Category: NBA

All-Star Weekend gets underway at the Intuit Dome, home of the Los Angeles Clippers, on Friday night! After the celebrity game tips off at 7 p.m. on ESPN, which I cannot fathom anyone on planet Earth caring about, the Rising Stars Challenge begins at 9 p.m. and streams on Peacock!

For clarity’s sake, the Rising Stars Challenge will once again feature four teams playing in a three-game tournament. It’ll feature three teams of young NBA talent and a team of G-League players going against one another. The Sixers’ own VJ Edgecombe will be on “Team Vince,” coached by NBA legend Vince Carter.

The first Rising Stars game will get going at 9 p.m. and feature Austin Rivers’ “Team Austin,” the G-League squad, facing off against Carmelo Anthony’s “Team Melo.” At 9:55 p.m., Edgecombe and Team Vince will face Tracy McGrady’s “Team T-Mac,” which features Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel. The winners of each respective game will face off in the championship round at 10:35 p.m.

For each semifinal game, the first team to reach or exceed 40 points wins. For the championship, the winning figure is 25 points. Got it? Well, I barely do, but All-Star Weekend goes on either way.

Feel free to chat about the All-Star festivities, Edgecombe, the Sixers or legitimately anything else in our open thread for the evening!

There will be a recap of Edgecombe’s performance after Team Vince finishes up as well, so stay tuned to Liberty Ballers for that too! Let’s hope he balls out.

NEW YORK (AP) — Perri Page scored a career-high 25 points to go with 10 rebounds, Riley Weiss scored 20 of her 23 points in the second half, and Columbia beat No. 24 Princeton 70-56 on Friday night to sweep the season series.

Columbia (16-6, 7-2) earned its third victory over an AP Top 25 team in program history — with all three coming against Princeton.

Columbia outscored Princeton 22-10 in the third quarter, with 11 points from Weiss, to take a 47-41 lead into the fourth.

The Lions used a four-point possession early in the fourth to help pull away. Fliss Henderson grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back while being fouled to give Columbia a 52-43 lead. Henderson missed the free throw, but the Lions secured the offensive rebound and Weiss made a jumper from the baseline for an 11-point lead.

Henderson finished with 12 rebounds to go with eight points for Columbia. Page reached 20 points for the fourth time this season. Weiss, who was coming off a 38-point performance with nine 3-pointers on Saturday, went 4 of 8 from 3-point range.

Princeton (19-3, 7-2 Ivy League) was led by Fadima Tall's 16 points and Olivia Hutcherson's 12.

Princeton opened the second quarter with a basket to take a 22-11 lead. Columbia used a late 7-0 run to get within 29-25 with 44 seconds left in the first half before Hutcherson made a shot in the lane while being fouled for a six-point halftime lead.

Two weeks ago, Columbia defeated then-No. 19 Princeton 73-67 on the road.

Up next

Princeton plays at Cornell on Saturday.

Columbia hosts Pennsylvania on Saturday.

___

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There were signs this was coming for LeBron James. 

As he warmed up Thursday, he danced. He waved his arms as he moved up and down. He stuck out his tongue. He grinned widely. 

He tossed the ball so high into the air that Rui Hachimura could walk under it immediately after it bounced. Then he caught the ball before it hit the ground again, as the entire team bent its knees in unison with his. 

He was loose. He was joyful. He was him. 

James tapped back into his je ne sais quoi after it was drained from him in an exhausting loss to the league-best Thunder on Monday. 

A few days later, the 41-year-old had reset, transforming back into the version of himself that’s untouchable by Father Time. 

James scored or assisted on the first 23 points in the Lakers’ 124-104 win over the Mavericks, his longest such stretch to begin a game in his career, per ESPN Research. By halftime, he had 18 points and eight rebounds. He finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists, becoming the oldest player in NBA history to record a triple-double. 

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“He’s got a 23-year prime, basically,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.

James received a standing ovation at Crypto.com Arena after setting the triple-double record by grabbing his 10th rebound with 2:05 left. He surpassed Karl Malone, who had 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists at 40 years and 127 days old in 2003. (James was 41 years and 44 days old when he set the record.)

“Any given night, if I need to turn it on, I can turn it on,” James said.

Boy, did the Lakers need this. They had lost two games in a row heading into Thursday’s contest. After Monday’s loss to the Thunder and their swarming defense, James looked as though he had survived a battle. “I’m just tired as f—,” he said. “Sorry if I sound irritated, but I’m 41.”

On Thursday, being 41 had a completely different meaning. It wasn’t old, it was remarkable. It wasn’t a disability, it was a revelation. 

As for where his joy came from, James said it never left.

“That’s always me,” he said. “I’m a goofy-ass 41-year-old kid. I think people should know that by now, right? That’s just me. I get to play basketball. They pay me to play basketball. Why wouldn’t I be happy? I get to be with my son and my teammates and all these unbelievable fans that watched me throughout my career, and they give me all the support and love. I enjoy what I do. Have fun. You see me on the court, see me in the back. I just love what I do. It’s pretty cool.”

James, who’s the first player in NBA history to reach his 23rd season, has long maintained that he’s going to play as long as he’s aligned physically, mentally and emotionally.

He acknowledged that after missing the first 14 games of the season because of sciatica, he questioned whether he could return to the superstar level he has maintained his entire career. He wasn’t able to participate in the preseason. He couldn’t do his typical training over the summer. 

“Doubt creeps into your mind to see if you can get back to form and get back to making an impact,” he said.

But James, who finished sixth in MVP voting last season, clearly is still capable of being the best player in the league on any given night.

James said last season that he could play at this level for another five seasons if he chooses. When asked if he still feels that way now, he didn’t hesitate. “Could I?” James asked. “Yeah, I could. … I just think it has to be here (points to his mind). How long can I stay in love with the process? Because that’s always been my thing. If I can’t continue to stay in love with the process, then if this goes, then my body’s gonna go. And once my body goes, then it’s a wrap. Then the love goes, and then the fun and all that stuff goes.”

“So, that’s what it is. It’s not my game is deteriorating. Obviously, there’s things I could have did when I was 25 compared to 35, and 35 to 41 or 21 to 31 or 41. But I have so much knowledge of the game that I know how to still continue to make an impact even if I’m not a 45, 43, 41 vertical. I can still do so many things on the floor.”

James is very much still James. On Thursday, he made 3s over defenders’ outstretched arms, he threw no-look passes, he overpowered everyone in his path down low. 

He had his fingerprints over every play for the first seven minutes of the game. He’s still incredibly dominant. The best when he wants to be. 

What has changed is he’s now questioning whether he wants to keep doing this. 

When he has to deal with drama surrounding his relationship with Jeanie Buss or the Lakers’ holes are exposed against a much younger and more athletic Thunder team, you have to wonder if he’s leaning toward retiring. 

But then there are nights when he oozes joy, when he has his first triple-double in over a year and he makes NBA history, and you have to wonder how he could ever walk away from this. 

For now, all we really know is what he’s doing is unprecedented. 

And we’d be remiss to take any of it for granted. 

Rome Flynn repeats as NBA All-Star Celebrity Game MVP originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Rome Flynn earned MVP honors for the second straight year in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday night, scoring 17 points to lead a team coached by Giannis Antetokounmpo to a 65-58 victory.

Actor-comedian Anthony Anderson coached the losing team, led by former 7-foot-6 NBA player Tacko Fall with 20 points.

The game brought basketball back to the Forum, home of the Los Angeles Lakers’ “Showtime” era until 1999, when they moved 10 miles away to downtown Los Angeles. Now, it has a different sponsor name under Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and is mostly used as a concert and entertainment venue.

K-pop made its debut at the game with boy group CORTIS performing at halftime.

Victor Wembanyama tossed up the opening tip between Team Giannis’ Jenna Bandy and Team Anthony’s Adrien Nunez, who got control, was fouled and missed his first throw.

Bandy was the only woman in either team’s starting lineup.

Team Giannis had a huge advantage in the paint with Fall grabbing most of the rebounds. His dunk made it a one-point game in the third.

Chinese actor-singer Dylan Wang garnered the loudest screams of the night, especially after he scored back-to-back baskets in the first quarter for Team Giannis.

Two of the oldest guys on the court were Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia (age 46) and Rick Schnall (50-something), who’s part of the Charlotte Hornets ownership group. Schnall fouled Ishbia in the first quarter, and Ishbia hit the free throws in a throwback to his Michigan State playing days.

Los Angeles Chargers star Keenan Allen hit a long shot from the red, white and blue line that was worth 4 points for Team Anthony. It launched a flurry of points for the wide receiver in the second quarter and he finished with 18 points.

Mascots from the Hornets and Mavericks alternated as sixth men restricted to playing in the backcourt for a bit in the third quarter.

Sidelined since Jan. 23 with a calf strain, Antetokounmpo won’t be playing in the All-Star Game on Sunday.

But the two-time MVP was assisted by his brothers Thanasis and Alex on Friday. Another assistant was Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts.

Former NBA player Jeremy Lin credited Betts for an inspiring halftime speech. “He definitely knows a lot about basketball,” Lin said.

The game marked the start of All-Star weekend, followed by the Rising Stars game down the street at Intuit Dome.

Zaccharie Risacher plays for Team T-Mac in a spotlight for rookies and sophomores as part of a four-team round robin format competition.

Please join in the comments below as you follow along.

Where, When, and How to Watch and Listen

Location: Intuit Dome, Los Angeles, CA

Start Time: 9:00 PM EDT

Streaming: Peacock

Sometimes progress shows up quietly — it isn’t always flashy and it isn’t always immediate. But since assuming a bigger role, Egor Dëmin has given the Nets every reason to feel confident about their ‘bold’ investment in him.

You can make what you want out of the accolades — he’s 19 years old and pundits said he didn’t have a jump shot at the Draft. We believed them, he’s proving us wrong. He’s averaged 10.8 points on 39.6% shooting from deep — 16.7 points in games which he’s played 30+ minutes. Perhaps it’s more than an accolade. It’s a reflection of how far he’s come, and how quickly he’s adapted to the NBA game. As for Friday… he’s in good hands.

DID YOU SEE VC… WITH EGOR?

Egor will represent Team Vince.

ICYMI

We got — not one, not two, not three — but FOUR Nets players on one podcast.

The Teams

(Via NBA.com)

💬 DISCUSSION

Share thoughts and react, but please be respectful. NetsDaily prides itself on being a safe space for Nets and basketball fans alike to have healthy conversation. Reach out to Anthony Puccio or Net Income with any issues.

Sometimes progress shows up quietly — it isn’t always flashy and it isn’t always immediate. But since assuming a bigger role, Egor Dëmin has given the Nets every reason to feel confident about their ‘bold’ investment in him.

You can make what you want out of the accolades — he’s 19 years old and pundits said he didn’t have a jump shot at the Draft. We believed them, he’s proving us wrong. He’s averaged 10.8 points on 39.6% shooting from deep — 16.7 points in games which he’s played 30+ minutes. Perhaps it’s more than an accolade. It’s a reflection of how far he’s come, and how quickly he’s adapted to the NBA game. As for Friday… he’s in good hands.

DID YOU SEE VC… WITH EGOR?

Egor will represent Team Vince.

OH AND BY THE WAY…

We got — not one, not two, not three — but FOUR Nets players on one podcast.

The Teams

(Via NBA.com)

💬 DISCUSSION

Share thoughts and react, but please be respectful. NetsDaily prides itself on being a safe space for Nets and basketball fans alike to have healthy conversation. Reach out to Anthony Puccio or Net Income with any issues.

Welcome to the Game Thread. Veterans of the Game Thread know how we do things around here, but for all you newbies we have a few rules. Our community guidelines apply and basically say be cool, no personal attacks, don’t troll and don’t swear too much.

All Star weekend is here. Tonight’s schedule:

• 6:00 PM CT—All Star celebrity game (ESPN)
• 8:00 PM CT—Rising Stars G1; Team Austin vs Team Melo (Peacock)
• 8:55 PM CT—Rising Stars G2; Team Vince vs Team T-Mac (Peacock)
• 9:35 PM CT—Rising Stars Championship; winner of G1 vs winner of G2 (Peacock)

Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper are on Team Melo, and hopefully they’ll have a good game and win a trophy at the end. Carter Bryant was a last minute addition to Team Vince, and he’s also in the dunk contest tomorrow, so not all of the Spurs participants can be Rising Stars champions tonight. It’s going to be a fun night for the players and fans, but I don’t expect to see much quality basketball. Not tonight, not all weekend.

Game Prediction:

Stephon Castle finds is hard to not play defense, gets benched by Melo, who never played defense in his life.

All Star Friday Night
February 13, 2026
Reminder: It is against site policy to post links to illegal streams in the comments.

Edgecombe wins Rising Stars MVP, shows off clutch skills  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

VJ Edgecombe’s clutch skills traveled to his first NBA All-Star weekend. 

The Sixers’ rookie guard earned the MVP award Friday night in the Rising Stars mini-tournament at Intuit Dome. Edgecombe calmly drained two free throws to give his team a 25-24 win in the final.

Edgecombe made crucial plays in both the semifinals and final for his team, which had Vince Carter as honorary coach. Spurs assistant coach Corliss Williamson (once a Sixers player) served as head coach. 

After drilling his free throws, Edgecombe walked over to All-Star teammate Tyrese Maxey on the sideline and celebrated. Maxey’s set to participate in both the three-point contest Saturday night and the All-Star Game itself on Sunday.

Edgecombe’s late-game heroics were the highlight of his squad’s semifinal win. 

With his team nearing the target score of 40, Edgecombe sunk two long-range shots. He then sealed the deal, nailing a step-back jumper from the right elbow over Cam Spencer to advance to the final. 

The 20-year-old wound up scoring his squad’s last 10 points. He finished with a game-high 17 on 6-for-8 shooting and five rebounds. 

Fifty games into his NBA career, the No. 3 overall pick has already established himself as a player who enjoys crunch time and often thrives at the tail end of tight games.

In clutch situations, Edgecombe has shot 55.8 percent from the floor and 54.5 percent from three-point range. He also leads the Sixers in clutch rebounds (27 in 130 minutes) and clutch steals (seven). 

“Everything we have there is that he’s on pace to be someone who’s got a real chance to be a future All-Star,” Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said last week. “He’s playing great basketball, especially at the ends of games.”

MADRID (AP) — Sergio Herrera produced a string of superb saves to win a point for Osasuna in a 0-0 draw at Elche in La Liga on Friday.

Home side Elche had the lion’s share of the chances but Herrera used his hands, body, and legs to thwart the forwards over and over, including twice in the final minutes.

“That’s football, these things happen,” Elche coach Eder Sarabia said. “We were vastly superior and produced a brilliant performance, but sometimes you still don’t win. It was a 4-0 or 4-1 kind of game.”

Elche looked a different side from the one that lost its previous three league games and was more incisive than the team six places above it.

However, Herrera’s heroics meant it ended with just one point that lifted it two places, into 13th. Its winless league runs extended to seven matches. It has the same points as the two teams below it, Sevilla and Alaves.

Osasuna remained in ninth place.

Only six points separate Athletic Bilbao in 10th from Rayo Vallecano in the relegation zone.

___

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

2026 Sixth Man of the Year odds

Player		Movement
Naz Reid	<<+185>>	▲
Keldon Johnson	<<+320>>	▲
Jaime Jaquez Jr.	<<+475>>	▼
Ajay Mitchell	<<+1200>>	--
Reed Sheppard	<<+1400>>	▼
Ayo Dosunmu	<<+1500>>	▲
Anthony Black	<<+1800>>	▼
Anfernee Simons	<<+2000>>	▲
Tim Hardaway Jr.	<<+2000>>	▲
Grayson Allen	<<+2800>>	▲

Odds as of 2-13-2026.

NBA Sixth Man of the Year favorites

Naz Reid of the Minnesota Timberwolves has already been a past winner of the award, but bettors are seeing him recapture that scoring-and-efficiency combo that helped him earn the honor as his name remains among the more respected and realistic long-shots.

Close behind him in the latest Sixth Man of the Year race is Keldon Johnson, who has been providing the San Antonio Spurs with valuable scoring and athleticism off the bench for his team.

Meanwhile, Ajay Mitchell has drawn attention thanks to his consistent production and efficient play — his early-season form has many calling him a serious 6MOTY candidate.

Reed Sheppard gets in the mix with his breakout role off the bench and elevated minutes in Houston with the Rockets.

Covers NBA betting tools

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Understanding NBA Sixth Man of the Year odds

Most sportsbooks will display odds in the American format as listed above. We'll use 2022-23's 6MOY race as an example: 

As the season progressed, with Immanuel Quickley having been a huge favorite, his odds had a minus (-) sign ahead of the number: 

• Immanuel Quickley -300

This means that a bettor needs to wager $300 to win $100. Other candidates with worse odds would have a plus (+) sign ahead of the number. Early in the season, before any clear favorite is established, betting options will be listed as such: 

• Russell Westbrook +650

Here, a bettor stands to profit $650 for every $100 wagered. 

If American odds aren't your thing, simply use our odds converter to switch the odds to decimal or fractional format. Most online sportsbooks also give you the option to change the odds format that you see.

Popular NBA futures markets

• NBA championship odds
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NBA 6MOY betting trends

Here are some trends you'll want to keep in mind when betting on NBA Sixth Man of the Year: 

• Guards have absolutely owned this award recently, winning 6MOY in 10 of the past 12 seasons.
  
  
• Naz Reid's 2024 win marked only the fourth 6MOY win by a center in its 41-year history (Montrezl Harrell '20, Roy Tarpley '88, and Bill Walton '86).
  
  
• Both Jamal Crawford ('10, '14, '16) and Lou Williams ('15, '18, '19) are recent three-time winners, so voter fatigue may matter less in this market. 

Cash your ML bets quicker with bet365's early win payout

Take advantage of the early win payout at bet365, where any pre-game NBA moneyline bet gets paid out as a winner if your team goes up by 20+ points!

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How is NBA Sixth Man of the Year decided?

The NBA Sixth Man of the Year is awarded to the league's best bench player each season. A variety of factors go into evaluating who the top reserve is:

Consistent statistical impact

The 6MOY must consistently provide a significant impact on the game whenever entering from the bench. This impact should be palpable and discernible in terms of offensive, defensive, or playmaking contributions.

Scoring prowess

The candidate should display an ability to contribute significantly to the team's scoring efforts. This can be evidenced by an impressive points-per-game average, especially in crucial moments of the game. Scoring tends to be the single most important stat for Sixth Man voting.

Versatility

The awardee should demonstrate the capability to adapt to various game situations. This encompasses two-way play, as well as adaptability to different styles and opposing lineups.

Role-player mentality

The recipient must exhibit a selfless approach to the game, willingly accepting their role as a substitute player and deferring to stars, while able to fill a variety of needs for team success.

Impact on team success

The award recipient should have a discernible impact on the team's overall success during the regular season, especially in terms of on-off metrics that measure a player’s impact on their team’s bottom line, and value relative to potential replacements.

NBA Sixth Man of the Year history

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

Greetings, Panthers fans. Welcome to the weekend.

Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.

You know the drill.

This is now an open thread

HULL, England (AP) — Pedro Neto scored a hat trick, including directly from a corner kick, as Chelsea beat Hull City 4-0 in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Friday.

Also, Wrexham reached the fifth round for the first time in 29 years after beating Ipswich 1-0 in an all-Championship matchup.

Hull and Chelsea had met eight times before in the FA Cup and Chelsea progressed every time. Host Hull never looked like halting that arresting run as the Premier League side took control from the off.

Pedro Neto’s drilled shot from just outside the box gave Chelsea the lead going into halftime, and his low corner squeaked through a throng of bodies straight into the goal six minutes into the second period.

Young Brazilian Estêvão made it 3-0 minutes later when he side-footed home from 12 meters out, and Pedro Neto finished a nicely worked fourth.

“Pedro Neto is an incredible player,” Liam Delap, who recorded three assists, told TNT Sports. “He is playing in a position he is not even used to but he showed his quality.

Wrexham roll on

Wrexham will discover in Monday's draw who it meets next for a place in the quarterfinals.

A first-half goal from Josh Windass separated Wrexham from Ipswich, which didn't get a shot on target.

Both teams are in contention for promotion to the Premier League; Ipswich was in third place and hoping for an immediate return to the league it left last summer. Wrexham was seven points behind in sixth and bidding for a fourth consecutive promotion that would take it into the top tier for the first time in its 158-year history.

“We started both halves well but we weren’t able to get the goal," Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna told BBC Wales. “Second half we tried everything ... but we just couldn’t get back into the game.

___

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

Malik Beasley was a free agent looking to re-sign a three-year, $42 million contract with the Detroit Pistons before he was named in a federal investigation about an NBA gambling scandal.

Beasley's attorneys stated that he was cleared of any wrongdoing in the federal case in August. Beasley is still under investigation by the NBA related to suspicious prop bets placed during the 2023-24 season. Despite the issues, he has found a place to play basketball this season.

Beasley, 29, reportedly signed a deal to play in Puerto Rico for the Santurce Crabbers, a team owned by Grammy Award-winning and Super Bowl 60 performing artist Bad Bunny, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.