Category: NBA

The Big 12 is loaded with teams capable of making a run in the NCAA Tournament. Perhaps a run in the conference tournament can be the boost a few teams need heading into March Madness.

Arizona is all but a lock for one of four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Could Houston or Iowa State sneak onto the final No. 1-seed spot with a Big 12 championship win?

March Madness bubble watch: Stock up, down heading into conference tournaments

March Madness bracketology: Latest NCAA tournament bubble predictions

Kansas is also capable of making a run for a Big 12 title, especially with Darryn Peterson fully available, which he has been as of late. Peterson, one of the top projected picks of the 2026 NBA Draft, has played 30 or more minutes in each of his last four games.

The Big 12 tournament could also have huge seeding implications for TCU, UCF, Cincinnati and others vying for an at-large bid.

Here's how the Big 12 bracket looks:

A historic #Big12MBB season has led us to this moment.

The OFFICIAL 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament Bracket is here 👀 pic.twitter.com/tkKZYPWggt

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) March 8, 2026

Big 12 tournament bracket, schedule

All times Eastern.

Tuesday, March 10

• Game 1: No. 12 Arizona State vs. No. 13 Baylor | 12:30 p.m.
• Game 2: No. 9 Cincinnati vs. No. 16 Utah | 3 p.m.
• Game 3: No. 10 BYU vs. No. 15 Kansas State | 7 p.m.
• Game: 4 No. 11 Colorado vs. No. 14 Oklahoma State | 9:30 p.m.

Wednesday, March 11

• Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. No. 5 Iowa State | 12:30 p.m. | ESPN/ESPN2
• Game 6: Game 2 winner vs. No. 8 UCF | 3 p.m. | ESPNU
• Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. No. 7 West Virginia | 7 p.m. | ESPNU
• Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. No. 6 TCU | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN2/ESPNU

Thursday, March 12

• Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. No. 4 Texas Tech | 12:30 p.m. | ESPN/ESPN2
• Game 10: Game 6 winner vs. No. 1 Arizona | 3 p.m. | ESPN/ESPN2
• Game 11: Game 7 winner vs. No. 2 Houston | 7 p.m. | ESPN/ESPN2
• Game 12: Game 8 winner vs. No. 3 Kansas | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN/ESPN2

Friday, March 13

• Game 13: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner | 7 p.m. | ESPN/ESPN2
• Game 14: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN/ESPN2

Saturday, March 14

• Game 15: Championship game | 6 p.m. | ESPN

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Big 12 basketball tournament bracket, schedule, seeds, TV listings

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There’s nothing better than betting on 3-balls in the NBA, and I’ve found a pair I love in the player prop market today.

Brandon Miller has been powering this Buzz City resurgence, while Isaiah Joe has been an overlooked contributor for the Thunder.

Those and more NBA picks for Wednesday, March 4, below.

Best NBA player props today

Player	Pick
Isaiah Joe	Over 2.5 made threes	+125
Brandon Miller	Over 3.5 made threes	+125
Onyeka Okongwu	Over 7.5 rebounds	-105

Prop #1: Isaiah Joe Over 2.5 made threes

+125 at bet365

The Oklahoma City Thunder are so deep that a guy like Isaiah Joe gets overlooked. Joe has seen an expanded role since the start of February, and he’s taken advantage.

Joe is averaging 15.6 points over his last 14 games and has been a deadly 3-point shooter, draining a crazy good 46.6% of his 7.4 attempts per game during that stretch. I like him to light up the scoreboard at Madison Square Garden when OKC visits the New York Knicks tonight.

The Knicks have struggled with their perimeter defense, ranking 20th in opponent made threes per game, and are playing the second half of a back-to-back. Joe has hit three or more threes 10 times over this 14-game run.

• Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: ESPN

Prop #2: Brandon Miller Over 3.5 made threes

+125 at bet365

Brandon Miller’s development might be the biggest reason the Charlotte Hornets are becoming a good basketball team. Miller is having a great season and is on fire from beyond the arc.

He’s averaging 23.4 points and shooting 41.3% from 3-point range on 10.2 attempts over his last nine games, and you can expect Miller to keep letting it fly tonight against the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics live and die by the 3-ball. They are one of the best long-range shooting teams while ranking 22nd in opponent made threes per game.

Miller has hit four or more threes in seven of his last nine games. At this price, I love backing him to do it again.

• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: FanDuel Sports Network Southeast-Charlotte, NBCSB

Prop #3: Onyeka Okongwu Over 7.5 rebounds

-105 at bet365

The Milwaukee Bucks have Giannis Antetokounmpo back and are chasing the Atlanta Hawks for the final Play-In spot.

But, even with Giannis, this Bucks team has too many issues, including on the glass. Even with one of the best rebounders in the game, Milwaukee owns the fourth-worst rebounding rate.

Meanwhile, Hawks big man Onyeka Okongwu has been putting in extra work on the boards. Okongwu is averaging 9.2 rebounds in his last six games, hauling down 10 or more five times. Over 7.5 should be light work against the Bucks tonight.

• Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: ESPN

These props are available now at bet365, one of our best betting sites.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The New York Knicks (40*-22) host the Oklahoma City Thunder (48–15) tonight at Madison Square Garden, both on the second night of back-to-backs. Yesterday in Toronto, the Knicks fought the Raptors to the end for victory, while the Thunder beat the Bulls in Chicago. Both teams have won three in a row.

They last met on January 10, 2025, when Oklahoma City rolled to a 126–101 victory. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 39 points and controlled the game from start to finish. Josh Hart grabbed 13 rebounds in the loss.

The Thunder hold the league’s best record and have been a juggernaut all season. They rank near the top of the NBA in both offensive and defensive efficiency, scoring roughly 119 points per game while allowing about 108, giving them the league’s best net rating. The engine behind that success is MVP candidate Gilgeous-Alexander, averaging around 31.8 points and 6.4 assists per game. Chet Holmgren provides interior defense and versatility, contributing about 17 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks per night. Jalen Williams (17.5 PPG) has been another dynamic scoring option despite poor long-range shooting, while Luguentz Dort supplies the defense and trips.

OKC is expected to start SGA at guard alongside Cason Wallace (9 PTS), Dort, Holmgren, and Isaiah Joe (11 PPG, 42% 3P%) if Isaiah Hartenstein (10.5 PPG, 9.3 RPG) sits with a calf issue.

On the injury front, Miles McBride remain out for the home team. The Thunder enter somewhat banged up: SGA, iHart, and Ajay Mitchell are listed day-to-day, while Jalen Williams is sidelined with a hamstring issue.

Prediction

ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the Knicks a 52% edge at home. We’ll take it. SGA, Hartenstein, and Jalen Williams all rested last night in Chicago, and I can’t think of a compelling reason why coach Mark Daigneault would rush anyone back for this interconference matchup. On our side, the Knicks have been locked in defensively and possessed by the spirit of cooperation of late, with all five starters scoring in double figures over the last three games. Factor in solid bench contributions from Landry Shamet, Mohamed Diawara, and Jose Alvarado, and the ‘Bockers look ready to challenge the mighty Thunder. Expect a little early fatigue, but watch our heroes catch fire mid-second quarter, grab the lead after halftime, and hold off a late push for a four-point win.

Game Details

Who: New York Knicks (40*-22) at Oklahoma City Thunder (48-15)
Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2026
Time: 7 PM ET
Place: Madison Square Garden, NYC
TV: ESPN and MSG
Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky

* Should be one more, but NBA Cup wins evaporate in water.

Defending national champion Florida has already wrapped up the No. 1 seed for next week's SEC tournament in Nashville (March 11-15). But the final regular season SEC gameday saw plenty of drama and conference tournament re-seeding.

Arkansas' overtime win over Missouri on Saturday lifted the Razorbacks to the No. 2 seed momentarily. But Alabama's win over Auburn later Saturday allowed the Crimson Tide to retake the second spot.

March Madness bracketology: Latest NCAA tournament bubble predictions

Title contenders: Why these 11 teams could dominate March Madness

Kentucky's loss to Florida on Saturday means the Wildcats dropped to the 9-seed and have to play in Wednesday's first round.

Then things got really exciting. Oklahoma beat Texas in OT to secure the 11-seed, while Texas A&M needed three overtimes over last-place LSU on Saturday to clinch the No. 6 seed, a first-round bye and maybe earned its spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Here's how the bracket for the SEC Tournament.

SEC Tournament bracket, schedule

All times EST.

First round

Wednesday, March 11

• G1: No. 9 Kentucky vs. No. 16 LSU, 12:30 p.m. (SECN)
• G2: No. 12 Auburn vs. No. 13 Mississippi State, 3 p.m. (SECN)
• G3: No. 10 Texas vs. No. 15 Ole Miss, 7 p.m. (SECN)
• G4: No. 11 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 South Carolina, 9:30 p.m. (SECN)

Second round

Thursday, March 12

• G5: No. 8 Missouri vs. Game 1 winner, 12:30 p.m. (SECN)
• G6: No. 5 Tennessee vs. Game 2 winner, 3 p.m. (SECN)
• G7: No. 7 Georgia vs. Game 3 winner, 7 p.m. (SECN)
• G8: No. 6 Texas A&M vs. Game 4 winner, 9:30 p.m. (SECN)

Quarterfinals

Friday, March 13

• G9: No. 1 Florida vs. Game 5 winner, 1 p.m. (ESPN)
• G10: No. 4 Vanderbilt vs. Game 6 winner, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)
• G11: No. 2 Alabama vs. Game 7 winner, 7 p.m. (SECN)
• G12: No. 3 Arkansas vs. Game 8 winner, 9:30 p.m. (SECN)

Semifinals

Saturday, March 14

• G13: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 1 p.m. (ESPN)
• G14: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Final

Sunday, March 15

• Championship game, 1 p.m. (ESPN)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: SEC basketball tournament bracket, schedule, seeds, TV listings

Brazilian defender Matheus Thuler headed in the only goal as Vissel Kobe of Japan defeated FC Seoul of South Korea 1-0 on Wednesday in the first leg of the AFC Champions League Elite's round of 16.

Leonardo Ruiz had a chance to equalize for Seoul but missed a penalty in the second half.

“I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t win,” Seoul coach Kim Ki-dong said. “We showed our fight to turn it around but the round of 16 is not over yet and I am confident that we will win the next game.”

Benjamin Mazzeo’s strike in injury time earned Australia’s Melbourne City a 1-1 draw with Buriram United ahead of next week’s second leg in Thailand, while Johor Darul Tazim of Malaysia beat Japanese side Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3-1.

In the remaining fixture in the eastern half of the competition, South Korea’s Gangwon FC and Japan’s Machida Zelvia played out a 0-0 draw.

Games in the western zone have all been postponed following the U.S. and Israel attacks on Iran. The tournament is divided into two geographic halves until the quarterfinals.

All matches from the quarterfinal stage onward are scheduled to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from April 16–25 but it's unclear when games in the western zone can resume.

___

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

One of the most important ingredients for an instant classic in March Madness during the NCAA Tournament involves who is on the call for the game.

Nothing in college basketball hits as hard as when Bill Raftery calls out his legendary "onions" when a player hits a clutch shot late in a game, likely making the difference between winning or going home in the single-elimination tournament.

REQUIRED READING: March Madness bracket tracker: Who's in, out and on men's NCAA Tournament bubble

To no shock, when CBS and TNT Sports announced their lineup for announcers for the 2025-26 tournament, Raftery was grouped with Ian Eagle, Grant Hill and Tracy Wolfson for the call on the semifinal and championship game on April 4 and 6, respectively. It will be the third straight year the quartet works together for these games.

Here's a look at who the networks will have on the call for games and studio broadcast during the 2026 NCAA Tournament:

2026 NCAA Tournament game announcers

It's not a shock that Raftery, Eagle, Hill and Wolfson will serve as the lead announcing team throughout the tournament. Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson and Allie LaForce will form one team through the regional round, while Kevin Harlan, Robbie Hummel, Stan Van Gundy and and Lauren Shehadi form another. Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas and Evan Washburn form the third team.

Here's a look at all the CBS/TNT announcing teams:

• Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery, Grant Hill and Tracy Wolfson: Through championship game
• Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson and Allie LaForce: Through regional finals
• Kevin Harlan, Robbie Hummel, Stan Van Gundy and and Lauren Shehadi: Through regional finals
• Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas and Evan Washburn: Through regional finals
• Brandon Gaudin, Chris Webber and Andy Katz: First and second rounds
• Spero Dedes, Jim Spanarkel and Jon Rothstein: First and second rounds
• Tom McCarthy, Candace Parker, Dan Bonner and AJ Ross: First and second rounds
• Brad Nessler, Wally Szczerbiak and Jared Greenberg: First and second rounds

2026 NCAA Tournament studio analysts

Adam Zucker and Nate Burleson are set to host the studio coverage from New York at the CBS Broadcast Center. Charles Barkley, Clark Kellogg and Kenny Smith will join the duo. Meanwhile, Adam Lefkoe will host the studio coverage from Atlanta, at the TNT Sports Studio. Bruce Pearl, Jamal Mashburn, Jalen Rose and Seth Davis are set to join Lefkoe.

Ernie Johnson will host the studio coverage during the Final Four.

Here's a look at the all the studio analysts this tournament:

• Host: Nate Burleson, New York
• Host: Adam Zucker, New York
• Host: Adam Lefkoe, Atlanta
• Host: Ernie Johnson, Final Four
• Analyst: Clark Kellogg, New York
• Analyst: Charles Barkley, New York
• Analyst: Kenny Smith, New York
• Analyst: Renee Montgomery, New York
• Analyst: Jamal Mashburn, Atlanta
• Analyst: Jalen Rose, Atlanta
• Analyst: Seth Davis, Atlanta
• Analyst: Bruce Pearl, Atlanta
• Game updates: Jamie Erdahl
• Rules analyst: Gene Steratore

2026 NCAA Tournament First Four announcers

The tournament officially tips off on Tuesday, March 17 and Wednesday, March 18 with the First Four games on truTV. Jordan Kent and Spanarkel, with Jenny Dell as the courtside reporter on the call the first game on Tuesday, as well as both games on Wednesday, from Dayton, Ohio.

The second game on Tuesday will be called by Anderson, Barkley and Dick Vitale, with Dell serving as the courtside reporter.

The studio coverage for the First Four games will come from Atlanta, with Lefkoe hosting and analysts Pearl, Mashburn, Rose and Davis joining him.

• Game 1: Jordan Kent, Jim Spanarkel and Jenny Dell
• Game 2: Brian Anderson, Charles Barkley, Dick Vitale and Jenny Dell
• Game 3: Jordan Kent, Jim Spanarkel and Jenny Dell
• Game 4: Jordan Kent, Jim Spanarkel and Jenny Dell

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NCAA Tournament announcers for CBS, TNT for 2026 March Madness

The Big Ten basketball regular season is down to the final four games Sunday. Teams are still jockeying for Big Ten Tournament seedings with positions 2 through 4 earning the all-important triple-bye to the quarterfinals.

Michigan has wrapped up the top seed in next week's expanded Big Ten Tournament, winning the regular-season title with a few games to spare.

Purdue, which began the season ranked No. 1 in the country, will be the No. 7 seed in the Big Ten Tournament after losing Saturday at home to Wisconsin, and UCLA beating USC.

March Madness bubble watch: Stock up, down heading into conference tournaments

Insider: How Dusty May turned Michigan into conqueror in 2 years

This year, the Big Ten Tournament expanded to all 18 teams. So Penn State, Oregon and Maryland, who would have been in line to miss the tournament, get a chance to play in Chicago.

Here's how the bracket looks as of Sunday, March 8.

HIT REFRESH FOR UPDATES.

Big Ten tournament bracket update, live seedings (March 8)

All times EST.

First round

Tuesday, March 10

• G1: No. 16 Oregon vs. No. 17 Maryland, 5 p.m. (Peacock)
• G2: No. 15 Northwestern vs. No. 18 Penn State, 7:30 p.m. (Peacock)

Second round

Wednesday, March 11

• G3: No. 9 Iowa vs. Game 1 winner, noon (Peacock)
• G4: No. 12 Washington vs. No. 13 USC, 2:30 p.m. (Peacock)
• G5: No. 10 Indiana vs. Game 2 winner, 6:30 p.m. (BTN)
• G6: No. 11 Minnesota vs. No. 14 Rutgers, 9 p.m. (BTN)

Third round

Thursday, March 12

• G7: No. 8 Ohio State vs. Game 3 winner, noon (BTN)
• G8: No. 5 Wisconsin vs. Game 4 winner, 2:30 p.m. (BTN)
• G9: No. 7 Purdue vs. Game 5 winner, 6:30 p.m. (BTN)
• G10: No. 6 UCLA vs. Game 6 winner, 9 p.m. (BTN)

Quarterfinals

Friday, March 13

• G11: No. 1 Michigan vs. Game 7 winner, noon (BTN)
• G12: No. 4 Illinois vs. Game 8 winner, 2:30 p.m. (BTN)
• G13: No. 2 Michigan State vs. Game 9 winner, 6:30 p.m. (BTN)
• G14: No. 3 Nebraska vs. Game 10 winner, 9 p.m. (BTN)

Semifinals

Saturday, March 14

• G15: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 1 p.m. (CBS)
• G16: Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner, 3:30 p.m. (CBS)

Final

Sunday, March 15

• Championship game, 3:30 p.m. (CBS)

Big Ten college basketball games today, schedule

All times EST.

Sunday, March 8

• Penn State at Rutgers, noon (BTN)
• Illinois at Maryland, 3 p.m. (FOX)
• Michigan State at Michigan, 4:30 p.m. (CBS)
• Iowa at Nebraska, 5 p.m. (FOX)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Big Ten basketball tournament bracket update, schedule, projected seeds

Something has been in the air lately, almost like a bug—or perhaps an injury bug? Jokes aside, both Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. have had ankle injuries in recent games. Amen hurt his ankle in Monday’s game against the Washington Wizards, while Jabari was injured during last Thursday’s game against the Orlando Magic.

Houston’s upcoming injury report is anticipated to include an official severity update for Amen, and Jabari’s comeback is anticipated on Thursday when Houston plays the Golden State Warriors. Smith and Thompson are both dealing with ankle issues, which is testing Houston’s depth. The coaching staff has been compelled to experiment with lineup combinations, increasing the responsibility of secondary scorers and bench contributions. The absence of two young building blocks also affects chemistry. Thompson and Smith make up the squad’s long-term core; their extended absence disrupts the team’s identity-building process.

Luckily for Houston, neither injury is currently believed to be a season-ending one. Both players remain vital to the Rockets’ present and future objectives. Thompson’s top priorities will be steadiness and regaining confidence when going downhill. Smith’s main goal is to ensure that the ankle is strong enough to endure defensive shifts and heavy minute workloads. As the season goes on, both talent and health might determine the Rockets’ destiny. Houston will have two dynamic players who can alter the tempo of a game on any given night if Smith and Thompson heal completely. Without Thompson and Smith, expect more minutes from members of the “stay ready crew” such as Aaron Holiday and Jeff Green, along with Reed Sheppard starting.

The Rockets will be back in action Thursday at 6:30 pm as they take on the Orlando Magic at Toyota Center. You can watch the game on SCHN, and as always, be sure to check back at The Dream Shake for both pre- and post-game content.

Rob Dillingham looked like something close to Gen Z Allen Iverson in college when he was tearing it up for the Kentucky Wildcats next to Reed Sheppard. The super shifty point guard was ripping deep three-pointers, cooking defenders off the bounce, and playing with a flair that energized fans and teammates alike. The Minnesota Timberwolves were so sold on Dillingham that they traded a first-round pick seven years out to move up to the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 draft to select him.

Dillingham could not get on the floor for a contending Wolves team in his first 1.5 seasons, so at the trade deadline Minnesota dealt him to Chicago for Ayo Dosunmu. Taking a flier on the 21-year-old guard made sense for a rebuilding Bulls team, but so far the change of scenery hasn’t benefitted Dillingham too much.

As the Thunder were crushing the Bulls on Tuesday night, Dillingham had one of the strangest turnovers you will ever see. Pushing the ball on the break, the Chicago guard accidentally heel-kicked the ball to OKC. This is something straight out soccer, but not sure if Messi himself could actually pull off if he tried. Watch the play here:

This feels absolutely impossible to recreate. If Dillingham tried to do it 100 more times, I don’t think he could. That’s yours truly on the clip, and I’m just glad I had the game recording when such a strange play happened.

Dillingham needs to do two things to save his NBA career: cut down the turnovers, and improve as a shooter. He has a nearly 20 percent turnover rate since entering the league, which is about twice as high as it needs to be given his other limitations. For such a small guard to succeed, they need to be able to drain threes off the dribble. Dillingham’s 44 percent college three-point stroke has fallen to 31.7 percent in the NBA. A lot of his issues could probably be fixed just by getting stronger.

Dillingham is really fun to watch when he’s on, but his significant lack of both length and strength hurts him. This is just a bizarre play. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen it before, and I doubt I’ll ever see it again.

When Mike Brown was hired as the new honcho in July, it was abundantly clear that the Knicks would fundamentally change their offensive identity.

And while the team has been pretty similar to last season in terms of offensive rating, efficiency, and their overall standing in the league, there’s one thing that’s been different: three-point volume.

The Knicks are eighth in 3PA/g with 39.5 following their win in Toronto on Tuesday night. Last year? They were 27th with 34.1. The overall efficiency hasn’t changed too much (up to 37.5% from 36.9% last year), but in shooting 5.4 more attempts per game, the shot diet has been considerably augmented. They went from 38.2% of their shots being from 3 to having 43.7% of their shots be from downtown, a solid increase.

The biggest change, though, is that the team is now hunting the most efficient shot in the modern NBA, the corner 3. And for the most part, they’re knocking them down.

2024-25: 10.2 att/g (11th), 38.3% (17th)
2025-26: 12.4 att/g (T-1st), 43.0% (3rd)

That’s powered by some of the NBA’s most prolific corner 3 shooters, as Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby are 2nd and 3rd in attempts from the corner, respectively, while both are shooting over 42%. Deuce McBride, Landry Shamet, Josh Hart, and Jalen Brunson are also shooting over 39%. Hell, even Mo Diawara is on fire from the corner!

So the Knicks have shooters and a coach who prioritizes getting good, open looks at the most efficient spots. What could possibly go wrong?

The problem turns out to be that the Knicks aren’t the most consistent bunch. The numbers look spectacular, but not all “efficient” shooters are created equally. There’s the AJ Green’s of the world, that’s an absolute lock to at least go 3/6 or 4/10 even when he’s not 100% locked in. Then, there’s the type that will one game go 6/8 and the next game go 1/8, but ultimately average out at over 40%.

That’s, unfortunately, what the Knicks have been.

As such, the Knicks have had some really bad shooting games. Through 62 games, here are the Knicks’ records when they shoot a certain percentage from 3:

Over 45%: 13-0
Over 40%: 20-5
Over 34%: 37-9
Under 34%: 3-13
Under 30%: 1-9

The Knicks have not lost a game where they shoot better than 44% from 3. They have not won a game where they shoot worse than 28%. Of course, it’s obvious that a team will do better when they make more 3-pointers, but this disparity is extremely jarring. In fact, here are the exact same splits from the 2024-25 season:

Over 45%: 11-1
Over 40%: 24-4
Over 34%: 40-13
Under 34%: 11-18
Under 30%: 5-13

With the larger volume of threes being taken this year, there’s less margin for error when they don’t go down. Last year, the Knicks were able to occasionally win when inefficient from 3 because they usually shot less than 30 a night when they weren’t falling. This year? They’re trying to shoot 35-40 per game, regardless.

There are pros and cons to both systems. Last year’s offensive system was more flexible, but the ceiling of the current team is much higher because they can absolutely destroy teams when they knock down a barrage of threes. It also makes it so that, as long as they make enough shots, the volume will usually have them out in front.

Of course, what matters is making the shots when it counts. The Knicks are the league’s best three-point shooting team in the clutch this season (while also, strangely, being the worst free-throw shooting team), but that’s not entirely what I mean by making it when it matters.

In three matchups with the top-seeded Detroit Pistons this season, the Knicks are shooting an abysmal 29.6%. While some of that is elite Pistons defense, a deeper dive shows that it’s just really bad shotmaking.

Open threes: 5-33 (15.2%)
Wide-open threes: 19-56 (33.9%)

In the most recent defeat in Cleveland, the Knicks went an absolutely horrific 5-for-21 on wide-open triples. Maybe a good percentage of those bolsters an offense that was stuck in neutral all night there.

When the Knicks lose, it’s because they can’t make shots. Very few times (outside the 11-game stretch, of course) are they just completely overmatched and outplayed in all facets. There will be that game where Brunson is stuck in a box, and his supporting cast is either in street clothes or just not effective. There will be nights when important players are injured. There will be nights when the effort level isn’t there.

But a lot of times, it really just boils down to making open threes. When they make them, they’re extremely hard to beat.

Yesterday, the Hawks took action to fill their third and final two-way spot with the signing of Keshon Gilbert. The report broken by Jake L. Fischer of the Stein Line substack:

Caleb Houston was recently converted from his two-way deal to a standard contract. In that space is now Gilbert, who played for the Wizards earlier this season.

Gilbert is a 22-year-old rookie guard who went undrafted from Iowa State. He’s a solid playmaker and defender with good size for a point guard.

He joins Christian Koloko and RayJ Dennis as the other Hawks on two-way deals.

On Tuesday night, NBC flashed back to the 1990s and the result was more entertaining than any episode of Friends I’ve seen. With the NBA once more on the network this season as part of the league’s changing media rights landscape, NBC did a retro broadcast of the Sixers-Spurs game in Philadelphia. I adored it, despite the results of the game.

The network’s pregame show, featuring the likes of old-school NBA on NBC commentators Hannah Storm,  P.J. P.J. Carlesimo and Isiah Thomas handled the pregame action, discussing the Sixers-Spurs game while mixing in clips from the ‘90s and the turn of the millennium to augment the retro feel. Sure, today’s younger fans want to know the latest on Victor Wembanyama and Tyrese Maxey, but seeing videos of former Sixers coach Larry Brown and NBA Finals matchups of yesteryear was a treat.

As things changed to actual in-game action, NBC brought the goods with the graphics package.

The starting lineups?

The scorebug?

They were both great touches and the fact that the Sixers were donning their Allen Iverson-era throwback uniforms only made it that much more sweet.

A classic group of announcers were on the mic too with Bob Costas, Doug Collins and Mike Fratello, as well as Jim Gray as a sideline reporter. I have been vocal over the last 15 years about my disdain for Collins’ tenure as a coach in Philadelphia, but he was an excellent player as a Sixer and defining color commentator for the sport.

I love basketball history. If you’re a fan of the modern game, you should too. This isn’t to say that any teenager should automatically proclaim that Michael Jordan was better than their GOAT in LeBron James. Form your own opinions, but be informed of what transpired in the game, from the on-court action of the former legends to all the minutiae surrounding it that made us all fall for hoops in the first place. That connective tissue is everything. Sure, things have changed mightily over the decades. This game is airing concurrently on a streaming service, for instance, but our collective love of basketball still shines through.

This shouldn’t be a one-off thing. Doing it weekly would diminish the aura of it, but how about monthly at least? Maybe you can’t get the whole crew of announcers together for that many games, but if the broadcast, graphics, court and uniforms adhere to the era, let’s keep going with this blast to past. Perhaps it reels back in some lapsed NBA fans while also giving younger generations a reason to go on a Wikipedia or basketball-reference wormhole to learn about everything that led to Wembanyama and Maxey now being the kings of the court.

A three-pointer clanked off the side of the backboard. Four players were whistled for technical fouls. Passes from the Lakers and the New Orleans Pelicans sailed out of bounds.

The errors added up to an ugly game. The result, however, was beautiful for the Lakers, who notched a 110-101 comeback win over the Pelicans on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. They clawed back from an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win their third consecutive game, showing the kind of resolve coach JJ Redick said he hasn’t seen since November when the Lakers started 15-4.

“Nights like this can change the trajectory for teams and players,” guard Marcus Smart said. “So hopefully this win and tonight, in the way, the fashion that we won it, kicks our confidence up.”

Here are three takeaways from the game:

Marcus Smart gives Lakers life

With calm feet and fast hands, Smart reached in to swat the ball away from a driving Trey Murphy III. The final defensive flourish from Smart put a fitting full-stop on the Lakers' win as the former defensive player of the year set the tone with four steals and three blocked shots and made a key three-pointer in the fourth quarter to spark the comeback.

“He gave us life tonight,” Redick said.

The 12-year veteran was the only Laker to play every second of the fourth quarter, proving to be a vital piece of the closing rotation along with stars LeBron James, Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic.

Doncic led the Lakers with 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, although he had seven turnovers. James fueled the Lakers during the third quarter, scoring the team’s first nine points and finishing with 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Reaves shook off a bad offensive night to score eight of his 15 points in the fourth quarter.

Read more:All five starters score in double figures as Lakers defeat the Pelicans

With so many offensive superstars around him, Smart has instead “starred in his role,” Redick said. The assignment is defense, a role Smart has dutifully filled his whole career.

“He’s just a winning player,” James said. “He always has been. Ever since I started watching him at Oklahoma State, all the way until being a pro.”

Jaxson Hayes stands up to Zion Williamson

Matching the physicality of Pelicans forwards Zion Williamson and Saddiq Bey was on the top of the Lakers’ scouting report. But the task is easier said than done.

Reaves admitted to being “terrified” of stepping in front of a driving Williamson to draw a charge. The 6-foot-6, 284-pound Pelicans forward is just as physical as he is athletic, creating a fearsome combination for defenders. Healthy for the first time in two seasons, Williamson led the Pelicans with 24 points on 10-for-18 shooting.

“We haven't seen somebody like that in a long time, right?” Smart said. “[With] his ability. But [being] willing to put your body there, take a charge, take an elbow to the face, box him out, go vertical, is definitely something that you got to be willing to do, and not everybody's willing to do it. And that's the difference in the game.”

Center Jaxson Hayes was up to the task. He absorbed a Williamson elbow in the fourth quarter and ended up in the front row of the stands holding his jaw. But the knock was worth it for the offensive foul that helped maintain the Lakers’ 14-0 run that quickly erased the Pelicans’ eight-point lead. The scoring streak started immediately after Hayes subbed back into the game with 7:20 remaining when he scored on his first possession, cutting to the basket for a dunk off an assist from Doncic.

Hayes had eight points, six rebounds and two blocks, playing nearly 23 minutes off the bench in his biggest workload as a substitute since Jan. 20 against Denver. After playing with Hayes in New Orleans during the center’s first two years in the league, Redick lauded the seventh-year pro's improvement. Hayes is sinking touch shots around the rim now. He has improved his decision making in the pocket. After getting benched for his defensive lapses last season, Hayes has impressed coaches with his consistent ability to stay vertical while protecting the rim. And he still brings the same trademark athleticism that made him the eighth overall pick in 2019.

“He consistently injects energy into the group when he runs the floor, blocks a shot, or he gets those dunks,” Redick said.

It's winning time

The Lakers steadied themselves with three wins over bottom-feeding teams. Now things get interesting.

With less than six weeks left of the regular season, the Lakers face a critical stretch of games that could shake up the playoff picture. Five of the Lakers’ next eight games are against the three teams directly ahead of them in the Western Conference, beginning with Thursday’s showdown in Denver. The Lakers are just half a game behind the Nuggets (38-24) for fifth place in the West. Behind conference favorites Oklahoma City and San Antonio, third and sixth place in the West are separated by just 1½ games.

Players are “aware” of the tight standings, Smart said. But the potentially season-defining stretch can’t be at the forefront of their minds now.

“We don't have the luxury to look ahead,” Smart said. “I think if we can stay that course and just focus [on] one game at a time, [we can] give ourselves a chance to do some things and catch a good rhythm.”

The Lakers also play fourth-place Minnesota (39-23) at home on March 10 and have consecutive road games at third-place Houston (38-22) on March 16 and 18.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Wizards lost another one — this time a reasonably competitive game (at least for a while) against the Orlando Magic. The final margin: 17.

That 17-point final gap sounds big for the words “reasonably competitive,” and those words in this case are not intended to convey the idea that the Wizards ever had a serious chance of winning. They did play Orlando about even in three of the four quarters, though it always felt like the Magic were just better and would eventually go on a run.

That happened in the third quarter, which the Magic “won” by 13.

Although I’ve written variations of this next point many times the past couple years, it bears repeating: this kind of loss is by design. I mean, they gave 33 minutes to JuJu Reese, 31 to Leaky Black, and 20 to Sharife Cooper. This is not to slander any of them — if they work very hard and smart, each of them has the ability to be on NBA rosters and maybe in a team’s rotation for the next several years.

Possibly.

At this point, they’re G-Leaguers, 10-day, and two-way guys. Which is to say, not ready to offer serious competition to a professional team making a push to get their collective stuff together in time for the playoffs. Maybe that will be the Wizards in the future.

Thoughts & Observations

• Trae Young will make his Wizards debut on Thursday against the Utah Jazz. Expect a tight minutes restriction, especially if he’s playing well. This one — and Sunday’s game at the New Orleans Pelicans are must lose for the Wizards.
• After deploying a tiny lineup that got bludgeoned inside by the Houston Rockets, Washington opened even smaller. Kyshawn George was out with a “sprained elbow,” so head coach Brian Keefe started Will Riley, who’s…yet to develop muscles. Somehow, the Wizards (slightly) out-rebounded the Magic.
• Coulibaly picked up two fouls in the first two minutes of the game. Keefe left him in, and he committed his third foul with five minutes left in the period. Given the team’s goals, and the reality that he wasn’t going to play more than 24 minutes, I thought Keefe should have let him continue playing — even with three fouls in the first quarter. Let him get the experience of defending through foul trouble.
• The Wizards struggled frequently to get shots in the halfcourt. They had back-to-back shot clock violations in the first quarter. In the second, they committed consecutive backcourt violations.
• Related: a recurring entry in my game notes was something along the lines of “nice move (or shot), but…” and the “but” would be followed by something about how hard the Wizards had to get a difficult shot. I made that note about Coulibaly, Tre Johnson, Will Riley, Bub Carrington, and Jaden Hardy.
• Related-related: Difficult shot-making is valuable and necessary. But it cannot be the foundation of an efficient NBA offense. Much more valuable is the ability to generate easy shots. The Wizards aren’t there right now. It’s something that may come — they’re gaining experience, and they can improve with work on their bodies, skills, and decision-making.
• From what I’ve seen so far, Reese has a very long ways to go to have an NBA career. He’s an undersized center whose best skill seems to be passing. He’s not a rim protector (by aptitude or athleticism). He was ineffective as a switch defender. He’s not nearly strong enough to bring high-level physicality.
• Riley scored on a first-quarter possession that involved some fine moves and aggression. And it drove me nuts because it should have been illegal. On the move, I thought he double-dribbled once and committed at least three carries. Good move based on the way the NBA is currently officiated. It should have been a turnover.
• From the notebook: Orlando’s offense is an incoherent mess.
• Jaden Hardy is very confident in his ability to make shots.
• Orlando shot 1-12 from three in the first half. They finished the game 10-25, which means they hit 9-13 in the second half. The quality of looks didn’t seem to change — just the result.
• Coulibaly has been more aggressive offensively the past few weeks. One possession last night was a bit worrisome — he tried to post up on Tristan da Silva, got forced into a weirdly contorted fling, and got his shot blocked.
• Every time I see Orlando play, I’m a bit underwhelmed by Paolo Banchero. That was true even last night when he had 37 points and 6 assists with very good efficiency. He seems heavily reliant on difficult shots and inefficient mid-rangers. Last night, he took mid-range faders when being defended by Riley — where Banchero has big size and strength advantages. I think center is the best position for Banchero and the Magic, except that his lack of rim protection might undermine their defense more than he’d benefit their offense.
• Going by the Game Score metric on basketball-reference, this was the fifth best game of Jett Howard’s career. He scored 12 points on six shots.

Four Factors

Below are the four factors that decide wins and losses in basketball — shooting (efg), rebounding (offensive rebounds), ball handling (turnovers), fouling (free throws made).

The four factors are measured by:

• eFG% (effective field goal percentage, which accounts for the three-point shot)
• OREB% (offensive rebound percentage)
• TOV% (turnover percentage — turnovers divided by possessions)
• FTM/FGA (free throws made divided by field goal attempts)

Stats & Metrics

PPA is my overall production metric, which credits players for things they do that help a team win (scoring, rebounding, playmaking, defending) and dings them for things that hurt (missed shots, turnovers, bad defense, fouls).

PPA is a per possession metric designed for larger data sets. In small sample sizes, the numbers can get weird. In PPA, 100 is average, higher is better and replacement level is 45. For a single game, replacement level isn’t much use, and I reiterate the caution about small samples sometimes producing weird results.

POSS is the number of possessions each player was on the floor in this game.

ORTG = offensive rating, which is points produced per individual possessions x 100. League average so far this season is listed in the Four Factors table above. Points produced is not the same as points scored. It includes the value of assists and offensive rebounds, as well as sharing credit when receiving an assist.

USG = offensive usage rate. Average is 20%. Median so far this season is 17.7%.

ORTG and USG are versions of stats created by former Wizards assistant coach Dean Oliver and modified by me. ORTG is an efficiency measure that accounts for the value of shooting, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers. USG includes shooting from the floor and free throw line, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers.

+PTS = “Plus Points” is a measure of the points gained or lost by each player based on their efficiency in this game compared to league average efficiency on the same number of possessions. A player with an offensive rating (points produced per possession x 100) of 100 who uses 20 possessions would produce 20 points. If the league average efficiency is 115, the league — on average — would produced 23.0 points in the same 20 possessions. So, the player in this hypothetical would have a +PTS score of -3.0.

Players are sorted by total production in the game.