Category: NBA

Boston Celtics (37-19) at Phoenix Suns (33-25)
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
9:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #57, Road Game #30
TV: ESPN, NBCSB, 3TV
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 98.7 AZ Sports Radio, Sirius XM
Mortgage Matchup Center 

The Celtics continue their western road trip with a stop in Phoenix to take on the Suns. They won the first 2 games of the trip by beating the Warriors and the Lakers. They will face the Nuggets on Wednesday to close out the trip. This is the first of 2 games between these two teams this season. They will meet for the 2nd, and final, time on March 16.

The Celtics won the series 2-0 last season and have won 4 straight against the Suns. They are 79-60 overall all time against the Suns and they are 33-36 in games played in Phoenix. The Celtics are playing in the first of back to back games and will travel to Denver to complete the back to back set on Wednesday. The Celtics are 6-3 in the first of back to back games this season.

Like the Celtics, the Suns have changed quite a bit since last season. In the offseason, they traded Kevin Durant to Houston for Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green. They traded Vasilije Micic to Charlotte for Mark Williams. They claimed Jordan Goodwin off waivers from the Lakers. They bought out Bradley Beal. and they drafted Khaman Maluach (10th), Rasheer Fleming (31st) and Koby Brea (41st. Tyus Jones and Mason Plumlee both left in free agency. At the trade deadline, they traded Nigel Hayes-Davis and Nick Richards for Amir Coffey and Cole Anthony.

The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 5 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are 1 game ahead of 3rd place New York, 2 games ahead of 4th place Cleveland, 3.5 games ahead of 5th place Toronto, 6.5 games ahead of 6th place Philadelphia and 7 games ahead of 7th place Orlando. The Celtics are 13-6 against Western Conference opponents. They are 19-10 on the road and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 3 games.

The Suns are 7th in the West, 11 games behind 1st place OKC, 3 games behind 3rd place Denver, 2.5 games behind 4th place Houston, and 2 games behind the 5th place Lakers and 6th place Minnesota. They are 2.5 games ahead of 8th place Golden Stat and 5 games ahead of 9th place Portland. The Suns are 11-7 against Eastern Conference opponents and 19-11 at home. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and are coming off a loss in their last game.

The Celtics are playing in the 3rd game of a 4 game Western road trip. They beat Golden State 121-110 on Thursday and beat the Lakers 111-89 on Sunday. They will play Denver on 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 Suns are playing in the 3rd game of a 4 game home stand. They beat Orlando and lost to Portland in the first two games and will face the Lakers to close out the home stand. They will then play at Sacramento before three more games at home against Chicago, New Orleans and Charlotte. They will then head out on a 6 game road trip through Milwaukee, Indiana, Toronto, Boston, Minnesota and San Antonio.

Jayson Tatum remains out for the Celtics as he rehabs from the Achilles injury, although rumblings of his return seem to be getting louder. Jaylen Brown has been added to the injury report with a knee contusion. They may be cautious with him due to the back to back games with Denver being the tougher team. He was originally questionable but has been downgraded to out. I’m going to take a wild guess that Hugo Gonzalez starts but I’m usually wrong.

The Suns have 5 players out and one player questionable on their injury report. Grayson Allen is questionable due to right knee and ankle injury management. He will be a game time decision. Cole Anthony has not reported to the team as yet after his trade from Orlando. Devin Booker (hip), Dillon Brooks (hand), Jordan Goodwin (calf) and Haywood Highsmith (knee) are all listed as out. I’ve listed their starting lineup from their last game.

Probable Starting Matchups
PG: Derrick White vs Collin Gillespie

SG: Baylor Scheierman vs Jalen Green

SF: Hugo Gonzalez vs Ryan Dunn

Sam Hauser vs Royce O’Neale

C: Neemias Queta vs Mark Williams

Celtics Reserves
Payton Pritchard
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
Jaylen Brown (knee) out

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Suns Reserves
Amir Coffey
Rasheer Fleming
Oso Ighodaro
Khaman Maluach

2-Way Players
Jamaree Bouyea
Koby Brea
Isaiah Livers

Injuries/Out
Grayson Allen (ankle) questionable
Cole Anthony (not with team) out
Devin Booker (hip) out
Dillon Brooks (hand) out
Jordan Goodwin (calf) out
Haywood Highsmith (knee) out 

Head Coach
Jordan Ott

Key Matchups
Derrick White vs Collin Gillespie
Gillespie is averaging 13.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists,and 1.4 steals per game. He is shooting 42.9% from the field and 42.8% from beyond the arc. He is one of their best 3 point shooters and so the Celtics need to especially defend him on the perimeter.

Baylor Scheierman vs Jalen Green
Green is averaging 13.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.  He is shooting 38.2% from the field and 31.3% from beyond the arc.  In his last game, he finished with 13 points to go along with 3 rebounds and 3 steals. He hit a game winning 3 to beat the Magic on Saturday and so can be dangerous if not defended well. 

Honorable Mention
Neemias Queta vs Mark Williams
Williams is averaging 11.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game.  He is shooting 64.2% from the field but is not a threat from beyond the arc.  Williams ranks 4th in the NBA in FG% (64.2%) and is 1-of-5 players in the NBA this season averaging 11+ points on 67+ TS% and 11+ rebounds per game.  The Celtics need to keep him out of the paint and off the boards. 

Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is always a key to winning.  The Celtics have a defensive rating of 112.2 (7th) and the Suns have a defensive rating of 112.5 (8th).  The Suns take 40.4 threes per game (6th)  and make 14.5 threes per game (8th).  The Celtics take 42.3 threes per game and make 15.4 (3rd).  The Suns are a good shooting team and the Celtics will need to up their defense, especially on the perimeter,  if they want to beat the Suns at home.

Rebound – The Celtics need to rebound on the offensive end to give themselves extra possessions and to prevent the Suns from racking up fast break points.  They also have to crash the boards on the defensive end to prevent the Suns from getting tip ins and second chance points.  The Celtics are 8th with 45.7 rebounds per game while the Suns are 18th with 43.4 rebounds per game.  Rebounding is all about effort and the Celtics are going to have to put out extra effort to win the battle of the boards.

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. ISO ball is not usually winning ball.   The Celtics are 29-4 when they have at least 25 assists. They need to keep the ball moving and find the open man. However, they need to be careful with their passes and ball handling since the Suns are 3rd with 20.8 points per game off turnovers. 

Be Aggressive – The Celtics have to come out and be aggressive right from the opening tip.  They have to be aggressive on defense, driving to the basket, rebounding, diving for loose balls and just playing harder in general.  They need to get off to a strong start and play hard right up until the final buzzer. They can’t let the Suns outwork them for any period of time because even the best team in the league can lose to the worst if they don’t play with effort. The Celtics tend to take it easy when a team is bad or missing key players.  The Suns are missing several key players but are still capable of beating the Celtics if they don’t play aggressively throughout the game.

X-Factors
Road Fatigue – The Celtics are playing in the 3rd game of a 4 game road trip.  They have had a lot of travel and had to sleep in hotels and play in hostile arenas.  They may be gettng somewhat road weary.  They have also changed time zones and may have a bit of jet lag.  They may be short handed if Jaylen Brown is out and so they all need to pick up the slack and that could also add to fatigue in the game. 

Officiating – I know that I say this every game,  but the officiating always has the possibility to be an x-factor in every game.  Every crew calls the game differently, whether they call every little ticky tack foul or they let a lot of contact go and let the teams play.  Some refs favor the home team and some call for both teams evenly.  The Celtics have got to adjust to the way the game is being called and not allow the officiating to take away from their focus. 

The Washington Wizards play the Atlanta Hawks at 7:30 p.m. tonight at State Farm Arena. Watch the game on Monumental Sports Network.

Trae Young remains out in his return to Atlanta. Former Wizards Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum will be available for the Hawks.

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The NBA Finals MVP odds are shaping up to look very familiar.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has led the Finals MVP odds since the 2025–26 season tipped off, and with the Oklahoma City Thunder owning the league’s best record — even while he’s sidelined with an abdominal strain — OKC is proving it has the pieces to repeat.

When their star guard returns, he should be able to slide right back into a NBA Championship  caliber lineup with ease.

Here's a look at the latest NBA odds to win 2026 Finals MVP.

🏆 2026 NBA Finals MVP odds

These are the latest NBA odds for the NBA Finals MVP race with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the pack to go for it once again.

Odds from bet365, one of our best betting apps. Sign up with our bet365 promo code, or get one of our other sportsbook promos.

Player
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander	+145
Nikola Jokic	+500
Victor Wembanyama	+1200
Cade Cunningham	+1400
Jalen Brunson	+1600
Donovan Mitchell	+2000
Jaylen Brown	+2200
Anthony Edwards	+3500

Odds as of 2-24.

👑 NBA Finals MVP favorites

The Oklahoma City Thunder remain the favorites in the NBA Finals odds. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been their most reliable source of production, and that's why he's the leader in this market.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been weathering the storm without their top scorers, with Jalen Williams also dealing with an injury — but they’ve kept rolling through the league by showing resilience despite a short-handed roster.

📈 NBA Finals MVP opening odds

Here are what NBA Finals MVP opening odds looked like, just before the postseason.

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+190)
• Jayson Tatum (+250)
• Donovan Mitchell (+650)
• Luka Doncic (+2200)
• Jaylen Brown (+2400)
• Steph Curry (+2700)
• Kristaps Porzingis (+3100)
• Nikola Jokic (+3300)
• Darius Garland (+3600)
• Evan Mobley (+3600)
• Kawhi Leonard (+4600)
• Jalen Brunson (+4900)
• LeBron James (+4900)
• Anthony Edwards (+5000)
• Karl-Anthony Towns (+6500)
• Jalen Williams (+6500)
• Chet Holmgren (+10000)
• Jimmy Butler (+11000)
• Derrick White (+12000)
• James Harden (+12000)
• Alperen Sengun (+13000)
• Tyrese Haliburton (+13000)
• Giannis Antetokounmpo (+17000)

⚙️ Covers NBA betting tools

• NBA odds
• NBA picks
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NBA Finals MVP betting splits

Line movement (Game 6 to Game 7)
•    Shai Gilgeous-Alexander -650 to -235
•    Jalen Williams +650 to +1050
•    Pascal Siakam +1500 to +325

Highest ticket percentage
•    Tyrese Haliburton 22.7%
•    Pascal Siakam 15.2%
•    TJ McConnell 8.4%
 
Highest handle percentage
•    Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 41.2%
•    Tyrese Haliburton 17.5%
•    Pascal Siakam 11.6%

Data courtesy of BetMGM.

NBA Finals MVP trends

Here are some trends you'll want to keep in mind when placing a bet on NBA Finals MVP:

• Only one player (Jerry West, 1969) has ever won Finals MVP on the losing team.
• Nikola Jokic's 2023 Finals MVP win was the first by a center since Shaquille O'Neal in 2002.
• Forwards have won 10 of the past 12 NBA Finals MVPs.

Popular NBA futures odds

• NBA championship odds
• NBA MVP odds
• NBA Rookie of the Year odds
• NBA Most Improved Player odds
• NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds

🏀 Previous NBA Finals MVP award winners

The adage of needing versatile forwards in today's NBA rings especially true when looking at the recent Finals MVP winners. Despite Giannis being one of the most position-amorphous players in NBA history, eight of the past 10 Finals MVPs have been, at least by most definitions, forwards.

Year	Player	Team
2024	Jaylen Brown	Boston Celtics
2023	Nikola Jokic	Denver Nuggets
2022	Stephen Curry	Golden State Warriors
2021	Giannis Antetokounmpo	Milwaukee Bucks
2020	LeBron James	Los Angeles Lakers
2019	Kawhi Leonard	Toronto Raptors
2018	Kevin Durant	Golden State Warriors
2017	Kevin Durant	Golden State Warriors
2016	LeBron James	Cleveland Cavaliers
2015	Andre Iguodala	Golden State Warriors

✅ Best NBA Finals MVP betting sites

Scouting basketball betting websites should be a breeze, but new bettors often feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of options available. Here are the must-have basketball betting site features you should target before placing your wagers.

Best odds: Not all sportsbooks are created equally, especially when it comes to odds. Finding the best price for your basketball bets is key to a successful betting strategy. 

Live betting: Watching betting lines move in real-time and comparing statistics allows you to jump into the action at just the right moment.

Fast payouts: Accessing your hard-earned funds shouldn't feel like breaking a full-court press. It's important to choose a sportsbook that offers fast and reliable money withdrawals post-game.

Safe money transactions: The days of placing bets with bookies in shadowy back rooms are long over. Major online sportsbooks boast state-of-the-art security measures like SSL data encryption, and each holds a legal operating license from registered authorities.

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.

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The San Antonio Spurs are once again surging in odds to win the NBA Finals, this time after they beat the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons by double digits Monday night.

Key Takeaways

• The Spurs are 9-3 against teams in the top three in both conferences.
  
  
• San Antonio was given +6,600 odds the day before their season began.
  
  
• A Spurs championship would mark the largest Finals upset on record.

The Spurs are 41-16, good for the second-best record in the Western Conference and the third best in the NBA. The only teams ahead of them are the Oklahoma City Thunder (44-14) and Pistons (42-14).

San Antonio passed the “40-20” test, which refers to more than 90% of champions winning 40 games before losing 20 during the regular season. 

The Spurs were +6,600 to win the Finals on Oct. 21, the day before they made their season debut, according to Sports Odds History’s archive of BetMGM’s odds.

BetMGM is now one of several sportsbooks to list the Spurs at +1,000 odds, meaning they’ve gone from a 1.5% to a 9.1% implied chance to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy. OKC is at +135 (42.6% chance) and Denver is at +550 (15.4% chance).

Prediction platform Kalshi views the race much differently. The Thunder are still at the top of the board, though users have only given them a 39% chance to win the Finals. The Spurs are second at 14%, ahead of the Nuggets at 12%. 

Those probabilities translated to betting odds would look like this:

• Thunder: +156
• Spurs: +614
• Nuggets: +733

Spurs, Wembanyama surging

The Spurs’ continued ascent in NBA Finals winner odds is well earned. They are 9-3 against the top three teams in each conference (Thunder, Pistons, Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics, and New York Knicks) and beat the defending champions in four of their five matchups.

They also won the NBA Cup and are two wins (against the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets) away from going 11-0 in February.

The team’s surge has given life to Victor Wembanyama’s NBA MVP case. Kalshi’s odds list the young Frenchman fourth behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, and Cade Cunniingham with a 9% chance to win.

While he is an obvious underdog, both Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic are in danger of losing their eligibility for the award due to the NBA’s 65-game requirement for players. Cunningham isn’t close to missing more than the allotted amount of games, but he’s only at a 16% chance at the time of writing.

Here’s how the top four candidates stack up against one another as they continue to battle in NBA MVP odds:

• Gilgeous-Alexander (56% chance): 31.8 points, 6.4 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 55.4% FG
• Jokic (23% chance): 28.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, 10.5 assists, 58.4% FG, 42.1% 3PT
• Cunningham (16% chance): 25.3 points, 9.8 assists, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals
• Wembanyama (9% chance): 24.2 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.8 blocks

A potentially historic achievement

A Spurs NBA championship would mark the largest Finals upset on record, according to Sports Odds History data.

The longest preseason underdogs to win since 1984-85, when odds were first tracked, were the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors. Even they were only +2,800.

The closest team since then was the 2018-19 Raptors, who were +1,850.

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.

Just when the Lakers reached full health, another injury occurred to one of their rotation players.

Jaxson Hayes had to exit early during LA’s loss against Boston and was deemed doubtful to play in the team’s upcoming game against Orlando.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Lakers downgraded him to out for the contest.

After Monday’s practice, Lakers head coach JJ Redick said Hayes was considered day-to-day due to this ankle injury. So, while he’ll be unavailable for LA’s upcoming matchup, he isn’t automatically ruled out for the team’s other games.

Overall, Hayes has been relatively healthy this season. He’s only missed nine games so far this year.

His most recent injury was left hamstring tendinopathy, which caused him to miss three games in January. Since then, he’s played in 15 of the last 16 games for the purple and gold.

On the season, Hayes is averaging 6.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Hayes has always been effective on his shot attempts, but this season, his 77% shooting from the field is a career-best.

He’s been an integral part of the rotation, providing LA with a lob threat and a good pick-and-roll partner for Luka Dončić to work with.

With Hayes out, the Lakers’ frontcourt depth shrinks dramatically. Redick will either have to rely on Maxi Kleber to slot into that backup role or use two-way big Drew Timme to take up those minutes.

Timme has had a handful of good games for Los Angeles, including a road win over the Raptors back in January.

Redick can also opt to play some more small-ball lineups and use Jarred Vanderbilt as his center.

Regardless, losing Hayes is a negative for the Lakers and something they’ll have to navigate while he’s out. There is no other player on LA’s roster that can give the Lakers the vertical spacing he provides.

LA has played only a handful of games with its full rotation, and while Hayes has a smaller role on this team, he will be needed for the Lakers to optimize their roster and maximize their chances to go on a run this season.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

Kansas basketball earned a statement win over Houston on Feb. 23, taking down the fourth-ranked Cougars 69-56 at home. They also received another win in terms of star guard Darryn Peterson's availability, as he has now played in 30 or more minutes in back-to-back games, which has only happened two other times this season.

The projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft scored 14 points in the win on 5-of-14 shooting. He was also made available in the postgame press conference, which hasn't happened much this season.

REQUIRED READING: Bill Self still has one big question about Kansas — and it goes past Darryn Peterson

Peterson was asked after the game for his view of the situation regarding his playing time, given he has missed 11 of Kansas' 28 games this season, including when he subbed himself out early against Oklahoma State on Feb. 18. The former five-star recruit has dealt with cramps from a lingering hamstring injury, and said he's been blocking out the noise as of late.

“It’s kind of normal this year,” Peterson said of the national attention. “Somebody’s had something to say, probably, after every game this year. So, I don’t really pay attention to it anymore.”

Peterson later added: "I’ve kind of been an anti-social loner my whole life, kind of, so I kind of just deal with it on my own.”

Fellow Kansas guard Tre White, who scored a game-high 23 points in the win over Houston, said after the game he tries to help lift up Peterson, especially amid the heightened interest in the future lottery pick.

“I definitely just try to, whenever I see him, just try to keep him right,” White said. “But he’s been in the spotlight all his life, so he definitely knows how to handle it and we tell him all the time, ‘We’re with you. We’re your brothers. We understand what the outside world thinks, but we don’t care about none of that. What’s inside the locker room.’ That’s pretty much how we do it.”

Peterson has been one of the best players in college basketball this season when healthy, as he's averaging 19.9 points with 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game on 47.2% shooting. He's also shooting 40.2% from 3-point range on the year.

Kansas has shown it can be competitive without Peterson this season, even beating Arizona at home without its star guard. Still, the Jayhawks' ceiling is a national championship contender with the true freshman firing on all cylinders.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Darryn Peterson on handling attention after Houston win: 'Anti-social loner'

The Golden State Warriors, fresh off their shocking win over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday afternoon, are looking for their first back-to-back wins since wrapping up a four-game winning streak on January 19 … the same day that Jimmy Butler III tore his ACL, effectively ending whatever slim chance the Warriors had this season.

There’s good news and bad news for the Warriors, as they seek a road win tonight. The good news is that they’re facing the New Orleans Pelicans; in addition to employing old friends Kevon Looney and Jordan Poole, the Pelicans are dreadful, with a 16-42 record. The bad news is that the Pelicans are mostly healthy, while the Warriors … well, they very much are not. Here’s the full injury report.

Warriors

Out — Steph Curry (right patellofemoral pain syndrome)

No new news here. Curry will miss his eighth consecutive game … and ninth, if you include the All-Star Game. Hopefully a return is soon.

Out — Kristaps Porziņģis(illness)

Porziņģis was a late scratch on Sunday, after waking up extremely sick. So sick, in fact, that he didn’t join the Warriors on their two-city road trip. Whether this is a generic flu, or something related to his POTS diagnosis is unknown, but hopefully he feels better soon.

Out — Al Horford (left toe injury management)

As we all know by now, Horford doesn’t play back-to-backs. So he’s getting today’s game off, and will play on Wednesday against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Out — Jimmy Butler III (right ACL surgery)

Sadly I’m going to write “Out — Jimmy Butler III” for a very long time before he’s back on the court.

Out — Seth Curry (left sciatic nerve irritation)

More of the same for the younger Curry, who will be re-evaluated — again — before long. He’s still only played in two games this year, and has yet to share the court with his brother.

Probable — Draymond Green (left low back injury management)

Green was scratched a few minutes before the start of Sunday’s game, when his back flared up. Thankfully it seems like he’s OK, and we’ll get to a see a fun matchup against Zion Williamson.

Available — De’Anthony Melton (left knee injury management)

Melton was considered a question mark on the off day, but is good to go now. He should start.

Pelicans

Out — Trey Murphy III (right shoulder contusion)

There was some talk before the trade deadline that the Warriors were targeting Murphy, but that obviously never happened. The fifth-year wing is averaging a career-high 22.1 points per game, but will miss his third consecutive game.

Out — Yves Missi (left calf strain)

The Warriors won’t see NOLA’s second-year center, who is scheduled to miss his fourth straight game with a calf injury.

Out — Micah Peavy (right great toe sprain)

Peavy is the Pelicans’ version of Will Richard. He was a second-round pick in 2025, but has played a sizable role for New Orleans. But he’s been out for about two weeks with a toe injury.

Available — Dejounte Murray (right Achilles rupture)

He’s back! Murray, who was an All-Star in 2021-22, is making his return to the court tonight. It’s his first game since injuring his Achilles nearly 13 months ago. It will be great seeing him on the court again.

Enjoy the game, Dub Nation! It tips off at 5:00 p.m. PT on NBC Sports Bay Area.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The New York Jets don't plan to let running back Breece Hall hit the open market at the start of the league year, while the futures of other top running backs such as Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III and David Montgomery remain more in flux.

Jets general manager Darren Mougey said Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine that the team plans to use either the franchise tag or the transition tag on Hall if the two sides can't reach a new deal before the tag deadline on March 3.

Hall would be guaranteed a salary of about $14.5 million next season with the franchise tag and about $11.7 million with the transition tag. Another team could sign Hall to an offer sheet with the Jets having five days to match the offer or receive two first-round picks as compensation with a franchise tag or no compensation with a transition tag.

“The tags are an option,” Mougey said. “Ideally we find a way to get a deal done to keep Breece around. I think I’ve said that for the last year since I got here. Breece is a good player, we want to find a way to keep him around. We’ve been going through that process and are still doing so and we have a week to find out if we can’t get to an agreement, which way we’ll go.”

Hall was drafted in the second round in 2022. He rushed for a career-high 1,065 yards last season for New York and ranks 12th in the NFL with 2,935 yards rushing the past three seasons.

Only one running back in the NFL is scheduled to make at least $14 million in cash next season with 2024 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley set to be paid $16.75 million from the Philadelphia Eagles.

Walker's status is more uncertain after he capped his fourth season in the NFL by winning Super Bowl MVP for Seattle when he rushed for 135 yards in the win earlier this month over New England.

Walker is coming off the second 1,000-yard rushing season of his career and averaged 104.3 yards per game rushing in the playoffs when he showed he could carry a heavy load after Zach Charbonnet went down with a season-ending knee injury in the divisional round.

General manager John Schneider declined on Tuesday to answer whether the team would use a tag to keep Walker locked up for 2026.

"We’d love to have Ken back, we’d love to have everybody back,” Schneider said. “But he knows this better than anybody, it’s about our 70, our collective, and what it’s going to look like. And we’ll have those meetings down here. We’ll start, you know, talking to all the agents and, yeah, we’ll have a better feel of where we’re going to go toward the end of the week. But, obviously, we’d love that (having Walker back). When you get something special like that, let’s run it back.”

Montgomery is still under contract in Detroit through the 2027 season and is owed about $6 million in 2026, but could be on the trade market as Jahmyr Gibbs has emerged as the featured back for the Lions.

Montgomery, who turns 29 in June, is coming off career lows of 158 carries for 716 yards last season as Detroit's offense revolved more around Gibbs, who is eligible for a contract extension this offseason.

Montgomery had rushed for 1,790 yards and 25 touchdowns his first two seasons with the Lions as the team's starter but came off the bench in all 17 games last season.

“I’ve been in touch with David’s agent, his representation," Lions GM Brad Holmes said. "We love David. He’s a great player. We’d love to have him. Kind of want to put last year in the rear view and just move forward. But, obviously, a player has to want to be in a certain place as well. So those conversations are still fluid and we’re just trying to see how it goes.”

___

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

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To see the Los Angeles Lakers’ offense digress the way it did during Sunday’s loss to the Celtics — despite their prolific individual offensive talent — shouldn’t have been a surprise. 

The Celtics poked at one of the Lakers’ tactical weaknesses that’s been evident for the last few months. 

And Lakers coach JJ Redick took ownership of his team underperforming in those situations.

The Celtics had multiple big men play in deep drop coverage against the Lakers’ pick and rolls, which stifled their offense just two days after it had one of its better performances of the season in Friday’s home win over the Clippers.

“When teams play the deep drop, we have our counters and we just got to [execute],” Redick said. “Sometimes when the ball’s just changing ends quick, it’s easy to just get into drag after drag after drag. So, I took ownership of that. We have our counters for deep drop. We got to do a better job of that.”

The Lakers did poorly against the Celtics. 

Too often, their offense would bog. 

Get stuck in a pattern of running set plays. Or not using the power of the pass to shift the defense, instead trying to rely on the individual offensive strengths of Luka Dončić, LeBron James or Austin Reaves to create advantages against a Celtics team that wasn’t allowing many.

The Lakers became predictable. And their struggles were, too.

The issues they faced were similar to the ones they had in their Dec. 1 home loss to the Suns, when they struggled offensively against a Phoenix team that had Mark Williams in a deep drop.

Or when they’ve gone up against the Victor Wembanyama-led Spurs.

“Our lowest potential assist games are all against the deep drop,” Redick said. “So I got to do a better job. 

The drop in potential assists is the result of a lack of ball movement — an issue that also isn’t new for the Lakers.

It’s one of the many reasons why their offense hasn’t sustained a level of excellence that’s expected with Dončić, James and Reaves at the helm. 

“It mostly depends on the team we play against,” Rui Hachimura responded when asked how the Lakers can have a consistently great offense. “There are some teams that play really good team defense. Against that, we have to be sharing the ball, trusting each other. We got to have ball movement. [Having] ball movement is going to be the key.”

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This Lakers team shouldn’t be expected to play like the “Beautiful Game” Spurs, which featured high-spaced ball movement and player movement.

Nor should they be expected to not allow their best players to freelance the offense from time to time.

But what should be expected is to consistently have better execution when defenses are in a drop.

As a prolific pull-up shooting team with high-caliber ball-handlers, they have the personnel to flip a tactical weakness into a strength. And they’ve shown they have the counters in their playbook, especially earlier in the season.

Now it’s about being consistent — which would be a new surprise within itself. 

It’s very clearly checks over stripes for Kevin Durant.

The NBA superstar — a longtime Nike athlete — railed against Adidas during a conversation with an influencer at an All-Star week party in Los Angeles earlier this month, and his rant against the shoe giant was captured on video.

“Who the f**k wears Adidas?” – Kevin Durant

(via kpreme/IG) pic.twitter.com/16vXzxcLEk

— B/R Kicks (@brkicks) February 24, 2026

The Rockets forward’s teardown of the massive apparel company began when his pal, content creator Kpreme, told him he was going to leave the event the two were at to head to an Adidas bash.

Durant questioned why he would go to that, asking, “Do you wear Adidas?”

When Kpreme responded no, Durant said, “Exactly.”

“Who the f—k wears Adidas?” the future Hall of Famer said. “Nah. Real s—t. If you’re not hooping, who wears Adidas?”

Durant went on to ask further, “So why you going to a f—king Adidas party?”

The shade didn’t stop there. Several minutes later, after Kpreme asked Durant if he could get him some of his shoes, Durant continued to go in on Adidas.

“F—k no,” Durant said. “You’re going to an Adidas party. F—k Adidas.”

Durant first signed a contract with Nike when he was a rookie with the Supersonics in 2007. In 2023 — following over a decade of signature shoe releases — he agreed to a lifetime deal with the Swoosh that’s apparently come with a side of vitriol for its biggest competitors.

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Who: Phoenix Suns (33-25) vs. Boston Celtics (37-19)

When: 7:00 pm Arizona Time

Where: Mortgage Matchup Center — Phoenix, Arizona

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

Listen: KMVP 98.7

Tonight presents a demanding challenge for the Phoenix Suns yet again after an ugly loss to Portland on Sunday night. They’ll need to have a short memory after scoring just 77 points on Sunday night.

The Suns welcome a Boston team that has looked every bit like a contender, carrying a 37-19 record and a three-game win streak into the Mortgage Matchup Center. The Celtics sit near the top of the Eastern Conference for a reason, bringing depth, structure, and defensive discipline every night despite being down Jayson Tatum.

Phoenix enters at 33-25, clinging onto the seventh spot in the West, but the circumstances make this one steeper than usual. Injuries have thinned the rotation, forcing younger players and reserves into expanded roles against one of the league’s most complete rosters. Will we see more of the rookies? We might have to.

The Suns have managed to stay competitive through stretches like this before. Doing it against Boston will require poise, execution, and collective effort across the board, which has been their mantra all season long.

This is a game they are “supposed” to lose. We’ll see if Jordan Ott and company can deliver another surprise this season.

Probable Starters

Suns

• Mark Williams
• Ryan Dunn
• Royce O’Neale
• Jalen Green
• Collin Gillespie

Celtics

• Neemius Queta
• Sam Hauser
• Derrick White
• Baylor Scheierman
• Payton Pritchard

Injury Report

Suns

• 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)

Celtics

• Jaylen Brown — OUT (Knee)

What to Watch For

Boston has one of the best defensive units in the NBA this season. They disrupt passing lanes, force turnovers, and make you uncomfortable, similar to Phoenix’s style. The Celtics traveled to the Bay Area and Los Angeles on consecutive games and defeated them with ease. Phoenix needs to bring a different energy to the game tonight to have a chance and eliminate the West Coast momentum they’ll carry in.

This Suns team ranks among the league’s best in offensive rebounding (13.1 per game), with Mark Williams particularly active crashing the glass. That extra possession could be crucial against a Boston squad that loves to clear defensive rebounds and push in transition. If Phoenix can secure extra chances and keep the ball alive, they stay in these tight moments.

Without Booker, Brooks, and possibly Allen, Phoenix needs shots from unlikely places. Collin Gillespie has been a quiet but steady source of scoring lately, and role players like Royce O’Neale, Ryan Dunn, and others must help keep Boston honest on the perimeter. The Suns have shown the ability to knock down threes at a strong rate this season, but consistency from role players will be huge tonight. Could tonight be the Amir Coffey game?

Boston is not just guards and wings. They pound the glass and play physical basketball. Phoenix’s interior defense needs to rotate smartly, communicate, and limit second-chance points. Williams and the Suns’ frontline must make it hard for Boston in the paint if this game is going to feel competitive down the stretch. Even without Jaylen Brown, the Celtics are built for that “next man up” style of play with players who fit their system flawlessly.

Slowing Payton Pritchard down will be a key for Phoenix, and this is a game they are going to miss Jordan Goodwin in desperately.

Key to a Suns Win

Score points. Please? Someone? Anyone? The Suns are going to need “the others” to step up in a big way tonight.

Compete every possession. Boston is disciplined and rarely lets up. Phoenix needs to mirror that effort level from tipoff through the final buzzer.

Clean decision-making. Turnovers against a team like Boston are costly. The Suns must protect the ball and maximize every possession.

Exploit mismatches. With Boston potentially short on wings, ball movement and pin-down actions can create easy looks if Phoenix executes.

Finish at the rim. Boston’s length is a deterrent, but attacking closeouts and finishing strong is what allows a young Phoenix squad to stay within striking distance.

Prediction Time

If Phoenix can stay connected on both ends of the floor, who knows? This could be one of those nights where the Suns shock a contender and remind the league they belong in every conversation. I’m not counting on that, but would love to be wrong. I think Boston overwhelms them from start to finish.

Suns 100, Celtics 113

The Golden State Warriors begin their road back-to-back with Tuesday night’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 PM PT in New Orleans and can be watched on NBC Sports Bay Area.

Previously with the Warriors:

The Warriors snapped a two-game losing streak on Sunday with a win over the Denver Nuggets, 128-117. Playing without Stephen Curry and Kristaps Porzingis — and with Draymond Green ruled out as a late scratch — Golden State had just nine available players against a strong Denver team led by three-time league MVP Nikola Jokic.

But despite being shorthanded, the Dubs competed hard for all 48 minutes, leaning on physical defense and a collective effort on offense to grind out the win. It was a classic “Strength in Numbers” performance, but perhaps the biggest contribution came from Brandin Podziemski. The third-year guard delivered a huge fourth quarter where he shot 6-of-6 from the field and scored 15 of his 18 points to help seal the victory.

What to watch for tonight:

Golden State is expected to remain undermanned for Tuesday’s game in New Orleans. Curry remains out with a knee injury, while Porzingis did not travel with the team. Al Horford is also expected to be held out for load management on the second night of a back-to-back.

Fortunately, tonight’s matchup against the Pelicans should be in the Warriors’ favor. New Orleans sits near the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a record of 16–42 and has struggled on both ends of the floor, ranking sixth-worst in offensive rating (112.5) and fourth-worst in defensive rating (118.1). Not to mention, their most recent starting lineup featured four players who are shooting below 30 percent from the three-point line this season.

Enjoy the game Dub Nation. GO WARRIORS!!! 

Projected Starters

Warriors: Pat Spencer, De’Anthony Melton, Moses Moody, Gui Santos, Draymond Green

Pelicans: Herbert Jones, Saddiq Bey, Zion Williamson, Derik Queen, DeAndre Jordan

How to watch Regular Season Game 58

Who: Golden State Warriors (30 – 27) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (16 – 42)

When: Tuesday, February 24th, at 5:00 p.m. PT

Where: Smoothie King Center — New Orleans, Louisianna

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

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Our NBA player prop projections are back for tonight's prime-time matchup, and the model has spotlighted a few plays that really pop.

We ran the numbers, lined our projections up against the market, and locked in on the spots with genuine value.

For these Knicks vs. Cavaliers predictions, it’s not guesswork — it’s all driven by the data.

If you’re building your betting card, these are the NBA picks the model likes most for Tuesday, February 24.

Knicks vs Cavaliers computer picks for February 24

Knicks	Cavaliers
Towns u19.5 points  -112	Mitchell u27.5 points  -112
Hart o4.5 assists -155	Harden o2.5 3-pointers +135
Brunson o2.5 3-pointers -112	Allen o8.5 rebounds -112

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Knicks computer picks

Karl-Anthony Towns Under 19.5 points (-112)

Projection: 18.9 points

Compared to last year's 23.8 mark, Karl-Anthony Towns' points per game have dipped to 19.6.

The New York Knicks have played at the fifth-lowest up-tempo pace in the league over the last 15 games. 

Whereas the Cleveland Cavaliers have played at the 10th-lowest up-tempo pace in the NBA over the last five games, which ought to reduce possessions for the Knicks.

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Josh Hart Over 4.5 assists (-155)

Projection: 4.6 assists

Josh Hart has a strong path to clearing 4.5 assists because he’s not just a wing who spots up. He pushes the ball in transition, initiates sets in the halfcourt, and thrives as a connector who keeps the offense flowing. When the ball swings, he’s often the guy making the extra pass that leads directly to a bucket.

Another big factor working in his favor is New York’s dominance on the offensive glass. The Knicks are the NBA's fourth-ranked offensive rebounding team, which creates second-chance possessions and extended plays.

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Jalen Brunson Over 2.5 3-pointers (-112)

Projection: 2.7 3-pointers

This game against the Cavaliers sets up nicely for threes since opposing starting point guards have attempted the second-highest rate of triples in the NBA this season (41.4%) against them.

That kind of defensive tendency gives an elite guard like Jalen Brunson plenty of room to capitalize.

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---

Cavaliers computer picks

Donovan Mitchell Under 27.5 points (-112)

Projection: 26.5 points

Donovan Mitchell has hit the Under 27.5 points in six of his last 10 games, and the trend makes sense when you look at how he’s been used and the defensive matchups he’s faced.

Over this stretch, Mitchell has seen more balanced scoring roles, with teammates stepping up offensively and defenses collapsing on him in key spots, limiting his efficiency and high-volume scoring opportunities.

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James Harden Over 2.5 3-pointers (+135)

Projection: 2.6 3-pointers

James Harden has been scorching from deep lately, hitting the Over 2.5 made 3-pointers in six of his last 10 games.

Tonight, the conditions are ideal for Harden to keep that hot streak alive.

The Knicks have struggled to contain elite perimeter scorers this season, often leaving shooters open in catch-and-shoot situations and giving up extra possessions through their defensive schemes.

Combine that with Harden’s ability to create his own shot or pull defenders out of the paint, and he has multiple paths to knock down three or more from beyond the arc.

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Jarrett Allen Over 8.5 rebounds (-112)

Projection: 9.2 rebounds

Jarrett Allen has been a rebounding machine, hitting the Over 8.5 rebounds in nine of his last 10 games.

He’s consistently active on both ends of the floor, using his size, timing, and positioning to snatch boards over smaller or slower opponents. Allen’s ability to read the ball off the rim and box out effectively gives him multiple chances to control the glass, and his motor ensures he’s always around the action.

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How to watch Knicks vs Cavaliers tonight

Location	Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH
Date	Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Tip-off	7:00 p.m. ET
TV	Peacock

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