Category: NBA

The Atlanta Hawks are celebrating “Magic City Night” on Monday, March 16th against the Orlando Magic. 

It’s a nod to Magic City, the famed Atlanta strip club that has long occupied a strange intersection of hip-hop lore, celebrity culture, and late-night mythology.

The franchise billed the promotional night as a tribute to a “cultural institution,” complete with appearances from Atlanta-based rapper T.I., themed merchandise, and the familiar smell of lemon-pepper wings that have become as synonymous with the city as trap beats and traffic on I-285. 

Magic on a Monday? @MagicCitypic.twitter.com/xwWrGyVE20

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 26, 2026

But now, none of that might actually happen, at least if a San Antonio Spurs player has anything to do with it. 

Spurs’ big man Luke Kornet inserted himself into the national conversation with something far less flashy: a letter posted on medium.

In his letter, which you can read in its entirety on the link above, Kornet asks for the night to be cancelled and believes that because it is honoring a strip club, that the promotion is disrespectful to women. 

He questioned what it means for the NBA — a league that markets itself as progressive, family-friendly, and globally conscious — to align, even indirectly, with an establishment synonymous with adult entertainment. He argued that celebrating a strip club, no matter how carefully worded the press release, risks making the league complicit in the objectification and mistreatment many women in that industry endure.

Inside arenas across America, the NBA sells hope, heroism, and highlight reels to kids wearing oversized jerseys. Kornet’s point is simple: you can’t preach empowerment on one sideline and wink at exploitation on the other.

“We desire to provide an environment where fans of all ages can safely come and enjoy the game of basketball and where we can celebrate the history and culture of communities in good conscience. The celebration of a strip club is not conduct aligned with that vision,” writes Kornet.

The Hawks may see a cultural homage. Kornet sees a moral blind spot.

Despite Kornet’s objections, the ticket price to the “Magic City Night” game has exploded from a get-in price of $10 before the announcement was made to $94 as of the date of this publication, according to Tick Pick.

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Hey guys!

We’re back with another open thread for the week. Want to discuss movies, games, basketball, TV, the weather, what you had for lunch, your wins of the week? Here’s the place. This can also serve as a spot to chat about non-Lakers games going on around the league as well.

The only rule is to follow the guidelines. Be nice and be civil. Everything else is fair game.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are familiar with injury troubles. They’ve been dealt a short hand for most of the season. So it’s no surprise they will again be without one of their key players as they host the Detroit Pistons tonight.

Donovan Mitchell is listed as OUT with a groin injury. The seven-time All-Star has missed Cleveland’s previous three games with the same injury. He last played in their win over the New York Knicks on February 24.

The Cavs will also be without Riley Minix and Darius Brown, both of whom are on G League assignment. Max Strus is still out, as well. Dean Wade is questionable with an ankle injury. Everyone else is currently available.

Mitchell is averaging 28.5 points, 5.8 assists, and 4.5 rebounds this season while shooting 48.3% from the floor and nearly 37% from downtown. He’s having a career-best year while the Cavs are 3-4 without him this season. He’s been surprisingly available for a player carrying such a massive load each night. It makes sense that the Cavs are being cautious with his latest groin injury. They’ll need him moving forward.

Cleveland is better equipped to withstand a stretch without Mitchell than they were at the start of the season. Trading for James Harden has given them an All-Star-caliber guard to replace Mitchell during these stretches. While Darius Garland was previously capable of doing the same thing — Garland’s own injuries became too much of a roadblock. Harden, albeit currently dealing with a broken finger, has historically been more durable than both Mitchell and Garland.

Harden had 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists in the Cavaliers’ latest win over the Brooklyn Nets. He’s capable of carrying the offense on his own.

The Cavs will have their hands full against a Pistons team that probably feels they shouldn’t have gone to overtime with this shorthanded Cleveland squad last week. But the Cavs are upset with themselves for not sealing the deal in that one. This should be a fun game even without Mitchell.

The Lakers are never going to get a fair shake when it comes to national media coverage.

This isn’t a new revelation. In fact, the very topic of this article has already been written about by our own Darius Soriano just two months ago.

And while there’s lots of season left to play and things could always change, right now, the Lakers are actually a good story! They’ve been hammered by injuries and all they’ve done is win nearly two-thirds of their games through almost half the season.

No one’s asking to anoint them the favorites to win the title or anything like that. But if we could maybe just start treating them as though they’re a good team that is actually finding ways to win games they probably shouldn’t and position themselves well to actually make the run no one thinks they will, that would be okay too?

Or maybe we put another blowhard on TV saying how they should trade LeBron or Austin Reaves for role players? Yeah, let’s do that instead.

Not surprisingly, the media hasn’t changed its tune on the Lakers since that article was posted.

The only change in the last two months is that head coach JJ Redick has also taken notice. After wins on either side of the team’s weekend back-to-back, Redick spoke about the resiliency of his side and took a subtle jab at the overreactions at various moments this season.

“Again, the world has fallen for us 19 times and it’s just part of the nature of this cycle,” Redick said. “Our guys have bounced back and responded well throughout the season. Tied in the loss column for fifth and a couple of games out of third with a number of these teams coming up that are right there with us. So, we’re going to keep plugging away.”

Certainly, there are times when strong reactions are warranted. There should be criticism when the team loses three straight games as they did last week. When they were trending in the wrong direction in late December and into January, criticism was warranted.

However, the issue is that the noise isn’t nearly as loud for other teams. Frankly, after the Thunder and Spurs, the next tier of teams in the Western Conference — which includes the Lakers — is remarkably mid. Houston, Minnesota, Denver and LA are separated by 1.5 games.

While the Lakers have gone 5-5 in the last 10 games, Denver has gone 4-6. The Warriors team the Lakers blew out in Golden State on Saturday? That starting lineup without Draymond Green beat the Nuggets one week ago. Houston had a monumental collapse in the fourth quarter against the Knicks a week ago, to say nothing of Kevin Durant’s burner accounts and how that mess has just quietly gone away.

Could you imagine if it came out that LeBron was creating accounts and trashing teammates to random people on Twitter? It wouldn’t have just gone away inside of two weeks!

Frustratingly, things are just louder when it comes to the Lakers. Again, that’s not new and that won’t change. But it’s nice to see the head coach calling that out as well.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trae Young appears set to make his first appearance for the Washington Wizards on Thursday.

Young made an Instagram post of himself working out in Wizards gear and ended it with “3/5.” The Wizards are set to host Utah that night.

Asked later Monday about the plan before Washington hosted Houston, coach Brian Keefe said the point guard was trending toward being ready to play against the Jazz. He said Young would likely be restricted to about 17 to 20 minutes, mostly in the first half.

Young played in 10 games for the Atlanta Hawks this season, averaging 19.3 points and 8.9 assists, before being sidelined by knee and quadriceps injuries. The Wizards acquired him for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert in January.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

The Golden State Warriors will host another Southern California rival as they take on the Clippers on Monday night. The game will be played at 7:00 PM PT in San Francisco and can be watched on Peacock and NBC Sports Bay Area.

Kicking off the month with Dubs basketball

🏀 GSW vs LAC
🕖 7:00 pm PT
📺 @NBCSAuthentic & @Peacock
📻 @957thegame
📱 https://t.co/ZkjPJj1C56
🎟️ https://t.co/eAyVFXNkl0@Rakuten || Women’s Empowerment Night pic.twitter.com/fzgvTj6FgK

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) March 2, 2026

Previously with the Warriors:

Golden State is coming off a 129–101 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night. Unfortunately, the game was never close as a healthy Lakers squad jumped out to a first-quarter lead and never looked back against the undermanned Warriors. Luka Dončić, who celebrated his 27th birthday on Saturday, led all scorers with 26 points, followed by LeBron James with 22 points.

As for the Warriors, they needed a strong shooting night to stay competitive, but it never came as the team shot just 12-of-44 from three-point range (27.3%). Gui Santos led Golden State with 14 points, while Moses Moody came in second with 12 points, including four made threes. 

No. 15 impacts the game in so many ways ⚡️@Oracle || Warriors Talk pic.twitter.com/urqPipEphf

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) March 1, 2026

What to watch for tonight:

The Warriors look to bounce back against a Clippers team playing on the second night of a back-to-back. On Sunday, Los Angeles snapped a three-game losing streak with a 137–117 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Kawhi Leonard scored 23 points in 29 minutes, marking his 37th straight game with at least 20 points, and he continues to lead the Clippers with an average of 28 points per game this season.

OH MY GOODNESS, KAWHI LEONARD!!!!! pic.twitter.com/42vTO0tEA4

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) March 2, 2026

Golden State, meanwhile, remains without its top scorer in Stephen Curry. The team announced on Sunday that Curry will miss at least 10 more days with a lingering knee injury.

Stephen Curry injury update: pic.twitter.com/YB6M0XZNcJ

— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) March 2, 2026

The Warriors are 4–6 in the 10 games they have played without Curry. Although expectations have understandably been lowered in his absence, along with Jimmy Butler’s season-ending ACL injury, head coach Steve Kerr has praised the effort and coachability shown by the rest of the roster during this challenging stretch of the season. And with the Clippers trailing just 2.5 games behind them for the eighth seed in the West, Golden State will once again be counting on their depth and effort to give them a chance without their stars.

What has been your biggest challenge this season in terms of trying to keep this ship on course?

STEVE KERR: "I'm enjoying the season. Our guys have competed and really done a good job of finding ways to win… these guys are great… It's a fun group to coach." pic.twitter.com/CxfxDPQ4RN

— KNBR (@KNBR) March 1, 2026

Enjoy the game Dub Nation. GO WARRIORS!!!

Projected Starters

Warriors: Brandin Podziemski, De’Anthony Melton, Moses Moody, Gui Santos, Draymond Green

Clippers: Darius Garland, Kris Dunn, Kawhi Leonard, Derrick Jones Jr., Brook Lopez

How to watch Regular Season Game 61

Who: Golden State Warriors (31 – 29) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (28 – 31)

When: Monday, March 2nd, at 7:00 p.m. PT

Where: Chase Center — San Francisco, California

TV and Streaming: Peacock and NBC Sports Bay Area (available on fuboTV)

At least one NBA player objects to the Atlanta Hawks paying tribute to the famous Magic City adult entertainment club during their game Monday against the Orlando Magic.

San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet posted a statement on Medium asking the Hawks to call off the promotion "as to ensure that the NBA remains a safe, respectful, and welcoming environment for everyone involved."

"The NBA should desire to protect and esteem women, many of whom work diligently every day to make this the best basketball league in the world," Kornet wrote. "We should promote an atmosphere that is protective and respectful of the daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners that we know and love.

"Allowing this night to go forward without protest would reflect poorly on us as an NBA community, specifically in being complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women in our society. Regardless of how a woman finds her way into the adult entertainment industry, many in this space experience abuse, harassment, and violence to which they should never be subjected."

Read more:Luka Doncic and LeBron James power Lakers to another rout against last-place Kings

The Hawks announced its "Magic City Monday" promotion last week. Hawks principal owner Jami Gertz was a producer on the docuseries "Magic City: An American Fantasy" that aired last year on Starz. Atlanta-based artist T.I. will perform at halftime. A collaborative hoodie will be available for purchase, and some of the club's well-known wings will be served — including the lemon-pepper wings named after former Hawks player Lou Williams.

In 2020, while he was playing for the Clippers during the pandemic, Williams made headlines for visiting Magic City during an excused absence for personal reasons to return home to Atlanta. The NBA was finishing its season in a so-called bubble in Orlando meant to protect against COVID-19. Williams has said he was at the club just to pick up food.

In expressing his objection to the promotion, Kornet stressed that NBA teams should be held "to a higher standard of what they find worthy of promoting."

"I and others throughout the league were surprised by and object to the Hawks’ decision," Kornet wrote. "We desire to provide an environment where fans of all ages can safely come and enjoy the game of basketball and where we can celebrate the history and culture of communities in good conscience. The celebration of a strip club is not conduct aligned with that vision."

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Houston Rockets vs Washington Wizards

March 2, 2026

Location: Capital One Arena — Washington, DC

TV: Space City Home Network

Radio:KBME Sports Talk 790

Online: Rockets App, SCHN+

Time: 6:00 CST

Probable Starting Lineups

Rockets: Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun

Wizards: Bub Carrington, Tre Johnson, Kyshawn George, Bilal Coulibali, Anthony Gill

MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid lost a second straight La Liga match when a stunning volley from Martín Satriano gave Getafe a shock 1-0 win at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Monday.

The result prevented the capital club from cutting the four-point gap to leader Barcelona.

Getafe had lost all eight of its previous league encounters with Real Madrid and early saves from goalkeeper David Soria kept it from falling behind.

Soria turned over a shot from Arda Güler midway through the first half, not long after frustrating Vinicius Junior when he was through on goal.

Madrid had more of the ball but lacked punch up front and it paid a price for its profligacy six minutes before halftime when Getafe took the lead.

A hopeful cross from the right was headed clear but it fell to the feet of Satriano, who volleyed into the roof of the net from 20 meters out.

It was the second goal in three games for the Uruguayan, who joined on loan from Lyon during the last transfer window.

Madrid continued to dominate possession in the second half and Antonio Rüdiger and substitute Rodrygo were among those who came close to grabbing an equalizer.

But it could not find a way past Getafe’s stuffy rearguard and an in-form Soria.

Madrid’s task became even harder when Franco Mastantuono was sent off for dissent in stoppage time and although the numbers were evened up in the last minute when Getafe’s Adrian Liso was also shown a red card it came too late to make any impact.

Getafe held on to secure a historic win, its first at the Santiago Bernabeu since 2008, and a vital three points in its bid to stay in La Liga.

“Coming here is always very difficult," Getafe defender Kiko Femenía told broadcaster DAZN. "We have to congratulate the team, we did a superb job at the back and we scored when had the chance. We might even have scored more on the counterattack.”

They jumped three league places into 11th and were eight points above the relegation zone.

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

The Washington Wizards are seemingly on track to unveil one of their recent prized acquisitions.

In an Instagram post shared Monday, March 5, point guard Trae Young, whom the team acquired in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks, hinted that he would make his Wizards debut Thursday, March 5 against the Utah Jazz. To that end, a person with direct knowledge of the matter confirmed to USA TODAY Sports Monday that Young is trending in that direction and is expected to play that night.

The person spoke under the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly on the matter.

The Instagram post includes a reel of Young going through drills in Wizards gear and includes B-roll footage of Washington D.C. The caption of the post simply reads: “March 5th."

This comes as the Wizards remain well outside of the play-in picture, at 16-43 and 13th in the Eastern Conference. Washington has lost eight consecutive games while dealing with several key injuries.

Young has been sidelined since late December with knee and quadriceps injuries and has played in only 10 games this season. The Wizards acquired Young in exchange for guards CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.

Aside from Young, center Anthony Davis, who was acquired in a separate trade with the Dallas Mavericks, has also been out with a left hand ligament injury and still has not suited up for Washington; Davis is reportedly set to miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season. The Wizards have also been without center Alex Sarr (right hamstring strain) and forward Cam Whitmore (deep vein thrombosis).

Young, 27, is a four-time All-Star who is averaging 19.3 points, 8.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds per game this season. Though he remains one of the top distributors in the NBA — Young led the NBA in assists last season with 11.6 per game — his defense has been a significant issue.

Washington is navigating a delicate balance for its first-round draft pick. The selection is Top-8 protected, which means that it will convey to the New York Knicks, if it falls to No. 9 or below. This means that any victories over the final quarter of the season could compromise Washington's draft positioning; the Wizards currently have the NBA’s fourth-lowest winning percentage (.271).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trae Young to make Washington Wizards debut vs. Utah Jazz March 5

The Lakers’ pregame routine has gone viral across social media this season. Led by LeBron James, the Lakers wrap up their warm-up with a bit of synchronisation before walking off the floor.

LeBron and the Lakers hit this pregame celly so smooth 😮‍💨😭 pic.twitter.com/mXRbNGwiE7

— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime) February 13, 2026

Luke has the pregame tradition down already ☑️ pic.twitter.com/3yeAiMAjfA

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 8, 2026

Is it a bit silly? Sure. But basketball is a game and not everything has to be serious. It’s a fun tradition the team does every game, home or away.

However, for reasons unclear, LeBron wasn’t around pregame on Sunday and, unfortunately, disaster struck. Rui Hachimura attempted to step in and lead things, but failed miserably at just throwing the ball up in the air in the right direction.

Rui Hachimura tried to replace LeBron in the Lakers pre-game ritual but botched it lmao

the Lakers players dying laughing pic.twitter.com/0Wma2QGqqm

— Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) March 2, 2026

Fortunately, this did not set a tone for the night as the Lakers comfortably took care of business, blowing out the Kings for their second win in as many days. Those good vibes from the win meant the elephant in the room could be addressed pregame.

What in the world happened pregame?

“I literally said no to everybody but they all pointed at me” – Rui was forced to do the pregame routine 🤣 https://t.co/golkS1zE3jpic.twitter.com/sbtBO7BOwP

— Luka Updates (@LukaUpdates) March 2, 2026

“I literally said no to everybody, but they all pointed at me,” Rui said. “I don’t know…You know what it is, I think because I was doing it before [when] [LeBron] was coming back from the injury. So, they all pointed at me, but I wasn’t really feeling doing it. I was like ‘No, no, no.’ The time was going on, so I was like, ‘Alright, come on.’ I did it. I got booed.”

Luka, the de facto leader of the team, could only react in one way to Rui’s performance: disgust.

Luka on Rui doing the pregame ritual: "Never again. It was terrible" 😂 https://t.co/JvWWDbxZN6pic.twitter.com/jOZQ5R2yRh

— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) March 2, 2026

“I don’t know why,” Luka said postgame. “Never again. Never again. It was terrible.”

In a contract year, you’d expect a better showing from Rui. Will this hurt him in contract negotiations? Do the Lakers want to bring back someone who struggles to throw the ball up in the air?

If the Lakers want to move into the post-LeBron era seamlessly, then someone is going to need to go through a crash course over the final weeks of the season to learn how to properly toss the ball into the air. Otherwise, that could be another skillset they will look to acquire this offseason.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

The Cleveland Cavaliers had plenty of chances to defeat the Detroit Pistons on Friday. They failed to close the game out on the free-throw line, didn’t get the stops they needed to, and also didn’t get any help from the officials. That all added up to a narrow 122-119 defeat.

Fortunately for the Cavs, they don’t have to wait long to get even. They take on the Pistons again on Tuesday and should be healthier. James Harden returned to the lineup Sunday and looked like he didn’t miss a beat as he nearly put up a triple-double in his return against the Brooklyn Nets.

This is the Cavs’ and Pistons’ last meeting of the regular season. And it should give us our best chance to see how these two teams match up if they were to meet in the playoffs this spring.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (38-24) vs. Detroit Pistons (45-14)

Where: Rocket Arena – Cleveland, OH

When: Tue. March 3 at 7 PM

TV: FanDuel Sports Network – Ohio, FanDuel Sports Network App, NBA League Pass

Point spread: Pistons -1

Cavs injury report: Donovan Mitchell – OUT (groin), Dean Wade – QUESTIONABLE (ankle), Max Strus – OUT (foot), Riley Minix – OUT (G League), Darius Brown – OUT (G League)

Pistons injury report: Isaac Jones – OUT (G League), Bobi Klintman – QUESTIONABLE (G League), Chaz Lanier – QUESTIONABLE (G League), Wendell Moore Jr. – OUT (G League), Tolu Smith – QUESTIONABLE (G League)

Cavs expectedstarting lineup: James Harden, Sam Merrill, Jaylon Tyson, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

Pistons expected starting lineup: Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Tobias Harris, Ausar Thompson, Jalen Duren

Previous matchup: The Pistons defeated the Cavs in overtime last Friday.

Here’s a look at both teams’ impact stats via Cleaning the Glass.

	Offensive Rating	Defensive Rating	Net Rating
Cavs	118 (9th)	113.9 (10th)	+4.1 (8th)
Pistons	117.3 (11th)	108.8 (2nd)	+8.5 (2nd)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves signed 12-year veteran forward Kyle Anderson on Monday, bringing back a popular role player after he was waived by the Memphis Grizzlies.

Anderson played two seasons for the Timberwolves, contributing to their run to the Western Conference finals in 2024. He then signed with the Golden State Warriors in free agency and has been traded three times since, most recently to the Grizzlies by the Utah Jazz.

The 32-year-old Anderson has averaged 7.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 20.4 minutes in 24 games this season between the Jazz and the Grizzlies.

Anderson started 56 games over two years with the Timberwolves, averaging 25.3 minutes for the highest mark of his tenure with any of the six teams he's been with in his NBA career. The 2014 first-round draft pick by the San Antonio Spurs had three triple-doubles with the Timberwolves and became a fan favorite for his toughness, leadership and deliberate style on offense that has drawn him the nickname, “Slo Mo.”

The Timberwolves host the Grizzlies on Tuesday.

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

PISA, Italy (AP) — Fiorentina went down to Udinese 3-0 and Pisa lost to Bologna 1-0 on an unhappy night for the relegation-threatened sides in Serie A on Monday.

In Udine, the home side went ahead after 10 minutes when Christian Kabasele nodded in a Nicolo Zaniolo corner.

Udinese's leading goal-scorer Kelman Davis made it 2-0 from the penalty spot in the second half.

And Adam Buksa added a third in stoppage time to decisively halt Fiorentina’s recent revival and torpedo its hopes of winning three games in a row for the first time this season.

It remained fifth from bottom of the league, but equal on points with Cremonese and Lecce, the club occupying the third relegation spot.

One of the two teams below it, Pisa, lost at home to Bologna and remained joint last with Verona.

Pisa had three shots on target while Bologna had only one, but it was that 90th-minute strike from Jens Odgaard that decided the match.

The Danish forward hit the net from around 25 meters out to break the home fans' hearts and ensure Pisa was still looking for a second win in the league.

The result leaves it on the same points as bottom club Verona. Both are nine points from safety with 11 league matches remaining.

The win was Bologna’s third in a row and lifted it above Sassuolo into ninth place. It has not lost a league game at home to Pisa since February 1985.

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