Category: NBA

Denver Nuggets (36-21, third in the Western Conference) vs. Golden State Warriors (29-27, eighth in the Western Conference)

San Francisco; Sunday, 3:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Western Conference foes Golden State and Denver face off on Sunday.

The Warriors have gone 19-16 against Western Conference opponents. Golden State is 3-3 in games decided by 3 points or fewer.

The Nuggets are 21-10 against Western Conference opponents. Denver is sixth in the NBA with 33.5 defensive rebounds per game led by Nikola Jokic averaging 9.3.

The Warriors score 115.4 points per game, 0.7 fewer points than the 116.1 the Nuggets give up. The Nuggets score 7.1 more points per game (120.9) than the Warriors give up to opponents (113.8).

The teams meet for the third time this season. The Nuggets won 129-104 in the last meeting on Nov. 8. Jokic led the Nuggets with 26 points, and Draymond Green led the Warriors with 17 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Brandin Podziemski is averaging 12 points and 3.6 assists for the Warriors. Moses Moody is averaging 3.3 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

Tim Hardaway Jr. is shooting 45.4% and averaging 14.0 points for the Nuggets. Jamal Murray is averaging 2.8 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Warriors: 4-6, averaging 108.9 points, 40.9 rebounds, 29.5 assists, 11.6 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 45.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.3 points per game.

Nuggets: 5-5, averaging 123.4 points, 45.5 rebounds, 29.3 assists, 7.5 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 49.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.4 points.

INJURIES: Warriors: Jimmy Butler III: out for season (knee), Stephen Curry: out (knee), Seth Curry: out (back).

Nuggets: Tamar Bates: out (foot), Aaron Gordon: out (hamstring), Peyton Watson: out (hamstring).

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

Dallas Mavericks (19-36, 12th in the Western Conference) vs. Indiana Pacers (15-42, 15th in the Eastern Conference)

Indianapolis; Sunday, 5 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Dallas heads into the matchup with Indiana as losers of 10 in a row.

The Pacers are 10-18 in home games. Indiana is 4-24 in games decided by at least 10 points.

The Mavericks are 5-20 on the road. Dallas allows 117.5 points to opponents while being outscored by 3.6 points per game.

The Pacers average 111.2 points per game, 6.3 fewer points than the 117.5 the Mavericks give up. The Mavericks are shooting 47.0% from the field, 1.4% lower than the 48.4% the Pacers' opponents have shot this season.

The two teams square off for the second time this season. The Mavericks defeated the Pacers 107-105 in their last matchup on Oct. 30. Brandon Williams led the Mavericks with 20 points, and Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 27 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jarace Walker is shooting 39.9% and averaging 10.7 points for the Pacers. Jay Huff is averaging 1.8 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

Naji Marshall is averaging 15.1 points for the Mavericks. Max Christie is averaging 12.8 points over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Pacers: 4-6, averaging 115.6 points, 41.7 rebounds, 29.0 assists, 8.0 steals and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 48.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 119.7 points per game.

Mavericks: 0-10, averaging 111.7 points, 43.7 rebounds, 22.9 assists, 7.5 steals and 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 45.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 121.7 points.

INJURIES: Pacers: Aaron Nesmith: out (ankle), Obi Toppin: out (foot), Johnny Furphy: out for season (knee), Andrew Nembhard: out (back), Ivica Zubac: out (ankle), Pascal Siakam: out (personal), Tyrese Haliburton: out for season (achilles).

Mavericks: Dereck Lively II: out for season (foot), Kyrie Irving: out for season (knee), Cooper Flagg: out (foot).

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

For just the 11th time in 55 games this season, the Lakers had Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves sharing the court together.

They are the core of the Lakers (34-21), the engines that make this team go, but health issues have prevented them from playing together for far too much. In their first game since the All-Star break, Doncic, Reaves and James carried the Lakers to a 125-122 win over the Clippers on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena.

Doncic had 38 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and some trash-talking with Clippers’ defensive Kris Dunn.

Reaves did his part with 29 points on an efficient nine-for-15 shooting. He also had six rebounds and a key defensive play late in the game.

And James had 13 points and 11 assists, his fifth straight game with 10 or more assists. He also was playing with a sore left knee and a migraine.

They got helpfrom Marcus Smart, who scored all seven of his points of the fourth quarter and played his typical tough defense, and Deandre Ayton, who had 13 points, seven rebounds and a lob from James that he threw down for a dunk over Clippers center Brook Lopez late in the fourth quarter.

But this game was all about Doncic, Reaves and James, who are trying to build some chemistry this late in the season.

“I think it’s good. I hear this question every day. So, I always answer the same,” Doncic said. “You know, obviously we didn’t play a lot together, but chemistry is going to grow and grow.”

The Clippers kept chipping away at the Lakers’ lead late in the game despite Kawhi Leonard leaving with 5:10 left because of left ankle soreness.

Though Leonard departed with 31 points on 11-for-19 shooting, four-for-six on three-pointers and five-for-five on his free throws, the Clippers didn’t back down.

But in what Lakers coach JJ Redick called the play of the game with 1:49 left and the Lakers leading 118-115, Reaves drew a charge on Bennedict Mathurin. It was Mathurin's sixth foul and it sent him to the bench with 26 points.

“Marcus did a good job. He stabbed at the ball. I think Mathurin kind of got off balance and I saw an opportunity to make a winning play,” Reaves said. “I actually don’t mind taking charges because I can’t jump and block a shot, so my only chance is to take a charge”

Still, the Lakers didn’t escape until Doncic made two free throws with 21.2 seconds left to give the Lakers a five-point lead that barely stood.

Read more:Luka Doncic and LeBron James agree on the most important factor for the Lakers going forward

With a 125-122 lead and the ball in the closing seconds, James threw a dangerous cross-court pass intended for Doncic that Nicolas Batum stole. But Batum missed a potential tying three-pointer, and James got the rebound to secure the win.

James then explained how his knee was feeling after practice Thursday.

“I mean, it happened at practice yesterday during our scrimmage,” James said. “I went up for a dunk, came down pretty good, but a couple minutes into the scrimmage after that, it started getting a little sore, started getting a little tight and yeah, that’s what happened.”

James still played 33 minutes. His time on the court allowed James, Doncic and Reaves to develop some much-needed chemistry.

“I mean, every game, every second, every minute that we’re on the floor together, it helps,” James said. “Like I said, when was that, All-Star weekend? We don't know what we're going to be until we get fully healthy and tonight was one of the first games where JJ and the coaching staff can look down and know everybody was available. So, we just got to keep pushing. We got to keep pushing. We got a tough team coming in on Sunday (against the Celtics). Obviously, a lifetime NBA rivalry, so we got to be ready for them. They're playing great basketball, too.”

Doncic played just five minutes for Team World in the All-Star game Sunday and had missed the previous four games before the break with his hamstring issue.

But he played 37:53 against the Clippers.

“It wasn’t bad,” Reaves said about his hamstring. “I got treatment after the game. But I felt good.”

Read more:Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James shine at All-Star Game in L.A., but young legs prevail

Late in the fourth quarter, after Doncic scored on Dunn and was fouled by the Clippers guard, Doncic glared.

“Um, obviously we have a history before,” Doncic said of Dunn. “So, I think it was another part of the game. So, I think maybe because of that.”

Doncic was asked how he stays focused when players talk trash to him.

“Just, I always talk back,” Doncic said. “Just trying to score best and win the game.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

In their first game back from the All-Star break, the Lakers beat the Clippers 125-122.

The game began with  Brook Lopez going on a personal 5-0 run for the Clippers. Austin Reaves scored the first five points for the Lakers. The offense started to pick up for the Lakers, who were now shooting 80% from the field. LeBron James added a quick seven points. 

At the 6:18 mark, the purple and gold were up by three. 

Luka Dončić started to heat up, draining two 3-pointers for six points. Lopez led the Clippers with nine points. After a Laker timeout, Luke Kennard knocked down a 3-pointer. The triples continued to fly as Luka drained two more. The Lakers had taken complete control of the game. 

At the end of the first, the purple and gold were up by 12. 

The Lakers start their first game out of the break absolutely unconscious from 3, going 8 for 9 in the 1st Q after Dončić drilled his 3rd and 4th.

The home team leads 41-29 on 84.2% FG's overall, led by 17 points from Luka.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) February 21, 2026

Benedict Mathurin started the second period with a jump shot for the Clippers. Reaves kept his strong play going, converting on a jumper off the glass. Rui Hachimura joined the behind-the-arc party, knocking down a 3-pointer. Kawhi Leonard started heating up for the Clippers, scoring eight points. 

At the 7:35 mark, the purple and gold were up by 13. 

The Clippers cut the deficit to single digits on the shoulders of Leonard, who was now at 13 points for the half. Deandre Ayton dunked the ball off an impressive assist from Luka to stop some of the Clippers’ surge. John Collins responded with a triple on the other end. 

Luka knocked down another 3-pointer; he was shooting 71% from behind the arc. 

Leonard was cooking with hot grease for the Clippers, scoring another eight points, bringing his total to 21 for the half. The Clippers were winning the second-chance points battle 14-2, a major reason why they were still in it. 

At halftime, the Lakers were up by seven.

The Lakers lead the Clippers at the half, 72-65. Luka Dončić has a game-high 22 points. According to the Lakers, it's his league-leading 28th half this season with 20 or more points.

— Edwin Garcia (@ECreates88) February 21, 2026

The third period began with Leonard turning the ball over, leading to Reaves draining a 3-pointer on the other end. The Lakers went on a 10-2 scoring run to take a 15-point lead. The Clippers responded with a quick four straight points. Reaves was now at 22 points after he drained his third 3-pointer of the game. 

Another double-digit lead evaporated quickly for the Lakers, as they allowed six straight points, four of which came from Derrick Jones Jr.

It was a 17-1 scoring run for the Clippers that put them ahead by two. The purple and gold responded well, with Luka draining a 3-pointer and Kennard converting on a layup, putting them back in the lead. 

Going into the fourth, the purple and gold were up by four. The Clippers had managed to outscore the Lakers by three in that quarter. 

The Lakers survive the Clippers' surge and lead 99-95 as we enter the fourth quarter. Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves each have 26 points.

— Edwin Garcia (@ECreates88) February 21, 2026

Jarred Vanderbilt opened the final frame with a dunk for the Lakers. Three foul calls early for the purple and gold led to a few stoppages in play. The Clippers tied the game at the 9:50 mark. 

Reaves drained a 3-pointer to put his team back in the lead.

An extended 11-3 run helped the Clippers retake the lead by two. The Lakers were shooting 16% in the quarter, converting only 2 of 12 shots. Marcus Smart drained a much-needed triple to stop some of the bleeding. Leonard responded with one on the other end. 

The Lakers had turned on their jets, led by Smart, to take back the lead. Smart now had an important five points. Luka added to the spurt with his seventh 3-pointer of the night. The purple and gold were relying heavily on defense. 

Leonard left the game at the 5:10 mark with ankle soreness. 

It was a three-point Laker lead with 2:15 left, and the Clippers challenged a foul call on Mathurin and lost. Luka then scored on the other end, converting a three-point play. Jones Jr. responded with a triple on the other end, making it a one-possession game. 

Smart was fouled, converting on the shot but not the three-point play. Jones Jr. then scored on the other end. Luka knocked down two clutch free throws to give the purple and gold a five-point lead with 21 seconds left.

Jordan Miller converted on two free throws to make it a three-point game with 9 seconds left. The Lakers turned the inbounds pass over, leading to an open 3-pointer for Nicolas Batum, but he didn’t make it, which sealed their fate. 

Key Player Stats

Luka scored 17 of his 38 points in the first quarter. He also finished with six rebounds and 11 assists. Reaves pitched in with 29 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. LeBron scored 13 points with 11 assists.

Ayton ended with 13 points and seven rebounds. Kennard had nine points off the bench. Jaxson Hayes notched eight points with three rebounds. Smart finished with seven points and two rebounds. 

The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Boston Celtics on Sunday at 3:30 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.

SAN FRANCISCO — Al Horford took his warmup shots with his son Ean and then sat in the locker room, open to reporters and took several questions. It’s a routine he did regularly while in Boston, and now performed in Warriors gear. And there’s still some uncertainty about why, with Golden State now 7.0 games behind the Celtics in the standings, Horford left the franchise he won his first championship and spent the most number of seasons with.

“For me, the decision, it’s something that’s deeper than just the basketball stuff,” Horford said pre-game on Thursday when asked by CLNS/CelticsBlog why he left. “It’s something that at some point I’ll share with people, but for me, it felt like it was the time for me to go elsewhere.”

Horford signed a two-year, $11.7 million contract with the Warriors late in the offseason after reports early in July pointed toward him departing Boston. Brad Stevens acknowledged later that the Celtics wanted to keep Horford and Luke Kornet, and made them offers, while noting that Boston’s limited flexibility by pointing to the minimum contracts they agreed to with other front court players.

His departure didn’t come without context around it though. Jayson Tatum’s Achilles tear nearly moved Horford to tears in the locker room following Game 4. Stevens signaled to Kristaps Porziņģis and Jrue Holiday following the Celtics’ defeat in Game 6 that they would probably move them for financial reasons during the offseason. An end of an era loomed, and while Horford reportedly weighed retirement among numerous options, Payton Pritchard stressed in his exit interview the importance of bringing Horford back.

Instead, reports almost immediately linked him to Golden State at the start of free agency, and after the deal became official after the Warriors’ nearly summer-long cap navigation, Horford expressed a desire to continue competing as a reason for joining Golden State. This week, he said Boston’s success came as little surprise.

“If you think about, even last year, we had a lot of guys down throughout the year, and we were playing a lot of the time missing a lot of players, and we were still winning a lot of games,” Horford said. “So I feel like that was a blueprint right there, and this year, I just think guys are comfortable playing in that situation and the biggest thing is everybody’s bought into what Joe is telling them and he’s just running a really good program over there, him and all those assistant coaches. They’re really doing a good job getting the guys ready, getting them to commit and play at a high level, and that’s why I feel like it’s so smooth. But I think if you look at last year, there were a lot of times that KP was out, Jrue was out, that different guys were out and we were still getting results. That’s why it’s not surprising of their success.”

Horford’s departure also surprised his father Tito when he found out about it over the summer, he told CLNS Media in October. He repeatedly called the decision one that was outside of Al’s control, and sources indicated at the time that Boston wasn’t able to offer more than a minimum contract to the veteran. Horford received two years of the taxpayer mid-level exception from the Warriors, where he’s averaged 7.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game on 42.9% shooting (33.8% 3PT). Though a significant role also appealed to him, he only started five of his first 34 appearances with Golden State.

Porziņģis and Horford both came off the bench during Thursday’s loss to the Celtics, where the Warriors fell behind by as many as 34 points early in the third quarter. They rallied to within 11 points in the fourth behind the former Celtics’ contributions in a double-big look, Horford finishing with five points, eight rebounds and four assists on 2-for-10 shooting. After the buzzer, Joe Mazzulla found Ean for a photo, Celtics players greeted their former veteran and Horford admitted just how weird the experience proved.

The Warriors looked like a team figuring things out at an almost ground floor level. Boston more resembled a machine that’s played together for years. And while Horford remained committed to what they’re figuring out in Golden State, he didn’t rule out one more appearance in green before his career ends.

“As far as the end of my career, I don’t know,” Horford said. “I always keep that open. It would definitely be a privelage to do that, but I’m obviously so focused on trying to finish out this year.”

The Dallas Mavericks lost again, this time 122-111 to the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday night in Minneapolis. It’s the Mavericks 10th loss in a row. The last time Dallas won was Jan. 22 against the Golden State Warriors.

This game followed the trend of the previous nine losses almost exactly — Dallas gets crushed in the first quarter, then slowly-but-surely work their way back to make a game more competitive than it had any right to be. Dallas was missing rookie star Cooper Flagg, along with their best three point shooter Max Christie.

The Wolves had their main rotation of players and still struggled to put the Mavericks away time and time again. Dallas had runs in each of the second, third, and fourth quarters to give Minnesota a scare, but couldn’t get over the hump.

Anthony Edwards led all scorers with a monster 40-points game. Newly acquired Khris Middleton led a balanced Mavericks attack with 18 points.

Here are the three stats to know.

16-8: Minnesota’s advantaged in made 3-pointers

Dallas did a lot of things right in this game — it attacked the paint, got to the free throw line, and kept turnovers in check after a very sloppy opening quarter. It didn’t really matter though like most Mavericks efforts go to waste because of one thing: shooting. Specifically three point shooting and the lack thereof for the Mavericks.

Minnesota went 16-of-42 from deep, while the Mavericks went just 8-of-25. Both the makes and attempts for Dallas are abysmal, but it’s hard to fault them when a bad shooting team is missing its best shooter in Max Christie. Klay Thompson was responsible for three of the Mavericks makes from distance but it wasn’t enough. The gap was just too big to make up elsewhere.

60: Mavericks points in the paint

Against a top-tier defense and one of the best rim protectors in the NBA, the now 19-36 Mavericks dropped 60 points in the paint. Impressive! It’s the main reason the game was as close as it was.

Dallas has been attacking the paint with force and volume this season, mainly because these players have to go hard to the bucket because no one can shoot. The Mavericks are averaging well-over 50 points in the paint per game, nearing the 55 mark for most of the season, which is top-10 in the league. Dallas can’t get a break because they fall so behind on threes, but the paint scoring does enough to keep them competitive nearly every night.

15, 13: Marvin Bagley’s points, rebounds

Marvin Bagley has only played four games with Dallas since being part of the Anthony Davis trade, but he’s stood-out in every one. This time he picked up another double-double with a solid 15-point, 13-rebound effort off the bench.

This is Bagley’s second double-double since being traded, his first a 16-point, 12-rebound effort against the Spurs in his Mavericks debut. Bagley is fun — he might not be long for this roster, but he’s young, athletic, and shows enough skill that got him drafted second overall by the Kings in 2018 to make you ponder. It’s sort of impressive how Bagley has sort of accepted his destiny as a nice rotation backup big, and he’s better for it. Bagley isn’t forcing shots or hogging possessions, he’s just setting screens, waiting in the dunkers spot, grabbing boards, and running the floor. That’s kind of cool, and plenty of other draft busts have failed to make that transition from sta prospect to role player when the star stuff didn’t work out.

Who knows what Dallas thinks of Bagley long-term, and he might not even be on the roster when opening day of next season arrives, but he’s a worthy dart throw and I look forward to win he can play more minutes with Cooper Flagg when Flagg returns to health. Flagg likes to get up and go, and having another horse to run alongside him could be fun. Bagley can’t really guard a chair, and his rebounding waxes and wains, but he’s fun and with a season this dreadful, that counts for a lot.

Tonight, the Houston Rockets head to world’s most famous (indoor) arena to take on the New York Knicks in a primetime game on national television.

Houston is coming off a close and hard-fought win over the upstart Charlotte Hornets. New York, meanwhile, is coming off a loss against the upstart Detroit Pistons, the same team that the Knicks dispatched in the first round of last year’s playoffs. Clearly, that game meant a lot to the Pistons and maybe not as much to the Knicks.

So therefore, the Knicks saw one Thompson twin two nights ago and will get to the see the other one tonight. Last season in this building, the Rockets played a whale of a game but were chased down late by Jalen Brunson, he of the “I never miss in the clutch” fame.

Houston, of course, has their own version of that in Kevin Durant. KD, who may or may not go by other names, scored Houston’s last ten points in Charlotte to put the game away. If the game comes down to the wire, it’s going to be awfully exciting for neutral observers. And in case you haven’t noticed, the Rockets don’t win many blowouts. Either the game will be close and a coin flip, or the Knicks will run Houston out of the gym. There is no in-between for this version of the Rockets.

Tip-off

7:30pm CT

How To Watch

ABC

Injury Report

Rockets

Steven Adams: OUT

Fred VanVleet: OUT

Knicks

Miles McBride: OUT

The Line (as of this post)

NYK -2.5

Check here for updates

Looking ahead because we can

Monday night at home against the Utah Jazz

The Dallas Mavericks took on the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday night in their first game since the All-Star break on Friday. Losers of nine-straight coming into the night, Dallas dropped their tenth in a row, 122-111.

Let’s get to the grades!

Tyus Jones: B+

13 PTS / 1 REB / 6 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 26 MIN

Jones had his best game in his as-yet short time in Dallas. He combined with Brandon Williams to give the Mavs excellent production from the point guard position, which is something that hasn’t often been said about Dallas this season. If he can play with this type of efficiency and poise, it will certainly help Dallas in a position of need.

Naji Marshall: B-

15 PTS / 5 REB / 3 AST / 3 STL / 0 BLK – 33 MIN

Marshall struggled with his shot most of the night, finishing 5-for-16, detracting from his grade. He did a bit of everything and had some nice moments, but you can’t help but think that one of his hot shooting nights could have made a big difference in the outcome.

Khris Middleton: B+

18 PTS / 7 REB / 2 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 30 MIN

Middleton was the steadying force offensively when the Mavs were down big in the first half. He didn’t blow the doors off, but very much kept Dallas connected when things could have really gone south. He continued his steady play throughout the game.

P.J. Washington: C

12 PTS / 12 REB / 2 AST / 2 STL / 0 BLK – 36 MIN

Washington had solid numbers but his actual game left a bit to be desired. He was roasted on defense on more than one occasion, missed a pair of free throws that could have tied the game in the third quarter, and had a few strange sequences where he rebounded his own miss only to miss again.

Daniel Gafford: C-

8 PTS / 5 REB / 2 AST / 2 STL / 3 BLK – 24 MIN

Gafford was similar to Washington in that his stat line was fine, but the actual game saw him getting outplayed by both Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert and his own teammate Marvin Bagley who was backing him up in a bench role.

Brandon Williams: B+

13 PTS / 1 REB / 4 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 18 MIN

Williams paired with Jones for a nice showing from the point guard position. Like Jones, Williams’ damage wasn’t boisterous, but it was efficient and productive. Nice game penetrating and scoring while also getting his teammates involved.

Klay Thompson: C

11 PTS / 0 REB / 2 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 28 MIN

With under two minutes remaining in the third quarter, Thompson was 0-for-5 from the floor and his only measurable stat was a single personal foul. He hit a three-pointer before the quarter ended and had a positive fourth quarter, but this one is easy enough to move on from.

Marvin Bagley: A+

15 PTS / 13 REB / 0 AST / 0 STL / 1 BLK – 24 MIN

Bagley continues to bring it every night and is endearing himself each time out. Watching him away from the play on Friday night showed how much he battles and how well he positions himself to have an impact both tangibly and intangibly. Bagley as part of a more complete and healthy team has a lot of appeal at this early juncture of his Mavs’ tenure. Fantastic game, especially off the bench in limited minutes.

Final Thoughts

Dallas was outclassed in almost every facet of the game for much of the first half, but again would just not go away. Some of that was due to Minnesota falling off, but credit to Dallas for not letting this turn into the 30-point blowout it easily could have been by halftime.

I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.

Karl-Anthony Towns’ involvement in the Knicks offense has been one of the biggest storylines all year and likely will continue to be the rest of the season.

It doesn’t take a microscope to see that he is less comfortable in coach Mike Brown’s system compared to last year under Tom Thibodeau.

Way too many times, Towns goes long stretches on the floor and hardly is noticeable offensively.

During the Knicks’ blowout loss to the Pistons on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, Towns scored just two points on three shots in 15 minutes during the first half.

Particularly puzzling was that the Pistons were playing without their top two centers in Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, both serving suspensions.

If anything, it was a game Towns should have been featured in the offensive game plan and aggressive from the outset.

“Our offense is our offense,” Towns said. “It’s been that way all year. So we have our system, and we’re gonna — regardless of who’s in the game or not in the game — we run the system that we have implemented for our team to the best of our abilities.”

Then, all of a sudden, Towns came out of halftime noticeably hunting for his shot and forcing the issue.

He took five shots and five free throws and scored 12 points in the third quarter.

That’s the way it’s largely been for Towns this year — nothing has been natural or in the flow of the offense.

He’s usually been troublingly uninvolved or overly aggressive, with very little in between.

“We’re continuing to try to do different things to help free him up,” Brown said. “We’ll continue to search to try to do different things to free him up throughout the rest of the year.”

Towns’ production and efficiency are down this year.

His marks of 19.8 points per game and 34.9 percent shooting from 3-point range would represent the lowest since his rookie season, and his 46.7 percent shooting from the field would be the worst of his career.

He is taking just 14 shots per game, which also would be in line for the fewest of his 11-year career.

The problem isn’t going away.

If anything, as the postseason gets closer and closer, finding a solution is growing more urgent.

The Nets looked across the court at Oklahoma City, the team they’re trying to emulate in their rebuild. They got a harsh reminder of just how far away they are.

Brooklyn suffered an offensively-challenged 105-86 loss to the Thunder on Friday night before a crowd of 18,203 at Paycom Center.

Smothered by the reigning champions, the Nets shot 36.7 percent overall and 7-of-41 from 3-point range.

That horrid 17.1 percent clip from behind the arc was their worst of the season, and left them no chance to win.

Brooklyn (15-40) conceded an extended 21-3 run that spanned from the end of the first quarter deep into the second.

They shot 0-for-11 — including 0-for-8 from deep — and gave away a dozen turnovers to flip a six-point lead into a 10-point hole.

That deficit moved to as many as 20. Though the Nets fought back — unlike when they rolled over a night earlier in Cleveland — their sorry shooting short-circuited any comeback bid.

“We struggled. Obviously they’re the No. 1 defense for a reason. And we struggled in that second quarter, but also in the fourth. But we saw good things, and that’s the trend that I wanted the group to continue with,” Jordi Fernández said.

“Yeah, it was handling their pressure. I also thought that getting the stops, when you get to your spots in transition, it’s a little easier to find those shots.”

Brooklyn, which moved up to fourth in the lottery standings are now just a game out of second place, a tie between Indiana and New Orleans.

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The Thunder (43-14) were without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain), Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell. But the Nets couldn’t take advantage.

Michael Porter Jr. had 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists. But playing on the tail end of a back-to-back, he was just 1-of-9 from deep. Egor Dëmin was 1-of-8 from behind the arc and finished with just three points. Nolan Traore scored 17.

Brooklyn had an early 23-17 lead, but coughed up a 21-3 run.

The deficit swelled to 55-35 early in the third.

Down 71-54, the Nets ripped off a 9-0 blitz in just 1:25. But that’s as close as it got.

Jared McCain had 21 for OKC.

The Nets hired ex-OKC director of amateur scouting Acie Law to be Director of Player Personnel in the offseason and will look to emulate the Thunder. But Friday showed how far they have to go.

We’re back!

After more than a full week off for the All-Star Break that saw Anthony Edwards win All-Star Game MVP, the Minnesota Timberwolves were back in action Friday night at Target Center against the Cooper Flagg-less Dallas Mavericks.

The Wolves got whatever they wanted offensively in the first half, consistently generating open looks through great ball movement, knocking down 11 3-pointers en route to a 69-point half and a lead as high as 18 points. Anthony Edwards scored 20 of those 69 points, including 17 in the second quarter alone.

Naz Reid had the highlight play as he slammed one home over Daniel Gafford, as Bones Hyland’s jaw nearly hit the floor in amazement.

“It was crazy,” Naz said about the dunk after the game. “I mean, the excitement that it brought, that’s the energy two years ago, a year ago. So just kind of getting back to that, and kind of getting the crowd into the games, that’s kind of something we need, especially going into this run and obviously going into the playoffs. So just making things electrifying for the fans, and while being still within myself, I think just stuff like that is huge.”

To start the second half, the ball movement completely dried up, and as they have done many times before, the Wolves gave back the 18-point lead, allowing the Mavs to go on a 24-8 run to cut the lead all the way down to two midway through the third quarter.

The Wolves pushed the lead back up to ten late in the third quarter, but eventually found themselves tied after a flurry of tough makes from Klay Thompson. With less than seven minutes left, the Wolves were in a nailbiter with the tanking Mavericks, needing to put together a quality stretch of basketball to avoid yet another disastrous home loss.

From that point in the game forward, Ant took over. Across the final 6:37 of the game, Edwards was in complete control of the game. He scored 14 points down the stretch, including numerous times when he got to his spot in the midrange and rose over his defender for two points and a dagger 3-pointer that gave him 40 points for the game.

“I think Finchy is a big part of my success,” Edwards said, pointing to his head coach, Chris Finch, as to why he’s been so successful in the clutch this season. “the last couple years he was telling me I need a go-to shot, I need spots I can get to where I’m comfortable, so I’ve got to work on that instead of trying to work on all these moves to get to a shot. Work on getting to this spot and rising up over whoever it is. He’s been preaching that to me for the last two years, so he’s a big part of that.”

The Wolves won by a final score of 122-111. The margin was much closer than it needed to be, but ultimately the Wolves came away with a necessary win to open up their post-All-Star schedule. Along with Edwards, Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid carried the Wolves in this game.

Gobert dominated the paint on both ends of the floor as he finished with 22 points and 17 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive end of the floor. Unfortunately, Gobert did pick up a flagrant foul in the second quarter, which, unless rescinded, will result in a one-game suspension.

“It’s up to him to manage it,” Finch said after the game about Gobert’s flagrant foul issue. “I thought that call was a bit harsh. It looked like two guys tying up and sometimes that happens. Seemingly every time Rudy gets clocked in the head and the face, which is quite a bit, it’s always just, ‘ah, that’s just two guys, play on. It’s nothing.’ But yet the other way around, we seem to be penalized for it. I thought it was harsh. I can see getting a technical there, maybe. A flagrant? I didn’t see a flagrant there or the unnecessary part of it.”

Gobert had similar feelings about the call after the game, saying, “You know what? The thing with that is that I get hit in the head almost every game, and I never get flagrants. But when sometimes inadvertently I hit somebody in the head, they never miss. They’re always very hard on me with that, especially when it’s not intentional.”

Gobert and the Wolves do plan to submit the play to the league office in hopes that it will be downgraded to a common foul or a technical foul.

Reid led the Wolves off the bench with 21 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, while knocking down four 3-pointers while playing the final 19:55 of the game as Minnesota desperately needed his scoring punch and rebounding to close out the game.

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Up Next

The Timberwolves are back in action on Sunday at 6:00 PM CT, taking on the Philadelphia 76ers for the first time this season. Joel Embiid is already listed out for the 76ers’ game on Saturday, so status for Sunday’s game against the Wolves is up in the air. Fans can watch the game on FanDuel Sports Network.

Highlights

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 13 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter and the streaking Cleveland Cavaliers held off the Charlotte Hornets 118-113 on Friday night for their seventh straight victory and 12th win in 13 games.

Jared Allen had 25 points and 14 rebounds and James Harden added 18 points and eight assists for the Cavaliers.

Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel finished with 33 points on seven 3-pointers, giving him 193 made 3s for the season — the second most in NBA history by a rookie. Keegan Murray holds the record with 206 set in the 2022-23 season.

LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller each had 18 points and rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner added 12 points and 13 rebounds for Charlotte.

Miller’s and-one layup off a no-look feed from Ball cut Cleveland’s lead to four with a minute remaining, but Mitchell made a short jumper and four free throws in the final 40 seconds to seal the win.

The Cavaliers built a 14-point lead in the second quarter and looked like they were preparing to break the game open, but Knueppel began to heat up, finishing with four 3s and 16 points in the first half to cut Cleveland’s lead in to six. Charlotte took the lead late in the third quarter behind three more Knueppel 3s.

But Mitchell began to take over with his physical play. He got to the line 13 times and made 12 free throws.

Charlotte played without suspended forwards Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate and Grant Williams, who sat out with knee injury management forcing them to play younger, less experienced players in the frontcourt.

The Cavaliers outscored the Hornets 50-28 in the paint.

GRIZZLIES 123, JAZZ 114

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Olivier-Maxence Prosper scored 23 points, GG Jackson added 20, and Memphis put together a second-half rally to beat Utah.

The Grizzlies trailed by 14 in the first half, but a strong third quarter led to a 21-6 run and a 10-point Memphis advantage early in the fourth. The lead reached 16 on Jackson’s 3-pointer with 4:31 left.

Eight of the nine Grizzlies who played reached double figures as Memphis snapped a four-game losing streak.

Isaiah Collier led the Jazz with 24 points, while Kyle Filipowski and Ace Bailey finished with 20 points each.

The game featured two teams fighting their way to the bottom tier in the Western Conference. The Grizzlies started the night 11th in the conference, while the Jazz were 13th. And the NBA fined Utah $500,000 earlier this month for sitting key players in the fourth quarter of games against Orlando and Miami.

Meanwhile, any success by the Grizzlies would have to come from the depths of their bench. Nine players were absent against Utah with various ailments or injuries.

That left a skeleton crew to face a depleted Utah roster. Players such as Keyonte George, Jusuf Nurkic and Jaren Jackson Jr. — acquired from the Grizzlies at the trade deadline — were dealing with injuries.

Lauri Markkanen, Utah’s leading scorer, was a late scratch due to illness.

WIZARDS 131, PACERS 118

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alondes Williams had career highs with 25 points and 10 rebounds in his 11th NBA game and Washington swept a back-to-back set with Indiana.

Sharife Cooper matched his career high with 18 points for Washington, which moved two games above Indiana at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings and a half-game in front of Brooklyn, which played later at Oklahoma City.

Jay Huff scored 22 points and tied a career best with five 3-pointers for Indiana. The Pacers finished 2-4 on a six-game trip.

Quenton Jackson added 21 points for Indiana. Micah Potter had 18, and Jarace Walker added 12 points and 12 rebounds.

HEAT 128, HAWKS 97

ATLANTA (AP) — Tyler Herro scored 24 points in his return from a rib injury and Miami never trailed in a victory over Atlanta.

Bam Adebayo had 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists for Miami, and Norman Powell added 15 points in his first game since participating in his first All-Star game. Kel’el Ware had 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Jalen Johnson had 16 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists for Atlanta for his 11th triple-double of the season. It is the most in franchise history for a single season and leads the Eastern Conference.

Oneka Okongwu led Atlanta with 22 points. CJ McCollum had 20 points off the bench. He hit four 3-pointers.

Herro played his 12th game of the season. He missed the last 15 because of a rib injury and returned with a flak jacket.

TIMBERWOLVES 122, MAVERICKS 111

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards returned to Minnesota with his All-Star Game MVP award and scored 40 points to help the Timberwolves hold off Dallas, the 10th straight loss for the Mavericks.

Rudy Gobert had 22 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks and Naz Reid added 21 points for the Timberwolves, who squandered a 17-point first-half lead before Edwards took over down the stretch.

Tyus Jones tied the game at 103 on a floater with 6:55 left, capping a 12-2 spurt for the Mavericks and ending a stretch of 36:32 during which the Timberwolves were ahead. But Edwards answered with a step-back 3-pointer and Reid hit one too less than a minute later, and the Mavericks never grabbed the lead.

Edwards, who has eight 40-point games this season, had 14 points in the fourth quarter.

Khris Middleton had 18 points and Marvin Bagley added 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Mavericks, who are on their longest losing streak in 28 years

BUCKS 138, PELICANS 118

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ryan Rollins made a career-high seven 3-pointers and scored 27 points to help Milwaukee beat New Orleans t for its third straight victory and sixth in seven games.

Playing without injured star Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks pulled away in the fourth quarter to improve to 24-30. Antetokounmpo has been sidelined four weeks by a strained right calf.

Bucks newcomer Cam Thomas, a former LSU star, had 27 points in 21 minutes off the bench, and Kevin Porter added 25 points. Rollins was 7 of 10 on 3s and had six assists, four steals and two blocks. The Bucks were coming off a victory at defending champion Oklahoma City before the All-Star break.

Zion Williamson led New Orleans with 32 points in the first game of home back-to-back, while scoring leader Trey Murphy sat out because of a sore right shoulder. The Pelicans dropped to 15-42.

THUNDER 105, NETS 86

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Jared McCain scored a season-high 21 points and short-handed Oklahoma City beat Brooklyn.

McCain, the former Philadelphia 76er the Thunder acquired in a trade this month, posted his highest points total in five games with Oklahoma City. He made 7 of 12 field goals and 3 of 6 3-pointers in a reserve role.

The Thunder have several players dealing with injuries, including reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain) and 2025 All-Star Jalen Williams (strained right hamstring). Both are to be re-evaluated in the coming weeks.

Oklahoma City compensated with balanced scoring. Chet Holmgren scored 15 points, Isaiah Joe had 11 and Isaiah Hartenstein and Lu Dort each added 10.

Michael Porter Jr. had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Nolan Traore added 17 points for the Nets. Brooklyn shot just 36.7% from the field in its third straight loss.

Angel Reese came back to Unrivaled, at least in part, to help defending champ Rose BC make a push to the playoffs.

While Reese scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a productive 10 minutes, Rose lost, 80-78, in her return to Hive BC on Friday night at Sephora Arena in Miami. Rose is now 5-7 and in fifth place in the standings with two regular-season games to go. The top six teams will make the postseason.

Kelsey Mitchell scored 27 points and hit the game-winning layup for Hive in a game which included 19 lead changes and 16 ties. Azurá Stevens, who the Rose traded away to make room for Reese, added 20 points and eight rebounds in 11 minutes off the bench.

MORE: Unrivaled thrives with record crowd, playoff road trip, Angel Reese’s return

27 PTS and a GAME-WINNER for @Kelz_Hoop 🐝🔥 pic.twitter.com/ookDdKR1jh

— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) February 21, 2026

Reese joining Rose is made possible by a recent three-way trade, the second in league history. The trade sent Vinyl BC guard Courtney Williams to Breeze BC, Hive BC guard Saniya Rivers to Vinyl and Rose forward Stevens to Hive.

Rose guard Kahleah Copper had been begging Reese to return to Unrivaled on social media all season. Under a recent TikTok video of Reese unboxing items she bought while traveling in Australia, Copper said, "You unboxing [expletive], like bring your ass to Miami." She later added, "Inbox this Rose jersey."

Cooper scored a game-high 29 points for the Rose on Friday. Shakira Austin added 17 points and nine rebounds.

BARBIE BUCKETS 🤩🌹 @Reese10Angelpic.twitter.com/fPYxkfRFdt

— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) February 21, 2026

Reese was named Defensive Player of the Year and made Unrivaled history with the league's first 20-20 game last season. 

"Angel [Reese], she's, obviously, a young player, a really well-known player and someone who did really well last year. Her team won." Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier said ahead of Reese's return. "To have her back on the Rose is awesome.

"She's just been such a huge addition to Unrivaled, and so, even though it's only the end of the season, we're happy to have her."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Angel Reese's return to Unrivaled spoiled by Kelsey Mitchell, Hive BC

Ordinarily, a matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers would provide enough drama and theater for the nearly 30,000 fans in attendance, but the real theater unfolded in head coach J.J. Redick’s office prior to tipoff. 

Before we get into that, let’s flashback to a week earlier, when we wrote about a viral clip that caught head coach J. J. Redick teasing his superstar, Luka Dončić, about a sideline fit that looked straight off a Milan runway. “What kind of jacket is that?” Redick asked, half smirk, half scouting report. Luka didn’t blink. “It’s a jacket. You don’t know anything about style.”

"How would you qualify that jacket?"
"A jacket."
"It's not a bomber…"

This mic'd up moment between Luka & JJ Redick pic.twitter.com/F1LfKlq1wa

— NBA (@NBA) February 13, 2026

Redick was trying to insist that Dončić’s jacket was a blouson jacket. Luka insisted, “it’s just a jacket.” 

Touché.

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But on Friday, the debate continued and Dončić had delivered the punchline. He gifted Redick the exact same piece — prompting the coach to immediately ask, “Is it the grey one?” What followed was round two of the Great Jacket Debate. Redick insisted it was a blouson. Luka fired back: “It’s just a jacket.”

Luka gifted JJ a "jacket" pic.twitter.com/9ocmRbBeYb

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 21, 2026

So we did what any responsible newsroom would do. We went to the source. On the Dior website, the verdict is clear: blouson jacket.

One hundred percent lambskin. Nearly $5,000. Redick was right. Debate settled. The definition — a waist-cinched silhouette that blouses over the beltline — traces back to mid-century military uniforms. Leave it to a Duke alum to win on technicalities.

The Lakers posted the clip to their social media, but the larger point is that everything seems to be good between coach and player inside the Lakers locker room. A superstar comfortable enough to clap back at his coach. And a coach secure enough to laugh — and wear it.

In a season built on expectations and ego, the Lakers may have found something far more valuable than couture, and it’s not just impeccable taste in clothes.

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) — Joe Scott is out as the Air Force basketball coach, the academy said on Friday, a month after he was suspended pending an investigation into his treatment of cadets.

The school said it was “a mutual parting of ways.” Assistant coach Jon Jordan had been serving as the interim coach.

“Coach Scott’s passion for the game of basketball has long been evident in his competitive and direct coaching style. It was this coaching style that guided Air Force Basketball to some of the program’s most memorable achievements during his initial tenure at the Air Force Academy,” Athletic Director Nathan Pine said.

“This is a different day, and now is the right time for a new voice and a new approach to drive the culture and success of the men’s basketball program, aligned with the Air Force Academy’s mission of forging leaders of character developed to lead in our Air Force and Space Force.” Scott was 97-183 in charge of the Falcons, first leading the team from 2000-04 — a stint that ended with a 22-7 record and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. After spending time at Princeton, his alma mater, and Denver, he returned to Air Force in 2020.

The Falcons are 47-129 since then, winning just four games last season; they have won three so far this year, losing their last 19 in a row.

“I thank Nate Pine for his leadership. The Air Force Academy gave me my first head coaching opportunity and I am forever grateful," Scott said. “We will always be fans of Air Force Basketball.”

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