Category: NBA

Despite the Thunder missing majority of their rotation with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Willians, Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren, Alex Caruso, and Ajay Mitchell all reported as out, they were able to hold with Detroit early as they held a 17-16 lead halfway through the first quarter. Their second and third-stringers showed up ready to play as seven different Thunder players would score in the first as they ended the quarter with a 15-2 run to lead 34-22.

Detroit’s defense was missing, but they found offense through Jalen Duren. Without both of the OKC big men, Jaylin Williams was the lone man left to handle JD. Duren’s size would prove to be a problem early as he led the team in field goal attempts along with eight points and three rebounds.

The Pistons needed a spark in the second and they found it from their 9-to-5 crew.

We saw the typical Ron Holland on defense, but it was his offensive rebounding with Paul Reed that provided extra possessions for Detroit to start clawing back against OKC. There was one sequence where the two of them had three straight boards over the Thunder team and RoHo was able to get the layup to go. It hasn’t looked pretty from three recently for Ron, but you can never doubt his effort.

I thought Ausar had a great second quarter – he came in for Caris LeVert after LeVert picked up his third foul and instantly made an impact on both ends of the floor. He had a sequence of a block pinned against the backboard into a transition alley-oop to Jalen Duren, and it was one of those moments where I was convinced no one else on the team could replicate that.

Most importantly, he did a great job of operating with the ball despite the Thunder not respecting his jumper from deep. They guarded him from the block or the free throw line at times, but he was able to attack and kick to find teammates for an open three. He was able to be patient and get to the right elbow for a jumper, a spot we know he’s much more comfortable shooting from.

Between these two and Jalen Duren continuing to feast inside, Detroit was able to reclaim the lead late in the second. They ended the half on a 10-2 run and took a 58-52 lead. Duren led the way with 18 points and seven rebounds as OKC didn’t have an answer for him down low.

The Pistons were able to extend that lead into the third quarter. They forced an Oklahoma City timeout after Cade did his best Tayshaun Prince impression with a chase-down block followed by a transition bucket from Duncan Robinson gave Detroit a double-digit lead. Newly acquired Kevin Huerter even got some minutes before the end of the quarter.

With a 94-80 lead heading into the final frame, things were looking good for Detroit in the Battle of the #1 Seeds. OKC was playing a lot of zone defense, though, Cade did a good job of picking it apart. While the Pistons relied on scoring from inside, the Thunder looked to score from deep. They were consistently shooting threes, with 10 attempts coming from Jaylin Williams who finished with a career-high 30 points. The entire team would shoot 18-for-49 from deep – Detroit’s season-high in attempts is 43.

Those OKC threes landed in the fourth quarter and they made it a five-point game with 5:30 left behind a 11-2 Thunder run. Guards Aaron Wiggins, Cason Wallace, and Jarden McCain contributed with at least 20 points each. Every time they made it close, Cade would carve up the Oklahoma City defense to keep the game just out of reach. It wasn’t the performance you’d hope to see after hearing more than half of their rotation was out, but Detroit now owns a 1-0 record over OKC this season after a 124-116 victory tonight.

It was the Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren show for Detroit as they were the focal point of the offense and were able to capitalize with the lack of interior presence for the Thunder. Both players had 29 points while Cade added 13 assists and JD had 15 rebounds. The two combined to shoot 23-for-33 (69.7%) for an incredibly efficient night. Cunningham also added in multiple highlight reel blocks as he continues to show he’s a complete, two-way hooper.

Duncan Robinson had 16 points including three threes and five free throws, three of which came in the clutch after getting fouled on an attempted three-pointer with less than two minutes left. Ausar did Ausar things tonight and finished with a stat line of 11 points, four rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and two blocks. Thompson had a great bounce back game after being benched in the second half against San Antonio.

The gauntlet of potential playoff previews continues with another primetime matchup, this time on Friday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Go Stones.

The shorthanded Cleveland Cavaliers fought hard, but they ran out of steam in the fourth quarter. Cleveland had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds. Jarrett Allen grabbed a Dennis Schroder miss, but his putback hookshot came just after time expired, leading to the 118-116 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks

This game was defined by who wasn’t playing, as opposed to who was. The Cavs were without Donovan Mitchell (groin), James Harden (thumb), and Evan Mobley (calf). Meanwhile, Milwaukee didn’t have Giannis Antetokounmpo (neck) and Taurean Prince (neck). Having this much firepower in street clothes isn’t ideal, but that’s become an increasingly common reality in the NBA this season.

Unsurprisingly, this led to what was a somewhat disjointed game that had wild swings back and forth, but not necessarily because of great play, but due to having players out of their ideal roles.

Allen wasn’t one of those players. He once again showed why getting him involved should be the priority of any team he’s on, no matter who’s in or out of the lineup.

The Cavs needed a big game from Allen, and he delivered. He outplayed his counterpart, Myles Turner, as he was able to consistently push Turner off his spots. Allen controlled the glass on both ends and was the focal point of the offense, putting up 27 points on 10-15 shooting to go along with 11 boards.

Despite the strong play from Allen, it wasn’t enough to get Cleveland the victory.

The Cavs took the lead early on, and it seemed like they were going to run away with it. But Milwaukee roared back due to their hot three-point shooting. They pushed their advantage to 12 midway through the third quarter, before the Cavs closed the frame on a run to capture a one-point lead heading into the fourth.

The final quarter was a slog. Neither team could create separation.

Milwaukee took a two-point lead late thanks to a midrange jumper from Kevin Porter Jr. with 20 seconds left. The Cavs weren’t able to respond. Dennis Schroder’s game-tying runner bounced out, and Allen couldn’t put it back in before the game clock expired.

Opponent three-point shooting once again had an outsized impact on the outcome of the game. The Oklahoma City Thunder’s hot shooting helped lead them to victory on Sunday, the New York Knicks poor shooting did them yesterday, and the Bucks’ 42.2% shooting from three helped secure them the victory. The Cavs have prioritized taking away lanes to the basket, but they may need to find a better balance as the Bucks were able to generate too many easy outside looks despite not having much on-ball juice.

The Bucks were led by 20 points from Porter Jr., Ryan Rollins contributed 18, and Kyle Kuzma chipped in 17 on 5-10 shooting from deep.

Schroder did a superb job stepping into the starting role. He provided 26 points on 8-14 shooting and made several crucial baskets late despite seemingly turning his ankle in the final minutes. Schroder also had five assists and a steal.

Keon Ellis, Sam Merrill, and Jaylon Tyson each finished with 14 points.

The Cavs have now lost two of their last three, even though it’s difficult to be too upset about this one. Three of their key players didn’t participate, and this was the tail end of a back-to-back and their fifth game in seven nights.

Cleveland will head on the road to take on the conference-leading Detroit Pistons on Friday. Tip-off is at 7 PM.

The Golden State Warriors started out their short two-game road trip in disappointing fashion, falling to the New Orleans Pelicans 113-109 on Tuesday night. But they rebounded — literally and figuratively — in emphatic fashion on Wednesday night, crushing the Memphis Grizzlies 133-112 in a game that wasn’t as close as the not-at-all close score might suggest.

It is, admittedly, what the Warriors probably felt they were supposed to do. Even on the road, even on the back end of a back-to-back, and even playing without Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler III, De’Anthony Melton, and Kristaps Porziņģis, the Warriors surely felt they should beat a Grizzlies team that is actively making no attempt to win games after trading Jaren Jackson Jr. at the trade deadline and gearing up for a rebuild.

But that didn’t make the effort any less impressive, especially considering just how shorthanded the team was. Just look at those names again: Curry! Green! Butler! Melton! Porziņģis! That’s a whole lot of talent missing for the Dubs, who started Brandin Podziemski, Will Richard, Moses Moody, Gui Santos, and Al Horford, while bringing just four players — Pat Spencer, Quinten Post, Gary Payton II, and two-way contract Malevy Leons — off the bench. Though the Grizzlies were, admittedly, without Ja Morant, among others.

And so the battle of the injured vs. the tanking commenced, and it did so with endless energy from both sides. The Warriors were flying around the court, which led to a fair amount of sloppiness, but resulted in more good than bad. They took an early 17-12 lead that forced a Grizzlies timeout.

Steve Kerr used that timeout to pound a little bal control into the team’s collective head, and they came out of it with impeccable offensive execution. The ball movement was exceptional, and you could see every high school and college coach grinning ear to ear as the Warriors repeatedly drove into the paint and kicked the ball out, drove back onto the paint and kicked the all out, repeating until a cutter or a shooter got wide open.

The Grizzlies started to close the gap, but Podziemski and Spencer were in control for the Warriors. But Memphis ended on a high note, as GG Jackson banked home a halfcourt jumper to beat the buzzer. After scoring just 19 points in the first quarter the night before, the Warriors had hung 34 on the Grizzlies … but allowed 31.

It all changed in the second quarter, though. The energy that defined the first quarter was dialed up a notch for Golden State, while Memphis failed to sustain it. It was a case of out-hustling and out-hearting for the Warriors, but it wasn’t just effort: the execution was utterly phenomenal. The team was cutting, cutting, and cutting some more, and within a few possessions it was a double-digit lead. Before you knew it, the lead had ballooned to 20, and then to 24 thanks to a 14-0 run. The youths were playing with endless energy and joy, while the veteran Horford was controlling all the action and holding down the fort on both ends of the court. It was a delight to watch, and the Warriors entered the halftime break with a 74-53 advantage, and total control of the game.

That control was threatened early in the third quarter. Memphis found their energy at the half and that, combined with the Warriors jumpers going cold to start the third quarter, made things look dangerous for a little bit. The Grizzlies started to cut into the deficit, but the Warriors were able to hold court.

It wasn’t always pretty. Things got a little hectic, and at times it felt like the Dubs were leaking oil, yet they never let the Grizzlies actually get close. Every sloppy play or missed rotation was met with a deflection, a cut, or a rebound from someone crashing from the wing. They weren’t just responding to the punches thrown by Memphis, but countering their own mistakes, and sustaining the lead.

Richard in particular came up huge in the second half, seemingly deflecting a pass on every defensive position, and repeatedly leaking out for uncontested buckets at the rim. Despite having their momentum threatened, the Warriors still led 96-76 entering the final quarter.

From there, they settled into a smooth and easy win. The Grizzlies had given it a run in the third quarter, and had nothing left in the tank for the fourth. The Warriors kept cutting and kept busting their butts down the court, earning transition opportunities galore.

The only question in the fourth was whether or not Leons could get to double figures for the first time in his career, as all eight other players had cruised to that mark. Tragically, the youngster left the team — and Bob Fitzgerald in particular — hanging. He made it to nine points, earned. atrip to the free throw line, and then missed both shots. So it goes.

It was a might impressive performance up and down the roster. The Warriors outrebounded the Grizzlies 56-39, and forced 16 turnovers. They outscored their counterparts in the paint 58-44, and in transition 17-13. The Dubs made 49 baskets, and 37 of them were assisted.

A day after not taking a single shot, Richard led the team with 21 points on 9-for-15 shooting, and added five rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Spencer nearly had a double-double with 12 points and nine assists, while Podziemski flirted with a triple-double, finished the game with 19 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Post and Horford were both very strong in the paint, with the former having 12 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks, and the latter 10 points, seven rebounds, and one swat. Leons may have failed to make it a clean sweep of players in double figures, but he grabbed eight rebounds, dished two assists, grabbed two steals, and blocked a shot in less than 18 minutes of action.

Fantastic play up and down the roster, and a very nice win.

With none of the other Western Conference play-in tournament teams in action, the Warriors moved to 31-28 on the year, and within two games of the Phoenix Suns … while moving to three games ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers and LA Clippers. They now get a pair of days off before hosting the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — S’Mya Nichols made 15 of 17 from the free-throw line — 8 of 8 in the final 3 1/2 minutes — and finished with 19 points to help Kansas beat No. 20 Texas Tech 68-59 on Wednesday night.

Nichols is the first Kansas player to make at least 15 free throws in a game since Carolyn Davis also hit 15 at Wisconsin on Nov. 2, 2010.

The Jayhawks (18-11, 8-9 Big 12) have won three straight and five of their last six — the only loss in the span coming at then-No. 16 Texas Tech, 70-65, on Feb. 10.

Sarengbe Sanogo had a career-high 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting, six rebounds and a season-high five blocks for Texas Tech (24-6, 11-6). Snudda Collins added 11 points and Bailey Maupin, who went 0 for 8 from 3-point range, scored 10. Collins and Maupin were each 4-of-14 shooting.

Jaliya Davis had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Jayhawks. Elle Evans hit three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points and Regan Williams scored 10.

The Lady Raiders were just 1-of-7 shooting over the final five minutes as the Jayhawks closed on a 16-3 run.

The Jayhawks shot 89% from the free-throw line, where they outscored Texas Tech 24-5.

Bristow and Denae Fritz fouled out with about three minutes to play and three other TTU players had four personal fouls. The Lady Raiders were called for 27 fouls, Kansas just 16.

Up next

Texas Tech: Wraps up the regular season Sunday at home against Arizona State.

Kansas: Visits Oklahoma State on Saturday in the regular-season finale.

___

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HOUSTON (AP) — Reed Sheppard made a career-high seven 3-pointers and scored 28 points, Alperen Sengun had 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, and the Houston Rockets beat the Sacramento Kings 128-97 on Wednesday night.

Kevin Durant added 21 points for the Rockets in their most-lopsided victory of the season. Houston has won two in row since blowing an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter at New York on Saturday.

Russell Westbrook scored 22 points for Sacramento, but 17 came in the first quarter. DeMar DeRozan added 15 on a night he moved ahead of Paul Pierce into 20th place on the NBA's career scoring list.

The Kings were coming off a victory over Memphis that snapped their franchise-record 16-game losing streak.

Westbrook was 8 for 14 in the first quarter, with his 17 points his most in a first quarter since getting that many against Utah on Feb. 9, 2020. But the rest of the Kings were 1 for 10 and Houston led 33-22. The Rockets then outscored the Kings 44-28 in the second, going 8 for 12 from 3-point range, to lead 77-50 at the break.

Sengun had his third triple-double of the season and 11th of his career. Houston shot 54.7% from the field and hit 17 of its first 30 shots.

The Rockets led by 36 points in the fourth quarter.

The Kings lost starting forward Keegan Murray to a left ankle injury in the first quarter.

Up next

Kings: At Dallas on Thursday night.

Rockets: At Orlando on Thursday night.

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The San Antonio Spurs found themselves down twelve to the Toronto Raptors. They kicked up the defensive intensity at the start of the fourth quarter, outscoring Toronto 32-17 in the final frame to secure the 110-107 victory. The Spurs nearly lost a free-throw battle down the stretch. The team went 13-23 from the line for the game, but made enough free throws to squeak out the win.

On a night when Victor Wembanyama was held quiet, the Spurs guards stepped up to carry the offensive load. Devin Vassell had 21 points while hitting 5 three-pointers, De’Aaron Fox had 20 points, including some clutch shots in the fourth quarter, and Dylan Harper had 15 points and 7 assists off the bench. Toronto had a similarly balanced offensive attack, with Brandon Ingram and Immanuel Quickley leading the team with 20 points apiece.

With the win, the Spurs have won 10 straight games, with a record of 42-16. They’ll look to extend their winning streak against the Brooklyn Nets tomorrow night.

Observations

• Wembanyama seemed frustrated the entire game. He had 12 points on 3-12 shooting, adding 8 rebounds and 5 blocks. The Raptors were incredibly physical with him, not letting him catch the ball inside and staying in front of him on the perimeter. He was incredibly impactful defensively, but just couldn’t shake free offensively.
• Harper had one of his best games of the season. Despite Toronto’s physical pressure defense, he remained calm and played at his own pace. Defensively, he guarded with physicality and did a great job staying in front of Ingram in the fourth quarter.
• The Spurs are one of the best teams in the NBA at holding teams from scoring off their turnovers. They allowed the Raptors to score 23 points off their 13 turnovers on Wednesday night. It was one of the main reasons that Toronto was able to build a big lead going into the fourth quarter.
• Old friend Jakob Poeltl had a great game for the Raptors. He put up 15 points, 7 rebounds, and had 3 blocks. He was incredibly effective on Wembanyama. Late in the game, the Spurs’ superstar tried to get Poeltl in isolation, but couldn’t get around Toronto’s center. It was one of the more impressive defensive showings from an opposing big man this season.
• With a Spurs win and an Oklahoma City Thunder loss to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night, San Antonio is now two games back from the number one seed in the West. There is a very real chance that the Spurs can catch OKC for first place.
• Fox hit a shot in the fourth quarter that made my mouth drop. With three seconds left on the shot clock, he fought through tough perimeter defense and found himself behind the backboard. He tossed up a lefty floater that swished in gently.

Much of the talk around NBA All-Star Weekend was about how to improve certain events, particularly the dunk contest.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard threw his bid in to improve the 3-point shootout by lobbying for Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, his Splash Brother and former teammate, Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson, and Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker to compete in 2027.

The latest man to attempt to improve the NBA's premier weekend is Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia, who is ready to put some money up for All-Stars to compete in the highly-anticipated annual All-Star competitions.

Ishbia even said on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Wednesday, Feb. 25, that he is willing to offer $1 million to the 2027 NBA dunk contest and 3-point contest winners.

He said he wants "to get the best guys" to participate during next year's All-Star Weekend, which will be held in Phoenix.

McAfee proposed that Ishbia put up $2 million, one for the winner and another one for a local charity.

"Done," Ishbia responded.

"We're hosting the All-Star Game in Phoenix next year..

We're gonna make it an amazing event"

LET'S MAKE IT BIG @Mishbia15#PMSLivepic.twitter.com/1KdBc8RPNC

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 25, 2026

Ishbia told McAfee that he will have a say in how to improve All-Star Weekend.

"Not the actual game part of it, like how they do East versus West, or World versus U.S., but I have a say in 'how do we get great players in it?" Ishbia said. "How do we make it a great event? How to make (the) fan experience phenomenal? We're gonna make it an amazing event."

McAfee challenged Ishbia to share the details, asking him to announce what he's planning for the dunk contest, and offered a proposal. Ishbia was all ears.

"You're gonna put a million dollars up for the winner and then a million dollar donation to a charity," McAfee said.

Ishbia quickly responded in excitement, "done" and added, "Let's get the best guys in it. Let’s make it awesome."

Will the NBA allow Mat Ishbia to pay players?

The idea proposed by McAfee and verbally agreed upon by Ishbia is illegal by NBA rules and regulations, according to ESPN.

Officials from the NBA league office and players' union told ESPN that Ishbia's generous donations would not "conform with the existing bonus structure."

Additionally, Ishbia did not consult the league office before making the offer, according to ESPN.

Ishbia remains motivated to find a way to get more stars into the events.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mat Ishbia willing to pay big to get best guys in NBA All-Star events

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Ebuka Okorie scored 34 points, his sixth 30-point game of the season, and Stanford rallied in the second half to defeat Pittsburgh 75-67 on Wednesday.

The Cardinal (17-11, 6-9 ACC) shot 50% from the field and overcame a 34-32 halftime deficit behind a 28-point second half from Okorie. He added six rebounds, six assists and three steals while going 9 for 9 from the free-throw line. Benny Gealer added 12 points, and Aidan Cammann finished with 11 as Stanford went a perfect 10-for-10 shooting at the line.

Pitt (10-18, 3-12) was led by Cameron Corhen's 22 points and eight rebounds, while Barry Dunning Jr. added 19 points on four 3-pointers.

Pitt built a 63-57 advantage with 7:08 remaining before Stanford answered with a decisive stretch. Okorie scored nine points during an 11-1 run that gave the Cardinal a 68-64 lead with 3:27 left, including back-to-back 3-pointers.

The Panthers cut the deficit to four on a Dunning 3-pointer with 1:44 remaining, but Stanford responded with a tip-in by Cammann and closed the game at the free-throw line, holding Pitt without a field goal over the final three minutes.

The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Cardinal.

Up Next

Pittsburgh: at California on Saturday.

Stanford: hosts SMU this Saturday.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Defensemen Trevor van Riemsdyk and Rasmus Sandin ended long goal droughts and the Washington Capitals beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-1 on Wednesday night, their fifth win in their last six games.

The Capitals now have 42 goals from defensemen this season, the second most in the NHL behind Columbus.

Aliaksei Protas scored an empty-netter for Washington with 26 seconds to play when the Flyers had a six-on-four for his 20th goal of the season, and Logan Thompson made 23 saves. Protas also had an assist.

Noah Cates scored for Philadelphia 29 seconds into the third period, his first goal in 19 games, and Dan Vladar made 26 stops as the Flyers lost for the sixth time in their last seven games to fall further out of playoff position.

After a scoreless first period, Sandin scored his third goal of the season and his first since Nov. 13 with 6:08 to play in the second. With an assist on the goal, Jakob Chychrun now has 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists) in his last eight games.

Cates tipped in a shot by Travis Sanheim early in the third to tie it at 1-1, but van Riemsdyk scored his second of the season with 5:52 to play to put Washington on top to stay. It was his first goal since Oct. 25, a span of 38 games.

The Capitals played without forward and Canadian Olympian Tom Wilson, who missed the game with an illness.

Up next

Flyers: Visit the New York Rangers on Thursday night.

Capitals: Hosts Vegas on Friday night.

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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Gia Cooke scored 19 points, Jordan Harrison added 16 and No. 17 West Virginia pulled away from UCF in the third quarter for a 74-62 victory on Wednesday night.

UCF led 27-25 at the break, but West Virginia outscored the Knights 31-9 in the third quarter for a 20-point advantage heading into the final period. Harrison scored eight points, Cooke added seven and Sydney Shaw chipped in with six. The Mountaineers hit all three of their 3-pointers and shot 76.5% (13 of 17) from the field in the third.

Cooke shot 6 of 16 overall, and Harrison was 6 of 7 from the floor. Cooke made four 3-pointers, and Shaw scored all nine of her points from behind the arc. Carter McCray and Kierra Wheeler each added 12 points for West Virginia (23-6, 13-4 Big 12).

Khyala Ngodu scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead UCF (10-18, 2-15), which has lost 10 straight.

West Virginia shot 52% overall while UCF hit 51%, but the Mountaineers made 7 of 15 from long range while the Knights missed all six of their attempts from distance. West Virginia also scored 22 points off 22 UCF turnovers.

The Mountaineers dominated the season's first meeting with a 106-56 win. It was the most points scored in a conference game in program history.

Up next

West Virginia hosts Cincinnati on Sunday in a regular-season finale.

UCF ends its regular season on Sunday at Houston.

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BOSTON (AP) — Fred Payne scored 23 points and Aidan Shaw tipped in a miss with 0.5 seconds remaining as Boston College snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 68-67 victory over Wake Forest on Wednesday night.

Boston College took a 64-56 lead with 1:42 remaining but the Eagles would not make another field goal until Shaw's game-winner.

Juke Harris gave Wake Forest its first lead of the second half with 18.8 seconds left in the game after back-to-back 3-pointers following a Boston College turnover.

Then Boston College worked the clock down before Payne drove into the lane for a shot that hit high off the glass and rolled off the rim. But Shaw, who averages 4.1 points per game, skied for the rebound and put it home.

It was the first win for Boston College (10-18, 3-12 ACC) since topping Pittsburgh 65-62 on Jan. 21.

Shaw finished with 11 points and Boden Kapke had 13 points and 10 rebounds, his third double-double this season, for the Eagles.

Harris finished with a career-high 38 points for Wake Forest (14-14, 5-10). Harris was 12 of 19 from the field, including 6 of 12 from distance, while the rest of his teammates combined to go 10-of-43 overall.

Harris scored 16 points in the opening 13 minutes of the game, including six straight overall, to give Wake Forest a 21-15 lead. The Demon Deacons led 29-22 at the break despite shooting 10 of 33 (30%) from the field.

Boston College started the second half on a 14-1 run, with 11 points from Payne, to take its first lead since it was 13-11. The Eagles went 1 of 15 from 3-point range in the first half before starting 4 of 5 after the break.

The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday before being moved a day later due to a winter storm.

Up next

Wake Forest: Hosts Syracuse on Saturday.

Boston College: Visits Miami on Saturday.

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Oluchi Okananwa scored 25 points, surpassing 1,200 career points in the process, and No. 14 Maryland defeated Northwestern 79-57 on Wednesday night.

Okananwa, one of four 1,000-point scorers on Maryland's roster, now has 1,213 career points. The 17.4 points per game scorer has 51 points in the past two games.

Northwestern was within eight points in the middle of the third quarter before Okananwa and Kyndal Walker each scored six points in a 12-2 run that gave the Terrapins a 63-45 lead heading to the final period.

The lead reached 24 points four times in the fourth quarter.

Maryland (23-6, 11-6 Big Ten) turned Northwestern’s 21 turnovers into 24 points. The Terps committed only six turnovers, leading to two points for Northwestern.

Among Maryland's starters, Yarden Garzon scored 11 points, Addi Mack added 10 points and Saylor Poffenbarger grabbed 13 rebounds to reach 1,000 for her career. Walker scored 10 points off the bench.

Grace Sullivan scored 23 points for Northwestern (8-20, 2-15).

Okananwa scored eight points in the first quarter and Maryland led 20-14 after one. A 12-3 run in the second quarter helped push the lead to 15 points and the Terrapins went on to lead 44-31 at halftime.

Maryland leads the series with Northwestern 16-1 and has won the last eight games.

Up next

Maryland: Visits No. 8 Michigan on Saturday in a regular-season finale.

Northwestern: The regular season ends at home against Purdue on Sunday.

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CINCINNATI (AP) — Marta Suarez scored a career-high 32 points, and No. 11 TCU used a dominant third quarter to defeat Cincinnati 83-70 on Wednesday, clinching at least a share of the Big 12 regular-season title.

With the win, defending Big 12 champion TCU secured no worse than a share of the league title entering Sunday’s regular-season finale against No. 18 Baylor. The Horned Frogs also became the first program to repeat as Big 12 champions within three seasons of finishing last.

The Horned Frogs (26-4, 14-3 Big 12) trailed 29-23 at halftime before taking control with a decisive stretch out of the break. TCU outscored Cincinnati 35-14 in the third quarter, turning a six-point deficit into a 58-43 lead entering the fourth.

Suarez, who entered the game averaging 16.5 points, fueled the surge as TCU opened the period on a 20-3 run to build its first double-digit lead at 43-32 with 4:40 remaining in the quarter. Donovyn Hunter added 16 points, and Olivia Miles finished with 15 points, eight assists and seven rebounds as the Horned Frogs shot 45% from the field and made 11 3-pointers.

Cincinnati (11-18, 6-11) was led by Mya Perry's 27 points, while Caliyah DeVillasee added 20 and Reagan Jackson scored 12. The Bearcats shot 35% from the floor and could not cut the deficit below double digits in the final period.

Up Next

TCU: hosts No. 18 Baylor on Sunday in a regular-season finale.

Cincinnati: travels to No. 17 West Virginia on Sunday for its finale regular-season matchup.

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Don’t worry – we’ll all get through this one together.

After a tight game in Indiana and a dicey last-minute flight to Brooklyn, the Dallas Mavericks head back home to host the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night. Your feelings about this matchup depends entirely on your current operating theory of the Mavericks: if you’re team tank, this is a nail-biter, one of several dice-rolls that will have a material impact on Dallas’ lottery odds in the coming offseason. If you’re team let’s-get-out-there-and-try-our-best, this is likely a breezy contest, as few teams in the Association have the moxie to truly out-bad this Kings squad.

As you might have guessed, Sacramento comes into town scraping the bottom of the barrel. They’re 13-46 at the time of writing, and likely to be 13-47 after a matchup against the Houston Rockets Wednesday night. That’s enough for #30 across the entire league. If that isn’t sufficient to convince you, they’re also on the second night of a back-to-back, and they’ve won only four road games the entire season. But hey – they beat a struggling Memphis Grizzlies team a few nights ago. Maybe we can call that momentum?

On the flip side, Dallas (21-36) has found something that – if you squint hard enough – looks like footing. They closed out strong enough against the Pacers on Sunday to beat them 134-130, and they thoroughly handled the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday 123-114. If they beat the Kings tomorrow evening, that would make three solid wins in a row after a nasty 10-game skid. Again, there’s an argument to be made that this is a bad thing, if you’re team tank. But this Dallas roster fights hard just about every right, so you can be sure they’ll show up at the American Airlines Center ready to play.

Here are three storylines to watch going to the final Dallas-Sacramento matchup this season.

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As goes the three-ball (and the turnovers), so goes the game

It’s no secret that Dallas is a bad three-point shooting team. This has been the case the entire season, and while the Anthony Davis trade was welcome in many (so many) ways, the Mavericks didn’t see much relief in this area. This means that they need all of the shooting they can find – typically, this comes from Max Christie (who is in a bit of a slump right now) and Klay Thompson, but anyone is welcome to join the party.

Since the all-star break, Dallas has done okay enough behind the line, shooting a reasonable 39.3% in the Indiana win and a slightly-less-reasonable 34.8% in the Brooklyn win. Against Sacramento, they’re likely to have plenty of opportunities – the Kings have one of the lowest defensive ratings in the league at 120.9, and their opponents hit on 36.4% of their attempts. This is one potential avenue of Mavericks success, whether or not they actually take the victory.

Another avenue of success? Cutting down on turnovers. It’s been said many times, many ways that Dallas lacks an effective point guard and can’t take care of the ball – so there’s no need to re-hash. But facing off against the Kings, it’s a factor to consider. While this Kings defense is unmistakably bad in the macro, they have some notable defensive threats in the micro. The Mavericks took care of the ball well enough against Indiana and Brooklyn; if they can stave off Keon Ellis and Russell Westbrook, they should cruise to a three-game win-streak relatively easily.

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The new guys continue to contribute

When Anthony Davis was traded to the Washington Wizards at the beginning of February, the return of Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Tyus Jones, and Marvin Bagley III was considered by many to be largely incidental. And while that may still turn out true – Khris Middleton is reportedly still considering the prospect of a buyout – the new Mavericks are nonetheless contributing in the meantime. Marvin Bagley III is perhaps the stand-out here: he went for 22 against the Nets on Tuesday, leading the team in scoring in only 20 minutes of play. Against the Timberwolves and Pacers before them, he led the team in rebounds, filling a much-needed role in given the team’s dearth of healthy centers. If he continues to play as he has, he’ll make an outsized impact against Sacramento – hell, he might even convince the Dallas front office he’s a longer-term piece.

Not to be forgotten, Khris Middleton has also played some meaningful minutes for Dallas recently, putting up 18/6/2 against Minnesota and 23/9/2 against Indiana. Though there’s a chance he won’t play against the Kings – Middleton left Tuesday night’s game early with a shoulder stinger – his presence is a reminder that this Dallas team has some fresh tools to play around with.

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Injuries are like opinions: everyone has one

Speaking of leaving the game early, P.J. Washington also exited late Tuesday night with an apparent ankle injury. Nothing definitive has been announced yet – but alongside Middleton’s shoulder, and Cooper Flagg’s lingering midfoot sprain, the Mavericks could be missing three key pieces headed into Sacramento. Taking Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II into account as well, that’s a whole starting lineup that is potentially riding the bench for Dallas.

Beside their ugly records, this is probably the most compelling symmetry between Sacramento and Dallas. The Kings, too, have multiple key players out for the year: De’Andre Hunter had surgery this season to repair a detached retina; Zach LaVine, to repair a torn tendon in his hand; Domantas Sabonis, to repair a torn meniscus. Likewise, a few more are game-time decisions: rookie center Dylan Cardwell suffered a left ankle sprain a few days ago, and guard Devin Carter is dealing with lingering back soreness.

Call it tanking, or call it preparation for next season – whatever the case, the main story of this Mavericks-Kings matchup is whether either team can be anything more once their star players are healthy.

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The road ahead

After Sacramento, Dallas enjoys two more games at home, facing off against the Memphis Grizzlies and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Then, they’re back on the road for most of the first two weeks of March.

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How to watch (or listen)

The Dallas Mavericks host the Sacramento Kings on Thursday, February 26 at 7:30 PM CT. The game will will be streamed live on MavsTV as well as broadcast on KFAA/WFAA. As usual, fans can also tune in at 97.1FM KEGL (English) or at 99.1FM KFZO (Español).

Everybody wants the NBA to fix tanking. Nobody knows how to do it.

Tanking. You’ve seen the word thousands of times in your recent social media doom scroll. You’ve heard it repeated countless times on television and podcasts to the point of semantic satiation — the word is losing all meaning. It’s just a jumble of sounds at this point.

It’s an issue so significant and foundational to the National Basketball Association that at this point, half of the league’s eyeballs are glued to the bottom of the standings, rather than fixating on the top half. Basketball teams don’t want to win anymore, at least not until they’re certain they found a winning formula. A potential superstar, a blooming project player, and the surrounding infrastructure to support the weighty task of pursuing the NBA Finals.

When it works (Philadelphia, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Dallas), the results are magnificent. The stars of the league carry their team to the spotlight and duke it out for a chance to hoist the trophy at the end of the season. Isn’t San Antonio the picture of perfection — a mythical paradise where beast and man play as one? Who can stop Oklahoma City and their endless supply of young talent? Perhaps the aprons of the CBA?

When it doesn’t (Charlotte, Washington, New Orleans), the NBA points the finger of shame. How can Washington still be destitute this many years removed from the Wall-Beal era? Michael Jordan is gone, so why is Charlotte still so horrible?

The metronome is swinging for the Utah Jazz and their tanking efforts. The NBA imposed a tanking fine on them for sitting star players in a game the Jazz won, and one on the Pacers for listening to their team medical staff: refusing to medicate and force a player to enter a game when the professionals on staff advised against it.

Why are some teams lauded for tanking, while others are hand-slapped for reaching into the cookie jar?

The reasoning is irrelevant — the NBA is planting its foot on the tanking issue, and rule changes could arrive as soon as next season.

Multiple sources with knowledge of Thursday's GM meeting as well as a late January Competition Committee meeting told ESPN that the following concepts have been discussed to curb tanking:

•First-round picks can be protected only top-4 or top-14+
•Lottery odds freeze at the… https://t.co/Vk2n1cSzde

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 19, 2026

Rather than investigating the root cause of their illness (small market teams have too few avenues to become a championship competitor), the NBA is opting to attack the symptoms. It’s not the common cold that must be stopped; it’s sneezing.

Ignoring the logical inconsistencies, I’d like to evaluate each proposed remedy for tanking offered by Shams Charania’s report. Which ones could work, which ones probably wouldn’t, and which ones are just plain dumb (most of them are this last one). I don’t know how to solve tanking, but I can poke holes in the ideas of others like it’s nobody’s business.

How will the NBA eliminate tanking?

Option A: First-round picks can be protected only top-4 or top-14+

I’ll take this one further: if you’re restricting pick protections, why not just eliminate them entirely?

Why complicate the pick protections when a far simpler solution is to remove them from the equation? Do you want to put up your first-round pick to acquire a great player? Then trade the first-round pick. Utah has fallen under fire for tanking to remain below the 9 mark in the lottery order. Their pick is top-8 protected, and conveys to Oklahoma City if it falls below that mark. For the good of humanity, we must not allow another lottery pick to fall into Sam Presti’s clutch.

I like pick swaps — that seems like a great compromise for teams who want to wager their future for the present, but are unsure they’d like to give it up entirely. Keep pick swaps, eliminate protections entirely.

Verdict: Good idea. Could use a minor adjustment.

Option B: Lottery odds freeze at the trade deadline or a later date

This is a bad idea. The core idea is to avoid manipulating results to artificially fall in the standings, right? Tanking season will simply move to earlier in the season. Instead of a last-second struggle to tumble down the hill in April, you’ll see that happening in February, January, and even December!

This proposal is pitched in tandem with a round-robin style points system for the lottery teams beyond a specific date. Simply put, once the lottery order is frozen, teams in the lottery now compete for the top pick. Wins get 3 points, overtime wins get two points, overtime losses get one point, and losses get 0 points. While fascinating in theory, this idea falls apart when considering the original purpose of the NBA draft: saving bad teams from perpetual torment. It’s hard to imagine a world where teams like Sacramento or New Orleans would ever climb out of the dregs if they have to compete against Dallas or Oklahoma City (they traded for a lottery pick five years ago. They own the rights to the pick, so of course they’ll compete).

This idea is messy, and while it might affect the way tanking is executed, I don’t see this improving the overall competitiveness of the league.

Verdict: Bad idea.

Option C: No longer allowing a team to pick top 4 in consecutive years and/or after consecutive bottom-3 finishes

Sure, this may dissuade teams from prolonged tanking, but basketball Occham’s Razor grinds its teeth at the idea.

As a rule, I don’t believe that complicating basketball will improve the product or boost the health of the league. All you’re doing is tying our brains in knots. Does this apply to teams like Atlanta, who will likely pick in the top four thanks to the New Orleans pick? Should a team like Charlotte, which picked fourth last season, be barred from the top of the lottery? That feels a bit odd, even if their prize was Kon Knueppel. That makes Utah eligible for the top four in this coming season, since they snagged Ace Bailey fifth overall in 2025.

This rule is anything but straightforward, and doesn’t account for rare situations where star players are injured, traded, or otherwise affect the expected success of their team.

Verdict: Bad idea. Too complicated.

Option D: Teams can’t pick top-4 the year after making conference finals

Sorry, Indiana, we know that your star point guard tore his ACL in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, and you lost Miles Turner, your cornerstone big man, but you, a 5 seed in the East, played in the Conference Finals a year ago. Oopsies.

The same would go for Cleveland the year after they lost LeBron (both times). You’re not eligible for a top-four pick because a generational superstar carried you to the promised land before leaving you high and dry. Sorry, we don’t make the rules… wait, actually, we do. Again, oopsies.

Verdict: Bad idea. Doesn’t account for upsets or complete implosions.

Option E: Lottery odds are allocated based on two-year records

This is supremely idiotic. It incentivises prolonged tanking efforts and rewards the usual suspects just as much as a one-year record would. The same jersey could be worn by an entirely different roster from one year to the next — in what world does it make sense to punish one team for falling apart, while rewarding another for always being horrible? Isn’t that the exact problem you’re trying to solve?

Verdict: What are we doing here?

Option F: Lottery extended to include all play-in teams

Wonderful, now even more teams have reason to tank at the end of the season. And to sweeten the deal, good teams sitting in the 4th, 5th, or 6th place spots in their conference may want to push for that 7 or 8 seed. Play in the playoffs and have a chance at the number one pick! Surely, this won’t cause even more poverty below.

Verdict: Pull yourselves together.

Option G: Flatten odds for all lottery teams

Finally, an idea that makes sense. Do the teams at the bottom of the lottery need the pick more? Yes, but now it doesn’t matter if you’re the worst team or the 10th worst; winning basketball games will not be detrimental to your future. The truly bad teams will have a chance in the lottery, but they won’t be jockeying for position down the stretch (save for the teams just outside the lottery who may want to tank for a slice of the pie).

If I were in charge, I’d likely eliminate the lottery entirely. The truly awful teams will have no reason to tank for more than a season or two, and all the drama and accusations surrounding lottery fixing will be a thing of the past. Simplify the process, and watch your league heal. Then again, I could be completely wrong.

Verdict: Good idea, but we could do more.

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