Malcolm Brogdon is officially returning to the Virginia Cavaliers men’s basketball program but this time, in a professional capacity. On Tuesday, the Virginia Cavaliers announced that the Virginia alumnus would be returning to serve as Strategic Advisor, a newly created position. 

In the statement, head coach Ryan Odom said Brogdon will bring “a wealth of knowledge, leadership and expertise from his successful nine-year NBA career and All-American career at Virginia.”

Brogdon, who led Virginia to their first ACC Tournament Championship in 38 years, recently retired from the NBA after nine seasons. After his historic college career, he immediately made a name for himself in the NBA as the 2017 Rookie of the Year. 

Welcome home Malcolm Brogdon 🙌

Read More 🔗 https://t.co/SEAOjyHtAE#GoHoospic.twitter.com/WJpQLtG1tj

— Virginia Men's Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) March 31, 2026

Before the announcement (and seemingly before the job offer) Brogdon, on March 4, made an appearance on Carla Williams’ podcast, Inside Virginia Athletics with Carla Williams. The discussion focused on the current state of college sports, especially compared to Brogdon’s experience. While there’s no telling if his analytical back-and-forth with Williams played a role in securing the new role, the conversation was certainly insightful. Of course, “the president,” as his Virginia teammates fondly called him, is known for his wisdom.

“Clearly I think one of the biggest benefits is guys are getting paid,” Brogdon said on the podcast. “But at the same time, I think it’s a double-edged sword.”

While Brogdon felt he could pick a university that provided him a top education and player experience, he believes the education is a smaller factor when recruits are also comparing pay. This is especially true, he notes, for players coming from a lower socioeconomic status and who would otherwise rely on an athletic scholarship to fund their education. 

“It’s hard to say that … everybody should go get the best education when money is a factor,” Brogdon said. “These guys are making choices that I didn’t have to make when I was in college.” 

When reflecting on the transfer portal, he noted his five years at Virginia gave him the development opportunity and preparation for the pros. While Brogdon doesn’t blame the young players for moving around, he thinks they’re missing the chance to establish themselves and create a legacy. 

Their conversation got more technical when it turned to the discussion on student athletes being classified as employees. Both Brogdon and Williams noted that it’s a hard debate to settle. However, Williams noted that the University can fire employees easier than it can pull an athletic scholarship – which would put student athletes in a position with fewer protections. Brogdon followed up to confirm that when signing contracts, the students’ pay is guaranteed under certain standards, making the classification even muddier.

Most college contracts, Williams added, are re-newed annually, which Brogdon likened to the signing of one-year NBA deals, which carries an emotional weight for players beyond the court.

“It’s annual free agency,” Williams added. 

And, Brogdon knows something about that life. He played on five different teams throughout his nine years in the NBA. In his last three years, he went from the Boston Celtics, to the Portland Trailblazers, to the Washington Wizards. 

He said the mental health impact of the business side of basketball is real and “ruins a lot of guys’ careers.” 

“When you come up in basketball, they say the game is 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical. That holds to be true at the NBA level.”

Now, it’s becoming a reality at the college level.

While the details of Brogdon’s role have yet to be clarified, his perspective and experience is expected to help the staff navigate the largely unchartered waters of today’s college landscape.

Who would have thought the Knicks would beat the Grizz… on the road, not least!

Get-right game got New York on the right path again as the Knickerbockers are one win away from reaching 50 dubs for the third consecutive season.

Two more wins, and Coach Brown would match Thibs’ best record in just his freshman season on the Knicks sideline. Bananas!

Mike Brown postgame Memphis: “2 areas have to clean up…19 turnovers for 34 pts…& fouls…Made it up…offensive rebounds..OG 3…KAT 6…KAT trip-dub great…Hukporti DPOG…36 assists great [but some “homerun” assist tries] led to turnovers…Didn’t shoot as many 3s as we’d like…” pic.twitter.com/UZR2y53EW0

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) April 2, 2026

Mike Brown

On the Knicks showing some urgency on Wednesday:

“It’s good to have that mindset.”

On closing out Memphis:

“A game like that, it’s always tough if you play against a group that’s free and can attack and has nothing to lose. But our guys at the end of the day, we were good in a lot of areas.”

On the rebounding effort against the Grizzlies:

“A lot of good performances from our guys, we were able to make it up in terms of the times that they went to the free throw line and our turnovers by offensive rebounding. OG had three offensive rebounds, KAT had six offensive rebounds. KAT had a triple-double tonight, which was great. And especially in 30 minutes of action, and then OG, for him to get 13 rebounds. A big, big night to get a double-double. We needed every single one of those rebounds.”

On Landry Shamet’s return:

“He’s arguably one of our, if not the best, on-ball defenders. Especially when it comes to ball screens and dribble handoffs. He’s really physical in that area. And you feel him. His pace offensively creates gravity for others. And then his ability to shoot. He can string together two or three 3s. And it can create separation for him and give our group confidence. We had to find other ways. But we missed that from him, especially from his size.”

On encouraging Miles McBride to keep shooting amid his post-comeback struggles:

“If you’re open, let it fly. I even told him this before, I don’t care if he’s 0-for-15. I just want him to feel the aggression, get to his spots.”

Jalen Brunson

On the need for accountability:

“Regardless of being veterans or not, we got to turn the page and do something about it. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in the league or not.”

Novak "How's team feeling?…Always lotta talk when there's losing streak"

Mikal "It's alright…Losses don't define everything. I think we more upset how we've been playing…energy…lack of focus at times…Lack of effort been on us little bit…Just gotta keep getting better" pic.twitter.com/77Y30bCRWW

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) April 2, 2026

Mikal Bridges

On the Knicks’ true-talent level showing up on Wednesday:

“I feel the team we have, a lot of guys able to shoot, drive. I’ve been talking about this since last year. We got a lot of talent that can do a lot of things. Just got to share the ball and play off each other and try to make the right reads.”

On the first-half offense vs. defense against Memphis:

“It was good. We were sharing the ball, all that stuff. I think defensively we could’ve been better, still gave up a lot of points. Offensively, we were sharing the ball, moving well. But defensively, we could’ve done better.”

On the second-half mild letdown:

“I’m still not happy about us in the second half not locked in and them making a run. They play hard. A good young team. But I think it’s unacceptable for us.”

On his ironman streak:

“Hopefully, I have kids one day and I’ll brag about it.”

OG hits dagger 3
In front of Grizz bench
Then turns around
Yells & points at…

Taj Gibson😆

Then postgame Taj hugs it out with him & other Knicks pic.twitter.com/zk6oRGEooI

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) April 2, 2026

Karl-Anthony Towns

On ending the road trip on a positive note:

“It’s great. It doesn’t matter about the triple-double, double-double, as long as we get a win, something that has been escaping us in the last week. Good to end the road trip on a high note so we can go back home to our fans where we’re comfortable and we get that energy from our fans and hopefully make it a two-game winning streak.”

On the good ball movement in the win over Memphis:

“I thought we did a good job moving the ball. I thought we did a good job of playing with a point-five mentality and doing everything we needed to do to beat a good team, and a hungry team with a lot of guys trying to prove themselves in this league. I thought we did a good job of weathering the storm. We understood they’re going to play hard. They’re going to play well, and we found a way to win.”

On how he handles double teams:

“When they’re double and triple teaming, I understand that one of my teammates is open. Just staying patient, staying relaxed and trying to make the right play. I was disappointed with the turnovers I had today, but I’m glad that I was able to find my teammates more than not and we were able to come out with a win.”

On regrouping after the three consecutive losses heading into Wednesday’s game:

“It was a group effort to regroup.”

Landry Shamet

On feeling fatigue on his return:

“I was definitely a little tired at the end of the game. The legs — that’s obviously the biggest thing. You can do all you want to stay in shape but playing a real NBA basketball game, that’s like the next layer of your rehab or whatever. You just got to get reps and get your legs back under you. So I felt really good. Just naturally a little heavy at the end. But that’s alright.”

OG Anunoby

On his fourth-quarter scoring:

“I was shooting the same shots, but they were just going in.”

J. Cole has signed a contract to play in the Chinese Basketball Association with the Nanjing Monkey Kings, per ESPN sources. The multi-time Grammy award-winning and multi-platinum artist had committed to playing a few games for the Chinese team last year, and now follows through. pic.twitter.com/8fFyHv1fvY

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 2, 2026

Editor’s note: This is the first post from new Peachtree Hoops contributor Jackson Stone. We’re excited to have him on the staff and help with our coverage of the Atlanta Hawks.

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The Atlanta Hawks completed a season sweep of the Orlando Magic on Wednesday evening with a dominant 130-101 victory over their Southeast divisional rivals on the road.

The Hawks came into this game with a clean bill of health and plenty to play for, with the Magic trailing them in the Eastern Conference playoff race by just 2.5 games heading into the matchup. In the first few minutes of this one, it was Orlando that came out with more intensity despite playing on the second night of a back-to-back, having defeated the Phoenix Suns in narrow fashion on Tuesday night.

Atlanta was stuck in mud for the first several possessions on offense, opening just 4-for-14 from the field, with frustrations mounting quickly as Orlando began a parade to the free throw line on the other end of the floor. Things reached a boiling point when reserve guard Buddy Hield inexplicably picked up a technical foul from the bench for arguing with the referees.

However, things started to pick up for Atlanta toward the end of the first quarter when the first bench players entered the game, including the newly acquired Jonathan Kuminga, who played his second straight excellent game for Atlanta, finishing this one with 12 points on an efficient 5-of-7 shooting, along with solid defense. Kuminga put pressure on the rim early and often for Atlanta, which loosened up the Magic defense and allowed the Hawks to find an offensive rhythm, trimming the lead to three by the end of the first period.

JK racing to the rack and-1 🏎️💨 pic.twitter.com/iw63IFzGZQ

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 1, 2026

Once the second quarter began, the Hawks caught fire and quickly took the lead. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who found himself on the bench earlier than usual in this one after picking up two quick fouls, overcame those troubles to torch Orlando for 22 points in the first half, including 17 in the second quarter alone.

In the frame, the Hawks’ key free agent signee hit the Magic with a barrage of three-pointers, quick crossovers, and impressive finishes at the rim.

Nickeil drills his second 3 of the night 🎯 pic.twitter.com/SkDtAkkpA4

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 1, 2026

He also made one of the plays of the season when he hit Magic star Paolo Banchero with a killer spin move and reverse layup that drew some oohs from the Orlando crowd and got the Hawks’ bench off its feet.

REAL DEAL NICKEIL 🥊 pic.twitter.com/gFK8jM0AaO

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 2, 2026

Overall, the Hawks ended up winning the second quarter by a score of 47-26, taking an 18-point lead into halftime. While some of this can be chalked up to favorable shooting variance on both ends of the floor, the Hawks did a much better job of getting into the paint and making Orlando’s defenders move their feet in the quarter, as well as pushing the ball in transition, as Quin Snyder has so often emphasized throughout the year.

On the other end, Atlanta played excellent defense, communicating well and largely forcing the Magic to stay on the perimeter, where they are among the worst teams in the NBA. In fact, at one point, the Magic had missed 19 consecutive three-pointers before the streak was finally broken by Desmond Bane in the third quarter.

“…for the most part, once we just were more disciplined on the ball and also off the ball, I think it took some of those driving lanes away and, and tried to keep (Banchero) out of the paint and then by the same token, you know, when we got out, we’re able to get in the paint and get some good looks and Nickeil obviously got hot, but he was getting good shots,” said Snyder after the game.

Magic forward Franz Wagner was also mostly a non-factor in his first game after missing nearly two months with an ankle injury.

The Hawks would only increase the lead coming out of the locker room for the third quarter, with big man Onyeka Okongwu quickly making an impact and forcing an early Orlando timeout.

Big O steal & and-1 to start the second half pic.twitter.com/2JkIBbmEBU

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 2, 2026

Four minutes into the second half, the Hawks’ lead had ballooned to 31 points, and a chorus of boos began to rain down from the home fans in attendance.

Along the way, the bench continued to play well, and Dyson Daniels even got in on the action on the perimeter, knocking down a three-pointer for the second game in a row. The Hawks ended up taking a 102-76 lead into the fourth and final period, although the fireworks were just getting started in central Florida.

In a scary moment, Magic reserve big man Goga Bitadze ripped Hawks center Jock Landale down in a clear non-basketball play, which caused Landale to land awkwardly on his ankle. Hawks guard Dyson Daniels then shoved Bitadze, who ultimately was thrown out of the game after receiving a flagrant foul penalty two, with Daniels earning a technical foul for his role in the skirmish.

Goga Bitadze has been ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul on this play. 😳

(h/t @ohnohedidnt24)

pic.twitter.com/PsXRjqeXxv

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 2, 2026

Landale initially limped back to the locker room but was able to return to shoot the two flagrant free throws before exiting once again and not returning.

In the fourth quarter, Orlando was able to trim the lead under 20, but the game was never in doubt, and Snyder was able to pull his starters with a few minutes remaining. In a fun scene, former Magic wing Caleb Houstan caught fire in the stretch run of the contest, torching his former team for nine quick points on three triples.

CALEB CASH pic.twitter.com/kCZS3MXQuZ

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 2, 2026

The Hawks ended up cruising to the 130-101 win, pushing their record to 44-33 on the season, and giving them their third straight victory overall. It’s officially the most wins the Hawks have recorded since the 2015-16 season, although they did have a higher winning percentage in the shortened 2020-21 season, in which they reached the Conference Finals.

Making matters more impressive for Atlanta was the fact that they reached the 130-point mark despite a quiet shooting night from CJ McCollum, who scored just nine points on 4-for-13 shooting, as well as Jalen Johnson, who shot below his average in terms of both points and field goal percentage.

However, Johnson once again played excellent defense on Banchero, holding the former All-Star to just 11 points on the evening.

“I thought JJ did a really good job after the first time out of really raising his level as well. The things that he’s doing on the offensive end. You know, he’s setting other people up, but on the defensive end tonight, I think the job that he did on Banchero was really good,” said Snyder.

The Hawks also demolished the Magic on the glass in this one, winning by a margin of 52-36 in that department. That area has been one of the major areas of concern for Atlanta throughout this season, but the Hawks have started to clean it up amid their hot streak, with Dyson Daniels emerging as one of the top rebounding guards in the league, particularly on the offensive end.

“We had some loose ball rebounds on both ends of the floor, and Dyson gets his hands on a lot of balls. He’s just got a nose for it, whether it’s on the glass or during play when he’s guarding the ball or off the ball. Something that, you know, he’s got great instincts,“ said Snyder.

Elsewhere in the NBA, the Hawks got some help on Wednesday, with the Boston Celtics demolishing the Miami Heat, and the Sacramento Kings springing an upset over the Toronto Raptors. That result gives the Hawks a 1.5-game cushion for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, with just five games left to go until the playoffs.

Overall, few if any could have predicted that the Hawks would be in this position less than two months ago, when the team was 26-30 heading into the All-Star break, fresh off their trade of Trae Young to the Washington Wizards. However, Atlanta has steadily climbed the ranks in the conference since then, with Alexander-Walker continuing his case for the Most Improved Player of the Year award, finishing with 32 points on Wednesday night, after dropping 41 on the Magic two weeks ago.

It’s also not fully off the table that the Hawks could reach as high as fourth place in the conference, with two games coming up against the Cleveland Cavaliers next week, who currently lead Atlanta by 3.5 games for that spot.

All in all, this was one of the best overall performances of the year from the Hawks, and the team showed impressive maturity in shrugging off their rough start to the game and coming back to dominate the way they did. Orlando had everything to play for in this one, trying to avoid a second straight trip to the play-in, and Atlanta still played like the more desperate team, hitting the floor for loose balls and getting around screens on defense instead of dying on them.

Of course, the Magic even at their full strength aren’t exactly a litmus test for NBA excellence. This team did lose by over 50 points earlier this week, after all. However, heading into this game, the Hawks were coming off an impressive home win over the Boston Celtics in relatively comfortable fashion, and they also knocked off the Detroit Pistons on the road last week.

For the first time in what seems like forever, the Hawks are now playing like a team fans can count on to deliver a consistent brand of basketball on a nightly basis, one defined by defense, high-flying transition opportunities, and savvy playmaking in the halfcourt. While they’re likely to start out the postseason on the road, and still haven’t fully wrapped up avoiding the Play-In Tournament, it’s been years since Hawks fans have seen their team jell this quickly, and at this opportune of a time.

Naturally, fans will call back to the 2021 season, when the team made their surprise run to the conference finals, a campaign that also featured a late-season surge up the standings and a first-round playoff matchup with the New York Knicks, which is very much on the table for later this month.

Still, this team’s defense and versatility make it seem to have a higher ceiling than even that beloved 2021 squad, especially as Jalen Johnson continues to blossom into a star player. The Hawks’ fourth quarter lapses in their recent games against the Celtics prove that Johnson still has a ways to go in learning how to deliver like a superstar player should in the clutch, but Atlanta still has a clear face of the franchise, who can stuff the stat sheet and make winning plays even on an off night, as was the case on Wednesday in Orlando.

Next up, the Hawks take the floor on Friday evening on the road versus the Brooklyn Nets.

You couldn’t have drawn up Wednesday night’s results any better as a Philadelphia 76ers fan. The Sixers overcame Joel Embiid’s illness-related absence and a poor defensive effort in the first half to defeat Washington, 153-131. Good and fun to watch, but certainly not unexpected against a Wizards team at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. However, they also received a ton of assistance from across the Association.

The Hawks defeated Orlando, 130-101. While we want Atlanta to lose in a vacuum, given that the Hawks hold the tiebreaker over the Sixers, it seems more important to gain a game’s ground on the Magic than try to catch the guys in the ATL. Boston also took care of business against Miami, 147-129, importantly increasing the cushion for the Sixers over the Heat after Erik Spoelstra’s club earned the season tiebreaker over Philadelphia earlier this week.

The most improbable and beneficial result came north of the border, though, where the worst-in-the-West Sacramento Kings pulled off the 123-115 upset victory over the Toronto Raptors. With the Sixers owning the tiebreaker over the Raptors due to divisional record, Wednesday’s series of events means that Philadelphia is now sitting in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, which would be clear of the Play-In Tournament and in the actual, no-doubt-about-it playoffs.

Charlotte is highlighted above because they are the only Sixers-postseason-relevant team taking the court tonight, hosting the Phoenix Suns. Come on, Collin Gillespie, you’re a Philly guy, help us out.

The Sixers still have a difficult stretch ahead of them, with games against Minnesota, Detroit, San Antonio and Houston upcoming. Still, all the dominoes fell perfectly on Wednesday night, setting the stage for an exciting end to the regular season.

The San Antonio Spurs secured their tenth-straight victory on Wednesday night against the Golden State Warriors. It was their sixth-straight game winning by double-digits. The Spurs haven’t had a single-digit margin of victory in about two weeks. This team is rolling, and it is all led by one man: Victor Wembanyama.

San Antonio’s third-year big man is chasing the MVP award and putting up dominant scoring performances in the process. Wembanyama had a 41-point double-double for the second game in a row. Despite Draymond Green and the Warriors’ best efforts, they couldn’t do anything to slow Wembanyama down. Once again, he will headline our player grades.

As a quick reminder, these grades are based on each player’s on-court performance, going beyond just the stat sheet. A “B” grade represents the average performance for an individual.

Victor Wembanyama

29 minutes, 41 points, 18 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, 16-for-22 shooting, 2-for-6 threes, +16

Wednesday night’s game essentially broke down like this: when Wembanyama is on the court, the Spurs lead grows. Wembanyama leaves the game, and the lead shrinks. The Warriors couldn’t come close to stopping him inside. Green tried this new strategy where he would sag off Wembanyama in the mid-range, which, in theory, makes sense; it’s better than him getting to the rim. But Wemby nailed every wide-open mid-range shot, basically giving the Spurs two free points any time Green sagged off.

It wasn’t Wembanyama’s best defensive game. He was caught out of position a few times and looked a step slow on getting to shots he would usually erase. But he was so dominant on the other end, and the game swung so far in San Antonio’s direction when he was in the game, that he deserves the top grade.

Grade: A+

Julian Champagnie

25 minutes, 15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 fouls, 1 turnover, 5-for-15 shooting, 4-for-13 threes, +/- 0

What’s that old saying? Shooters shoot? Champagnie took a lot of shots in the win over Golden State. Fifteen to be exact, thirteen of them from three. Most of them were good shots in the flow of the offense, and he knocked down four threes.

I once heard JJ Reddick talk about his philosophy on getting up threes. He said that if you shoot 40% from deep, you should be shooting at least 10 threes a game, because in theory, you should make 4. That’s 12 points. It seems like Champagnie took Reddick’s advice.

Grade: B-

Devin Vassell

28 minutes, 8 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 2 fouls, 2-for-8 shooting, 1-for-5 threes, +25

It’s been a bit of a rough stretch for Vassell recently. It used to seem automatic when he would get a catch-and-shoot opportunity, but right now he’s hit a cold streak. It was encouraging to see him get more involved as a passer when the jumper wasn’t falling. I love that curl-screen action they run to either get Vassell a mid-range shot or find Wemby on a lob. He hit Vic for a lob on that play, showing some awareness that the better look is the 7-foot-4 big man at the rim.

Also, can we talk about how springy Vassell has looked in the last two games? He got UP for a block late in the game, just two nights after he got one called for goaltending by doing nearly the same thing.

Grade: C

Stephon Castle

33 minutes, 15 points, 7 rebounds, 11 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers, 2 fouls, 4-for-9 shooting, 2-for-4 threes, +6

Castle almost had a triple-double again, but he needed to play garbage time minutes to get there. Earlier in the game, he made some silly turnovers, but his assist-to-turnover ratio will look pretty good when he tosses 11 dimes. Castle’s finishing in the paint has still been just off a bit, but he’s making up for it at the three-point line. At this point, should we call Castle a catch-and-shoot threat? He’s knocked down 41% of his 70 three-point attempts since the All-Star break.

Grade: B

De’Aaron Fox

25 minutes, 11 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 4-for-7 shooting, 1-for-2 threes, +30

After a tough game on Monday, Fox bounced back against the Warriors. He was awesome defensively, hounding the Warriors’ guards on the perimeter and getting a few strip steals. Fox wasn’t heavily involved offensively, but he was getting into the paint a bit more consistently. When Wembanyama is on a roll like this, it seems like the team’s top priority is getting him the ball. Fox does a great job deferring to the superstar and letting him lead the way.

Grade: B

Harrison Barnes

27 minutes, 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 foul, 4-for-7 shooting, 3-for-6 threes, -7

Barnes also had a bounce-back game on Wednesday. It felt like Barnes was always right where he needed to be to grab a loose ball or offensive rebound. He knocked down 50% of his threes and attacked a few hard closeouts by the Warriors to get to the free-throw line. It’s always nice to see Barnes thrive against the team that drafted him.

Grade: B

Keldon Johnson

26 minutes, 11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 3-for-11 shooting, 2-for-6 threes, +7

It feels like Johnson can roll out of bed and score 10 points off the bench. It’s part of the reason why he is the betting favorite for Sixth-Man of the Year on FanDuel at -200.

Wednesday wasn’t KJ’s best game. He was inefficient from the field and settled a bit from three-point range. He took a side step three at one point in the game, which might be the first time I’ve seen him shoot a three-pointer off movement this season. It was the kind of game where he could afford to take a lot of threes. Johnson is much more effective when he’s getting to the basket and scoring in the paint.

Grade: C

Carter Bryant

17 minutes, 0 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 0-for-3 shooting, 0-for-3 threes, +6

Mitch Johnson made me eat my words from the last game when I said Bryant was getting squeezed out of the rotation for the playoffs. With Luke Kornet out, Johnson played Bryant as a small-ball center. The results weren’t all that bad. Bryant didn’t have to do much rim protection, but he guarded multiple positions and held his own.

His jump shot is just not falling right now. It’s not like he’s getting a lot of opportunities, but he’s missing some open shots that, if they were going down, could open up a pathway to more playing time when the full team is healthy.

Grade: C

Mason Plumlee

7 minutes, 0 points, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 0-for-o shooting, -9

It’s hard to hold anything against Plumlee. He was signed after not playing much basketball this year and is 36 years old. But it was evident that Golden State felt they could attack the rim when he was in the game. He also doesn’t provide much of anything offensively at this stage of his career. The small-ball lineup with Bryant was much more effective than going to the veteran in Kornet’s absence.

Grade: D–

Dylan Harper

24 minutes, 13 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers, 4 fouls, 6-for-11 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, -4

This was a game where Harper looked like a rookie. Sure, he had some impressive finishes around the rim, but his ball security and defense were not up to his usual standards. He threw the ball away carelessly and had a hard time defending without fouling.

Grade: C

Monday’s Inactives: Luke Kornet, Harrison Ingram, David Jones-Garcia, Emanuel Miller

The Washington Wizards have been at the forefront of the NBA’s tanking crisis all season. The product the Wizards are putting out this year is so bad that they let Bam Adebayo of all players score 83 points on them in a single game. Washington spent part of the year limiting minutes for its best players in an attempt to increase its ping-pong balls, and not even trading for Trae Youngand Anthony Davis has changed the losing culture this season.

The Wizards should be celebrating any fan who wants to attend a game at the end of another tanking season, but instead they played a cruel April Fools’ prank on one of them during a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.

The Wizards brought a fan out for a blindfolded halfcourt shot with the promises of $10K if he made it. The fan badly missed the shot, but because he was blindfolded, the Wizards pretended he made it and had the announcers and various mascots celebrate with him.

When the Wizards finally let the fan watch his shot on the jumbotron, he saw he missed, and the team revealed that it was an April Fools’ Day prank. Watch the video here:

The Wizards made a fan think he won $10,000 in an April Fools prank by pretending he made a blindfolded half court shot 😭 pic.twitter.com/MZEfAiGZKM

— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) April 2, 2026

“Somebody’s rich,” the in-game host explained after the fan took the shot. A minute later, she changed her tune.

“I really, really hate April Fools’ Day.”

The team did give the fan an autographed jersey and some courtside seats for next season. I guess that’s cool, but $10K is a lot cooler.

It feels like the Wizards just can’t help it from giving themselves and the league a black eye this season. Washington will enter the lottery hoping for some luck to find a new franchise star, but do they deserve it? In our new NBA mock draft, the Wizards fell to fifth while three non-tankers moved up into the top four. That feels appropriate.

Going to a Wizards game is a bad enough way to spend a Wednesday night. Getting turned into the butt of a viral joke for thinking you just won $10K by making an impossible shot is even worse. Shame on the Wizards.

1. Incredible Scoring Night

Coming off a rough loss against the Atlanta Hawks, the Celtics were almost completely healthy in their matchup against the Miami Heat and they played arguably their best offensive game of the season. Boston scored 147 points on the Heat in this game, the second most points they’ve scored in a game this season and had 6 players finish with double digit points.

They shot 56-96 (58%) from the field which is the third highest percentage they’ve had this season and 21-44 (48%) from three which is the sixth best mark this year. There were times in this game where the Celtics were playing some euphoric basketball. Even when the Heat cut the Celtics lead to 10 points at the end of the third quarter, Boston did not waiver just continued their onslaught on South Beach.

Some may say this is karmic retribution for the Heat stat-padding on the Washington Wizards to get Bam Adebayo his 83 point game earlier this season. I say the Celtics just put out a message to the rest of the teams in the Play-In Tournament of what they could expect in round one of the playoffs this year. We might see some teams try to do everything in their power to avoid Boston this year.

2. Historic First Quarter

When looking at the box score of this game, something stands out that is pretty hard to miss. The Celtics scored 53 Points in the first quarter!

That isn’t an April Fools prank, the Celtics really scored 53 points which is the highest scoring first quarter in franchise history and is tied for the second most first quarter points in NBA history. This is the second highest scoring quarter in Celtics history, only trailing Boston’s 54 point fourth quarter against the San Diego Clippers on February 25th, 1970.

Both Boston and Miami scored 7 straight baskets to open the game and by the first TV timeout, the score was 21-21 at the 6:41 mark of the first quarter. The Celtics took that breather and continued their dominance, finishing the first quarter on a 29-9 run. Boston shot 20-28 (71%) from the field and 11-15 (73%) from three, just an incredible display of basketball by the Celtics.

The Celtics scored 53 points in the first quarter tonight at Miami – the most in a first quarter in franchise history.

— Celtics Stats (@celtics_stats) April 2, 2026

3. Brown Bully Ball

Jaylen Brown had a real off shooting game against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday so naturally he bounced back with his second highest scoring game of the season. Brown finished with 43 points and 7 assists on 17-29 shooting from the field and 4-10 from three point range.

Not only is this Brown’s 34th 30+ point game of the season which is the most in the Eastern Conference this year, but this performance also put him in some rarified air. Brown is now tied with Larry Bird in the 1989-90 season for the 5th most 40+ point games in a season with his 7th of 2025-26.

Brown was the main catalyst to the Celtics hot start, scoring the first 11 points of the game for Boston and finishing with 20 points on 8-11 shooting. Miami had no answers for Jaylen driving to the basket as he was able to match the break neck speed the Heat were playing with.

We saw Brown continue to dominate Miami with this brand of physical basketball throughout the game. Jaylen and the Celtics made it a priority to attack Tyler Herro on defense and once he got the switch, there was no stopping Brown from getting to his spots.

Brown had his jumper working in this game which is a massive difference from his tough game in Atlanta. His final two buckets of the game were good examples of the shot making that he was putting on display in this game.

4. Triple-Double Tatum

When Jayson Tatum scored 32 points against the Charlotte Hornets in his 11th game of the season, I thought there was no way he was going to top it. That was until his 12th game where he had his first triple-double of the season and 6th of his career including the playoffs. He finished with 25 points, 18 rebounds, and 11 assists on 9-21 shooting from the field and 4-13 from three.

In the first half Tatum was taking and making a ton of three pointers and mid range jumpers since Miami had no one who could match up with him.

Tatum’s shooting splits don’t look the best but those were inflated by a cold stretch in the third quarter but that was when he starting turn up his passing. He had 5 assists in the this quarter where it looked like he was just seeing the game at a different level.

His biggest impact came at the beginning of the fourth quarter after Miami cut Boston’s lead to 10 points at the end of the third. Tatum squashed all momentum that the Heat had with two assists and a long three that pushed the Celtics lead back up to 16 points, essentially icing the game.

5. HAUS3R

After being taken out of the starting lineup on Monday, Sam Hauser made his way back into it with both of the Jays healthy at the same time. There had been some conversation on if Hauser should be replaced in the starting five since he was shooting 31% from three in his prior 10 games but he put all of those conversations to bed in this game, finishing with 23 points on 9-11 shooting from the field and 5-7 shooting from three while being a +23 overall. Sam Hauser also now has the most games in Celtics history with 20+ PTS on 100% TS.

Sam Hauser now has the most games in Celtics history with 20+ PTS on 100% TS. pic.twitter.com/1r3NXfQQiM

— Real App (@realapp) April 2, 2026

This was the best game Hauser has had in a while and it started with his explosion in the first quarter where he had a career high 17 points on 6-6 shooting from the field and tied a Celtics record with 5-5 shooting from three. We have seen countless times in his career when Hauser’s shot is falling, there is no one who is going to be able to slow him or the Celtics offense down.

6. Neem The Dream

Neemias Queta doesn’t get enough credit for all of the hard work that he has put in to being the Celtics starting center this season. He has always been a consistent rock for Boston and this game showed how important he is to this team, finishing with another double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds along with 3 blocks and a team high +28.

Queta’s impact was felt most in the fourth quarter where he and Jayson Tatum were making magic together on offense. Neemi was looking like Hakeem Olajuwon inside on the block, overpowering Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware while also showing off his touch with the floater.

7. White: Silent But Deadly

Derrick White didn’t necessarily light up the stat sheet tonight finishing with 6 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists on 3-4 shooting but he didn’t need to be loud to show his impact on this game.

The second quarter was where we saw how important Derrick White is to the Celtics. After making an incredible block and scoring two buckets, White was running the fast break with Jaylen Brown where he threw up an alley-oop for Brown to finish the layup. White then ran down all the way to the other side of the floor to stop Pelle Larsson from getting an easy shot at the buzzer.

White’s non-stop hustle and will to win is what makes him so impactful in Boston. Every team in the NBA would be lucky to have Derrick White on their roster and he would immediately elevate their ceiling. We are so lucky to have him.

Ayo Derrick White is legit incredible

Great pass getting JB the oop before the buzzer but then notices there are open Heat players on the other end

Immediately hustles back and stops what would’ve been an open layup

His impact needs to be studied pic.twitter.com/dcx5Zveg55

— NikNBA🏀 (@NIKNBAYT) April 2, 2026

8. Power of Pritchard

Payton Pritchard was on an incredible run over the last week when the Jays were out, even getting votes to be Eastern Conference Player of the Week. But now with both of them healthy, Pritchard was back to being the spark plug off the bench and he played his role to perfection.

Pritchard finished with 14 points and 4 assists on 5-9 shooting from the field and 4-7 shooting from three while having a +20 in 31 minutes. In this game, Payton was basically tasked as being a spot up shooter for most of his baskets. He was able to feast off of gravity that Brown and Tatum created and it felt like Miami was just fine living it with his shots.

9. Playoff Rotation

Something interesting with the way Joe Mazzulla managed his rotations was the fact that he only used 9 players tonight before garbage time. The top 6 guys being Tatum, Brown, White, Queta, Hauser, and Pritchard all played around 30+ minutes. The other guys that saw run were Baylor Scheierman who played 18 minutes and had 8 points, Luka Garza who had 12 points in 15 minutes, and Jordan Walsh who played 5 minutes.

It felt like Mazzulla was coaching this game like it was a playoff game and with 6 games to go in the regular season, we should continue see the ramp up of the top guys in the rotation while also maybe seeing the finalization of who Joe trusts off the bench.

I think Boston will cut down to an 8 man rotation with only Pritchard, Scheierman, and one of Nikola Vucevic or Garza getting run off the bench and guys like Ron Harper Jr, Hugo Gonzalez and Jordan Walsh used as “break glass in case of emergency” guys.

I wonder if tonight was our first look at a potential Celtics playoff rotation. My way of looking at it based on the minutes vs the Heat:

Starters:
Jaylen Brown- 37:20
Jayson Tatum- 37:15
Derrick White- 34:25
Neemias Queta- 33:05
Sam Hauser- 28:40

Bench:
Payton Pritchard- 31:09…

— Ian Inangelo (@iinangelo) April 2, 2026

10. “They Always Easy”

The best part about playing the Miami Heat, is beating the Miami Heat. With their win today, the Boston Celtics have swept the Miami Heat in the season series with a 4-0 record. The Celtics have now won 17 of their last 20 games against the Heat including the playoffs. Boston has also won 10 games in a row on the road in Miami.

The Boston Celtics have now won 17 of their last 20 against the Miami Heat

They've won 10 straight in Miami

— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) April 2, 2026

Every time the Celtics play the Heat I like to reflect on how much they have shaped this franchise. If Boston didn’t defeat them in the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals, Brown and Tatum wouldn’t have gotten that first experience in the NBA Finals. If Boston didn’t lose to them in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, we wouldn’t have seen Brown and Tatum elevate the weak points in their game and become better players. Even if Boston didn’t beat them in the 2024 First Round, we couldn’t truly appreciate the Celtics being immune to the mind games and go on to win the Championship.

So you see, for as much as the Miami Heat are rivals to the Boston Celtics, in way we should thank them for only making our two best players the best versions of themselves they possibly could be.

However, I like the way Jayson Tatum described playing the Miami Heat a little more at the 2024 Championship Parade Celebration: “They always easy.”

Before Wednesday night, Boston Celtics sharpshooter Sam Hauser was mired in a 3-point slump that spanned two months. He shot 33 percent last month and 37.5 percent in February — well below his career 41 percent. Then, in the first quarter against the Miami Heat, he caught fire.

Hauser shot a perfect 6-for-6 to begin, finishing the first quarter with 17 points. That alone surpassed his output in any game since Jan. 23 against the Brooklyn Nets (19 points), and the early makes gave him a noticeable boost to shoot with confidence.

“The first couple go in, the rim looks a little bit bigger,” Hauser told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin postgame. “And shoutout to my teammates for finding me when I was open and getting it to me on time and on target. Just letting it fly out there.”

Without hesitation, Hauser fired away. His first three-pointer came on a late closeout off a pass from Baylor Scheierman. The second, a pull-up in transition, came off a Luka Garza screen. Then the third, off an inbound pass and over a strong contest from Jaime Jaquez Jr., sent Jordan Walsh and Ron Harper Jr. leaping from the bench. Hauser’s scorching start from beyond the arc lifted the offense to historic heights just 12 minutes into Boston’s 147-129 victory in South Beach.

The Celtics scored a franchise-record 53 points in the first quarter, hitting 11 three-pointers. Only the 1969-70 Atlanta Hawks have ever scored more in a single quarter (54) in the shot-clock era (since 1954-55), and ultimately, it helped Boston overcome a challenging Miami environment.

Hauser compared it to a “playoff game,” a feeling he says is consistent whenever the Celtics travel to Miami, even though Boston is on a 10-game winning streak at the Kaseya Center dating back two seasons.

“Every time we come here, it feels like a playoff game,” Hauser said. “So anytime you can win here, it’s pretty cool, and you never know, we might be playing them in a couple of weeks, so it’s good to get these wins under our belt. But we’ve got a lot more to get better at and get ready for it.”

Like the past four playoff matchups over the last six years, the Heat put up a fight. Even when trailing the Celtics by as many as 27 points on Wednesday night, Bam Adebayo, Davion Mitchell, and Tyler Herro wouldn’t go down without a fight. Miami cut into a 23-point halftime deficit and brought it down to 10 after setting a franchise record with 11 3-pointers in the third quarter — the most in any quarter in Heat history.

Boston’s ability to withstand Miami’s rally traced back to the opening frame.

The Celtics shot 73.3 percent from three in the first quarter because of their ball movement and spacing, making it a matter of converting those looks — albeit at a historic rate.

“We got off to a good start, pace-wise,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters, per CLNS Media. “I thought we executed pretty well, and there’s times when you execute well, and you get good shot after good shot, and it just kind of happened. Usually, when you’re in moments like that, you start to feel it, and you take poor shots. We didn’t do that. We kept fighting for a good look and the next best look, and I thought that kept the momentum going a little bit.”

Brown, who finished as the game’s leading scorer with 43 points, tipped his cap to Hauser. He noted the effect of help defenders crowding scorers like himself, which leaves Boston’s sharpshooters, including Hauser, open for catch-and-shoot opportunities. The Celtics didn’t miss a chance to capitalize on those.

Brown also acknowledged how Hauser’s development this season has boosted Boston’s offense, coming just in time with just over two weeks to go until the playoffs.

“If you’ve got Sam Hauser on the floor, you really can’t help, and if you do, he’ll make you pay,” Brown told reporters, per CLNS Media.

“Sam has been shooting the ball really well all season, kind of consistently, and he’s been getting to his middy a little bit. He’s been working on that, so Sam has been in his bag. I wouldn’t say I teach him — maybe it’s influenced, a little influence there — but he’s been doing great. Just continuing to develop his game, and that’s what we like to see.”

The Wizards accomplished a few things in their 153-131 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, the most important of which was moving back to the top of the NBA’s Draft Lottery standings. Their loss, paired with the Indiana Pacers getting a second straight win, puts Washington back into “league worst” status.

Some of their “accomplishments” last night were of the good variety. Anthony Gill hit 8-9 from the floor en route to a career high 21 points. He connected on all three of his three-point attempts, and added six rebounds and six assists.

Justin Champagnie produced 17 points, 7 rebounds, a steal and 2 blocks in just 21 minutes.

Tristan Vukcevic scored 17 points in 11 minutes and needed just 7 shots to do it.

Their other “accomplishments” were more dubious:

• They shot 60.7% on twos, 40.0% on threes (with 16 makes), posted a 125 offensive rating (league average is 115.6 this season), scored 131 points…and lost by 22.
• They let the Sixers shoot 68.8% on twos and 48.6% on threes. Philadelphia made 17 threes.
• They allowed a season high 153 points, though it was “only’ their third worst defensive game of the season. Washington allowed even higher defensive ratings to the Boston Celtics back in December, and about 10 days ago to the New York Knicks.

In case you were wondering, Philadelphia’s 153 points was only the fourth most allowed in Wizards franchise history:

1. 162 — Indiana Pacers, March 27, 2025
2. 159 — Houston Rockets, Oct. 30, 2019
3. 157 — San Antonio Spurs, Feb. 25, 2022
4. 153 — 3x — Philadelphia 76ers, April 1, 2026 | Boston Celtics, Nov. 27, 1970 | Cincinnati Royals, Feb. 21, 1962
5. 152 — Atlanta Hawks, Jan. 26, 2020

A few tidbits from that list:

• Second year guard Oscar Robertson was on that Royals team. He had 18 points and 17 assists in that game, and the Royals saw eight guys score in double figures.
• In that game against the Hawks, current Wizards guard Trae Young had 45 points and 14 assists. The Wizards for some reason started Ian Mahinmi, Thomas Bryant, and Isaiah Thomas. They gave 29 minutes to Ish Smith, 33 to Davis Bertans, and 15 to Anzejs Pasecniks.
• In the 1970 contest, Boston’s John Havlicek had a triple-double — 33-10-10. Dave Cowens had 20 points and 14 rebounds. For Washington, Wes Unseld had 14 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists. Gus Johnson had 22 and 14, though he shot just 7-18. Earl Monroe played just 17 minutes, for some reason.

Back to last night’s game for a moment, I’m not going to delve much into the notebook because they can be summed up in two words: try harder.

This is not just about physical effort, though I think that’s been flagging in recent weeks, and was palpably absent last night. This is also about putting in the mental effort to focus on responsibilities within their system and the situation at hand, and trying to execute.

I get that the Wizards are young and developing. I get that they need to gain experience and get stronger, and that they’re supposed to lose. But I’d still like to see more possession-by-possession compete out of them.

What do I mean by that? Stuff like Bub Carrington trailing Tyrese Maxey out top on a baseline out of bounds play and simply getting out run to the basket for a layup.

Stuff like Justin Champagnie getting switched onto Maxey and then defending with nonsensical crowding, atrocious footwork, and a pointless swipe in the general direction of the ball…leading to a Maxey blow-by dunk.

Of course, sometimes you try and just get beat. On two second half possessions, Gill didn’t help on one Maxey drive despite being low man and in perfect position to get there. A few possessions later, Gill helped hard on a Maxey drive and got to the right spot, but Maxey turned left, attacked the spot Gill had just left, and got a layup. He’s good.

Bright side: only six more of these left.

Four Factors

Below are the four factors that decide wins and losses in basketball — shooting (efg), rebounding (offensive rebounds), ball handling (turnovers), fouling (free throws made).

The four factors are measured by:

• eFG% (effective field goal percentage, which accounts for the three-point shot)
• OREB% (offensive rebound percentage)
• TOV% (turnover percentage — turnovers divided by possessions)
• FTM/FGA (free throws made divided by field goal attempts)

FOUR FACTORS	76ERS	WIZARDS	LGAVG
eFG%	70.2%	60.4%	54.5%
OREB%	28.6%	18.4%	26.0%
TOV%	9.5%	10.5%	12.7%
FTM/FGA	0.141	0.156	0.207
PACE	105		99.3
ORTG	146	125	115.6

Stats & Metrics

PPA is my overall production metric, which credits players for things they do that help a team win (scoring, rebounding, playmaking, defending) and dings them for things that hurt (missed shots, turnovers, bad defense, fouls).

PPA is a per possession metric designed for larger data sets. In small sample sizes, the numbers can get weird. In PPA, 100 is average, higher is better and replacement level is 45. For a single game, replacement level isn’t much use, and I reiterate the caution about small samples sometimes producing weird results.

POSS is the number of possessions each player was on the floor in this game.

ORTG = offensive rating, which is points produced per individual possessions x 100. League average so far this season is listed in the Four Factors table above. Points produced is not the same as points scored. It includes the value of assists and offensive rebounds, as well as sharing credit when receiving an assist.

USG = offensive usage rate. Average is 20%. Median so far this season is 17.7%.

ORTG and USG are versions of stats created by former Wizards assistant coach Dean Oliver and modified by me. ORTG is an efficiency measure that accounts for the value of shooting, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers. USG includes shooting from the floor and free throw line, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers.

+PTS = “Plus Points” is a measure of the points gained or lost by each player based on their efficiency in this game compared to league average efficiency on the same number of possessions. A player with an offensive rating (points produced per possession x 100) of 100 who uses 20 possessions would produce 20 points. If the league average efficiency is 115, the league — on average — would produced 23.0 points in the same 20 possessions. So, the player in this hypothetical would have a +PTS score of -3.0.

Players are sorted by total production in the game.

WIZARDS	MIN	POSS	ORTG	USG	+PTS	PPA	+/-
Anthony Gill	35	76	217	13.0%	10.0	170	-14
Justin Champagnie	21	45	146	24.1%	3.3	203	5
Tristan Vukcevic	11	25	167	36.7%	4.6	272	-2
Will Riley	32	70	129	17.7%	1.7	79	-16
Jamir Watkins	19	41	168	12.5%	2.7	124	-2
Bub Carrington	31	69	114	18.7%	-0.2	58	-33
Sharife Cooper	23	51	126	18.1%	1.0	68	-1
Bilal Coulibaly	19	42	91	25.8%	-2.7	42	-32
Jaden Hardy	25	54	73	21.8%	-5.0	-12	4
Tre Johnson	24	53	72	24.6%	-5.7	-25	-23

76ERS	MIN	POSS	ORTG	USG	+PTS	PPA	+/-
Paul George	30	66	174	30.2%	11.8	355	26
VJ Edgecombe	33	72	152	23.6%	6.1	205	29
Tyrese Maxey	34	74	132	28.8%	3.6	176	28
Adem Bona	21	46	217	12.8%	6.0	194	23
Andre Drummond	24	52	164	10.8%	2.7	165	-1
Dominick Barlow	22	48	161	8.5%	1.8	80	34
Kelly Oubre Jr.	21	46	104	22.3%	-1.2	70	-6
Quentin Grimes	23	51	104	20.1%	-1.2	63	-13
Justin Edwards	9	20	122	20.6%	0.3	58	-9
Cameron Payne	14	30	125	11.6%	0.3	31	-1
MarJon Beauchamp	3	7	293	15.6%	1.8	433	0
Trendon Watford	3	7	203	11.7%	0.7	197	0
Jabari Walker	3	7	0	15.8%	-1.2	-75	0

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We have a competitive NBA game tonight when the Phoenix Suns face the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center.

Charlotte’s defense has been the story this season, and my Suns vs. Hornets predictions and NBA picks expect Charlotte’s defense to lead them to a comfortable victory.

Suns vs Hornets prediction

Suns vs Hornets best bet: Hornets -5.5 (-110)

The Charlotte Hornets have quietly won seven of their last 10, and this team is starting to click.

LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Kon Knueppel are all producing offensively at a high level, but what's really turned things around is this Hornets defense.

Charlotte is Top 6 in defensive net rating over the last 10 games, and they do one thing better than anyone right now, and that’s keeping teams off the free-throw line, which matters tonight as the Phoenix Suns love easy points at the stripe.

The Hornets have also defended the three well lately, ranking fourth in opponent 3-point shooting percentage over their last 10 games, another problem for a Suns team dependent on knocking down a ton of threes. 

Phoenix is also banged up and thin up front —a bad combo vs. a Charlotte team that’s second in the league in defensive rebounding. No second-chance points mean no safety net.

On top of that, the Suns are coming off a physical road loss in Orlando. This shortened Phoenix roster looked fatigued against the Magic, and that’s not a good look against these Hornets. 

Suns vs Hornets same-game parlay

The Hornets are 7-3 in their last 10 and now get a Suns team that’s going the other way, just 3-7 in their last 10, and it has not been good on the road.

Brandon Miller is right around 20 a night over his last five, and this is a matchup he can take advantage of.

They’ve gone Under the total in three of their last five previous meetings, and tonight’s clash should follow that trend. 

Suns vs Hornets SGP

• Hornets moneyline
• Brandon Miller Over 18.5 points
• Under 223

Our "from downtown" SGP: Sting like a bee!

Moussa Diabate leads the Hornets with nearly nine rebounds per game and has secured at least 10 rebounds in four of his past six games.

LaMelo Ball has been a sneaky rebounder this season. He averaged five per game in March and has at least five boards in three of his past five games. 

Josh Green doesn’t see more than 20 minutes a night, but he’s recorded at least one steal in seven of his previous eight games. 

Suns vs Hornets SGP

• Hornets moneyline
• Moussa Diabate Over 9.5 rebounds
• LaMelo Ball Over 4.5 rebounds
• Josh Green Over 0.5 steals

Suns vs Hornets odds

• Spread: Suns +5.5 | Hornets -5.5
• Moneyline: Suns +185 | Hornets -225
• Over/Under: Over 221 | Under 221

Suns vs Hornets betting trend to know

The Hornets have cashed the moneyline in 32 of their last 50 games for +19.15 units and a 13% ROI. Find more NBA betting trends for Suns vs. Hornets.

How to watch Suns vs Hornets

Suns vs Hornets latest injuries

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The Portland Trail Blazers are jockeying for home court in the upcoming play-in tournament, and they battle a New Orleans Pelicans squad destined for the lottery on Thursday night.

Portland has taken five of the last six in this head-to-head matchup, and my Pelicans vs. Trail Blazers predictions see more of the same unfolding tonight.

Read on for my free NBA picks for April 2.

Pelicans vs Trail Blazers prediction

Pelicans vs Trail Blazers best bet: Trail Blazers -6.5 (-110)

The Portland Trail Blazers have it going right now. They went into L.A. on Tuesday and dumped the Clippers, 114-104, making it seven wins in their last nine outings. They're now just a half-game back of the No. 8 seed.

The Blazers are doing it with defense. Over this stretch, they own the NBA’s best scoring defense at 104 points per game, allowing teams to shoot just 44% from the field and 32.3% from 3-point range.

The New Orleans Pelicans fit into what Portland is doing, as they have dropped five straight and are scoring just 107.6 points per game during this slide.

Defensively, the Pelicans are leaking, allowing 122.8 points. They have lost by double-digits in each of their last three, including a 20+ and 30+ point blowout.

They also might be down leading scorer and assist man Trey Murphy Jr, who is dealing with an ankle injury. Bryce McGowens (toe) is also out, while Karlo Matkovic (back) is questionable.

Portland has been a good bet in this head-to-head. Four of their last five wins over the Pels have been by at least 13 points, and they are 6-2 against the spread in the last eight.

The beat should go on this Thursday night.

Pelicans vs Trail Blazers same-game parlay

Scoot Henderson has been good from distance of late, nailing at least three triples in three of his last five games.

I like him to stay hot against NOLA, which sees the fourth-most made opponent threes per game.

While I don't care for the Pelicans' win chances, promising rookie Derik Queen deserves more respect than he's getting from the books, who set a very modest scoring line for him here.

Queen has hit double digits in three straight games. He also dropped 17 and 26 points, respectively, in his first two meetings with Portland.

Pelicans vs Trail Blazers SGP

• Trail Blazers -6.5
• Scoot Henderson Over 1.5 3-pointers
• Derik Queen Over 8.5 points

Our "from downtown" SGP: Underwhelming efforts

There are a bunch of Unders that look good to me tonight, so I'm combining them in a long shot SGP.

Jrue Holiday led the Blazers in scoring last time out with 30 points, but he’s struggled putting up numbers against New Orleans. He’s gone Under this line in three straight head-to-heads.

Deni Avdija is having a great year, but he’s not grooving right now. While he did pot 28 last time, he went Under this line six straight times before that.

After 12 straight games with double-digit rebounds, Donovan Clingan has now gone way Under the total twice in a row. He’s only grabbed 13 or more rebounds once against the Pelicans in five career games. 

Finally, Saddiq Bey has pulled down fewer than five boards in three of his last four games.

Pelicans vs Trail Blazers SGP

• Jrue Holiday Under 17.5 points
• Donovan Clingan Under 12.5 rebounds
• Deni Avdija Under 26.5 points
• Saddiq Bey Under 4.5 rebounds

Pelicans vs Trail Blazers odds

• Spread: Pelicans +6.5 | Trail Blazers -6.5
• Moneyline: Pelicans +205 | Trail Blazers -250
• Over/Under: Over 232.5 | Under 232.5

Pelicans vs Trail Blazers betting trend to know

The Trail Blazers have hit the 1Q Over in 29 of their last 45 games (+10.45 Units / 20% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Pelicans vs. Trail Blazers.

How to watch Pelicans vs Trail Blazers

Pelicans vs Trail Blazers latest injuries

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The Mavericks were 1-3 this past week and did not move from 13th place in the West. They split their short road trip to the Pacific Northwest with a loss in Denver (142-135) and a win in Portland (100-93). They then got blown out twice with losses at home to Minnesota (124-94) and in Milwaukee (123-99). Naji Marshall led the team in scoring with 20.5 points per game. Marshall and P.J. Washington both missed the last two games. 

Grade: F

It is hard to sugarcoat the barf stew that the Mavericks are right now. They eclipsed 101 points once this week and played two of the least competitive games of the year. The physicality allowed has clearly taken a jump as the refs prepare for the postseason, which has effectively given Cooper Flagg his first taste at playoff officiating. This has resulted in 11-of-38 shooting for him the last two games, and it’s played no small part in Dallas getting run off the floor in both contests. 

At the very least, the Mavericks are now in sole possession of the sixth-best odds for the top pick in the draft, which comes with a 37-ish percent chance to move up to the top four. The Mavericks have just two games this week, at home against the Magic and the Lakers. A third Luka Doncic homecoming should provide a much-needed serotonin boost as Dallas will likely limp to the finish line.

Straight A’s: John Poulakidas

Full stop, the Mavericks should sign John Poulakidas. He may not have crazy statistics, but I have seen enough. We knew he was a knock-down shooter off the catch, but the creation of his own shot in limited opportunity is something new and exciting. He has the step-back in his bag and can attack a closeout if he needs to. Cooper Flagg needs shooting around him, and if they decide to move on from their current wings, Poulakidas can provide a much-needed utility. 

Currently Failing: Seller’s remorse

Mark Cuban was recently on a podcast where he dropped a plethora of not-so-inspiring quotes. The first one that made the rounds expressed his regret, not for selling the team, but for selling it specifically to Miriam Adelson & Co. If you connect the dots from the beginning, this outcome was inevitable. Cuban’s vision for a casino-arena venue was never rooted in reality, as Texas does not have legal gambling or the right politicians in office to push for it. That left Cuban selling to a family that he had little in common with and an understanding that the team governor he was handing the keys to couldn’t even correctly name the NBA Finals. It was always going to be a disaster, and Cuban confirmed this out loud for the first time. The trade that sent Doncic to Los Angeles was ultimately an extension of that disconnect.

Extra Credit: Cooper Flagg

It is hard to give anyone credit for anything right now, but I don’t think it should be taken for granted that Cooper Flagg is playing back-to-backs. The NBA has a toxic rest culture, and in a league where uncertainty is both the selling point and the downfall, Flagg is providing a steady reason to tune in to the Mavericks nightly. Like they say, “it ain’t much, but it’s honest work.”

The 2026 NBA championship race is shaping up to be a thrilling, wide open chase between emergent young teams and established juggernauts, yet somehow it feels like the bottom of the league is getting more attention. The 2026 NBA Draft class is so strong that commissioner Adam Silver is in the process of rushing through lottery reform in an attempt to solve a purported tanking crisis. The fact that teams like the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons quickly went from worst-to-first after landing the No. 1 pick in the draft in recent years makes the stakes even higher when the ping-pong balls bounce on May 10.

The NBA’s decision to flatten the lottery odds ahead of the 2019 draft has opened up the tank race to even more teams and resulted in some surprising winners in recent years. It happened again in our latest mock draft.

We simulated the lottery with one spin of Tankathon to get the first-round order, and there were some major surprises. Three teams moved up at least six spots in the order. Seven teams fell at least two spots from their starting lottery position. Imagine the chaos if this is how the draft actually breaks.

After the lottery results shook up the order, the picks in this mock draft were based on how I think things will actually go, not necessarily what I would do. Let’s hit on some key themes after the jump.

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School	Age
1	Atlanta Hawks (via Pelicans)	AJ Dybantsa	Wing	BYU	Freshman
2	Brooklyn Nets	Darryn Peterson	Guard	Kansas	Freshman
3	Milwaukee Bucks	Cameron Boozer	Forward	Duke	Freshman
4	Golden State Warriors	Caleb Wilson	Forward	North Carolina	Freshman
5	Washington Wizards	Keaton Wagler	Guard	Illinois	Freshman
6	Los Angeles Clippers (via Pacers)	Yaxel Lendeborg	Forward	Michigan	Senior
7	Sacramento Kings	Kingston Flemings	Guard	Houston	Freshman
8	Utah Jazz	Brayden Burries	Guard	Arizona	Freshman
9	Dallas Mavericks	Darius Acuff	Guard	Arkansas	Freshman
10	Memphis Grizzlies	Jayden Quaintance	Center/Forward	Kentucky	Sophomore
11	Chicago Bulls	Mikel Brown Jr.	Guard	Louisville	Freshman
12	Portland Trail Blazers	Nate Ament	Wing	Tennessee	Freshman
13	Charlotte Hornets	Koa Peat	Forward	Arizona	Freshman
14	Miami Heat	Karim Lopez	Forward	NZ Breakers	Born 2007
15	Oklahoma City Thunder (via Clippers)	Aday Mara	Center	Michigan	Junior
16	Memphis Grizzlies (via Magic)	Bennett Stirtz	Guard	Iowa	Senior
17	Oklahoma City Thunder (via 76ers)	Hannes Steinbach	Forward/Center	Washington	Freshman
18	Charlotte Hornets (via Suns)	Cameron Carr	Wing	Baylor	Junior
19	San Antonio Spurs (via Hawks)	Thomas Haugh	Forward	Florida	Junior
20	Toronto Raptors	Labaron Philon	Guard	Alabama	Sophomore
21	Philadelphia 76ers (via Rockets)	Dailyn Swain	Forward	Texas	Junior
22	Detroit Pistons (via Wolves)	Braylon Mullins	Guard	UConn	Freshman
23	Atlanta Hawks (via Cavs)	Morez Johnson	Center/Forward	Michigan	Sophomore
24	Denver Nuggets	Patrick Ngongba	Center	Duke	Sophomore
25	New York Knicks	Joshua Jefferson	Forward	Iowa State	Senior
26	Los Angeles Lakers	Motiejus Krivas	Center	Arizona	Junior
27	Boston Celtics	Juke Harris	Guard	Wake Forest	Sophomore
28	Minnesota Timberwolves (via Pistons)	Christian Anderson	Guard	Texas Tech	Sophomore
29	Cleveland Cavaliers (via Spurs)	Isaiah Evans	Guard	Duke	Sophomore
30	Dallas Mavericks (via Thunder)	Amari Allen	Forward	Alabama	Freshman

Yes, I’m shocked, too. Let’s dive into some of the biggest themes in this class.

The lottery will decide who goes No. 1, but it feels like A.J. Dybantsa has the edge

Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, Duke’s Cameron Boozer, and BYU’s A.J. Dybantsa have been battling for the No. 1 pick all season. I’ve been consistent in ranking Boozer at No. 1, but Duke’s unfathomable Elite Eight loss to UConn on Braylon Mullins’ 35-foot buzzer-beater puts a dent in Boozer’s greatest argument. I’ve heard (but can’t confirm) that this is the first time Boozer has failed to win the last game of the season since sixth grade! It took a miracle to beat Boozer while his starting center and starting point guard were both playing hurt, but I feel like he was only going to go No. 1 overall if Duke won the national championship, and that’s over now.

Dybantsa is the only member of the ’big three’ who didn’t win a game in March Madness this year, but he has a built in excuse with his best teammate, Richie Saunders, suffering a torn ACL just before the dance. Given Peterson’s bizarre cramping issues and the strange skepticism about Boozer’s top-end upside, I think Dybantsa is the safest bet to go No. 1. The Hawks winning our lottery sim makes it an even more natural fit.

I have a hard time believing Atlanta would take Boozer given that he’s positionally locked at the four, which is Jalen Johnson’s position. Peterson vs. Dybantsa would be a tremendous debate, but ultimately it’s easier to find guards than big wings with the scoring upside of the BYU freshman.

Dybantsa is an elite scoring prospect. He’s huge for a wing at 6’9 with a strong frame, but he’s also extremely flexible in how he attacks the paint. His long, coordinated strides are a thing of beauty to watch, and his mid-range game is going to be unstoppable in high-leverage situations like the playoffs. The players who are big enough to guard Dybantsa on an island usually aren’t fast enough to keep up with him. The players fast enough to guard him usually aren’t long or strong enough to match his tools.

Dailyn Swain has nothing for AJ. Two points Dybantsa with the step-through. pic.twitter.com/WH44gEXwwO

— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) March 20, 2026

Am I worried about his lack of defensive engagement? About his low-volume three-point shooting? About how he looks outside of a brilliant BYU system tailored to opening up the paint for attacks? Yes, yes, and yes. But he’s an awesome prospect regardless of whether I have him ranked No. 1 or No. 3. The Hawks would be super lucky to get him.

The Warriors and Bucks rise in the lottery for pure mayhem

The Warriors are 10th in the Western Conference standings as I write this. Jimmy Butler is out for the year with a torn ACL, and Steph Curry hasn’t played since January. Curry is reportedly nearing a return, and that means Golden State could absolutely win two play-in games to make the playoffs. If they fall short, though, there’s some chance they could move up in the lottery, which is exactly what happened in our simulation.

The Warriors jumping from No. 11 to No. 1 would be incredible, and it’s important to remember that’s what the Dallas Mavericks did last year to win the rights to Cooper Flagg. Suddenly Golden State would have a massive trade chip to look for veteran help around Curry, or it could just take the best player available — in this case, Caleb Wilson — to give them a new potential star once Steph retires.

The Bucks jumping up is just as seismic. Milwaukee will be cheering for Atlanta come lottery day, because the Hawks own the most favorable pick between the Pelicans and the Bucks. This essentially means that Milwaukee can choose as high as No. 2 overall in the draft if Atlanta lands at No. 1. The stakes would be massive given the lingering Giannis Antetokounmpo trade situation that figures to become a storyline again this offseason.

2025 Caleb Wilson pic.twitter.com/6TWC5VGpIV

— Pitless (@pitlessball) March 6, 2026

Boozer in Milwaukee and Caleb Wilson in Golden State would both be fascinating picks — and the clear best players available in our projection. Watch those Wilson highlights above and let me know who he reminds you of in the comments. I really think he has the best highlight reel of any prospect in this class, and there are days when I’m tempted to slide him all the way up to No. 2.

The Bucks won it all behind Giannis in 2021. The Warriors won the championship for the fourth time with Curry in 2022. Getting this type of luck in the 2026 lottery would give these teams a new lease on life around their historic superstars.

Yaxel Lendeborg at No. 6!?!?

Let me explain.

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Yaxel Lendeborg after ranking him as the second-best player in March Madness entering the tournament. Lendeborg now has his Michigan Wolverines int the Final Four after a dominant tournament run that saw him flex his elite two-way ability at every opportunity:

• 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists on 84 percent true shooting in the round of 32 against Saint Louis
• 23 points, 7 assists, 12 rebounds on 83 percent true shooting in the Sweet 16 against Alabama
• 27 points, 4 assists, 2 blocks, and 7 rebounds on 61 percent true shooting in the Elite Elight against Tennessee

He’s been the best player in the tournament by far, and no one else is close.

Yaxel Lendeborg went OFF vs Alabama:

23 PTS
12 REB
7 AST#MarchMadnesspic.twitter.com/zjUQHmzAQq

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 28, 2026

Of course, Lendeborg’s March Madness production and his hypothetical NBA translation are two different subjects. If you’ve been following the discourse around the tournament, you have probably seen opposing fans bemoan that the Michigan star is TwEnTy SeVeN years old or whatever age they decide to choose on that day.

Lendeborg is 23 years old, and he turns 24 before his rookie year in the NBA begins. Yes, this is his sixth season in college. He’s a month older than Josh Giddey, who is in his fifth NBA season. His age absolutely matters in projecting him the league — by the time he starts his second contract, he’ll already be 28.

Where the Michigan star goes in the draft all comes down to fit. In this projection, the Los Angeles Clippers get the Indiana Pacers pick from the Ivica Zubac trade because it slides out of the top four. After also landing Darius Garland at the deadline, are the Clippers really going to take Kingston Flemings or Darius Acuff or Mikel Brown? I don’t think so. Arizona guard Brayden Burries would make some sense, and Tennessee wing Nate Ament will also probably get consideration. I just like Lendeborg a lot more intriguing than both even if he’s super old for a rookie.

Lendeborg has a rare combination of size, skill, and two-way versatility. Listed at 6’9, 240 pounds, with a 7’4 wingspan, he has the length and weight of an NBA center. This season at Michigan has proven he can play off the ball next to other bigs while using his skill set to maximize everyone else on the floor. His shooting indictors are encouraging by making 37.2 percent of his threes on 8.2 attempts per 100 possessions with an 81 percent stroke from the free throw line. He’s a serious defensive playmaker with a 4.6 percent block rate and 2.1 percent steal rate and tons of chasedown blocks all over his super-super-senior season tape. He’s a willing passer and a capable driver, he doesn’t turn the ball over, and he hits the glass hard on both ends. What’s not to like?

Derrick White was 23 years old as a rookie and he turned out pretty well. Age matters, but it’s not everything. Yaxel is good enough to overcome it.

Which first-rounders will go back to college for big NIL deals?

The money in college basketball is so good right now that it’s only natural this draft will be thinned by a few returners who can’t pass up a big NIL offer. It happened last year with Labaron Philon and Lendeborg as likely first-round picks who returned to school, and guess what, both improved their stock big time this year.

Which possible first-rounders could return next season? We took four players out of our last mock draft just because there has been some speculation they could potentially return to college:

• Chris Cenac Jr., C, Houston: I’d really like the fit with incoming freshman five-star center Arafan Diane in the Cougars’ front court if Cenac decides to return for his sophomore year.
• Allen Graves, F, Santa Clara: I’d expect Graves to be one of the most sough-after players in the transfer portal if returns to college, and that probably means a multi-million dollar salary. Graves only played 57 percent of the available minutes this year and couldn’t help himself from fouling constantly despite incredible protection in a sixth-man role. I’d take him in the first if he enters, but spending a year at Kentucky or Arizona or North Carolina or Kansas sounds pretty cool, too.
• Tyler Tanner, G, Vanderbilt: What if North Carolina went after Mark Byington and Tyler Tanner this offseason? Hey, raiding Drake for its head coach and star point guard took Iowa to the Elite Eight this year. I’d likely consider Tanner a top-20 pick if he enters this draft, but if he goes back to school he might be the best player in college basketball next season. I’m still mad his half-court heave rimmed out in the round of 32.
• Ebuka Okorie, G, Stanford: Okorie went from the No. 119 recruit to a possible first-round pick during his freshman season at Stanford. This draft is deep with so many point guards that it may benefit Okorie to stick around an extra year and try to play himself into a lottery pick. He may cause an even bigger bidding war in the portal than Tanner and Graves do.

Who are the Final Four’s other NBA prospects?

It’s pretty incredible that there are eight projected first-round picks in this mock draft playing in the Final Four. That’s 26.6 percent of the entire first-round!

• Michigan (3): We went over Lendeborg already. Aday Mara — a 7’3 center who can protect the rim in drop coverage, crush the glass at both ends, and throw some fantastic outlet passes — should be a first-round pick lock despite his scoring touch concerns. Morez Johnson is another obvious first-round talent in my book as the draft’s most versatile defender, and maybe also its best. Trey McKenney will probably be an NBA player eventually, but not this year.
• Arizona (3): Brayden Burries is a likely lottery pick as a well-rounded shooting guard who fits somewhere in the Quentin Grimes-to-Derrick White spectrum (admittedly a super wide spectrum there). Koa Peat is probably (?) a first-rounder for his defense, play-finishing, and beefy playmaking, but his total lack of shooting makes him another player who could potentially return. Most outlets don’t have Motiejus Krivas as a first-rounder, but he’s so good protecting the paint, hitting the glass, and even making his free throws. He would be a huge second-round steal if he falls, and he’s another player who could potentially return to school.
• UConn (1): Braylon Mullins will go down in history for the shot that beat Duke. He battled a couple injuries as a freshman and never really popped until his Elite Eight moment, but I think he’ll be a solid pro as a volume three-point shooter off-the-ball who can also score in transition and add some point-of-attack defense. Tarris Reed has been UConn’s best player on this run, and could be an early second-round pick. Alex Karaban is another possible second-rounder this year.
• Illinois (1): Keaton Wagler feels like a lock for the top-10 as a 6’6 point guard with elite off-the-dribble shooting despite athleticism concerns. I really think there could be as many as six players on this Illini team who get at least a cup of coffee in the NBA. 7’1 twins Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic are stretch bigs whose size and shooting touch will draw some interest at the next level. I love David Mirkovic, a high-IQ, high-motor brawler on the glass who can handle the rock and shoot it off the dribble a little bit. Andrej Stojakovic — Peja’s kid! — doesn’t have his dad’s shooting, but he’s a good slasher and a fierce on-ball defender. Kylan Boswell is also a feisty defender who hits shots and moves the ball. Wagler is the only likely first-rounder, but the rest of these guys could play in the NBA eventually.

Do you like your team’s pick?

Wanted someone else? Let me know in the comments. It’s going to be an amazing Final Four. The draft lottery awaits on May 10.

J. Cole is trading the mic for the hardwood again. The Grammy-winning, multi-platinum rapper, born Jermaine Cole, has signed to play in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), ESPN reported.

Cole will suit up for the Nanjing Monkey Kings in Jiangsu, China, though the number of games he has committed to remains unclear. It is not his first foray into professional basketball.

In 2021, he played for the Rwanda Patriots in the Basketball Africa League, recording 5 points, 3 assists, and 5 rebounds across three games. He also suited up for the Canadian Elite Basketball League in 2022, averaging 2.4 points and 0.6 rebounds per game.

Off the court, Cole is riding the momentum of his latest album, “The Fall-Off,” released in February 2026. He is set to embark on a sweeping 73-show tour beginning July 11 in his home state of North Carolina.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rapper J. Cole to play basketball in China ahead of world tour