Category: Basketball

After missing an abundance of practice time and 63 games on the court, the connection between Jayson Tatum and Neemias Queta looks like it hasn’t been affected.  

Following his return from injury, Tatum offered insight into the conversations he and Queta shared. 

“Me and Neemi had a little talk during the game,” he said. “We were just like, ‘man, this is our first day really playing together.’” While the two logged 385 minutes together last season, there is still, as he noted, “some things we got to work on.”  

And if Tatum’s first game back against the Dallas Mavericks was any indication of a starting point, there is ample reason for excitement about what lies ahead.  

The most common action for this tandem features Queta setting an on-ball screen, creating scoring opportunities for Tatum. As I noted before this season, Queta utilizes his body exceptionally well in these situations. 

At his best he’s leveraging his full frame with a low, wide base to effectively shield on-ball defenders.  

Even in situations where Tatum doesn’t convert, you can see just how much space he has to work with thanks to Queta.  

Tatum even praised Queta, saying he has “really turned into an excellent screener” following the Celtics’ 111–100 win over the Washington Wizards. 

That same game also marked Queta’s second-highest scoring output of the season, as he poured in 24 points on 11-of-13 shooting, with Tatum’s precise passing playing a key role in setting him up.  

Since Tatum’s return, he has nine assists to Queta which is tied for the most to a teammate with Derrick White. Tatum’s passing variety and pass placement adds another layer to an already really good offense.  These skills have already enhanced Queta’s opportunities as a scorer.  

Coach Joe Mazzulla was also asked what he has seen from the duo following the win over the Wizards. He pointed to Queta’s growth, noting that his “ability as a connector, his ability to set screens, his ability to get guys open, his ability to read the floor in transition and create those two-on-ones early in the shot clock is something that he’s gotten better at. And with JT back, it just takes it to another level.” 

The Celtics bigs have thrived setting those early offense screens this year which consist of “Flare” screens, “Veer” screens, and “Wide” action screens. I went very deep into detailing each of these screens in my Luka Garza spotlight.

When it pertains to Queta and Tatum though, the Flare screen has dominated their early offense connection.  

A Flare screen is an off-ball screen set in between the passer and the recipient.  

Queta has been able to set these really effectively giving Tatum room to score, attack, and pass to others.  

Tatum also has the ability to set those Flare screens and allow Queta to pass.  

Looking more into Queta’s passing, he has had his fair share of dimes to Tatum as well.  

Queta’s screening and improved ability as a handoff passer also allows him to be compatible in “Blind Pig” actions.  

Here’s a detailed look at what Blind Pig is and how it works for the Celtics.  

Another area where Queta has thrived since Tatum’s return is passing from the short roll. After the Celtics’ 120–99 win over the Golden State Warriors, Tatum continued to sing Queta’s praises, saying, “He’s really turned into a guy that we can trust throwing the ball in the seam, finishing at the rim and finding the open man. It’s just been really cool to see his development over the last few years.” 

“He’s exceeded expectations.”  

We really see both parties work together in these situations as they can create advantages for one another and do a great job capitalizing on it.  

Here Queta sets the screen on Stephon Castle, getting him off Tatum. That gets Tatum going downhill at Luke Kornet, who is Queta’s defender, opening the pocket for the pass. Dylan. Harper, younger brother of Celtics guard Ron Harper Jr., was also attracted to the Tatum drive. So, when the pass goes to the short roll and hits Queta, he spots Baylor Scheierman drifting to the corner away from Harper getting the Celtics an open look.  

Here Queta creates an advantage for Tatum with a pin-down screen, and the attention Tatum gets afterwards opens the short roll to Queta.  

Queta was asked about his chemistry with Tatum in the pick-and-roll in a postgame interview and said, “Yeah, it’s been getting better. I’ve been figuring out how to get him open looks, how to get him space to attack certain mismatches and it’s a work in progress and I feel like we’re trending in the right direction.”  

Tatum added that this connection has continued to grow because of the constant communication between the two. They “talk it out during the game, timeouts, after the game and as we get more reps, we’ll get more comfortable just knowing where each other is supposed to be.”  

Following the Celtics most recent 119–109 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Tatum spoke highly of his developing connection with Queta again, noting that their connection is “just growing each game.” He went on to praise Queta’s instincts and approach, adding, “Neemi’s a very smart player. He has a great feel for the game, he’s coachable, he listens, and he cares more than anything.”

The evolving chemistry between Jayson Tatum and Neemias Queta is more than just impressive; it’s a glimpse of the Celtics’ offensive potential when precision passing meets smart, physical play. From seamless on-ball screens to short-roll connections, Queta’s growth as a scorer and facilitator, combined with Tatum’s vision and scoring, is already adding to the team’s dynamic.  

And if this is only the beginning, the rest of the league better take notice. 

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have been together for nine NBA seasons. They have played 610 regular season games, 121 playoff games, 11 NBA Finals games, and of course, won the 2024 NBA championship together in 2024.

With all of this success, some people will still tell you with a straight face that they aren’t the best duo in the NBA right now — that is blasphemy. While only playing 9 games together this season, we have seen the chemistry build back up and this win against the Oklahoma City Thunder was the catalyst for me to say they have reclaimed their title as best duo in the NBA.

Jaylen Brown finished with his 33rd 30+ point game of the season with 31 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals on 9-17 shooting and 12-14 from free throw line. Jayson Tatum had another double-double, finishing with 19 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block while shooting 5-12 from the field and 3-6 from three.

I asked Brown in the postgame press conference his thoughts on playing alongside Tatum when both of them are dominating on the floor together. He said: “I felt like that was a great, encouraging game for JT, like high level intensity, physical team, and it felt like that was a step in the right direction. We still encourage them to get back to that level of aggression that we know and are used to. But I think today was a great game, and making the right plays, making the right reads, being physical and being Jayson Tatum, and I think it’s a step in the right direction.”

Jays Chemistry Together

If we’re talking chemistry, nothing was more apparent than this play at the 5:34 mark of the second quarter. All five players on the Thunder defense were watching Tatum in the right corner and he was still able to make an incredible pass to Brown who knocked down the three over a late Luguentz Dort contest.

When it came to the Jays contributing to the team together, we can look at the 11-0 run that Boston went on late in the second quarter. In this short burst, both Brown and Tatum were able to use their gravity to find wide open shooters for three and give the Celtics their first lead of the night with 1:15 left in the first half.

Takeover Mode

The best part about have two Top 10 players in the NBA is that at any given time they can takeover a game and we saw that the Thunder had no answer when it came to stopping the Jays.

Jayson Tatum went first, dominating the first half with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block on 4-7 shooting from the field and 2-4 from three. The second quarter specifically might have been the best he looked all season on both sides of the ball.

On offense, Tatum looked more aggressive in this quarter than in almost any other we have seen so far since he has come back. The threes he was able to make after going one-on-one with the defender and the drive he had against Chet Holmgren were great signs. His passing ability also looked sharp after some tough turnovers in the first quarter.

On defense, Tatum was active in the passing lanes, finishing with two steals on some poor offensive execution from the Thunder. I would say his block was the most impressive, coming out of no where to send back a shot from Dort. After the Celtics scored only 20 points in the first quarter, Tatum’s play led to Boston outscoring OKC 29-22 in the second quarter.

After Tatum set the stage in the first half, Jaylen Brown took the baton in the second half. Brown finished the second half with 24 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds on 6-7 shooting from the field and 12-14 from the free throw line.

Brown scored 14 points in the third quarter alone and did a great job of getting to the free throw line, taking 9 attempts. He affected the game with his scoring and facilitating as well. Brown just bullied any defender that was in his way to the basket with none better coming when he put three Thunder players on a poster.

His passing was huge when it came to kicking out to his open teammate after the defense decided to collapse and focus on him. Brown’s play led to the Celtics outscoring the Thunder 39-30 in the third quarter.

Brown continued his big second half in the fourth quarter to close the game, scoring 10 points on 3-3 shooting. He attacked the basket with aggression and even gave Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a taste of his own medicine, drawing a foul on a pump fake and finished the midrange jumper with a smile. Boston finished the game dominating OKC in the fourth quarter, outscoring them 31-26.

Final Verdict

You can go through the NBA right now and see a ton of great duos but none of them can compare to the level of Brown and Tatum when they are both at their best on the same night. This game against the Thunder showed that it doesn’t matter who the 1A or 1B is when it comes to talking about the Jays.

Instead, we saw both of them takeover the game to beat the number 1 team in the league who was riding a 12 game winning streak. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are the best duo in the NBA right now and the rest of the basketball world should be terrified that both of them are together again.

SAN JOSE, CA — Being a DJ is no easy job.

In front of thousands of people, you have to craft a setlist that flows smoothly and effortlessly while maintaining the atmosphere, keeping the crowd engaged and vibing to the environment they crave. 

The tough part is the perfection needed for it. You have to understand the moment while building the next one. One minor slip up can derail it all, killing the vibe and destroying all the work built toward that moment. You cannot afford it.

It’s quite the skill. Maybe that’s why Tommy Lloyd enjoys it.

“I can talk about that all day,” he said.

Leading Arizona in its quest of breaking its Final Four drought, Lloyd’s sidequest includes spinning it on the turntables in becoming a DJ.

He may not strike you as one you’d see mixing songs or making the beat drop, but Lloyd is quite the music lover. And this hobby he’s picked up has come with a masterful teacher, “one of the best DJs of all time” in Mix Master Mike.

“My sport is the art of turntables and hip hop. His sport is basketball. We just decided to collide into those two professions, and now we're here,” Mike told USA TODAY Sports. “It's just an amazing thing.”

It all starts with Lloyd being a big fan of the Beastie Boys, who toured with Mike, regarded as one of the greatest DJs to exist as a three-time world champion. Lloyd had seen him several times in-concert, and one day, decided he wanted to do more than listen to the music.

“He was just fascinated by the art. He's totally into music. He was, ‘yeah, I want to DJ with Mike,’” he said.

So, Mike invited him and his wife to his studio and decided to show Lloyd the ropes, which he said was “really cool to see them explain to you the process a little bit.” Since then, it’s been more than a DJ guru and student, but also a tight friendship between the two.

Mike also noticed how this fun side gig has helped Lloyd take his mind off the pressures of being a coach, a healthy balance when you can easily get consumed by work. 

All the learning and training led to the Red-Blue Showcase ahead of the season. In addition to being the introduction of the 2025-26 season, afterward was an afterparty outside of the arena.

It was headlined by Mike, Shaquille O’Neal — aka DJ Diesel — and Lloyd. 

Or, DJ Tomm-EE.

When he told the team about what he’d do, it seemed random. But also, not really.

“Honestly, kind of seems on brand,” said forward Tobe Awaka. “He's kind of a guy that likes to explore and do different things.”

So, how is DJ Tomm-EE?

“He did pretty good,” said guard Brayden Burries. “He got a little work to do, but he's pretty good. 

“I think he's still growing,” Awaka said. “For a beginner, they were solid.”

“He’s getting a lot better,” Mike said. “He has an ear for music.”

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So could you see Lloyd at EDC, the club or your next rave? 

Don’t bet on it. Lloyd insists his DJ career is “more of a joke” than his next profession, but he may be selling himself short. Mike insists he’s better than he likely thinks he is. You just don’t show your team samples of your mixes for nothing.

Plus, there are plenty of parallels between DJing and coaching. Just like on the sidelines, Mike noted Lloyd doesn’t get rattled when he’s in the zone. Lloyd himself may not be serious, but Mike said he’ll teach him “as far as he wants to go,” fulfilling an actual dream for him.

“It's been a little bit of a — I guess — I don't know if a childhood fantasy, but probably a manhood fantasy for me that's come true,” Lloyd said. “It's been awesome to have that relationship.”

The relationship has allowed Mike to join the Wildcat family, DJing for them during ESPN’s “College GameDay” and joining in on this successful season. Mike also made arrangements with his schedule to make sure he’s in San Jose for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, hoping to see Arizona make the Final Four for the first time since 2001.

It’s a stage the Wildcats have been at several times before, but have yet to break through. Maybe getting a world class DJ on your side could be the secret sauce.

Mike knows plenty about winning. He’s done it on the global stage. Now inspired and bought into Lloyd’s pursuit of excellence, he hopes he can see his good friend create the perfect setlist that trades dropping the bass for cutting down the nets.

“Me and coach are really tight with the music and just the sport of it. I mean, coming from a three-time world champion, a championship team needs a soundtrack, especially a victory soundtrack,” Mike said. “Whatever we have our sight on, we just don't stop until we win at it.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tommy Lloyd crafting perfect mix for Arizona basketball — and as a DJ

Last night in Memphis Victor Wembanyama tallied seven more blocks. That is his most blocks in game this season since tallying 9 in their October 24th overtime win against the New Orleans Pelicans, the second game of their season.

With a grand total of 610 blocks, Wemby elevates to 230th all-time moving past Jamaal Magloire, Armen Gilliam, and Nic Claxton.

Two nights prior in Miami, Wemby recorded his fourth game this season with 25 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks. That’s the most by any player in a single season since Tim Duncan had five in 2001-02.

But Victor isn’t limited only to comparisons to Tim Duncan. Miami is also where Wemby landed on his 4000th career point and 600th career block in the early moments of the second quarter. Those milestone elicited another Spurs legend.

Only David Robinson and Victor Wembanyama have scored 4000 points and accumulated 600 blocks in their first 175 games.

Throughout this stat-stacking run of games, Wemby has been making a case for his MVP campaign. He’s not shy about demanding what he feels is rightfully his, and the MVP is one of the them.

Spurs have a couple of days off before wrapping up this road stint in Milwaukee on Saturday afternoon.

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HOUSTON — It’s been almost 20 years, but Nebraska basketball coach Fred Hoiberg can still remember receiving a frantic phone call from his wife, Carol.

Between tears, Carol relayed that the couple’s two youngest sons, twins Charlie and Sam, were involved in a fight during a basketball game. Against each other.

“They were on the same team. Sam took a shot Charlie didn't like, and he went over and punched him and they squared up,” Fred Hoiberg said. “They were five years old.”

Sam and Charlie Hoiberg still possess that same fire – but instead of aiming their flamethrowers at each other, they’re channeling their competitiveness toward a common goal and making history together with their father.

In his seventh season as Nebraska’s head coach, Fred Hoiberg has the Cornhuskers in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the first time ever, where they’ll play Big Ten Conference rival Iowa March 25 in Houston.  

Sweet 16: Nebraska vs Iowa prediction, analysis, expert picks

Wearing No. 1 in the starting lineup will be Sam Hoiberg, who walked on at Nebraska to play for his dad and is now a fifth-year senior who has played every game of the last three seasons. On the sideline will be Charlie Hoiberg, who joined the Huskers’ staff as a graduate assistant this season after serving the last two years as a men’s basketball student manager at TCU.

The backdrop for their fateful family reunion is Nebraska’s winningest season in program history. The Huskers enter the Sweet 16 with a 28-6 record. Their 49 wins over the last two seasons are the program’s most in a two-year span, a transformation that seemed unfathomable when Fred Hoiberg was hired to resurrect the program in 2019.

Winter is over, though perhaps most NBA fans feel as if it’s just beginning. After a midseason slump, the Oklahoma City Thunder have won 12 of their last 13 games They’re clinging to a slim but steady three-game lead over the San Antonio Spurs atop the otherwise chaotic Western Conference. (The Lakers are good now? The Nuggets can’t find their footing? The Rockets can’t even stand up?) The Thunder’s flirtation with vulnerability was fun, but the defending champions look as invincible now as they did during their 24-1 run to begin the season. So, now as then, with nothing to criticize in the Thunder’s basketball, we are compelled to discuss their character and vibes.

Reviews are usually poor. I myself celebrated the Spurs when they recorded a hat-trick of wins over the Thunder in December, simply for injecting intrigue into a season that already seemed decided. The Defector podcast Nothing But Respect recently featured a series of anti-Thunder guests; after discussing the idea that artists don’t like OKC with musician Will Anderson, a host announced, “next week, we will have a real, actual Thunder expert to defend his team’s values”. Most of the comments on that episode seemed unconvinced by Ringer staff writer Tyler Parker’s arguments.

Nitpicking a player or team who has pulled away from the pack is one of sports’ greatest pleasures. But, at the risk of antagonizing fellow artists, I have caught myself feeling endeared by members of the Thunder lately.

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It started with their star, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He is a somewhat mechanically brilliant player, deadly in the count-on-it consistency of his midrange jumper. But this season, he has added a step-back three-pointer to his arsenal, with which he produces more viscerally awesome moments than ever before. In a neck-and-neck game on 9 March against the Nuggets, whose Nikola Jokić is arguably the only player in the world better than Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP hit one such three with 14 seconds left to seemingly ice the game. His teammate Jaylin Williams committed a foolish foul as Jokić answered with a three of his own, letting the Nuggets tie the game. In one universe, that play would make its way into basketball fail compilations, the beginning of a Thunder choke. In this universe, Gilgeous-Alexander simply drained one more three-pointer and put the game to bed for real.

A reporter later asked Gilgeous-Alexander if he knew what he was going to do before shooting those marvelous three-pointers. “I have answers to the test, I just have to see the questions first,” he responded.

As Harry Krinsky pointed out on Nothing But Respect, Gilgeous-Alexander has an unfortunate habit of talking in Instagram captions. Still, some transparent aura-farming after authoring one of the brightest highlights of the season is hardly unrelatable. (I regret to say that if in the same situation, the words “in the zone” probably would have passed through my lips.) Another of Gilgeous-Alexander’s most salient personality traits is his love for fashion; he has arrived for games wearing a mustard-colored leather suit and, more recently, a fur coat encircling his head. And Gilgeous-Alexander is hardly the only goofball on the Thunder. OKC frequently do their on-court interviews in groups, as if any given player needs a buddy at all times.

This is, undeniably, quite cringeworthy. And yet it feels something like refreshing for male athletes to bear their authentic selves and show a truth that is merely awkward and not ugly.

Next to Bryce Harper doing a military salute after hitting a home run at the World Baseball Classic, against Venezuela, clothes are a lovely discussion topic. The Thunder recently declined a visit to the White House – not in the strongest terms, citing a “timing issue”, but they did decline it, unlike the US men’s hockey team. (They also didn’t laugh at a quip about their female counterparts on a call with the president.)

Related: The Celtics’ orca-loving Joe Mazzulla is an NBA oddball. He’s also a masterful coach

And it’s not like no other top NBA teams grate. The Boston Celtics are the best story in the league right now, but do not let the romance of Jayson Tatum’s comeback make you forget that, at their best, the Celtics make an agonizing parody of analytics in how much they rely on the three-pointer. Jokić has made a habit lately of lying atop opposing players and squashing them to the ground. Victor Wembanyama can be a little too sanctimonious in his rose-tinted view of how the Spurs play basketball. The Detroit Pistons play defense as physically as the Thunder, or any other team in the league. The Lakers are the Lakers.

So it’s hardly the worst thing in the world that the best basketball team is a little bland and corny off the court and a little bloodless on it. There are things to admire, too. Gilgeous-Alexander gifted his teammates Rolex watches after winning MVP last year. The fuel for the Thunder’s vaunted defense is little more than trying incredibly hard, amusingly seen recently when Alex Caruso tried to block a shot with his shoe. (Refs rewarded his creativity with a tech. Cowards.) It is a nice thought that with such common currency as authenticity and effort, the rest of us could excel similarly. Oklahoma City’s quirks will continue to feed animosity for as long as they remain great, but when winter comes for them in earnest, I bet they’ll feel the warmth of more fans.

CLEVELAND — For the first time in five games, the Cleveland Cavaliers weren’t bailed out by their offense as they fell to the Miami Heat 120-103.

“If you want to win in the league, you have to commit to defense,” Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said before the game. “Point blank, you’re not going to win in the playoffs if you can’t defend. … You need that mentality first. Personnel definitely contributes to that. And schemes are a third.”

Right now, the Cavs are missing parts of all three of those ingredients, leading to another poor defensive performance.

Let’s break those elements down in the order Spoelstra laid out.

The defensive mentality just isn’t there for the Cavs. Good defenses aren’t just sometimes making the correct rotations; they do so every time to the point that there’s a sadistic joy in how they’re able to constantly beat their opponent to the spot they want to be, no matter how much effort it takes.

That just isn’t a priority for the Cavs right now. They’ll have a possession where there’s some extra effort, or an individual player might be hustling, but all five guys aren’t on a string like they need to be great.

You can hide bad defensive players. You just can’t hide ones that aren’t competing on that end. The Cavs have too many guys that fall into that latter bucket to be effective right now.

Second, the Cavs don’t have the personnel to be a dominant defense without Jarrett Allen (knee) and Dean Wade (ankle). There isn’t enough resistance at the point of attack to be good. That’s what happens when you have Donovan Mitchell and James Harden in your starting backcourt.

That issue is exaggerated by the lack of wing defense as well. Wade is a good defender, but his injury history and inconsistent offense make it difficult to fully trust him in the playoffs. And there aren’t many good options outside of that. Neither Max Strus, Jaylon Tyson, nor Keon Ellis has the size to handle bigger threes. That, inherently, limits how effective they can be at the point of attack when they’re guarding up a position.

The entire foundation of this defense is based on the idea that Evan Mobley and Allen can clean everything up. They’ve shown they can do so with the Darius Garland and Mitchell backcourt — they just haven’t been on the floor long enough to prove they can with this iteration.

Lastly, the scheme just doesn’t make sense.

The Cavs are overcompensating for their poor point-of-attack defense by collapsing too much into the paint on drives. They’re doing so even when the primary defender is in a good guarding position. This unnecessary help allows for clean three-point looks that are just an easy pass away.

Here are nine examples of the Cavs giving up clean three-point looks because of overhelping.

To the Cavs credit, they did prevent shots at the rim. Miami was in the 11th percentile for shot attempts in the restricted area. However, that isn’t helpful when that comes at the cost of giving up this many open threes.

There’s sound logic to wanting to lock down the paint. However, when it’s taken too far — and the execution falls short — it can lead to disastrous results.

“It’d be great if we sat here and said, ‘Yeah, we have no flaws,’ but no team has no flaws,” Donovan Mitchell said postgame.

It isn’t difficult to figure out that defense is this team’s major issue. However, he’s also right to point out that every team has weaknesses — including the top championship contenders. The teams that are best at hiding their shortcomings are the ones that will separate themselves in what is a wide-open playoff field.

The question is whether the Cavs can mask this issue in a way that isn’t just as simple as scoring 125 points on the other end. That’s what they’re going to be using the last nine games to figure out.

“That’s going to be our entire focus, how can we get to the level defensively that we’ve shown at times this year?” Sam Merrill said.

Despite what NBA coaches say, offense is more important in the postseason.

Coaches never have to get their team to try offensively, but that’s a common issue on the other end. That lends to this being a consistent point of emphasis. At the same time, it’s also fair to wonder how much the defense is going to limit their playoff ceiling, given how elite the offense has been — this game notwithstanding.

The Cavs have been fourth in offensive rating since Harden’s debut. They’ve done so with a much more diverse offensive profile than last year’s team, which isn’t solely built around the three-ball. This version of the Cavs has been elite at generating cleaner looks at all three levels and getting to the line in a way last year’s team wasn’t.

It’s also worth pointing out that defenses typically get better in the playoffs. The amount of game planning you can do, combined with the increased physicality, naturally lends itself to better defensive play. Offense is what truly separates teams, and what has led to the Cavs’ downfall in their last three playoff runs. And they still will have two elite rim protectors in Allen and Mobley to help mitigate some of the issues we’re seeing.

Even though the on-court product hasn’t been great, the Cavs are confident that they can turn things around before the games really start to matter.

“I have no doubt that everyone in this locker room is ready,” Mitchell said of the playoffs. “We have some things that we can clean up and fix. We have time to fix it, and we’re going to continue to build upon that. … We have a group that’s ready, that’s hungry, and I think we’ll be ready to go.”

The men's NCAA Tournament resumes Thursday with the first half of the round of 16 in action.

The teams assigned to the West and South Regionals take the stage first. An accomplished quartet will be on display in San Jose, where three power conference tournament champions along with one of the last teams to squeeze into the at-large pool hope to continue their winning ways. In Houston, the home-town Cougars must outlast three more representatives of the Big Ten in their quest to make it back to the Final Four.

Here’s everything you need to know about the matchups, including TV channels and tip times.

No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 11 Texas

Time/TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, CBS

The Boilermakers were expected to be here at the start of the campaign, though they hit a slump during the Big Ten schedule that had some observers wondering if their lofty preseason ranking was misplaced. The conference tournament seems to have flipped a switch for them, but the Longhorns have also unlocked something after a break-even SEC run. Purdue’s triumvirate of Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn, who’ve been playing together for multiple years, gives the team something of an old-school vibe. Matt Painter has made use of the portal as well, of course, adding a post presence in the person of Oscar Cluff. He’ll be needed to keep Texas big man Matas Vokietaitis at bay. Longhorns guard Tramon Mark has hit his share of big shots in his collegiate career, but the alpha dog for this group is Dailyn Swain, the team leader in points, assists, rebounds and steals.

No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Iowa

Time/TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV

This might not have been the encounter between conference opponents we expected in the Big Dance, but there’s no disputing the Cornhuskers and Hawkeyes won their way here. The rivals from neighboring states actually met twice during the regular season, each winning on its own home court in close fashion. Nebraska gets much of its production from versatile forwards Pryce Sandfort and Rienk Mast, who can score from any level. But much of their work is facilitated by point guard Sam Hoiberg, who also battles his way to 5.3 rebounds a game despite often being the smallest guy on the court. The good news for Iowa is the team managed to survive a rare bad shooting game from Bennett Stirtz. His slump likely won’t continue, but Taveon Banks and Alvaro Folgueiras can help.

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No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 4 Arkansas

Time/TV: 9:45 p.m. ET, CBS

This heavyweight bout between the champions of the Big 12 and SEC should probably not be happening in the round of 16, but relitigating committee business is moot at this juncture. What is not pointless is noting the high magnitude of star power that will be on display in the San Jose nightcap. The brightest in the constellation is Razorbacks’ do-everything lead guard Darius Acuff Jr. Members of his supporting cast like Meleek Thomas and Trevon Brazile have done their share to contribute to Arkansas’s journey to this point, but expect the ball to be in Acuff’s hands when the game is on the line. The Wildcats are aware of that, of course, and they have no shortage of options themselves for offense and defense. Freshmen Brayden Burries and Koa Peat are often the finishers, but the veteran presence of Jaden Bradley makes the entire operation run smoothly. But Arizona’s biggest advantage might be on the glass, where the Wildcats average a double-digit rebound margin and the Razorbacks can struggle at times.

No. 2 Houston vs. No. 3 Illinois

Time/TV: 10:05 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV

The Fighting Illini have certainly played in their share of road environments, which this almost certainly will be even if it isn’t the Cougars’ actual arena. What is more concerning for Illinois faithful, however, is how the team handled late-game situations over the last month of the campaign – or rather didn’t handle them. The Illini have avoided that issue thus far in the Big Dance by winning comfortably, but that isn’t likely to be the case against the well-drilled Cougars. Houston has a solid mix of veterans from last year’s national runner-up squad like Milos Uzan, Emanuel Sharp and Joseph Tugler, joined by high-impact recruits Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac. Illinois has its own standout freshman in Keaton Wagler. Perhaps even more important, the Illini’s big front line featuring David Mirkovic and the brothers Ivisic, Tomislav and Zvonimir, are capable of generating second chances, which will likely be needed against the Cougars’ pressure defense.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness games today: NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 schedule

The men's NCAA basketball tournament now enters its second week. Even though the teams remaining still have to win four more games to claim a coveted national championship, this is the part of the tournament at which teams and their fans can realistically envision the possibility that it really can happen. That is the case even for programs that have never managed to get over the hump.

Ten of the 16 teams still alive in the Big Dance are seeking that elusive first title, but several others haven’t raised a banner since the turn of the millennium.

Here’s a cursory ranking of the eight matchups on tap this week in the Sweet 16.

1. Connecticut vs. Michigan State

Time/TV: Friday, 9:45 p.m. ET

This is the only matchup left in the field featuring coaches with national titles, though it’s been considerably longer since Michigan State and Tom Izzo hoisted the trophy in 2000. Dan Hurley and the Huskies will be seeking their third crown in four years.

2. Arizona vs. Arkansas

Time/TV: Thursday, 7:30 p.m. ET

This is arguably the game with the most next-level talent on display. The Wildcats have several likely future pros, but the Razorbacks’ Darius Acuff is often the best player on the floor.

3. Duke vs. St. John’s

Time/TV: Friday, 7:10 p.m. ET

These big-name programs with plenty of history also happened to be among the hottest teams in the country entering March Madness. This contest should in truth be happening in a later round, as the Red Storm were curiously given a No. 5 seed despite winning the Big East championship, and the committee by extension did the Blue Devils, ostensibly the top overall seed, no favors with this difficult region.

Mark Pope whistled past the graveyard this week. He probably thought it sounded like a hopeful tune, but my ears detected more of sob story, set to a sad trombone.

Pope compared himself to John Calipari on his radio show, and he thought the comparison made him sound good. Say what?

In a four-minute monologue, Pope explained how, in his mind, his two seasons as Kentucky men's basketball coach deserve a little more love than Big Blue Nation is offering. Keep in mind, his Wildcats just got trounced in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

“This is what’s going to shock you," Pope said. "If you take the four years before we got here and compare them to the two years since we’ve been here, we actually have a higher winning percentage in the last two than we did in the four preceding (years, under Calipari) — barely, but a higher winning percentage.”

Whew, buddy, where to begin.

Mark Pope: 'Do the math.' OK, let's do it

Let’s start here: Winning percentage, are you kidding me? Pope should know Kentucky doesn’t hang banners for a .639 winning percentage. That winning percentage will get him a buyout check from Kentucky, not applause.

The next time Pope wants to compare himself to Calipari, stop. Just stop. Big Blue Nation wanted Calipari gone at the end of his tenure. Pope admitting he’s "barely" performed better than the end of Calipari’s reign is not the compliment Pope thinks it is — especially, when you consider Pope has delivered none of the success Calipari previously supplied, before Cal fizzled and flopped in March his final few years.

Calipari has six Final Fours (four at Kentucky) and a national championship. Pope has three tournament wins. He’s never won a Sweet 16 game or an SEC title. End of comparison.

Oh, one more thing: Calipari’s current Arkansas team won the SEC tournament, and he’s strutting like a rejuvenated mafioso into the Sweet 16, while Pope uncorks excuses, cites his winning percentage, and comes armed with strength of schedule metrics to an offseason radio show.

Coach rankings: We rank the coaches at the Sweet 16. See where John Calipari ranks

UNC coaching search: Who will replace Hubert Davis? Expect big names linked

“Go do the math yourself,” Pope said, in defense of his record.

Yes, because if there’s one thing that’ll fire up a ravenous fan base, it’s whipping out a calculator and celebrating .639.

Calipari’s winning percentage his final four seasons: .635.

Well, glory be, I detect a whisker of progress!

Except, then you consider Calipari’s winning percentage his final three seasons was .703. I guess we’re not supposed to do that math.

To Pope’s credit, his Wildcats avoided the gut-punching first-round losses Calipari suffered to Saint Peter’s in 2022 and Oakland in 2024. That’s where the credit ends. Otega Oweh's banked-in 40-footer kept Pope's second season from ending with a first-round loss to 10-seed Santa Clara. Then, Iowa State busted out the whoopin' stick.

While we’re talking numbers, here are a few more: Calipari won 29 games his second season at Kentucky and went to a Final Four. He won 38 games his third season and delivered a national title.

That’s the bar. That’s the standard. That gets you a banner and praise. Not .639.

“We haven’t met our goals, clearly,” Pope said, “but we are making progress.

“We know where we need to go.”

So do I. To the Final Four, next season, or start packing.

Big Blue Nation doesn’t want to solve math problems. It cares about one number: One.

As in, it expects to be No. 1.

That’s what the Kentucky job demands. Same as North Carolina.

BOSTON — Jaylen Brown baited a foul on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, using the reigning league MVP’s signature move to get to the line with under eight minutes in the fourth quarter. It worked — and Brown cracked a smile on his way to the stripe. He called it “payback.”

“He got me last time we played them,” Brown said following Boston’s 119-109 win over Oklahoma City on Wednesday night. “He got me on the upfake, and I knew it was coming, and I still jumped forward. So, I guess that was a little payback.”

It wasn’t until 8:21 in the third that Brown attempted his first free throw of the night. More than four minutes later, Gilgeous-Alexander attempted his first before finishing with 12 total — two shy of Brown’s 14. The much-anticipated potential NBA Finals preview between the Celtics and Thunder didn’t end with anyone in Boston’s locker room looking back with regret or disdain for the officiating.

When it was only a matter of seconds until Boston officially ended Oklahoma City’s 12-game winning streak and split the season series, Brown looked toward the TD Garden crowd. With both arms raised in, he urged Celtics fans to rise to their feet. The Celtics had avoided falling victim to Gilgeous-Alexander’s foul-merchant ways — and instead, it was Brown who had beaten last season’s Western Conference leader in free-throw attempts (8.8) at his own game.

That took time — a career-high 11 technical fouls, one ejection, and one $35,000 fine in January.

“I feel like I play the same style, but maybe complaining is giving more notoriety to how the game is officiated, and I feel like I’ve gotten more calls,” Brown said. “I thought the officials did a good job tonight. Every call is not gonna be perfect, but I thought they did a great job of trying to keep it balanced or keep it the same both ways. So I didn’t have no complaints.”

Brown added: “If they’re gonna get those calls, as long as we get them too, then I feel decent about it.”

Two weeks ago in Oklahoma City, Gilgeous-Alexander baited Brown with the same move. Just over eight minutes into their matchup on March 12, Brown fell for the upfake and fouled Gilgeous-Alexander.

Knowing he messed up, Brown could only grin in frustration with himself.

So with the Celtics struggling to break out against the top-seeded teams in the West, having gone 1-8 against the Thunder, Spurs, Nuggets, Timberwolves, and Rockets before Wednesday night, Brown knew it was time to flip the script. Boston had just lost to an Anthony Edwards-less Minnesota team to begin the week, so it was time to reassess and establish a game plan once Oklahoma City arrived.

“That was a well-needed win,” Brown admitted. “I really wanted that win — we needed that as well. We know we can play anybody, but when you get a win on your home floor against the team that has the best record in the league, it feels good — especially after dropping the game I feel like we should’ve won against Minnesota, so (it was) very encouraging and it’s a step to build in the right direction.”

Brown finished with 31 points, combining for 50 with Tatum.

Boston outclassed Oklahoma City in second-chance points, rebounds (43-35), assists (25-17), and 3-point shooting (44% to 32%) — all without Nikola Vučević, still sidelined with a finger fracture since March 6. While Coach Mark Daigneault fielded a full-strength Thunder team, Coach Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics logged their most impressive victory of the season without their newly acquired trade-deadline star.

“This team has just been awesome all year,” Brown said. “It’s been a very fun season.”

Brown’s latest 30-point performance increased his Eastern Conference lead to 33 this season. To Tatum, his partner-in-crime’s rise has come as no surprise. Brown has spent the entirety of the year holding the fort down as the team’s leader through Tatum’s nearly-10-month-long absence, amassing a convincing league MVP campaign in the process.

Through their previous eight seasons together, Tatum knew Brown was more than capable of sitting in the driver’s seat while keeping the Celtics their usual competitive selves, regardless of circumstances.

“He’s made big plays in every game that we’ve been in, but this season he’s been able to take more ownership,” Tatum said of Brown. “Obviously, him and all the other guys (have) just been able to carry more weight, and obviously we all know he could do it. It was just when guys get more of an opportunity, they get to show it.”

On Wednesday night, the Houston Rockets squared off against the Minnesota Timberwolves on the prime-time slate, in a game that had a playoff feel to it. Certainly a playoff intensity.

The game held major stakes, as it pertains to the Western Conference standings, as the two teams were separated by just a half game. Kevin Durant struggled at the onset, going 1-for-6 in the opening quarter, as the Wolves made it a point to neutralize him, by either employing double teams or having Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels rotate as Durant’s primary defender.

And although Julius Randle gashed the Rockets for 39 points in the last matchup between the two teams, he went 0-for-4 in the opening quarter. Houston struggled to execute on relatively higher percentage looks, going 9-of-23 in the paint in the first half. The Rockets also had seven straight 3-point misses in the opening half (which shouldn’t be a surprise, considering their struggles from the outside of late).

Defense was the story of the game. Alperen Sengun was a force on that end, amassing four blocks in total. But not just the blocks, Sengun was drawing charges, diving for loose balls to get key stops and even had the key stop of the game, getting a block on Randle that saw him bloody his lip at the end of regulation to extend the game to overtime.

The overtime period was a quarter of runs, by both teams. The Rockets went on an 8-0 run, looking like they were going to walk out victorious. However, the Wolves went on a 15-0 run to close the period, becoming the first team since the Phoenix Suns in 2021 to go on such a run in overtime.

The Rockets lost 110-108 and seem entrenched in the sixth seed in the West, as they are now 1.5 games back from the Wolves for the fifth spot and 3.5 games ahead of the Phoenix Suns, who are in the seventh spot. Durant finished with 30 points, albeit on an inefficient 22 shots and had a key missed free throw in overtime, while Sengun also had 30 points on 22 shots.

Jabari Smith Jr. and Reed Sheppard went a combined 10-of-28 from the field and 4-of-16 from deep, in addition to five turnovers. Amen Thompson had a near triple double, with 11 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.

Four-time champion Italy hosts Northern Ireland in the standout semifinal of the World Cup playoffs in Europe on Thursday.

The Azzurri are under pressure to avoid failing to qualify for soccer’s biggest event for a third consecutive time after being eliminated by Sweden in 2017 and North Macedonia in 2022.

In all, 16 teams are competing for four spots at the World Cup in North America.

Eight one-off semifinals are followed by four finals next week. The winners of the finals secure qualification.

Path A: Italy vs. Northern Ireland, Wales vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Path B: Ukraine vs. Sweden, Poland vs. Albania.

Path C: Turkey vs. Romania, Slovakia vs. Kosovo.

Path D: Denmark vs. North Macedonia, Czech Republic vs. Ireland

___

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

In the Celtics 119-109 statement win over the Thunder, Joe Mazzulla went with a tight nine-man rotation. In what felt like a Finals preview, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown performed at a championship level against the defending champs after laying an egg on Sunday against the visiting Timberwolves.

The game was speckled with some questionable calls. Boston and Oklahoma City combined for 55 trips to the line and just twenty turnovers. In the end, the Celtics identity shined through to win the possession battle with the team hitting 18-of-41 from behind the arc and dominating the offensive glass to the tune of 19 second chance points to the Thunder’s 2.

Currently, our friends at FanDuel have the Thunder at a +130 to represent the Western Conference and the Celtics sharing odds with the Spurs at +600.

Jayson Tatum

35 minutes, 19 points (3-6 from 3, 6-6 from the free throw line, 5-12 from the field), 12 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 5 turnovers, 1 block, +2

As quickly as Tatum has recovered from his Achilles tear, it seems as though his assimilation back into the rotation has proportionately been just as fast. In his ninth game back, JT nearly registered a triple-double in a very laboring matchup with the defending champs with 19 points (3-of-6 from 3), 12 rebounds, and 7 assists (and 5 turnovers). It wasn’t a perfect performance, but considering the opponent and their physicality, it was another step in the right direction with ten games to go before the playoffs.

Grade: A

Jaylen Brown

39 minutes, 31 points (1-3 from 3, 12-14 from the free throw line, 9-17 from the field), 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 5 turnovers, +7

Since Tatum’s return, Brown has ceded some of the scoring responsibilities to his counterpart. His shot attempts are down, but he’s averaging more assists and made a concerted effort to drive the ball and get to the line.

Against the Thunder, JB was intent on testing the league’s best defense at the rim. With a handful of spectacular finishes and fourteen trips to the line, he carried the team with 14 points in the 3rd and 10 more in the 4th. It was MVP-level work.

After a close loss in Oklahoma City, Brown was critical with the officiating that night and in general, particularly SGA’s whistle and stars like him “foul baiting” and manipulating the game with flopping. The NBA’s iconoclast made it a point to show the league the difference between toughness and the grift.

Grade: A+

Derrick White

33 minutes, 12 points (2-7 from 3, 4-4 from the free throw line, 3-11 from the field), 2 rebounds, 6 assists, one turnover, +6

DWhite didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, but his two back-to-back threes in the second quarter got the Celtics back into the game after trailing by double digits. Along with the Jays in the final frame, White was part of the trio that limited SGA to just one shot in the fourth quarter.

After spending much of the season as the de facto starting point guard, White should benefit with more catch-and-shoot threes as teams start to double team Brown and Tatum and dare the rest of the team to beat them.

Grade: B

Payton Pritchard

33 minutes, 14 points (4-6 from 3, 5-11 from the field), 2 rebounds, one assist, one turnover, 1 block, +11

OKC is super switchy with strong perimeter defenders up and down the roster. Much of Pritchard’s isolation game is predicated on taking advantage of mismatches

Like White, Pritchard is going to get more open looks playing next to the Jays. He was 4-of-6 from 3

Grade:

Sam Hauser

29 minutes, 19 points (3-8 from 3, 3-19 from the field), 5 rebounds, +4

In the first quarter, it felt like the Thunder were leaving Hauser wide open behind the arc in favor of clogging up the paint. It’s too bad that Hauser couldn’t covert, going just 1-for-5 from 3. In the second half,

Grade: B

Neemias Queta

30 minutes, 13 points (3-4 from the free throw line, 5-7 from the field), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, +3

Neemi’s greatest area of improvement this season is his understanding of time and space. No, this is not a Robert Williams III reference, but like The Timelord, he’s figured out in Year 3 with the Celtics where to be at the right place and more importantly, at the right time.

He outscored both Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein working off the pick-and-roll with Tatum and being careful not to flash too soon into a passing lane and disrupting the team’s spacing. This dunk on Holmgren is the perfect representation of holding the screen long enough for Tatum to draw two, waiting at the free throw line to catch the pass, and using that runway to rise over Holmgren:

Grade:

Hugo Gonzalez

9 minutes, 3 points (1-2 from 3, 1-2 from the field), 2 rebounds, -3

The rookie played nine minutes in the first half and matched up predominantly against SGA. Frankly, he got cooked a bunch, but that was more about the MVP doing MVP things rather than Gonzalez not sticking to him. Tip of the hat to better offense beating good defense.

Grade: C

Luka Garza

12 minutes, 7 points (1-2 from 3, 0-1 from the free throw line, 3-4 from the field), 2 rebounds, one turnover, +9

Production-wise, you never know what you’re going to get from Garza; what you can rely on is that he’s going to root around the restricted area and do everything he can to earn a couple of Tommy points off the offensive glass. Oh, and the 43.1% three-point shooter will hit a 3 or two if teams are silly enough to leave him open at the top of the arc.

Grade: B+

Baylor Scheierman

20 minutes, 11 points (3-7 from 3, 4-8 from the field), 5 rebounds, one assist, +11

Scheierman absolutely owned the second half. With two threes and a forced turnover against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the third and another triple and putback dunk in the fourth, he had TD Garden rocking as the Celtics gained the lead and never relinquished it.

Like Luka, Baylor has become the unlikely difference maker in so many of these wins by finding ways to make winning plays. He always in the hunt for offensive rebounds and become a nifty finisher off the dribble because of his consistent shooting. If that wasn’t enough, what’s keeping him on the floor is his versatile defense against the league’s best.

Grade: A+++

DNP-CD: Jordan Walsh, Ron Harper Jr., Amari Williams, Max Shulga, Charles Bassey

Inactive: Nikola Vucevic

There have been a lot of crazy nights at Target Center over the years, and tonight’s game is right up there as one of the craziest games in a long time.

On Wednesday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves took on the Houston Rockets in a game that will play a dramatic role in determining the seeding for the Western Conference Playoffs. The two teams came into the game separated by just half a game in the standings, and with the Rockets leading the season series between the two teams 1-0, a Houston win would clinch it in their favor.

The game started well for the Wolves. They jumped out to a 12-4 lead and carried that lead through most of the first half, including a nasty transition dunk from Naz Reid.

The Timberwolves led the entire first half, but without Edwards, they were unable to sustain consistent offense in the half-court as the Rockets cut the Wolves’ lead to just one heading into halftime.

Houston took a brief lead early in the third quarter, but Minnesota stormed back to build its lead back up heading down the stretch of the game. Jaden McDaniels was the catalyst late in the fourth quarter as he scored five straight Minnesota points, including a stepback 3-pointer and a strip of Kevin Durant for two points on the other end.

That is when the game went totally off the rails. Following an Alperen Şengün layup and a Timberwolves shot clock violation, Julius Randle ran over Şengün, who was setting a screen, for a foul. With the Rockets in the bonus, this meant two free throws.

Upon review (there were many in this game), the play was curiously upgraded to a flagrant foul as the lead official, Scott Foster, said he “launched” into the opposing player.

The flagrant gave the Rockets two free throws and the ball back, which Houston capitalized on as Şengün slammed the ball home to cut the Minnesota lead down to just five.

The Wolves continued to melt down as they turned the ball over on three straight possessions. The Rockets scored on each of their subsequent possession to give themselves a one-point lead. All in all, it was a 12-0 run over about 3.5 minutes of game time that turned a sure win to the Wolves into a dog fight with less than a minute left.

Randle got into the paint for a layup to give the Wolves a one-point lead back before an away-from-the-play foul on an inbounds play from Rudy Gobert gave Durant a free throw to tie the game. The Wolves forced a turnover and nearly had the game won on the other end, but there was no call on the Randle layup attempts as the game went to overtime.

Things went from bad to worse in overtime for the Wolves in overtime as they quickly went down by five points. The Scott Foster show continued from there. Following an upheld call on a review of a Naz Reid charge, Reid was ejected for seemingly saying, “He’s moving.” After the game, the officials were asked about the ejection via the NBA’s pool report and said, “Reid made a statement that questioned the integrity of the officiating crew.”

With Reid ejected, McDaniels on the bench with an injury he sustained late in the fourth quarter, and Gobert out of the game after fouling out, the snowball kept rolling down the hill, and before the Wolves knew it, they had given up the first 13 points of overtime.

If the game ended right there, it would have been crazy enough, but it didn’t. With fans heading toward the exits, the Wolves didn’t quit on the game. They continued to generate good looks on offense and get stops on defense. Mike Conley knocked one down from deep, Kyle Anderson put in an and-1, and Julius Randle put in a layup to cut the Houston lead down to one possession.

Minnesota didn’t stop there, as Donte DiVincenzo tied the game on the next Wolves possession before Randle put the Wolves back in the lead with another layup. In total, it was a 15-0 Timberwolves run that turned a 15-point deficit into a two-point lead.

According to Sportradar, the 13-point overtime comeback was the largest in NBA history since they started keeping track of play-by-play data during the 1996-97 season. The next highest? The Wolves’ nine-point lead was blown in Denver this past Christmas.

After a pair of missed free throws from Durant (one of which was intentionally missed), the Wolves secured a 110-108 victory in one of the most absurd games at Target Center in a long time.

After the game, Randle made his displeasure with the officiating known, yelling out, “That shit didn’t work, Scott Foster,” as he walked back to the locker room. When asked about the flagrant call earlier in the game, Randle responded, “Don’t get me fined, man.”

“I’ve never seen it before,” Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said about the flagrant call on Randle. “They’re telling me they had a clear opportunity to avoid the screen. They said he sought him out to run him over. I’ve never seen a flagrant like that. He goes through a screen, they call a foul, fine. That’s clearly a foul. Play on. But a flagrant? I don’t know.”

Throughout a long NBA season, there are bound to be games where the officiating doesn’t go the way a team would hope. While those types of games seem to happen more often with Foster on the floor, how a team responds during those types of games is almost as important as the actual result of the game.

“I’m so proud that we didn’t quit,” Gobert said after the game. “We had a lot of opportunities to get very frustrated tonight. For the most part we were able to overcome that. That’s the blueprint for us. We want to win a championship, so we know there’s going to be adversity.”

DiVincenzo gave insigth into what allowed the Wovles to come back in overtime explaining, “That last timeout we just basically regrouped and looked up and we had a lot of time. I think it was like 3:25. That’s a lot of time in the NBA, but we just got stop after stop and executed on offense. We did a great job of getting the ball into Julius’ hands and trusted his decision making and it worked out for us.”

The hope is that a win like this is a springboard to the Wolves finally becoming the team many fans and media think they can be. Through most of the season, something has just felt off about the Wolves. The consistency of performance has not been there, and each solid stretch of play is followed by abhorrent basketball.

On the flip side, the Wolves have shown this season, and really the past few seasons, that when it seems like they are at their lowest, they can dig out of it with one of their best performances of the season. This game, especially the overtime, was a perfect example.

With just eight games left on the schedule, the question is what Timberwolves team will we see down the stretch of the regular season? The team that gave up a 26-2 run late in the fourth quarter and into overtime, or the one that came storming back just when all seemed lost.

Up Next

The Timberwolves get another couple of days off before taking on the Detroit Pistons on Saturday at 4:30 PM CT. The Pistons will be without Cade Cunningham, who suffered a collapsed lung last week. Fans can watch yet another nationally televised game airing on ABC.

Highlights