the Celtics — playing without All-Star Jaylen Brown (right knee contusion) — won their fourth in a row and for the ninth time in their last 10 games.

Baylor Scheierman had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Collin Gillespie had 15 points and Grayson Allen scored 14 as the Suns lost for the fourth time in their last five games. The Suns played without their top two scorers, Devin Booker (right hip strain) and Dillon Brooks (left hand fracture), who combined average nearly 46 points per game.

The Celtics led 50-46 at halftime but took control by outscoring the Suns 30-11 in the third quarter, including a 16-0 run.

TIMBERWOLVES 124, TRAIL BLAZERS 121

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 34 points and made five 3-pointers to help Minnesota hold off Portland, its fourth win in its last five games.

Jaden McDaniels added 27 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and five blocks for the Timberwolves.

Donte DiVincenzo had 19 points and made five 3-pointers, and Julius Randle had 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Rudy Gobert scored just 10 points but had 19 rebounds and changed the game defensively.

Jrue Holiday led the Blazers with 22 points. Jerami Grant had 18 points, and Donovan Clingan scored 11 points and grabbed 15 rebounds.

Scoot Henderson had 19 points, six rebounds and five assists off the bench.

It was a tight, physical, back-and-forth affair with 15 lead changes, but Minnesota’s 3-point shooting (17 of 35) was enough to hold off the Blazers, who were 14 of 35 from deep.

MAGIC 110, LAKERS 109

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Wendell Carter Jr. made a go-ahead putback with 6.7 seconds to play, Paolo Banchero scored 36 points and Orlando finished a strong West Coast trip with a victory over Los Angeles.

LeBron James missed a fallaway 3-point attempt on the final shot by the Lakers, who went 4-4 on a disappointing homestand spanning the All-Star break. Los Angeles has lost four of six and fallen into sixth place in the West, repeatedly failing to beat playoff-caliber teams.

Desmond Bane scored 22 points and Carter had 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Magic, who have won six of eight overall after taking three of four on the road out of the break. That surge — capped by their fourth consecutive win over the Lakers — has moved the Magic within a half-game of sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

Orlando rallied from an early double-digit deficit to take a five-point lead with 5 1/2 minutes left, but Rui Hachimura hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 2:14 to play for the Lakers. Bane drilled a go-ahead 3 with 34.6 seconds left, but Doncic found James under the basket for a dunk to reclaim the lead.

After Carter scored on the Magic’s second offensive rebound of their final possession, Luka Doncic belatedly got the ball to James, whose desperation shot didn’t go.

PHOENIX (AP) — Derrick White scored 22 points, Neemias Queta had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and the Boston Celtics used a big third quarter to beat the Phoenix Suns 97-81 on Tuesday night.

Sam Hauser shot 6 for 14, including 4 for 10 from 3-point range, to add 16 points and the Celtics — playing without All-Star Jaylen Brown (right knee contusion) — won their fourth in a row and for the ninth time in their last 10 games.

Baylor Scheierman had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Collin Gillespie had 15 points and Grayson Allen scored 14 as the Suns lost for the fourth time in their last five games. The Suns played without their top two scorers, Devin Booker (right hip strain) and Dillon Brooks (left hand fracture), who combined average nearly 46 points per game.

The Celtics led 50-46 at halftime but took control by outscoring the Suns 30-11 in the third quarter, including a 16-0 run.

The Celtics also held a huge advantage on the boards, outrebounding the Suns by 27, 61 to 34.

Up next

Celtics: At Denver on Wednesday night.

Suns: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.

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

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

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers came away with an impressive 109-94 victory over the New York Knicks to pull even with them in the standings.

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	50.6%, 29th percentile	33.3%, 70th percentile	11.7%, 76th percentile	25.6, 74th percentile
Knicks	46.5%, 11th percentile	34.6%, 77th percentile	18.1%, 20th percentile	16.3, 27th percentile

Now, let’s dive into the numbers.

• The Knicks were held to 11 points in the third quarter. Cleveland won this frame by 13 to push their halftime lead of six to 18 heading into the final quarter, all but sealing the win.
• New York went 1-12 from three in the third quarter. The Cavs dared the Knicks to beat them from beyond the arc all evening, but they weren’t able to do so for this 12-minute run, which contributed to this game getting out of hand.
• The Cavs held the Knicks to just 1-3 shooting at the rim in the third quarter. Head coach Kenny Atkinson has prioritized protecting the rim over defending the three-point line this season. The benefits of this approach showed through during the team’s third-quarter run.
• Cleveland is 19-2 when Jarrett Allen scores 15 points or more. The guards found a way to get him involved early and often. He went 7-8 from the field and was a factor on both ends.
• James Harden finished with fewer than seven assists for the first time as a Cavalier. He played well despite the lack of assists. He finished with 20 points and four helpers in the victory.
• The Cavs are now 5-10 when Mitchell plays and scores 23 or fewer points in a game. This was one of the rare times the Cavs have won when Mitchell hasn’t had an outsized impact on scoring.
• Cleveland won the second-chance points battle 16-15. Mitchell Robinson had six of the Knicks’ 11 offensive rebounds. The Cavs finished with 13 offensive rebounding with Allen having three.
• The Knicks turned it over 17 times to the Cavs’ 11. Cleveland cleaned up both areas they struggled with against the Oklahoma City Thunder: rebounding and turnovers.
• Both teams struggled to finish at the rim as they both finished below the 20th percentile in rim shooting accuracy. Cleveland went 44.4% from the restricted area while New York went 57.1%.
• This is the seventh time the Cavs have held an opponent under 100 points. The Knicks finished with a 100 offensive rating (9th percentile).
• Dean Wade finished with a team-best plus/minus of +22. Wade had a great performance after really struggling against the Thunder on Sunday. He provided 11 points on 4-9 shooting with eight rebounds.
• The Cavs attempted nine more free throws. Donovan Mitchell was able to get to the line consistently as he went 11-14 from there.
• This was the fifth time Harden attempted no free throws in a game since 2021. Harden was aggressive and probably deserved a few trips to the line. Overall, he hasn’t gotten to the charity stripe as much as he likely deserved.
• Six Cavaliers finished in double figures scoring, including the entire starting lineup: Mitchell (23), Harden (20), Allen (19), Jaylon Tyson (12), Evan Mobley (12), and Dean Wade (11).

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Malik Reneau scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, Tre Donaldson had 21 points, six assists, and six rebounds, and Miami held on late to defeat Florida State, 83-73 on Tuesday night.

The Hurricanes (22-6, 11-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) led by 11 points with 3:16 remaining in regulation, but FSU cut the deficit to four points down the stretch. Miami ended the game on an 8-2 run to prevent the comeback.

Reneau has scored 20 or more points in 16 games this season, and picked up his eighth double-double of the year. He ranks fifth in the ACC in scoring.

Miami shot 53% from the floor and 43% from beyond the arc. They entered tonight's game sitting atop the ACC and 11th nationally in field goal percentage.

The 'Canes closed the first half up 38-32, and Tru Washington scored 10 of his 11 points in the opening frame. Washington also had a game-high four steals.

For the Seminoles (14-14, 7-8), Lajae Jones scored 21 points (8-of-14 shooting), and Chauncey Wiggins added 14 points and five rebounds.

Up next

Miami: hosts Boston College on Saturday.

Florida State: visits Georgia Tech on Saturday.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

The Mavericks cruised past the Nets 123-114. The Mavericks were led by a dominant front-court effort with 22 points from Marvin Bagley, and Naji Marshall had 19. The Nets lost to Michael Porter Jr.’s 26.

The Mavericks closed the first quarter up 36–29, fueled by Naji Marshall’s downhill scoring and Daniel Gafford’s interior finishes, while Klay Thompson added timely threes to stretch the floor. Dallas was sharp offensively early, moving the ball and capitalizing on Brooklyn’s defensive breakdowns rather than playing chaotic basketball. Marvin Bagley III gave strong minutes off the bench, scoring efficiently in the paint with tip-ins and hooks that kept the pressure on the rim. The second quarter turned into a scoring duel, but Dallas never fully surrendered control. Marshall continued attacking, Middleton steadied possessions with midrange buckets and free throws, and Thompson added more perimeter shot-making as the lead stretched. Brooklyn answered through Claxton’s rim runs and Porter Jr.’s scoring bursts, but the Mavericks kept stacking efficient possessions and went into halftime up 76–64. Unlike some of their recent games, this half was defined by offensive rhythm and composure rather than turnovers and stalled stretches.

The second half was about maintaining control and answering every Brooklyn push. In the third quarter, Dallas kept the offense humming, trading makes but never letting the lead truly shrink. Brandon Williams continued his efficient scoring with pull-up jumpers and drives, Bagley finished an alley-oop and added interior touch, and Klay Thompson mixed in perimeter shot-making to keep the spacing honest. Brooklyn had moments, including a Michael Porter Jr. dunk and some midrange scoring, but Dallas consistently answered and carried a 99–91 edge. The fourth quarter never turned into a collapse either. Naji Marshall attacked downhill and lived at the line early, Bagley added another interior finish and controlled the glass, and Gafford chipped in with a free throw and putback to steady things. Brooklyn tried to generate late energy through T. Mann threes and pull-ups, but the Mavericks’ efficiency and rebounding edge held firm. The box score shows Dallas finishing at 58.5 percent from the field and winning the assist battle 26 to 29 while limiting turnovers to 11 total

22: Marvin Bagley points

Marvin Bagley III was a legitimate swing factor in this game. In just 19 and a half minutes, he poured in 22 points on 10 of 13 shooting, finishing everything around the rim and converting at a ridiculous 76.9 percent clip. His scoring was not empty volume either. It came at moments when Dallas needed to steady the offense or respond to Brooklyn runs. Alley-oops, hooks, quick seals in transition, second-chance finishes, every touch felt purposeful. When the Mavericks went inside, good things happened, and Bagley was at the center of that pressure.

More importantly, this was not an isolated explosion. Over the last few games, Bagley has quietly stacked efficient outings, rebounding consistently and finishing at a high rate without demanding touches. He looks more comfortable within the system, playing off movement rather than trying to create outside his role. If this stretch continues, it is more than fair to say he deserves a real look in training camp next season. Dallas is always searching for dependable frontcourt depth, and performances like this show he can provide interior scoring and energy in limited minutes. At a minimum, he has earned the opportunity to compete for a roster spot based on what he has shown recently.

66: Mavericks points in the paint

Dallas’s 66 points in the paint were the defining factor in the game. That number reflects dominance, not just shot selection. The Mavericks attacked relentlessly, forcing Brooklyn to defend the rim on nearly every possession. Bagley’s efficiency, Gafford’s rim runs and putbacks, Marshall’s downhill drives, and Washington’s interior finishes all compounded into constant pressure. Instead of settling for contested jumpers, Dallas played through contact and punished soft rotations.

That interior emphasis controlled the flow of the game. It neutralized Brooklyn’s perimeter rhythm, limited long rebounds that fuel transition, and allowed Dallas to score efficiently even when outside shots cooled. When a team generates 66 points at the rim, it usually means they dictated physicality and tempo. That was exactly the case here. The Mavericks did not win this one from the three-point line. They won it by overwhelming the paint and never letting up.

The Celtics did not shoot the ball well but that did not prevent them from blowing out the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night in a 97-81 win that was headlined by their defense, 22 offensive rebounds and a really big Derrick White game for their 3rd straight win of the road trip.

Jaylen Brown joined Jayson Tatum on the injury report, so the Celtics started Derrick White, Ron Harper Jr., Baylor Scheierman, Sam Hauser and Neemias Queta. The Suns had a lengthy injury report: Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks, Jordan Goodwin, Haywood Highsmith and Cole Anthony; they started Collin Gillespie, Jalen Green, Royce O’Neale, Ryan Dunn and Mark Williams.

It was a very slow start from three for the Celtics as they started 2/10 from beyond the arc and a 10-0 Phoenix run put the Suns up 15-10. Ron Harper Jr. had 3 rebounds but started the game 1/6 from the field.

Joe Mazulla made mass substitutions at the first time out putting Payton Pricthard, Nikola Vucevic, Jordan Walsh and Hugo Gonzalez in with Sam Hauser.

Not a very good quarter for the Celtics: they got 9 offensive rebounds but shot just 9/28 from the field and 3/15 from three. They trailed the Suns, 26-21. Derrick White led the team with 5 points while Nikola Vucevic had 4 points off of the bench.

The Celtics struggled to get their offense going in the first half, but then a Derrick White three and Neemias Queta dunk lead to a Suns timeout. Phoenix still led 41-37 but the Celtics needed some life on offense and those baskets were signs that it was possible.

The Celtics led the Suns at the end of the half, 50-46. It was not a pretty offensive half for Boston: 50 points on 38% from the field and 25% from three but their offensive rebounds and defense got the job done through 24 minutes. Derrick White led the team with 18 points while Neemias Queta had 10 points and 5 rebounds.

The Celtics took it to the Suns in the third quarter. Sam Hauser got going from three, hitting 3 threes in the period and scoring 13 points. Baylor Scheierman had 6 rebounds and was a +19 in the quarter. However, it was the Celtics defense that dominated the quarter. Boston outscored the Suns 30-11 in the 3rd, as Phoenix shot 18% from the field and 11% from three — dominant stuff from Boston’s defense. Sure, Phoenix missed some good looks, but Boston was dominant on the defensive end. The Celtics also out rebounded the Suns 21-6 in the quarter.

It was a Ron Harper Jr. block that was the play off the quarter, however.

GET THAT 🤬 OUTTA HERE pic.twitter.com/xQHVL5Q0Ae

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 25, 2026

The Celtics led 80-57 at the end of three quarters. Derrick White led the team with 18 points while Hauser had 16 and Neemias Queta had 14.

The 4th quarter saw a different start as the Suns fought back into the game scoring the first 7 points of the period and forcing Mazzulla to call a timeout not even 2 minutes in.

Boston was able to regain control of the game, thanks to a pair if Derrick White baskets and big three pointers from Harper Jr. and Baylor Scheierman. An 8-2 run put the Celts back up 22 points.

Scheierman had a double-double in the game with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

It was a dominant 2nd half from the Celtics as they blew out the Suns.

Derrick White was unbelievable in the game with 22 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Meanwhile, Neemias Queta finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds. The Celtics won, 97-81.

Boston shot 40% from the field and 28% from three while the Suns shot 37% from the field and 33% from three. The Celtics next game is Wednesday night at 10 EST in Denver against the Nuggets.

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the New York Knicks 109-94. Let’s see who won and lost the night.

WINNER – Packing the Paint

Have you heard the term “open for a reason”? Well, after tonight, Josh Hart is certainly familiar.

The Cavs approached this game with a straightforward defensive game plan. Jarrett Allen matched up with Hart and chose to pack the paint rather than honor him as a three-point shooter. The results benefited Cleveland as they were able to crowd New York’s drives, while Hart only managed to shoot 2-8 from downtown.

Cleveland deployed a similar tactic whenever Jose Alverado was in the game. Alverado shot 1-4.

At times, I thought the Cavs were maybe being too lax about covering Hart. Surely he’s a good enough shooter to warrant some sort of closeout. But the Cavs bet against him tonight, and Hart wasn’t able to make them regret it.

Having more bodies in the paint is self-explanatory, especially against a Knicks team that has previously crushed Cleveland on the glass. Being able to stay home minimizes the damage that can be done through offensive rebounds. It also relieves pressure to scramble on the perimeter and forces the opponent into taking lower-quality shots.

Of course, it all becomes easier when your opponent is missing shots. New York finished the night shooting 10-37 (27%) from downtown overall.

LOSER – The James Harden Whistle

So… what’s going on?

Harden is historically known for having one of the best whistles the game has ever seen. Has that good fortune with the officials been canceled out by playing for a small-market team such as the Cavs?

Harden attempted zero free throws tonight for just the fifth time since 2021. It wasn’t for a lack of trying.

There was a point in this game where Harden got slammed on a drive to the basket. When he got back to his feet, Harden gave the officials a look of pure bilwederment and betrayal. This type of stuff hasn’t happened before.

Harden’s free-throw rate has plummeted since joining the Cavs. Part of that, I assume, is because he hasn’t been attempting field goals at nearly the same volume. He’s instead been playing the role of playmaker as he gets initiated with his new team.

But at a certain point… You begin to wonder.

WINNER – The Backcourt

Listen, it’s not always going to be perfect. The Cavs’ starting backcourt didn’t score efficiently or post an assist-to-turnover rate that will make you blush. But, they got the job done — and that means something when considering what this team looked like three months ago.

A big reason why Cleveland acquired James Harden was his availability. For all the great things that Darius Garland brought to the floor, his issue recently has simply been being on the floor. That’s why even an 8-18 shooting night from Harden can still feel like a massive win. Because even when things aren’t going exactly to plan — Harden can elevate the offense through his playmaking and… well, availability.

Pair that with Mitchell, who also had a tough shooting night (5-18) but made timely shots. The two guards combined for 43 points and kept relentless pressure on New York’s defense to contain them. That pressure creates gravity, and that gravity makes it so that other players, such as Jarrett Allen, can find the gaps and attack.

Sometimes, high volume is better than no volume. Efficiency is great, but it can also be overrated. The Cavs guards did what they needed to tonight.

With an injury report more impressive than their starting five, the Warriors couldn’t overcome a sloppy start to their road trip against the lowly Pelicans. 

The Warriors threw the ball just about everywhere — off their shoes, into opponents’ hands, out of bounds, off every inch of iron — except the bottom of the net in a 113-109 loss to the second-worst team in the Western Conference. 

Without Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, Al Horford or Kristaps Porzingis, Golden State fell behind 31-19 by the end of the first quarter and didn’t hold a lead until midway through the third. 

“With the injuries we have, we have to play well to win. I don’t think we played well tonight,” said coach Steve Kerr, whose team committed 21 turnovers leading to 18 points.

It was almost the second consecutive game Golden State’s reserves completed a second-half comeback after they used a 33-18 fourth quarter to beat Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets on Sunday.

“The game was right there for us,” Kerr said. “We just couldn’t execute well enough.”

They fell behind by as many as 14 points and scored their third-fewest points in any half this season (trailing 46-39 at intermission) before a split-action assist from Draymond Green to Brandin Podziemski gave them their first lead, 61-59, midway through the third quarter. 

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Green, who missed Golden State’s 129-118 win over Denver on Sunday, returned and helped set up a fair share of open shots, but the Warriors failed to convert many of them. 

Golden State came back to take an 86-85 lead with 7:39 to go, but the Pelicans answered with a 15-3 run following a failed coach’s challenge by Steve Kerr that would have overturned a basket by Zion Williamson that instead turned into a three-point play. 

Williamson led the Pelicans with 26 points — 10 in the fourth quarter. 

What it means 

The Warriors fell to 11-17 on the road with another game in Memphis looming Wednesday. Golden State is the only team among the top eight in the Western Conference with a losing record away from home (next-worst: Suns, 14-14). 

Turning point 

As soon as the Warriors’ charter flight left San Francisco, apparently. 

Whatever momentum the team’s reserves built with their come-from-behind win over one of the West’s top teams was absent from the opening tip inside the Smoothie King Center on Tuesday. 

“We did not execute very well offensively,” Kerr said. “Spacing was bad. Transition we had probably three potential lay-ups in the first half. We didn’t cut, we didn’t run to the rim. We didn’t get to the corners. We just looked a little disjointed. I thought their pressure early took us out of some stuff.”

They missed 16 of their first 21 shots from the field (23.8%) and didn’t get to the foul line until New Orleans was called for a three-second violation with 46 seconds left in the quarter. 

MVP 

Jonathan Kuminga | The best basketball played by anyone associated with the Warriors on Tuesday night wasn’t anyone in uniform in New Orleans. Jonathan Kuminga made an electric debut with the Hawks against the Wizards, scoring 27 points in 24 minutes on 9-of-12 shooting.

Stat of the game 

21-for-95 (22.1%) | Despite the Warriors’ struggles offensively, the game never got away from them. On the other end of the floor, the Pelicans were having just as much trouble scoring the basketball. 

New Orleans made only 10 of its 40 shots from beyond the perimeter, but the Warriors were even worse, converting 11 of 45 attempts (23.3%). 

Up next 

The Warriors head to Memphis, where they will play the second half of their 11th back-to-back of the season. They are 5-5 in the second game of back-to-backs this season, falling to 6-5 in the first half with their loss to the Pelicans. 

Already without Curry (knee), Butler (knee) and Porzingis (illness), Golden State is also expected to be without De’Anthony Melton (knee), who has yet to be medically cleared to play games on consecutive days. Horford (toe) sat in New Orleans with the expectation of playing against the Grizzlies after scoring 22 points with six 3-pointers in their win against Denver. 

The Phoenix Suns started the evening promising, jumping out to a 26-21 lead after the opening quarter. It looked like just maybe this group was starting to figure it out… until it was clear they weren’t. Boston dominated in the second half, and the Suns’ offensive struggles continued.

They have now scored just 158 points combined in their last two games.

The Suns have now scored just 158 points combined in their last two games.

That is 79.0 points per game.

— Zona (@AZSportsZone) February 25, 2026

The third quarter was unacceptable. Phoenix mustered just 11 points and was outscored by 19 in that quarter, which dug them a hole too deep to get out of. They went on a 14-0 run to make it somewhat competitive late in the game, but Boston applied another knockout punch to create distance and unleash the third string.

We could sit here and talk about injuries, but Boston is dealing with a couple of their own. No Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum, yet the Celtics were a well-oiled machine. Phoenix will need to figure this out quickly because none of Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks, or Jordan Goodwin is coming to save the day anytime soon.

Some credit is due to Boston, but the Suns just didn’t do anything well tonight.

Game Flow

First Half

The game started with each team trading threes: one from Derrick White and then a corner hit from Jalen Green. Sam Hauser drained a

Boston jumped ahead to a 10-5 advantage, getting easy looks early from deep and from crashing the glass. Phoenix went on a 7-0 run to take a 12-10 lead.

Phoenix’s offense picked up a bit as Jalen Green and Collin Gillespie started to get in a rhythm. Even Ryan Dunn got in on the scoring action!

7 early points for Ryan Dunn 👀 pic.twitter.com/clYeNKsGpw

— PHNX Suns (@PHNX_Suns) February 25, 2026

The defense followed suit. After allowing 10 points in the opening 3 minutes, they held Boston to just 11 points the rest of the quarter.

Phoenix led 26-21 after the opening quarter. Jalen Green and Ryan Dunn led the way with 7 points each.

We got some early Rasheer Fleming minutes! He didn’t do much in his first stint, but he was playing aggressive point-of-attack defense. Oso continued to show his ability to be feisty and mix it up a bit, which is a welcome sight for Suns fans.

DENIED BY OSO 👋 pic.twitter.com/azL9f8BCiH

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) February 25, 2026

The tempo was in favor of Phoenix for the first six minutes or so, but Boston went on a 7-0 run to cut the Suns’ lead down to four, 41-37, leading to a Jordan Ott timeout.

Boston stormed back to take a 44-41 lead after a Derrick White triple extended their run to 14-0. The offense fell flat. Grayson Allen hit three free throws after a failed challenge attempt by Joe Mazulla to even the game back up at 44.

My goodness Collin 🫢🫢 pic.twitter.com/lRt6zcMebs

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) February 25, 2026

Boston finished strong to take a 50-44 lead into the half, led by 18 points from Derrick White. Royce O’Neale, Grayson Allen, and Jalen Green all had 9 points to pace the Suns in the opening 24 minutes.

Second Half

The Suns opened up the third quarter a bit flat, carrying over from the end of the 2nd quarter. Boston’s suffocating defense seemed to squeeze the life out of them and built their lead back up to 11, their largest at the time.

Boston’s defense continued to stifle the shorthanded Suns, and Sam Hauser got hot, propelling the Celtics’ lead to 19. It quickly turned into another one of those nights. There wasn’t a lot to highlight in the 3rd quarter unless you are a Celtics fan.

Boston won the third quarter 30 to 11 to take an 80-57 lead into the 4th. Yes, 11 points were scored in total by the Suns in the third. Eleven.

End of the third.@match_mortgage | #SunsUppic.twitter.com/SKnqgOK0Nz

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) February 25, 2026

Phoenix opened the 4th on a 9-0 run, showing a bit of life after a disastrous third to cut the lead down to 14. It was a 14-0 run dating back to the end of the third.

Derrick White and company decided to turn it up a notch as soon as it became a game again, and they were able to take a convincing lead and slam the door shut on the Suns.

Then we had garbage time… the rookies got some run. And that was all she wrote.

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Up Next

The Suns will host the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night at the Morg.

For Lon Rosen, becoming the Lakers’ president of business operations is a full-circle moment.

Rosen started his career with the Lakers as an intern while in college before becoming a front office executive in the 1980s, eventually becoming an agent and business executive – including being the Dodgers’ executive vice president and chief marketing officer since 2012.

“Being able to sort of return to really where I started, it’s a really exciting thing for me,” Rosen told a handful of beat reporters on Tuesday night. “And I like the challenge, and I’m really looking forward to it. There’s really great people working with me, which is what makes things enjoyable.”

Rosen added: “For me, it’s a challenge. It’s something new, but it is sort of like returning home. But because I still have my connection with the Dodgers, it’s a fun thing.”

“I’ve spoken to others that do this type of work. Luckily there’s a great team that works here at the Lakers that I’ve met for the last two days. And I have a really great team that works for the Dodgers and we all just fit together,” he added.

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In a wide-ranging conversation, Rosen addressed a variety of topics.

He confirmed the plan for president of basketball operations/general manager Rob Pelinka to continue to lead the franchise’s basketball operations, along with input from special advisers Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi,

Pelinka told reporters earlier in the month he and franchise governor Jeanie Buss will lead front office expansion.

“Rob’s empowered to do what he does,” Rosen said. “And he’s talked about it and I can talk about it; Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi, they have involvement helping Rob a bit. It gives you a deeper bench, and I think Rob appreciates that. And it is unique. But they have a skill set that they can transfer some of it here. And that’s really how we look at it. 

“I have a really good relationship with Rob. I’ve known Rob Pelinka from when he was representing Kobe [Bryant]. I met him many many years ago.” 

Friedman, Zaidi and Rosen are among the Dodgers connections added to the legendary NBA franchise since Mark Walter, who’s also the majority owner of the Dodgers, bought majority ownership of the team from the Buss family in the fall. 

Lakers icon Magic Johnson won’t rejoin the franchise in an official role. Johnson was the team’s president of basketball operations from February 2017-April 2019 before he abruptly resigned. 

“He’s always gonna have some type of involvement with all the teams, but he is not gonna have day-to-day involvement,”  Rosen said. “It’s gonna be no different since he left the Lakers. Obviously he’s a huge fan of the Lakers, but he’s not gonna be, ‘Hey Rob go sign this player. Do that.’ He’ll always be involved with all the teams that he’s involved in, but no, he’s not gonna have day-to-day involvement at all. He is a super Laker fan and he’ll continue to be a super Laker fan. It’s not bad to have that.”

Rosen also had a message for fans after the recent increased season ticket prices for next season – which included a 3% “admin fee”.

“We hope they renew,” Rosen said. “And obviously it reflects on what the market is now and the demand for tickets. You can look at how tickets sell and what the prices are. You look at the primary and secondary market and you can see where their demand is.”

Rosen said he’ll spend a “majority” of his time working for the Lakers, but will still provide “some services” to the Dodgders. 

“We’re gonna look at best practices for both teams,” Rosen said. “I haven’t gotten into the weeds of how the Lakers operate, but I have a sense of how they operate and they operate very well. There’s things that we do at the Dodgers that we do really really well. 

“Both organizations are gonna learn from each other. I don’t know where it’s all gonna fall. People say, the Dodgers are, the, this gold standard. And you know what, we do a really nice job there. And the job here is, I’ve been to a lot of games here. I know their business model is very successful, so I just gotta make sure I don’t mess it up.”

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson left the game against the Washington Wizards with a left hip flexor injury Tuesday night.

Johnson was injured in the first quarter and ruled out after being evaluated by the training staff.

“There was enough there not to send him back in the game,” coach Quin Snyder said.

Johnson, who earned his first All-Star Game berth this season, will be re-evaluated before the Hawks face the Wizards again Thursday to complete back-to-back games in Atlanta. It’s not known if he will miss any additional playing time.

Johnson finished with five points, three rebounds and two steals in about 5 1/2 minutes against the Wizards. He came into the night averaging 23.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.1 assists.

His absence cleared the way for Jonathan Kuminga to score a season-high 27 points in his Hawks debut. He was acquired from Golden State at the trade deadline.

The Hawks beat the Wizards 119-98.

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