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The New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz are set to square off for the second time in three days.

Saddiq Bey erupted for a season-high 42 points in the last meeting, and my Pelicans vs. Jazz predictions are counting on the NOLA guard to shoulder the scoring load once again.

Read more in my NBA picks for Saturday, February 28.

Pelicans vs Jazz prediction

Pelicans vs Jazz best bet: Saddiq Bey Over 20.5 points (-110)

Saddiq Bey missed the 2024-25 season following ACL surgery, but the New Orleans Pelicans guard has found his rhythm over the past couple of months.

Bey is averaging a career-high 17.2 points per game, and he’s bumped that up to 21.0 ppg since the calendar flipped to 2026 — highlighted by a season-best 42-point outing against the Utah Jazz on Thursday.

He’s scored 20+ points in 11 of his last 15 games and will be leaned on to carry New Orleans’ offense with Trey Murphy III sidelined.

The Jazz also rank 30th in points allowed per game, so Bey should have plenty of opportunities to fill it up again.

Pelicans vs Jazz same-game parlay

The Pelicans have won three straight, while the Jazz are mired in a four-game losing streak and will be without Lauri Markkanen.

Both teams rank in the bottom five in team defense, so scoring should come easily tonight. The Over has also cashed in each of the last five meetings between these squads.

Pelicans vs Jazz SGP

• Saddiq Bey Over 20.5 points
• Pelicans moneyline
• Over 243.5

Our "from downtown" SGP: Making It Rain

The Pelicans and Jazz rank 29th and 30th in three-pointers allowed per game, respectively, so we should see plenty of treys tonight.

Bey has connected on at least three triples in nine of his last 14 outings, and teammate Jordan Poole is knocking down an average of 2.5 from deep per game this season.

For Utah, Brice Sensabaugh has hit more than 2.5 shots from beyond the arc in four of his past five contests, while Keyonte George is also averaging 2.5 made threes per game.

Pelicans vs Jazz SGP

• Saddiq Bey Over 2.5 threes
• Jordan Poole Over 1.5 threes
• Brice Sensabaugh Over 2.5 threes
• Keyonte George Over 2.5 threes

Pelicans vs Jazz odds

• Spread: Pelicans -6.5 (-110) | Jazz +6.5 (-110)
• Moneyline: Pelicans -250 | Jazz +210
• Over/Under: Over 245.5 (-110) | Under 245.5 (-110)

Pelicans vs Jazz betting trend to know

New Orleans is 6-0 in the last six meetings against Utah. Find more NBA betting trends for Pelicans vs. Jazz.

How to watch Pelicans vs Jazz

Pelicans vs Jazz latest injuries

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It’s always good to beat LA. Always.

And it’s always good to beat LeBron James.

And it’s great that LeBron joined the Lakers in order to make victories all the sweeter.

For me, I sometimes wonder what LeBron thinks of Boston in his heart of hearts. He’s far too savvy to say anything out loud about the team, but consider that the Celtics were in his way starting in 2008; in fact, they were so much in his way that he left Cleveland and joined Miami to get past them.

And he was able to get past the Celtics, first as a member of the Heat, and then, again, as a Cavalier. He had a roughly 7-year run where he pretty much owned Boston, knocking the C’s out of three conference finals appearances and four playoff appearances overall.

But, inexorably, time has caught up with LeBron, and now, as he’s facing the end of his career and the Celtics are back again.

To be sure, LeBron did add a championship with the Lakers, and he had the satisfaction of seeing the Lakers tie the Celtics for most titles won, but that tie was short lived. The Celtics secured another title in 2024, and appear poised to contend for more titles in the future. The Lakers, Luka Doncic notwithstanding, do not.

Yes, the Celtics are once again the better team, as evidenced by two thorough spankings of the purple and gold this season, and a record of 10-6 against the Lakers since LeBron joined the team.

A different kind of respect for Luka

During the game, Joe Mazzulla paid Luka a very high honor.

He had two of his greenest players defend him for varying stretches.

Now with pretty much any other team, putting a rookie and a second year guy on the other team’s leading scorer is a sign of disrespect, insanity, or a fervent hope to secure a high draft pick (don’t use the “T” word — the league is on high alert for such things these days).

But Boston isn’t other teams, and Baylor Scheierman and Hugo Gonzalez play defense as though their life depended on it. Mind you, their playing time pretty much does.

The two wings held Luka to 25 points, 7 less than his season average, and the difference was basically one less made basket and about four fewer free throw attempts.

Yes, these two kids, and I don’t mind calling Scheierman a kid, since he’s young enough to be one of mine, effectively locked down Luka without sending him to the line. That’s a level of skill that one simply does not associate with newcomers to the league.

Overall, the team also limited Luka to just three assists, well down from his season average of 8.6. His season average is 54.1 passes per game, and on Sunday he made just 37.

One of the easiest insights to give someone new to the game regarding its likely outcome is to see which team has to work harder for its points. Now, it’s not a perfect indicator, but it’s a good eye test for neophytes.

The Lakers, and Dončić especially, had to work much harder for their points on Sunday, and that’s down to the exceptional defense played by Boston.

At least Riley’s statue is wearing nice clothes

But what was especially enjoyable about the victory on Sunday, though, was that it was Pat Riley Day.

Now, normally, I would say that a Celtics win, especially one delivered in clear and convincing fashion, would be sufficient to ruin Riley’s day, but in this case, I think Riley’s day was actually ruined when he saw his statue.

I find Riley’s statue ugly not because I’m a Celtics fan, but because I was an art major.

Of course, some really nifty work was done to give character to the clothes, and perhaps that’s an appropriate tribute to Riley—his clothes look good.

But that statue—that statue is what happens when you try to make a sculpture based on a photograph.

There’s a lack of coherent anatomy in the sculpture. Try to hold your hand in the position that Riley is holding it—it feels awkward and kind of painful. His raised arm looks a bit like a piece of licorice, with no clearly defined elbow, and the legs suggest a contrapposto pose that just isn’t carried through into the torso. He’s stepping forward and leaning backwards in a manner does not reflect the way that any sober person walks.

And then there’s the face. Now the thing about Pat Riley is that he does have a rather heavy brow, but he must have winced mightily when he saw his features given an almost Cro Magnon appearance.

There’s a far more well-done sculpture of an NBA coach near Faneuil Hall.

The statue, of course, is Red Auerbach’s, capturing him, cigar in hand, poised to get up off the bench he’s sitting on and do some characteristic bit of Auerbach showmanship or gamesmanship.

Now this statue is no Moses by Michelangelo, but it’s better executed than Pat Riley’s, and it’s well, it’s just more fun. Anyone can sit on the bench with an appropriately larger-than-life Red, and in fact, there are parts of Red’s sculpture that have been buffed to a nice shine from passersby stopping to interact with it.

A small version of the statue, stripped of its championship ring, is presented annually to the league’s Coach of the Year.

Anyone but Joe

On Wednesday, CelticsBlog’s Jeff Clark started a poll regarding this season’s Coach of the Year award.

I think it should go to anyone but Joe Mazzulla.

Why?

First of all, I think that Gregg Popovich might have been the only other coach in recent memory who could match Mazzulla in disregard for that particular award, so hey, it might as well go to someone who appreciates it.

Secondly, I think the award should be routinely given to coaches of teams that are not the Boston Celtics, because that little sculpture of Red Auerbach about to celebrate a victory over some other team is a nice tiny little reminder of where the Celtics fit in the NBA’s grand scheme of things.

Which isn’t to say that Mazzulla isn’t richly deserving of the award.

Coming into the season, 40 wins seemed an unlikely outcome for all but the most optimistic fans, and the C’s could achieve that with 22 games left on the calendar.

40 before 20—almost

The big watch, this week, was whether Boston could get to 40 wins before 20 losses. That mark is considered a leading indicator of whether a team has legit potential to contest for a championship.

As it turns out, the C’s fell just short, losing to Denver at the end of a longish road trip that took them on a tour of California and the western states.

Looking at the schedule, most of us had our doubts about Wednesday’s game against Denver. It was Boston’s third road game in four nights, and it was a back to back.

I think the team held Jaylen out of the Phoenix game at least in part to have him better rested for Denver, but it wasn’t enough. The team, which hustles more than most at both ends of the court, ran out of gas, or legs, or something in the third quarter, and Denver, coming off a two day break, cruised to victory.

Here’s where I say that as much as I like these Celtics, they’re not championship caliber without Jayson Tatum. I don’t know how much Tatum the Celtics need to be true championship contenders, but I’m pretty sure that it’s more than zero.

If Tatum comes back in early March and the C’s can make it to the second or third round of the playoffs, I think there’s a good chance that Tatum will have recovered to the point where something magical could happen, but that’s my best case scenario.

Even so, this team has been as much fun to root for as any Celtics team in my memory.

And in case you’re wondering

Boston’s overall record against the Lakers is 212-166.

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The Toronto Raptors are on course for their first playoff spot since 2022, and they can get back in the win column tonight against the tanking Washington Wizards.

Toronto brings an impressive 18-10 road record to Capital One Arena, and my Raptors vs. Wizards predictions expect the visitors’ offense to break loose in a big way after facing two swarming defenses earlier this week.

Find out more in my free NBA picks ahead for Saturday, February 28.

Raptors vs Wizards prediction

Raptors vs Wizards best bet: Raptors team total Over 119.5 (-115)

After back-to-back outings against the elite Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs defenses, the Toronto Raptors will see no such nightmares tonight in D.C.

The Washington Wizards have been consistently woeful on that end of the floor, giving up 118+ points in seven of their past eight contests – and 126+ points in five of those outings.

Sure, Toronto has its offensive shortcomings, but Darko Rajakovic’s squad dropped 140 points on Washington in November.

The Wizards serve up the third-most turnovers per game, while the Raptors force 15 a night. Those easy buckets should keep this team total Over in play.

Raptors vs Wizards same-game parlay

Brandon Ingram missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer on Wednesday, but he couldn’t wish for a better bounce-back fixture.

He’s gone past this O/U number in both meetings with the Wizards this season, and he’s jacked up 17+ shots in seven of his past 10 games.

Immanuel Quickley is in a nice rhythm, too. He’s splashed 3+ 3-pointers in eight of his last nine outings, and he’s made his triples at a 45% clip in February.

Raptors vs Wizards SGP

• Raptors team total Over 119.5
• Brandon Ingram Over 22.5 points
• Immanuel Quickley Over 2.5 threes

Our "from downtown" SGP: Barnes-Barrett-Quickley BBQ!

The Scottie Barnes-Barrett-Quickley BBQ nickname has largely been shelved since Ingram’s arrival, but this SGP brings it back.

Barrett looked sharper in a 21-point effort against the Thunder, while Barnes has dished 6+ assists in four of his past six road games.

Raptors vs Wizards SGP

• Scottie Barnes Over 5.5 assists
• RJ Barrett Over 17.5 points
• Immanuel Quickley Over 2.5 threes
• Immanuel Quickley Over 1.5 steals

Raptors vs Wizards odds

• Spread: Raptors -13.5 (-110) | Wizards +13.5 (-110)
• Moneyline: Raptors -900 | Wizards +613
• Over/Under: Over 226.5 (-110) | Under 226.5 (-110)

Raptors vs Wizards betting trend to know

The Wizards are 24-34 ATS this season. Find more NBA betting trends for Raptors vs. Wizards.

How to watch Raptors vs Wizards

Raptors vs Wizards latest injuries

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The Miami Heat will be looking for a win after a rough road trip as they host the Houston Rockets on Saturday afternoon.

Miami loves to run the floor, and I’m banking on that to be enough to hit the Over in my Rockets vs. Heat predictions.

Let’s do a full breakdown of this afternoon’s matchup in my free NBA picks for Saturday, February 28.

Rockets vs Heat prediction

Rockets vs Heat best bet: Over 225.5 (-110)

Both teams have hit the Over in their last three games. While the Houston Rockets don’t always play that way, it’s business as usual for the Miami Heat, who have averaged a total of 236.2 ppg on the season.

Miami plays at the fastest pace in the NBA, averaging 106.7 possessions per game, two more than its closest competitor. All those possessions will suit the Rockets, as Houston is ninth in the NBA in offensive efficiency, even though they normally slow down the pace. 

The combination of scoring punch and a fast tempo make the Over tonight’s play.

Rockets vs Heat same-game parlay

The Rockets are the better team and have won four of their last five, which makes me confident they can pull out a win in Miami tonight.

Kevin Durant will be key to that effort, as he’s coming off a 40-point effort against the Magic and has scored 30+ in three of his last five games.

Rockets vs Heat SGP

• Over 225.5
• Rockets moneyline
• Kevin Durant Over 26.5 points

Our "from downtown" SGP: We have liftoff

The Rockets have covered the spread in four straight games.

Let’s also back Alperen Sengun to pick up a double-double after his triple-double performance against the Kings on Wednesday, and take Tari Eason to get Over 6.5 rebounds, something he’s accomplished in three of his last four contests.

Rockets vs Heat SGP

• Rockets -2.5
• Kevin Durant Over 26.5 points
• Alperen Sengun double-double
• Tari Eason Over 6.5 rebounds

Rockets vs Heat odds

• Spread: Rockets -2.5 | Heat +2.5
• Moneyline: Rockets -135 | Heat +115
• Over/Under: Over 225.5 | Under 225.5

Rockets vs Heat betting trend to know

The Over is 3-0 in the last three games for both Houston and Miami. Find more NBA betting trends for Rockets vs. Heat.

How to watch Rockets vs Heat

Rockets vs Heat latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

In case everything collapses in May, the Knicks showed Giannis what New York’s about on Friday.

The Greek Freak watched from the sidelines as his current and future teams faced each other in Milwaukee.

Here’s what was said before and after the affair.

.@SbondyNBA: "Next stretch…San Antonio then Toronto, OKC, Denver, Lakers…"

Mike Brown: "That's too many games for me to think about…I just take it one game at a time. I know we got San Antonio 1pm Sunday. Just trying to figure out how we're gonna prepare to play them" pic.twitter.com/TJ6WamNPmI

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) February 28, 2026

Mike Brown

On choosing Diawara over Sochan:

“Like, I said, those guys are like the ninth and 10th guy [in the rotation], 10th and ninth guy, however, you want to call it and I’ll make the call as we go along. But everybody has to make sure that they keep themselves ready.”

On keeping the backup forward spot fluid:

“It could be Jeremy tonight. It could be Mo tomorrow night. Mo has played well. He’s gotten better. Jeremy just hasn’t had an opportunity to. And the biggest thing is, obviously between the two guys is Jeremy is in his fourth season, and he’s a little bigger. He’s a little stronger and he knows the league a little bit better.”

On the Knicks’ offense clicking against Milwaukee:

“This is how we played offensively throughout most of the year. So for us to be able to space the ball correctly, make quick decisions with the basketball while touching the paint, playing off two feet, was huge. We got a lot of mileage just from playing the game the right way. So I applaud our guys for playing the way they did on both sides of the ball tonight.”

On the team’s improved physicality and pace:

“Our physicality offensively was there because we set screens the right way and then we played fast. So it takes all of us to do it and when you do it and have one of those guys [like Brunson], he’s going to be able to break loose. That was good to see tonight.”

OG Anunoby on the importance of ball movement and finishing the road trip strong. 💪@LT__Murray | @stevenovak16 | #NewYorkForeverpic.twitter.com/iQh7IblKsC

— KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) February 28, 2026

OG Anunoby

On the improved ball movement and shot-making:

“Probably just ball movement and then shoot with confidence. we made shots today. That’s how it goes: Sometimes you miss some shots. Next thing you know, you make them. That’s how it goes, but just taking the right shots [and] moving the ball.”

On responding to Milwaukee’s second-half push:

“Just knowing they’re a great team coming out. Trying to get stops and just play fast and play in transition.”

On the significance of the win before heading home for a Sunday matinee:

“Any game you win is big time. Winning in the NBA is very hard so we never take it for granted but the momentum going back home to protect home court. It’s cool but we play again on Sunday, so I’m just ready for the next game.”

Mo Diawara is such a great young player

— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) February 28, 2026

Mohamed Diawara

On staying ready despite the Jeremy Sochan-led rotation changes:

“Everybody [has been telling me to stay ready]. Everybody, for real: the players, the staff. … First year, I’m a rookie, so everything is not going to be great. So I just have to stay ready and wait until my name gets called.”

"It's important to battle thru adversity; when you're in a playoff setting you may lose one, you gotta get next…Show we can bounce back quick…but consistency…keep building off this…be the best team we can be come late April"

– KAT as Knicks beat Bucks after cratering vs Cavs pic.twitter.com/8RDhjsJmUU

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) February 28, 2026

Karl-Anthony Towns

On tuning out trade speculation and outside noise:

“I’m not going to have to change how I live and how I approach work, how I approach life because of one instance. That’s just a bump in the road. I continue to be myself regardless of what people say, what the noise is. I’m going to work on my game. I’m going to continue to be who I am as a person. I’m going to approach life the way I approach it. It’s gotten me this far. It’s gotten me a beautiful fiancée, a great family that’s all healthy and happy. I mean, it’s done well. It doesn’t always need to just be about basketball. It’s gotten me well in life. It’s kept me centered. It’s kept me focused. It’s kept me engaged and motivated to continue to attack every day with the same competition and competitive spirit.”

Jalen Brunson

On focusing on the process over the results:

“Let’s not be results-based. Let’s be process-based. And the process wasn’t there (against Cleveland).”

Mitchell Robinson on IG: pic.twitter.com/GlonIAGM55

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) February 28, 2026

Deuce McBride

On his recovery being a slow process:

“It’s going to be a process coming back. I’m feeling the love from the whole organization. They want me back but they want me back right. So that’s the main thing.”

On whether he’ll return during the regular season:

“That’s always the goal, for sure. But right now there’s no exact timeline.”

On the early stages of his rehab:

“It’s really a slow process. So I’m starting to do some form shooting (shooting without jumping). And I’m starting to do a few strengthening exercises for the area I was injured.”

On traveling with the team during the healing process:

“I just wanted to be with the guys. A lot of the time you can be in an isolation mindset being alone. So I feel like being around the guys, and them uplifting me, and me being able to see things from the sideline and do what I do for them. Help them out in any way I can.”

On a potential pairing with Jose Alvarado:

“I’ve always prided myself on being a spark, being an energy guy. Just to have another guy to go out there and battle with is going to be amazing.”

Jose Alvarado

On teaming up with McBride in the backcourt:

“I’ll be in a better rhythm when he comes back so hopefully when we get together, we make some noise.”

this is literally what dubai looks like 😭 https://t.co/EtburcrnP3

— Joseph (@ihyJosephX1) January 22, 2026

No two names, across sports, produce more tangible juice than Lakers and Celtics. A sold-out crowd, with an unusually large number of Boston fans, packed the building in anticipation of the annual matchup in downtown Los Angeles last Sunday.

​LA wins the opening tip, and the ball finds its way into Luka Dončić’s hands. Right away, big man Deandre Ayton sets his customary high ball screen, while the Celtics counter with a deep drop. It’s a defensive coverage that has plagued the team all season, and something the team will need to find answers for.

Luka comes off the pick with a wide amount of space, staring at a big man sitting in the paint, and a pull-up jumper whispering to him like the green goblin mask.  Boston’s guard defender does his job chasing, and Luka drives and steps back for the contested long two, taking the bait.

He would go on to shoot 1-11 from two-point range on shots outside the restricted area.

The Celtics controlled the entire game and went on to rout the home team, a worrisome trend against physical defenses.  

“There were opportunities, I think, to put more pressure on the rim,” head coach J.J. Redick said postgame. “Particularly in the first half, we took 11 non-paint twos. We were 13-29 on non-paint twos. That’s not normally what we shoot.”

Many teams across the league play this defensive style, but a few lean into it as their ethos. Namely, Boston, Phoenix, Portland, and San Antonio, which centers paired with physical guards that cater to this style.

Heading into Thursday’s matchup against the Suns, the Lakers, with the 10th-best offense in the league, were posting an abysmal 107.5 offensive rating against those four teams. That mark would rank last in the league by a mile.

This coverage doesn’t just give up halfway-decent looks from midrange, but it invites them. The objective is to keep a pick-and-roll defense a two-on-two game. The guard chases and gives back pressure, while the big man sits back and accounts for any rolling big or attack to the rim.

Watch below as Austin Reaves comes up to run the high ball screen with Jaxson Hayes. The floor is flattened out to maximize space with Luka and LeBron James on opposite wings.

Navigating against the back pressure, Reaves gets into the middle of the floor, where no advantage was created to kick the ball out. After overpenetrating to the rim, he uses a pump fake to draw a foul to no avail before forcing a twirling shot that falls short.

Watch below as the Celtics apply the same defensive scheme to Luka.

He catches it against ball denial, comes off the screen and eyes the big man in retreat. Ayton rolls while every other Laker remains stationary. No pass reveals itself, leading Luka to force up a contested floater that finds the bottom.

“I think a lot of times when teams are on that deeper drop versus us, all our guys that play pick and roll, it kind of puts you a little bit in a bind of not having the obvious choice to pass,” Redick said. “So we just got to do a better job of finding guys and moving the ball.

Reaves, LeBron, and Luka can hit these shots on high volume, but it’s a trade the Celtics and other great defenses will continue to make: Bait LA’s ball handlers into high-volume twos while keeping the rest of the team uninvolved.

As with every defensive scheme, it is susceptible to open shots with some adjustments.

One is a pick-and-pop threat. With the big man dropped back, it creates space for the pop guy to be open. Watch below as LeBron runs the screen and roll with Rui Hachimura.

Nikola Vučević does his job dropping back, but there’s too much space to recover as Hachimura nails the three.

Another is relying on their offensive-leaning center. Ayton was signed this summer as an elite pick-and-pop threat from mid-range. That shot has precipitously dropped not just in percentage, but also in volume.

In the month of February, Ayton has shot his lowest amount of field goals and has taken one mid-range jumper in seven games. He recently made comments of his disdain of how he’s been deployed on offense, but the team will need high levels of production from their starting center to win these games against contenders.

Also, some of these pull-ups and jump shots will have to go down to make defenses honest. Luka and Reaves continue to lead the league in scoring as a duo, and their shooting is a pivotal feature of the Lakers’ offense.

It has not had the efficiency required to beat the great teams, and LeBron is shooting just 29% from 3-point range in the new year.

“When teams play the deep drop, we have our counters,” Redick said. “Sometimes when the ball is changing ends quickly, it’s easy to just get into drag after drag.. I took ownership of that.”

Teams have scouted the Lakers’ initial drag screens and preliminary actions. With not much time remaining, how these counters are implemented will decide if they go home early for the third straight year.

You can follow Raj on Twitter at @RajChipalu

LEEDS, England (AP) — Erling Haaland was left out of Manchester City's squad for the Premier League match at Leeds on Saturday after sustaining a “little injury” in training, manager Pep Guardiola said.

“Two days ago, he had in the last moments of training some problems,” Guardiola said ahead of the game at Elland Road.

“A little injury," Guardiola added, without disclosing the exact nature of Haaland's problem. "It’s not a big issue but not ready for today.”

City's next match is at home to Nottingham Forest on Wednesday. A week later — on March 11 — City travels to Real Madrid in the Champions League round of 16.

___

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

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Daniil Medvedev won his 23rd ATP singles title at the Dubai Championships when Tallon Griekspoor withdrew from the final injured on Saturday.

Griekspoor hurt his left hamstring on Friday against Andrey Rublev and won their two-sets semifinal but couldn't recover in time for the final.

“I have been better that's for sure,” the Dutchman said at the trophy ceremony. “I went to the hospital this morning and had a couple of scans, which showed something serious. It kept me from coming on court tonight and will keep me from the court in the coming weeks.”

Medvedev won his second title of the year after Brisbane in January. It was also his second Dubai title after victory in 2023. Its the first time he's won the same event twice.

“That's what is crazy about it,” Medvedev said. “I never did it in any city in the world and the first time I do it, it's (via) a walkover.”

___

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

For those of us who grew up watching the NBA on NBC in the 90’s, Tuesday’s broadcast for the Philadelphia 76ers’ home game against San Antonio will be a shot of nostalgia straight to the heart. NBC announced they are doing a ‘Throwback Tuesday’ telecast to recreate the experience of a 1995-96 broadcast.

Turning the clock back 30 years, NBC will recreate a 1995-96 NBA broadcast for Spurs-76ers on March 3 — announcers, graphics, replays, pregame show, score bug and even grainy flashbacks.

The “Throwback Tuesday” telecast starts at 7pm ET with NBA Showtime, before Bob Costas,… pic.twitter.com/6FvQLqmZmf

— Sports Business Journal (@SBJ) February 27, 2026

Just when you thought Doug Collins was out of our lives (timely given Shamus Clancy just wrote about how the Sixers didn’t shoot threes during Collins’ coaching tenure), he’ll be on the mic alongside Bob Costas, Mike Fratello and Jim Gray. As much as I don’t look back on him as a coach overly fondly, I’ve never minded Collins’ work as a TV analyst, and that’s a tremendous broadcast group. Having all those graphics and score bugs back for one night will be a fun trip down memory lane, and obviously, everyone knows the place of Roundball Rock in NBA history.

Although the Sixers’ 1995-96 season was only memorable because their 18-64 record allowed them to draft Allen Iverson first overall in the NBA draft, it will be a blast seeing footage from across the league from that season. That year was also the final one for Philadelphia in the Spectrum; I’ll always remember being a kid running around those sparsely-populated aisles chasing down coupons from the Lay’s blimp. The Sixers’ game against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs (currently riding an 11-game winning streak) was already going to be must-see TV, but this new broadcast twist is an exciting cherry on the top.

1. Dominant Shooting Display

Coming off of Boston’s lowest scoring output of the season against the Denver Nuggets at only 84 points, the Celtics came back home to TD Garden and set a new season-high in points with 148 against the Brooklyn Nets. Boston did this with some historic shooting, going 52-78 (67%) from the field and 22-34(65%) from three point range. This resulted in the highest effective field goal percentage in NBA History, at 80.8%. Looking at the shooting chart, it is all Celtics green.

2. More Incredible Ball Movement

Continuing the trend on the Celtics historic offensive night, Boston racked up 38 assists in their win over Brooklyn, a new season-high and the most they had in a game since the 2022 season. When asked about the Celtics ball movement postgame, Joe Mazzulla talked about how it was funny people equate assists to ball movement. He said, ““Sometimes you only need one pass for an assist. We’re making good reads we’re making shots. So we have to continue to be able to do that.”

Joe Mazzulla on the Celtics ball movement coming out to 38 assists tonight

“Sometimes you only need one pass for an assist. We're making good reads we're making shots. So we have to continue to be able to do that.” pic.twitter.com/xSaoIxS8f9

— Ian Inangelo (@iinangelo) February 28, 2026

3. Second Half Run

In the Celtics 97-81 win against the Phoenix Suns on February 24th, Boston used a 50-11 run between the second and third quarters to pull ahead and stay ahead to take the victory. In this game, Boston once again used long scoring runs to control the game, this time it was a 51-16 run from the 7:07 mark of the third quarter to the 6:56 mark of the fourth quarter.

Hard to believe by the final score, but this was a close game at halftime, where the Celtics led 66-57. You could tell that Boston was going to eventually win this game, but recent history has showed that Brooklyn does not go away quietly. However the Celtics outscored the Nets 43-26 in the third quarter and 39-28 in the fourth quarter to end it.

4. Nikola Vucevic Bounce Back

In the loss to the Denver Nuggets, Nikola Vucevic had one of his worst games with the Celtics, finishing with 2 points and 8 rebounds on 1-7 shooting. In his matchup against the Brooklyn Nets, Vucevic bounced back with his best game as a member of the Celtics, finishing with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists on 9-13 shooting from the field, 3-3 from three point range, and 7-7 from the free throw line. Vucevic is the third player in Celtics history to record 25+ points, 10+ rebounds and 85+ TS% off the bench alongside Kevin McHale and Payton Pritchard.

In the Celtics recent games, teams have started to pull the chair out from Nikola Vucevic when he gets the ball inside. To counteract this, Vucevic showed off some quick post moves tonight, getting the ball and putting up the shot before the defense had time to make their move.

Vucevic was also incredible when it came to trailing and rolling in the pick-and-roll in this game. He always ended up in the right place at the right time for a pass from Jaylen Brown or Derrick White on the roll and it was a masterful display.

5. Jaylen Brown the Net Positive

You might see people using databallr statistics to diminish the incredible season that Jaylen Brown is having. According to the numbers, Brown is a net negative according to his on/off rating at a -10.1. Boston is a +5.2 net rating when he is on the floor vs a +15.3 net rating off the floor. I have to quote the great Homer Simpsons of The Simpsons fame to give you my opinion on this stat: “People can come up with statistics to prove anything Kent. Forty percent of all people know that.” Brown showed he was a huge positive in this game against the Nets, finishing with 28 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block on 9-12 shooting from the field and 4-4 from three with a +25 +/-.

The Nets decided to put two defenders on Brown for most of this game and because of that, he was able to dissect the defense and find the shooter for a wide open shot.

Scoring wise, Brown was able to get to the basket at will and take advantage of very poor defensive play by the Nets. On most of these possessions he is able to get the switch on to a big and blow by them for an easy look at the rim. His three point shooting was very impressive to me as well because Brown doesn’t take a lot of threes and in this game he was able to knock down some pretty difficult step-backs on some solid contests.

6. Payton Pritchard Was Dialed In

Payton Pritchard was another player who had a tough game against the Nuggets and was able to bounce back in a big way. He finished with 22 points and 5 assists on 9-12 shooting from the field and 4-5 shooting from three. He was also a +40 in +/- in this game, the highest on the team in this game. Pritchard had a great run in the second quarter when he scored 8 straight points on Brooklyn but the fourth quarter is where he started to show out.

Not taking any chances, Pritchard scored 9 points on 4-4 shooting from the field and 1-1 from three, finishing as a +15 for this quarter alone. He utilized the jumper in this scoring run and used his handle to get his defender off the spot so he could splash the shot in their face and kill any potential momentum that Brooklyn tried to build.

7. Derrick White Playmaking

In his last 10 games, Derrick White is averaging 6.8 assists since becoming the Celtics starting point guard. I have raved about his ability to pass in another article but he once again showed these improvements of timing on his passes in this game. White finished with 12 points, 7 assists, and 2 blocks on the night and did an amazing job setting up his teammates. His most impressive passes in this game for me came along the perimeter. When the Celtics were swinging the ball around, White did a great job of finding the open man for the a wide open three.

8. Baylor Scheierman

In a game where 6 Celtics players ended up in double digit scoring, Baylor Scheierman finished with a very underrated great game. In 13 games in the starting lineup this season, Scheierman is averaging 8.7 Points, 6.3 Rebounds, 2.5 Assists 1.1 Steals on 42% shooting from the field and 37% shooting from three. In this game he had 10 points and 6 assists on 3-3 shooting but there was a sequence in the second quarter of this game that puts into perspective how good he has been.

Baylor Scheierman has been really good in games that he has started this season:
8.7 PPG
6.3 REB
2.5 AST
1.1 STL
42% FG%
37% 3P% pic.twitter.com/aSx7wasge8

— Ian Inangelo (@iinangelo) February 28, 2026

In the second quarter, at the 3:43 mark, Scheierman had the ball on the wing with the shot clock running down. He then fired an incredible hook shot pass to Sam Hauser in the corner who splashed the three. Then on the next offensive possession, Baylor got into the paint, stopped on a dime, and hit a sweet fadeaway jumper.

This is the perfect sequence to show the improvements that Scheierman has made since his rookie season. Last year he was known for some flashy passes but not much more. This game proved that he knows when to make the right play. Last year there were times where he was timid when it came to creating his own shot. This game proved that his confidence is at an all time high.

9. Hugo Gonzalez Cutting

Hugo Gonzalez had a very good game coming off of the bench in this one, finishing with 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 blocks on 4-6 shooting. He didn’t hit a three in this game but the thing that made him so impactful was his ability to cut to the basket when the Celtics are looking for it. Two of his cuts came when Brooklyn decided to double the Celtics player with the ball. Hugo came streaking in from the three point line and was able to finish with an easy dunk. The other came on an alley-oop inbounds play from Scheierman where Gonzalez had a free lane to the hoop.

10. Josh Minott Revenge Game

At the trade deadline this year, the Celtics decided to trade Josh Minott to the Brooklyn Nets despite showing some flashes with Boston earlier this season. Despite only playing one game for the Nets since the trade, Nets coach Jordi Fernandez talked highly of the young wing’s character. Fernandez said, “Great personality. Just you could say that he’s been a teammate in the group for a long time the way he’s just blended in right away. He knew what we were about.” He also talked about Minott ramping up with the G-League team for this game.

I asked Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez how it has gone integrating former Celtic Josh Minott into his system.

“Great personality. Just you could say that he's been a teammate in the group for a long time the way he’s just blended in right away. He knew what we were about.

“I… pic.twitter.com/vPHxZ4sIjK

— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) February 27, 2026

In his second game with Brooklyn against the Celtics, he had a semi-Revenge Game against Boston, finishing with 9 points on 4-7 shooting in 16 minutes off the bench. The play he was able to exact his revenge came in the first quarter with a monster poster dunk on Hugo Gonzalez that had everyone in the crowd stunned.

Overall I think Brooklyn will be a great place for Minott to continue his development as a player. There are very low expectations for Brooklyn right now and if they end up getting another top pick, he could be a very nice insulating player behind the rest of the rookies. I am very high on Minott so I hope he has a very long and successful NBA career moving forward but tonight the Celtics got the better of him in this matchup.

During Nikola Vučević’s Boston Celtics debut, both sides struggled. Three weeks ago marked the beginning of Vučević’s acclimation, and since then, his synergy has begun to take shape.

It was a stark contrast on Friday night against the Brooklyn Nets. Vučević’s offensive instincts kicked in, and decisively; he wasn’t hesitant. He was constantly in motion, whether it meant rolling to the basket or hanging around the perimeter, ready for a catch-and-shoot three. The Vučević on the floor 21 days after debuting was exactly what the organization was looking for at the trade deadline.

Checking in after Boston’s 148-111 one-sided win over Brooklyn at TD Garden, Vučević admitted he’s felt the progress take form but knows there’s still work to do.

“It’s been pretty good,” Vučević told reporters, per CLNS Media. “I’m still getting used to the offense and my new teammates, and learning their tendencies — learning my ways. At times, I overthink a little bit, which makes me hesitant and takes away my aggressiveness. And I feel like tonight I was able to put it more together, just play off my teammates.”

The synergy between Vučević and the Celtics extended beyond his comfort zone. Boston came within inches of breaking the 43-year-old record set by the 1983 San Antonio Spurs for the best single-game field-goal percentage (70.7 percent). In the fourth quarter, the Celtics hovered around 70 percent, but a few misses down the stretch left them at 66.7 percent. Still, they set the all-time mark for effective field-goal percentage (80.8 percent), surpassing last season’s Milwaukee Bucks (80.4 percent).

Vučević provided 28 points and 11 rebounds off the bench in 25 minutes, notching his third double-double in a Celtics uniform.

“Just have to find the right balance of playing my game, being aggressive, using my instincts, but make it fit within what we want to run,” he told reporters.

Vučević shot a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc, pitching into a dominant night of Mazzulla-ball. The Celtics shot 64.7 percent, knocking down 22 of their 34 attempts from 3-point range.

In many ways, it looked as though Vučević had reached the final stages of his acclimation. There were no force-feeds to get him going, nor any need for patience from Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla. Vučević simply looked like himself, even though in Boston, that requires adjusting to a role off the bench rather than in the starting lineup. For many players around the league, that challenge could affect their ability to contribute.

However, Vučević has steadily turned each Boston appearance into a stepping stone — even as Mazzulla prefers not to let him get too comfortable for the team’s sake.

“I hope that he’s never completely comfortable because then we don’t get better,” Mazzulla told reporters, per CLNS Media. “But whether it’s walkthrough, whether it’s film session, whether it’s practice, we’re just constantly watching film, communicating — what do you see here? Where can we get better at? The thing with him is that because of his versatility, he’s going to see different stuff throughout, and we have to be ready to react to that as well as him.”

Vučević has functioned as something of an addition-by-subtraction acquisition. He isn’t as quick or crafty as Anfernee Simons, but he restores what the Celtics lost this past offseason: a true floor-spacing center.

Boston parted ways with Kristaps Porziņģis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet — a trio that included two of the league’s best 3-point shooting big men. Substituting Simons for Vučević, though, reintroduces that element, while also allowing Mazzulla to slide Payton Pritchard back into his natural sixth-man role alongside Vučević, thus strengthening Boston’s depth and lineup balance.

“Every day is a day we get better,” Jaylen Brown told reporters, per CLNS Media. “So we’re continuing to find him in his spots, and allowing him to feel more comfortable is big time for our team. I think today was a great step forward. I like to see him aggressive. I think that’s a good sign for us, especially when teams are trying to double or take certain parts of the game away. I think he did a good job today.”

Mazzulla initially said that getting Vučević settled in would be a two-sided effort, required from both Vučević and his new Celtics teammates. So far, both sides have pulled their weight. Friday night’s victory reflected that effort coming to fruition, and Vučević noticed it coming together in real time.

“Tonight, everything clicked,” Vučević told reporters. “We took our time with our decisions. Everything was done with more attention to detail.”

Nikola Jokic popped to his feet and angrily confronted Lu Dort after the Thunder forward tripped him during the Nuggets’ overtime loss Friday night at rival Oklahoma City.

The three-time league MVP said afterward it was a “necessary” response to a play that earned Dort an ejection from the game early in the fourth quarter at Paycom Center.

“It’s an unnecessary move and a necessary reaction,” Jokic said after the 127-121 loss to the defending NBA champions. “There is no such thing — I think there’s not supposed to be those things on a basketball floor. “So, it was just an unnecessary move and a necessary reaction by me.”

Lu Dort was ejected after appearing to trip Nikola Jokic on this play.

Nikola Jokic and Jaylin Williams both received technical fouls. pic.twitter.com/ZFyNHpigsM

— ESPN (@espn) February 28, 2026

Jokic and OKC center Jaylin Williams also were assessed double technical fouls on the play in the confrontation between the sides that went to seven games in the second round of last year’s Western Conference playoffs before the Thunder eventually secured the NBA title.

It was ruled via review that Dort’s foul was a flagrant 2 — resulting in automatic ejection — after replays showed he backed into Jokic as they ran up the court and stuck out his right foot to trip the eight-time All-Star.

Jokic bounced up and angrily bumped chests with Dort before Williams stepped in and traded shoves and jersey grabs with the Denver center.

Coaches and officials then broke up the ensuing on-court scrum.

“Just competing,” Williams told ESPN. “Two teams competing, that’s it. That’s all I got.”

Crew chief James Williams told a pool reporter after the game that the refs deemed Dort’s contact “to be unnecessary and excessive with a high potential for injury.”

OKC coach Mark Daigneault seemed to suggest that the ruling was based on Jokic’s status among the league’s best players.

“I will say this: If [Williams] is running up the floor and gets tripped, we expect a flagrant 2 from this point forward,” Daigneault said. “That’s all. If that’s the precedent, if that becomes a malicious play and flagrant 2 is the line in the sand on that, we would expect that if it’s [Williams]. We would expect that if it’s anybody. And if that’s the case, we’re good.”

The game also featured the return to the Thunder lineup for reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 36 points and nine assists in 34 minutes after sitting out the previous nine games due to an abdominal strain.

The teams will meet again March 9 in Oklahoma City.

LONDON (AP) — Formula One ’s governing body has reached a compromise with manufacturers that changes the way the compression ratio will be measured midway through this season and in the 2027 season.

New engine rules set out a compression ratio of 16:1 — a measurement of how tightly the pistons squeeze the mixture of fuel and air before it ignites, and therefore how much power can be generated.

The regulations include a test to stop teams exceeding 16:1, but the checks happen at “ambient temperature.” Some rival teams have suggested Mercedes found a way for components to behave differently when they heat up during use, beating the test, though Mercedes says its engine is fully legal.

The compromise announced Saturday means the compression ratio will be controlled in both hot and cold conditions from June 1 and only when hot from the 2027 season thereafter.

There are seven F1 races before the June 1 test.

“The regulations introduced for 2026 represent one of the biggest changes in recent memory,” the FIA said. “All parties acknowledge that with the introduction of such significant regulatory changes, there are collective learnings to be taken from pre-season testing and the initial rounds of the 2026 championship.

“Further evaluation and technical checks on energy management matters are ongoing.”

Mercedes also supplies McLaren, Alpine and Williams.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing