Category: NBA

The Houston Rockets defeated the Philadelphia Seventy Sixers 114-104 on Thursday night at Toyota Center in Houston. However, after a near collapse in the fourth quarter, Houston needed offensive production, and they found it from none other than guard Aaron Holiday. In his 14 minutes of action, Aaron Holiday was 3-of-5 and scored seven vital points, but what’s most important is his role during the fourth quarter.

Houston was leading 96-73 going into the fourth. Other Rockets fans and I were feeling alright, but just like during the Sun’s game Tuesday, the tables quickly turned. It looked like the game was going to get out of control as the momentum was shifting fast, and Houston was unable to rely on its young players during this stretch, so they turned to the veterans. In the last quarter of the game, the Sixers scored 29 points while the Rockets made only 5 of 20 shots. However, the shots that were made were timely. The Rockets’ ability to make timely shots was crucial. Ime Udoka called a timeout right away after Philly trimmed the margin to 101-94 with almost four minutes remaining in the game. The Rockets would score two consecutive corner threes: one from Kevin Durant after Aaron Holiday drove to the basket, and another from Aaron Holiday after Kevin Durant assisted. This means that during both key possessions, Aaron Holiday found a way to get involved.

Holiday’s production wasn’t only against Philadelphia as he saw an increased run in games versus Utah, Golden State, and Phoenix, scoring six points versus both Utah and Golden State, and 12 points versus Phoenix. Aaron Holiday is the quintessential backup guard who perfectly embodies the next man up mentality. The Rockets are going to need some production from him heading ito this year’s NBA Playoffs.

The Rockets will end their season Sunday night at home versus the Memphis Grizzlies at 7:00. As always, be sure to check back here at The DreamShake for pre- and postgame content.

The Dallas Mavericks (25-56) took on the San Antonio Spurs (62-19) Friday night in their penultimate game of the 2025-2026 season, which ended in a 139-120 loss. Dallas rolled in with a lengthy injury list that included the usual suspects this year, along with P.J. Washington, Naji Marshall and Klay Thompson.

The game started off closer than expected under the circumstances, but the Spurs pulled ahead by 11 points by the end of the first frame. Victor Wembanyama was expected to play around 20 minutes in order to meet qualifications for league honors, and clearly wanted to make the most of his time. He was red hot throughout the night (which ended with him playing 26 minutes) and was a big reason the Spurs jumped out to an early lead.

In the second quarter, the Mavs flipped the script and dropped in 39 points to cut the deficit to three points at the half. Cooper Flagg had a massive game of his own, nearly matching Wembanyama. The Mavs carried their momentum into the third quarter, taking the lead on multiple occasions before the wheels came off. The Spurs scored on nine-straight possessions and almost instantly put the Mavs in a hole they were unable to climb out of.

The fourth quarter basically amount to garbage time, but it was nice to see the Mavs come close to holding steady (getting outscored in the quarter 31-27) despite AJ Johnson, Tyler Smitth and John Poulakidas leading the charge in the late going. When all was said and done, the Mavs had a solid offensive performance but had no answer for Wembanyama and ultimately got blasted heading into their final game of the season.

The Mavs won the turnover battle

The Mavs won the turnover battle

Dallas has had some awful game in terms of turnovers, occasionally with one or more players tallying five or more each. Tonight was an entirely different story. Both teams took care of the ball, but the Mavs had only seven turnovers against a very good team. Oddly, Dwight Powell accounted for three of them, which itself is an anomaly. In the end, it wasn’t enough to save the Mavs from a lopsided loss, but seeing them take care of the ball against a team that could have made them look silly was a decent consolation prize.

Cooper Flagg’s Rookie of the Year push

Over the past few games, Flagg is clearly being featured even moreso than usual in a final effort to win Rookie of the Year honors. After an 11-point outing last game against the Phoenix Suns, Flagg was back to his old self, pouring in 33 points on 52% shooting on 25 shots; nearly double the next closest Mav (Ryan Nembhard with 13 attempts). Throughout it all, Flagg continues to play within himself and the team’s gameplan. Nothing he did on Friday night felt forced and he even dished out five assists. It’s insane to me to think Flagg has a chance at missing out on ROY, and if nothing else, this burst over the past week will at least make for an eternal argument in the annals of NBA history if he doesn’t win the award.

Max Christie finding his shot

Mette Robertson recently covered a podcast that Cooper Flagg partook in. With him was Max Christie, who spoke about what he is learning from Klay Thompson. Particularly, Christie commented on getting his shot off quicker, a sentiment he reiterated in his postgame interview. Christie was 4-for-7 from beyond the arc, and 5-for-12 overall in Friday’s game. His shot looked good and was noticeably quicker. He even got one off from the corner with Wembanyama closing out on it, hitting nothing but net. That Christie is willing to learn and has one of the greatest shooters to learn from, is a positive sign going forward. The Mavs are at the bottom of the league in everything three-point related, and will need Christie to help reverse that trend next year and beyond.

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

Yesterday, the Washington Wizards lost to the Miami Heat, giving them a nine game losing streak. They are 17-64 with one more game left to go. The Indiana Pacers have 19 wins, so that makes them officially … the worst team in the 2025-26 NBA season.

The Wizards will officially finish the 2025-26 season with the NBA’s worst record. pic.twitter.com/nqJi1XPsKX

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 11, 2026

That also means that the Wizards are winners with NBA Draft lottery chances. Our own Greg Finberg as the odds below.

The Wizards’ lottery odds are set:

No. 1 pick: 14.0%
No. 2 pick: 13.4%
No. 3 pick: 12.7%
No. 4 pick: 12.0%
No. 5 pick: 47.9%

Washington is locked into a top-5 pick. pic.twitter.com/4N1NJFmiag

— Greg Finberg (@GregFinberg) April 11, 2026

With the acquisitions of Trae Young and Anthony Davis before the trade deadline, it appears that Monumental Basketball President Michael Winger and General Manager Will Dawkins are ready to turn the page on another sub-20 win season. Hopefully this past season is the last time when we are quietly wondering whether losing is actually winning, if you know what I mean.

Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara played a pivotal role in head coach Dusty May and the Michigan Wolverines winning the national championship this season. Now, after successful first years in Ann Arbor, both big men have important decisions to make in the next month or so.

Mara and Johnson — along with fellow Wolverine Yaxel Lendeborg — are projected to be first-round picks in this summer’s NBA Draft. Mara is projected to be selected in the late portion of the lottery, while Johnson is expected to go in the late part of the first round.

The goal for all guys that enter the NBA Draft is to receive a guaranteed contract. If you are selected in the first round, you will receive a guaranteed contract for two years; the remaining two years after that are controlled by the team. The higher you get picked, the more money you make.

Turning down the NBA isn’t easy, but Johnson recently told NBC5 in Chicago he wouldn’t mind doing it if that’s what’s best for him.

“There’s no rush because if I can’t get (a guaranteed contract) this year, I know I can get it next year, and I have no issue coming back to Michigan and trying to repeat,” Johnson said.

#Michigan PF Morez Johnson and his decision to either stay or go to the NBA via NBC Chicago:

“There’s no rush because if I can’t get a (guarantee NBA contract this year), I know I can get it next year. I have no issue with coming back to Michigan and trying to repeat.” pic.twitter.com/7KVZO6af5l

— Brice Marich (@BriceMarich) April 11, 2026

Johnson is ESPN’s No. 27 overall prospect on their big board this year. Just for the sake of example, let’s say 27 overall is exactly where he goes in this year’s draft. The 27th overall pick last year was former Wolverine Danny Wolf. According to Spotrac, Wolf is making $2,801,280 as a first-year NBA player. Let’s say the number goes up slightly this year and is right at $2.9 million.

With all that information in mind, the question then becomes whether or not Michigan would be able to match or exceed the $2.9 million, bring Johnson back for one more year and help raise his draft stock. Michigan isn’t a poor program by any means, so it wouldn’t be surprising if that scenario were to be reality. I’m sure May and his staff wouldn’t mind having a veteran big man that has experience in the system back in Ann Arbor.

Meanwhile, in a separate interview with a Spanish media outlet, Mara was speaking as if he already had his mind made up as far as declaring for the draft. But it also sounds like he will retain his collegiate eligibility just in case.

“There’s still the whole summer ahead, during which I have to prepare for the draft, talk to teams, train with teams, and see what position I’ll play,” Mara said. “I’m lucky enough to be able to decide what to do; both options are good, whether I stay or leave.”

May already has an insurance policy in the event that one or both big men leave for the draft, as the Wolverines acquired the commitment of former Tennessee center J.P. Estrella on Thursday. However, getting one or both of Johnson and Mara to come back would be incredible for Michigan’s chances of going back-to-back.

At this point, I expect both of them to declare for the draft while retaining their college eligibility. Mara seems more likely than Johnson to stay in the draft, but both of them very well could be ready to move on regardless of where they end up getting selected. The deadline to withdraw from the draft is May 27, so there is a lot of time between now and then for the Michigan big men to finalize their plans.

What do you think Mara and Johnson will do? Go to the NBA? Return to Michigan? Let me know what you think down in the comments section below!

If he stays he would be trouble (for the opponents).

If he goes it might be double (carrying the UNC torch brightly into the NBA).

First off: this is not a question about what’s best for Caleb. Everyone has him as a top five pick in the NBA, and I genuinely believe he could rise as high as #2. Darius Acuff brings serious defensive concerns. Darryn Peterson has created mental health concerns. Cameron Boozer has NBA execs wondering about his positional versatility and inability to play above the rim. AJ Dybantsa seems the clear #1 at this point, but Wilson’s combination of size, athleticism, basketball IQ, and intangibles has GMs salivating. What does the 2nd pick in the NBA draft deliver? $25,000,000 guaranteed over the first two years with another $30,000,000 in the following two years, which are team optional. It’s best for Caleb to go to the draft right now.

But let’s get selfish for a moment and think about this in terms of what’s best for UNC.

If Caleb comes back, he brings star power and an on-court presence UNC could build a champion around. He’d probably be one of the headline players all off-season, the projected top pick in next year’s draft. He’d be taking a legit shot at “legend” both at UNC and within the college game. On the flip side, he’d also consume a massive amount of NIL on next season’s roster, and he’d risk the dreaded sophomore slump. Can you imagine UNC fans ranting about Coach Malone if Wilson wasn’t going for 25 and 12 every game? I can.

If Caleb goes to the NBA, he’d be the first Tar Heel to go in the top 5 since Marvin Harrison and Raymond Felton in 2005. Caleb oozes UNC positivity and can’t stop talking about how much he loves Chapel Hill and Tar Heel basketball. Carrying that energy into the draft and his rookie season would be proof of concept that UNC basketball can nurture an exceptional talent and propel them to the game’s heights, while also delivering an authentic college experience beyond the court. Caleb didn’t live in a basketball bubble at UNC, divorced from real student life. He soaked it all in.

What a walking, talking billboard for UNC in the pro game, something it’s lacked for awhile now.

So, how do you see it? Let us know in the comments below.

On Thursday, April 9th, 2026, the NBA released an official statement regarding a bizarre situation in a recent Sacramento Kings versus Golden State Warriors game.

In case you missed it, Sacramento Head Coach Doug Christie instructed his own players to intentionally foul an above average free throw shooter, Seth Curry, despite holding a one-point lead in clutch time. The KANGZ Kings ultimately lost the game in regulation, and considering the tight battle to earn the top lottery odds in a stacked draft, it sparked yet another conversation about “tanking.”

By now, you must be sick of hearing about this. Adam Silver’s focus on punishing teams for losing instead of much more important matters (sports betting). Nonsensical and complicated draft lottery reforms. Fans criticizing talking heads for even talking about it.

Enough!

Alright, fine. But before we leave this all behind us, can I just give you one more quick story? Please?

---

Let’s turn back your clocks back to calendar year 2006.

Actually, almost exactly 20 years ago to the day. It’s April 18th, the last day of the regular season. The Minnesota Timberwolves were going to miss the playoffs for the second straight season. An inauspicious 33-48 record put them second to last in the West standings, but tied for the seventh-worst overall record. Not great. However, the silver lining was that they were in line to secure the seventh spot in the 2006 NBA draft lottery.

Here’s where it gets interesting.

There was one team just half a game behind Minnesota in the standings: the Boston Celtics. More importantly, three teams sat just one game ahead of the Wolves in the standings: Seattle SuperSonics, Golden State Warriors, and Houston Rockets. Why does this matter?

Just eight months prior, the Timberwolves traded away their first round pick (along with All-Star Sam Cassell) to the Los Angeles Clippers.

That pick was smartly (?) top 10 protected through 2011. That meant if the Wolves finished with the eighth-worst record or lower, they would not be at risk of losing said pick. With three teams on the Minnesota’s heels, there was potential for shenanigans tomorrow. Let’s game a look at the tip-off times for all of the aforementioned teams:

• Heat @ Celtics – 6:30pm CT
• Spurs @ Rockets – 7:00pm CT
• Grizzlies @ Timberwolves – 7:00pm CT
• Warriors @ Jazz – 8:00pm CT
• Nuggets @ SuperSonics – 9:30pm CT

Unfortunately for Minnesota, the staggered start times made it impossible for them to know if they need should tank or not.

Let’s jump back to Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Memphis had nothing to play for, as they had all but locked in their spot as the number five seed in the Western Conference playoffs. In fact, a loss could’ve even benefitted them, pitting them against a 44-38 Nuggets team instead of a 60-22 Mavericks team. They rested or limited minutes to their key rotation players such as a young Pau Gasol, Mike Miller, Shane Battier, and Eddie Jones.

The Wolves weren’t to be outdone.

Since a loss would secure their lottery pick, they went all out. Kevin Garnett, who had been already been sitting out due to a “right quad injury,” would not be available. Ricky Davis, who had also been out for that same span, was also not active due to a “right knee injury.” They were the Wolves top two scorers by a mile. Not enough? Let’s take starting point guard, Marko Jarić off the table for no real reason.

Things didn’t start great for Minnesota though. Well, they did great if you’re talking about winning a basketball game. They stumbled into a 10-point lead right before halftime. That advantage shrunk to just six at the end of the third quarter, but there was still time.

Mark Madsen time, to be specific.

The 30-year-old, two-time NBA champion, knew what it took to win. And in this case, a win actually meant a loss. He subbed in for starting center Mark “Big Basic” Blount with 3:09 remaining in the third quarter, and never looked back. If you aren’t familiar with other Madsen’s game, he was a classic undersized, hustle-type, frenetic energy big. In today’s game, think Dwight Powell. Madsen only averaged about 10 minutes a game and less than two field goal attempts.

In this specific game, Madsen played 30 minutes and took 15 shots.

After missing his first three shots of the game, he finally made his first (and only) bucket of the game. Madsen’s layup put the Wolves up five with 7:35 remaining. Danger time. Minnesota was up three with 39 seconds left and possession of the ball. They could nearly run out the clock and simply secure a victory. Instead, with 12 ticks still on the shot clock, “Mad Dog” fired a 15-foot jumper that missed.

Why does that seem weird?

That was Madsen’s second shot from outside the paint.

All season.

After essentially leading all game, the Grizzlies had somehow managed to drag this clown show into overtime thanks to a Brian Cardinal three-pointer on the following possession. What ensued in the two following five-minute overtime periods would make Adam Silver choke on a slice of tiramisu.

If you thought Mark taking his second ever jump shot of the season at the end of regulation was bad, you hadn’t seen anything yet. Throughout Madsen’s 502 NBA games, including both regular season and the postseason, he had only ever attempted 18 three-point shots. Five of those 18 were halfcourt heaves, so he’s really ever taken 13 honest to god shots from beyond the arc.

13 three-point attempts in 502 games. He made one of those.

He shot seven three-point attempts in 10 minutes of overtime play in this game alone.

He made none of those.

Many of these “shots” had no chance of going in. Airballs, backboard rockets, bricks off the side of the rim. You could hear fans in Target Center shouting out “Draft pick!” during this horrid display. Eventually, you see Madsen smiling, might I say winking, at fans during dead ball situations late in the game. The broadcast even cut to replays of both the Minnesota and Memphis benches bursting into laughter as Madsen ran around like Steph Curry, launching jumpers off the catch. The late, great Tom Hanneman and a young Jim Peterson were on the call and were cracking up, even encouraging Madsen to “Let it rain!” live during the game. It ended with Head Coach Dewane Casey drawing up an elevator doors play for Madsen to get off a three-ball despite being down 10.

I am not embellishing.

Feast your eyes on rare footage of this blatant, shameless, and absolutely hilarious tank job by the Timberwolves, commandeered by Mark Madsen:

Victor's coming! Tanking teams need guidance.

Remember the time Mark Madsen went 1-for-15 in the 82nd game? He missed 7 threes in 2 OT's as Minnesota scraped out an L to move up in the draft.

Fans yelling "DRAFT PICK!", visiting Grizzlies in disbelief. An unbelievable game. pic.twitter.com/PnNtE2qXAR

— Reinis Lācis (@LamarMatic) December 1, 2022

If you think this game came and passed as if no one paid attention, well then you would be wrong. Casey shared his thoughts with reporters after the game.

“The guys were having fun with it. For what we’ve been through this season, I thought the guys deserved it. I hope what we did didn’t make a mockery of the game”

Dewane Casey, 2006

Even Madsen himself recalled the game some eight years later. Like Casey, he laughed it off as harmless fun.

“Imagine being out there, catching the ball at the three-point line and the whole arena is yelling, ‘Shoot.’ It doesn’t make me feel good. So in my mind, I’m like, you know what, I’ve worked hard on my game. I’m going to go out there and knock these down. I think everyone in that building knew the situation. But I go out there and try to make every single shot always.”

Mark Madsen, 2014

You’d imagine that this Timberwolves organization, who just got harshly punished by the NBA for illegal contract negotiations six years ago, would’ve been discouraged from any potential funny business. But this was 2006, where things were still new. There wasn’t easy access to watching or streaming basketball games, nor was there social media to spit out clips and aggregate this travesty.

Glen Taylor’s Timberwolves walked away Scot-free.

General Manager, Kevin McHale, ended up with the number six pick in the 2006 NBA draft. He selected multi-time All-Star and All-NBA guard, Brandon Roy. However, on draft night, McHale swapped the draft rights to Roy for future career-journeyman, Randy Foye. So, yeah. The Timberwolves may have pulled off the most blatant greatest tank job ever without direct repercussion, but in some ways, they ultimately punished themselves.

Because sometimes you might think you’re tanking, when in reality, you’re really just a living, breathing, tank.

Let that be a lesson to those of you pissed off at Sacramento.

It became obvious early on that this Dallas Mavericks season wouldn’t be about wins and losses. There would be no playoff push, no late game heroics in the postseason. Not even a solid 41-41 season that might give you some hope for the next year.

So you start thinking about reasons to watch this team. You could settle on a lot of things, but one you could land on is the vibes. You want to have a good time, and maybe the Mavericks can help you with that.

For the most part, they have. Despite having an atrocious record, they’ve been competitive all season. Cooper Flagg has flashed promise of superstardom, having more than a few huge scoring nights, including a 50-point game recently. The two-way guys brought up from the G League have been fun. Inconsistent, but fun.

But mostly when you have a season like this, you just want to have a good hang with the team. You want an interesting and lively group that can find some joy in the long grind that is the NBA regular season.

That’s where Dwight Powell comes in.

A few weeks back, the Mavericks Instagram account posted a video where the players were asked about their favorite restaurants. They mostly name steakhouses near the American Airlines Center, which fine, whatever. I’m not a food critic, and they probably just want a nice meal where they won’t be bothered. NBA players are mostly very tall, and therefore can’t exactly blend in when out in public.

I’m not going to get upset that not one barbecue place was mentioned. And I understand it’s a drive to Arlington, but Smoke’N Ash is there. I’m not going to say they should try Jose on Lovers, a place featured in Netflix’s Taco Chronicles. I don’t know all the good restaurants.

But this isn’t about Dallas restaurants.

This is about Dwight Powell. His aura. The vibe glowing off this man. Look at him.

And of course he chose Uchi as his favorite restaurant. The man knows good food. He knows Dallas. He knows where the good vibes are.

Don’t talk to me about Powell’s plus/minus, or his points per game. I’m not interested in his shooting percentages. Don’t even think about bringing up his DARKO or RAPTOR rating, I don’t even know what that is. All I care about his is POWELL rating, and it’s off the charts.

Powell is here, creating and maintaining vibes you can’t even begin to consider. Whatever he contributes on the court is just extra for the Mavericks.

Toward the end of the video, Klay Thompson calls Powell the mayor of Dallas. It’s just a joke, of course, but Powell has been here in the Metroplex since 2015. He’s the longest tenured player on the Mavericks by far. He’s seen almost everything here in Dallas, except a championship. He got close in 2024.

The mayor in most cities does a lot of ceremonial duties. They cut ribbons, pose for pictures, shake hands. They set the tone, create the culture. That’s what Powell does for the Mavericks. Sure, he’s willing to step in and play some basketball when needed, but mostly, he is focused on his more important job—keeping the good vibes flowing.

Cormac Ryan electrified the crowd in the opening minutes of his first-ever start, and AJ Green later brought the house down with an all-time display of marksmanship, leading to an emphatic 125-108 win by the Milwaukee Bucks over the Brooklyn Nets. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast, Bucks In Six Minutes, below.

Player Grades

AJ Green

41 minutes, 35 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 11/18 FG, 11/16 3P, +29

Green closed a somewhat up-and-down season with a virtuoso sendoff. Yes, he made franchise history with 11 made triples, and moved into second all-time for three-pointers made in a season. Those things got everyone riled up, with the crowd chanting his name (and nickname). Even better, though, he played a complete game, complementing his shooting theatrics with solid playmaking, above-average rebounding, and alert D. Hard to find anything not to love about his statement game.

Grade: A+

Cormac Ryan

34 minutes, 28 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 turnovers, 1 steal, 10/17 FG, 5/9 3P, +21

In his first-ever start, Ryan came out firing—and rarely missed in the first quarter. He looked like anything but a newbie, playing under control and never seeming out of sorts on offense or defense. His breakout game would be THE story on any other night. Alas, Dairy Bird outshone him, a tough task when Ryan was such an electrifying player all game long.

Grade: A

Taurean Prince

35 minutes, 18 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 6/13 FG, 6/11 3P, +18

Prince showed out, displaying the big impact on both ends that the team missed out on during his extended absence due to neck surgery. A sequence in the third quarter—he made a high degree-of-difficulty corner triple, then stole the ball on D and raced down court to drain another three—was a crescendo moment that had fans going berserk, and wishing they’d seen more of Prince throughout the season.

Grade: A

Ousmane Dieng

37 minutes, 12 points, 6 rebounds, 12 assists, 5/12 FG, 0/4 3P, 4 turnovers, +17

Dieng played the kind of solid all-around game that has become his hallmark. On a night when so many teammates were on fire shooting, it was Dieng who most consistently found them for open looks. His own poor shooting was more than made up for by those dozen helpers and six boards.

Grade: B+

Jericho Sims

30 minutes, 11 points, 10 rebounds, 4/4 FG, 3 assists, 2 blocks, –7

Sims followed his career-first triple-double with a double-double in Friday’s tilt. What stood out was his rebounding, as he kept many possessions alive with five offensive boards. He scored at his usual hyper-efficient rate. The plus-minus number seems misleading, as the eye test showed Sims making winning plays on both ends.

Grade: B

Myles Turner

27 minutes, 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 blocks, 6/11 FG, 1/5 3P, +26

Turner was a force of nature on both ends. He swatted away five Nets’ shots and altered plenty more. He started the game with a triple to get the crowd revved up, and kept bringing the cheers with thunder dunks and more long bombs in the second half. Those flourishes came between periods where he seemed quiet, but his +26 tells the story of an overwhelmingly positive impact.

Grade: A-

Kyle Kuzma

21 minutes, 8 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists, 5 turnovers, 3/4 FG, 1/1 3P, –8

Kuzma pulled his occasional disappearing act, not making many obviously winning plays—save the electrifying logo triple to close the first half—while playing too fast and coughing up the ball five times. Not a tragic Kuz game, but certainly not much to like here either.

Grade: C

Andre Jackson, Jr.

15 minutes, 0 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 0/2 FG, 0/2 3P, -11

On Redemption Night for many of his teammates, AJax just couldn’t get his act together enough to join the revival. His shot was off, and he didn’t do much else to help the team’s cause. His -11 “led” the team, and felt like an accurate reflection of his overall impact.

Grade: D

Doc Rivers

No Bobby, no Giannis, no KPJ. Yes, the Nets were also depleted and are a horrid team even at full strength. But the Bucks decisively won the battle of lottery squads, with huge performances from a cast of nobodies. The standout performances from Green, Ryan, Dieng, Sims, and Prince showed that the coaching staff did a better-than-average job coaxing development from those players and keeping them engaged in a season where not much went right, and players could be forgiven if they were checked out by now. Friday’s performance suggested they aren’t, and Rivers deserves heavy credit.

Grade: A

DNP-CD: Alex Antetokounmpo, Thanassis Antetokounmpo

Inactive: Bobby Portis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Pete Nance, Gary Trent, Jr., Kevin Porter Jr., Gary Harris, Ryan Rollins

Bonus Bucks Bits

• With 227 three-pointers this season, Green is second all-time in Bucks history. He has a great chance of surpassing Ray Allen, currently number one with 229 triples in the 2001-02 campaign.
• In scoring 20+ points in three of his first 10 NBA games, Cormac Ryan joins elite company. Others in Bucks’ history who’ve achieved that feat: Kareem, Marques Johnson, Brandon Jennings, and Ray Allen.
• Ryan said he and Green engaged in heated games of one-on-one on summer mornings at 5:00 a.m. last offseason: “I felt bad for our trainers; we had to drag them in. They just wanted to sleep.”

Up Next

The Bucks travel to Philly for a Sunday night tilt against the 76ers in the final game of the season. Catch it at 5:00 p.m. CDT on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin.

Brandin Podziemski acknowledges viral 30-point post after career night originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

April 10, 2026: Remember where you were. History was made.

Brandin Podziemski finally reached a career-high 30 points Friday night against the Sacramento Kings, and he had some fun with reporters postgame.

MY GOAT KNOWS MEE 🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/GDBv6Nj7dZ

— Podziemski’s Gravity (@currysnotafraud) April 11, 2026

The viral social media account @currysnotafraud has been inactive since Nov. 24, 2024, due to Podziemski’s inability to score 30 points. That all changed Friday night.

https://t.co/3a3D1jCmFopic.twitter.com/WheysDhczO

— Podziemski’s Gravity (@currysnotafraud) April 11, 2026

Social media has been giving Podziemski a hard time all season, and it snowballed to seemingly being booed at Oracle Park in early April.

Fans have been reluctant to appreciate the efforts Podziemski has contributed this season, having played in all 81 games so far.

The third-year guard out of Santa Clara reached his career-high during garbage time of a 124-118 loss to the Kings, but Podziemski has been close to the 30-point mark on several occasions.

Reaching 25 or more points eight times this season, Podziemski picked up the slack with superstar Steph Curry out for a chunk of the season.

Curry was sidelined with runner’s knee for 27 consecutive games, but is now back just in time for the NBA play-in.

In order for the Warriors to make some noise in the playoffs, Podziemski is going to have to continue posting quality numbers with another 30-point game possibly on the horizon.

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The Suns took on the Lakers on Friday night, and the result was not surprising. Los Angeles came in banged up, but Phoenix essentially waved the white flag with neither Devin Booker nor Jalen Green available. Would it have mattered? We will never know.

What we did see was a heavy dose of the youth movement. Plenty of minutes, plenty of opportunity. The return was modest. These are players stepping into roles they are not used to, and while it looked functional in the first half, once the shots stopped falling in the second half, it unraveled in a way that felt predictable. The offense got clunky. It lost its edge. And the Suns were handled by a 41-year-old LeBron James.

You try to walk away from a game like this asking what you learned. The answer felt simple. LeBron James is still a beast at 41. It is unfair. I have never been the biggest LeBron supporter, but there has always been respect for what he is as a player and how he has carried himself. That part remains. He delivered on Friday night, in a game the Lakers needed to help secure the fourth seed and home court in the first round. That showed.

As for the Suns, the takeaway is clear. The youth is youthful. There is growth ahead before it becomes part of something cohesive. And that is fine.

You pack this one up and move on. People talk about the grind of an 82-game season, but this one felt different. For the Suns, it felt like an 80-game season.

Bright Side Baller Season Standings

Booker’s Bright Side Baller count is officially old enough to snag a tasty beverage at the bar. That’s right, with his 37-pointer against the Mavs on Wednesday, and the graciousness of your votes, Booker now has 21 BSB’s on the season.

Bright Side Baller Nominees

Game 81 against the Lakers. Here are your nominees:

Royce O’Neale
11 points (4-of-10, 2-of-7 3PT), 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover, 0 +/-

Oso Ighodaro
8 points (3-of-4), 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover, +3 +/-

Grayson Allen
8 points (2-of-7, 1-of-5 3PT), 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, +5 +/-

Dillon Brooks
12 points (5-of-14, 0-of-4 3PT), 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, -17 +/-

Mark Williams
7 points (2-of-2), 5 rebounds, 2 turnovers, 1 block, -20 +/-

Amir Coffey
7 points (3-of-6, 1-of-2 3PT), 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 turnover, -11 +/-

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Time to vote!

This has been a fascinating NBA season in many aspects, but especially when it comes to the various awards races. Despite the regular season being almost complete, a handful of the biddings for these categories are coming down to the wire.

This year’s Sixth Man of the Year discussion is no exception. In most years, we usually have a pretty obvious candidate. However, this go around, injuries have forced some of the best bench guys to start too many games to qualify (i.e., Payton Pritchard). 

With this said, the race has narrowed to two main candidates: Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Keldon Johnson. According to popular sportsbooks like FanDuel, they are the only two players with realistic odds of taking home the crown. 

But which of these two gentlemen is most deserving of the award? Let’s take a look at the numbers.

The Box Score

Raw counting stats favor Jaquez. This season, he boasts a higher PPG, APG, and stocks (steals and blocks) per game, and his RPG (5.1) are nearly identical to that of Johnson (5.4). However, Jaime also plays nearly five more minutes per contest than Johnson, so it isn’t necessarily fair to compare these two without adjusting for playing time.

To do this, we will look at points per 75 possessions, rebounding rates (both offensive and defensive), assist rate, and stock rate. We also need to factor in efficiency. So, true shooting percentage is also included in the chart below:

When you look at it this way, Johnson is the superior scorer and rebounder, and he’s managing this higher scoring output on better efficiency. However, Jaquez’s role within the Miami Heat offense asks him to do a lot more creating for himself (his unassisted field goal rate is 14.7% higher than Johnson’s) and his teammates. 

Jaquez’s steal/block rate is also higher than Johnson’s, but only by a slight margin, and that may be explained by the fact that the Heat tend to be a more aggressive defense than the San Antonio Spurs in general (Miami’s opponent turnover rate is 1.3% higher).

The Advanced Stats

As many of you know by now, the box score hardly ever tells the full story – even when you adjust for pace. A player’s numbers are only as good as their impact on winning, and history is littered with empty-calorie stat sheet stuffers (I’m looking at you Cam Thomas). 

Dunks & Threes’ Estimated Plus-Minus is widely-viewed as the best publicly-available one-number metric because it incorporates tracking data. EPM gives Johnson the edge, as he ranks in the 73rd percentile leaguewide while Jaquez sits at just the 59th percentile.

But again, we need to add more context. One number metrics are limited to measuring how good a particular player is on their particular team. And as we’ve already established, Jaquez is generally asked to do more for the Heat than Johnson is for the Spurs, so he has more to live up to as far as impact metrics go. 

So, we also need to point out how each team fares when these two wings are on the floor. When it comes to pure on-court rating, Johnson laps Jaquez (see chart below), which makes sense because Johnson plays on the far superior team (the Spurs have 20 more wins than the Heat).

That is why we also need to include on/off data (how well a team does when you are on the floor compared to when you are on the bench) to this analysis. Based on this, the Heat are better with Jaquez on the floor, while the Spurs are actually better when Johnson is on the bench.

Historical Precedent

History tells us that to win 6MOY of the year you absolutely need to be able to score the ball and you generally need to be on a good team. Since 2001-02, every player who has won the 6MOY award has averaged at least 13 PPG. In that same span of time, 19 of those 24 players (79.2%) played for teams that finished in the top four in their conference. The key exceptions to that last stipulation are Lou Williams (twice), Jason Terry (2008-09), Mike Miller (2005-06), and Antawn Jamison (2003-04), who all still played on teams that made the playoffs.

Both of these guys clear the 13 PPG threshold (although, in Johnson’s case, just barely). But Johnson has a clear edge as far as team success goes. His Spurs are one of the favorites to take home the NBA title, and they currently sit at second in the loaded Western Conference. Meanwhile, the Heat will need some play-in magic (maybe even against Orlando) to qualify for the postseason. 

So, while they both are deserving of the recognition, it seems that history favors Johnson.

The stats in this story were updated before Friday’s games.

April 12th is the last day of the regular season and then the Spurs have a couple of days off before they begin the first round of the playoffs.

What to do, what to do? How about meeting Devin Vassell?

On Monday, April 13th, Spurs swingman Devin Vassell will be making a guest appearance at Panda Express at 7979 Bandera Road.

From noon until 2PM, fans can meet Vassell while trying Panda Express’ new spicy dish – Dynamite Sweet & Sour Chicken.

There will be a photo booth, DJ, prize wheel, and an appearance by Pei Pei, the Panda Express mascot.

Make sure to get there early as these events typically have long lines.

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The Wizards lost to the Miami Heat last night but got strong performances from Bilal Coulibaly and Bub Carrington. The final tally was 140-117 — the third time this season the Heat scored 140 or more against the Wizards.

The shellacking was Washington’s 28th loss by 20 or more points this season. I might believe that number was made up except I watched virtually every minute of them.

The Miami Heat broadcast had some interesting tidbits about the Wizards. Like:

• The Wizards have the NBA’s worst overall record. They also have the worst record at home and on the road. Quite the triple crown.
• It’s Washington’s third straight season with fewer than 20 wins.
• Washington has used 50 different starting lineups in their 81 games so far this season.

Washington getting stomped by the Heat was inevitable. As has been chronicled extensively, the Wizards want to lose to maximize their Draft Lottery odds. Miami wanted to win to improve their position in the NBA’s play-in games. The Wizards set their lineups and minutes distribution accordingly.

While the Wizards received a thorough butt kicking, there were some positives — Coulibaly, Carrington, and Brian Keefe.

Coulibaly was a classic “tough cover” — 25 points in 22 minutes, 5 rebounds, 5 assists. His usage rate was an astronomical 38.6% and his offensive rating (points produced per possession x 100) was 145. That’s a great game.

Carrington had trouble missing shots — 11-15 from the floor, 6-7 from three — en route to 30 points in 34 minutes. He even tossed some accurate lobs, including one to Anthony Gill.

As for Keefe, I’ve liked a lot of what I’ve seen schematically from Keefe this season, at least when the Wizards actually run sets as designed. Last night, there were a number of really clever and well-designed actions on display.

• First quarter, 6:26 — A simple (but effective) “get action.” Carrington passed the ball to JuJu Reese, then ran straight to him for a dribble hand off (DHO). It gave him a wide open three. This is a very old basketball play, and it endures because it works.
• First quarter, 5:32 — Carrington passed to Coulibaly on the wing and runs down to the corner in a classic clearout cut. Coulibaly passed the ball to Reese out top, and then immediately turned and set a pin down screen for Carrington, who sprinted all the way out to Reese at the top for a DHO and a wide open three. I love this play for a few reasons, including how it uses defender assumptions against him (when Carrington cleared out, his defender relaxed just a little because that cleared out guy is usually out of the play at that point). And it gave Carrington an open look from a favorite spot.
• Second quarter, 9:03 — This one was super smart. Miami went zone and Carrington made a normal baseline cut. He emerged on the weak side and came up to the wing. Completely normal action. Except, Will Riley made a similar cut behind him — trailing him to the weak side but going to the corner. The weak side defender picked up Carrington and followed him to the wing. That left Riley undefended in the corner where he got a wide open three-point attempt on the swing pass. He missed, but this is great play design.
• Third quarter, 9:28 — One of my favorite plays of the night — I’m calling it a horizontal Spain pick-and-roll. So, in a Spain pnr, a second screener comes into the action to screen for the original screener. Keefe and the Wizards turned it on its side. In this version, Carrington screened for Coulibaly and then cleared only to double back over a Reese screen into a wide open three from the top.

All this is to say, I’m looking forward to seeing what Keefe and the Wizards coaching staff can do when they’re playing to win.

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	HEAT	WIZARDS	LGAVG
eFG%	72.0%	57.6%	54.5%
OREB%	30.0%	16.2%	26.0%
TOV%	17.6%	12.7%	12.7%
FTM/FGA	0.268	0.120	0.207
PACE	102		99.3
ORTG	137	115	115.7

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	+/-
Bilal Coulibaly	22	47	145	38.6%	5.4	307	3
Bub Carrington	34	72	158	23.7%	7.3	200	-2
Sharife Cooper	21	45	179	16.5%	4.7	201	-19
Julian Reese	37	78	111	12.8%	-0.5	67	-11
Anthony Gill	35	75	122	10.1%	0.5	38	-20
Will Riley	28	60	81	28.7%	-5.9	6	-30
Jamir Watkins	31	66	70	16.1%	-4.8	2	-25
Leaky Black	32	67	60	20.5%	-7.6	-52	-11

HEAT	MIN	POSS	ORTG	USG	+PTS	PPA	+/-	zip
Simone Fontecchio	27	57	204	17.7%	8.9	326	3	2
Bam Adebayo	38	82	132	19.2%	2.6	160	22	7
Jaime Jaquez Jr.	36	77	137	21.7%	3.6	161	24	7
Kasparas Jakucionis	31	66	149	16.9%	3.7	179	22	5
Kel’el Ware	22	46	188	14.1%	4.7	215	-1	1
Pelle Larsson	27	56	128	32.7%	2.3	132	17	8
Andrew Wiggins	23	49	108	25.5%	-0.9	80	5	7
Keshad Johnson	30	63	102	14.4%	-1.2	58	23	5
Vladislav Goldin	1	3		0.0%	0.0	0	0	0
Trevor Keels	1	3		0.0%	0.0	0	0	0
Jahmir Young	1	3	62	34.6%	-0.5	-103	0	1
Myron Gardner	3	7	0	15.3%	-1.2	-421	0	1

Neemias Queta’s first season as a full-time starting center for the Boston Celtics has gone according to plan, as teammates have already begun rallying around his campaign for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.

In the third quarter of Friday night’s 144-118 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, he drew the loudest crowd reaction of the night. Queta set a screen for Jaylen Brown and hovered around the perimeter as Brown drove and kicked the ball out to Jordan Walsh. Walsh then passed up the three and tossed it back to Queta, who sank his first-career 3-pointer, sending both TD Garden and Boston’s bench into a frenzy.

Luka Garza and Ron Harper Jr. stood up with both arms in the air. Nikola Vučević raised three fingers, and Queta returned the gesture.

“Buttery. It was buttery,” Sam Hauser told reporters, per CLNS Media. “It was smooth.”

There was no bounce off the rim. No help from the backboard. Just a clean, nothing-but-net make from the 7-footer.

We know you want to see this 😁👌 pic.twitter.com/EaLYBSAlba

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 11, 2026

Queta missed his first seven attempts this season after missing three last season. In his first three seasons — two with the Sacramento Kings and his first with Boston — he didn’t attempt a single 3-pointer. Still, during his first year with the Celtics, Queta routinely worked on his 3-point shot with the team’s stay-ready group while serving as a backup to Kristaps Porziņģis and Al Horford. That pregame work carried over into his transition to a starting role this season, with teammates eagerly awaiting his moment.

“He was pretty excited about that one,” Hauser said. “We were pretty excited for him. But he’s done a great job all year, gotten better and better and better, and really shown why he’s a starting five in this league and on our team. And I think his name should be in the running for Most Improved Player. He’s come up big for us a lot this year, and we’re gonna need for him to continue that.”

Giving the Celtics a 99-58 lead, Queta helped the team accomplish two feats: clinching the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and tying the NBA’s record for 3-pointers made in a game (29). Although Boston fell short of breaking the record, the C’s became the only team in history to reach that mark twice, doing so for the second time in two seasons.

Boston shot 49.2 percent, making 29-of-59 attempts against New Orleans.

Queta finished with seven points, 10 rebounds, and two assists in 13 minutes. He attempted only three shots, draining each one, and checked out with 5:48 remaining in the third quarter. His lone block made Queta the first player in Celtics history to record 100 blocks, 600 rebounds, and 60 steals in a season since Robert Parish (1990-91).

“That’s cool,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters, per CLNS Media. “Again, those are little things that are important because you see the work that the guys put in. And again, the responsibility, the ownership of a guy taking on being the starting center for the Celtics. So for him to be able to achieve that is great, and just his work and his attention to detail defensively.

“There’s a ton of pressure in our system on the bigs. They have to do everything on both ends of the floor, and he relishes that opportunity. That’s cool. I’m glad he got that, and he’s getting better and better.”

This season, Queta has averaged career highs in points (10.3), rebounds (8.3), assists (1.7), and blocks (1.3). He’s made 75 starts for the Celtics, leads the East in screen assists (272), and ranks sixth in net rating (12.9) — first among centers in the East and third among all centers league-wide, behind Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren.

“He just impacts the game in so many ways,” Vučević told reporters, per CLNS Media. “Some of those things don’t even show up in the stat sheet, but they matter a lot to us.”

Queta is among the most underrated centers in the league, due in large part to recency bias. Last season, he barely cracked Boston’s playoff rotation, logging just four minutes in the first round against the Orlando Magic and nine minutes in the conference semifinals against the New York Knicks behind Porziņģis, Horford, and Luke Kornet. The opportunity wasn’t there for Queta to make an impression — which, if anything, should strengthen his Most Improved Player case.

When the front office parted ways with three of the team’s primary rotation bigs, the pressure was on Queta from day one. He’s made the most of that long-awaited opportunity, transforming himself from what team president of basketball operations Brad Stevens described on Media Day as “unproven” into a legitimate NBA starting center.

For the first 62 games of the year, part of the reason the Celtics survived without Jayson Tatum was Queta.

“I hope he’s up for it and I hope he gets it,” Mazzulla said. “He deserves it. And to me, obviously as a player, but more so what it means to do it for the Celtics, I think, goes a long way, and where he’s been on his journey in the NBA. But also his journey with us in our organization.”

Mazzulla is adamant that Queta should become the first Celtic ever to win the award since its introduction in 1985-86.

“He should seriously be considered that,” Mazzulla added, “because of where he was and where he is now, and we wouldn’t be in that position without him.”

If the Utah Jazz were fined $500,000 for suspected tanking in a game that they won, Adam Silver had better be aligning the crosshairs of his catastrophic death laser (every NBA commissioner has had one since Larry O’Brien had his commissioned back in ‘83) directly at the Memphis Grizzlies. If Utah’s tanking was worth half a million dollars, there’s no rationalizing that what the Grizzlies displayed in Salt Lake City Friday night isn’t worthy of capital punishment.

I mean, come on. Memphis played just six players in the Delta Center this fateful evening, none of whom would be recognizable to your father, who has watched every Jazz game since 1992. They wouldn’t be recognizable to the freakiest of basketball freaks, save for maybe Dariq Whitehead, who played at Duke a few seasons ago, but more recently played a team-low 24 minutes before an SLC crowd.

One could argue that Utah’s response of playing just seven deep on the depth chart is practically just as egregious as their visitors’ transgression, but that argument collapses like a paper cup on its fifth refill when you take into account the point differential; Utah by 46. A 147-101 final in the Delta Center’s season finale.

In what many called the “Tanking Super Bowl” in the hours leading up to tip-off, this end-of-season matchup between the Utah Jazz (22-59, 15th in West) and the Memphis Grizzlies (25-56, 12th in West) should have been entirely irrelevant — and in a lot of ways, it was — but Utah entered this meeting still holding to the hope of snatching the third-best NBA Draft lottery odds away from the Brooklyn Nets. The Grizzlies are fighting for every inch and praying to secure the sixth-worst odds from Dallas, while Utah is in a tug-of-war with the league’s most destitute franchise, hilariously dubbed the Kings. Thank heaven Sacramento messed around and beat Golden State tonight, or else there’d be some real panic in Utah’s front office.

The TANKING SUPER BOWL Tonight! 😂

An entire season of hard work comes down to this. #TakeNotepic.twitter.com/unROt07tIn

— Matt Sanchez (@_MattSanchez) April 10, 2026

But after the Nets nobly fell upon their swords against Milwaukee, the Jazz remained out of reach of a top-3 selection, even if they didn’t dismantle the unrecognizable Memphis Grizzlies (That’s right: the NBA’s poster boy for the tanking epidemic isn’t even in the top three of the practice’s worst offenders, so log that away).

And when I call the Grizzlies unrecognizable, I mean that in complete sincerity. With 15 — count ‘em — fifteen Grizzlies listed on the injury report, not even former Jazzmen Walter Clayton Jr or Taylor Hendricks were available for Memphis’ visit to Salt Lake City. Apologies to those hoping to see our brothers in action.

No, Utah didn’t want to win this basketball game; they’ve got a gawk-worthy receipt to prove their dedication. Unfortunately, it takes two to tank, and Utah’s reserves proved far more formidable than their visitors. Two franchises working in opposite directions, the Jazz hope to compete in the Western Conference Play-Offs around this time next season. Memphis expects to float in deliberate obscurity for the foreseeable future.

These directional differences could not have been more apparent in Utah’s win Friday night. From the tip, Utah crushed the Grizzlies in what was anticipated to be one of the late season’s great tank-offs. But Utah proved to exist in an entirely different realm, scoring 110 points and leading by 26 at the end of the third quarter.

The scoring differential nearly doubled by the end of the fourth.

Yeesh.

Utah won in every quarter of this game, and never scored fewer than 33 points in a 12-minute frame. It’s almost no wonder that this team made NBA history tonight with perhaps two of the three least meaningful triple-doubles since the stat began being tracked. Add John Konchar (former Grizzly) and recent multi-year signee Bez Mbeng (former Ivy Leaguer) to the all-time list of NBA triple-doubles, as both players posted their remarkable stat lines from Will Hardy’s bench.

First teammates in NBA history to record a triple-double off the bench in the same game:

Bez Mbeng:
27 PTS
11 REB
11 AST

John Konchar:
11 PTS
11 REB
10 AST

Jazz beat the Grizzlies 147-101. pic.twitter.com/ljWkbKghhH

— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) April 11, 2026

Memphis had a triple-double man of their own, Jahmai Mashack. If you bet any amount of money on that man to post such a stat line before tip-off, you may never have to work another day in your life.

So the Jazz won (or lost?) the Tanking Super Bowl. Big whoop. At the moment, they’re a coin flip away from the fifth-best odds to get the number-one overall pick, but need I remind you all that the NBA Draft Lottery’s flattened odds are not and have never been friendly to the worst record. Since the initial change in 2019, the worst record in the NBA has never walked away from the lottery with the winning ticket. Dallas jumped 10 spots last year. Atlanta jumped 9 in the year before.

Before you panic about winning tank-offs, remember that all the Jazz can do is put themselves in contention. It’s all random, and Adam Silver was never going to let Utah have the first pick, anyway.

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Calvin Barrett is a writer, editor, and prolific Mario Kart racer located in Tokyo, Japan. He has covered the NBA and College Sports since 2024.