Category: NBA

It's No. 1 Duke vs. No. 2 Virginia in the ACC tournament final on Saturday night.

The Blue Devils, led by freshman Cameron Boozer, are playing for their fourth ACC title in the past five years.

Meanwhile, Virginia is having a resurgence under first-year head coach Ryan Odom.

March Madness bubble watch: State of play one day before bracket unveiled

No need for March Madness: 2026 Final Four has already been decided

The game tips off at 8:30 p.m., Saturday on ESPN.

Here's a look at the rest of the ACC tournament schedule:

ACC tournament schedule, bracket, scores

All times Eastern

First round

Tuesday, March 10

• Game 1: No. 15 Pittsburgh 64, No. 10 Stanford 63
• Game 2: No. 11 SMU 86, No. 14 Syracuse 69
• Game 3: No. 13 Wake Forest 95, No. 12 Virginia Tech 89

Second round

Wednesday, March 11

• Game 4: No. 7 NC State 98, No. 15 Pitt 88
• Game 5: No. 6 Louisville 62, No. 11 SMU 58
• Game 6: No. 8 Florida State 95, No. 9 California 89
• Game 7: No. 5 Clemson 71, No. 13 Wake Forest 62

Quarterfinals

Thursday, March 12

• Game 8: No. 2 Virginia 81, No. 7 NC State 74
• Game 9: No. 3 Miami (Fla.) 78, No. 6 Louisville 73
• Game 10: No. 1 Duke 80, No. 8 Florida State 79
• Game 11: No. 5 Clemson 80, No. 4 North Carolina 79

Semifinals

Friday, March 13

• Game 12: No. 2 Virginia 84, No. 3 Miami 62
• Game 13: No. 1 Duke 73, No. 5 Clemson 61

Championship game

Saturday, March 14

• Game 14: No. 2 Virginia vs. No. 1 Duke, 8:30 p.m., ESPN

Pitt stuns Stanford, hurts Cardinal bubble chances

The ACC tournament begins in an upset fashion, as Pitt defeats Stanford 64-63. The Panthers got a clutch layup from Damarco Minor with 0.4 seconds left on the clock before getting a stop on defense as time expired to upset the 10th-seeded Cardinal, who were fighting to keep their chances alive of making the NCAA Tournament. The loss ultimately takes Stanford off the bubble. — John Leuzzi

15-SEED PITT IN THE FINAL SECOND!

What a way to kick off the ACC tournament 🔥 pic.twitter.com/MaSCjHraEs

— ACC Network (@accnetwork) March 10, 2026

How to watch ACC basketball tournament

• TV: ESPN/ESPN2 | ESPNU | ACC Network
• Streaming: ESPN app | ESPN+ | Fubo (free trial)

The ACC tournament first round will be broadcast on the ACC Network. The succeeding rounds will be shown on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU. The championship game will be aired on ESPN. All games will be streamed on ESPN+.

ACC basketball favorite

Top-seeded Duke, as was the case last season, is expected to carry the league banner well into March Madness. The Blue Devils, however, might not be at full strength entering this event with starters Patrick Ngongba and Caleb Foster on the bench in walking boots by the conclusion of their final regular-season win against archrival North Carolina. The Tar Heels will be shorthanded themselves with standout freshman Caleb Wilson sidelined for the remainder of the season. The good news for those two squads, as well as fellow double bye recipients Virginia and Miami, is they’ll have until Thursday’s quarterfinals.

ACC basketball top players

Cameron Boozer, F, Duke – The Blue Devils’ latest freshman star has lived up to his lofty expectations. The team leader in points (22.7), rebounds (10.2) and assists (4.1) might actually be asked to do even more given the health concerns.

Thijs De Ridder, F, Virginia – The Belgian standout has been the cornerstone of first-year Cavaliers’ coach Ryan Odom’s retooled roster. UVa’s top scorer (15.9) and rebounder (6.3) connects at a 51.3% clip from the field with a nice touch around the rim.

Malik Reneau, F, Miami – The Miami native returned to his hometown after starting his collegiate career at Indiana. Putting up 19 points and 6.6 boards a game, he quickly became a key piece of the Hurricanes’ rapid resurgence under new coach Jai Lucas.

Henri Veesaar, C, North Carolina – The Estonia native and former Arizona transfer will have to shoulder even more of the load on both ends of the floor with Wilson sidelined. The seven-footer is averaging 16.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks for the Tar Heels.

Ryan Conwell, G, Louisville – With flashy freshman point guard Mikel Brown in and out of the lineup with recurring back issues, the Cardinals needed Conwell to provide another consistent scoring presence from the perimeter. He has delivered to the tune of 18.7 points a game and 102 made three-pointers.

NCAA tournament bubble storylines for ACC

While a couple of the teams in action Tuesday are clinging to faint bubble hopes, the real drama will take place on day two. North Carolina State and Clemson are probably safe, but the seventh-seeded Wolfpack would be advised not to tempt the fates with an early loss. SMU has struggled down the stretch and needs a win or two to breathe easier. California and Virginia Tech look on the outside looking in. A run to the final might be needed to get an at-large spot.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ACC basketball tournament bracket, scores: Duke vs. Virginia

It looked like the Boston Celtics were primed for the first season of a soft rebuild this season, largely due to a bloated salary sheet and the devestating Achilles injury suffered by franchise star Jayson Tatum. The expectations were that the Celtics were going to be a good not great team this year with a chance to be a playoff team after thinning the roster a bit and while Tatum used the year to recover from his injury. Instead, they’ve been one of the best teams in the Association, falling just a game shy of the infamous Phil Jackson 40-20 Rule of Title Contention, and Tatum is back in the fold, looking more or less the same as ever in his first 2 games back, both wins. Tatum’s return could be the spark that sets the Celtics off running heading into the playoffs, as Boston currently sit just 2.5 games back of the Detroit Pistons

San Antonio meanwhile has continued their winning ways, going 3-0 so far on this 6-game homestand. Winners of 15 of their last 16, the Spurs are trying to build all the momentum they can with April fast approaching. San Antonio beat the East-leading Pistons rather handily last week to kick off the homestand and now will have an opportunity to take down the current #2 seed and spoiler for the Jayson Tatum return tour.

San Antonio Spurs (47-17) vs Boston Celtics (43-21)

March 10 2026 | 7:00 PM CT

Watch: NBC, FDSS | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)

Spurs Injuries: Harrison Barnes, ankle (OUT), Mason Plumlee, reconditioning (OUT), David Jones-Garcia, OUT

Celtics Injuries: Nikola Vucevic, finger (OUT),

What to watch for

• It’s pretty remarkable how good Tatum has looked in his two appearances so far. A little under 10 months since tearing his Achilles in the 2nd round against the Knicks last playoffs, he’s looked very close to the all around star that he was before the injury. Perhaps his game will fall off a bit as the games and minutes start to pile up, but if he can give the Celtics what he’s displayed so far, good luck betting against them in the playoffs. It’s no secret that an Achilles rupture has long been considered something of an athlete’s death warrant, but Tatum looks like he might be able to buck that trend.

• Having a healthy Tatum back in the lineup takes a lot of pressure off the rest of the Celtics, but no one is more relieved probably than Jaylen Brown. Brown has done more than just held down the fort all season long in Tatum’s absence. He’s having a career year, becoming inf the engine of the league’s 2nd best offense in the process. Coming into the season, the thought was that the only way Boston was going to compete for a playoff spot would be if Brown raised his level of play and he’s done just that. The former Finals MVP is averaging career-best numbers in points, field goal attempts, free throw attempts, rebounds, and assists.
• Boston has a top 5 offense and defense this season, an incredible feat considering what the pundits were saying at the outset. Joe Mazulla’s switch heavy scheme, elite rebounding and a glacier-like pace that’s the slowest in the league have gone a long way in helping the Celtics control games and strangle opposing offenses. They are thin in the middle, having lost the recently acquired Nikola Vucevic to a finger injury, but Neemias Queta has been the anchor of their defense all season long. A starter in all but 5 games this season, Queta has really blossomed in his 5th season into a dominant rim protecting big, capable of shutting down drives and bringing help at opportune times. Victor Wembanyama can essentially do whatever he wants on a basketball court, but Queta will provide a stiff test for San Antonio’s team offense as a whole.

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If you’d like to, you may follow along with the game on our Twitter profile (@poundingtherock) or visit our Game Thread!

New York Knicks (41-25, third in the Eastern Conference) vs. Utah Jazz (20-45, 14th in the Western Conference)

Salt Lake City; Wednesday, 9 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The New York Knicks take on the Utah Jazz in a non-conference matchup.

The Jazz have gone 12-21 at home. Utah gives up 124.9 points and has been outscored by 7.5 points per game.

The Knicks have gone 18-16 away from home. New York is third in the Eastern Conference with 46.2 rebounds per game led by Karl-Anthony Towns averaging 11.9.

The Jazz's 12.9 made 3-pointers per game this season are only 0.8 fewer made shots on average than the 13.7 per game the Knicks allow. The Jazz average 116.9 points per game, 8.0 fewer points than the 124.9 the Jazz give up to opponents.

The teams play for the second time this season. The Knicks won the last matchup 146-112 on Dec. 6. Jalen Brunson scored 33 points to help lead the Knicks to the win.

TOP PERFORMERS: Brice Sensabaugh is scoring 12.9 points per game and averaging 3.0 rebounds for the Jazz. Kyle Filipowski is averaging 15.1 points and 9.1 rebounds over the last 10 games.

Towns is averaging 20 points and 11.9 rebounds for the Knicks. Brunson is averaging 21.3 points and 8.4 assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Jazz: 2-8, averaging 112.8 points, 42.3 rebounds, 26.0 assists, 11.2 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 44.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 120.2 points per game.

Knicks: 6-4, averaging 111.6 points, 46.0 rebounds, 29.0 assists, 8.5 steals and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 48.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 103.8 points.

INJURIES: Jazz: Lauri Markkanen: out (ankle), Isaiah Collier: out (illness), Ace Bailey: out (illness), Walker Kessler: out for season (shoulder), Jusuf Nurkic: out for season (nose), Jaren Jackson Jr.: out for season (knee).

Knicks: Mitchell Robinson: out (injury management), Miles McBride: out (ankle).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

LOS ANGELES — Mohamed Diawara’s first NBA dunk was a poster. 

The Knicks rookie highlighted an otherwise dreary Knicks loss Monday with a dribble through the Clippers defense before a one-handed jam over fellow Frenchman Nic Batum. 

It occurred late in the third quarter and ignited a pro-Knicks crowd at the Intuit Dome, but the visitors couldn’t complete a comeback and fell amid a rash of turnovers, 126-118.

a BIG MOment pic.twitter.com/UlhAaYyOHQ

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 10, 2026

“I was just driving and dunked the ball and fortunately (Batum) was there,” Diawara, who grew up in France hearing much about Batum, told The Post. “But that was a good play. Funny to see that. My first dunk – my first poster – was against him.”

Diawara’s jam was part of an 11-3 run to end the third quarter. He finished with five points in 18 minutes with four rebounds and two assists. 

“(The dunk) felt good,” Diawara said. “It was about time. I was looking forward to doing it.”

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With Jose Alvarado struggling, coach Mike Brown briefly gave Tyler Kolek a meaningful cameo in the fourth quarter. 

Kolek has been basically out of the rotation since Alvarado was acquired in a trade. On Monday, Kolek went scoreless in just two minutes.

“I thought Jose was struggling a little bit. So I threw Tyler out there to see if we could get something from him, similar to me throwing Jordan Clarkson out there (in the previous game against the Lakers),” Brown said. “Tyler didn’t get a long time to play because we put Jalen out there to see if we could make a run. But I said this before, those guys have to keep themselves ready just in case their number is called. Because it can be called at any time.” 

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Brown knocked on wood while crediting the performance staff, including owner James Dolan’s son, Quentin, for keeping Mitchell Robinson healthy throughout this season. 

“Casey (Smith, the VP of Sports Medicine), Chico (Goenega, the head athletic trainer), those guys, and Quentin Dolan, those guys have done a nice job of coming up with a plan,” Brown said. “And the biggest thing is to get him in games this year and making sure he stays healthy. And so our whole medical staff, starting with those three guys down to everybody that’s in our medical department. They’ve done a great job of keeping him healthy and keeping him in the game and practicing and stuff like that. So I applaud them more than anybody else for what they put together and how they’re executing it.”

Quentin Dolan holds the title of Senior VP, Player Performance and Science Leader.

Robinson, who has been injury prone throughout his career and underwent multiple surgeries on his ankle, again sat Monday versus the Clippers in the second game of a back-to-back. Robinson hasn’t played both games of a back-to-back all season. 

The Utah Jazz beat the Golden State Warriors in a game they really needed to lose 119-116. The first thing that needs to be said here is that the Golden State Warriors are pathetic from top to bottom. It starts with Steve Kerr, who decided to whine after the game was over about the number of games played.

Steve Kerr:

"We need to play fewer games. We need to take 10 games off the schedule. The modern game with the pace and the space I think it would be a more competitive and healthier league if we played fewer games" pic.twitter.com/xfzHjfdtug

— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) March 10, 2026

Does the league need to lower the number of games? Yeah, probably. Would that change Steve Kerr from being one of the most overrated coaches of all time? No.

The Jazz, who are giving half effort to try to lose these games, rested Keyonte George in the fourth quarter, and the Warriors couldn’t figure out how to pull off a win. They weren’t helped by the highly overrated guard, Brandin Podziemski, who went 0/4 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter and cost his team the game.

Draymond Green, guided by Steve Kerr, was also horrendous tonight, going 2/7 from the field and 1/5 from three. Green had 11 assists because he’s terrified of shooting the ball and played hot potato all night. It’s a reminder that Kerr and Draymond have led the Warriors to multiple top lottery picks whenever they’re without Steph Curry.

For Utah, it’s a win that might help team morale, but it now puts their pick in real danger. Utah is playing Sacramento and Washington soon and if they don’t lock into this tank 100% they’re in real danger of losing their pick. Right now, they’re just one game up on Dallas, who have lost seven games in a row. Utah should “take note” of the effort and commitment other teams are putting into these losses. Doing this halfway against bad teams (like the Warriors) and bad coaches (like Steve Kerr) is playing with fire, and the Jazz got burned again this season. It’s not a catastrophic loss, but Utah has now forced its own hand in future games to rest all its high-level players.

LOS ANGELES — A day earlier, coach Mike Brown made an impassioned plea to his players to take care of the ball.

As he put it, control the controllables. 

They didn’t listen. 

The Knicks committed 20 turnovers in a second straight slopfest in L.A., this time falling to the Clippers on Monday night, 126-118, at the Intuit Dome. The defeat felt sealed, appropriately, with consecutive Knicks turnovers in the final 3:05 – one by Jalen Brunson, the other by Landry Shamet. 

But New York still held hope until Shamet and OG Anunoby missed contested 3-pointers in the final 25 seconds. Then it left Southern California with back-to-back clunkers. 

“Biggest difference in the basketball game,” Brown said, “was our turnovers. …I liked our fight. I liked the way we played in the second half for the most part. We’ve just got to find a way to take care of the basketball.” 

The Knicks (41-25), who allowed 24 points off those turnovers, wasted a rare high-scoring performance from Karl-Anthony Towns, who dropped 33 points on 12-for-16 shooting. It was the first time he scored 30-plus points since, amazingly, December. 

But the Knicks couldn’t overcome those turnovers. Anunoby was the sloppiest with four of them. Brunson, Towns and Josh Hart all had three. 

On Sunday in an ugly loss to the Lakers, the Knicks committed 18 turnovers, which prompted Brown to list that as a main issue alongside fouling too much and rebounding. 

His team was certainly better at rebounding on Monday. They were slightly better at avoiding stupid fouls. They were worse at turnovers. 

“I think a lot of them, we were getting downhill and trying to make plays. But we got to be better playing off two feet obviously, playing more controlled,” Brunson said. “But (the Clippers) got a lot of guys on their team who are steal guys, who are long wingspans, play passing lanes. That’s what they do. We played to their strengths.

Mikal Bridges, who went scoreless in Sunday’s loss to the Lakers, didn’t hit a shot until midway through the second quarter against the Clippers. He finished with seven points in 26 minutes and was benched for crunch time. His backup at the two-guard, Landry Shamet, endured a brickfest while missing his first eight 3-pointers. Still, Shamet closed over Bridges and finished with nine points on 3 of 12 shooting, with all his attempts from beyond the arc. 

Brunson, meanwhile, arrived in a deep shooting slump and quickly righted the ship Monday. He then scored 13 in the first quarter with three assists and two rebounds.

“He’s human and he’s going to have some nights (when he struggles to shoot),” Brown said. “His track record shows that he can go get it done. It’s not anything I’m concerned about or I’m looking at. And like I said, when he does have nights like that, how else can you impact the game, and he’s shown that he can do that.”

Brunson was cooking in the first quarter. Then Towns took over the offense.

The center feasted on the slower Brook Lopez, who had difficulty defending Towns last season with the Bucks, as well. 

Towns finished the first half with 21 points – including 17 in the second quarter – but New York’s 3-point defense underwhelmed, its turnovers were abundant, and the Knicks went into the break with a nine-point deficit.

The good news for Knicks fans is the schedule eases up considerably. They next face terrible teams in six of the next seven games, including Wednesday at Utah and Friday at Indiana. 

It’s a chance to regroup after turnover-fests in La La land.

“Treat the ball better,” Towns said. “The turnovers obviously put us in a bad spot. We didn’t stop the bleeding in the second and fourth quarters. And even though we made three more shots than them, they made four more 3s. That’s a recipe right there for disaster.”

Auditions for next year’s roster continued in earnest Monday night when the shorthanded Utah Jazz took on the equally decimated Golden State Warriors at the Delta Center. News surfaced earlier that day that the Jazz released guard Vince Williams Jr, adding more incentive for players like Elijah Harkless, Blake Hinson, Oscar Tshiebwe and Cody Williams to make a statement that they belong on the team. Who stepped up and made the most of their minutes in a nail biting 119-116 victory over the Warriors? Let’s take a look.

Keyonte George – B

Keyonte was aggressive early, especially from the mid-range, scoring eight points in the first quarter. His three- pointer was off tonight, only managing 1-5, and there were a couple of instances in the second half when he drove to the basket only to be stifled by the defense. He didn’t really get into a rhythm, his minutes restricted as he shared point guard duties with Elijah Harkless.

Cody Williams – B+

Cody matched his career high 7 assists and was decisive in moving to the basket. He uncorked his patented hammer dunk in the 4th quarter after a delicious feed from John Konchar. His three-point accuracy continues to be problematic, going 0-4 tonight.

John Konchar – B

John does a lot of the dirty work that isn’t always reflected on the stat sheet, such as contesting the three-point attempt that would have tied the score at the end of the game. His three-pointer is still hit and miss (mostly miss), but he made up for his lack of scoring with 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.

Kyle Filipowski – A

Kyle was terrific tonight, recording a double-double with 19 points and 15 rebounds. He was perfect from the free throw line and also had 5 assists and 2 steals. His impact on the game goes beyond the numbers. He seemed to be in the right spot at the right time, competed fiercely and showed a range of shot making ability.

Brice Sensabaugh – A

Brice showed himself to be more than just a sharpshooter, finding ways to contribute even when his shot wasn’t falling early in the game. He delivered a beautiful bullet pass to Cody Williams in the first quarter and ended up with three assists. He also added 2 blocks. He helped fuel a Jazz run in the 3rd quarter by twice using his physicality to create a three point opportunity the hard way. Brice earned every one of his team high twenty-one points.

Elijah Harkless – A-

Elijah showed off his speed and tenacity, especially in the first half. He went on a run where he either scored or assisted on 21 of 24 points, helping the Jazz take a lead into half-time. I think his ability to drive to the basket in traffic caught the Warriors’ defense off guard. He ended up with a career high in points for the Jazz (16). The defense adjusted in the second half, which made it more difficult for him to have the same impact.

Kevin Love – A

In limited minutes, the old man of the team gave a valuable boost to the Jazz, making all 3 of his three pointers, including an amazing four point play in the 3rd Quarter. Add 8 rebounds, an assist and a block and you have another example of Kevin’s great contribution to the team this season.

Oscar Tshiebwe – B

Oscar showed some of his scoring ability tonight, especially in the 4th Quarter when he had a quick 6 points. He was active around the basket, grabbing 8 rebounds and a steal. As an undersized big, his challenge is protecting the rim and affecting shots on the defensive end.

Blake Hinson – C+

Blake is continuing to find his way in the NBA and was at times a little over aggressive on defense, leading to foul trouble. His three-point shot was off early in the game, but he did make two threes late in the 4th Quarter to help the Jazz maintain their lead.

A loss to the actively tanking Utah Jazz is bad news for the Golden State Warriors for several reasons.

The first reason is obvious: the Jazz have been intentionally trying to lose in an effort to land a high lottery pick, in an upcoming draft class that stands to be packed with blue-chip prospects. The Warriors, however, did a better job of playing losing basketball themselves, in a game that saw them attempt an astounding 52 threes while making only 16 of them (30.8 percent).

The second reason: the Los Angeles Clippers’ win over the New York Knicks tonight has resulted in a 32-32 deadlock in the Western Conference standings with the Warriors. However, by virtue of having the tiebreaker, the Clippers have climbed up to the eighth in the standings while the Warriors drop to ninth and into the lower bracket of the play-in tournament.

The Warriors have now dropped to the No. 9 seed with the Clippers' win over the Knicks

Both the Warriors and Clippers are 32-32, but the Clippers currently own the tiebreaker

Final game of the regular season: Warriors vs. Clippers in LA

— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) March 10, 2026

There’s no question that the Warriors are locked into the play-in tournament no matter how well they perform the rest of the regular season; it simply becomes a matter of whether they’ll be in the upper bracket, where one win gets them an outright playoff berth while giving them two chances to do so; or if they fall to the lower bracket and will have to win two-straight games in order to make it to the playoffs.

Without the services of Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler III, the Warriors’ margin for error is significantly slim. In a winnable game against a bottom-dwelling team looking to obtain a high draft pick, losing will come back to bite them.

Then again, perhaps the season was already virtually lost when Butler went down with and ACL injury and Curry’s prolonged absence due to runner’s knee.

Still smarting from the previous day’s drubbing by the Lakers, the Knicks (41*-25) bounced over to the Intuit Dome to challenge the LA Clippers (32-32). Redemption was not in the cards, however. The visitors spent most of the night digging out of holes they had dug themselves. 20 turnovers, cold shooting, and long Clippers runs kept New York chasing almost all night. With another All-Star performance by Kawhi Leonard (29 PTS, 8 AST, 7 RBS, 2 STL) and strong support from Darius Garland (23 PTS, 7 AST, 2 STL), the Clips had little trouble securing their 126-118 victory.

Quoth Allzingers, “Effort was good all game, execution was not.” They sure seemed to be trying out there, but bad pass after bad pass killed them. And it didn’t help to get only four first-half points from everyone not named Towns, Brunson, or Anunoby.

The Knicks opened the game with more turnovers than your neighborhood bakery. The Clippers drilled three straight triples for a 9–0 lead, while missed shots and three giveaways in three minutes only deepened New York’s hole. Leonard was a menace on both ends of the floor through the period, logging seven points and a steal.

Jalen Brunson (28 PTS, 8 ASTS) took charge, scoring most of the points on a 10-3 run. For a while, he and Karl-Anthony Towns (35 PTS, 12 RBS, 7 AST) provided almost all of New York’s offense, with the wings bricking their first five attempts. When OG Anunoby (22 PTS, 2 STL) finally hit from deep, midway through the frame, Ty Lue needed a timeout. Whatever he said seemed to work, because after OG added a game-tying free throw, the Clippers rattled off seven unanswered points.

Pass, Pass, Pass, bucket pic.twitter.com/vjYLsHulxV

— KnicksNation (@KnicksNation) March 10, 2026

A neck sprain made Landry Shamet (9 PTS, 3-12 3PT) questionable for yesterday’s game, and he missed all three of his field goal attempts in tonight’s first quarter. We assume that neck pain can throw a shooter off. Meanwhile, after scoring as many points as you did against the Lakers, Mikal Bridges’ slump carried on as he misfired on two more shots. He’d finish with seven points, seven boards, and two steals on 3-of-8 shooting in 26 minutes.

New York’s seven first-quarter turnovers tied a season high and directly led to 11 Clippers points. By the end of the period, the Knicks trailed 28–24, with Brunson pouring in 13 of their points.

Early in the second quarter, Anunoby scored back-to-back at the rim and gave his team their first lead. It wouldn’t last. The home team went on a 10-1 run that featured scores by Bennedict Mathurin (28 PTS, 7 RBS), Brook Lopez (16 PTS), and Garland. Then, on a missed driving layup, Towns jammed his knee and favored it through the rest of the quarter. Given that KAT was one of only three Knicks producing anything on offense, this was an especially worrisome development.

OG with the steal and the slam at the other end! pic.twitter.com/C4oQFKH6Er

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) March 10, 2026

After missing nine shots over five and a half quarters, Bridges finally canned a nine-foot jumper. Every time the Knicks put together a few points, L.A. swatted them back. Leonard steadily poured in the points. With a minute and a half left, The Claw scored eight points to give his team an 11-point lead. By intermission, his club was up 64-55.

Through the half, Los Angeles shot 53% overall and 45% from three (9-for-20), while New York went 46% and 29%. The Knicks dominated the boards (25-16), but their 10 turnovers turned into 18 Clippers points. Towns had 21 points, Brunson had 19, and Anunoby had 11. The other seven Knicks combined for four points. For the home team, Leonard had 21 points.

HELLO!!!

KAWHI LEONARD IS ON ONE!!! HE'S GOT 21 AT HALF!!! pic.twitter.com/oO4Adaa8vG

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) March 10, 2026

Third quarter: more turnovers, more misses. The visitors continued to spin their wheels in the mud while the Clippers steadily stretched their lead. Mathurin turned up the heat, scoring 12 points in the quarter, with cuts, transition finishes, and second-chance points.

Down by 15 midway through the frame, the Knicks tried to punch back. Josh Hart buried a three from the wing, and Landry Shamet later added another—his first after eight tries. Off the bench, rookie Mohamed Diawara provided a short jolt of energy with a driving dunk and a late three, and Jalen Brunson found his rhythm in the final minutes with a string of floaters and pull-ups. Still, the Clippers never lost control and took an 88-81 lead into the final frame.

MOHAMED DIAWARA POSTER GIVES THE KNICKS SOME LIFE

(🎥 @IQfor3) pic.twitter.com/xguHi48Cb7

— The Strickland (@TheStrickland) March 10, 2026

In the fourth, New York managed to cut the deficit to six, thanks to a three-pointer from Bridges and more free throws by Towns. Their inability to get stops offset any hint of momentum, though, with Garland, Mathurin, and Leonard continuing to score. Coach Mike Brown subbed in Tyler Kolek to rest Brunson, perhaps looking for more offense than the zero that Jose Alvarado had given in his eight minutes. Kolek survived for two minutes before getting the hook.

Midway through the frame, KAT scored on a layup and then blocked Mathurin, which led to a Shamet trey that cut the differential to seven. Of note: Bridges was subbed out at 6:51 and did not return in the game.

On an 11-3 run, capped by an Anunoby longball, the score was 109-104 with just under four minutes remaining. But Brook Lopez swished from 26 feet at the other end. Following that were turnovers by Brunson and Shamet, and it seemed like the Knicks were deadset on gifting this one to the Angelenos. Josh Hart cut the deficit to six with a layup at the two-minute mark, but Derrick Jones, Jr., responded with an effortless triple, then Leonard made some free throws to restore an 11-point lead.

In the last minute, OG dunked, Shamet swished, and Garland missed a free throw. The glimmer of hope was faint, but detectable. After Brunson hit a jumper with 37 seconds left, and the score was 121-116, New York fouled Garland, who made 1-of-2. Out of a timeout, our heroes missed three tries at the rim before fouling Mathurin with 20 seconds left. The glimmer was gone. The game was over.

Up Next

In the fourth game of the five-game road trip, New York travels to Utah to play the Jazz on Wednesday. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.

Box Score

* Should be one more, shouldn’t it?

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Orlando Lovejoy had 21 points and Lance Stone came off the bench to score 16, leading Detroit Mercy to a 70-64 victory over Robert Morris on Monday night in a Horizon League Tournament semifinal.

No. 3 seed Detroit Mercy (17-14) will play top-seeded Wright State in the championship game on Tuesday with an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament on the line.

Lovejoy made 5 of 14 shots and 11 of 12 free throws for the Titans, adding six assists. Stone sank 6 of 12 shots with two 3-pointers. Tyler Spratt had 10 points and Legend Geeter contributed nine points and 10 rebounds.

DeSean Goode finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds to pace the second-seeded Colonials (22-11). Nikolaos Chitikoudis had 13 points and seven assists. Ryan Prather Jr. and reserve Ta'Zir Smith both scored 11.

The Titans outscored Robert Morris 37-28 in the second half.

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The Knicks were defeated by the Los Angeles Clippers 126-118 as they continued their road trip on Monday night. 

Here are some takeaways...

- The Knicks' three-point defense struggled in the early-going, as the Clippers knocked down six of their first 12 attempts from behind the arc. New York also carried over their sloppiness from Sunday, turning the ball over seven times in the opening quarter, but hot starts from Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby helped keep things close (28-24). 

Brunson (13) and Anunoby (seven) combined to score 20 of the Knicks' 24 points in the quarter. 

- With Brunson resting, Karl-Anthony Towns was finally able to get himself going early in the second. The All-Star big man scored 17 of his 21 points during the middle frame, but he was forced to the bench after grabbing at his right knee on two different dunk attempts.

Towns did return and drilled four straight buckets, but he limped to the locker room heading into the break. 

- New York had just five players in the scoring department at halftime, and Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart had just two points apiece. They also shot just 29 percent from three, Landry Shamet missed all six of his attempts, and they committed 10 turnovers as a team to put them down nine (64-55). 

The Knicks also had no answer for Kawhi Leonard, who tied Towns for the game-high with 21 points.  

- It was much of the same coming out of the break, as New York simply could not get anything to fall from downtown, and Los Angeles quickly opened their largest advantage of the night at the time (15). Four different Clippers joined Leonard in double-digits, led by Brook Lopez (13) and Bennedict Mathurin (12).  

Shamet got a three to fall with three minutes left in the third, accounting for the Knicks' first bench points of the night. The energy level picked up from there, as New York finally strung together some stops, and they were able to cut the deficit back down to seven heading into the fourth (88-81). 

- Tyler Kolek saw time off the bench early in the fourth with Jose Alvarado missing all four of his shot attempts. 

- New York continued to show a ton of fight and cut the deficit all the way down to five at numerous points, but each time they put together a mini-run the Clippers counterpunched with a big bucket on the other end. LA never looked back as they handed the Knicks their second loss in as many games. 

- Towns led all scorers with 35 points, Brunson had 28, Anunoby 22, and Hart finished with 12. Bridges chipped in just seven on three-of-eight from the field, and he was benched down the stretch in a close game. Shamet and Mohamed Diawara accounted for all 14 of the bench points. 

- Leonard led Los Angeles with 29 points, seven boards, and eight assists. Mathurin chipped in 28 off the bench, Lopez had 16, Derrick Jones Jr. 16, and Garland drilled five threes as part of his 23 points as the Clippers climbed back to the .500 mark for the first time on the season. 

- The Knicks turned the ball over 20 times and shot just 35 percent from three-point land. 

Game MVP: Kawhi Leonard

Leonard led the way for LA's offense, knocking down 10-of-19 shots from the field. 

Highlights

13 points in Q1 for Jalen Brunson pic.twitter.com/zgjjBQya9Q

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) March 10, 2026

OG with the steal and the slam at the other end! pic.twitter.com/C4oQFKH6Er

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) March 10, 2026

KAT 👌 pic.twitter.com/mNVQIZHsiD

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) March 10, 2026

MO DIAWARA ON NIC BATUM pic.twitter.com/8tOHsXz7R3

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) March 10, 2026

What's next

The Knicks continue the road trip on Wednesday night against the Jazz. 

Tip is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. at the Delta Center. 

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Alton Hamilton IV scored a career-high 25 points, Isaiah Moses added 22 and Eastern Washington held off Weber State 84-79 on Monday night in a Big Sky Conference Tournament quarterfinal.

No. 3 seed Eastern Washington (14-18) will play seventh-seeded Idaho in a Tuesday semifinal. The Vandals beat the Eagles twice, including in the regular-season finale to end EWU's eight-game winning streak. Top seed Portland State plays fourth-seeded Montana in the other semifinal.

Hamilton made 8 of 10 shots with two 3-pointers and both of his free throws for Eastern Washington. He added five rebounds. Moses had eight assists and his three-point play with 37 seconds left gave the Eagles an 82-76 lead. Johnny Radford totaled 12 points and four rebounds off the bench.

Tijan Saine Jr. led the sixth-seeded Wildcats (16-16) with 27 points. Nigel Burris added 14 points and Viljami Vartiainen scored 13.

Hamilton made all six of his first-half shots and scored 18 to guide Eastern Washington to a 46-32 lead at the break. Hamilton had the first four points in a 16-0 first-half run for the Eagles.

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — James Reimer stopped 16 shots for his first shutout of the season and 32nd of his career, and the Ottawa Senators beat the Vancouver Canucks 2-0 on Monday night.

Ridly Greig scored in the second period for Ottawa, and Brady Tkachuk added an empty-netter with 1:20 remaining, extending his point streak to seven games — six of those after he helped the United States win Olympic gold in Milan.

Kevin Lankinen made 22 saves for Vancouver, which opened an eight-game homestand.

Ottawa has points in seven straight games (5-0-2) and 11 of 12 (9-1-2) as it chases an Eastern Conference wild-card spot.

Greig collected a pass from Shane Pinto at the bottom of the faceoff circle, moved the puck to his forehand and fired a shot past Lankinen midway through the second.

The Canucks challenged the play, arguing Pinto made a hand pass before the goal, but the call was upheld after a video review.

Making his first start since Feb. 5, Reimer improved to 4-3-1 on the season and earned his first shutout since April 8, 2025, when he was with Toronto. The 37-year-old signed with Ottawa as a free agent on Jan. 12.

Tim Stutzle assisted on Tkachuk’s goal, stretching his point streak to 13 games (eight goals, nine assists).

Ottawa defenseman Jake Sanderson was sidelined with an upper-body injury suffered in Saturday's win over Seattle. Coach Travis Green said the 23-year-old is “week to week.”

Up next

Senators: Host Montreal on Wednesday.

Canucks: Host Nashville on Thursday.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

When you’re 41 years old, injuries can pop up at a whim.

LeBron James is the only player on the Lakers’ injury report, but not for the reason you’d imagine. His left elbow contusion is no longer listed but, instead, a right hip contusion has been added.

He’s still questionable heading into the game.

LeBron James is listed as questionable for Tuesday vs. MIN. His left elbow is apparently healed, but he is also dealing with a right hip contusion, the team says pic.twitter.com/RRMfu48sh5

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 10, 2026

On Sunday against the Knicks, he was a game-time decision but did not play. During the broadcast, it was revealed that his foot, not his elbow, was more the reason for that decision. On Monday, the Lakers had practice, but LeBron, along with the rest of the rotation players, did not take part.

LeBron James didn't participate in the Lakers' practice today and is considered day-to-day, per JJ Redick.

LeBron was present for the film session. No live play for rotation players. Today's practice was focused cleaning things up defensively.

— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) March 9, 2026

It’s rare for teams, and especially the Lakers, to practice with just one day between games, so there isn’t necessarily anything out of the ordinary here.

Taking all that into account, it’s likely for LeBron to be a gametime decision again on Tuesday against the Wolves.

LeBron being the lone player on the injury report is also notable. Maxi Kleber is no longer listed on the report after having some back soreness over the weekend. Ayton was not on the injury report for Sunday’s game against the Knicks.

Bronny James and Adou Thiero are back with the parent team as well after playing with South Bay.

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

Monday night’s game between the Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz was not the highest level of basketball we’ve ever witnessed. The Jazz were playing without stars Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr., while giving limited minutes down the stretch to franchise cornerstones Keyonte George and Kyle Filipowski in what would generously be described as ambivalence towards winning. The Warriors were without Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler III, Moses Moody, Will Richard, Al Horford, and Kristaps Porziņģis. And so, while the game was entertaining, it wasn’t exactly high-level hoops.

More importantly, the Warriors team that shocked the Houston Rockets on Thursday, and kept things close against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday, was nowhere to be found on Monday in Salt Lake City, as the Dubs lost 119-116.

Even with Jackson out, the Warriors were at quite a size disadvantage with Horford and Porziņģis sidelined (neither player was at the arena, either, as they flew home in anticipation of playing Tuesday’s home game against the Chicago Bulls). At times, Golden State didn’t seem to be, though. The hung tough with Utah on the glass, nearly playing the Jazz even there, with just a slight 55-53 disadvantage. After settling for threes early, they relentlessly attacked the unprotected late late, and actually outscored Utah 48-46 in the paint.

All of that and still a loss? You’d assume that the Dubs were once again plagued by their turnover woes, but it turns out that wasn’t the case either. The Warriors actually took great care of the basketball, turning the ball over just 10 times on the night, while forcing 17 Jazz giveaways.

So what was it? Much of it was just shooting. The Warriors had the legs of a team on the end of a road trip (which they are), and missing their best shooters. They shot just 30.8% (16-for-52) from three-point range, and while they shot a very respectable 57.4% (27-for-47) on twos, they got stuck in their ways by hoisting too many triples. Utah, on the other hand, shot a much fewer amount at higher clip — 35.3% (12-for-34) — but shot two more shots inside the arc, and eight more free throws.

Still, the teams went back and forth in the first half. They exchanged buckets and leads in the first and second quarter, with Utah outscoring Golden State by two points in each frame. And when the third quarter began, the Warriors came out of the gates firing, with far more energy than their counterparts. They were outworking and outhustling the Jazz.

But, despite Utah’s tanking efforts, the Warriors were simply down too many bodies. Late in the third quarter they found themselves in a situation where all three of their two-way contracts were on the court at the same time. And while all three played well individually, the lack of experience proved costly, and helped lead to the defining stretch of the game. The score was tied 77-77 late in the third, when ageless wonder Kevin Love drained a three. After LJ Cryer missed a shot, Brice Sensabaugh made a transition layup, while drawing a foul and completing the three-point play. Brandin Podziemski missed a three on the ensuing possession, and Love responded with a four-point play. In a span of just 50 seconds, the Jazz had scored 10 unanswered points, and turned a tied game into a 10-point lead.

Golden State had a run in them in the final quarter though, and slowly chipped away at the lead, eventually erasing it entirely. Draymond Green split a pair of free throws with 1:26 remaining, tying the game and giving the feel of a comeback win. But it wasn’t to be. After the teams exchanged empty possessions, Blake Hinson drained a go-ahead three with 30 seconds remaining, serving as a perfect two-for-one for Utah. The Warriors came up empty on their next possession, with Elijah Harkless splitting a pair of free throws to increase the lead to two possessions. De’Anthony Melton would make a three to pull the Warriors within a single point, but it was only with a few seconds left. Harkless made two free throws to make it a three-point game, and with just 1.7 seconds left to inbound and shoot, the Warriors were left to settle for a Gui Santos double-clutch triple, which came up well short.

Melton led the Warriors with 22 points, and added seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block. He was one of eight Warriors to score in double figures. Also in that group was Seth Curry, who made his return to action in style, scoring 13 points on 4-for-6 shooting (including 2-for-3 from deep), while adding three assists. Santos and Brandin Podziemski led the team with eight rebounds, while Green dished a game-high 11 assists.

It’s a disappointing loss, but there’s no time for the Dubs to mope. They’re back in action Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. PT against the Bulls.