Category: NBA

Who: Phoenix Suns (33-24) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (27-30)

When: 6:00pm Arizona Time

Where: Mortgage Matchup Center— Phoenix, Arizona

Watch: Arizona’s Family 3TV, Arizona’s Family Sports, Suns+

Listen: KMVP 98.7

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The Phoenix Suns are right back at it Sunday night, less than 24 hours after a double overtime grind against Orlando that somehow delivered one of the season’s defining moments. For multiple reasons. It took real work to get there, but Jalen Green’s game-winning three-pointer cut through the noise and sent everyone home smiling. That glow faded fast once the news hit. Dillon Brooks broke his hand in that game, and there is no clear timetable yet for when he will be back.

Such is life in the NBA. Such is life and sports. Such is life.

You flip the page, you circle the next date, and you lock in on what is right in front of you. That next task shows up wearing Portland across its chest.

The Trail Blazers sit six games back of the Suns in the standings, parked comfortably in the 10th seed, with a little breathing room over Memphis down in 11th. On paper, that is a game Phoenix usually handles. In reality, with bodies piling up on the injury report and legs still feeling sore Saturday night, nothing comes free here.

This is another one that has to be earned. If the Suns want to walk away with it, they either need to shoot the ball better, move the ball better, or preferably do both. Because neither showed up against Orlando.

Probable Starters

Injury Report

Suns

• Jalen Green — QUESTIONABLE (Right Knee Injury Managemen)
• Grayson Allen — QUESTIONABLE (Right Ankle Sprain)
• Devin Booker — OUT (Right Hip Strain)
• Dillon Brooks — OUT (Left Hand)
• Jordan Goodwin — OUT (Left Calf Strain)
• Haywood Highsmith — OUT ( Right Knee Injury)
• Cole Anthony — OUT (Not With Team)

Trail Blazers

• Deni Avdija — QUESTIONABLE (Low Back, Injury Management)
• Damion Lillard — OUT (Left Achilles Tendon)
• Shaedon Sharpe — OUT (Left Calf Strain)

What to Watch For

First up? Who the heck is going to play?! That injury report is tough to look at.

Expect a heavy dose of threes in this one. Portland sits 28th in three-point percentage at 34.1%, but they launch them anyway, second most attempts in the league at 42.5 per game. We have seen this movie before. Last time these two played, the Suns fell into an early hole due to a mix of shaky perimeter defense and Portland catching fire. That turned into a dangerous cocktail that had the Suns down by as many as 19 points.

Phoenix eventually clawed back and escaped with a 130–125 win on February 3, but that start cannot repeat itself.

Portland also presents a size problem, one that pokes directly at a Suns soft spot. They are sixth in the league at 45.9 rebounds per game and third in offensive rebounding rate at 35.4%. That translates to league-best second-chance points at 18.3 per night. Donovan Clingan sets the tone there, leading the NBA with 4.7 offensive rebounds a game. He has to be accounted for, every possession.

And yeah, but this feels like a spot where giving rookie Khaman Maluach a look could help. Purely for size. A body. Someone to box out and absorb contact. I do not know if this is full experimentation season yet, but against Portland, I would not hate seeing it.

Key to a Suns Win

Shoot better.

I know that sounds like the most basic form of analysis imaginable, but sometimes the simple truth is still the truth. In February, the Phoenix Suns are shooting 34.2% from three, which sits 23rd in the NBA. At the same time, they are fifth in three-point rate, with 47.3% of their shots coming from deep. The volume is there. The accuracy is not. That gap has to close if Phoenix wants to beat Portland.

That task gets harder when Devin Booker is out, and it gets harder again without Dillon Brooks. Brooks may not always be efficient, but he has still made the fourth-most threes on the team this season. Those shots do not disappear. Someone has to absorb them. That responsibility now falls on Collin Gillespie, Royce O’Neale, Grayson Allen, and Ryan Dunn. They need to lock in and convert the clean looks they are getting.

Pair that with protecting the glass. Second-chance points are killers, especially for a team already dealing with injuries and heavy legs. Extra possessions drain you fast. Phoenix cannot afford to hand those out.

Prediction Time

Expect the unexpected. The Suns are wounded right now, no way around it, but there is still plenty of fight in this group. We saw it against Orlando. That was a game they probably lost nine times out of ten, and somehow they dragged it across the finish line anyway.

Now it is Sunday, and Portland is standing in front of them. This feels like one of those nights where things get weird, where effort and timing matter more than polish. The kind of night where a role player steps into the light and keeps everything from tilting the wrong way.

Call it a hunch, call it basketball intuition, call it “there’s no one else to score”, but it feels like a Royce O’Neale night. The Suns are going to need one.

Suns 118, Trail Blazers 115

Boston Celtics (36-19) at Los Angeles Lakers (34-21)
Sunday, February 22, 2026
6:30 PM ET
TV: NBC/Peacock, NBCSB, Telemundo
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, ESPN LA 710, Sirius XM
Regular Season Game #56 Road Game #29
Crypto.com Arena

The Celtics visit the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2nd and final meeting this season. The Celtics win the first meeting in Boston 125-105 on December 5. The Celtics were at full strength for that game while the Lakers were without LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Marcus Smart. These two teams tied the series last season with each team winning on their home court. The Celtics are 168-135 overall, all time, against the Lakers. They are 55-78 in games played at the Lakers.

The Lakers basically kept their core together for this season. They did make a couple of changes however. They brought in DeAndre Ayton to shore up their center spot. They also signed Marcus Smart to help their defense. They signed Jake LaRavia as a free agent also. At the trade deadline, the Lakers traded Gabe Vincent to Atlanta for Luke Kennard to give them a sharpshooter off the bench.

The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 5.5 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are 1 game ahead of 3rd place Cleveland, 1.5 games ahead of 4th place New York, 3 games ahead of 5th place Toronto, 6 games ahead of 6th place Philadelphia and 6.5 games ahead of 7th place Orlando. The Celtics are 12-6 against Western Conference opponents. They are 18-10 on the road and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 2 games.

The Lakers are 5th in the West, 8 games behind first place OKC, 5 games behind 2nd place San Antonio, 1 game behind 3rd place Denver, half a game behind 4th place Houston and tied with 6th place Minnesota. They are 2.5 game ahead of 7th place Phoenix. They are 11-7 against Eastern Conference opponents and 16-10 at home. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 2 games.

The Celtics are playing in the 2nd game of a 4 game Western road trip. They beat Golden State 121-110 on Thursday and will play Phoenix, and Denver back to back on Tuesday and Wednesday to close out the trip. They will then return home for games against Brooklyn and Philadelphia before a game at Milwaukee. Then they are back home for games against Charlotte and Dallas before a tough 3 game road trip through Cleveland, San Antonio, and Oklahoma City. Then they host Washington, Phoenix and Golden State.

The Lakers are playing in the 7th game of an 8 game home stand. They are 4-2 so far on the home stand and will close it out with a game against Orlando. They will then play at Phoenix and Golden State before returning home to play Sacramento and New Orleans. Then it’s one game at Denver before a 5 game home stand where they will host Indiana, New York, Minnesota, Chicago and Denver.

Both teams are healthy other than Jayson Tatum for the Celtics, who remains out as he rehabs from the torn Achilles. The Lakers have no one on their injury report. I’m assuming that the Celtics will once again start White, Scheierman, Brown, Hauser and Queta. I’m thinking that the Lakers will stick with the starters they used on Friday in their win over the Clippers, which is Doncic, Reaves, LeBron, Smart and Jordan. Although they only used this starting lineup once due to injuries, they consider it their strongest starting lineup.

Probable Starting Matchups
PG: Derrick White vs Luka Doncic

SG: Baylor Scheierman vs Austin Reaves

SF: Jaylen Brown vs LeBron James

PF: Sam Hauser vs Marcus Smart

C: Neemias Queta vs Deandre Ayton

Celtics Reserves
Payton Pritchard
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Amare Williams
Nikola Vucevic
Jordan Walsh
Delano Banton (10-day)
John Tonje (10-day)

2-Way Players
Ron Harper, Jr
Max Shulga

Injuries/Out
Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Lakers Reserves
Kobe Bufkin
Rui Hachimura
Jaxson Hayes
Bronny James
Luke Kennard
Maxi Kleber
Dalton Knecht
Jake LaRavia
Adou Thiero
Jarred Vanderbilt

2-Way Players
Chris Manon
Nick Smith, Jr
Drew Timme

Injuries/Out
None listed

Head Coach
JJ Redick

Key Matchups
Derrick White vs Luka Doncic
Doncic is averaging 33.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.6 assists per game while shooting 47.3% from the fiield He is coming off a game where he finished with 38 points, 6 rebounds, 11 assists and 1 block. He missed the December game against the Celtics. The Celtics have to slow Doncic down and guard him both on the perimeter and in the paint along with anticipating his passes.

Baylor Scheierman vs Austin Reaves
Reaves is averaging 25.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game.  He is shooting 51.1% from the field and 37.4% from beyond the arc.  In the December meeting between these two teams, Reeves finished with 36 points, 3 rebound, and 8 assists while shooting 50% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc.  He is coming off a game where he finished with 29 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. 

Honorable Mention
Jaylen Brown vs LeBron James
LeBron is averaging 21.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 7.2 assists while shooting 49.9% from the field and 30.6% from beyond the arc.  In his last game on Friday, he finished with 13 points, 3 rebounds, 11 assists and 1 steal.  He didn’t play in the first game between these two teams.   He may be old, but he is still dangerous and a very good passer. 

Keys to the Game
Defense – I can’t say it enough that defense is the most important key to winning.  The Celtics are 8th in the league with a defensive rating of 112.6. The Lakers are 24th with a defensive rating of 116.5.  The Celtics have played good defense for the most part in recent games but they still are not consistent on that end for 48 minutes each game   They must stay committed to playing tough, lock down defense, especially against a Lakers team with some very good offensive weapons.  The Celtics must especially defend in the paint as the Lakers are 9th in the league with 51.9 points in the paint per game.

Rebound –  Rebounding takes effort and energy and the Celtics will need both to out-rebound the Lakers.  The Celtics need to crash the boards and keep the Lakers from getting second chance points and fast breaks.  The Celtics  are averaging 45.6 rebounds per game (8th) while the Lakers are averaging 40.9 rebounds per game (24th).   The Celtics must put out extra energy and effort to beat the Lakers to rebounds. 

Move the Ball Carefully – The Celtics need to move the ball in order to find the best shot on each possession. When the ball sticks and players try to do too much, the Celtics struggle. They are at their best when they pass the ball and keep it moving.  The Celtics had 31 assists in their win over the Warriors.  The Celtics are 28-4 when they have at least 25 assists.  But they have to make careful passes and not get sloppy because the Lakers average 17.8 points off turnovers.

Be Aggressive – The Celtics must be the more aggressive team. They have to be aggressive in going to the basket, in diving for loose balls, and on defense.  They have to aggressively crash the boards.  They have to be the team that plays harder and that wants it more.  In most of their losses, they have allowed their opponents to play harder and be more aggressive.  They absolutely can’t let the Lakers play harder than them if they want to have a chance to win.

X-Factors
On the Road – The Celtics are playing in the second game of a 4 game road trip.  They need to fight through the distractions of playing on the road and on the other coast in a different time zone and keep their focus on playing the right way.    They need to put all those distractions of playing in a strange arena and in front of hostile fans and staying in hotels and away from family aside and put all their focus on playing the game. 

Pride – “Beat LA” is one of the most iconic chants in sports.  This is a storied rivalry and no matter the circumstances, the Celtics always want to beat the Lakers and vice versa.   The Celtics have to focus on the game and on playing aggressive basketball.  It’s a matter of pride and the Celtics need to get the job done and “Beat LA”.  On the other hand, LeBron always has a chip on his shoulder against the Celtics and LeBron and his teammates are going to give extra effort to beat one of their biggest rivals. 

Officiating –  The officiating can always be an x-factor.  Every crew calls the game differently and the Celtics have to adapt to how the game is being called and not allow bad calls and no calls to take away their focus.   If you doubt that officiating is an x-factor, just think back to the last Finals between these two teams.  In game 7, the Celtics were up 6 going into the 4th quarter.  The refs had called the game evenly up until then.  But in the 4th quarter, the referees took over and it cost the Celtics that game.  The Lakers took 21 free throws in the 4th quarter alone while the Celtics took 6.  The Lakers took more free throws in the 4th quarter than they did in the first 3 quarters combined. (Yes, I am still a little bitter over that.)  Hopefully the refs call it fair in this game and let both teams play.

The Lakers have a problem. It’s a LeBron James problem. Well, it’s also a Luka Doncic problem. Really, it’s an Austin Reaves problem, too.

When LA’s three best players are on the floor together, they’re a -8.8 net rating. They’ve played just eleven games together and sure, sport an 8-3 record, but at their core, it’s just not working.

Boston’s Big Three, on the other hand, have been humming along. Well, had been humming along. Before the NBA trade deadline, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard spearheaded the second-best offense in the league with an 8.1 net rating in 823 minutes together. But after the acquisition of Nikola Vucevic, the defending Sixth Man of the Year went back to the bench and now forms a lethal one-two punch with the second unit.

The sample size is obviously small, but the eye test speaks volumes to the second unit’s potential. In four games, Vucevic and Pritchard have led the second unit with a +12.7 net rating (115.8 offensive, 103.1 defensive) in 95 minutes together. The pairing has opened up the floor for swingmen like Hugo Gonzalez and Jordan Walsh.

It’s a dynamic that the team didn’t necessarily have with the ignitable Anfernee Simons and in a season that has been defined by doing the best what you have, Joe Mazzulla has made, well, incredible lemonade.

Removing Pritchard from the starting lineup probably doesn’t fit J.J. Redick’s definition of Mazzulla as a “basketball sicko,” but it does highlight Mazzulla’s commitment to doing whatever it takes to extract the most out of this roster. Pritchard was having easily the best season of his career after a patient six-year wait to be a starter in this league. And without even blinking, he’s been a soldier in Mazzulla’s army and done whatever’s been asked of him.

”I can start, I can come off the bench — it don’t matter,” he has said. “Just what the team needs: being killer in my role. That’s what it takes.”

Just how well does the Lakers' Big 3 stack up?@chiney analyzes the Lakers' efficiency of LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves together✍️ pic.twitter.com/FdpWZd8oFu

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 20, 2026

You have to wonder if similar conversations have been had with the Lakers. As ESPN’s Chiney Ogwumike explains above, Doncic and Reaves are a +14.4 with LeBron on the bench and James is +7.7 with Doncic and Reaves off the floor. And together, they’re awful in everything the Celtics do great: defend, rebound off the offensive glass, and limit turnovers.

This isn’t to say that the Lakers aren’t a good team. They’ve weathered injuries all year and are still positioned to avoid the Play-In Tournament. To their credit, they’ve instituted some much needed change. Doncic did go on a summer diet and looks trimmer this season. Rob Pelinka finally traded the once expected sharpshooter Gabe Vicent for the current flavor-of-the-month Luke Kenard. They brought in the ultimate gamechanger in Marcus Smart and are currently revamping their front office with new ownership.

However, none of that has exactly translated on the floor and in Redick’s defense, he arguably has more on his plate than Mazzulla has. There’s Lebron and Reaves’ impending free agency. There’s catering to Luka, something Mavericks management just couldn’t stomach anymore. There’s the often disconnect between what Redick wants to see on the floor and how the players are performing followed by the fingerpointing in the press.

So, I wonder if things would be different in La La Land if it was Mazzulla-la-la at the helm.

Would Joe have already moved the greatest scorer of all time to the bench? Would Dalton Knecht have found his groove by now? Would Jaxson Hayes and Deandre Ayton be even on the team at this point?

Thankfully today and for the foreseeable future, Mazzulla is our basketball sicko, unafraid and undeterred to make changes, with only winning in mind.

And I hope that never changes.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Oluchi Okananwa scored 26 points, leading six in double figures, and No. 14 Maryland won its fifth straight game, defeating Purdue 99-66 on Sunday.

Addi Mack scored 14 points and Saylor Poffenbarger and Mir McLean added 11 each for Maryland (22-6, 10-6 Big Ten). Off the bench, Kyndal Walker scored a career-high 18 points and fellow freshman Rainey Welson added 11.

Kiki Smith scored 19 points and Nya Smith had 18 for Purdue (12-15, 4-12).

Okananwa scored 10 points in the first quarter and the Terrapins led 22-17 after one. Saylor Poffenbarger took over in the second quarter, scoring all of her 11 points, and the Terrapins led 51-32 at halftime.

A 15-5 run over the last five minutes of the third quarter gave Maryland a 77-48 lead heading to the fourth. The largest lead was 97-60 with about two minutes to go. Maryland freshman Marya Boiko, a backup forward from Belarus, blocked five shots, four in the fourth quarter.

Maryland had significant advantages in points after opponent turnovers (21-11), bench points (31-16) and second-chance points (20-11).

Maryland improved to 27-5 in February over the past three seasons.

Up next

Maryland: The regular season concludes with a home game against Northwestern on Wednesday followed by a visit to No. 6 Michigan on Saturday.

Purdue: at home against Oregon on Wednesday; at Northwestern on Sunday.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball.

A blizzard is coming to the Delaware Valley. Fitting since the Sixers’ season feels like it could be snowballing.

After the team suffered an embarrassing loss to the lowly New Orleans Pelicans Saturday, they’ll travel to Minnesota (because that travel schedule makes sense) to take on the Timberwolves Sunday night — and they’ll do so without Joel Embiid.

Embiid missed the two games before the All-Star break and the two after. The Sixers dropped all four and will have to go up against a tough Timberwolves team without him. They’re 1-9 in their last 10 games without Embiid. After only missing planned rest games in back-to-back situations throughout January, Embiid’s last four absences have been the result of shin soreness in his right leg.

At 30-26, the Sixers are in very real danger of slipping out of the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot. The Miami Heat are only percentage points behind them in seventh. If Embiid continues to miss time — while Paul George continues to serve his suspension — things could ugly.

The other bit of bad news is that rookie Johni Broome has suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee. The team said there will be further evaluation to determine treatment. Broome, a second-round pick (35th overall) in the 2025 NBA Draft, has struggled to find a role with the big club. The 23-year-old, who starred at Auburn, has had success in the G League, recording a 50-point game with the Delaware Blue Coats last month.

The East goes through Detroit. That’s all that needs to be said as Wes and Blake record this show right after the Pistons steamrolled the New York Knicks for the third time this season. And this time, the Knicks were healthy, the Pistons were not. Blake and Wes take a quick moment to applaud the NBA All-Star game’s new format before diving in to that shorthanded beatdown. Was this Cade’s best game of his career? Oh, and should he be truly in the conversation to win MVP this year? What about another stellar defensive performance from Ausar Thompson? How valuable will he be as a defensive weapon in the playoffs? The guys break this all down, then they look ahead. Who is the Pistons’ biggest playoff threat? Will Ron Holland maintain his rotation spot this year in the playoffs? And just how unique is this Piston identity that JB Bickerstaff alludes to?

We’ve got you covered for all this and more in this week’s episode!

Detroit Bad Boys YouTube

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It’s hard to watch.

Dear God, it’s hard to watch. This season has been an abject disaster.

Not from a rational point of view. It’s been a disappointment by any measure. The Houston Rockets wanted to be better this year. They were supposed to be title contenders. Deep, structural roster flaws have been exposed. The trade machine’s server is being overloaded in Southeast Texas (and, to be honest, from one refurbished MacBook Air in Eastern Canada).

But it’s not truly a disaster. The Rockets are likely to have homecourt advantage in the first round of a season where their starting point guard hasn’t played a game. They have a surplus of young players and future first-round picks. It’s only been disastrous from the perspective of how much fans expected to enjoy the year, relative to how much they have. Here’s the good news:

It’s not their fault.

The 2025-26 season has been cursed. The working theory is that the team made a deal with the Devil ahead of the 1993-94 season. The Prince of Darkness agreed to persuade Michael Jordan to play baseball. In exchange, the Rockets would be wildly disappointing once per decade from the moment Jordan returned.

I’m not crazy, you’re crazy.

Rockets suffer from a generational curse

Let’s go back to 1995-96.

I wasn’t even ten yet, so I can’t offer a firsthand account. I can tell you that Houston switched from the iconic ketchup-and-mustard jerseys that they’d thrived in for so long to the navy pinstripe duds that I loved as a child and retroactively identify as a downgrade.

Although only Bret “The Hitman” Hart tickles my nostalgia bone as strongly as that little cartoon Rocket.

Anyway, the rest is history. The Rockets were still good in 1995-96. It’s hard to point to any one player’s decline and explain their shortcomings. They were, seemingly, just marginally worse than before. They could not get past the (soon-to-be revived) Seattle Supersonics in the second round, and the dynasty that never was died.

The Rockets would inexplicably acquire Charles Barkley, get worse, get old, rebuild, draft Steve Francis, get even worse, (deep breath), draft Yao Ming, trade for Tracy McGrady, and start to get better.

The 2004-05 season was one for the books. Sure, the Rockets lost in the first round. Nobody cared. They were built around a 24-year-old Ming and a 25-year-old McGrady (which, in NBA terms, was younger at a time when Tim Duncan played in college for four years). The future was bright.

And then…

The Devil came collecting. It had been ten years since 1995-96. Ming and McGrady would both miss time with injuries, establishing a motif for their time together in Houston. The Rockets won 34 games.

They’d win 50+ games for the next three seasons. The Devil was indifferent. The curse was lifted. Injuries would eventually limit their star duo’s upside, leaving the Rockets to rebuild again. They toiled in mediocrity for a few years until James Harden entered the picture. He instantly established himself as a franchise-caliber talent. In 2014-15, he and Dwight Howard would lead the Rockets to the Western Conference Finals.

And then…

It was difficult to account for. The Rockets retained most of their key players. Ty Lawson was the can’t-miss acquisition that missed, but even if it was a case of subtraction-by-addition, he was quickly out of the rotation. As it was in ’96, the Rockets were kind of just… worse.

Defenses had figured them out. Stop Harden, and you stop everyone. Howard wasn’t getting post touches, rightfully or not. Houston didn’t have a way to generate offense if Harden wasn’t cooking.

That’s why they got Chris Paul. It’s why they made another Conference Finals trip in 2017-18, only this time, it actually felt like they might win. We all know what happened and how it got us to where we are now.

The last two seasons were fun. The post-Harden tank was over. A .500 season in 2023-24 was acceptable to everyone. A first-round exit after a 52-win season last year was defensible. The team was young.

This year? Nobody is satisfied. Blame Ime Udoka’s offensive ingenuity. Blame Reed Sheppard’s size. Blame Amen Thompson’s broken jumper, or Alperen Sengun’s broken touch. Blame whoever you like:

I’ll blame the Devil.

Sunday night’s contest is a matchup of two clubs trending in opposite directions in their respective conferences. Philadelphia has lost four straight games spanning across the All-Star break, most recently losing by double digits to the bottom-dwelling Pelicans last night. The Sixers sit in sixth place in the East, but three games back of Toronto, and the top half of the standings feels like a distant memory. Meanwhile, Minnesota is only in sixth place, but the Wolves have won three straight and are just one game back of the third-place Nuggets in the hotly-contested Western Conference standings.

On paper, the Sixers have things stacked against them tonight, not only due to the teams’ recent run of play, but being on the second night of the back-to-back. The one big thing that could help Philadelphia is the potential return of Joel Embiid. He was ruled out early due to right shin soreness (and knee injury management) for the game in New Orleans, but it’s possible the team was playing it safe knowing Joel would have to sit out one of the games of the back-to-back anyway. Embiid did travel with the team and seemed in good spirits on Saturday (at least until he had to watch his teammates play in the third quarter like the rest of us), so the door is at least ajar. Joel was the only injury absence for the Sixers yesterday, with Paul George obviously still out due to suspension.

For Minnesota, they have a clean injury report, but are also dealing with a suspension, as Rudy Gobert has been suspended one game due to flagrant foul accumulation. It’ll be good for the Sixers to miss the Wolves’ leading rebounder and shot blocker, who is still one of the best defenders in the league, although Minnesota having Naz Reid soak up more minutes is certainly a good pivot option to have.

Tonight’s game will be a meeting of two of the top five scorers in the league. Amidst a rough outside shooting patch in February, Tyrese Maxey is down to fifth in the league at 28.9 points per game. Not to play body language doctor, but he looks to be feeling the effects of the heavy load the team is asking him to carry. On the opposing sideline, Anthony Edwards is third in the league at 29.5 points per game. He just dropped 40 points in Friday night’s win over Dallas, right after securing All-Star Game MVP honors. We’ll likely get to see a lot of VJ Edgecombe marking Edwards, which should make for a fascinating watch.

Minnesota took the opposite tack of the Sixers at the trade deadline, trading Rob Dillingham and four second-round picks for Ayo Dosunmu to bolster their backcourt depth. Are the Wolves now in a position to really challenge the juggernaut Thunder, not to mention emerge out of the rest of the crowded West? I don’t know, but I respect them for doing something to go for it.

We’ll await word on whether Embiid suits up, and tune in tonight to see if the Sixers can put together a 48-minute effort and challenge the Wolves on the road.

Game Details

When: Sunday, February 22, 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers

The Atlanta Hawks (27-31) badly need to take care of business against non-competitive teams like the Brooklyn Nets (15-50) today.

Starting lineup:

• G Dyson Daniels
• G Nickeil Alexander-Walker
• G CJ McCollum
• F Jalen Johnson
• C Onyeka Okongwu

Please join in the comments below as you follow along.

Where, When, and How to Watch and Listen

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Start Time: 3:30 PM EDT

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Southeast (FDSNSE)

Radio: Sports Radio 92.9 the Game (WZGC-FM)

Streaming: FanDuel Sports Network app, Fubo (out of market), NBA League Pass (out of market), Youtube TV (NBA League Pass out of market)

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jessica Timmons scored a career-high 34 points, Ta’Mia Scott added 21, and No. 25 Alabama rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat Florida 76-71 on Sunday to snap a three-game losing streak.

Alabama (21-7, 7-7) led by six points at halftime and the lead was 54-46 after Timmons hit a 3-pointer late in the third quarter. Liv McGill then scored seven points in Florida's 12-0 run that gave the Gators a 58-54 lead heading to the fourth quarter.

Florida's lead reached 60-54 before Scott scored five points and Timmons had seven, eventually drawing Alabama even at 66 with seven minutes remaining.

Florida's last lead was 68-66 with five minutes left before Timmons had a 3-pointer and a three-point play to finish an 8-0 run for a 74-68 lead with 1:24 remaining. She added two free throws in the final minute, giving her Alabama's last eight points.

Alabama opened the game with three 3-pointers and led 9-2 after about two minutes of play. Scott hit her third 3 of the quarter in the final minute and the Crimson Tide led 17-14.

Timmons scored eight points early in the second quarter and the Crimson Tide pushed their lead to 31-19 by the six-minute mark. But Alabama made only one field goal the rest of the half, going 1 for 5. Alabama led 38-32 at halftime.

McGill had 19 points and eight assists for the Gators (16-13, 4-10). Jade Weathersby scored 13, Laila Reynolds 12 and Nyadieng Yiech 10.

Up next

Alabama: The regular season wraps up with a visit to No. 5 Vanderbilt on Thursday and a home game against No. 4 Texas on Sunday.

Florida: The Gators visit No. 17 Ole Miss on Thursday and host No. 24 Georgia on Sunday.

___

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The Dallas Mavericks have waved the white flag with 10 straight losses, but they’ll be hard-pressed to out-tank the Indiana Pacers as the teams square off at Gainbridge Fieldhouse today.

At 15-42, Indiana has the inside track on a high lottery pick, and my Mavericks vs. Pacers predictions expect both squads to struggle to create good looks without their sidelined playmakers.

Read on for my free NBA picks ahead of this February 22 basement battle.

Mavericks vs Pacers prediction

Mavericks vs Pacers best bet: Under 234 (-110)

The injury reports for the Dallas Mavericks and Indiana Pacers are a reminder that there’s every incentive to keep their top playmakers on the sidelines. Both squads have peppered the Under this season, and it feels like one of the best picks on the board today. 

The Under is 15-9 in Dallas’ 24 road outings, and Cooper Flagg’s absence hurts the visitors’ offensive flow. Meanwhile, Indiana will be short on shot creators if Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard sit out.

The Mavs eked out a 107-105 win over the Pacers in October, and I’m not counting on fireworks in this rematch.

Mavericks vs Pacers same-game parlay

With the Pacers’ first-choice starting lineup all on the injury report, I like the value of the Mavs moneyline here, despite the visitors’ recent skid. Dallas still has some gritty veterans available, while Indiana limps into this clash on the heels of back-to-back losses to the Washington Wizards. Enough said.

Even if this descends into a rock fight at times, Naji Marshall is a candidate for a nice stat line, and I’ll grab the Over on his rebounds tally. He finished with eight boards earlier this month against the Boston Celtics, and his minutes could hit the mid 30s today.

Mavericks vs Pacers SGP

• Under 234
• Mavericks moneyline
• Marshall Over 6.5 rebounds

Our "from downtown" SGP: Huffing and puffing

Look for Marshall to have his fingerprints all over this contest, and Dallas’ injury woes should prompt an uptick in his February averages of 4.7 RPG and 3.3 APG.

In the same way, Indiana will hand Jay Huff all the minutes he can handle. Huff drilled five 3-pointers against the Wizards on Friday, and his size will be key for the depleted Pacers on the glass.

Mavericks vs Pacers SGP

• Marshall Over 6.5 rebounds
• Marshall Over 3.5 assists
• Huff Over 5.5 rebounds
• Huff Over 1.5 threes

Mavericks vs Pacers odds

• Spread: Mavericks -2 | Pacers +2
• Moneyline: Mavericks -130 | Pacers +110
• Over/Under: Over 234 | Under 234

Mavericks vs Pacers betting trend to know

The Under is 33-24 for the Pacers this season. Find more NBA betting trends for Mavericks vs. Pacers.

How to watch Mavericks vs Pacers

Mavericks vs Pacers latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Nyla Brooks scored 18 points, Laila Hull added 17 off the bench, and No. 22 North Carolina routed Pittsburgh 78-50 on Sunday.

North Carolina (23-6, 12-4 ACC) has reached 12 conference wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2004-05 and 2005-06.

The Tar Heels missed their first six shots and trailed 11-4 midway through the first quarter. An 8-2 run helped North Carolina close the gap and Pitt took a 14-12 lead into the second quarter.

Hull hit three 3-pointers in the first five minutes of the second quarter, the third of which started a 10-0 run that left the Tar Heels ahead 39-21. Her fourth 3 of the quarter gave North Carolina a 42-27 halftime lead after a 30-point second quarter.

North Carolina buried five 3s in the third quarter and took a 63-39 lead into the final period. The lead peaked at 31 points with two minutes left in the game.

Elina Aarnisalo had 11 points, six rebounds and five assists for North Carolina. Ciera Toomey collected seven points, seven rebounds and four blocks and Hull made five of the Tar Heels' 14 3-pointers.

Theresa Hagans scored 19 points and Fatima Diakhate added 12 for Pitt (8-21, 1-15).

Up next

North Carolina: The regular season concludes with a road game against Virginia on Thursday followed by No. 9 Duke at home on Sunday.

Pittsburgh: at Miami on Thursday, then home against N.C. State on Sunday.

___

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The Chicago Bulls are nursing an eight-game losing streak as they host the New York Knicks tonight. 

Chicago has been losing, and losing badly, failing to cover at any point during the current streak. That’s why I’m taking New York to cover in my Knicks vs. Bulls predictions.

Read on to see all my free NBA picks and full analysis of tonight’s game for Sunday, February 22.

Knicks vs Bulls prediction

Knicks vs Bulls best bet: Knicks -10 (-110)

The Chicago Bulls have dropped eight straight to fall completely out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

For bettors, the bigger issue is that they’ve gone 0-8 against the spread in that stretch, even failing to cover twice as a double-digit underdog.

Chicago has allowed 125.9 points per game during this streak, and doesn’t have the firepower to keep up with that level of scoring, especially with Jaden Ivey out of the lineup for at least a couple of weeks.

The New York Knicks defense will suffocate the Bulls and score more than enough to cover tonight's spread.

Knicks vs Bulls same-game parlay

Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns are both capable of putting up big games, so why not both against a struggling Chicago defense? Brunson is averaging 27.0 PPG, while Towns has scored 21+ in each of his last four, so I like both to hit their totals in a big win.

Knicks vs Bulls SGP

• Knicks -10
• Jalen Brunson Over 25.5 points
• Karl-Anthony Towns Over 20.5 points

Our "from downtown" SGP: Threes' a crowd

I’m firing away from deep, taking four different players to hit the Over on 1.5 made threes. Josh Giddey, Isaac Okoro, Towns, and OG Anunoby all hit this total in their most recent game, and they’re all capable of bringing home this parlay for us again tonight.

Knicks vs Bulls SGP

• Josh Giddey Over 1.5 made threes
• Isaac Okoro Over 1.5 made threes
• Karl-Anthony Towns Over 1.5 made threes
• OG Anunoby Over 1.5 made threes

Knicks vs Bulls odds

• Spread: Knicks -10 (-110) | Bulls +10 (-110)
• Moneyline: Knicks -450 | Bulls +350
• Over/Under: Over 230.5 (-110) | Under 230.5 (-110)

Knicks vs Bulls betting trend to know

The Bulls are 0-8 ATS in their last eight games overall. Find more NBA betting trends for Knicks vs. Bulls.

How to watch Knicks vs Bulls

Knicks vs Bulls latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

NBA Hall-of-Fame coach Phil Jackson once said that for a team to be considered an “elite” championship contender, they must win 40 games in the regular season before they lose 20. On Saturday night, the San Antonio Spurs became the third team to meet that criteria in the 2025-26 season. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Detroit Pistons are also in that category, and at 36-19, the Boston Celtics still have a chance to join the conversation.

It’s fitting that the Spurs accomplished this feat on a night where they showed what makes them a scary playoff contender, and what may make some fans question their chances of advancing past the first round.

San Antonio began and ended the game with force. They got to the basket, shared the rock, and played fast in transition. Victor Wembanyama looked like a man on a mission, locked in defensively and getting whatever he wanted around the basket. In the middle of the game, the team looked a bit complacent. Turning the ball over, allowing open shots, and giving up offensive rebounds. The Spurs had 18 turnovers and allowed the Kings’ rookie big man, Maxime Raynaud, to grab 7 offensive rebounds.

As all great teams do, when it came to winning time, San Antonio, particularly Wembanyama, turned it on and downed an inferior opponent. Wembanyama looks like a man on a mission after the All-Star break. In San Antonio’s two Austin games, Wembanyama has dropped a combined 45 points, 26 rebounds, 10 assists, and 9 blocks. He’s locked in defensively and is getting good looks within the flow of the offense around the basket. This level of performance from Wembanyama is what takes a good Spurs team to a great one capable of making noise in the playoffs.

It’s funny that after two games where the Spurs looked stellar (at times) against inferior, short-handed opponents, they’ll now travel to face the best team with the NBA’s best record. San Antonio will get a chance to prove they really mean business on Monday against the Detroit Pistons, with an 8-game winning streak on the line.

Takeaways:

• It’s no fun to think about what could have been when things are going so well, but every time I see Raynaud play, I think about his potential wearing the Silver and Black. The Spurs traded the 38th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, which could have been used to draft the Kings’ big man. It would have been a great fit, too. He’s known Wembanyama since they were teenagers, and would give San Antonio a floor-spacing, offensive big man that could backup and play alongside their superstar. Raynaud had 16 points and 12 rebounds against the Spurs on Saturday. Of course, it’s more complex than I’m making it out to be. Second-round picks often have more sway over where they will go, especially as agents are trying to secure guaranteed standard contracts for them rather than two-way deals. San Antonio also has an awesome backup big man in Luke Kornet, so everything is fine. But as I watched Wemby and Raynaud do a jersey swap after the game, I thought it would be even better to see them on the same team.
• Outscoring a team 74-46 in the paint is one heck of a stat, and points to what the Spurs do so well. When Wembanyama was in the game, the Kings’ only hope to score inside was to score in transition or get floaters to go over the top of him. He changed the game entirely when he played. Offensively, the team is so good at getting into the paint, especially when Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox, and Dylan Harper are all having good nights. The Kings didn’t play much interior defense either, which helps tremendously.
• On top of their half-court scoring, the Spurs were awesome at getting out in transition and finding easy baskets. Whether it was hitting Devin Vassell on early passes for three-pointers while the defense wasn’t ready, or Harper and Fox getting all the way to the cup, or getting good looks from Keldon Johnson and Julian Champagnie at the rim, San Antonio’s offense looked at its best when it was playing fast. It will be interesting to see if the team can keep up that pace of play in a slower, more physical playoff setting.
• Russell Westbrook and Fox got into it for a moment in the third quarter, after Westbrook showed the Spurs’ point guard. Fox seemed to be playing some aggressive defense, and Russ took offense to it. Who was the first Spur to walk into the scuffle after Fox was pushed? Wembanyama. It was a brief moment, but it showed that he is firmly in a leadership position on the team, coming to the aid of his teammates even in a physical altercation.