Category: NBA

Year after year, the salaries of NBA players increase.

Dylan Harper, the Spurs second overall pick last summer, is making $56M on a rookie contract compared to $35M, the total career earnings of his father Ron Harper. It’s not that the senior Harper was underpaid, that was just what a player of his stature made during that era.

By comparison, Michael Jordan earned $94M during his 15 seasons in the NBA.

It stands to reason that the highest paid players of all time are currently playing.

But what may come as a surprise is how many games have been missed by the players who earn the most.

This list from Clutch Points illuminates the high cost of signing superstars.

All 10 of the highest-paid NBA players in history played this season 💰

But most of them are having a hell of a time staying on the floor.

Here's the list in order:

1. LeBron James ($581 million)
2. Kevin Durant ($501 million)
3. Steph Curry ($470 million)
4. James Harden… pic.twitter.com/JZ20iNYCvP

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 19, 2026

“Here’s the list in order:

1. LeBron James ($581 million)

2. Kevin Durant ($501 million)

3. Steph Curry ($470 million)

4. James Harden ($411 million)

5. Paul George ($406 million)

6. Chris Paul ($404 million)

7. Kawhi Leonard ($378 million)

8. Jimmy Butler ($366 million)

9. Damian Lillard ($365 million)

10. Anthony Davis ($364 million)

The main thing that sticks out when looking at this list is injuries. AD, Dame, and Jimmy are already out for the rest of this season. LeBron missed the first 14 games of the year, Steph’s been on the bench for 16, while Kawhi’s sat for 13. PG13 is suspended, but even when he isn’t, it seems like he’s always hurt as well.

And, of course, CP3 was cut by the Clippers 16 games into the season and eventually retired.“

Obviously, CP3 did not make the bulk of his money this season, but it does underscopre just how much goes into signing and maintaining high-quality players.

Teams invest in players who don’t pan out, waive players paying on those contracts, and make trades that do not support their bottom line.

It is a business after all.

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The Phoenix Suns have mostly hovered around the seventh seed in the Western Conference for the last two months, but fans don’t think that will last.

When asked where the team will finish in the standings, more than two-thirds of them think they’ll end up out of the play-in and in the top-six of the West.

I’m typically not surprised by votes on Suns Reacts, but this one got me. While Phoenix has been one of the most surprising teams across the NBA this year, not only have they been struggling of late, but the teams around them in the standings are starting to get healthy and play better basketball.

2-5 in February so far, the Suns are only eight games above .500 for the first time since January. Additionally, the Los Angeles Lakers, who are two spots ahead of the Suns in the standings, have their big three of Austin Reaves, LeBron James and Luka Dončić all healthy for the first time since Christmas, and the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are a spot ahead of Phoenix, are 3-1 since adding Ayo Dosunmu at the trade deadline and have won eight of their last 11.

The good thing for the Suns is that while they are two and a half games behind the Lakers and Wolves, they have the tiebreaker over Minnesota, and are in the drivers seat to have it over the Lakers.

Minnesota has the third-toughest regular season left based on strength of schedule, Los Angeles has the 10th, and Phoenix has the 15th.

For the Suns to get out of the play-in, they’re going have to finish games stronger. Duds like their performance against the Spurs on Thursday out of the break are inevitable, especially against a team they dominated so handily the first two times the team played, but they are going to have to be better down the stretch.

Their losses against the Warriors, Pistons and Heat in the last month are demonstrations of how the team was not able to hit shots when they needed to and pick up important stops. Credit, Devin Booker either didn’t play or finish any of those games, and the team is better down the stretch when he is in the lineup.

With four-straight home games to end the month, the Suns have an opportunity to get back in a rhythm and potentially make some ground in the standings, ending the month against the Lakers.

The entire country of Canada will have an early start to their sports viewing experience on Sunday, and the Toronto Raptors could surely benefit from leaning into the hockey pride sweeping the nation. 

After the Olympic gold medal game between Canada and the United States, the Raptors are set to take on the Milwaukee Bucks. With the province of Ontario permitting the sale of alcohol as early as 6 a.m EST, the Raptors have a tough act to follow for a likely rowdy audience, regardless of the outcome on the ice. 

But ahead of tip-off, scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EST on TSN, it’s worth noting that the Raptors and the Canadian men’s hockey team share surprising narratives and traits headed into their respective matchups. 

Here are three storylines to watch out for. 

Life without their leader

With the team declaring Scottie Barnes out due to personal reasons, the Raptors will be without their All-Star for the second time this season. Similar to Sidney Crosby for Team Canada, Barnes is the heartbeat of the team. The last time Barnes missed action was during a 125-117 loss to the Boston Celtics on Jan. 9. Toronto is 4-14 without Barnes over the last two seasons. 

Even against a Bucks team without Giannis Antetokounmpo, losing Barnes is a big deal. His ability to ignite opportunities in transition off defensive stops is reminiscent of the Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid launching himself out of a cannon through the neutral zone. Passing lanes materialize out of nowhere when Barnes has the ball in his hands, even when the defence seemingly has the advantage. While the Bucks aren’t as imposing defensively without Antetokounmpo, they did look rejuvenated in their 139-118 win against the Pelicans on Feb. 20, finishing with nine steals and eight blocks. 

On the defensive end, Barnes is more like Colorado Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar. They’ve got a similar defensive genius that is leveraged into offensive wizardry. The Bucks have a duo of streaky scorers in Kevin Porter Jr. and Cam Thomas. Without Barnes, it’ll be up to perimeter defenders like Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter to help keep them in check. Porter and Thomas combined for 52 points, while shooting 75 per cent from three against New Orleans. 

A shaky last line of defence

Jakob Poeltl has officially played in back-to-back games for the first time since Dec. 15. Seeing the Austrian on the court is a welcome sight, but there’s something visibly off about Poeltl. Whether it’s due to his back injury or because he’s still ramping up to his usual workload, Poeltl doesn’t look the same. 

What he’s supposed to be is the steady rock of the team. A reliable and calming presence on the defensive end and someone who takes pressure off the offence. In many ways, both good and bad, he’s the Jordan Binnington of the Raptors. How far the Raptors go this year will be heavily determined by what Poeltl has left in the tank. His ability to grind out possessions in close games, and especially in contests that slow the pace down, extends Toronto’s runway for mistakes. 

Even with calf strains potentially holding out Myles Turner in addition to Antetokounmpo, the Raptors will still need Poeltl to help deal with the athletic Jericho Sims and pesky Bobby Portis. Sims recorded two blocks against the Pelicans, while Portis finished with a double-double (17 points, 11 rebounds). 

Next star up

It’s tricky to find an apt hockey comparison for Brandon Ingram. The one that makes the most sense would be a combination of the expectations that come with the Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon and the explosive offensive volume generated by the San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini. Unlike MacKinnon, who isn’t 100 per cent at the Olympics, Ingram has luckily avoided any season-derailing injuries with the Raptors. But the two share a similar burden this weekend, with the forwards having to step their game up in the absence of their co-star’s unavailability. 

Ingram dropped a cool 31 points against the Bulls on Feb. 19, including a mid-range jumper that helped seal the win. One day later, MacKinnon scored the game-winning goal to send Canada to the gold-medal game. 

Stage presence is everything as the playoffs loom, and Ingram will need to lean on his confidence to keep the Raptors in the Eastern Conference race. 

The NBA has evolved quite a bit over the last several decades. When it started in 1946, or 1949 depending on whether you count the pre-merger BAA as some do (the BAA and the NBL merged to make the NBA in 1949), the league was very much old school.

When Bill Russell came along in 1956, he revolutionized the game with his combination of extraordinary athleticism and intelligence. Yet you see arguments periodically from people who think guys from his era couldn’t play today.

Well, some probably couldn’t. Tom Heinsohn smoked and it’s unimaginable that a heavy smoker could keep up with today’s pace. But genetics haven’t changed and guys like Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Russell, once they got up to speed on today’s game, would be just fine.

This video from the 1963 NBA Finals, from the decisive Game 6, is beautifully restored. You get a really good look at Russell, who had 12 points, 28 rebounds, 9 assists and 7 blocks, several of which are shown.

It’s also fun to watch Bob Cousy, when the clock is almost expired, toss the ball to the rafters.

A lot has changed in basketball, but the sheer joy in victory hasn’t changed at all. Keep in mind this is Boston’s fifth straight title and the sixth in seven years. These guys are absolutely ecstatic.

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LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — Eileen Gu defends Olympic ski halfpipe title for her 6th career medal at Winter Games.

Less than a week remains before the college basketball calendar turns to March.

The NCAA Tournament field is somewhat starting to shape up, with multiple teams pulling ahead as potential national championship favorites. Saturday, Feb. 21, was potentially even a Final Four preview, with No. 3 Duke defeating No. 1 Michigan and No. 4 Arizona beating No. 2 Houston.

March Madness bracketology: NCAA Tournament field prediction has new No. 1 seed

There are also assuredly to be a few bid stealers come conference championship season, which almost always throws a wrench when in the NCAA's plans with crafting the 68-team bracket.

Here's a look at the latest NCAA Tournament preview, including bubble teams and locks to reach March Madness:

March Madness bracket bubble watch tracker

Based on games through Saturday, Feb. 21

NCAA Tournament locks

• Big Ten (7): Michigan, Purdue, Nebraska, Michigan State, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin
• Big 12 (6): Iowa State, Arizona, Kansas, Houston, BYU, Texas Tech
• ACC (6): Duke, Louisville, Virginia, North Carolina, Clemson, NC State
• SEC (5): Florida, Vanderbilt, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee
• Big East (3): UConn, Villanova, St. John's
• Other (2): Utah State, Saint Louis

There are 27 virtual locks for the NCAA Tournament, according to Bart Torvik's "TourneyCast," one of multiple metrics used by the NCAA in deciding the bracket. Each team listed has a 99.8% chance or better to reach the Tournament, per Torvik.

Torvik's metrics are part of the NCAA's BPI equation, alongside other third-party analyst Ken Pomeroy, who runs KenPom.

NCAA Tournament likely ins

• Big 12(1): UCF
• Big Ten (2): Indiana, UCLA
• ACC(2): SMU, Miami
• SEC (4): Kentucky, Texas A&M, Texas, Georgia
• Big East(0): N/A
• Other(3): Saint Mary's, New Mexico

There are a lot fewer likely-in teams than locks, due to there still being a few weeks left in the regular season, along with conference tournaments. Teams included have between a 70% and 99.8% chance to reach the NCAA Tournament, per Torvik.

NCAA Tournament bubble teams

• Big 12(3): TCU, West Virginia, Cincinnati
• Big Ten (3): Ohio State, USC, Washington
• ACC(2): Virginia Tech, Cal
• SEC (2): Auburn, Missouri
• Big East(1): Seton Hall
• Other(3): Santa Clara, San Diego State, VCU

Not all of these teams will reach the NCAA Tournament, and some might only have a chance at earning a bid through the conference tournament. Still, these teams have between a 5% and 57% chance of reaching the tournament as an at-large team, per Torvik.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness bracket tracker: Who's in, out and on NCAA Tournament bubble

Boston’s secret weapon this year has been the play of guys that were, basically, afterthoughts in assessments of the team coming into the season.

Sure, among Boston cognoscenti, there were expectations that Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman, Neemias Queta, and Sam Hauser would be able to fill in some gaps caused by the loss of Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Luke Kornet, Al Horford, and Kristaps Porzingis. But even among these fans, there was little expectation that the C’s would see such massive steps up in production from players that had pretty uneven playing time last season, and there were few expectations for the C’s rookies, Amari Williams and Hugo Gonzalez, as well.

So what happened?

First of all, it’s my belief that your typical NBA bench player has a fair bit more to show than what his role allows him. These guys are all pretty much All-Americans—at least the ones that come up through the US college system. Some of them come in raw and need training to develop their games up to a point where they can contribute meaningful minutes; other guys are closer to finished products who need game reps to get used to the NBA’s pace and intensity. But I am firmly convinced, and I use the Boston Celtics as my chief example, that a lot of bench talent in this league is being wasted by teams that are focused primarily on their stars—or the process of acquiring stars.

The difference between the Celtics and most teams in this league is the way they evaluate and develop all of the talent on their team.

Last week I wrote about how the Celtics had been scouting Baylor Scheierman for years—and along with that, they probably had broken down more film on him than your typical draft analyst. They also had another thing going for them that the typical draft analyst doesn’t. They’d actually interviewed him. Twice.

Player evaluations prior to the 2024 draft consistently highlighted Scheierman’s perceived weakness at the defensive end of the court: “he’s not a big time athlete and might struggle defending at the next level,” “defense is the primary concern at the next level,” “he could have problems defending quick guards and bigger players,” and “struggles handling quick players in space defensively; will likely be targeted often in switches and have to be either hidden or in a highly disciplined scheme to mask his athletic deficiencies on this end” were typical pre-draft assessments.

The Celtics saw something different, though. They saw a gifted basketball player whowas willing to put in the work. The results speak for themselves. This season, the C’s are ten points per 100 possessions better than their opponents when Scheierman is on the floor.

Of course, the Celtics haven’t just drafted ‘proven quantities’ into supporting roles. They’ve also taken flyers on 19-year olds like Walsh and Gonzalez. We tend to forget that Jordan was taken after just one season at Arkansas.

Here’s where the C’s player development coaches have really shined. Walsh was an incredibly raw prospect coming out of the Razorbacks program, and the C’s player development team have basically spent the last two and a half seasons providing the sort of assistance with skill acquisition that used to take place in college.

With Walsh, the Celtics knew going in that they he was a work in progress. Their expectations for him differed from Scheierman. Stevens said after drafting Scheierman, “he’s a basketball player now.” His comments about Walsh last December were different, “When he got here, he was young,” adding, “You have to give [young players] the grace of time.”

The C’s have shown patience with player development that seems to be a rarity in the NBA. Neemias Queta is an example of Boston benefiting from another team’s lack of patience. Queta was drafted by Sacramento, given a two-year contract, and then ditched. Their loss was Boston’s gain. Queta signed with Boston as a free agent, and has grown into a starting caliber center for an upper division team in the NBA. This only happens when a team is willing to invest time in player growth.

In 2023, when the C’s signed Queta to a standard contract, Stevens said, “we think [Queta] is more than just a right now player. We think he’s a guy that can help us in the future.” He was right.

In comments after drafting Gonzalez, Stevens gave a window into what the team looks for when they’re acquiring players, either through the draft or free agency: “when we interviewed Hugo a couple of weeks ago on Zoom, it’s really clear that he’s about the team and he accepts and is willing to play any role it takes.”

Where other teams saw Gonzalez as a high-risk player because he’d not even cracked the starting rotation for Real Madrid, the Celtics saw a player who had valued and learned how to make the most of limited minutes. Adding to his comments above, Stevens said that Gonzalez benefited from logging a lot of time on the bench: “with that comes a humility and also an understanding that you’ve gotta invest every day just to take advantage of whatever opportunity you get.”

The Celtics were also willing to bring Gonzalez over right away. There were teams ahead of Boston who had strong interest in Hugo, but they wanted him to stay in Europe for a year or two. Gonzalez is still very much a rookie, but he’s shown flashes of brilliance that the C’s player development team can hone much more effectively than spending a couple years in Europe playing against weaker competition.

Another factor that the Celtics have going for them is the personnel in their front office.

The Celtics haven’t just shown skill in drafting players and putting together a solid coaching staff; they’ve also rolled out the red carpet for free agents like Neemias Queta and undrafted rookies like Sam Hauser.

For Sam, the choice came down to offers from the Heat and the Celtics.

The Heat wanted Sam to compete for a two-way spot during Summer League, while the Celtics had a two-way deal on the table.

At the time, Miami had a strong reputation for developing overlooked talent, and Boston didn’t.

But what sold Hauser and his family on Boston was former head coach and President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens. Talking about it after the fact, Sam’s mom said, “everything about him was very trustworthy. So the fact that he saw things in Sam had a lot of value to us.”

That comment, by the way, is a Midwesterner’s way of saying, “We didn’t trust Pat Riley.”

Mies van der Rohe, one of the most influential architects of the 20th century, was fond of replacing the old phrase “The devil’s in the details” with “God lives in the details.”

Now that might not be the case, but the Celtics have been far more detail-oriented when it comes to roster construction than their peers. They have spent more time and attention on these players and it has unquestionably paid off.

The Lakers had defeated the hated Boston Celtics in the 1987 NBA Finals and there stood coach Pat Riley at the Forum in Inglewood with a microphone in his hands and joyous players behind him relishing the moment.

Riley then made a declaration.

“I’m guaranteeing everyone here next year we are going to win it again,” Riley said.

He quickly looked back at his shocked players.

Byron Scott said it was the kind of moment that showed why Riley is having his statue unveiled by the Lakers on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena, and on the day L.A. plays the rival Celtics, no less.

Riley won four championships and reached the Finals seven times during nine years coaching the franchise for which he once played.

Scott said Riley is deserving of being immortalized among the Lakers greats: Jerry West, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor and Chick Hearn, all of whom have statues in their honor.

Showtime, Scott said, was as much about Riley as Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Cooper and James Worthy.

It had been almost 20 years since the last team that won back-to-back championships, the 1968-69 Celtics, and yet there was the “calculating” Riley making his guarantee.

“We’re all sitting there at the Forum and he’s on the damn pedestal talking and he said, ‘I’m guaranteeing everyone here next year we are going to win it again.’ We were just like, ‘What did he just say? We’re still trying to enjoy this one,’” Scott recalled, laughing.

“He said it and he turned around real quick and kind of looked at us and we were all like, ‘Wait a minute. Did he just say we are going to win this s— again next year? We ain’t even celebrated this one.’ But what he did is subconsciously he got us thinking about that ...

“We all started working out earlier than we normally do when we win a championship. I remember I went to the UCLA track and I saw Coop there. Magic there. I said, ‘Wait a minute, I ain’t never seen these brothers here this early.’ Then I thought, ‘I ain’t never come this early either.’ It was like I had to get ready.

"Like I said, he thought about that and was calculating about it and it was exactly what we needed. We needed that challenge and that’s why I think he’s one of the greatest coaches of all time. We were able to pull it off.”

Read more:Lon Rosen to take over business operations for the Lakers

Indeed, the Lakers defeated the Detroit Pistons in seven games the next season to win another ring.

Scott, who won three championships with the Lakers, said Riley could push them so hard because the coach “worked his ass off.”

“When we started flying in our own private plane, there were times when I would get up in the middle of the flight to go use the bathroom in the back and his light would be the only one on going through stuff,” Scott said. “And I remember that like it was yesterday. The man was just a tireless worker and his work ethic was unmatched as a coach. He was always prepared.”

Worthy said Riley demanded the best from his players because he demanded so much out of himself.

Riley won a championship as a bench player with the Lakers in 1972. But as coach he was the director of the Lakers’ championship runs in the '80s.

“He was real honest about what he saw. So, he was always good,” Worthy said. “He pushed you to the limit. He understood personalities and how far he could push certain people. You know how you wring that face towel up and hang it up? He would always take it down and he would get one more drop out of you. He was like, ‘Naw, there are a couple more drops in you. You didn’t squeeze tight enough. There is one more drop in there.’ He ended up getting it too.

"He kept us together with honesty and truth and hard work. There weren’t no days off. Wasn’t no load management. None of that. Every game I played with Pat Riley, win or lose, I was ready and prepared — without question.”

Mychal Thompson, who was acquired by the Lakers in 1987, spent seven seasons playing for the Portland Trail Blazers and coach Jack Ramsay.

Thompson quickly realized that playing for Riley alongside Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar required more than he had ever given.

“Riley’s demands were quite high,” said Thompson, who won two titles with the Lakers. “You couldn’t play for Pat Riley unless you are a true pro. There was no foolishness tolerated from him and, of course, Magic, his lieutenant. Obviously I played against them many years — and Jack Ramsay was a demanding coach too — but the Lakers under Riley was a whole different level. They expected to win championships and when you expect to win championships you can’t afford any slack-offs.”

How Riley became coach is the stuff of Lakers lore.

He was a commentator for the Lakers alongside the venerable Chick Hearn, doing what was then a simulcast of radio and television. When Lakers coach Jack McKinney was injured in a bicycle accident in November 1979, assistant coach Paul Westhead took over and hired Riley as an assistant. The Lakers went on to win the championship in 1980.

But six games into the 1981-82 season, Johnson expressed his desire to be traded because he was unhappy playing for Westhead. Lakers owner Jerry Buss fired Westhead and chose West, the team's former coach who was working as a scout, to replace him.

But at the news conference for the announcement, West balked and said he was going to assist Riley, who was named the interim coach before it became permanent.

Thus began the rise of of Riley, who took Showtime to the highest heights during the '80s.

Jeanie Buss, Jerry’s daughter who remains the Lakers' governor and minority owner, says this honor for Riley is well deserved.

“This will be a great way to celebrate one of the most important people in the history of the Lakers and of the NBA,” Buss told The Times. “As the stylish leader of the Showtime Lakers, Pat Riley became the epitome of an era. And I’m so glad that generations of Angelenos will be able to gather by his statue, to learn of his achievements and to understand his central role in the history of our city.”

When Worthy was drafted No. 1 overall by the Lakers in 1982, he recalled his first meeting with Riley. West picked up Worthy at the airport and the two drove to meet Riley for lunch.

“I had never met Pat Riley and he came in and I was like, ‘Man, is this Robert De Niro or this Pat Riley!’” Worthy said, laughing. “He had a cool, open-collared shirt on. He had long hair. I was like, ‘This man here, he is cool.’ But you also knew then from our conversations that he was a great coach and he expected the best out of you.”

The images of Riley standing on the sideline looking stylish in Armani suits, his slicked-back hair seemingly perfect, are ingrained in the minds of basketball fans.

It was a look of authority and self-assurance that even the Hollywood crowd that attended the games respected and admired.

“So, I’m just trying to figure out what Riles’ statue is going to look like,” Worthy said. “It's got to be one of those sideline Armani suits with his hands on his sides or something. That’s the best one, man, and his neat hairdo, looking stylish. That’s got to be it.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Not all star players have the same personality.

That became abundantly clear during Shaquille O’Neal’s postgame interview with Karl-Anthony Towns after the Knicks’ rousing 108-106 comeback win over the Rockets on Saturday night at the Garden.

Before Towns scored a team-high 25 points in the win, Shaq, along with Charles Barkley, criticized the Knicks’ big man’s game, calling him out for playing “soft.”

To his credit, O’Neal admitted to Towns after the game that he criticized his “soft” play because he has often seen him play with force and wants to see him do that on a consistent basis.

“At the beginning of the game, I said you were playing soft because I’ve seen you at times when you play great,” O’Neal told Towns on ESPN’s “Inside the NBA” postgame show. “And what you must understand in New York, you need to be great for you guys to win the championship. It’s high aspirations.

“If you guys win the championship, of course, they’re gonna talk about [Jalen] Brunson, but it’s you and your play. You have to be dominant. You responded very, very well. You played well, you played in the paint, that’s how you should play. You should always play great. Being from Jersey, good ain’t good enough. You had a great game tonight. I’m proud of you.”

If Shaq was looking for agreement from Towns, he was in for a bit of a surprise.

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“Nah, for sure. But what you said, too, if we win a championship, they can talk about anybody as long as we all get a ring. That’s the most important thing. I don’t care about none of that.”

It was a team-first response by Towns, but Shaq still wasn’t buying it and came back with a quick retort.

Before the game, @SHAQ said KAT was "playing soft."

KAT responded with 25 PTS and a comeback win that had Shaq impressed pic.twitter.com/L4O10DDWmV

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 22, 2026

“No, but you gotta play great. 1-2 punch, and you’re a part of that 1-2 punch,” O’Neal said.

Towns gave Shaq’s point a quick acknowledgement but doubled down on his point that helping bring the Knicks an NBA title is what it’s all about, not individual accolades.

“Hell yeah, but I wanna make sure we all understand that the biggest goal, the main goal here, is to win,” Towns said. “It don’t matter about who gets the credit or whatever.”

But O’Neal tripled down on his point, replying: “It ain’t about that, you gotta play great. Nope, you gotta play great to get the credit.”

Towns, sounding like he was ready to end this part of the interview replied: “I hear you. Legend, I agree with you.”

After the interview with Towns was complete, Barkley told Shaq that Towns is a good player and a nice guy, but that it’s not in his mental makeup to have a killer mindset. He also added you can’t force a player to be something he’s not.

Despite the drama, it appears Towns may be starting to turn the corner.

Towns — a six-time All-Star — posted his fourth-straight 20-point game, his longest streak of the season.

PALLEKELE, Sri Lanka (AP) — T20 World Cup co-host Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field against England in their Super Eights Group 2 game on Sunday.

England has happy memories of the venue where it routed Sri Lanka 3-0 in a T20 series before the tournament.

However, Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka was confident to chase under overcast conditions after beating Australia earlier in a group match when opening batter Pathum Nissanka scored a belligerent century.

Sri Lanka made two changes, bringing back fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera in place of Pramod Madushan while Kamil Mishra made way for Kusal Perera.

England captain Harry Brook said he would have liked to bowl first had he won the toss.

“See how it (the wicket) plays early on and try to adapt,” Brook said.

England has picked the same XI for the fourth straight game in the tournament, which meant Will Jacks, Liam Dawson and Adil Rashid providing it three spin options with Jamie Overton and Jofra Archer the two pace bowlers.

Later on Sunday, in a Group 1 Super Eights game, India will take on South Africa at Ahmedabad.

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Line-ups:

England: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (captain), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis, Pavan Rathnayake, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka (captain), Dunith Wellelage, Dushan Hemantha, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushmantha Chameera.

___

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

In Jose Alvarado’s first four games with the Knicks, his offensive splits were much better in the two road games — both victories — than they were in the team’s two home losses at the Garden.

But the Brooklyn native enjoyed the first true MSG moment of his homecoming, helping spark the comeback from an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a rousing 108-106 victory over the Rockets.

Alvarado was used by coach Mike Brown for significant minutes to help spark the team’s defensive revival down the stretch, finishing with eight points, five steals and a plus-18 rating over 20 minutes off the bench, even earning José Reyes-style chants of “Jose, Jose, Jose” from the appreciative crowd.

“It’s always gonna [feel] amazing. It’s kind of like a pride thing I got,” Alvarado said after the game.“It’s like when I play for my national team [Puerto Rico] or my country, I’m playing for my hometown, and I’m always gonna have to represent on another level, and just compete.”

Alvarado’s New York roots and gritty two-way playing style figured to endear him immediately to the MSG crowds following a trade-deadline acquisition from the Pelicans.

The undrafted five-year veteran’s best of his first four appearances in a Knicks uniform easily was a 26-point eruption in 19 minutes — on 8-for-13 shooting from 3-point range — in Wednesday’s road win over the 76ers. Alvarado also managed 12 points on 5-for-12 shooting (2-for 6 from deep) in a win in Boston in his team debut.

That represents a sharp contrast for the Christ the King High School product’s first two home games since his acquisition, with just 10 total points on 4-for-13 shooting, including 0-for-8 from beyond the arc. The backup point guard, known as “Grand Theft Alvarado,” also totaled seven steals in the two road victories and just one in two home defeats.

“Just getting a real rhythm,” Alvarado said earlier this week. “Like I’ve said, it just comes with spending time with the guys and being around them and slowly getting it.

“But we’re passing that, we’re in rhythm now so we’ve got a good stretch ahead of us and we’re trying to do something special here.”

Jalen Brunson was on the bench, and the Knicks were down by 16 to start the fourth, but 3-pointers by Landry Shamet, Karl-Anthony Towns and Alvarado plus a putback slam by Mikal Bridges pulled the Knicks within six with about seven minutes to play.

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“Sometimes it’s not gonna be shots falling and you gotta do the little things, get steals, and do that,” Alvarado said. “But it’s always gonna be a different type of motor when I put that jersey on. I’m from here, and I gotta represent the best way I can.”

Alvarado then cut the deficit to two with a strip of Kevin Durant and a layup before Brunson eventually tied it with 1:27 remaining.

“[Assistant coach] Rick Brunson was the one that suggested throwing Jose in the game at the time, which was the right call,” Brown said. “We threw Jose in, and he gave us a spark on both ends of the floor.”

Karl-Anthony Towns' message to his teammates entering the fourth quarter with the Knicks down 16 to the Houston Rockets was simple: Get stops.

In fact, he challenged his team to do so if they wanted to win the game and not be blown out for a second consecutive game following the All-Star break, himself included.

"I just challenged our team to start the fourth," Towns said. "I said, ‘we can win this game and I’ve seen us do it and it starts with the first possession of the fourth quarter playing defense. We gotta get a stop.’ I wanted to do my part as well and glad I was able to find a way to get that stop and from then I wanted to set the tone for our team and set the intensity level that we needed to play for for 12 minutes if we expected to come out with a win."

New York ended up pulling off an incredible fourth-quarter comeback by outscoring the Rockets, 33-15, in the final frame. Some of that was Jalen Brunson coming alive late in the quarter after Houston did a great job of limiting him offensively, but it was also the team-wide effort shown across the board.

Towns himself finished with 25 points and OG Anunoby was the main scoring threat early in the game, ending with 20 points while doing what he does defensively. Even role players like Jose Alvarado and Landry Shamet played important parts in the win, as did the raucous MSG crowd.

"We got stops. We got turnovers and that translated into offense and it gave us a confidence boost, that momentum," Towns said. "The crowd was amazing, all 15 guys on the team were amazing."

Before the fourth quarter, the Knicks had little answers for Houston's trio of Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun. And even though Durant led all scorers with 30 points, he and the rest of the Rockets were held in check for the most part during the fourth quarter. 

For example, Sengun went 0-for-4 with two turnovers in the fourth, mostly defended by Towns. Meanwhile, Alvarado (suggested to head coach Mike Brown by assistant Rick Brunson to be on the floor for the fourth) did most of his damage in the final frame and finished with eight points, four assists and five steals.

"We got stops that we needed and then our leaders KAT and JB stepped up and do what they do and took us to the promised land," Alvarado said.