Category: NBA

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Date: February 24th, 2026
Time: 9:00 PM CST
Location: Moda Center
Television Coverage: Peacock
Radio Coverage: KFAN FM, Wolves App, iHeart Radio

The Timberwolves had a golden opportunity Sunday night. Denver lost. The Lakers lost. Houston stumbled. The Western Conference standings basically opened the door, rolled out a red carpet and said, “Hey Minnesota, would you like to be tied for the 3-seed?”

Instead, the Wolves got absolutely shellacked by the Philadelphia 76ers on their own floor. 135 points worth of shellacked, to be exact.

And yes, context matters. Rudy Gobert was suspended after the Marvin Bagley flagrant. Naz Reid was out with shoulder soreness. Julius Randle was apparently under the weather, though he gave it a go. When you remove Gobert and Naz from the equation, you’re not just losing size. You’re losing the defensive backbone and a key offensive release valve. That’s real. But even with that caveat, Sunday was ugly.

Because yes, Minnesota was undersized. Yes, they were missing their Defensive Player of the Year center. But the bulk of the damage didn’t come from post dominance or paint bullying.

It came from the three-point line. Philadelphia shot 57 percent from deep. Twenty-one made threes on 37 attempts. That’s not “Gobert is suspended” stuff. That’s perimeter breakdown stuff. That’s effort and communication stuff. That’s point-of-attack defense stuff.

Meanwhile, Minnesota went just 10-for-33 from beyond the arc. Do the math. That’s a 33-point differential from three alone. In a 27-point loss. That’s not bad luck. That’s a defensive collapse.

The Familiar Wolves Problem

This has been the maddening paradox of the 2025-26 Wolves. Even when Gobert is available, the defense has been suspect at times. But when he’s out, the floor drops out completely.

Against Philly, the Wolves looked like a team that assumed the Sixers would roll over. Philadelphia was on the second night of a back-to-back. If anything, Minnesota should have had the fresher legs and the hungrier mindset. Instead, it looked like only one team bothered to show up.

Tyrese Maxey and company got comfortable early. Minnesota’s closeouts were late. Rotations were sluggish. Shooters were wide open. The Sixers weren’t just making tough shots, they were getting clean looks in rhythm. When the Wolves fall into that trap, when they start trading baskets instead of defending, things spiral. They don’t have the offensive consistency to win 135-130 track meets every night. That’s not who they are, and that’s not how they’re built.

This loss stung even more because of the standings math. Denver dropped to Golden State. The Lakers fell to Boston. Houston stumbled against New York on Saturday. If Minnesota handles its business, they’re neck-and-neck with the Nuggets for the 3-seed.

Instead? They’re staring at the 6-seed again. Play-in territory hovering in the background like an unwelcome sequel nobody asked for.

The Good News (Yes, There Is Some)

The West is still jam-packed. The margin is razor thin. One good road trip flips everything. And here’s what’s ahead: Portland, then the Clippers in L.A., then a final showdown with Denver on March 1.

If the Wolves string together three wins on this trip, they’re right back in the mix and will have likely leapfrogged Denver. The three seed is sitting there. Waiting.

But this team doesn’t get credit for theoretical standings jumps. They get credit for showing up. So now we pivot to Portland…

Keys to the Game

1. Don’t Walk In Like It’s Wrapped Up

Minnesota just beat Portland before the All-Star break. And that’s the danger. Because if you rewind a bit further to opening night, it took fourth-quarter heroics from Anthony Edwards to avoid losing to this same Blazers team.

They’re young. They’re scrappy. They don’t know they’re supposed to lose. If Minnesota strolls in assuming this is a get-right game, they’ll find themselves in another fourth-quarter coin flip on the road. That’s not the recipe.

Show up. Focused. Determined. Play like a team that understands the stakes.

2. Protect the Perimeter — For Real This Time

Sunday was a clinic in what not to do defensively. Maxey and the Sixers got comfortable because the Wolves failed at the point of attack. No resistance. Lazy closeouts. Slow rotations. That can’t happen again.

When Jaden McDaniels, Anthony Edwards, and Jaylen Clark are locked in, they can be suffocating on the perimeter. We’ve seen it. We saw it against OKC earlier this season. We’ve seen them swarm and choke teams out. They have to bring that version. Keep Portland’s guards from living in the paint. Contest shooters with purpose. Rotate like it matters.

Because it does.

3. Reclaim the Paint

Gobert is back. Randle should hopefully be recovered from his illness. Naz Reid remains questionable, but even if he’s limited, Minnesota has a size advantage. The Wolves looked lost without their interior presence against Philly. That shouldn’t happen again.

Run the floor. Crash the glass. Establish physicality early. Feed Gobert on lobs. Let Randle bully his way into high-percentage looks. Clean up misses with putbacks. Portland should not win the rebounding battle. Period.

4. Reestablish Defensive Identity

This is bigger than Portland. Bigger than one night.

If Minnesota wants to be taken seriously in April and May, giving up 120-130 points can’t be the norm. Two years ago, this team routinely held opponents under 100. That edge, that pride, has flickered this season. When they get bored, when they assume their offense will carry them, they bleed points.

On the road, you cannot let a young team build momentum. You can’t turn it into a fourth-quarter scramble. Assert control. Make Portland earn every bucket.

Time to Get Real.

After the Dallas win, Edwards said he wanted to go 25-0 down the stretch. That every game matters now.

That sounded great.

Sunday didn’t back it up.

There are 24 games left. The 3-seed is within reach. It doesn’t take a miracle run, just professionalism and consistency. The Wolves don’t need to be perfect. They just need to stop stepping on rakes.

Portland is overmatched on paper. But so was Memphis. So was New Orleans. We’ve seen how that story goes when Minnesota assumes it’s entitled to the result.

This road trip could define the season. Three wins and they’re talking about home-court advantage and avoiding OKC’s side of the bracket. Another slip-up and they’re flirting with the play-in.

Anthony Edwards can say all the right things, but talk is cheap and it’s time to get real. The only thing standing in this team’s way is effort, focus, and whether they decide this matters. We’ll find out Tuesday night in Portland whether 24-0 is a mission statement… or just another sound bite.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Basketball center Charles Bediako is asking the Alabama Supreme Court to let him play the rest of the season for the Crimson Tide.

The recent NBA G-League player on Monday filed an appeal of Tuscaloosa Circuit Court Judge Daniel Pruet’s recent decision that ended Bediako's temporary playing status with the University of Alabama. While Bediako appeals the decision to the state Supreme Court, his lawyers asked Pruet to grant interim relief and allow him to return to play.

Bediako spent two seasons (2021-23) at Alabama, averaging 6.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks, and helped the Crimson Tide make the NCAA Tournament both years. He wasn’t selected in the 2023 NBA draft, but he played for the Motor City Cruise in the G League as recently as mid-January.

He returned to Alabama this season and filed a lawsuit against the NCAA after it denied Alabama’s request to allow him to return to collegiate competition. His lawyers argued that Bediako remains within his five-year college eligibility window. NCAA President Charlie Baker and SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey have opposed Bediako’s reinstatement.

A judge, who later recused himself from the case, issued a temporary restraining order that allowed Bediako to play while the case moved forward. But Pruet on Feb. 9 ruled against Bediako, writing that the player “failed to demonstrate that he is entitled to the injunctive relief that he seeks.”

On Monday, Bediako’s lawyers asked the judge to issue an interim order while the appeal is pending requiring the NCAA to reinstate Bediako as a student-athlete immediately eligible to compete in NCAA competition. They noted that the end of the season and collegiate tournaments are rapidly approaching, and it is unlikely that the Supreme Court will rule on the appeal before the season concludes.

“Without interim injunctive relief, the whole purpose for Plaintiff’s appeal — the ability to play basketball for the University of Alabama for the remainder of play in 2026 — will be null,” lawyer David W. Holt wrote.

Alabama’s regular season ends on March 7. The SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament takes place in mid-March, and the NCAA Tournament will be held from March 17 through April 6.

When you’re run off the floor by your rival, there aren’t many positives that can be taken away. Particularly with the way things played out in the fourth quarter, there was definitely a very sour taste in the mouths of fans walking away from that contest.

However, when looking at the box score, it wasn’t a total disaster for the Lakers. In fact, all things considered, it was one of the better defensive showings against a top team this year, even if every Payton Pritchard three felt like a dagger to the soul.

The problem for the Lakers came on the other end of the floor where they had arguably their worst offensive showing of the season.

“I think going against this team and their offense,” Redick said, “[when I] made the subs at 3:22 in the fourth quarter, they’ve got 105 points and they’re 12-for-32 from three and they’re shooting 47%. We did a good job limiting their fast break points [and] did a good job limiting their points in the paint under 50. So, we did enough defensively. We were just awful offensively tonight.“

Technically, the Lakers have had one game with fewer points this year, that coming in a mid-December loss to the Clippers. However, in that contest, Austin Reaves didn’t play and Luka Dončić left midway through the contest and didn’t return.

On Sunday, all three were healthy and the team laid a huge egg. While it’s fair to call the Big 3 a work in progress, there was no excuse for that performance against the Celtics.

For Reaves, while part of it came down to missing open looks, the process also wasn’t good, specifically in the first half, either.

“We missed some good looks,” Reaves said. “I think we could have done a better job in the first half playing with the pass [and] trying to create better looks in that first half. I thought [in] the second half, we did a good job of that. We missed some good looks and they capitalized on that.

“You’re going to have games where you don’t shoot it well or offensively play well. You got to find other ways to keep yourself in the game.”

The Lakers aren’t going to have the necessary time to figure things out. All of this is going to be rushed. But there is still a level of expectations that the team, and the Big 3 in particular, need to meet.

Sunday needs to be an aberration, though, based on how the season has played out, that might not end up being the case.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

The seemingly bad conditions were perfect for Jaylen Brown.

The Celtics were left for dead after Jayson Tatum suffered a torn Achilles last postseason. Then they lost Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday and Al Horford from the 2024 championship team. They were expected to have a gap year. No one thought they’d be competitive.

But what was overlooked in all of this is Brown’s superpower: The more he’s discounted, the more he thrives. 

Brown has led a team that was supposed to tank to second place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 37-19. The Celtics are one of the NBA’s biggest surprises of the season. And Brown is one of the most notable success stories. 

Only one person saw this coming. 

“I always knew I was one of the best players in the world,” Brown told the California Post in an exclusive interview after the Celtics beat the Lakers on Sunday, 111-89. “I always felt like that. And on top of that, the opportunity presented itself because we got guys that got traded and injured. So, I’m just grateful to be able to have great teammates that allow me to lead them.”

Brown loves proving people wrong. It’s how he has made a name for himself in the league.

When Celtics fans booed him after the franchise selected him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 draft, he transformed himself into a star. When pundits questioned whether he deserved the then-richest contract in NBA history in July 2023 (a supermax worth up to $304 million over five years), he responded by carrying Boston to a championship in 2024 and winning Finals MVP. 

And when everyone crossed off the Celtics, he circled them, transforming his game to a new level. 

This season, he’s averaging career-highs in points (29.2), rebounds (7) and assists (4.9). Heading into the All-Star break, he led the Celtics to have the same seeding (second) and net rating (third) that they had last year at that time. 

When asked directly if he should win the MVP Award this season, Brown didn’t hesitate. 

“Me?” he questioned. “I’m the best two-way player in the world.”

Brown is currently sixth on the NBA’s MVP ladder, behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Cade Cunningham and Victor Wembanyama. 

It has left some people perplexed, including LeBron James, who advocated for Brown to be included in the MVP conversation on Sunday. It was a notable endorsement considering James also pointed out in the same media availability that he remembers cameras catching Brown saying his son, Bronny, wasn’t a pro at summer league in 2024. 

“This whole MVP thing, I don’t understand why his name is not getting talked about some as well,” James said. “Like, nobody gave them a shot to start the season. And he’s averaging what, 30? Just under 30? It’s a popularity contest sometimes, I tell you.”

As for Brown, when asked if he’s surprised he’s not getting more recognition, he didn’t hesitate. 

“No. I don’t know what the criteria is,” Brown said. “But I don’t always follow the rules, so that comes with consequences. So, I get it. But I’m just going to keep doing what I do. And we’ll see what happens.”

This isn’t the first time Brown has felt as though he were snubbed. 

Brown believes he was excluded from the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris because he was critical of Nike, a key sponsor of Team USA. Most notably, after Nike co-founder Phil Knight said Kyrie Irving “stepped over the line” by sharing a link to an antisemitic film in 2022, Brown posted on X, “Since when did Nike care about ethics?” 

Recently, Brown has made headlines for standing up against the city of Beverly Hills after police shut down his event over All-Star weekend. The city later issued an apology to Brown, saying police had cited inaccurate information. Brown responded by thanking the city in a post on X, but added that it “embarrassed me and my brand” and asked “what about resources / partners lost?”  

Despite all of the drama, Brown hasn’t lost focus on what he’s doing on the court.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla isn’t surprised by Brown’s growth. In fact, he believes regardless of Tatum’s injury and the team’s offseason moves, the 29-year-old would’ve made leaps this season. 

“I would expect to see something like this, just the evolution of Jaylen, regardless of the environment around him,” Mazzulla said. ” I think he’s the type of guy who relishes in getting one percent better in whatever that looks like. And he just cares about winning.”

Payton Pritchard echoed that, pointing out that what Brown has been doing in the shadows has come into the light this season.

“He’s always been a great leader,” Pritchard said. “But it’s showing more this year because we’ve had such a veteran team. Now it’s a young group of guys thinking it’s going to be a gap year and stuff like that. And he’s leading us and doing a hell of a job.”

While everyone assumed the Celtics would let go of the rope, Brown held tight and pulled with all his might. It’s what he has done his entire career when the cards seemed stacked against him. 

Not good enough? Overrated? Second fiddle to Tatum?

He has systematically erased those narratives, as well as the most recent one about the Celtics not being contenders.

“I know everybody was counting us out,” Brown said. “But I knew it would make for a perfect story if we were able to figure it out. So, my mentality was being aggressive, play with a chip on my shoulder. But also lead my group through adversity, through the tough times to make sure we could come together at the right moments.”

PHOENIX — Jaylen Brown could be sidelined when the Celtics face the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night. Brown is listed as questionable on the Celtics’ injury report with a right knee contusion that he was icing in the locker room on Sunday night.

Brown tallied 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists in a blowout Celtics win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. The Celtics star is averaging 29.2 points, 7 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game this season, and he’s missed five games this season.

The only other player on the Celtics’ injury report is Jayson Tatum, who continued to be sidelined as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles tendon. Joe Mazzulla wouldn’t say whether Tatum practiced with the Celtics on Saturday, but Tatum did practice with the G League earlier this month and has continued to progress in his recovery.

The Suns, meanwhile, will be very shorthanded. Dillon Brooks is out for the next 4-6 weeks with a broken left hand, and Devin Booker is out with a hip strain for at least the next week. Jordan Goodwin (calf) and Haywood Highsmith (knee) are also both out.

The Celtics are on the first night of a back-to-back on Tuesday, which could factor into their decision to rest Brown. They’ll face the Denver Nuggets in Denver on Wednesday.

How the Celtics and Suns stack up entering the match-up

The Celtics have won 8 of their last 9 games and currently have the Eastern Conference’s second-best record at 37-19. They have the NBA’s fourth-best record, fourth-best net rating, and third-best offense.

The Suns, meanwhile, have dropped 6 of their last 10 games as they deal with a myriad of injuries. At 33-25, they currently have the 7th-best record in the Western Conference.

The Suns have had the NBA’s 9th-best defensive rating at 112.5 (the Celtics have the 8th-best defensive rating at 112.2). Something else to note is the Suns’ ability to crash the offensive glass; they have the 6th-best offensive rebound percentage at 33.2%.

With Booker and Brooks both sidelined, Grayson Allen, Collin Gillespie, and Jalen Green become the players to watch. Allen (17.3 points, 3.9 assists) is Phoenix’s best-available scorer, while Gillespie (13.4 points, 4.7 assists) and Green (13.3 points, 2.4 assists) have also been key contributors.

Celtics-Suns will tip off at 9pm ET at the Mortgage Matchup Center.

Welcome, friends to the NBA’s game of the year. Two of the most exciting young franchises in the NBA, both either first or second in their respective conferences, and both led by two young, superstar players who look like they could help define the NBA for the next decade-plus.

In one corner, you have the East-leading Detroit Pistons led by Cade Cunningham, one of the most versatile offensive hubs in the NBA. He does a lot of traditional things you expect from a lead guard — run the offense, dictate the pace, get others involved, score at all three levels, play hard on defense. He just does all of those things at a high level as a total package you want to build your team around. In the other corner, you have a very untraditional superstar in the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama. He is a 7-foot-4 dynamo on both ends of the floor with a face-up game, ball-handling skills more akin to a guard, and one of the most feared defenders of the paint in the NBA. He’s redefining what is possible on the court on a nightly basis.

But these two teams excel for reasons beyond their respective star players. Detroit is able to impose its will on teams behind total team defense, hustle, and grit. The Spurs play an excellent brand of defense as well, but it’s a more contained, disciplined variety. They don’t impose their will; they don’t give you anything to work with and are happy to let you settle for a bad shot. No team gives up a lower ratio of free throws than the Spurs on a nightly basis, and the San Antonio defense is top-four in both defending twos and defending threes.

Game Vitals

When: 7 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Watch: Peacock; FanDuel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons -1.5

Projected Lineups

Detroit Pistons (42-13)

Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren

San Antonio Spurs (40-16)

De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie, Victor Wembanyama

BREAKING: Utah Jazz starting center Jusuf Nurkić will undergo a surgical procedure on his nose Wednesday that will sideline him for the remainder of the season, league sources tell me. pic.twitter.com/MFYjY333GU

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 23, 2026

This was the news greeted by fans at 1 AM, as the team is headed to the Lone Star State to wrap up their two-game road trip against the Houston Rockets — wait for it….on National Television! Ever since the Jazz pulled the plug on Operation Jaren, Nurkic hasn’t been able to grace the floor — a combination of DNP-CD and injury report appearances. A devastating loss for those who were eager for another unorthodox Nurkic triple-double, but a win for sickos who wanted to squeeze one or two more losses out of Nurkic’s estimated impact.

But Houston is one of those teams where you take your loss, bow and leave — or at least in theory. Though they’re 34-21, a Kevin Durant burner account scandal has gone viral, which has only added fuel to the fire amid a 3-4 stretch through All-Star Weekend. They’ve collected a loss and a win against this Jazz group back in a two-game set back in early December. But hey, it’s not all doom and gloom for Ryan Smith’s chosen children. Keyonte George, who has missed the last four games with a right ankle sprain, has been upgraded to questionable. Lauri Markkanen’s death plague has been ameliorated — now listed as a common cold. It’s probably due to the fact that Utah doesn’t want to be seen lurking in the gutters on NBC, but they probably aren’t good enough regardless, without a genuine starting center. The Rockets side has a few trickles, namely Jae’Sean Tate, Steven Adams and Fred VanVleet named on theirs.

There’s no doubt due to this Nurkic injury that Kyle Filipowski will spring to the starting lineup once again. He was the first iteration of the tall ball at the beginning of the season, where the Jazz ran a Markkanen-Filipowski-Kessler frontcourt. Now he’s entrusted with the grave task of protecting the paint. I should clarify that Flip has, and probably never will be a defensive presence, but it should never really matter considering the ceiling of all his other NBA attributes. You’ll never notice until the end of the game when he’ll rack up 17 points and 11 boards in a close 8-point loss.

Truth be told, this is a basketball game the Jazz are not entirely interested in winning. They’re not the bottom feeders they’d like to be, coughing up some devastating victories against Memphis and Sacramento. Oh, how far they have risen. The best we can do at this point onwards is wear a shirt with big bold letters that read “A LOSS FOR US IS A LOSS FOR PRESTI” — that’ll get the point across. Especially tonight, considering they’re facing a team that is nearly as incompetent as the Utah Jazz are at taking care of the ball. Utah’s still one of the heavy hitters, recording the second-most turnovers per game at 16.0. Houston doesn’t sit far behind at seventh, giving up 15.4 per game. They both struggle to force turnovers on the defensive end, ranking 24th and 21st in opponent turnover rate.

Truthfully, the Rockets are in a tall, athletic guard dilemma. They’ve been too reliant on Fred VanVleet pre-injury, leaving no one else who can run a half-court set. Amen Thompson has attempted to take on those responsibilities to little success, but he’ll still punish you on nearly every other aspect of basketball, with the exception of three-point shooting. When he was drafted, he was either the mythological 6’7” point guard or a bust who came from a league named after a Gen Z social media brand. He can attack closeouts. He can drive later in the clock if the Rockets have thrown everything else out there. He’s Andrei Kirilenko, trying to play the point guard role with occasional success. Thompson is at his most dangerous on the open floor. The Jazz will likely have to sprint down immediately if they want any success — no complaining to the refs, no slow jogs.

It’s too late for Houston to pull out of the Kevin Durant saga now. They need to gear up for Playoff mode, but it won’t start tonight against the low-hanging Jazz. Both teams have probably mutually agreed on what needs to happen for both of their sakes. For us, it’s just another 48 minutes we can experiment on.

Injury Report

Jazz:

PROBABLE – Lauri Markkanen (illness)

QUESTIONABLE – Keyonte George (right ankle sprain)

OUT – Walker Kessler (left shoulder surgery)

Rockets:

OUT – Steven Adams (ankle surgery), Jae’Sean Tate (right knee sprain), Fred VanVleet (torn ACL)

How to watch:

Who: Utah Jazz (18-39) at Houston Rockets (34-21)

When: February 23rd, 7:30PM Mountain Time

Where: Toyota Center, Houston

Channel: Peacock, Jazz+, KJZZ

Radio: 97.5/1280 The Zone

Hey guys!

I know many of you enjoyed the non-Lakers discussion threads we had. Instead of simply bringing those back, though, I figured we could just open it up to anything. Want to discuss movies, games, basketball, TV, the weather, what you had for lunch, your wins of the week? Here’s the place.

The only rule is to follow the guidelines. Be nice and be civil. Everything else is fair game.

Welcome to the Game Thread. Veterans of the Game Thread know how we do things around here, but for all you newbies we have a few rules. Our community guidelines apply and basically say be cool, no personal attacks, don’t troll and don’t swear too much.

The Spurs are on an eight-game winning streak, which matches their longest of the season, which culminated in a 15 point road win over the Thunder on Christmas, followed by a disappointing home loss to the Utah Jazz just two days later. The Spurs have a much more difficult assignment tonight to extend their winning streak to nine games, facing the league’s best team in Detroit. Cade Cunningham is giving the Motor City a great return on their first overall draft pick in 2021, as he’s been one of the best players in the league this year, and is in the running for MVP. The rest of the roster is talented with a good mixture of young talent and savvy vets.

The Spurs are coming off of a two game series where they blew out a pair of teams that were missing key performers, but the Silver and Black understood the assignment, blowing out the Suns with wire to wire dominance and playing hard enough for about two quarters to blow out the downtrodden Kings, extending Sacramento’s losing streak to a woesome 16 games. The Spurs will have to play the whole game tonight to have a chance against the surging Pistons, and if they can get 30 minutes from Victor Wembanyama like the first six minutes of Saturday night’s game, I feel good about their chances. Stephon Castle will have a tough assignment on Cunningham, and he’ll have to avoid the foul trouble he encountered against the Kings. Dylan Harper has been really good lately, and he will also be needed to help defend Cunningham.

Tonight is another test for Silver and Black, but it’s also just a regular season game. If the Spurs want to catch the Thunder, a win tonight would be a key ingredient, but they will have a rematch with the Pistons on March 5, where they will face the same test again, this time in San Antonio. Best case scenario, the Spurs win both and the Thunder lose their game to the Pistons on Wednesday. There’s still about two months left in the season, so there’s a long way to go yet, so you can’t get too wrapped up in individual game outcomes yet. Let’s save that for the playoffs, where the Spurs are definitely going this year. Let’s watch tonight and see how it goes. GO SPURS GOO!!

Game Prediction:

Cade Cunningham will refuse to shoot the ball in the paint after his first four attempts are blocked by Victor.

San Antonio Spurs at Detroit Pistons
February 23, 2026 | 6:00 PM CT
Streaming: Peacock
TV: Peacock
Reminder: It is against site policy to post links to illegal streams in the comments.

Indiana men’s basketball made a front office type of move on Monday with the hiring of Ryan Carr, a former program manager, as Executive Director of Basketball, effectively a general manager type role with a focus on roster building.

Such hirings have become more common in college basketball due to relatively recent shifts in team and program building philosophies with the onset of NIL and the transfer portal. Indiana has plenty of connections around the basketball world with former players and managers in coaching and front office roles around college basketball, the NBA and other levels. Carr, working just up the road in Indianapolis with plenty of scouting and leadership experience, seems a natural fit.

Which seems to be the broad takeaway from the move based on reactions around social media. Here’s some that stick out:

Pacers guards Tyrese Haliburton and T.J. McConnell:

Pacers point guards T.J. McConnell and Tyrese Haliburton wish executive Ryan Carr well in his newly-created role with #iubbpic.twitter.com/JpHiFnu23G

— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) February 23, 2026

Former Indiana men’s basketball head coach Tom Crean:

This is absolutely awesome for @IndianaMBB to have @Ryan_Carr11 join in this role. As good as an evaluator, connector, executive and truth teller that he is, he’s even a far better Person, Family Man and encourager. @IUHoosiers nailed this one. Ryan truly loves @IndianaUnivhttps://t.co/fBXsDTy8kN

— Tom Crean (@TomCrean) February 23, 2026

ESPN reporter Pete Thamel:

Significant hire for Indiana. Carr is one of the most respected scouts/front office members in the NBA and has deep ties to the state. https://t.co/RXmlA9EGKg

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 23, 2026

NBA Draft analyst Jonathon Givony:

This is a major hire for Indiana. Ryan Carr is a longtime, highly respected NBA executive and former IU manager who ran the Pacers’ pre-draft process for years and has been a constant presence on the scouting circuit. https://t.co/MLne71eJjR

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) February 23, 2026

Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard:

So excited for RC! But remember your home will always be at @pacers

— Kevin Pritchard (@PacersKev) February 23, 2026

Pacers assistant coach Jenny Boucek

One of the first guys I met in the business as an advance scout in 2005. While others were cold/competitive, he was kind, embracing and a huge help. He’s one in a million with greater and deeper purpose. Go Ryan!🙏 https://t.co/O5zD9h1tDI

— Jenny Boucek (@jboucek) February 23, 2026

Per NBA insider Chris Haynes, the Jazz will be without backup center Jusuf Nurkić moving forward due to an urgent medical procedure:

BREAKING: Utah Jazz starting center Jusuf Nurkić will undergo a surgical procedure on his nose Wednesday that will sideline him for the remainder of the season, league sources tell me. pic.twitter.com/MFYjY333GU

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 23, 2026

I’m not a doctor, but I figure this procedure is urgent because Jusuf Nurkić is playing too well. For the Jazz, who are fighting to keep pace in a hotly contested race for draft position, every loss matters.

This leaves the Jazz with frontcourt rotations which will include Lauri Markkanen, (for now) Kyle Filipowski, Kevin Love, Oscar Tshiebwe, John “Jitty” Konchar, and Blake Hinson. The Jazz now have an opportunity to a) improve their draft position and b) Evaluate their end-of-the-bench talent before going all-in on competing next season. Kyle Filipowski has proven to be a skilled offensive player, but his defensive footwork leaves much to be desired. Can he learn to hang with upper-end NBA talent? New additions John Konchar and Blake Hinson have shown promise, but will they be part of the team’s long-term plans? The answers to these questions may be more clear after 30 games of watching them play big minutes.

Admittedly, if you had told me prior to this season that the Jazz would be Urgently Resting Nurkić for a Very Urgent Surgery, I would not have believed you. I was stuck in the past, dwelling on stuff like this:

Jusuf Nurkic in his last 7 games:

🧱 7.9 PPG
🧱 2-14 3P
🧱 7-17 FT
🧱 -8.6
🧱 45.1/13.3/41.2%

He’s 1 of only 9 centers to allow a DFG% over 50% on at least 12 FGA per game 😤🔥🧱 pic.twitter.com/oiP8WgTsib

— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) March 22, 2023

. . . and not expecting this:

The @utahjazz fall to the @miamiheat 147-116.

Jusuf Nurkic records his third straight triple-double with 17 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds.#TakeNotepic.twitter.com/hkupMrmWaV

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 25, 2026

I have officially gone from “Well, I guess we had to take back salary to unload Colin Sexton” to “Wow, Nurk is a really nice backup with a cool skillset. It would be great if he re-signed here this summer.” Turns out that, sometimes, professional basketball players are really good at playing basketball, even if six-foot nothing, 5PPG-at-the-local-pickup-game guys like me think they’re washed.

Jazz coach Will Hardy has a few hours to re-work his rotations as the team prepares to take on the Houston Rockets at 7:30pm MT.

This hasn’t been the dream season we envisioned entering the year. If you came from the future and told everyone the Knicks would be the No. 3 seed and considerably behind the No. 1 seed in late February, I’d imagine near-universal disappointment. That’s fine, that’s reasonable.

What’s not reasonable is the way some people act after every single loss. Losing sucks, there’s no question about it, but you don’t need to write a thinkpiece about the entire organization after an off night. It’s an 82-game season, you’re not going undefeated. I think most people understand that, but then you also get takes like this on social media after the team’s disheartening loss against the Pistons on Thursday.

"I cannot wait till we get to the summer so they could blow this team the f*** up… Has there ever been a more unlikeable 'good' team in NBA history?"@JCMacriNBA condemns the Knicks effort after their 3rd loss of the season to the Detroit Pistons, bringing their total margin… pic.twitter.com/ExtPJ3aHPH

— Knicks Film School (@KnickFilmSkool) February 20, 2026

If you’re ever on social media, especially when one of these games are going on, you see the same tropes.

“This team doesn’t care”, “They’re soft.”, “They’re pathetic.”

This is especially the narrative after all the Pistons games. I understand it’s a different Pistons team than last year, but we also have to remember the regular season doesn’t tell the whole story. There’s also a misrepresentation of how Thursday’s game went. While the Knicks absolutely got punked in the first two meetings, they overall played with a good amount of intensity on Thursday. You know why the score was lopsided? The No. 3 3pt shooting team in basketball couldn’t buy one, while the worst wide-open shooting team in basketball once again shot over 40%.

The sky is not falling because the Pistons seem to have our number. There’s no guarantee that, assuming the Knicks stay in the 2 or 3-seed, the Pistons would even be the matchup in the Eastern Conference Finals! People saying that these three matchups are the reason they have no chance to come out of the East are being dishonest.

Different sects of the fanbase have different criticisms of the team. Some blame Jalen Brunson’s isocentric playstyle, which prevents guys like Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns from getting in rhythm. Some blame Mike Brown’s coaching style for not getting Towns the ball and treating him more like Domantas Sabonis. Some get on Josh Hart for the bad stretches when he misses an assignment off-ball defensively, and his reluctance to shoot. And then, of course, there’s criticism of Bridges and Towns for being soft.

Are some of these criticisms warranted? Sure! The Knicks are far from perfect, but they’re still a damn good basketball team. But some of these narratives are silly, especially the small, small sect that calls Brunson a ballhog and shows misleading on-off numbers.

Exhibit A of Jalen Brunson refusing to be a point guard pic.twitter.com/7JmpkazwPc

— YG_BK (@ygeasymoney) February 20, 2026

But honestly, the most frustrating part about this stuff is glorifying the past. And no, I’m not talking about the 1990s or the 2013 Knicks, I’m talking about the recent teams. There was an unironic tweet during the 11-game skid that the 2021 Knicks, because of the defense and physicality, would beat this team in a playoff series.

(Speaking of the 11-game skid, this is possibly the worst tweet I‘ve ever seen.)

Watching the Knicks these last two seasons has been as bad as watching them during the 2021-22 season & the beginning of the 2022-23 season

— sam 🫥 (@lbf_mas) January 16, 2026

Nostalgia is a real virus. That 2021 team was the first playoff team for an entire generation of Knicks fans, but they were tremendously flawed. Once the Hawks learned to turn Julius Randle’s water off, it was over. Do we really think that team would be able to score enough in the playoffs and lock up Brunson and KAT? Seriously?

The more sensible nostalgia acts are coming from the 2023-25 teams. The Knicks played with a certain level of grit then, but people forget how things went for those teams.

The 2023 Knicks were an inspiring group that was genuinely ten-deep. The problem? The team’s second-best playoff performer was 23-year-old Quentin Grimes. Randle, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley were terrible against the Heat.

The 2024 Knicks might’ve been the most fun team to root for, and that’s what this boils down to. You love to root for the undermanned underdog with likable players and personalities, who play with a certain level of nastiness. But that team had a ceiling; their second option was Donte DiVincenzo. Now, if you want to talk about the January 2024 Knicks, I’m listening. They were special. But you were never getting that team again, not with the CBA forcing Isaiah Hartenstein to OKC.

There’s also a lot of comparing Tom Thibodeau to Mike Brown, some reasonable, some not. But let’s not act like the same people who are yearning for Thibs weren’t the ones begging for him to be fired midseason last year.

The Cavs fired JB Bickerstaff despite leading the team to the playoffs for three straight seasons, and now they’re 32-5 under Kenny Atkinson. Meanwhile, Knicks fans say we can’t fire Thibs because “we were bad before he got here”😂 pic.twitter.com/xW37HBTdAn

— DockNYK (@DockNYK) January 15, 2025

But remember alot of Knicks fans celebrated thibs being fired in the offseason and wanted to act like Mike Brown was the reincarnation of Pat Riley pic.twitter.com/GlEdq4ZlFn

— DockNYK (@DockNYK) January 20, 2026

And that’s my point. There has always been something to complain about. In 2021, they couldn’t score. In 2023, they had no offense aside from Brunson in the playoffs. In 2024, a similar story. Then, when you add the offensive firepower, the pendulum swings the other way.

Make no mistake, this is the best Knicks team since Patrick Ewing was wearing orange and blue. They’re on pace for 52 wins. While they’ve had frustrating losses to Detroit and San Antonio, they’ve beaten Boston, Cleveland, Houston, Toronto, and Denver. They went 0-10 vs the top-three teams last year and 5-14 against teams that won at least 50 games. This year, they’re 7-5 (technically 6-5 but the NBA Cup counts to me, dammit) against teams playing at a 50 or more win pace. It’s a Pistons issue right now, not a crippling league issue.

It’s one thing when the likes of Draymond Green or Charles Barkley use buzzwords to insult this team. They’re outside media personalities who benefit from clicks. It’s disingenuous when it’s our fans doing it, pretending that we aren’t less than six years removed from Mo Harkless starting games with regularity and less than eight years removed from Allonzo Trier being our most promising player.

You know what, maybe I just need to get off social media.

The Washington Wizards are playing the Hawks in Atlanta tomorrow night. I’ve got you covered with the preview:

Game info

When: 7:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Feb. 24

Where: State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia

How to watch: Monumental Sports Network

Injuries

Wizards — Trae Young, Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr and Cam Whitmore are all listed as OUT. Tristan Vukcevic and Justin Champagnie are listed as DAY-TO-DAY. Additionally, D’Angelo Russell is not being asked to report to the team.

Hawks — Jonathan Kuminga is listed as OUT and has yet to make his Hawks debut.

Game notes and more

• The Atlanta Hawks were a hip NBA Finals contender ahead of the season, yet even in a rollercoaster of a season they’ve failed to kick their play-in addiction. They’ve traded their franchise player in Trae Young, minted a new All-Star in Jalen Johnson, rolled the dice on Jonathan Kuminga and watched Zaccharie Risacher, who they selected no. 1 overall last year, fail to make an impact. They are still the same middling old Hawks, and they currently sit at a meager 28-31, fending off a challenge from the flaming hot Charlotte Hornets.
• The aforementioned Young was, as any reader of this site is no doubt aware, traded to the Wizards ahead of the trade deadline. He has yet to make his debut, and it is unknown whether he will be playing this season or not, as all team-issued updates have been quite vague.

VITORIA-GASTEIZ, Spain (AP) — Lucas Boyé scored twice for Alaves to draw with Girona 2-2 in an end-to-end La Liga encounter at Estadio Mendizorroza on Monday.

The second straight draw for Alaves lifted it three points clear of La Liga’s relegation zone.

Girona was three places and three points better off, although only six points separate Girona in 11th and Mallorca in the last of the three relegation spots.

The home side took the initiative after just five minutes when Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga missed Yusi’s low cross, allowing Boyé to side-foot home from close range.

However, Girona came roaring back and 14 minutes before the break it was level, Axel Witsel’s glancing header touched into the net by Vladyslav Vanat.

Girona took the lead in the 73rd minute when Azzedine Ounahi’s superb reverse pass split the Alaves defence. Viktor Tsygankov showed a cool head to round the keeper and slot the ball into the empty net.

But Boyé’s header a minute from time gave Alaves a deserved draw that could be crucial in its fight against the drop.

“We’re at home, and we know that to reach our objective as quickly as possible we have to pick up three points here, especially against direct rivals,” Boyé said. “We’re frustrated by the draw and by not getting all three points.”

___

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

Coming out of the All-Star break, the Phoenix Suns had three games in four nights, going 1-2 with a dramatic win over the Orlando Magic and tough losses where the offense struggled against the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trailblazers. While it was a short week, the team lost multiple key players due to injury.

Here are the main questions for Week 18 that we want your thoughts on:

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Getting Through the Injury Bug/Jalen Green’s big shot

Two questions in one block here. In the Suns’ three games this week, Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks and Jordan Goodwin all went down with injuries and missed the next game. Booker will be re-evaluated later this week, Brooks broke his hand and is out without a timeline, and Goodwin strained his calf and is also without a timeline.

Phoenix has now played 14 games this year without Booker and are en route to play at least two more. On a side note, if Booker misses four more games, he’ll be ineligible for All-NBA awards this year.

With the Suns’ top scorers likely out for an extended period, look for Jalen Green to get more into a rhythm with his new teammates. He played 30 minutes for the first time as a Sun on Saturday in the team’s double-overtime win that ended with him hitting a buzzer-beating three, green has been inefficient so far in his first ten games as a Sun, shooting 38% from the field and 31% from three. His shooting splits are the lowest of any season of his career. Averaging over 20 points per game in his previous three seasons combined, he has the potential to lead the team in scoring amid the injuries.

JALEN GREEN HITS THE GAME-WINNING @TISSOT BUZZER-BEATER TO WIN IT FOR THE SUNS IN 2OT!

🚨⏰ Everyone Gets 24 pic.twitter.com/hhVPjW93xF

— NBA (@NBA) February 22, 2026

Is the answer to the Suns’ injury issues getting Jalen Green more acclimated into the offense? Who else needs to step up for the time being?

Offensive Issues

The Suns didn’t shoot over 40% from the field once this week. Their win against Orlando was the first time since 2023 a team won while shooting under 35% from the field, and their 77 points against Portland was the least points they’ve scored in a game all year, and is tied for the second-least points a team has scored in a game this season.

To win games, independent of whose in the lineup, the Suns need to hit more shots. While Grayson Allen missed Sunday’s contest due to injury management, he should be back in the lineup Tuesday.

What is wrong with the Phoenix offense? How can it improve?

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For more questions on the Suns follow @HoldenSherman1 on X for content after every game.

Jalen Green went 6/26 from the field, but finished the game with a buzzer beater.

What do you make of his performance tonight and his ability to come up clutch when he's most needed?@BrightSideSun

— Holden Sherman (@HoldenSherman1) February 22, 2026