Once again, the Kings will be without Domantas Sabonis on Wednesday night.
Sacramento’s star big man is listed as out for the team’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden 1 Center, per the latest NBA injury report, with a right ankle sprain.
Sabonis sustained the injury in the third quarter of the Kings’ 132-122 win over the Memphis Grizzles on Monday, and it was evident as he hobbled to the locker room that the incident could be serious.
Before the ankle injury, Sabonis was playing in his second game back after missing six contests with a Grade 1 hamstring strain. Disaster struck again Monday when Sabonis was driving to the rim and awkwardly rolled his right ankle as he went for the layup.
In 57 games during the 2024-25 NBA season so far, Sabonis is averaging a double-double with 19.1 points, 14.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists.
The Kings went on to beat the Grizzlies without Sabonis and snap a four-game losing streak, and they’ll have to keep things rolling without him at home Wednesday night against the NBA-leading Cavaliers.
Udonis Haslem believes the Warriors need to avoid the NBA play-in tournament.
The former NBA player-turned-analyst made that much clear when asked what he thought about Golden State potentially falling out of a top-six seed in the Western Conference.
“That’s a tough one because you do not want to be in a play-in,” Haslem said Monday on ESPN’s “NBA Today.” “[Monday] night [against the Denver Nuggets] was going to be a tough game for Jimmy [Butler] regardless. When you talk about Aaron Gordon and Russell Westbrook, you’re talking about guys that have size, speed and athleticism. Those are the kinds of guys Jimmy struggles with. Smaller guards he can overpower, bigger guys he can usually get around. Those guys that have that balance of both, those teams are ones Jimmy struggles with. Guys with switchable matchups that can guard him on the post and the perimeter.”
.@ThisIsUD weighs in on why the Warriors need to avoid the play-in tournament.
“Neither [Oklahoma or Houston] in the first round is gonna play out well for Golden State.” 👀 pic.twitter.com/U2dO1l2gpU
While Golden State played an all-around sloppy game, Denver’s size advantage was evident in the Warriors’ 114-105 loss at Chase Center. Gordon and Westbrook had no trouble cutting to the basket and distributing the ball to wide-open shooters. Butler and Steph Curry were bottled up for large stretches of the game as the Warriors’ offense ground to a halt.
Haslem hopes Golden State can avoid playing the top two seeds in the Western Conference right now, as they present an even greater challenge than the Nuggets.
“Hopefully that’s not a matchup they’re going to have [in the playoffs],” Haslem explained. “But [Oklahoma City Thunder] has wing defenders. They have Alex Caruso; they have Luguentz Dort. They have these lengthy, long wing defender guys. And Houston [Rockets] have that as well. So, neither one of those teams in the first round is going to play out well for Golden State. So, in my opinion move up as high as you can and get out of there.”
While Butler has helped the team get back in the NBA playoff picture, the Warriors lack the size and length of the Thunder or Rockets. In what would be a punishing and physical playoff series, Golden State potentially would fare far better against other teams in the West.
With so many teams in contention, the playoff seeding beyond the No. 1 Thunder is anyone’s guess. Hopefully, the Warriors can continue their strong play and avoid the play-in.
Zion Williamson has looked like the franchise anchor New Orleans thought he would be since his return from his latest injury. In his last 15 games, Zion is averaging 25.8 points on 60.6% shooting with 6.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists — and that's all on minutes limit keeping him under 30 a night.
"I remember Bobby [Marks] and I wrote a story just as he was about to come back and kind of like 'What's coming with Zion?'... Somebody told us then the goal is to ramp him up and restore his value whether that's for the Pelicans or another team. And he's handling the first part, to his credit, he is absolutely handling the first part."
Considering his injury history and contract, would there really be much trade demand for Zion? MacMahon said:
"There's some teams that would have significant interest."
Zion has three years and $126.5 million remaining on his contract. Because he has not met a games played clause, the Pelicans could void the final three years and walk away from him, but multiple league sources say that is not expected to happen. If the Pelicans decide to move on, they would rather trade him and get something in return.
Or, the Pelicans could welcome Zion back, pair him with a healthy Trey Murphy III and Herbert Jones (both out with torn labrums the rest of the season) and eventually a healthy Dejonte Murray (torn Achilles) and try to make a "we're finally healthy" run more like Memphis this season. Whether to hang on to him or move on may depend partially on just how high Zion's value is and how much a team would be willing to give up to take a swing with him.
One way or another, it's going to be an interesting summer in the Big Easy.
One ESPN analyst is picking the Warriors as the second-best team in the Western Conference.
Tim MacMahon explained why he believes Golden State has a shot at rising up the standings during the final month of the 2024-25 NBA season.
“I’m going to go with Golden State here,” MacMahon said Tuesday on ESPN’s “NBA Today.” “Obviously, playoff Jimmy [Butler] is a thing because we’ve seen him before. But, more than anything else, Steph Curry last night, Steve Kerr talked about how tired he was.
“They’ve got to get him some rest and get his battery recharged. But he’s still playing at the peak of his powers. Him and Draymond Green, four-time champions. I just think they have the talent and the pedigree to be the biggest threat to Oklahoma City [Thunder].”
While the Warriors have been rejuvenated since trading for Butler, the daunting depth of the Western Conference will be challenging to overcome. Even without three-time MVP Nikola Jokić in uniform, Golden State flopped against the Denver Nuggets on Monday, the current No. 2 in the West. While rookie center Quinten Post has been a solid performer recently, Golden State lacks the size of the other contending teams.
It will be critical for the team to reintegrate Jonathan Kuminga back into the fold, as his incredible speed and athleticism could give Golden State an edge against other teams. As it stands now, relying solely on Curry and Butler to generate consistent offensive production isn’t going to cut it.
The same old cliches about the postseason exploits of Butler, Curry and Green don’t hold up like they used to. This Warriors team will need marked improvements from its bench to make it to the Western Conference finals.
Sacramento just struggled to a 2-4 record in six games Domantas Sabonis missed with a hamstring strain. Now it is going to have to get by without him for what may be weeks again.
Sabonis rolled his ankle in the opening minute of the second half on a drive to the basket and had to leave the game. It looked nasty.
Domantas Sabonis had to be helped to the locker room after appearing to injure his ankle while attempting a layup pic.twitter.com/fApbim3FYd
“It looked pretty bad. But Domas (is) strong. He’ll probably be back sooner than we think.”
The Kings need him to. For the season they are 3-6 in games Sabonis misses with a -3.8 net rating when he is off the court. The Kings sit ninth in the West and are headed to the play-in, but had hoped to catch the Clippers for the No. 8 seed and make their path to the playoffs easier. That was going to be tough with Sabonis, the Kings are 3.5 games back of Los Angeles with 15 games to play, but without him it's an Everest-like mountain. The Kings are not likely to fall out of the play-in, they have a two-game lead over the injury riddled Mavericks for the No. 10 seed, with Phoenix 11th and three games back, and the Trail Blazers five games behind the Kings.
Sabonis also may want to return for personal reasons — he has played in just 58 games this season, he needs to play at least seven more (and 20 minutes a night in those games) to reach the 65-game threshold set by the NBA to be eligible for post-season awards. Sabonis is certainly in the mix for an All-NBA spot if he qualifies.
The ankle wasn't even Sabonis' first injury in the game. Sabonis had to get stitches for a cut over his left eye after he was hit in the face by the back of Grizzlies' guard Luke Kennard’s head. Sabonis returned to the game, only to roll his ankle.
The Milwaukee Bucks (38-29) and Golden State Warriors (39-29) are all set to square off from Chase Center in San Francisco.
The Warriors are coming off of a tough loss last night. They played the Denver Nuggets, who decided to rest their stars.
With the season in the back-half, we could possibly see a few Warriors players out tonight. The Bucks are currently 14-17 on the road with a point differential of 2, while the Warriors have a 8-2 record in their last ten games at home.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Listen to the Rotoworld Basketball Show for the latest fantasy player news, waiver claims, roster advice and more from our experts all season long. Click here or download it wherever you get your podcasts.
Game details & how to watch Bucks vs. Warriors live today
Date: Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Time: 10:00PM EST
Site: Chase Center
City: San Francisco, CA
Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game. Game odds for Bucks vs. Warriors The latest odds as of Tuesday:
Odds: Bucks (+125), Warriors (-149)
Spread: Warriors -2.5
Over/Under: 233 points
That gives the Bucks an implied team point total of 115.94, and the Warriors 117.25.
Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!
Expert picks & predictions for Tuesday's Bucks vs. Warriors game
NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas) is betting on Jimmy Butler over 19.5 points…
Thomas: “With Curry possibly out, Butler instantly becomes the primary option. There will be role players who go off, but Butler to score 20 at this price is playable and has some value.”
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Bucks & Warriors game:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Golden State Warriors on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Milwaukee Bucks at +2.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the under on the Game Total of 233.
Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!
Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Bucks vs. Warriors on Tuesday
The Warriors have won 4 straight home games against the Bucks
The Under is 7-3 in the Bucks' last 10 road games
The Bucks have covered the Spread in 4 of their last 5 games as a favorite
The Warriors have won 4 straight home games against the Bucks
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Bet the Edge is your source for all things sports betting. Get all of Jay Croucher and Drew Dinsick’s insight weekdays at 6AM ET right here or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff: - Jay Croucher (@croucherJD) - Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) - Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) - Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
The Nuggets surprisingly withstood the absence of Jokić, and the Milwaukee Bucks will test the Warriors without Curry. Coverage on NBC Sports Bay Area begins at 6 p.m. PT with Warriors Pregame Live, with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m.
The Bucks (38-29, third in the East) have their own two-time MVP in forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who means as much to them as Jokić does to the Nuggets and Curry to the Warriors. The “Greek Freak” is averaging 30.4 points per game, second in the NBA behind only Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 33.0.
How will the Warriors (39-29, sixth in the West) try to contain Giannis? The first step is crowding his space with more than one defender. The second is keeping him out of transition, where the 6-foot-11 veteran is the league’s most devastating force.
That task falls into the lap of Draymond Green because, well, despite being only 6-foot-6 he always gets the most threatening big man. He will be assisted by double-teams and occasional blitzes, which could include anyone from Jimmy Butler III and Jonathan Kuminga to Gary Payton II and Gui Santos.
The goal with Antetokounmpo is to force him into shots outside the restricted area, where he takes 59 percent of his shots and is making 73.8 percent. Ideally, the Warriors would like to push him out beyond the arc, where he is shooting 18.2 percent, the lowest since his second season in the league.
Antetokounmpo’s other exploitable weakness on offense is his propensity for turnovers. He’s fifth in that category, ahead of such turnover-prone guards as Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards and Washington’s Jordan Poole. Giannis has committed at least six turnovers in eight games, with a season-high eight.
Though Antetokounmpo is Golden State’s biggest challenge, the Bucks have six-time All-Star Damian Lillard (averaging 25.1 ppg) to keep defenses honest. Their combined scoring average of 55.5 points per game is the highest of any duo in the NBA.
With their season-high seven-game win streak snapped against the Nuggets, the Warriors are trying to avoid losing a back-to-back set at home for the first time since Nov. 12, 2023. There is a change they could be rejoined by guard Brandin Podziemski, who has missed the last five games with a low back strain and is listed as questionable.
Getting back to their winning ways against Milwaukee is hard enough for the Warriors, and trying to do without Curry is exponentially more difficult.
After Monday’s loss, Warriors coach Steve Kerr was honest with reporters about Curry’s fatigue.
“He’s tired,” Kerr said. “Steph has been carrying us for a month; he’s been amazing. He’s tired, so we got to get him some rest. You can see it — he doesn’t have his energy right now.”
Curry, who has been playing lights out in recent weeks, finished Monday’s loss with 20 points on 28.6-percent shooting from the field and 28.6 percent from 3-point range, with four rebounds, seven assists, three steals and seven turnovers.
“We got to absolutely consider giving him a night and getting him rejuvenated for the sake of him and the remainder of our games,” Kerr admitted, adding that he would discuss with Warriors’ director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini.
The Warriors are 6-3 without Curry this season.
Brandin Podziemski is questionable after missing the last five games with a back strain, but NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson reports he is expected to return Tuesday night. Quinten Post also is questionable with a right ankle issue.
For Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo (right patella tendinopathy) and Damian Lillard (right groin soreness) are probable.
Jimmy Butler has made Steph Curry’s life much easier on the court, but the NBA star believes he and his Warriors teammate still can do a better job.
Butler spoke to reporters in the Warriors’ locker room after Golden State’s 114-105 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday at Chase Center, and in response to Steve Kerr saying postgame that Curry is “exhausted,” agreed with his coach’s sentiment and challenged himself and his teammates to do a better job at “protecting” the 37-year-old Curry.
“It’s OK to be tired,” Butler said. “And that’s on myself and that’s on us as a unit to pick up the slack for him. As everyone wants to think he is superhuman, he is not. He is our leader and we must protect him at all times, I will tell you that. That’s on myself, for sure, but everybody else to make sure we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing and give my man a break.”
Jimmy Butler when asked about Steph Curry’s fatigue
“That’s on myself and that’s on us as a unit to pick up the slack for him…He’s our leader and we must protect him.” pic.twitter.com/L9GWnkuRqT
What can Butler and his Warriors teammates do to help Curry? Well, they can start by not turning the ball over 20 times, like they did in Monday’s loss to Denver.
“Make sure we don’t turn the ball over, one,” Butler stated. “Make sure we get a good shot on goal and execute. I think whenever you execute and get the ball where it needs to go, that’s [mine and Draymond Green’s] job more than anybody’s, his job is a lot easier.”
The Warriors are an eye-popping 14-2 in games Butler has played in since the blockbuster trade on Feb. 5, but despite Golden State and Curry’s overwhelming success since, the Warriors still can do a better job of keeping Curry fresh and energized throughout the stretch run of the 2024-25 NBA regular season and potentially into the playoffs.
It’s Tuesday, March 18, and the Brooklyn Nets (23-45) and Boston Celtics (49-19) are all set to square off from TD Garden in Boston.
The Nets are currently 12-23 on the road with a point differential of -6, while the Celtics have a 7-3 record in their last ten games at home. Boston is 3-0 against Brooklyn this season with wins of 4, 24, and 2 points.
The Celtics are 7-1 in the last eight games and won the past two, while the Nets are coming off a win that makes them 1-3 over the previous four games.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Listen to the Rotoworld Basketball Show for the latest fantasy player news, waiver claims, roster advice and more from our experts all season long. Click here or download it wherever you get your podcasts.
Game details & how to watch Nets vs. Celtics live today
Date: Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Time: 7:30PM EST
Site: TD Garden
City: Boston, MA
Network/Streaming: NBA TV
Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.
Game odds for Nets vs. Celtics
The latest odds as of Tuesday:
Odds: Nets (+559), Celtics (-826)
Spread: Celtics -13.5
Over/Under: 215.5 points
That gives the Nets an implied team point total of 101.98, and the Celtics 115.02.
Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!
Expert picks & predictions for Tuesday’s Nets vs. Celtics game
NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) leans the Celtics to cover against the Nets:
"As someone who needed Boston -10.5 on Saturday to cash a six-leg parlay, I am running it back on the Celtics here. The line has grown out in their favor after Brooklyn covered the previous meeting and lost 115-113. The Nets played the following night then had Monday off, while Boston's been off the entire time. This is a Celtics or pass spot."
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Nets & Celtics game:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the Boston Celtics on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Brooklyn Nets at +13.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 218.
Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions pagefrom NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!
Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Nets vs. Celtics on Tuesday
The Celtics have won 4 of their last 5 games at home against divisional opponents
5 of the Nets' last 6 road matchups against the Celtics have stayed under the Total
The Nets have covered in 5 of their last 7 matchups against divisional opponents
The Celtics have won 7 straight matchups against Eastern Conference Atlantic Division teams
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
Sacramento is signing 25-year-old Stockton Kings forward Terry Taylor to a 10-day contract, his agent confirmed to ESPN’s Shams Charania on Tuesday morning. The team later made the signing official.
In 28 games (18 starts) with Stockton, Taylor is averaging 17.6 points on 46.2-percent shooting from the field and 39.9 percent from 3-point range on 5.3 attempts per game, with 8.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 blocks in 34.3 minutes.
The Sacramento Kings are signing forward Terry Taylor to a 10-day contract out of their NBA G League affiliate Stockton, his agent Darrell Comer tells ESPN. Taylor has averaged 17.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists for Stockton.
Just last week, he had a season-high 33 points with 11 rebounds in Stockton’s 126-113 loss to the San Diego Clippers, and he has had a recent hot stretch in the month of March.
Terry Taylor erupted for a season-high 3⃣3⃣ points, posting a double-double with 1⃣1⃣ rebounds! The @StocktonKings player sunk 12 shots with 56% FGM. 👏 pic.twitter.com/l48W2DypkE
After going undrafted in 2021, Taylor signed with the Indiana Pacers but was waived on Oct. 15. He later signed with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants as an affiliate player, where he averaged 19.5 points, 12.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 blocks in 11 games.
On Dec. 15, 2021, Taylor signed a two-way contract with Indiana, splitting his time between the Pacers and the Mad Ants, and on April 7, the Pacers converted his two-way contract into a standard one.
In 2023, Taylor was waived by the Pacers and signed a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls that was later converted to a standard contract. However, he was waived by Chicago on April 4, 2024.
Sacramento signed Taylor last September but waived him shortly after. He then joined its G League affiliate in Stockton. He now will get a chance to help a playoff-hungry team stay afloat in the Western Conference for a difficult stretch of basketball.
It’s Tuesday, March 18, and the Atlanta Hawks (32-36) and Charlotte Hornets (17-50) are all set to square off from Spectrum Center in Charlotte.
The Hawks are currently 15-18 on the road with a point differential of -3, while the Hornets have a 2-8 record in their last ten games at home. Atlanta is 3-0 this season against Charlotte with wins of 3, 5, and 13 points.
Charlotte is 3-11 since the All-Star break, but 3-2 in the last five games. Atlanta has lost the past two games after four straight wins and is 6-7 since the break.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Listen to the Rotoworld Basketball Show for the latest fantasy player news, waiver claims, roster advice and more from our experts all season long. Click here or download it wherever you get your podcasts.
Game details & how to watch Hawks vs. Hornets live today
Date: Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Time: 3:00PM EST
Site: Spectrum Center
City: Charlotte, NC
Network/Streaming:
Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.
Game odds for Hawks vs. Hornets
The latest odds as of Tuesday:
Odds: Hawks (-253), Hornets (+206)
Spread: Hawks -6.5
Over/Under: 236 points
That gives the Hawks an implied team point total of 120.33, and the Hornets 116.94.
Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!
Expert picks & predictions for Tuesday’s Hawks vs. Hornets game
NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) leans the Hornets to cover against the Hawks:
"This is the fourth and final meeting between the two teams and with the Hawks winning all three meetings, this is the only time I'd be willing to back the Hornets. Charlotte has won three of the past five games, so they are more competitive recently than the last two meetings at least. These teams just met on Wednesday and Atlanta won by 13 and covered with the Under hitting. I lean Charlotte ATS and the Over this time around."
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Hawks & Hornets game:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Atlanta Hawks on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Charlotte Hornets at +6.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 236.
Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions pagefrom NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!
Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Hawks vs. Hornets on Tuesday
The Hornets have lost 7 of their last 10 games
The Under is 4-1 in the Hornets' last 5 matchups against divisional opponents
The Hornets have failed to cover in 4 of their last 5 matchups against Eastern Conference Southeast Division teams
Betting the Hawks on the Money Line in all games this season would have shown a 113% return on investment
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
The Warriors made the wrong kind of NBA history in an aggravating 114-105 loss to the Denver Nuggets Monday night at Chase Center.
Golden State became the first team in league history to shoot under 25 percent from the 3-point line, under 60 percent from the free-throw line and commit 20 or more turnovers.
The Warriors tonight are the first team in NBA or WNBA history with…
– under 25% from three (on 30+ 3pa) – under 60% from the line (on 25+ fta) – 20+ turnovers
With three-time MVP Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray sitting in street clothes on the Nuggets bench, the Warriors blew a golden opportunity to steal a win from one of the best teams in the Western Conference.
Botched passes, poor shot selection and an inability to stop Russell Westbrook and Aaron Gordon from slicing up the defense led to a deflating loss. The turnovers gave Denver 24 free points, and with an exhausted Steph Curry unable to will himself to another strong game, Golden State squandered a chance to close the gap in the standings.
Instead of being within 2.5 games of the Nuggets for third place in the West, the Warriors now are 4.5 games back.
Golden State’s turnovers have been devastating this season. They are 0-5 when they commit at least 20 turnovers and 2-7 when they give away 24 or more points off turnovers.
Self-inflicted mistakes like those need to be rectified quickly if Golden State wants to secure a top-six seed in the conference and avoid the chaotic NBA Play-In Tournament.
With the regular season soon ending, the Warriors can ill-afford to make more dubious NBA history. Otherwise, another early playoff exit appears to be the most likely outcome.
The Boston Celtics have rarely been at full strength this season.
Boston’s preferred starting five of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jrue Holiday have played a little more than 300 minutes together over 20 games. Boston’s top six — adding in Al Horford — has been available just 16 times. The Celtics have had their top 10 — adding in Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Luke Kornet, and Neemias Queta — available just 12 times over 68 games.
And it doesn’t appear those numbers will grow by very much before the playoffs arrive.
Brown is set to miss Tuesday’s visit from the Brooklyn Nets due to a knee impingement. Boston hasn’t had its preferred starting five available since February 23, a rare day when the team had its entire top nine available and leaned on that playoff core in a triumph over the New York Knicks.
Thirteen games remain after Tuesday’s tilt with Brooklyn. But that includes two back-to-backs. Boston will almost certainly rest players on both ends of those sets, eliminating four more possibilities to see the full playoff rotation. What’s more, one of those back-to-back features Orlando and New York, two teams that are two of the more likely playoff opponents, so there might be a value in playing it close to the vest then, anyhow.
Boston closes out the regular season with a home-and-home against Charlotte on April 11 and 13. Last year, in a similar setup, Boston rested much of its veterans over its final two home games, even with nearly a full week off before the playoffs due to the play-in tournament.
If Boston elects to do the same this season, that would essentially leave seven games where the Celtics could potentially trot out their top nine bodies to the finish line of the regular season:
March 21 at Utah
March 26 at Phoenix
March 29 at San Antonio
March 31 at Memphis
April 2 vs. Miami
April 4 vs. Phoenix
April 6 vs. Washington
There is only one surefire playoff team in that mix: Memphis (fifth in the West). And the Grizzlies will have to balance playing the front end of their own back-to-back with a visit from Golden State looming the following night.
All of which is our longwinded way of noting that Boston isn’t going to get many more playoff-like reps for its core group. But does it matter?
It feels mildly important for the starting five to get some additional run. Boston’s preferred five has logged just 307 minutes together and has a minus-1.6 net rating in that span. The numbers have improved from a rocky start after Porzingis first returned from offseason ankle surgery, but are not nearly as glitzy as the plus-17.3 net rating that Boston posted in 265 minutes with Horford as the starting center while Porzingis was rehabbing. What’s more, a lineup with Kornet starting in place of both Horford and Porzingis has a plus-11.5 net rating in 68 minutes.
A year ago, Boston’s preferred starting five had a plus-11 net rating in 623 minutes together over 37 games. Still, Porzingis appeared in only seven postseason games, so that group logged only 82 total playoff minutes. The Horford lineup ended up playing 305 minutes over 19 games.
Internally, there is great confidence the Celtics can find their full-health mojo on short notice, even if there’s not a lot of reps to the finish line of the season. The continuity from last season should aid this team, while one of Boston’s greatest strengths has been its ability to thrive regardless of availability.
Matchups could dictate how Boston ultimately deploys personnel in the postseason. There are teams that will force the team to lean heavier into the double-big lineups that have produced some of Boston’ best basketball this season.
Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Will the Celtics get Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown extra rest before the playoffs?
Still, it’s undeniable that getting the starting five at least a couple more opportunities to find last year’s swagger could be valuable. Boston is virtually locked into the No. 2 seed — a 99.9 percent chance per NBA Reference daily simulations (and that 0.1 percent chance is catching the Cavaliers for the No. 1 seed, not slipping to No. 3).
There are a few side quests that Boston could entertain at the finish line of the season. Jaylen Brown needs nine more games to be eligible for All-NBA, and a loud finish could aid his chances to muscle back into one of those 15 spots. Payton Pritchard is steamrolling towards the Sixth Man of the Year honor and will get plenty of run to make sure Malik Beasley and Co. don’t catch him at the finish line.
Can Torrey Craig use late-season reps to earn Joe Mazzulla’s confidence? It’s easy to suggest Boston will lean solely on its top nine in the postseason but, last year, Xavier Tillman made a couple of important cameos during Boston’s NBA Finals run and there will be opportunities for deeper-depth guys to put their fingerprints on the Celtics’ quest to repeat.
Holiday is averaging 12.4 points while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 35.7 percent beyond the 3-point arc since returning from his mallet finger injury in the pinky on his right shooting hand. More regular-season reps with that ailment should help, even if initial returns have been encouraging.
Recent draftees like Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh, along with all of Boston’s younger players, need to embrace whatever minutes are available at the finish line of the season with hopes of making an impression.
There’s not a lot to accomplish over the next month, and the schedule might conspire against the few things that Boston yearns to do. An occasional glimpse at the playoff rotation would be helpful but, ultimately, that might just have to wait until mid-April and beyond.
The streamer is now offering in-market streaming of NBC Sports Boston, a regional sports network that includes live Boston Celtics games and other local sports programming, through add-on subscriptions to Peacock Premium and Premium Plus Plans. In-market blackouts may apply to certain games based on user location consistent with television availability and league policies.
The network stream will be available around the clock to users within its television territory via the add-on subscription priced at $14.95 per month.
The Celtics are set for another deep postseason run as they aim for a second-straight championship. Led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics are all but locked into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference at 49-19 with 14 games remaining in the regular season.
NBC Sports Boston’s live-game Celtics coverage includes comprehensive pregame and postgame shows. The network also offers New England Patriots programming and gameday shows, as well as live coverage of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun and the NBA G League’s Maine Celtics.
NBC Sports Boston also provides sports news, analysis and commentary programming, such as “Early Edition” and “Boston Sports Tonight.”
Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service featuring an extensive library of movies, shows and original content, offers more than 8,000 hours of live sports and entertainment programming, including NFL games and WWE events.
Peacock will also add additional NBA games beginning with the 2025-2026 season when an 11-year partnership between the league and NBC is set to begin. That will include 100 national games each regular season, with approximately 50 Peacock-exclusive national regular-season and postseason NBA games, including national Monday night games and doubleheaders.
Peacock’s in-market streaming add-on subscriptions for NBC’s regional sports markets are also available in respective television territories for NBC Sports Philadelphia ($24.95), NBC Sports Bay Area ($17.95 per month) and NBC Sports California ($17.95).
Disclaimer: NBC Sports Boston and Peacock are both owned by Comcast.
Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports