Category: NBA

Six teams still alive in the Men’s NCAA Tournament know what it’s like to hang a banner.

Connecticut has won six national championships during the tournament era, most recently with a back-to-back run in 2024, to tie North Carolina for the third-most in Division I history.

Duke has won five, most recently in 2015. Michigan State has won a pair, including under current coach Tom Izzo in 2000 — still the most recent title for the Big Ten. Arizona (1997), Arkansas (1994) and Michigan (1989) have one.

RE-SEEDING THE SWEET 16: Separating the contenders from pretenders

That leaves 10 potential first-time champions in the Sweet 16, including recent powerhouses such as Houston, historically successful programs such as Purdue and Illinois and some dark-horse underdogs, led by traditional football power Nebraska.

Looking at each team’s Sweet 16 matchup and what opponents could await in the Elite Eight and beyond, let’s rank which of these 10 contenders has the best chance of joining the champions club:

10. Texas (21-14)

The West Region's 11-seed, Texas, has already won three tournament games to reach its second Sweet 16 since 2008. To keep going, the Longhorns would need to handle Purdue’s experience, potentially Arizona’s NBA-heavy roster just to reach the Final Four. If so, they’d become the third team to go from the play-in round to the national semifinals.

9. Iowa (23-12)

Iowa, the 9-seed in the South, is an underdog against the Cornhuskers and would be even bigger underdogs in a matchup with Houston or Illinois — let alone against the winner of a loaded East region in the Final Four. Then again, the Hawkeyes did just beat the Gators, so anything is possible.

8. Nebraska (28-6)

The fourth-seeded Cornhuskers’ magical run has included the first tournament win in school history and a dramatic 74-72 win in the second round against No. 5 Vanderbilt. Nebraska next draws rival Iowa after splitting the season series. It has a terrific chance at reaching the Elite Eight but would be very hard-pressed to knock off Houston, though Nebraska did beat Illinois on the road earlier this year.

7. Tennessee (24-11)

As mentioned, Tennessee’s outlook looks much better if Joshua Jefferson is unable to go for ISU. A few more days of recovery time should also help freshman forward Nate Ament, who had 16 points in the win against No. 3 Virginia. But in addition to not resembling a title team at virtually any point this season, the sixth-seeded Volunteers are battling coach Rick Barnes’ checkered tournament history. In 39 seasons, Barnes has made just one Final Four.

6. Alabama (25-9)

Midwest Region's No. 4 seed, Alabama, has a seemingly unfavorable matchup in the Sweet 16 against Michigan, which has the guard play, the beef in the frontcourt and the playing style to outgun the high-scoring Crimson Tide. On the other hand, the Tide have advanced past the Sweet 16 in each of the past two years and have a formula that’s proven to work in the postseason.

5. Illinois (26-8)

The biggest issue for 3-seed Illinois is the matchup against Houston in what should be unfriendly territory. With the Cougars looking like one of the top favorites for the national title, it’ll take a huge effort from the Illini just to reach the Elite Eight, let alone advance all the way to the program’s first championship.

4. Iowa State (29-7)

The one hangup for No. 2 seed Iowa State in the Midwest region is the injury to All-America forward Joshua Jefferson, who missed the second round against No. 7 Kentucky but is battling to get back for Tennessee in the Sweet 16. If so, the Cyclones are an obvious title contender. If not, ISU might not get past the Volunteers.

3. Purdue (29-8)

No. 2 seed Purdue is getting hot at the right time. After beating Michigan to capture the Big Ten tournament, the Boilermakers have dispatched No. 15 Queens and No. 7 Miami to set up a Sweet 16 pairing with Texas. While it’ll need better play from Braden Smith, who had eight turnovers against the Hurricanes, Purdue has Final Four potential.

REQUIRED READING: As he passes 500 wins, it's time to recognize what Matt Painter is: a Big Ten legend

2. St. John’s (30-6)

Rick Pitino is the head coach. Is there more that needs to be said? Already the first coach to reach a Sweet 16 in five separate decades, Pitino is looking to lead his fourth program to the Final Four, having done so at Providence (1987), Kentucky (1993 and 1996-97) and Louisville (2005 and 2012-13). The fifth-seeded Red Storm have one of the nation’s best big men in Zuby Ejiofor and the physicality to handle No. 1 Duke in the East Region semifinal. From there, it’s either No. 3 Michigan State or a rematch with the No. 2 Huskies.

1. Houston (30-6)

Houston has an enviable path back to the Final Four in the South Region after finishing as the runner-up to Florida last April. While the Sweet 16 matchup with Illinois will be a challenge, the No. 2 Cougars won’t get Florida, which was upset by Iowa. With a win, UH would take on either the Hawkeyes or the Cornhuskers. Better yet, the regional semifinals and final are being played at the Toyota Center in Houston.

March Madness predictions: Who will win Sweet 16, Elite 8, reach Final Four?

∎ USA TODAY Sports staff made their picks. Check them out here.

∎ How'd we do in our original predictions? We grade our selections.

∎ Some of us have revised our Final Four predictions after Florida's loss to Iowa busted our brackets.

Sweet 16 schedule, game times

THURSDAY, MARCH 26

• 7:10 p.m.: No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 11 Texas (West), CBS
• 7:30 p.m.: No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Iowa (South), TBS/truTV
• 9:45 p.m.: No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 4 Arkansas (West), CBS
• 10:05 p.m.: No. 2 Houston vs. No. 3 Illinois (South), TBS/truTV

FRIDAY, MARCH 27

• 7:10 p.m.: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 St. John's (East), CBS
• 7:35 p.m.: Texas Tech/Alabama winner vs. No. 1 Michigan (Midwest), TBS/truTV
• 9:45 p.m.: No. 2 UConn vs. No. 3 Michigan State (East), CBS
• 10:10 p.m.: No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 6 Tennessee (Midwest), TBS/truTV

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Which Sweet 16 team has best chance at winning first NCAA national title

Let’s be direct about what this game actually is, Dub Nation. Tonight isn’t a playoff preview or a statement game. It’s a wounded franchise trying to squeeze one more W out of a season that has been operating on prayers, backup wings, and Coach Steve Kerr’s sheer refusal to accept complete irrelevance.

Golden State Warriors vs. Brooklyn Nets

When: Wednesday, March 25, 2026 | 7:00 PM PT

Where: Chase Center, San Francisco, CA

TV: NBC Sports Bay Area

Radio: 95.7 The Game

The Warriors (34-38) sit 10th in the Western Conference, one game behind Portland. That’s the math. The equation gets uglier when you catalog the casualties: Steph Curry has been out 22 consecutive games with a persistent right knee issue. Jimmy Butler shredded his ACL in January. Al Horford is nursing a calf strain. And now Moses Moody, who was quietly building the most convincing argument all season for why the Two-Timeline philosophy isn’t a joke, tore his patellar tendon in Dallas on Monday night during an overtime win. He won’t be back this season. Probably not for the opening stretch of next one either.

Genuinely just feel awful for the Warriors and Moses Moody.

Just by the look on Steph’s face he’s devastated. This has been an awful year. https://t.co/L3YQyLkSeSpic.twitter.com/fSBdTrMAeo

— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) March 24, 2026

The opponent tonight? A Brooklyn Nets squad (17-55) that is professionally, enthusiastically, strategically losing basketball games. Toumani Camara just dropped a 35-point career night on them from Portland two nights ago. They committed 22 turnovers. Their best players are either injured, on other teams, or named Tyson Etienne. I don’t believe Brooklyn is trying to beat anyone right now. They’re trying to beat Indiana and Washington to the first overall pick.

That tension is the real storyline. The Nets need to lose. The Warriors desperately need to win, with a roster held together by Draymond’s vocal cords and whoever Kerr can locate in the training room. Every game remaining on this schedule is existential. The play-in window is still cracked open, but a loss to a tanking Brooklyn team would be the kind of L that echoes into the offseason, into roster decisions, into the ongoing conversation about whether this championship core has finally exhausted its last comeback narrative.

Nets tanking so hard they told half the team to stay home 😭 pic.twitter.com/1zoeF2Qqpa

— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) January 9, 2025

With the offense running through whoever is still breathing, who on the Dubs will showcase their ability to orchestrate possessions and bring sustained defensive intensity? If Golden State can impose physicality on a banged-up Nets squad that just played last night in Portland, the talent gap should tell.

But basketball isn’t spreadsheets. The Warriors have been running a relay race with a broken baton all season. Tonight they hand it to whoever’s still standing.

Win this game. Figure out the rest later.

While college basketball’s coaching old heads are having a generational reckoning in the Sweet 16, the sport’s stars on the court for the next round of the Men’s NCAA Tournament are a peppered mix of veterans and projected one-and-done phenoms.

Arkansas coach John Calipari, 67, is youngest among the quintet of Calipari, Tennessee’s Rick Barnes (71), Michigan State’s Tom Izzo (71), Houston’s Kelvin Sampson and St. John’s Rick Pitino (73).

Re-seeding Sweet 16 teams: Separating the contenders from pretenders

Grading the coaching hires: From Jerrod Calhoun to Gerry McNamara

Duke’s Cameron Boozer, a consensus top-five projected NBA lottery pick this summer, won’t turn 19 until July 18.

Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg and UConn’s Alex Karaban both turn 24 this fall.

That trio is just three of 10 players who will help dictate Final Four dreams and season-ending nightmares in these upcoming games.

A look at the players to know in the Sweet 16:

Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas

No player anywhere in college basketball has done more to elevate his game — and his draft profile — in March Madness than has the freshman guard for Calipari’s Razorbacks. The 6-3, 190-pounder from Detroit scored 60 points in the tournament’s opening weekend on 20 of 41 shooting from the floor and hitting 15 of 17 free throws. He’s scored 24 or more points in every game of his team’s current six-game winning binge, which included an SEC tournament title.

More: John Calipari unleashed Darius Acuff by taking page out of NBA book

Cameron Boozer, Duke

The ACC’s player and rookie of the year, Boozer had a workmanlike pair of double-doubles as the Blue Devils survived Siena and dispatched TCU in their opening pair of games. He closed with 41 points and 24 rebounds combined. The 6-9, 250-pounder also proved clutch from the free-throw line, where he made 18 of 19 free throws in his NCAA Tournament debut.

Jayden Bradley, Arizona

While freshmen Brayden Burries and Koa Peat garner the majority of NBA chatter on the Wildcats roster, it is Bradley whose game-winner in the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament helped sustain an Arizona winning streak now at 11 games. Bradley owns 73 starts in his 109 career games across one season at Alabama and now two with the Wildcats. His 13.3 points and 4.4 assists per game now in his junior year are both career bests.

Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State

A starter in all 36 games in which he’s appeared this season, the redshirt sophomore Fears has been the catalyst for Michigan State. He’s scored as many as 31 points in a game this season and dropped off a career-best 17 assists in Jan. 26 win against Maryland. Since a late-January road game at Rutgers, Fears has logged 32 or more minutes in every Spartans game save one. Those seemingly indefatigable legs carry Michigan State’s Final Four navigation this weekend.

Kingston Flemings, Houston

On a roster with no shortage of older veterans, it’s the freshman Flemings who helps this Cougars squad encapsulate the essence of Sampson. He’s fearless, hard-nosed and does the little things well, as evidenced by the guard’s care for the ball — just three turnovers in nearly 60 minutes last weekend. Flemings shoots 84.3% from the free-throw line.

Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Tennessee

With Vols star forward Nate Ament operating at less than 100% and managing his way through various injuries per Barnes, Gillespie now carries an even greater load for a Tennessee program seeking its first Final Four berth. Preparing for his 129^th career college game after prior stops at Belmont and Maryland, Gillespie carries two of his finer performances with him into this round: He scored 50 points and had 15 assists as he played all but six minutes combined in the tournament's first two games.

Alex Karaban, UConn

Closing in on 150 career games and already UConn’s all-time winningest player, Karaban enters the Sweet 16 off a career-best 27-point outing. It prompted one of the tournament’s best quotes from Huskies coach Dan Hurley.

“He’s not going down without firing all of his bullets.”

Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan

After a quiet first-round game in Michigan’s win against First Four survivor Howard, Lendeborg regained form to help send Dusty May’s Wolverines to the Sweet 16 with 25 points in just 32 minutes. It marked his eighth game this season of 20 or more points, but it doesn’t fully illuminate his value. Lendeborg added six boards and didn’t commit a turnover in either game.

Labaron Philon Jr., Alabama

The 6-4, 185-pound combo guard had a 35-point game, collected 10 boards in an early-season clash against Arizona and then delivered 12 assists in the Crimson Tide’s Sweet 16-clinching beatdown of Texas Tech.

With second-leading scorer Aden Holloway continuing to be absent following his felony arrest, Philon must carry even more of the Tide’s scoring load. He’s averaged 22.67 ppg across his past half-dozen games — despite scoring just nine to pair with his 12 assists against Texas Tech.

Bennett Stirtz, Iowa

Already a standout player previously in his career at Drake, Stirtz followed coach Ben McCollum to the Hawkeyes and has found another level. He played every minute in each of Iowa’s first two tournament games — an astounding measure of endurance he’s replicated 16 times this season. Stirtz didn’t score a much last weekend; just 29 points total, but he’s exploded for a career-best 36 in a Big Ten game against Northwestern and showed he’ll volume-shoot if necessary in a 23-shot effort against Michigan. That game marked one of the six this season in which Stirtz hoisted 20 or more field-goal attempts.

Dailyn Swain, Texas

Like Stirtz, Swain followed his coach — Sean Miller — from his previous school, Xavier, and has further elevated his play. He engineered the Texas offense with a half-dozen assists in each game but showed he can be an ultra-efficient scorer when he hit 11 of 19 shots. Swain had just one turnover in his 73 minutes in helping Miller keep alive his quest for a first Final Four berth and what would the first for the Texas program since Barnes delivered the Longhorns a spot in 2003.

When does Sweet 16 start? Next March Madness games, schedule, tip times

THURSDAY, MARCH 26

• 7:10 p.m.: No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 11 Texas (West), CBS
• 7:30 p.m.: No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Iowa (South), TBS/truTV
• 9:45 p.m.: No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 4 Arkansas (West), CBS
• 10:05 p.m.: No. 2 Houston vs. No. 3 Illinois (South), TBS/truTV

FRIDAY, MARCH 27

• 7:10 p.m.: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 St. John's (East), CBS
• 7:35 p.m.: Texas Tech/Alabama winner vs. No. 1 Michigan (Midwest), TBS/truTV
• 9:45 p.m.: No. 2 UConn vs. No. 3 Michigan State (East), CBS
• 10:10 p.m.: No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 6 Tennessee (Midwest), TBS/truTV

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness top players to watch in Sweet 16

The Memphis Grizzlies have been a disaster this season. It’s been an even worse season for Ja Morant, as he’s only managed to play in 20 games due to a litany of injuries. Morant, who was looked at a few years ago and one of the young star faces of the league, has had a difficult time staying healthy in his career. He hasn’t played since suffering a UCL sprain in his elbow in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks back on January 21st. With Morant injured once again, Memphis made the decision to send former DPOY Jaren Jackson Jr. out before the trade deadline, effectively setting the franchise up for a rebuild. Now without their two best players and nothing to play for in the bottom in the West, Memphis has been in freefall and are just 2-11 in the month of March.

The San Antonio Spurs, meanwhile, have been the story of the West’s second half. At 54-18 and still sitting just three games behind Oklahoma City for the top seed, the Spurs have won 9 out of 10 and have won six straight. They’re coming off a stunning display of what their peak might look like in their demolition of the Miami Heat in South Beach on Monday night. As the season has played out, the Spurs have gotten noticeably better at taking care of their business and winning games that they’re expected to win. With the Grizzlies coming into this one with an injury report that’s 10 players deep coming compared to just 1 player on San Antonio’s, tonight is one of those games.

---

San Antonio Spurs (54-18) vs Memphis Grizzlies (24-47)
March 25 2026 | 6:00 PM CT
Watch: FDSS | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)

Spurs Injuries: David Jones-Garcia, OUT

Grizzlies Injuries: Ja Morant, elbow (OUT), Brandon Clarke, calf (OUT), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, finger (OUT), Zach Edey, ankle (OUT), Scotty Pippen Jr, toe (OUT), Santi Aldama, knee (OUT), Ty Jerome, ankle (OUT), Jaylen Wells, toe (OUT), Jahmai Mashack, ankle (OUT), Javon Small, back (QUESTIONABLE)

---

What to watch for

• Victor Wembanyama put on quite a display Monday night, making a Miami team that’s been great this season under Erik Spoelstra look like a high school team at times. Memphis by comparison doesn’t have even a quarter of the personnel or coaching that Miami has. This is especially true in the middle, where both the trade of JJJ and a season ending injury to Zach Edey leaves them devoid of great talent at center to contend with Wemby. If he was able to put on that show that was on in South Beach, what can he do tonight against a Grizzlies team that’s deploying small line-ups with no one over 6’9 to start games?
• The Spurs’ bench, which has been a bright spot all season long, is coming off a massive game where they accounted for 68 of San Antonio’s 136 points in the win against the Heat. Dylan Harper followed up his impressive first career start with a return to the bench, but that didn’t stop him from being just as impressive with a second consecutive 20 point performance. San Antonio is probably going to win most games when they get a combined 40 points between the duo of Harper and Keldon Johnson. Against such a mediocre Memphis defense, anything is possible.
• The Grizzlies are among the worst teams in the league at guarding the 3 point line. San Antonio has been middle of the pack in all aspects of three point shooting as far as league rankings go, but they’ve been very productive out there since the beginning of February, making an elite 38% of their shots from distance compared to their 35% mark for the season. For context, that 38% mark would be good for 3rd behind only the Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks

---

If you’d like to, you may follow along with the game on our Twitter profile (@poundingtherock) or visit our Game Thread!

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand won the toss and chosen to bowl Wednesday in the fifth and deciding Twenty20 against South Africa at Hagley Oval.

After a run of low-scoring matches, the series is level at 2-2. South Africa won the first match by seven wickets, New Zealand won the second and third by 68 runs and eight wickets, respectively, and South Africa won the fourth by 19 runs.

Both teams named unchanged lineups for the first time this series.

South Africa has retained spinner Prenelan Subrayen, who made an impressive debut in the fourth match at Wellington on Sunday.

____

Lineups:

New Zealand: Tim Robinson, Katene Clarke, Dane Cleaver, Nick Kelly, Bevon Jacobs, Jimmy Neesham (captain), Cole McConchie, Josh Clarkson, Zak Foukes, Kyle Jamieson, Ben Sears.

South Africa: Tony de Zorzi, Wiaan Mulder, Connor Esterhuizen, Rubin Hermann, Dian Forrester, Jason Smith, George Linde, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj (captain), Prenelan Subrayen, Ottneil Baartman.

___

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

Miami Heat (38-34, 10th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (45-27, fourth in the Eastern Conference)

Cleveland; Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cavaliers -3.5; over/under is 241.5

BOTTOM LINE: Cleveland takes on the Miami Heat after Donovan Mitchell scored 42 points in the Cleveland Cavaliers' 136-131 win over the Orlando Magic.

The Cavaliers are 29-17 in Eastern Conference games. Cleveland is 2-5 in games decided by 3 points or fewer.

The Heat have gone 22-20 against Eastern Conference opponents. Miami is the Eastern Conference leader with 46.7 rebounds per game led by Bam Adebayo averaging 9.8.

The Cavaliers are shooting 47.9% from the field this season, 1.9 percentage points higher than the 46.0% the Heat allow to opponents. The Heat average 5.3 more points per game (120.2) than the Cavaliers give up (114.9).

The teams play for the third time this season. The Cavaliers won the last matchup 130-116 on Nov. 13. Jarrett Allen scored 30 points to help lead the Cavaliers to the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Evan Mobley is scoring 18.3 points per game and averaging 8.9 rebounds for the Cavaliers. James Harden is averaging 22.7 points and 5.2 rebounds over the last 10 games.

Adebayo is averaging 20.3 points and 9.8 rebounds for the Heat. Tyler Herro is averaging 2.5 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Cavaliers: 7-3, averaging 119.1 points, 43.4 rebounds, 26.9 assists, 6.2 steals and 4.9 blocks per game while shooting 49.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.5 points per game.

Heat: 5-5, averaging 121.9 points, 43.4 rebounds, 29.0 assists, 8.7 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 46.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 122.4 points.

INJURIES: Cavaliers: Craig Porter Jr.: out (groin), Jaylon Tyson: out (toe), Jarrett Allen: out (knee).

Heat: None listed.

___

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

Dallas Mavericks (23-49, 13th in the Western Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (44-28, fourth in the Western Conference)

Denver; Wednesday, 10 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Nuggets -14; over/under is 245.5

BOTTOM LINE: Denver will try to keep its four-game home win streak intact when the Nuggets play Dallas.

The Nuggets are 26-16 in conference matchups. Denver is 8-11 in games decided by less than 4 points.

The Mavericks have gone 12-32 against Western Conference opponents. Dallas is 5-7 in one-possession games.

The Nuggets average 120.8 points per game, 1.8 more points than the 119.0 the Mavericks allow. The Mavericks average 10.8 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.6 fewer made shots on average than the 13.4 per game the Nuggets allow.

The teams square off for the fourth time this season. The Nuggets won the last meeting 118-109 on Jan. 15. Jamal Murray scored 33 points to help lead the Nuggets to the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Tim Hardaway Jr. is scoring 13.8 points per game and averaging 2.6 rebounds for the Nuggets. Nikola Jokic is averaging 25.0 points and 12.5 rebounds over the last 10 games.

Naji Marshall is averaging 15.3 points and 3.3 assists for the Mavericks. Cooper Flagg is averaging 20.0 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Nuggets: 6-4, averaging 123.0 points, 43.7 rebounds, 31.4 assists, 6.7 steals and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting 50.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 118.3 points per game.

Mavericks: 2-8, averaging 115.2 points, 44.6 rebounds, 27.5 assists, 7.4 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 46.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 127.5 points.

INJURIES: Nuggets: Peyton Watson: out (hamstring).

Mavericks: Dereck Lively II: out for season (foot), Caleb Martin: out (foot), Kyrie Irving: out for season (knee), Daniel Gafford: day to day (shoulder), Brandon Williams: day to day (concussion protocol).

___

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

Sacramento Kings (19-54, 15th in the Western Conference) vs. Orlando Magic (38-34, eighth in the Eastern Conference)

Orlando, Florida; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Magic -16.5; over/under is 229.5

BOTTOM LINE: Orlando looks to stop its six-game skid when the Magic take on Sacramento.

The Magic are 22-15 in home games. Orlando is seventh in the Eastern Conference with 51.1 points per game in the paint led by Franz Wagner averaging 10.9.

The Kings are 6-29 in road games. Sacramento gives up 121.2 points to opponents and has been outscored by 10.4 points per game.

The Magic score 115.7 points per game, 5.5 fewer points than the 121.2 the Kings give up. The Kings average 110.8 points per game, 4.0 fewer than the 114.8 the Magic give up to opponents.

The teams square off for the second time this season. In the last matchup on Feb. 20 the Magic won 131-94 led by 30 points from Paolo Banchero, while Maxime Raynaud scored 17 points for the Kings.

TOP PERFORMERS: Wendell Carter Jr. is scoring 11.9 points per game and averaging 7.5 rebounds for the Magic. Banchero is averaging 26.4 points and 6.9 rebounds over the last 10 games.

DeMar DeRozan is averaging 18.2 points and 4.1 assists for the Kings. Raynaud is averaging 18.9 points and eight rebounds over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Magic: 4-6, averaging 120.7 points, 42.1 rebounds, 26.4 assists, 8.3 steals and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 47.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 119.7 points per game.

Kings: 5-5, averaging 114.4 points, 45.0 rebounds, 28.0 assists, 5.9 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 48.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 121.6 points.

INJURIES: Magic: Franz Wagner: out (ankle), Jalen Suggs: out (illness), Anthony Black: out (abdomen), Jonathan Isaac: out (knee).

Kings: Domantas Sabonis: out for season (back), Precious Achiuwa: out (back), Russell Westbrook: out (foot), Killian Hayes: out (toe), De'Andre Hunter: out for season (eye), Zach LaVine: out for season (finger), Nique Clifford: out (foot), Drew Eubanks: out for season (thumb), Keegan Murray: out (ankle).

___

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

The Phoenix Suns had themselves another heartbreaker tonight. Devin Booker had a chance to add another game-winner to his resume, but it was just off the mark.

Wow. Devin Booker had a clean look to win the game. Left it just short

Suns fall, 125-123 pic.twitter.com/lTEUv3V64v

— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) March 25, 2026

It was a physical game with plenty of runs and swings from two potent offenses. Nikola Jokic had another effortless triple-double, pouring in 23 points, 17 rebounds, and 17 assists on 9-16 FG. Denver had seven players score 9 or more points, including 21 from Jamal Murray.

The Suns had their own balanced attack, with six players pouring in 11 points or more. Devin Booker finished with 22 points and 8 assists on 5 of 14 shooting. Jalen Green chipped in with 21 points of his own on 6 of 13 shooting from the floor. Phoenix also got some key contributions from its role players, with Grayson Allen adding 21 points and Royce O’Neale chipping in with 17.

This is the type of loss that all but punches your ticket into the play-in, barring an otherworldly finish to the final 9 games of the season.

Game Flow

First Half

The teams opened the game trading buckets early on. Then, the Suns turned it up a notch offensively to create a bit of separation.

A pair of Royce O’Neale and Collin Gillespie triples paced Phoenix. Gillespie poured in 8 points in a hurry against his former team to give Phoenix a 25-16 lead.

Collin showing off the moves 😮‍💨

He's up to 8 points early in this one! pic.twitter.com/lPeEgqFVRb

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 25, 2026

The Suns led by as many as 11 points in the opening quarter, despite getting outrebounded 15-9. Denver had 16 points in the paint in the opening quarter to Phoenix’s 12.

Phoenix also did a strong job of taking care of the basketball, as they did not commit a single turnover while dishing out 10 assists as a team in the opening 12 minutes.

After one, the Suns held a 35–28 lead. Collin Gillespie led the way with 8 points. Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale each had six points, connecting on a pair of threes each. One of those Allen threes just so happened to be the 1,000th of his career.

GRAYSON ALL3N 🎯

Congrats, Grayson, on 1,000 career three-pointers! 👌 pic.twitter.com/f6NyXKFpa1

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 25, 2026

Jalen Green had himself quite the second quarter, pouring in 11 points in a flurry. From a straight-up “movement” perspective, it was the bounciest and most explosive he’s looked as a Sun.

Jalen weaving through the defense 💨 pic.twitter.com/6JhIXyl7sW

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 25, 2026

Then came the response from Denver. They opened the 2nd quarter on a 13-6 push to even things up at 41 about halfway through the quarter.

A balanced Denver attack offensively was tearing the Suns’ defense apart, as the Nuggets took a 52-50 lead, which led to a Jordan Ott timeout to regroup.

The timeout did not slow the momentum, as the Nuggets continued to dominate the interior and extend their lead to 12. Denver poured in 39 points in the quarter, taking complete control offensively.

At the break, the Nuggets led 67-57. Jokic had a casual 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists at the half. Collin Gillespie and Grayson Allen led the way for Phoenix with 11 points each.

Second Half

The physicality of the third quarter picked up quite a bit, with Phoenix showing they were not going down without a fight.

Jokic kept carving up Phoenix’s defense as a playmaker, but the Suns got a boost from Royce O’Neale and Jalen Green to propel the offense after a mediocre 2nd quarter.

FIVE triples for Royce tonight! pic.twitter.com/OzaKbEf4yk

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 25, 2026

Every Phoenix right hook was answered with a Denver jab, it seemed. Until they didn’t.

Jordan Goodwin drilled a corner three to make it a four-point game, 94-90, with 1:14 left in the third. That was followed by a steal and a Grayson Allen three-pointer to make it a one-point game.

The offensive explosion led to some great defensive energy, including this rejection by Man Man.

Khaman with the rejection 🚫👋 pic.twitter.com/cxgauLZE6c

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 25, 2026

Denver led 97-95 after three. The Suns scored 38 points in the quarter, making up ground from the previous dud of a second quarter.

The 4th quarter saw plenty of that continued intensity from both sides. Jordan Goodwin picked up full-court in his typical pesky fashion.

The Nuggets deployed a “hack-an-Oso” at the end of the game. He struggled all night from the line, but drilled a pair of late attempts to make him 3 for 7 on the night.

A late-game foul on Devin Booker put Jokic on the charity stripe in what was a three-point game, and he split the pair. The next possession, Booker drew a trip to the line and drilled them both to make it a two-point game with 1:21 remaining in the game.

Jalen Green slashed aggressively to the lane for a scoop and score to even it at 121 apiece. Jamal Murray answered with a tough fadeaway jumper, and Booker quickly responded with a mid-range hit of his own. Tied at 123 with 29.1 seconds left.

Jokic drilled an easy floater with 11.5 seconds left to give Denver a two-point lead. Timeout Suns. Devin Booker tracked down an errant pass from Royce O’Neale in the backcourt, leading to a scrambled possession, but ultiamtely Book got a clean look from three with a chance to win it. No good. Game over.

Up Next

The Suns will have a few days off but remain at home and host the Utah Jazz on Saturday night.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Mikael Granlund scored twice, Alex Killorn had a goal and an assist, and the Anaheim Ducks beat the Vancouver Canucks 5-3 on Thursday night.

Mason McTavish and Troy Terry also scored for the Ducks, while John Carlson had three assists and Lukas Dostal stopped 27 shots.

Anaheim grabbed a 2-1 lead in the second period, only to see Vancouver rally and tie the game twice before McTavish scored the winner at the 5:45 mark of the third.

Jake DeBrusk, Brock Boeser and Drew O’Connor scored for the Canucks, while Filip Hronek and Elias Pettersson each contributed a pair of assists. Kevin Lankinen made 29 saves.

Pettersson’s second assist of the night marked the 500th regular-season point of his NHL career.

Anaheim remains atop the Pacific Division with a five-point cushion on the second-place Edmonton Oilers.

Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas returned to the lineup after serving a five-game suspension for the knee-on-knee hit on Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews.

The blow left Matthews with a torn knee ligament that required season-ending surgery.

The Canucks got solid play from their special teams. DeBrusk and Boeser each scored power-play goals, and the penalty kill weathered a 95 second five-on-three before conceding Granlund’s goal late in a penalty to defenseman Elias Pettersson.

The Ducks fell behind 1-0 in the opening frame, then outshot Vancouver 14-12 and scored a pair of goals over a 2:24 span.

McTavish got his first goal in 15 games. He buried his 14th goal of the season at the 5:45 mark of the third period, blasting a one-timer over Lankinen’s glove from the faceoff dot to give the Ducks a 4-3 lead.

Pettersson tallied his 500th regular-season point in his 533rd game. Thomas Gradin is the lone Canuck to hit the milestone faster, doing so in 529 games.

Up next

Ducks: Visit Calgary on Thursday.

Canucks: Host Los Angeles on Thursday.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

The Lakers (46-26) aim to quickly get back on the winning column as they conclude their six-game road trip against the Indiana Pacers (16-56) on Wednesday.

Los Angeles looks to sweep the season series for the second straight year in a row.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Indiana Pacers

When: 4 p.m. PT, Mar 25

Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse

Watch: Spectrum Sportsnet

---

The Lakers winning streak finally came to an end on Sunday against the Detroit Pistons. It was a bummer, but one that was bound to happen. After all, all good things come to an end and there’s always that next opportunity for them to build another streak. That can start as early as Wednesday’s game against the Pacers.

Now with a record of 23-14 in road games this season, the Lakers will close their current road trip against a Pacers team that has lost nine out of its last 10 games. Indiana is actually coming off a thrilling victory against the Orlando Magic — who the Lakers barely beat over the weekend — so it’s not like the Pacers are purposely losing games right now. Yes, their season is pretty much done, but it’s still too early to shut down their key players.

So on Wednesday, expect Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard and Obi Toppin to suit up. The Lakers didn’t have a problem with them in their last matchup at Crypto.com Arena because Luka Dončić went berserk. There’s a possibility that could happen again, especially since Indiana has no answer for him.

This Pacers team is statistically the worst in the league, rankingbottom five on offense and defense. Frankly speaking, losing to them is inexcusable, especially given how tight the race is now in the competitive Western Conference standings. The Lakers have to make sure that Siakam won’t be the best player on the floor on Wednesday night and guys like Jarace Walker and Nembhard don’t play extraordinarily well.

At this point, Indiana is playing with house money, so there’s no pressure on their side. It would be nice if the Lakers could take control of this from start to finish, unlike against the Pistons. In fact, most of their games in this road trip have gone down to the wire.

Hopefully though, they don’t always depend on their clutch performance to save them because, as we saw last game, it doesn’t always go their way. Let’s see if Wednesday’s game against the Pacers unfolds in a more dominant way for the purple and gold.

Notes and Updates

• Random but something worth looking out for as of late: Austin Reaves’ minutes. Over the last 10 games, AR is averaging nearly 39 minutes per game. Before getting hurt, it was a little less than that. Part of why Reaves has been playing more is because head coach JJ Redick has shortened the rotation. It’ll be interesting to see if this continues.
• Another trend worth noting is the decrease in LeBron James’s shot attempts. He hasn’t complained about it and likely won’t, but that’s also what happens when he’s playing alongside Reaves and Dončić. Still, James has the ability to impact the game in multiple ways and it’s been a joy to watch.
• For the Lakers’ injury report, Rui Hachimura (right calf soreness) and Adou Thiero (left knee soreness) are questionable while Marcus Smart (right ankle contusion) is doubtful.
• As for the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles recovery), Johnny Furphy (ACL recovery) and Ivica Zubac (rib fracture) are out.
• Nembhard (calf contusion), Aaron Nesmith (rankle), Siakam (knee sprain) and Toppin (injury management) are all probable.

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.

Miles McBride is in the final stages of his rehab from sports hernia surgery. 

McBride has been scrimmaging with some of the Knicks’ younger players and coaches recently. Before Tuesday’s game, McBride was seen on the court doing his traditional pre-game warm-up routine.

All of these signs point to McBride returning to the court in the coming days. 

The Knicks have nine regular season games left in the season. Their next game is in Charlotte on Thursday, the first of a four-game trip that concludes in Memphis next Wednesday.  

McBride joined the team on its recent West Coast trip. I’d assume he is with them on this upcoming trip. 

Whether he returns during the road trip or shortly thereafter, you should see McBride back on the court very soon. 

He has been out since Jan. 28. At the time, he was sidelined with an ankle injury. McBride then underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia shortly after the Feb. 6 trade deadline. 

For the most part, the Knicks have played well in McBride’s absence. They are 20-7 since Jan. 28. Landry Shamet, Mohamed Diawara and Jordan Clarkson are among a group of players who have filled the void with McBride out. 

But there is no doubt that they are a better team when he’s healthy. Before he got hurt, McBride was averaging 13 points, 2.8 assists, 2.6 rebounds and one steal per game while hitting 42 percent of his threes. 

KAT CALL 

At the suggestion of assistant coach Rick Brunson, Brown went with a smaller lineup in the fourth quarter against New Orleans. Thanks to Jalen Brunson’s brilliance and that smaller alignment, the Knicks overpowered the Pelicans in the fourth on Tuesday. Karl-Anthony Towns played five minutes in the quarter and did most of his damage earlier in the game. He finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds. It was his 51st double-double this season. That is the most in the NBA. If Towns has looked more comfortable on offense lately, there’s a reason for that. 

Brown has made some adjustments to his offense to help Towns on that end of the floor. 

“I had to adjust to him…and that’s what a season’s about,” Brown said after Tuesday’s game. “We’re not playing the same way offensively as we did to start the year. So I had to make some adjustments to try to figure out how I can get him involved a little bit better, get him to feel a little more comfortable and it’s showing a little bit. He’s obviously put in the work but ... it’s a two-way street and it’s good to see him playing at the level he’s playing at right now.”

When asked about the adjustments, Brown shared some specific details. 

“When he is at the four spot, we’ve really simplified it so that he doesn’t have to think as much. And when he doesn’t have to think as much, he can just react,” Brown said. 

He added that some of the offensive tweaks were implemented to put Towns in his preferred spots on the floor. 

“He loves being at the top of the floor; he’s not always there, but we’ve added a couple more things that put him there with appropriate space,” Brown said. “And then we found a post-up and an iso situation for him that is pretty good from a spacing standpoint in how he likes to operate. Those things, we didn’t have at the beginning of the year for him. So again, he's made adjustments, he’s kept working, he continues to work, but as the head coach, I have to make adjustments, too. Especially with him being one of our two best players.”

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Yegor Sharangovich scored in the fourth round of the shootout to lead the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night.

Olli Maatta and Zayne Parekh, each with their first goals of the season, scored in regulation time for the Flames, who have won four games in a row for the first time this season. Dustin Wolf stopped 23 shots.

Quinton Byfield scored both goals and Darcy Kuemper made 21 saves for Los Angeles, which has points in seven of their last nine but just three victories. They have dropped four straight.

With the loss the Kings fall three points behind the Nashville Predators for the final wild-card berth in the Western Conference.

Calgary tied the game 1-1 at 14:50 of the second period when Ryan Strome and Victor Olofsson combined to set up Maatta as the three veterans the Flames added at the trade deadline combined to get Calgary on the scoreboard.

Olofsson was part of the Nazem Kadri deal with Colorado. Maatta came over from Utah in the MacKenzie Weegar trade. Strome was picked up from Anaheim for a seventh-round pick to replace Kadri at center.

Maatta has one goal and five assists in 10 games with Calgary after recording just a single assist in 22 games with the Mammoth.

Byfield’s second of the night 17 seconds into the third period restored the Kings’ lead, but Parekh tied it with a power-play goal at 13:02.

After Morgan Frost and Artemi Panarin exchanged goals in the first three rounds of the shootout, Sharangovich’s winner came when he mishandled the puck but it slipped through Kuemper’s pads.

Up next

Kings: Visit Vancouver on Thursday.

Flames: Host Anaheim on Thursday.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

His offensive prowess easily stood out on the box score. But what was more impressive to the crowd at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night was OG Anunoby’s late-game defense. 

The ninth-year forward had the hard job of locking down a healthy and active Zion Williamson. 

He shared the load with Karl-Anthony Towns, but Anunoby was the one who delivered in crunch time as the Knicks beat the Pelicans 121-116 for their seventh straight victory. 

In the fourth quarter, as the Knicks led 100-94 with nine minutes to play, Williamson, the 2019 No. 1 overall pick, backed Anunoby into the paint and attempted to spin and shoot over him.

The Knicks’ star defender denied him, jumping up and swatting the ball to the baseline. 

Williamson clapped his hands twice at the missed opportunity as Knicks fans roared for the rejection. 

It all came down to “anticipating,” Anunoby said after the win. 

Before that, the 28-year-old also grabbed a steal off the Pelicans star as he lost control of the ball. On the other end, former Pelican Jose Alvarado found Mohamed Diawara to convert a jump shot. 

Anunoby finished the night with three steals and one block. 

“Our defensive player of the game was OG,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “He guarded a lot of different players throughout the game, but to close the game the way he did against Zion, he’s a monster. He’s a handful for anybody but for OG to be able to do the job that he did on him down the stretch was huge.” 

The last time the Knicks faced Williamson, he had his way with them with 32 points on Dec. 29. 

On Tuesday, the Knicks held him to 22 points on 8-of-10 from the field, but it wasn’t the same dominant feeling as before. 

“I was just trying to make it difficult for him,” Anunoby said. “Trying to make the catches difficult, push them out further and then just play one-on-one defense. I have great teammates who help me out, communicating what’s behind me. Just executing.” 

Anunoby also didn’t miss a beat offensively, scoring 21 points and helping the Knicks get one step closer to the East’s No. 2 playoff slot. He shot 7-for-16 from the field and tallied four rebounds and four assists.

He also owned a plus-17 rating. 

“We have great defensive pieces all over the floor, so we’ve just been executing, communicating better and it’s been showing on the court,” Anunoby said.

Mike Brown’s sentiment was telling.

The Knicks coach went out of his way to praise the surging Jordan Clarkson, who is playing his way back into the rotation.

“Jordan has been playing well on both ends of the floor,” Brown said after the Knicks’ 121-116 win over the Pelicans on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. “He’s giving it to us defensively and he’s giving it to us offensively. I tell ya, his ability to read the defense and make timely cuts and finish in that painted area is a lot of fun to watch. It just adds another dimension to what we’re trying to do.”

Clarkson, who was expected to be a key addition to the bench unit when the Knicks signed him this offseason, started the year playing meaningful minutes but appeared buried on the bench for most of the middle of the year.

During this seven-game winning streak, though, he has regained an important role. He finished with 10 points and five assists Tuesday.

Most importantly, he is showing off different parts of his game, particularly his defending.

He’s always been known as a shot-happy microwave scorer, but it’s been his effort — and focus — on the defensive end that is earning him minutes again.

“You can see the level of awareness and sense of urgency that he plays with now, especially on that end of the floor,” Brown said. “What I like more than anything else is his physicality on the ball. You feel him. He’s relentless with it.”

---

Miles McBride has progressed to scrimmaging in his rehab from surgery to repair a sports hernia.

He had already been taking contact in practice. McBride has not played since Jan 27.

McBride went through a normal workout on the court prior to Tuesday’s game.

It’s not the first time that he has worked out prior to a game, but it continues to be a positive development in his rehab.

---

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NBA STANDINGS AND KNICKS STATS

---

---

Mohamed Diawara’s jersey from his rookie debut — in which he only played 34 seconds and did not register a stat — sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $5,376 on Monday.

---

The Knicks sent Ariel Hukporti to the G-League to play with the Westchester Knicks rather than have him available against the Pelicans.

Hukporti recorded 32 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four blocks with Westchester.

---

Karl-Anthony Towns was named the NBA’s Community Assist Award winner for February.

He was recognized for “leading a digital coat drive to support local families in need, investing in youth development initiatives in the Dominican Republic and serving as a consistent advocate for social justice and underserved communities.”

Towns was presented with a plaque by president Leon Rose and executive vice president William Wesley prior to Tuesday’s game.

The NBA and NBPA Foundation will donate $20,000 to the Dominican Women’s Development Center in honor of Towns’ efforts.