Category: NBA

Having torn his ACL on January 19th, Jimmy Butler is out for the season — and likely a little bit of next season, too.

However, despite this, he is still incredibly dedicated to being a Golden State Warrior. Earlier this week, Butler sent this email to Warriors season ticket holders reminding them of how much he loves playing for Golden State:

“Dear Warriors Season Ticket Family,

I have played in front of many incredible crowds over my 15 seasons in the NBA, but there was always something about playing in the Bay Area that made it feel like more than just another game. It was always electric. So, when I received the phone call on February 5, 2025, that I had been traded to the Warriors, I knew it had a chance to be special. But even I wasn’t prepared for what it means to be part of Dub Nation, playing in front of the loudest, most loyal and dedicated fans in the NBA.

The energy you provided us down the stretch last year was magical, as we finished the season winning 23 of 31 games and, ultimately, clinching a playoff berth. And playing with Steph and all of my teammates in The Bay has been an incredible experience. Steph is truly the greatest shooter and showman of all time, and I am honored to be the Robin to his Batman. The energy you gave us during the first round against Houston was palpable, and further reinforced my desire to play through my Game 2 injury. It was your love, encouragement, and joy that helped me dig deep to play – and win – for this fanbase. Ultimately, last year’s playoffs left us with a big “what if,” as Steph’s injury was too much for us to overcome in the Western Conference Semifinals vs. Minnesota. But we knew what we had and were eager to play meaningful basketball once again this season.

After a roller coaster start to this season, we were finally rounding into form in mid-January, winning 12 of 16 games, looking like the playoff contender we envisioned and the NBA feared. Every NBA season is a puzzle and we were beginning to figure ours out. Unfortunately, on January 19 against Miami, I tore my ACL. I was/am devastated. For me, for my teammates, and for all of you. After being in this league for as long as I have — 15 years now — you eventually realize that you only have a certain number of these golden opportunities. We had that opportunity this year in a league filled with parity and a team full of promise. Nonetheless, we move forward and will continue to battle our way to the postseason. I am excited to see my guys compete for the remainder of this season, but also heartbroken to know that I will not be out there with them. They’re my brothers.

Despite experiencing almost every emotion over the last 12 months — from the highs of the fourth most wins in the NBA to the lows of a pair of season-ending injuries — your support has been unwavering. I can see clearly now why you, our Warriors season ticket family, are known as the best fans in the NBA. You are our most loyal supporters, and your incredible energy is the fuel that drives this team.

I can promise you that I will attack my rehab with a singular focus that will enable me to get back to playing the game that I love, in front of the fans that I have grown to love and appreciate. My life has shown me repeatedly that when something happens that is out of my control, all I can do is work and wait for the answer and the why. Both have always been shown to me, and this time will be no different. This story, which has been interrupted twice, is not complete. Not by a long shot. This period is simply a part of our journey. I can’t wait to see what next season holds and will treasure the opportunity to put my jersey back on and take the court with Steph, Dray, and the rest of the guys, in front of you all. I’m sure that when I return and hear all of you in unison chant “WAAAAARRRRRRIIIIORRRSSSSS,” it will push me forward and provide an incredible adrenaline rush.

I am the author of my story. I always have been and I always will be. I look forward to you all continuing this journey with me and with us. If you have learned anything about me over our year-plus together, it’s that I am never hard to find.

I will be back, and I need you back, too. Here’s to what’s ahead.

Go Dubs”

Since being acquired by the Warriors in January of 2025 (after a lengthy and dramatic saga with the Miami Heat), Butler has played in 68 games and has become a fan-favorite player both on and off the court. Even at age 36, he was still a valuable asset for the Warriors up until his ACL tear, putting up an average of 20 points per game. Hopefully, Butler will stay a Warrior after his recovery — he certainly seems dead-set on it, based on what he said in his email.

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Manchester United supersub Benjamin Sesko scored 13 minutes after entering the field to give his side a 1-0 win over Everton in the Premier League on Monday.

It was the third time in four games that Sesko has scored after coming off the bench and secured points for United.

“I believe in me and so do the other players as well,” Sesko told Sky Sports. “They know what they are going to get when I arrive in the game. It's up to me to deliver of course.”

His goal with 19 minutes remaining finished off the slickest move of an otherwise stodgy game.

Bryan Mbeumo controlled Matheus Cunha’s superb long ball and played a perfectly weighted pass to the feet of Sesko, who steered the ball past Jordan Pickford with aplomb.

“It was a great finish," United interim coach Michael Carrick said. “It was a ruthless finish. I liked the way he put it away with real confidence. It was great play from Cunha and Mbeumo to set it up and we are dangerous on the break.”

Until then defenses had been on top and the lack of attacking fluency was not helped by a heavy pitch that appeared to slow down both teams.

The result took fourth-placed United three points clear of Chelsea and Liverpool. United was three behind Aston Villa.

It also extended Carrick’s unbeaten run to six games since he replaced Ruben Amorim on Jan. 13.

The defeat was a blow to Everton’s hopes of a place in next year’s European competitions and left it languishing in ninth, behind Brentford and Bournemouth and eight points adrift of Chelsea and Liverpool.

David Moyes’ men have gone seven games without a win at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium.

“Generally we did very well in lots of bits," Moyes said. "We got done on the counterattack and they ran away and got the goal that was there. We put in a great effort to get the goal but lacked the quality to make it count.”

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

The Lakers’ struggles against more physical opponents hasn’t been a talking point in a while, but Sunday’s blowout loss to their longtime cross-country rival, the Boston Celtics, brought it back to the forefront.

Yes, the offense and the process behind it on Sunday afternoon was abysmal, especially in the first half. This led to the Lakers scoring their second-fewest points in a game this season (89) to the Celtics at Crypto.com Arena.

Part of the Lakers’ struggles were because they settled for what the Celtics wanted them to take: midrange shots against the deep drop defensive coverage Boston used with multiple big men when defending on-ball screens.

Just over 40% (40.7%) of the Lakers’ shot attempts against the Celtics came from midrange (outside of four feet from the rim to the 3-point line), which was tied for their seventh-highest mark of the season. Coach JJ Redick highlighted how the Celtics’ drop coverage put the Lakers in uncomfortable positions.  

“There were opportunities to put more pressure on the rim,” Redick said. “Particularly in the first half. A lot of times when teams are on a deeper drop versus all our guys that play pick and roll, it kind of puts you a little bit in a bind of not having the obvious choice to pass, if that makes sense? So we just got to do a better job of just finding guys and moving the ball.”

But the Celtics also presented similar issues that the Lakers have struggled to consistently have an answer for: a physical team that establishes a hard-nose style of play early on. 

Once the Lakers didn’t match physicality with physicality, frustration began to build. 

And the Lakers took out their frustrations toward the officials – albeit after multiple egregious non-calls that favored the Celtics.

There was the technical foul Marcus Smart picked up after Jaylen Brown elbowed him in the face, with Smart being assessed the technical for arguing about the play. Reaves was also T’d up for arguing about the play. 

Redick was given a technical later in the game while arguing Neemias Queta should’ve been called for goaltending or basket inference on a LeBron James layup attempt. 

And once those frustrations were built up, the Lakers struggled to stay in the game.

“We can get that way sometimes,” Reaves said. “When you don’t get those calls, you can’t stay frustrated. You got to move on to the next play. I’m a culprit of that. I got to do better in that situation, and our whole team does as well.”

And the frustrations also affected the Lakers’ offensive playstyle.

Too often they resorted to one-on-one basketball or going to high pick and rolls without off-ball actions or movements once the Celtics took control of the game. 

“Got to be able to understand games that are going to be tailored to play different ways,” Reaves said. “[With the] scoring ability [of] Luka [Doncic] and Bron, there’s going to be nights where you take matchups and you score and you win that way, and it’s going to be nights like [Sunday]. Got to do a better job all of us, myself included, playing with the pass. When you do that, everything’s going to open up more for one-on-one basketball. That’s what you want to do.”

The Celtics presented a similar challenge the Lakers will experience in the postseason.

Sunday showed they have more progress to make before passing the test.

Kevin Durant, 37, is feeling the Olympics call to him yet again. After the United States won gold in both men and women's hockey in Milano Cortina, the former NBA MVP and the United States' all-time leading Olympic scorer debunked the theory that 2024 was the last Olympic ride for many of the games biggest stars.

"You guys, the media, have projected that," Durant told ESPN. "That narrative, where did the last dance thing come from? I didn't say I wasn't playing. LeBron said he wasn't. You didn't hear that from me or Steph."

Curry is unlikely to participate in 2028 and James has already said that he will not play. Durant added that he wants to play, but only if he is still at the "top of [his] game."

He said, "I want to produce on the floor and make Grant and whoever is making the decisions, want to put me on the team." He continued, "I want to still prove I can help the team win."

Durant's Olympic resumé

As mentioned earlier, Durant is the United States' all-time leading scorer at the Olympics. He began his Olympic career in 2012, playing in London.

Durant averaged 19.5 points per game in the London Olympics, all while hitting more than 48.5% of his three-point attempts. Durant has averaged at least 19.8 points per game in every Olympics since with his worst mark coming in 2024, when he averaged just 13.8 points per game in Paris.

The U.S. has won gold at every Olympics Durant has participated in.

When and where will the 2028 Olympics be?

The 2028 Olympics will take place in Los Angeles, California. The basketball games, specifically, will be played at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood.

The first basketball game of the event will take place two days prior to the Opening Ceremonies on Wednesday, July 12, 2028, with the gold medal game not yet set but likely on Sunday, July 30, 2028. Durant will be 39 years old.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kevin Durant wants to play for Team USA at 2028 Olympics

The Lakers had plenty of self-inflicted wounds in Sunday’s loss to the Celtics.

Both a lack of effort and a lack of execution doomed them, bitter pills to swallow in a rivalry game. But while it may not have ultimately affected the outcome of the game, officiating was also a big storyline.

Across the course of the contest, though mostly in the first half, the Lakers had some fair complaints toward the officials. At least one missed goaltending call and questionable foul calls culminated in a sequence in which both Austin Reaves and Marcus Smart received technical fouls.

The technicals came after Jaylen Brown appeared to elbow Smart in the face on a play when Smart was called for a foul.

Marcus Smart got BRUTALLY elbowed in the face by Jaylen Brown 😳 pic.twitter.com/w36aVpTNwk

— 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝑮𝒐𝒍𝒅 🏆 (@PurpGolded) February 23, 2026

Reaves was assessed a technical immediately after the foul for clapping at the official. Smart protested for quite a while after before eventually earning his own technical After the contest, Reaves was asked about hte play, leading to some larger thoughts on what is and isn’t a technical in the league now.

“I mean, I thought (Jaylen Brown) elbowed Marcus [Smart] in the face,” Reaves said. “I didn’t say anything disrespectful. He told me I got a tech because I clapped my hands. I just said, ‘Offensive foul’ over and over again. I kind of walked by him, didn’t turn around and say anything else. But he told me that it’s an automatic tech when you clap, I guess, towards a ref.

“I don’t know. I’ve heard way more disrespectful things said to officials and nothing, no tech or anything. But yeah, I mean, there’s a level of frustration. You want to stand up for your teammates. But alsoI know he elbowed him in the face and might have fouled him before. But yeah, I didn’t think that it warranted a tech, but it’s not for me to say.”

Complaints about officials always land pretty hollow after a blowout loss to a rival, but it doesn’t mean they’re wrong either. Officiating was, at best, lackluster in this contest and the Lakers were on the wrong end of things.

That being said, they also let the poor officiating impact their play. Every questionable play became an opportunity to complain to the refs again. The focus shifted from the game to the officials and Boston took full advantage, opening up a double-digit lead late in the second quarter that changed the game.

For as little or much as it matters, Reaves acknowledged that the Lakers can’t let that happen moving forward.

“When you don’t get those calls, you can’t stay frustrated,” Reaves said. “You got to move on to the next play. I’m a culprit of that. I got to do better in that situation and our whole team does as well.”

Unfortunately, this has become a trait of this Lakers team. It’s pretty easy to point the finger at Luka Dončić, but this is a team-wide problem and everyone else shouldn’t escape blame.

But so long as this remains a constant for the Lakers, they will fail to be a real contender.

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

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Welcome to February Daily Topics at Golden State of Mind. A question (almost) every day this month to give the community a prompt to talk about!

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There are still 25 games left for the Golden State Warriors to play. We have no idea how those 25 games will go. Yet despite that, we can feel fairly confident that the Dubs will end up in the play-in tournament.

After Sunday’s shocking win over the Denver Nuggets, the Warriors are 30-27, and sit in eighth place in the Western Conference. All four of the play-in seeds are potential landing spots for Golden State: they’re just 2.5 games behind the seventh-place Phoenix Suns, just 2.5 games ahead of the ninth-place Portland Trail Blazers, and a mere three games atop the 10th-place Los Angeles Clippers.

It seems highly unlikely that the Warriors rise out of the play-in seeding: both the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves sit 4.5 games ahead of the Dubs. And it’s even less likely that the Warriors fall out of the play-in seeding, as they’re a full eight games ahead of the tanking Memphis Grizzlies, who are the first team out.

So it’s almost certainly the play-in for the Warriors.

But how things shake out once in the play-in is subject to change. Those four teams could end up in any order, or the Suns could jump into the top six, while the Lakers or Timberwolves (or possibly even the Nuggets or Houston Rockets) could slip to the seventh spot.

As a reminder, the No. 7 team hosts the No. 8 team in the play-in tournament, while No. 9 hosts No. 10. The winner of that 7/8 matchup makes the playoffs as the seventh seed, while the loser hosts the 9/10 winner, with the eighth seed on the line.

So who would you like the Warriors to face, with a spot in the playoffs on the line? Among the current play-in teams, the Warriors are 3-1 against the Suns, 1-3 against the Blazers, and 1-1 against the Clippers. They’re 1-1 against the Lakers, and 1-2 against the Wolves.

It feels to me like Portland should be the easiest matchup, but their athleticism gives Golden State fits. The Clippers have been gutted with the James Harden and Ivica Zubac trades, but they’re always a tough out for the Dubs, and Kawhi Leonard is on a serious heater. The Suns seem to be the best of those other play-in teams, yet I also trust the Warriors against them. So that’s my pick. What’s yours?

Bonus question: if the Warriors make it out of the play-in tournament, would you rather they have a first-round matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder or the San Antonio Spurs?

If Kevin Durant has his way, he will be suiting up in Los Angeles in 2028.

Not for the Lakers. Not for the Clippers.

But for Team USA.

“Hell yeah, I want to play,” Durant told ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill. “But I’ve got to stay on top of my game. I’m not expecting. I want to produce on the floor and make Grant [Hill, USA Basketball Men’s National Team managing director since 2021] and whoever is making the decisions want to put me on the team. Not just for seniority; I want to still prove I can help the team win.

“Today, yeah, I feel like I’ll put my name in that hat,” he added.

Durant is widely regarded as one of the best players of all time, and alongside LeBron James and Steph Curry, is considered one of the top-three greatest players of his generation.

In his first season with Houston, the 37-year-old is averaging 26.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game while shooting 50.6% from the field, 40.4% from three, and 88.1% from the free-throw line.

Durant admitting he wants to play in 2028 when Los Angeles serves as the host city has caught many pundits off guard. Many assumed the 2024 Olympic Games would be the last one for the trio of James, Curry and Durant after the three — playing together for the first time — dramatically led Team USA to the gold medal with victories over Nikola Jokić and Serbia in the semifinals, and Victor Wembanyama and host-nation France in the finals.

But Durant was quick to point out that neither he nor Curry said it was their final go-round.

“That narrative, where did the last dance thing come from?” Durant asked Goodwill. “I didn’t say I wasn’t playing. LeBron said he wasn’t. You didn’t hear that from me or Steph.”

Durant already boasts the best Olympic career of any male US basketball player.

His four gold medals is a record in basketball, and a fifth one would not only extend his record, but put him in all-time rarified company.

WNBA’s Diana Taurasi holds the Olympic record with six gold medals with Team USA, while Sue Bird is in second place with five gold medals.

Durant’s desire to be on the 2028 squad is far from the most pressing matter on Hill’s mind.

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has been tapped to replace Steve Kerr as the new head coach of Team USA. No stranger to the environment, Spoelstra won gold in 2024 as a part of Kerr’s staff, giving him an understanding of expectations about what’s needed to win Olympic gold again as the competition continues to ramp up.

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The Spurs signed wing Emanuel Miller to a two-way contract, the team announced. Stanley Umude was waived to make room for the new signee.

Miller, 25, is a 6’5 wing who went undrafted after attending Texas A&M and Texas Christian University, but has spent time with the Bulls and Cavaliers on two-way deals before landing in San Antonio. Known as a tough defender and athletic finisher, he’s excelled in the G League, averaging 17 points, five rebounds, and two assists during the Tip-Off Tournament and 18 points, seven rebounds, and two assists in 15 regular-season games. His three-point shot is a work in progress, but he’s shown flashes of competence as a floor-spacer both in college and as a pro.

Umude, a San Antonio native, was signed in late December and played two games with the big team. He spent most of his time in Austin with the G League affiliate and posted impressive numbers. The front office is now moving on to Miller, who is a similar prospect in terms of strengths and weaknesses.

Minutes are scarce with the big team, so it’s unlikely the new addition will get more run than Umude got in San Antonio, but he’s a productive and talented player who seems deserving of a closer look.

The Spurs now have David Jones-Garcia, Harrison Ingram, and Miller on two-way contracts. Jones-Garcia underwent ankle surgery and is out for the rest of the season.

The Nets are back in action after the All-Star break. Despite a worthy campaign from Michael Porter Jr and a Rising Stars appearance from Egor Dëmin, it was a break that for the most part excluded the Nets. Whether Brooklyn deserved more All-Star-related love or not, they’re going to march on now, and we’ll do the same. Erik Slater of ClutchPoints is here to guide us through Brooklyn’s restart.

In this episode of The Brooklyn with Pooch & Collin, we touch on:

• New tanking strategies
• Who Brooklyn’s core prospect is
• The Kingston Flemings & Darryn Peterson fits
• Expectations for the post-All-Star stretch

You can also check out the latest episode on Apple or Spotify. Follow us on X, Instagram, and Tik Tok.

Who won our Brooklyn Nets all-time shooters draft? 🎯

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The NBA's postseason isn't far away, and perhaps getting close enough to take attention away from the various league issues that took attention away from the court in the lead-up and throughout All-Star weekend festivities.

Less than two months and 30 regular-season games remain for most NBA teams, and the 2026 playoff picture is clear enough at this point to see it will be defined by a few key races in the Eastern and Western Conference standings.

The Detroit Pistons still have a comfortable lead over a trio of more established contenders for the No. 1 seed in the East, but how the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers shake out among the top six will be a subplot in the weeks ahead. The Oklahoma City Thunder must hold off the San Antonio Spurs for the top seed in the West, while the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves jockey for position beneath them.

There's also a fascinating chase for the NBA's play-in tournament, now entering its seventh season as an addition to the league's postseason schedule and sixth year in this current four-team format. Given how many franchises are in tank mode already this season, there aren't many teams outside the top 10 at the moment actively trying to make the playoffs.

Here's a breakdown of the current NBA playoff picture, including what teams would make the postseason if the regular season ended today:

OPINION: Cade Cunningham has MVP moment at Madison Square Garden in domination of Knicks

NBA playoff bracket

Records and standings through games played on Sunday, Feb. 22:

Eastern Conference

1. Detroit Pistons (42-13)
2. Boston Celtics (37-19)
3. New York Knicks (37-21)
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (36-22)
5. Toronto Raptors (34-23)
6. Philadelphia 76ers (31-26)
7. Orlando Magic (30-26)
8. Miami Heat (31-27)
9. Atlanta Hawks (28-31)
10. Charlotte Hornets (27-31)

Western Conference

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (44-14)
2. San Antonio Spurs (40-16)
3. Denver Nuggets (36-22)
4. Houston Rockets (34-21)
5. Los Angeles Lakers (34-22)
6. Minnesota Timberwolves (35-23)
7. Phoenix Suns (33-25)
8. Golden State Warriors (30-27)
9. Portland Trail Blazers (28-30)
10. Los Angeles Clippers (27-30)

When does NBA regular season end?

The final day of the regular season is Sunday, April 12.

When is NBA play-in tournament?

The NBA play-in tournament will begin Tuesday, April 14 and conclude Friday, April 17.

How does NBA play-in tournament work?

The tournament is divided into two rounds for each conference:

Round 1

• Game 1: No. 7 seed vs. No. 8 seed
• Game 2: No. 9 seed vs. No. 10 seed

The No. 7 and No. 9 seeds play at home in the first round. The winner of Game 1 secures the No. 7 seed in their respective conference playoff bracket. The loser of Game 1 continues to the second round and hosts the winner of Game 2. The loser of Game 2 is eliminated from playoff contention.

Round 2

• Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 winner

The winner of this game secures the No. 8 and final seed in the playoffs. The loser is eliminated from playoff contention.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 NBA playoffs bracket if the season ended today

Tommy Points for everyone. 

On a night where the Lakers honored Pat Riley, the prince of pomade himself, and the greater Showtime era, it’s fitting to see Boston win by way of physicality and vigor. 

This 111-89 win was dominated both on the margins and in the more visibly loud areas of scoring and defending. Boston won the rebounding battle with a 50-39 difference, while consistently getting the first stop, holding LA to 39% shooting (LeBron and Luka were a combined 18-of-43, with James dishing five assists to Doncic’s three). This was just LA’s second loss this season where they scored under 90 points. 

Defending with the aggressive intent to disrupt while connected enough to avoid giving up 2-on-1 advantages, Boston’s help activity made it both difficult for LA’s stars to score, and for them to exploit that attention to feed the ball into space — not an easy feat when it comes to playmaking mavens such as Doncic or James. 

Joe Mazzulla on stopping Luka, LeBron, Reaves: "Everybody's like, how do you defend them? How do you defend them?"

"You gotta attack them."

— Bobby Manning (@RealBobManning) February 23, 2026

In their quest to disrupt shooting angles and passing lanes, the Celtics collectively had 19 deflections on the ball, led by Jaylen Brown with five and four from Derrick White. They collectively recovered nine loose balls in the process. Both of those hustle data figures are well above their per game averages. For the season, Boston is 21st in deflections (16.3) and 14th in loose balls recovered (4.5). 

The Lakers only turned the ball over eight times for the game, yet the way they were flummoxed made possessions ending in shots still feel like an abject failure. Compounded by a game-long officiating battle — featuring a lack of get-back defense on made baskets and one particularly foul-heavy possession that sent Brown to the line four times — the Lakers simply lost their composure, and Boston continuously grinded them down. The first half alone felt like you’d died and went to Hustle Heaven. 

My goodness look at this team defense from Boston pic.twitter.com/XjCJvhQNZz

— Pull up shoot (@NElGHT_) February 23, 2026

If this late first quarter sequence headlined by Hugo Gonzalez and Derrick White’s full court defense doesn’t make you want to run through a brick wall, then you need to get your pulse checked. 

The hustle element of this team hasn’t been an issue this season, even in their biggest off nights, but Sunday night’s primetime rivalry showdown was a special kind of high-energy performance. To do it in Staples Center (I’m not calling it that) with Riley in the house against a team led by two stars that are forever linked to this franchise means something.

It’s one game on the record, just a small part of a greater process and purpose, that’s what Joe Mazzulla would tell you, and it’s true at the end of the day, but the team that won last night played like their season was on the line. A desperation to disrupt, but a connectivity that makes it hard to exploit. The Celtics of decades past would be proud.

If Heinsohn was on the call he’d have had a hard time dishing out just one Tommy Point. Why not spread the love and credit all twelve Celtics that stepped foot on the floor.

Following the All-Star break, NBA play resumed, and there’s only a quarter of the season left before we get to the playoffs.

All of which means teams are largely split into two buckets: those trying to improve their seeding and standing in their respective conferences, and those who are shutting down players or sitting starters in the fourth quarter, seemingly in an attempt to tank to improve their draft positioning.

Yet, with a massive victory over the New York Knicks, the Detroit Pistons are maintaining their grasp atop this list. And, as Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player, continues to miss games, it’s opening the door for Detroit All-Star Cade Cunningham to potentially take that honor, too.

Here are USA TODAY Sports’ NBA power rankings after Week 16 of the 2025-26 regular season:

USA TODAY Sports NBA power rankings

Note: Records and stats through Feb. 8. Parentheses show movement from last week’s rankings.

NBA Week 17 power rankings: Top 10

1. Detroit Pistons, 42-13 (—)

2. Oklahoma City Thunder, 44-14 (—)

3. San Antonio Spurs, 40-16 (—)

4. Boston Celtics, 37-19 (+1)

5.New York Knicks, 37-21 (-1)

6. Cleveland Cavaliers, 36-22 (+3)

7. Houston Rockets, 34-21 (—)  

8. Denver Nuggets, 36-22 (-2)

9. Los Angeles Lakers, 34-22 (-1)

10. Minnesota Timberwolves, 35-23 (+1)

With their beatdown of the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden, the Pistons sent a message that they are the dominant power in the East. Given their consistency and second-ranked defensive rating (108.3), the Pistons are also the top force in the league overall.

The Spurs have the NBA’s current longest active winning streak (eight games), and Victor Wembanyama is averaging 25.4 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game over that span, and the Nuggets have Nikola Jokić back, but they’ve lost six of their last nine.

NBA Week 17 power rankings: Nos. 11-20

11. Toronto Raptors, 34-23 (-1)

12. Phoenix Suns, 33-25 (—)

13. Philadelphia 76ers, 31-26 (—)

14. Miami Heat, 31-27 (+3)

15. Golden State Warriors, 30-27 (-1)

16. Orlando Magic, 30-26 (-1)

17. Los Angeles Clippers, 27-30 (-1)

18. Charlotte Hornets, 27-31 (—)

19. Portland Trail Blazers, 28-30 (+1)

20. Atlanta Hawks, 28-31 (-1)

The Suns received some bad news with Dillon Brooks’ broken left hand, but the fascinating action is in the middle of the East, where just ½ game separates the No. 6 seed — which is an automatic entry into the playoffs — versus the No. 8 seed. Those teams — Philadelphia, Orlando and Miami — will not be able to afford careless losses down the stretch.

The Magic are still without Franz Wagner, while the Heat, who have won three consecutive games, got the much-needed offensive boost of Tyler Herro.

Bennedict Mathurin has been a stellar addition for the Clippers, but they’ve dropped two in a row, and the Hornets have cooled off a touch since they won nine consecutive.

NBA Week 17 power rankings: Nos. 21-30

21. Milwaukee Bucks, 24-31 (+1)

22. Memphis Grizzlies, 21-34 (+1)

23.Chicago Bulls, 24-34 (-2) 

24.Dallas Mavericks, 20-36 (—)

25. Utah Jazz, 18-39 (—)

26. New Orleans Pelicans, 16-42 (—)

27. Washington Wizards, 16-40 (+1)

28. Brooklyn Nets, 15-41 (-1)

29. Indiana Pacers, 15-43 (—)

30. Sacramento Kings, 12-46 (—)

Frankly, it’s hard to sort through this group. Many (most? All?) of these teams are seemingly sabotaging their current games to build for the future. The Bulls have lost nine consecutive. The Jazz and Pacers were fined for tanking. The Kings are shutting down players due to injury and have lost an NBA-worst 16 in a row.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA power rankings favor consistent Pistons, Cavs rise

FLORENCE, Italy (AP) — Moise Kean scored for the third match in a row to help Fiorentina beat Pisa 1-0 and climb out of the Serie A drop zone on Monday.

The result lifted Fiorentina into 16th place and out of the relegation zone for the first time in months. It has the same amount of points as Cremonese and Lecce but was above both on goal difference.

Pisa, which has still won only once all season, was second to last with the same points as last-placed Verona. Both clubs were nine points from safety with 12 games remaining.

Kean followed recent goals against Torino and Como with an early strike from close range after a blocked shot fell kindly at his feet.

Pisa goalkeeper Nícolas made several fine saves while Fiorentina’s second win in a row was only its second clean sheet of the year.

Pisa has gone 15 matches without a league win.

___

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