INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 14: Jaxson Hayes #11 of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks during the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest during 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend at Intuit Dome on February 14, 2026 in Inglewood, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the GettyImages License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Stop if you’ve heard this before, but the Lakers had someone in the dunk contest put up a dud.
His timing clearly was off and based on the run up, it’s probably safe to assume he was going for a free throw line dunk, which he missed by some distance. Unsurprisingly, he got the lowest score in the first round at 44.6 — the average of the five scores from the judges — which meant he was the first dunker of round two.
This dunk was better, as he went between the legs after tapping the ball to himself.
Jaxson Hayes taps it to himself & goes between the legs for his second slam in @ATT Slam Dunk 😤
That one earned him a more respectable score of 47.2, but his complete dud in the first round kept him from moving on to the finals.
Maybe let’s stop putting Lakers in the dunk contest anymore.
Keshad Johnson of the Heat went on to win the event. Carter Bryant of the Spurs finished second while Jase Richardson of the Magic missed out on the finals with Hayes.
Earlier in the afternoon, Damian Lillard came away victorious in the first event of the night in the 3-point contest despite not playing this season due to a torn Achilles. He beat out Kon Knueppel from the Hornets and Devin Booker from the Suns, the latter of whom choked down the stretch.
Damian Lillard's 2nd Round Score: 30 🎯
He has the score to beat in the Final Round of the @StateFarm NBA 3-Point Contest!
They beat out Team Cameron — comprised of Duke players — in the final. Despite having Knueppel and Jalen Johnson on the team, Corey Maggette carried them in the final and nearly won the whole dang thing.
The NBA has a tanking problem. It's had a tanking problem for years. This year, it's getting worse because the upcoming draft has multiple great players.
Earlier this week, the NBA fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for failing to play healthy players.
During a Saturday press conference held in connection with the All-Star Game, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the issue at length.
"It's been part of this league for a long time," Silver said regarding the practice of not trying to win in order to get a better draft pick. "I mean, back in the 1960s there was a coin flip. At some point, I think it was in the 1980s, we moved to a lottery. That lottery has been changed roughly five times over the years, to try to stay ahead of some of the behavior of our teams.
"The incentives are not necessarily matched here. I think that the tradition in sports where the worst performing team receives the first pick from their partners. When any economist comes and looks at our system, they always point out you have the incentives backwards there. That doesn't necessarily make sense. I think there was a more classical view of that, in the old days, where it was just sort of an understanding among partners about, in terms of behavior.
'I think what we're seeing is a modern analytics where it's so clear that the incentives are misaligned. . . . Are we seeing behavior that is worse this year than we've seen in recent memory? Yes, is my view, and which was what led to those fines. And not just those fines, but to my statement that we're going to be looking more closely at the totality of all the circumstances this season in terms of teams' behavior, and very intentionally wanted teams to be on notice. And there is a bit of a note, when you see it quality to this, I mean, we spend a lot of time at the league office going back and forth with teams on injury reports, on coaches' decisions. It's not a position necessarily we want to be in, but . . . it's not what the fans want at the end of the day."
Or do they?
"[M]y caveat is, and this is where teams are in a difficult place, many of you in this room have written, understandably, about our teams, that the worst place to be, for example, is to be a middle of the road team," Silver said. "Either be great or be bad, because then that will help you with the draft. And so, in many cases, you have fans of those teams. It's not what they want to pay for to see poor performance on the floor, but they're actually rooting for their teams in some cases to be bad, to improve their draft chances. So, I think we're coming at it, I'd say, in two ways. One is, again, focusing on the here and now. The behavior we're seeing from our teams, and doing whatever we can to remind them of what their obligation is to the fans, and to their partner teams. But number two, as I also said in that statement, the Competition Committee started earlier this year, re-examining the whole approach to how the draft lottery works. And ultimately any changes will require a vote of the Board of Governors. So then we'll need to go in front of the Board. But there have been lots of different ideas out there over the years, not just necessarily changing the draft lottery odds yet once again, but looking at whether there's a better system here to try to align incentives.
"I think when the point about this year, when you look at totality of the circumstances, I mean, of course, I'm paying attention to what's happening, and the perception is, you have a very deep draft class this year, a perception. Who knows whether this will be the reality, but the next two years' draft classes aren't as good. There's no doubt that's affecting the behavior of our teams. But at the end of the day, I think there needs to — I think all the teams need to step back, the ownership of those teams — and just as a reminder that we're all in this together, that we want to have fair competition, we want to have fair systems, and to keep an eye on the fans, most importantly, and their expectation that we're gonna be putting the best product forward."
For as long as the best draft picks are tied to the worst records, tanking will be a problem in every pro sport — including the NFL. And the punishments imposed this week by the NBA are a slap on the wrist. To truly eradicate tanking, the only solution is to take away the pick the tanking team is hoping to maximize.
Would that be extreme? Yes. Would it be effective? Absolutely.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Malik Reneau scored 26 points and Miami scored the last eight points of the game to beat North Carolina State 77-76 on Saturday night.
N.C. State scored seven straight points to take a 76-69 lead with 1:07 remaining. Then Reneau answered with a three-point play and Tru Washington added a layup to pull Miami to within 76-74 with 32 seconds left.
With 13 seconds to go, N.C. State's Quadir Copeland missed a free throw. The Wolfpack's Darrion Williams fouled Washington on a 3-point attempt on the following possession with three seconds remaining. Washington sank all three of his free-throw attempts before Matt Able missed a 3-pointer to end it.
Reneau shot 12 of 19 from the floor and grabbed six rebounds. Shelton Henderson added 17 points and nine boards for Miami (20-5, 9-3 Atlantic Coast Conference). Tre Donaldson chipped in with 14 points and Washington finished with 13 for the Hurricanes, who have won three straight and five of their last six games.
Able and Ven-Allen Lubin scored 17 points apiece to lead N.C. State (18-8, 9-4). Copeland and Williams added 11 points each. The Wolfpack have lost back-to-back games since they had their six-game win streak snapped with a 118-77 loss to No. 24 Louisville.
Able made three 3-pointers and scored 15 points, and Copeland and Lubin added nine apiece to help N.C. State build a 43-37 halftime lead. Reneau scored 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting to pace Miami in the first half.
Up next
Miami: The Hurricanes host Virginia Tech on Tuesday.
N.C. State: The Wolfpack play at home Tuesday against No. 11 North Carolina.
INGLEWOOD, CA — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver took a forceful stand against tanking in his NBA All-Star Weekend press conference, talking at length about the hot-button topic that's "been part of this league for a long time."
Earlier this week, the league fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and Indiana Pacers $100,000 for violations of its player participation policy and conduct detrimental to the league. They aren't the only teams openly tanking, though, ahead of a 2026 draft that's thought to be one of the strongest in recent years.
Silver's response at the Intuit Dome on Saturday was just as blatant.
"Are we seeing behavior that is worse this year than we’ve seen in recent memory? Yes, is my view," he said. "Which was what led to those fines, and not just those fines but to my statement that we’re going to be looking more closely at the totality of all the circumstances this season in terms of teams’ behavior, and very intentionally wanted teams to be on notice."
In addition to more fines, Silver was asked if he would consider stripping draft picks from teams that continue to tank.
"There is talk about every possible remedy now to stop this behavior," he said.
Silver also mentioned that the league has had economists look at the draft lottery system and point out how the incentives — the worst-performing teams receiving the best odds for a pick and the teams that just miss out on the playoffs being stuck in the middle of the road — are backwards.
"I think there was a more classical view of that in the old days, where it was just sort of an understanding among partners in terms of behavior," Silver said. "I think what we’re seeing is modern analytics where it’s so clear that the incentives are misaligned. ... The worst place to be, for example, is to be a middle-of-the-road team. Either be great or be bad, because then that will help you with the draft.
"In many cases, you have fans of those teams — remember, it’s not what they want to pay for to see poor performance on the floor, but they’re actually rooting for their teams in some cases to be bad to improve their draft chances."
Silver added that the league is focused on both the short-term response — fines and putting teams on notice about tanking — while also looking for a long-term solution to a problem that has been ever-evolving.
Former Commissioner David Stern introduced the draft lottery in 1985, which Silver said the league has made adjustments to "about five times." Some in the media have begun calling for the draft to be abolished entirely and, while that's an extreme end of the spectrum, Silver admitted Saturday that it might be time — past time, even — for the league to reassess.
"It’s a bit of a conundrum," Silver said. "The All-Star is 75 years old. The league is 80 years old. It’s time to take a fresh look at this to see to whether that’s an antiquated way of going about doing it. Ultimately, we need a system to fairly, I think, distribute players. I think it’s in the players’ interest as well as the teams that you have a level of parity around the league. There’s only so many jobs and so many cities.
"... What we’re doing, what we’re seeing right now, is not working; there’s no question about it. Yes, is there more I can do? Have I attempted not only to respond to behavior we’ve seen but send a clear message that we’re going to be scrutinizing everything we see going forward? Absolutely."
Adam Silver discusses prediction markets
With the news of Giannis Antetokounmpo's recent investment in Kalshi, Silver took a moment to discuss where the league stands as far as prediction markets go.
"We currently are looking at prediction markets essentially in the same way that we’re looking at sports betting markets or sports betting companies," Silver said. "We have a rule that was collectively bargained with the Players Association that players can make, I will call them, de minimis investments in sports betting companies, and we’re applying the same rule to prediction markets."
The rule is that players cannot hold more than a 1% interest in sports betting — and now, by extension, prediction market — companies. To Silver's knowledge, Antetokounmpo's stake in Kalshi is "much smaller" than that, so he is not in violation of any league rules.
But it's still an issue that Silver is keeping a close eye on.
"It’s rapidly evolving," he said. "Prediction markets have now come on the scene fairly recently as, I don’t know how else to say it, major sports betting marketplaces. Whether prediction markets are allowed to go forward in the form they’re in now will, I think, be ultimately an issue for the courts and for Congress.
"But even if they go away, the league is now dealing with essentially 40 different jurisdictions that have legalized sports betting in the United States. Still a huge illegal market. I’d say one other category that I hardly ever hear people talk about is that the last I looked, there are probably 80 countries in the world outside of the United States that also have legalized betting on the NBA."
ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) — Madison St. Rose led with 15 points and seven rebounds and No. 24 Princeton rode a big second half to defeat Cornell, 59-38 on Saturday.
The Tigers (20-3, 8-2 Ivy League) bounced back from a loss against Columbia on Friday to win their third game in their past four contests. It was the second-lowest scoring game of the season for Princeton after a 58-49 win over Brown on Jan. 24.
Skye Belker had 12 points, four rebounds, and two assists for the Tigers. Fadima Tall added 11 points and six rebounds.
Cornell closed the first half on a 7-0 run to lead 23-15 at halftime, but Princeton erupted for 23 points in the third quarter to turn an eight-point deficit into a ten-point lead.
Princeton controlled the game in the second half, surrendering just 15 second-half points on the way to a comfortable victory.
Clarke Jackson and Paige Engels led the Big Red (8-15, 3-7) with eight points each. Cornell was held to 31% shooting and 24% from beyond the arc.
Up next
Both teams return to action next Saturday, when Princeton hosts Brown and Cornell visits Harvard.
HOUSTON (AP) — Emanuel Sharp had 23 points and six rebounds as No. 3 Houston rallied from an early deficit to beat Kansas State 78-64 on Saturday for the Cougars’ sixth straight win.
Sharp scored 14 points on 4 of 10 shooting in the first half as Houston (23-2, 11-1 Big 12) built a 33-19 halftime lead.
Milos Uzan added 12 points and eight assists, and Kingston Flemings finished with 12 points and seven rebounds for the Cougars, which won their 18th straight at home.
P.J. Haggerty scored 23 points to lead Kansas State (10-15, 1-11). Haggerty surpassed 2,000 points in his collegiate career in the first half, becoming the fifth current Division I player to achieve the milestone.
Nate Johnson had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Taj Manning added 10 points for Kansas State. The Wildcats shot 35% from the field, 8 of 26 (31%) from 3-point range, and made 16 of 25 (64%) from the free-throw line.
The Wildcats raced to a 15-6 lead about 8 ½ minutes into the game on a 3-pointer by Haggerty, but Houston responded to finish the half on a 27-4 run. Sharp had nine points and Uzan added seven points in the spurt. Kansas State shot 1 for 15 from the floor to end the half.
Kansas State got no closer than 10 points in the second half.
The Wildcats have lost six consecutive games overall and have lost six straight on the road. Kansas State dropped to 0-6 against ranked teams this season.
Up next
Kansas State: Hosts Baylor on Tuesday.
Houston: Plays Monday at No. 5 Iowa State, the first of three straight games against Top-10 opponents.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Juke Harris scored 25 points and personally outscored Stanford 9-2 down the stretch, lifting Wake Forest to a come-from-behind 68-63 victory over the Cardinal on Saturday.
The Cardinal led 39-30 at halftime but were unable to extend their lead in the second half. Wake Forest finally tied it at 61 on a layup by Harris with 1:48 remaining. A jumper by Harris with 54 seconds left gave the Demon Deacons their first lead since it was 9-6.
Harris made 5 of 6 free throws in the final 25 seconds and his scoring run was interrupted only by a layup from Ebuka Okorie that made it 66-63 with 10 seconds left. Harris was fouled with nine seconds left and capped the scoring with two more free throws.
Harris made 12 of 13 free throws and the Demon Deacons made 28 of 32 as a team. Stanford was 9 for 14.
Okorie, the nation's seventh leading scorer and third among freshmen at 22.4 points per game, led Stanford (16-10, 5-8 ACC) with 26 points. Benny Gealer scored 11 and Aidan Cammann had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Mekhi Mason scored 10 points for Wake Forest (13-12, 4-8).
A 3-pointer by Cammann tied the score at 9 and started an 11-0 run that gave the Cardinal a 17-9 lead. Although Wake Forest tied it twice, Stanford scored the last seven points of the half and led 39-30 at the break.
Stanford led 58-51 with 6:42 remaining but the Cardinal made only 2 of 12 from the field the rest of the game. Both makes were by Okorie.
Lakers star Luka Doncic told reporters on Saturday that he plans to play in the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday with Team World. (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
Lakers star Luka Doncic missed their last four games because of a strained left hamstring, but he plans to play in the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday at the Intuit Dome.
Doncic, who was injured when the Lakers played the Philadelphia 76ers 1½ weeks ago, worked out before L.A. played the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena and has played some five-on-five recently.
Doncic was the leading vote-getter for the All-Star Game, which will be his sixth.
“I feel pretty good,” Doncic said Saturday during his media season. “You know, I've been working to get back. Obviously [I] wanted to play the last game, but it wasn't possible. I was almost there, so I think I'll play a little bit.”
His Lakers teammate, LeBron James, was selected as a Western Conference reserve by the coaches, his first time in 21 years not being chosen a starter. James, who didn’t attend the media sessions on Saturday but will talk before the game Sunday, extended his NBA record All-Star selections to 22 in a row.
Doncic, who will play for Team World, was jokingly asked that if he does play will he try to dunk on James, who will be on Team USA Stripes.
“No, I will not try to dunk on LeBron,” Doncic said, smiling.
This will be Doncic’s first time representing the Lakers as an All-Star. His other five came when he played for the Dallas Mavericks, who traded Doncic to the Lakers last February for Anthony Davis.
Doncic was asked about his emotions.
“Every All-Star, just blessed,” he said. “ I'm going to look back at it. I'm a six-time All-Star now, and not everybody can say they're an All-Star. So just take everything into the moment and enjoy this.”
When the NBA coaches selected the All-Star reserves, Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard was not chosen despite playing some of the best basketball of his career.
But NBA commissioner Adam Silver added Leonard to the roster, allowing him to play in his seventh All-Star Game, which is being hosted in his home arena.
Leonard was asked at his media session on Saturday if not being initially selected was because of his role in the NBA’s investigation of the Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer over allegations that the team circumvented the salary cap by paying Leonard under the table through an endorsement deal with a company called Aspiration.
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard talks to reporters during the NBA All-Star Game media day. He'll be appearing in his seventh All-Star game on Sunday at Intuit Dome. (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
“I’m not sure,” said Leonard, who is eighth in the NBA in scoring at 27.9 points a game. “I don’t think Adam Silver would let something like that play into how a player is playing on the court, especially me. I’m not doing anything.”
Aspiration, which has since filed for bankruptcy, agreed to pay Leonard $28 million over four years. The Clippers have denied the allegations.
The NBA has a new format for the All-Star Game, “U.S. vs. the World.” It will be a round-robin tournament with four 12-minute games.
There are two U.S. teams. Leonard will be on the USA Stripes with some of the veterans uch as James and Kevin Durant.
Leonard was asked about his view of the new format.
“I can’t say I hate it or I love it, 'cause I really don’t know what the situation is,” Leonard said. “I know it’s three teams and is it like a pickup game where we wait until somebody scores? But I’d rather it just be East and West and just go out there and compete and see what the outcome is. I don’t think no format can make you compete …”
Fans and media have complained that the players don’t play hard enough and don’t seem to care.
With Stephen Curry, James and Durant near the end of their careers, Durant was asked why the NBA saw the need to make improvements to the All-Star Game.
“I just feel like fans and media need something to complain about, and the All-Star Game don't make them feel like they felt when they were kids,” Durant said. “They need something to complain about. I don't think it's that big of a deal, to be honest — the All-Star Game, All-Star weekend. Just here to celebrate the game of basketball.
"People [are] still coming to celebrate the game of basketball. They're coming to watch. People at home are complaining about the game and the intensity of it. I don't think we'll ever get past that, but to see everybody still here, showing up, doing their jobs, pushing the game forward through this weekend, you go around the city, it's so much energy in the city, so many past greats. … I just think it's way bigger than that this weekend. We can talk about who plays harder or the U.S. team versus the World.”
Damian Lillard was a shocking addition to the NBA's 3-point contest during All-Star weekend, given that the 35-year-old, nine-time All-Star hasn't played a single minute of NBA basketball this year.
His inclusion in the event was head-scratching to many fans. Still, there's no denying that Lillard is one of the best shooters in NBA history.
Not only has he shot over 35% from 3 in nine of his last 10 seasons, but he has won the 3-point contest twice already — 2023 and 2024. He was aiming to become just the third player in NBA history to win the event three times, and the first to do so non-consecutively.
Larry Bird won the event every year from 1986 to 1988, while Craig Hodges won the event each year from 1990 to 1992.
Lillard had a chance to make history. So, did he do it? Here are the full results from the 2026 NBA 3-point contest:
2026 NBA 3-point contest results
First round
*-advanced to the final round
Devin Booker* - 30
Damian Lillard* - 27
Kon Knueppel* - 27
Donovan Mitchell - 24
Norman Powell - 23
Jamal Murray - 18
Tyrese Maxey - 17
Bobby Portis Jr. - 15
Finals
Damian Lillard - 29
Devin Booker - 27
Kon Knueppel - 17
Booker missed the final three shots of his last rack, wasting three opportunities to tie and possibly win the event. Lillard's win makes him the third three-time champion.
What did Damian Lillard score in his prior two wins?
In 2023, Lillard scored 26 points in the finals. His competitors, Buddy Hield and Tyrese Haliburton, scored 25 and 17 respectively.
In 2024, Lillard, a model of consistency in this event, scored 26 points yet again, beating Trae Young (24) and Karl-Anthony Towns (22).
Lillard's 29 points in 2026 mark the most he's ever scored in a 3-point contest win.
Feb 14, 2026; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) competes in the three point contest during the 2026 NBA All Star Saturday Night at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Devin Booker came in second-place in the three-point shooting contest during All-Star Weekend. He had a chance to win the event for the second-time in his career, but missed his last three shots that would’ve given him an opportunity to tie or take win the even over eventual champion Damian Lillard.
While he lost, the 57 combined points he scored is 12 more than he won the contest back in 2018. Credit, the scoring system is different than it was eight years ag0, but he made 7 more threes this time on just two extra shots.
In the first round of the contest, Booker had the highest score of any contestant throughout the contest. His 30 points in round one was the 30-point performance in the contest.
While Booker didn’t take home the victory, he’ll have a chance to come away with one on All-Star weekend tomorrow when he participates in the All-Star games for team stripes, and with Phoenix hosting All-Star weekend next year, don’t be shocked if he participates in the three-point contest again.
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Jadyn Wooten scored 16 points, Amari Whiting added 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Oklahoma State outscored the Lady Raiders 22-9 in the second quarter to beat No. 16 Texas Tech 75–65 on Saturday.
Oklahoma State (20–7, 9–5 Big 12) took a 36–24 halftime lead, holding Tech scoreless for the final 3:18 of the half. The win marked the Cowgirls’ second victory over a ranked opponent this season and secured their first 20‑win campaign since 2022–23.
Wooten shot 7 of 10 from the field and added seven assists, while Whiting posted her second double‑double of the year. Achol Akot scored 13 points and Stailee Heard added 12 for the Cowgirls, who shot 54% overall and made eight 3‑pointers.
Texas Tech (23–4, 10–4) opened the second half with five straight points to cut the deficit to seven, but OSU answered with an 8–0 run to push the margin back to 44–29. The Lady Raiders trailed by double digits for most of the second half before a late push trimmed it to 66–60 with under three minutes left.
Bailey Maupin led the Lady Raiders with 19 points, and Snudda Collins added 18 off the bench. The Lady Raiders shot 4 of 21 from deep and were outrebounded 36–26. Texas Tech entered a half‑game out of first place in the Big 12 and is on the road for three of its next four games.
Up Next
Texas Tech faces No. 12 Baylor at home on Wednesday.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Tae Davis had 19 points, Nijel Pack and reserve Kuol Atak both scored 18, and Oklahoma used an 18-0 second-half run to beat Georgia 94-78 on Saturday.
Davis made 7 of 10 shots and 5 of 7 free throws for the Sooners (13-12, 3-9 Southeastern Conference), who beat No. 15 Vanderbilt by a point on the road last time out to end a nine-game losing streak. Pack hit 6 of 10 shots with four 3-pointers and Atak did his damage on 6-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Reserve Dayton Forsythe scored 13.
Blue Cain scored 20 to pace the Bulldogs (17-8, 5-7), who have lost two straight and 5 of 6. Marcus Millender had 16 points and Kareem Stagg scored 10.
Pack hit two 3-pointers and a jumper and Atak added another 3 in the Sooners’ 18-point run, turning a seven-point deficit into a 60-49 lead with 13:36 remaining.
Atak and Pack made consecutive 3s to push the advantage to 16 and the Sooners led by double digits over the final 11:30.
Georgia led 11-7 when play stopped for a few minutes after a popcorn machine caught fire at a concession stand.
Forsythe hit a 3 to put Oklahoma up 12-11 and the lead changed hands 13 times over the final 14:30 before halftime. Atak hit a 3 with three seconds left and the Sooners trailed 43-41 at halftime.
Georgia made its first nine shots and went into the break shooting 71% — 17 for 24. The Bulldogs shot 38% in the second half.
Inglewood, CA - January 16: The 2026 NBA All-Star Game coming to the Intuit Dome in Inglewood on Tuesday, January 16, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
NBA All Star Saturday rolls out with…Adam Silver’s press conference!
Then it moves on to The (State Farm) Three Point Shootout, The (KIA) Shooting Stars, and then the AT&Love Slam Dunk. What better way to spend St. Valentine’s day with these contests? What, you say, with romance or love? Sure, but what about Shooting Stars? Isn’t that part of it? Maybe your love is already a slam dunk? Or best it’s a shot from distance? Anyway, the NBA and Valentines go together like sushi and queso.
Things start off at 4pm Central on NBA/Peacock and last as long as they last, I guess?
A player who hasn’t played a single minute of NBA basketball wins the three point shoot out. You may remember him from Rockets nightmares: Damien Lillard.
I don’t really know what the contest is. I’m glad KIA is sponsoring it, as I have definitely seen, and driven, KIAs. Honestly though, I prefer a kea.
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Nate Bittle and Takai Simpkins each scored 22 points to help Oregon snap a 10-game losing streak with an 83-72 win over Penn State on Saturday.
The Ducks (9-16, 2-12 Big Ten) had been without a win since Jan. 2 over Maryland, their only previous Big Ten win of the season.
Bittle's 22 came on 6-of-9 shooting and 8 of 11 at the free-throw line with seven rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Simpkins made 4 of 5 from behind the arc, and all eight of his free throws. Dezdrick Lindsay added 16 points and five assists.
Simpkins scored 20 in the second half, after shooting 1 of 4 in the first half. He helped the Ducks turn a 38-32 halftime lead into as much as a 15-point second half advantage in which they went on 10-2 and 11-4 runs.
Kayden Mingo led the Nittany Lions (11-15, 2-13) with 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting. Josh Reed added 13 points and Freddie Dilione V had 10 plus three steals.
Oregon's bench outscored Penn State 27-5, with most of those points coming from Lindsay.
Their shared playmaking should be delightful, the kind of joy designed for an All-Star Game.
The U.S. “Stripes” team has similar top-end talent in Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Kawhi Leonard. However, which trio is more likely to push the pace out of pride, the trio of international stars or the NBA’s oldest guard?
NBA All-Star Game format
The NBA All-Star Game will kick off with the “World” facing the USA Stars; to keep things simple, view the Stars as the younger U.S. team and the Stripes as the more veteran squad.
Winners of that matchup move on to play the USA Stripes, while the first game’s loser also takes on the Stripes to complete the round-robin portion of the All-Star Game.
After the round-robin, the top two teams meet again in the title game, with point differential serving as the first tiebreaker if all three teams finish 1-1.
Doncic is not one to throw down highlight-reel dunks. His All-Star Game joys will come from either absurd passes or threes taken from downtown Los Angeles.
Note: The Intuit Dome is 11 miles from downtown Los Angeles.
Even in a 12-minute game, the exhibition that it is, Doncic may take four 3-pointers, likely all uncontested. In that case, betting on him to make multiple shots from beyond the arc should not be at plus-money.
Much of an All-Star Game comes down to motivation.
Some piece of LeBron and Durant refuses to relinquish their standing in the NBA hierarchy. Given the chance to beat Cade Cunningham, Anthony Edwards, and Tyrese Maxey, expect the old guard to do so.
There may be some variance worry in a 12-minute game, but that should also allow the veterans to play more aggressively without getting winded.
Frankly, the younger roster may have more worry about getting worn out; who is more likely to over-enjoy LA nightlife this weekend, the young players reaching their first All-Star Game, or players who have done this for more than a decade?
This may come as a shock, but game it out. The World is favored to beat the USA Stars, and if doing so, it would face the USA Stripes in the second game of the day.
A win would propel the World into the title game, while the Stripes would advance if they merely beat the Stars in the final game.
The Stripes may conserve their energy to then beat the young’uns, setting up a more earnest rematch between the World and the Stripes for the All-Star Game championship.
This matchup could become plodding, at least by All-Star Game standards.
Victor Wembanyama
Jaylen Brown
Tyrese Maxey
Cade Cunningham
Jalen Brunson
Luka Doncic
Kevin Durant
Devin Booker
Donovan Mitchell
Steph Curry
Damian Lillard
Kawhi Leonard
Anthony Davis
Russell Westbrook