Category: NBA

Welcome to Week in Review: a Monday feature that looks back at the week that was for the San Antonio Spurs, takes a look at the week ahead, and more. Enjoy!

Week 18: The Spurs returned from the All-Star break to sweep their Austin series and keep the train rolling. Against the shorthanded Suns, they did well enough in the first half to keep them at arm’s length before getting back into their offensive groove for a second half blowout. Then, their good friend Complacency paid a visit against the lowly Kings — who were on a 15-game losing streak — until late in the third quarter, when they finally flipped the switch and turned a close game into another blowout.

Week 19: 3-1 (43-17, 2nd in West)

114-103 win at Detroit Pistons

In the home of the team with the best record in the league, the Spurs continued to show they can adjust and win in any situation, successfully responding to the Pistons’ physicality against Victor Wembanyama by using his gravitational pull on their defense to find open shooters and driving lanes. Combined with some impressive defense on MVP candidate Cade Cunningham, particularly by Stephon Castle, it was one of the Spurs’ most impressive wins of the season and reminded the league they are much more than just Wemby.

110-107 win at Toronto Raptors

After three quarters in which Wemby couldn’t get anything going and the Spurs’ offense struggled with dry spells, they appeared in trouble after a big Raptors run had them down by 15 points late in the third quarter. However, the Spurs were able to take advantage of Toronto’s biggest weakness (poor fourth quarter play) by getting hot from three and turning up the defensive dial to get up by six late. The waning moments ended up being more interesting than they had to be thanks to poor free throw shooting — the Spurs were just 13-23 on the night and 2-6 in the final seconds to give the Raptors one last ditch shot that they fortunately missed — but what mattered is the Spurs escaped with the victory and their first double-digit winning streak since 2016.

126-110 win at Brooklyn Nets

Playing their third game in four nights, the Spurs looked a step slow at times but remained comfortably ahead of the rebuilding Nets, outside of a spurt from Michael Porter, Jr. that got them within six points midway through the third quarter. The win made them 11-0 in the month of February, marking only their third undefeated month in franchise history and making them the first team in NBA history to accomplish the feat while scoring 110 or more points in every game.

89-114 loss at New York Knicks

All good things must come to an end, and this game had all the trappings to be the perfect foil for the Spurs’ win streak. The month changed, it was a matinee game (which the Spurs never seem to win), they haven’t won in MSG since 2019, and the Knicks have strength at the one position the Spurs don’t: power forward. After a quick start to get the Spurs out to a 12-point lead, the Knicks responded with a 29-4 run to a build a lead that the Spurs could never get in a enough rhythm to overcome. Even though Wemby had his best scoring game of the week with 25 points (albeit while shooting 1-7 from three and committing 7 turnovers), the Spurs had no answers for Mikal Bridges or Mohamed Diawara and ended up suffering the first loss in over a month.

Power Rankings

John Schuhmann, NBA.com — 1 (last week: 2)

OffRtg: 116.8 (8) DefRtg: 110.5 (3) NetRtg: +6.3 (4) Pace: 100.9 (13)

The Spurs’ 11-game winning streak came to an end in New York on Sunday afternoon, but not before they got a huge win in Detroit, keeping themselves in the mix for the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs.

Three takeaways

1. The Spurs’ initial defense was good enough on Monday, when Detroit had its third-worst half-court performance of the season. And they’re still the league’s second-most-improved rebounding team from last season. But San Antonio ranks 29th in defensive rebounding percentage (64.7%) since the All-Star break, with three of their last four opponents registering more than 20 second-chance points.
2. Victor Wembanyama remains the favorite for Defensive Player of the Year, but his offense remains a work in progress and he shot just 20-for-54 (37%) over the Spurs’ four games last week. Only 24 (44%) of those 54 shots came in the paint and he was 5-for-30 (17%) from the outside. The Spurs still scored more efficiently with him on the floor, and they were outscored by 17.3 points per 100 possessions in his 67 minutes on the bench over the four games.
2. San Antonio was 19-for-31 (61%) on corner 3s over its wins in Detroit and Toronto, with Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie a combined 12-for-14. The Spurs lead the league in the percentage of their 3-point attempts (33%) that have come from the corners and Harrison Barnes is tied for second among individuals with 62 made corner 3s.

Coming up: After finishing their longest road trip of the season in Philadelphia on Tuesday, the Spurs will begin their longest homestand of the season (six games over 10 days), which includes big games against the Pistons, Rockets, Celtics and Nuggets. They’ve yet to face the Clippers, who they’ll play three times in the next month.

Law Murray, The Athletic — 2 (last week: 2)

On the last day of January, the Spurs lost in Charlotte. They proceeded to sweep the February schedule, and most of the 11 wins weren’t close. But March is here, and the Spurs had their worst offensive showing of the season in New York. Every time I consider the Spurs for the top of the rankings, they have a loss like that. But it’s a big week ahead, as San Antonio will return home from the Rodeo Trip for a rematch with the Pistons, who presumably will have added muscle with the return of Isaiah Stewart. And then the Spurs have an opportunity to clinch the regular-season series against the Rockets.

Brett Siegel, Clutch Points — 1 (last week: 1)

The Spurs were not ready to play on Sunday against the New York Knicks. Their 25-point loss was their largest of the season, and this snapped the Spurs’ 11-game win streak, which included victories over Detroit, Los Angeles, and Oklahoma City.

Still, San Antonio remains at the top of the NBA power rankings for the time being, with several important matchups in March approaching. Not only will the Spurs face the Pistons again on Thursday, but they will also see Houston, Boston, and Denver in the span of five days after Friday’s game against the LA Clippers.

This is the time for the Spurs to put their foot down and potentially take the 1-seed in the West from the Thunder.

Coming up: Tues. 3/5 at Philadelphia 76ers (33-27); Thurs. 3/5 vs. Detroit Pistons (45-14); Fri. 3/6 vs. Los Angeles Clippers (28-31); Sun. 3/8 vs. Houston Rockets (37-22)

Prediction: 3-1 — The Spurs will finish the Rodeo Road Trip against a Philly team that — surprise! — won’t have Joel Embiid (oblique strain), but after that is when things get interesting. They will then head home to for a season-high six-game homestand, but it’s a beast on paper, with the Clippers being the “easiest” team they’ll face in terms of record. That first game back after being away for so long is always a trap game, and it doesn’t help that it’s against a Pistons team that will be out for revenge. Then, anything can happen facing a healthy Kawhi Leonard (admittedly with little help) the very next night, and of course the IH-10 rivalry is always unpredictable. The Spurs have proven they have what it takes to beat all of these teams, but they will need to return to February form, and they can’t have another off week from Wemby. We’ve reached a point in the season where every single game matters.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed Payton Sandfort to a two-way contract and waived guard Buddy Boeheim, the team announced Monday.

Sandfort, a 6-foot-7 forward who played his college ball at Iowa, has played in 21 games this season with the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder's G-League affiliate. He has averaged 11.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists as a rookie.

During Sandfort’s senior year at Iowa, he averaged 16.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists.

Boeheim was signed to a two-way contract Feb. 6.

___

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

The Knicks just couldn’t beat good teams last year. This isn’t new information; it was highly publicized that the Knicks went 0-10 against the league’s three 60-win teams in the regular season. Did they change the narrative come playoff time when they miraculously knocked off the defending champions? Sure, but detractors pointed to that record after the team was eliminated to say they got lucky against Boston.

You look at the record beyond those teams against the best the NBA has to offer and it wasn’t pretty:

vs 60+ win teams: 0-10
vs 50+ win teams: 5-16
vs top-6 seeds: 10-20
vs above .500 teams: 19-23

They just weren’t beating much of anyone with a pulse. What they did do, however, was stomp on flat-out bad teams. They went 32-8 against below .500 teams, with four of those losses coming to either the Bulls or Hawks. In fact, in 25 games against teams who missed the play-in tournament, the Knicks went 22-3, only losing to the Hornets, Spurs, and Jazz.

So it’s fair to say that, until the playoffs, that team was a paper tiger. And if you’re in that sect of the Knicks’ fanbase, you’d probably believe it’s more of the same this year with the team’s three blowout defeats to the Pistons and the recent loss to Cleveland, but it really isn’t:

vs 60+ win pace: 0-3 (Detroit)
vs 50+ win pace: 9-7*
vs top-6 seeds: 15-9*
vs above .500 teams: 19-17*
(* This includes the NBA Cup final. Just because Adam Silver doesn’t count it, doesn’t mean it wasn’t a competitive basketball game with real stakes.)

If you take out one singular team, the Knicks are 9-4 against teams on pace to win at least 50 games and 15-6 against teams currently in playoff position. The only team they currently have a losing record against in the East is the Pistons, and the Western Conference teams aren’t in playoff position (Suns 0-2, Warriors 0-1)

It’s just fascinating to see that the Knicks can get definitive wins against several contenders, but they’ve gotten absolutely obliterated by the Pistons. Last year, you could say that the team didn’t have the personnel to compete with the top three. This year? It doesn’t make sense.

Look at what we saw on Sunday afternoon, where the Knicks completely dominated the Spurs for 40 minutes. After going down 19-7 with some of the worst offense you’ve ever seen, the Knicks outscored the hottest team in the NBA by a staggering 37 points. After prevailing in the NBA Cup behind the heroics of two guards who no longer play, the Knicks have now dominated 11 out of 12 quarters against the Spurs. Excluding the final eight minutes of the New Year’s Eve disaster that kick-started the worst 11-game stretch in several years, the Knicks have outscored the Spurs by 47 points across 11 and a third quarters.

What makes them such a tough matchup for San Antonio? While the youthful Spurs have a 7’4” demigod and some tremendous guard play, they’re extremely short on viable wings. Devin Vassell is a good shooter and, as we learned on NYE, Julian Champagnie can get hotter than fish grease. Outside of them? Do Harrison Barnes and Keldon Johnson strike fear into your heart? They clearly don’t for Mikal Bridges or OG Anunoby.

Wingstop has had its best games this season against those Spurs, thriving at being off-ball pests (and in Anunoby’s case, using his strength to make Wemby uncomfortable) and knocking down threes. Speaking of threes, no team has it more ingrained in their heads to play off of guys like Josh Hart and Mo Diawara than Mitch Johnson’s Spurs, who’ve used the strategy in consecutive games to disrupt the offense.

Wemby’s impact is also muted by Mitchell Robinson, who did not play in the NYE battle in San Antonio. In the two meetings where they’ve gone head-to-head, Wembanyama has been held to one offensive rebound, limiting the Spurs’ ability to get second chances (and this is with Mitch not playing much on Sunday).

Robinson’s defensive intensity also makes it difficult for Wemby, something that is also apparent when the Knicks face another Western Conference power: the Denver Nuggets.

Nikola Jokic is one of the league’s biggest stars, and it’s impossible to stop him from putting up numbers. While you can’t silence the Joker, you can disrupt him and make him uncomfortable. Robinson more than did that in the second half and overtime against the Nuggets in the meeting earlier this year.

Denver has never quite had an answer for the Knicks, as the ‘Bockers have won six of seven since November 2022.

We don’t know what this edition of the Knicks will look like against the West’s top dog, the OKC Thunder, but there’s no guarantee that the reigning champions make it back to the NBA Finals. They’re just 1-4 against the Spurs and have had a significantly tougher time with Jokic and the Nuggets for the last few seasons.

That’s what makes this NBA season so interesting. The Knicks would feel damn good about facing the Nuggets or Spurs in a prospective NBA Finals, as well as teams like the Sixers, Raptors, and maybe even the Cavaliers (until Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen show enough physicality, I won’t buy them) in the East. Yet, a Celtics team with a healthy Tatum and the Pistons wouldn’t be the best matchup, even if the Knicks are 2-1 and beat the Celtics last May. Even a healthy Magic team could give them trouble with how nasty their defense can get.

But the Pistons aren’t an inevitability if the Knicks make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. Among contenders, they’re by far the worst 3-point shooting team and, except when they’re playing the Knicks, struggle to put the ball in the net against good teams

There’s a wide range of outcomes that the Knicks could face come playoff time. There shouldn’t be anyone surprised if the Knicks don’t make the ECF or if they seriously contend for a championship. It all depends on the right matchup, but that’s something that is mostly out of their control.

Signing Jamaree Bouyea to a standard contract earlier today left the Phoenix Suns with an empty two-way roster spot. Bouyea had been part of a three-man group on two-way deals that included Isaiah Livers and Koby Brea. His promotion created a vacancy that the team has officially filled.

The Suns decided to bring back a familiar face to occupy that role. They are signing CJ Huntley, the undrafted big man out of Appalachian State University. Huntley previously held a two-way spot with the organization earlier this season, and his return completes the roster once again.

CJ Huntley originally signed a two-way contract last July, but the team waived him on November 17 once Jamaree Bouyea became available. He successfully cleared waivers and chose to return to the Valley Suns to continue his development.

The 6’9” forward has been grinding with the affiliate ever since, appearing in a team-high 38 games. During that stretch, he averaged 26.1 minutes, 14.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game. His efficiency has been equally impressive, posting shooting splits of 62/36/65. At 24 years old, Huntley provides reliable frontcourt depth and a proven interior presence from the G League system.

With that final move, the Phoenix Suns roster is officially full. The front office has finalized the group for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.

“We really like where we are. We have a process and a plan in place, and everything is going to — like, you cannot control everything, because there’s things that are… you know…”

Jordi Fernández’s voice trails off for a moment, but I do know. We all know. Fernández, near the end of a two-minute answer, is pleading with his eyes: This is as direct as I can be. Eventually, he lands the plane: “Obviously, I want to win every single game, but playing these 25 to compete and then, this summer and how we structure this summer is the best thing. It’s the biggest summer of our lives.”

Fernández used that line last season, but it still hits home. This is, after all, the summer that the Brooklyn Nets are supposed to transition from tanking to ascending, making one high draft pick and scouring the free agent/trade market for win-now players. Now 30 games under .500 in March, there’s no question that continuing to lose games is in Brooklyn’s best long-term interest, but it won’t be for long.

That’s all Jordi Fernández is trying to say, reassuring Nets fans that the team can get blown out by 30 once a week and still be on track, particularly if you mix in some close losses and flashy performances from the rookies. But he’s probably reassuring himself too.

Kenny Atkinson can relate. He posted a 48-116 record in his first two seasons as Nets Head Coach (Fernández is currently 41-101): “You love to stay process-oriented and stick with the process. But you’re going home and you’re taking that L, after the game, it’s hard, especially when they start stacking up. Everybody says, ‘Well, don’t worry.’ Of course you worry if you’re a competitor.”

Atkinson’s first Nets teams were certainly devoid of talent, but the franchise famously didn’t own their draft picks either. There was zero upside to the losing, though it’s not like Fernández takes any immediate solace in ping-pong balls either…

But Atkinson sees the silver lining: “Once you break through, even that third year, when we broke through and made the playoffs, it was almost doubly rewarding, because you went through these real struggles and tough times. And I was like — man, I’ll never forget when we clinched the playoffs, it was like you’re winning the championship. It was crazy, because you can look back at year one, I think we lost like 27 of 29 … it was, like, insane: ‘Are we ever gonna win another game?’”

Things aren’t that bleak this time around. Players and coaches won’t (can’t) admit it, but pressure dissolves when you’re expected to lose. Consider the locker-room reaction to Danny Wolf’s poorly missed free-throw at the end of the loss to Atkinson’s Cleveland Cavaliers…

Of course, it helps when the veterans (MPJ, Claxton, Mann) feel confident in their contract situations, while the rookies and second-chance warriors are starving for a chance to simply get on the court.

Danny Wolf, despite the rough attempt at an intentionally missed free-throw, was in a jovial mood after his career-best 23/9/5 statline on Sunday afternoon. Perhaps that helped him find silver linings in the loss: “I don’t want to say we’re losing team. Obviously, our record is 15-45 but we’re the youngest team in the NBA, and there’s a lot of valuable lessons. And I hate saying you can learn from a loss, because it stinks and it sucks, and losing as a competitor is one of the worst feelings, but with such a young group, I think just the resilience, the fight when you lose to a team by four that you lost to by 40 a couple weeks ago speaks volumes to improvement.”

Now that’s a player who, in the era of player-podcasts, has heard ad nauseam and now understands that the NBA is a business. Sometimes, the business entails losing. It’s also a player in lock-step with his head coach, at least in terms of public messaging.

“Coming here and feeling that we can go up against anybody has to be very important,” said Fernández. “And if you’re up ten, you want to be up 20. If you’re down 20, you want to be down ten. And those things have to matter. We have to be competitive. And it’s not — we’re not gonna, you know, turn a switch and all of a sudden we’re gonna be there. It’s gonna be a process.”

Playing the NBA Draft Lottery probabilities remains the priority, but it’s easy to see where Fernández is coming from. The young players on this roster are expected to contribute to winning next season. When you’re 15-45, executing ATOs may not be as important as the difference between the first and fifth overall pick, but it matters a little.

For all the incessant hand-wringing over the NBA’s tanking “problem,” I quite enjoy this time of year, full of low-stress hoops where a 23-year-old on a 10-day contract like Grant Nelson can stir excitement:

Michael Porter Jr. explained it well: “The motivation to make the playoffs might not be there, but the motivation individually, as a player, as a person, to go out there and work on my skills, my leadership skills, and my individual things within the team, that’s still there. So you can’t just throw away a season because you’re not making the playoffs.”

The 2025-26 Nets have six weeks remaining on their schedule, six weeks where Noah Clowney’s 3-point shooting, Drake Powell’s ball-handling, and Egor Dëmin’s driving — among other individual skills — are far more important than the scoreboard. Though I contend that this isn’t as depressing as it’s often made out to be, Jordi Fernández and the Nets want you to know that it’s almost over, that the next chapter is almost here, and they can’t wait to get it started.

“It’s very exciting, and everybody should feel the excitement of the next step: a big 25 games for everybody, and a big, big, big summer.” — Jordi Fernández

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Tonight's Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors matchup gives us plenty to work with, and our best NBA player prop projections offer a handful of player props with real value.

We’re focusing strictly on where the projections create separation from the betting line.

Here are our top Clippers vs. Warriors predictions and NBA picks for Monday, March 2.

Clippers vs Warriors computer picks for March 2

Clippers	Warriors
Garland o12.5 points  +100	Horford o5.5 rebounds  -+115
Leonard u27.5 points  -110	Green o8.5 points  -115
Jones u1.5 assists  -150	Melton o15.5 points -112

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Clippers computer picks

Darius Garland Over 12.5 points (+100)

Projection: 14.6 points

Darius Garland doesn’t need to go nuclear to clear this number. The model has him nearly two points over the line, which gives us a solid cushion at even money. With steady usage and normal minutes, this is a very reachable scoring total.

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Kawhi Leonard Under 27.5 points (-110)

Projection: 25.5 points

Kawhi Leonard can always pop for 30, but the projection keeps him a couple of buckets below this line. The scoring load is spread out enough that he doesn’t need to carry everything. At 27.5, we’re betting on efficiency without a ceiling game. Under makes sense.

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Derrick Jones Jr. Under 1.5 assists (-150)

Projection: 1.3 assists

Derrick Jones Jr. isn’t out there to facilitate. His role is to defend, run the floor, and finish plays — not create them. The model has him landing below two assists, which lines up with his typical usage. You’re laying juice, but the role supports the Under.

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Warriors computer picks

Al Horford Over 5.5 rebounds (+115)

Projection: 6.1 rebounds

Al Horford still knows how to find the ball. The projection clears this number, and at plus money, we don’t need a monster night. If the minutes hold, six boards is a very realistic value.

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Draymond Green Over 8.5 points (+115)

Projection: 9.9 points

Draymond Green isn’t a volume scorer, but he doesn’t need to be. The model has him at a bucket over this number, and he’ll get chances in transition and off cuts. At plus money, that’s enough of an edge to play.

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De'Anthony Melton Over 15.5 points (-112)

Projection: 17.2 points

De'Anthony Melton gets up shots when he’s on the floor. The projection has him comfortably above this line, and if he’s hitting from deep, this clears quickly. With the role and volume in place, the Over is justified.

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How to watch Clippers vs Warriors tonight

Location	Chase Center, San Francisco, CA
Date	Monday, March 2, 2026
Tip-off	10:00 p.m. ET
TV	Peacock

Not intended for use in MA.
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MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo could be on the verge of returning from a calf strain that has caused the two-time MVP to miss the Milwaukee Bucks’ last 15 games.

The Bucks have released an injury report that lists Antetokounmpo as questionable for their Monday night game with the Boston Celtics.

The 31-year-old Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since straining his right calf Jan. 23 in a 102-100 loss to the Denver Nuggets. A right calf strain also had prevented him from playing for three weeks in December.

Antetokounmpo has missed a career-high 29 games this season, and 23 of them were because of calf strains. The Bucks are 15-15 with Antetokounmpo and 11-18 without him this season.

His return comes with the Bucks trying to work their way into the play-in tournament as they seek a 10th straight playoff berth.

Milwaukee is 11th in the Eastern Conference standings, three games behind 10th-place Charlotte. The teams that finish the regular season seventh through 10th in the conference compete in a tournament for the East’s two final playoff spots.

The Bucks put together an 8-2 stretch without Antetokounmpo from Feb. 3-25 but have lost their last two games by a combined 52 points. The Bucks were outscored 33-8 in the fourth quarter of a 120-97 loss at Chicago on Sunday that ended the Bulls’ 11-game skid.

Antetokounmpo is averaging 28 points, 10 rebounds and 5.6 assists. He would be ranked eighth in the NBA in scoring, ninth in rebounding and just outside the top 25 in assists if he had played enough games to qualify among the league leaders.

He was selected to a 10th straight All-Star Game this season, though his injury prevented him from playing.

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

NEW YORK (AP) — The Athletics had the highest success rate using the robot-umpire system to overturn ball/strike calls during the first 10 days of spring training, winning 69.2% of challenges as teams prepared for its regular-season debut March 25.

San Francisco was second at 66.7%, followed by Cincinnati, Miami and San Diego at 61.9% each, Major League Baseball said Monday.

The World Series champion Dodgers had the lowest rate, winning 21.4% of appeals to the Automated Ball-Strike System. Baltimore was at 25%, the New York Mets at 35.3% and Texas at 38.1%.

MLB's overall success rate was 51.3%, with an average of 2.3 challenges per game.

The New York Yankees averaged the most challenges at 3.8 per game, winning 52.6%. Minnesota was second at 3.6 (winning 58.3%), followed by Boston at 3.2 (55.2%) and Colorado (55.6%) and San Francisco at 3.0.

Baltimore averaged the fewest challenges at 1.2. The Dodgers were at 1.4 and Detroit was at 1.5 (46.7%).

MLB experimented with ABS during spring training last year and teams won 52.2% of their ball/strike challenges (617 of 1,182). MLB began testing in the minor leagues in 2019.

Each team has the ability to challenge two calls per game. A team retains its challenge if successful, similar to the regulations for big league teams with video reviews, which were first used for home run calls in August 2008 and widely expanded to many calls for the 2014 season.

A team out of challenges for a game tied after nine innings would get one additional challenge in each extra inning.

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

Miami (Ohio) athletic director David Sayler fired back at former Auburn coach Bruce Pearl over Pearl's criticism regarding the undefeated RedHawks' NCAA Tournament at-large credentials.

The 29-0 RedHawks have been the center of debate on whether they are a lock for March Madness in the event they don't win the MAC tournament since they have piled up 29 straight victories. If the RedHawks don't win in Cleveland and get the automatic bid, they could still make the tournament and steal a spot from a Power conference team — like Auburn.

March Madness predictions: 13 teams who can win men's tournament

"U are flat out wrong about @MiamiOH_BBall when u say we would finish last in the Big East," Sayler said on social media Monday, March 2. "The disrespect is awful and u should not be near a TV studio covering this sport when u show your true colors! Even slipped in a 'we' when talking about Auburn, nice work!"

@coachbrucepearl u are flat out wrong about @MiamiOH_BBall when u say we would finish last in the Big East. The disrespect is awful and u should not be near a TV studio covering this sport when u show your true colors! Even slipped in a "we" when talking about Auburn, nice work!

— David Sayler (@MiamiOH_DSayler) March 2, 2026

Sayler's comments stem from what Pearl said as TNT analyst Saturday, Feb. 28, where he argued despite being the only team without a loss, No. 20 Miami (Ohio) shouldn't be in the NCAA Tournament if it doesn't get the automatic bid by winning the MAC tournament.

"Here's the deal. Are we going to select the 68 most deserving teams? Or are we going to select the 68 best teams?" he said. "If we're selecting the 68 best teams, then Miami (Ohio) is going to have to win their tournament to qualify as a champion, because as an at-large, they are not one of the best teams in the country, and that's going to be a difficult choice for the committee."

He then added mid-major teams like the RedHawks "recognize their only going to be a one-bid league."

Does 29-0 Miami (OH) deserve a March Madness bid? 🤔@JalenRose, @coachbrucepearl & @jamalmashburn debate the nation's only undefeated team 👀 pic.twitter.com/VyXizQgApa

— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) February 28, 2026

The criticism of Pearl only grew when he advocated for Auburn — the school he last coached and is led by his son, Steven — on "Wake Up Barstool" on Monday morning. The Tigers are 15-14 and 6-10 in the SEC with seven losses in their past eight games, but Pearl believes they are "last four in" territory and just need to beat LSU on Tuesday, March 3 and win their first round game of the SEC tournament to punch their ticket to the Big Dance.

"They've got five Quad 1 wins. They've got the best win in college basketball on the road at Florida. As far as that margin, it's either the best or one of the best. So they got a little bit more work to do," he said.

Pearl added "there's no love of my son. I mean, there's no nepotism involved here."

Miami (Ohio) is slated as an automatic qualifier and a No. 11 seed in the latest USA TODAY Sports Bracketology, while Auburn is also a No. 11 seed.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Miami Ohio AD fires back at Bruce Pearl over NCAA Tournament at-large bid

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The Denver Nuggets face a major contrast in competition when they visit the Utah Jazz on Monday, March 2. 

After facing the Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Boston Celtics in the past three outings, taking on the likes of Utah (18-42 SU) is like slipping into a warm bubble bath after swimming with sharks.

With an extended break ahead for Denver, my Nuggets vs. Jazz predictions and NBA picks call for course correction — and an ATS cover — from Nikola Jokic & Co. tonight.

Nuggets vs Jazz prediction

Nuggets vs Jazz best bet: Denver Nuggets -11.5 (-110)

Normally, a stop in Utah after running the Denver Nuggets’ recent gauntlet would give pause in fear of a letdown spot. But Denver desperately needs a positive.

There could be a couple of those tonight. Not only does this matchup with the Jazz set the table for a much-needed victory (won by 23 at Utah in December), but there’s a shot Aaron Gordon gets back on the court.

The Utah Jazz have lost five in a row by an average of more than 13 points, with foes enjoying 51% success from the floor in that span. That’ll kick-start the Nuggets’ top-tier offense.

Nuggets vs Jazz same-game parlay

The Nuggets are 17-6 SU and 14-9 ATS off a loss this season. After going 1-2 versus Boston, OKC, and Minnesota, Denver needs a “get right” win tonight. Nikola Jokic is at the wheel of an efficient Nuggets attack that utilizes his scoring and playmaking on the blocks and high post to hit active cutters – something Utah struggles to defend.

Jokic’s projections sit as high as 11+ assists, and he recorded 13 dimes in his first meeting with the Jazz back in December. Denver’s playbook flows through the multi-time MVP against a Utah defense giving up a league-high 30.5 assists per outing with an assist-to-FGM rate above 68%.

Kyle Filipowski is in an offensive funk, shooting a collective 11 for 27 over the past three games. Denver doesn’t push back much defensively, and player forecasts sit as high as 16+ points from the Jazz big man tonight.

Nuggets vs Jazz SGP

• Denver Nuggets -11.5
• Nikola Jokic Over 10.5 assists
• Kyle Filipowski Over 13.5 points

Our "from downtown" SGP: The jokes on Utah

Nikola Jokic is in a rotten mood after two straight losses and a cheap shot from OKC. Projections for the Joker have ceilings of 32 points, 11 assists, and 14 rebounds tonight.

Nuggets vs Jazz SGP

• Denver Nuggets -11.5
• Nikola Jokic Over 28.5 points
• Nikola Jokic Over 10.5 assists
• Nikola Jokic Over 13.5 rebounds

Nuggets vs Jazz odds

• Spread: Nuggets -11.5 | Jazz +11.5
• Moneyline: Nuggets -550 | Jazz +400
• Over/Under: Over 243.5 | Under 243.5

Nuggets vs Jazz betting trend to know

The Jazz are horrible when catching double-digit points at home over the last three seasons, going 3-13 SU and just 5-11 ATS (+10 or higher) despite all that cushion from the oddsmakers. Find more NBA betting trends for Nuggets vs. Jazz.

How to watch Nuggets vs Jazz

Nuggets vs Jazz latest injuries

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A new week of NBA action tips off with just four games on the schedule, but there’s still plenty of value to be found in the player prop markets. 

I’ve found my favorite plays for today, which include the Celtics efficient big man coming off the bench, and the Jazz rookie Ace Bailey continuing to flash his potential.

Those and more NBA picks for Monday, March 2, below.

Best NBA player props today

Player	Pick
Nikola Vucevic	Over 7.5 rebounds	+100
Ace Bailey	Over 15.5 points	-120
Brook Lopez	Over 4.5 rebounds	+100

Prop #1: Nikola Vucevic Over 7.5 rebounds

+100 at bet365

Nikola Vucevic has been thriving in his new role with the Boston Celtics. He’s averaging 12 points and 8.6 rebounds coming off the bench and has recorded four double-doubles in nine games since being traded.

Tonight, he gets a great matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks. With Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks are a bad rebounding team. Without him, they’re downright awful. They enter this matchup with the NBA’s fourth-worst rebounding rate.

Vucevic to record a double-double at +350 is worth a look, but our best bet is Over 7.5 rebounds, a number he’s topped in four of his last five games.

• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NBCS-Boston, FDSN-Wisconsin

Prop #2: Ace Bailey Over 15.5 points

-120 at bet365

It’s on to next season for the Utah Jazz, so now it’s time to figure out how guys like Ace Bailey and Kyle Filipowski fit into their plans.

Bailey has recently shown why he was considered a top prospect heading into last June’s draft. He’s averaging 15.6 points and 5.5 rebounds over his last 17 games, and he gets a sneaky good matchup against the Denver Nuggets.

The Nuggets have struggled to prevent buckets all season long and enter this game ranked 21st in defensive rating. Bailey has topped 15.5 points nine times during this 17-game stretch.  

• Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: ALT, KJZZ

Prop #3: Brook Lopez Over 4.5 rebounds

+100 at bet365

The Golden State Warriors have had to battle without Steph Curry. Their offensive rating drops to 21st in the NBA this month.

The Dubs are missing more shots, and they don’t have much in the realm of rebounding. They rank 22nd in rebounding rate and 19th in opponent rebounds per game heading into tonight’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Clippers have several good rebounding options in this one, and my favorite is Brook Lopez. The big man has reentered the starting lineup and is averaging 6.6 rebounds over his last five games, hauling down six plus four times.

• Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Peacock

These props are available now at bet365, one of our best betting sites.

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It's time for the penultimate USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll of the 2025-2026 college basketball season.

All the major conferences have one week left before their respective postseason tournaments. Arizona (Big 12), Duke (ACC), Michigan (Big Ten) and Florida (SEC) ― all ranked inside the top 7 of the Feb. 23 poll ―have claimed at least a share of their conference championship.

REQUIRED READING: March Madness bracket projection: Which teams could fight for No. 1 seed?

On Friday, Feb. 27, No. 3 Michigan earned a dominant 84-70 road victory over Illinois to clinch at least a share of the Big Ten, just two years after finishing dead last in the conference. Meanwhile, on Saturday, Feb. 28, Florida dismantled No. 17 Arkansas by a tune of 111-77 to clinch its first SEC regular season title since 2015.

No. 4 Iowa State, No. 8 Purdue, 9 Gonzaga, 11 Virginia and No. 14 Kansas all stumbled over the weekend, which could have an impact on this week's rankings. Just how much?

Here’s a look at the latest Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 for March. 2:

College basketball rankings

First-place votes in parentheses.

USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

1. Duke (28)
2. Arizona (3)
3. Michigan
4. Connecticut
5. Florida
6. Houston
7. Iowa State
8. Michigan State
9. Nebraska
10. Texas Tech
11. Illinois
12. Gonzaga
13. Virginia
14. Purdue
15. Kansas
16. Alabama
17. St. John's
18. North Carolina
19. Arkansas
20. Miami (Ohio)
21. Saint Mary's
22. Vanderbilt
23. Miami
24. Saint Louis
25. Tennessee

Other's receiving votes: BYU 35; Louisville 31; Wisconsin 23; Villanova 17; Missouri 10; Utah State 9; Clemson 8; Kentucky 5; UCF 3; Georgia 1.

AP Top 25

1. Duke (55)
2. Arizona (4)
3. Michigan
4. UConn
5. Florida
6. Iowa State
7. Houston
8. Michigan State
9. Nebraska
10. Texas Tech
11. Illinois
12. Gonzaga
13. Virginia
14. Kansas
15. Purdue
16. Alabama
17. UNC
18. St. John's
19. Miami (Ohio)
20. Arkansas
21. Saint Mary's
22. Miami
23. Tennessee
24. Vanderbilt
25. Saint Louis

Others receiving votes: BYU 74, Kentucky 47, Louisville 47, Missouri 40, Wisconsin 27, Clemson 16, Utah St. 10, UCF 7, High Point 7, Dayton 5, Villanova 4, Navy 3, NC State 2, TCU 2, Ohio St. 1, Santa Clara 1.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Men's college basketball rankings: Updated Coaches Poll, AP Top 25

The USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll was predictably shuffled after a slew of high-profile matchups as the regular season heads into its final week.

After routing Virginia to win the ACC regular-season title, Duke retains the No. 1 ranking for a second week, once again claiming 28 of 31 first-place votes. The other three top nods once again went to Arizona, which holds the No. 2 position following an impressive defeat of Kansas. No. 3 Michigan also stays put, though the Wolverines looked just as dominant as the Blue Devils and Wildcats over the weekend in winning at Illinois.

TOP 25: Complete USA TODAY Sports men's basketball poll

Connecticut and Florida each move up two positions to round out the top five, as No. 6 Houston and No. 7 Iowa State each fall two spots. Michigan State vaults five places to No. 8, edging ahead of No. 9 Nebraska. Texas Tech also leaps back into the top 10, gaining six positions after an important win at Iowa State.

Illinois keeps the No. 11 spot by a single poll point over Gonzaga, which slips three spots to No. 12 with its loss to Saint Mary's. Purdue takes a six-place hit sliding to No. 14 with two losses in the week.

Saint Mary’s joins the poll at No. 21 after upending Gonzaga, and No. 23 Miami (Fla.) also moves in. Louisville and Brigham Young drop out.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College basketball poll rankings: Duke leads as top 10 gets shuffled

On today’s episode, Ryan Eichten and Leo Sun go over Leo’s experience at the Intuit Dome and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 117-108 win over the Denver Nuggets.

— Anthony Edwards only scored 21 points on 9-19 shooting, but made the correct pass down the stretch of the game when the Nuggets guarded him with two players the moment he crossed halfcourt.

— The Timberwolves opted to guard Nikola Jokić straight up with Rudy Gobert, and despite the three-time MVP scoring 35 points, it took him 26 shots, and he turned it over five times. Overall, Gobert and McDaniels did well slowing down the two-man game of Jokić and Jamal Murray.

— For the first time this season, the Wolves bench felt like a weapon in the game as Naz Reid, Ayo Dosunmu, and Bones Hyland combined for 38 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists. All three players provided quality minutes as the Wolves dominated the minutes when Jokić was on the bench for Denver.

— Kyle Anderson is re-joining the Timberwolves after being bought out by the Memphis Grizzlies. Slo-Mo will provide even more depth for a team that just a month or so ago was desperately searching for even a seventh quality player to come off the bench.

— Donte DiVicenzo has been playing great basketball. On the Wolves’ three-game road trip where they went 3-0, DiVincenzo averaged 18 points, 4.3 assists, and 2 steals per game. In the game against Denver, Donte had a highlight where he saved a ball from going out of bounds and then single-handedly stopped a three-on-one fastbreak with a block.

— The Wolves now sit as the fourth seed in the Western Conference, just a few percentage points behind the current three-seed Houston Rockets. Despite the up-and-down season for the Wolves, they still have the chance of accomplishing their regular-season goal of finishing with a top-three seed.