Category: Basketball

Gary Payton II has become a solid part of the Warriors' rotation since Jimmy Butler arrived in the Bay Area. In his last 10 games, Payton has averaged 20.8 minutes a game off the bench, adding 11.1 points a game and shooting 50% on the 2.6 3-point attempts he takes a game, plus he is a quality perimeter defender Steve Kerr leans on in certain matchups.

Now the team will be without Payton indefinitely due to a torn ligament in his left thumb, a story broken by Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Payton had already been playing through an injury, wearing a mask since suffering a non-displaced nose fracture against the Hornets on March 3. The thumb injury is not something he can simply play through. Expect Steve Kerr and the Warriors to lean into Gui Santos and Pat Spencer for the team's remaining 10 regular-season games, or at least until Payton can return.

This is a rough time for Golden State to lose a key rotation player as it needs wins. The Warriors and Clippers are currently tied for the No. 6 seed in the West and avoiding the play-in, with the Timberwolves half-a-game back of both (Minnesota is one game back in the loss column). Whichever teams finish 7-8 will face each other in the first round of the play-in, and the loser of that game will need to beat the winner of the 9-10 game to advance as the No. 8 seed and face Oklahoma City in the first round.

"While Europe continues to develop some of the best players in the world, many of our most recent MVPs, of course, are European, we think that the commercial opportunity has not kept pace with the growth of the game," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in January of a potential NBA-affiliated league in Europe. "What we do at the NBA is we run leagues. We, of course, run the WNBA; we have the league in Africa I mentioned; we have the G League; and we have a 2K video league, so we operate five different leagues, and we think it's an expertise we have.

"So we are looking very closely to see if there's an opportunity to professionalize the game to another level here, to create a larger commercial opportunity."

Thursday, the NBA board of Governors will hear more about those plans in detail, according to multiple reports. Silver is not seeking a formal vote from the owners but is seeking guidance to move forward with the discussions. Nothing is yet official, but the plan is picking up steam.

The plans for the new league include:

• There could be between eight and 16 teams, some existing and some new. It could launch as early as 2026, although it likely is later than that.

• This league would be a direct challenge to the existing EuroLeague structure. According to The Athletic, there is potential interest from four existing EuroLeague teams: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Fenerbahce (from Istanbul), and ASVEL (the team from Lyon, France, where Tony Parker is president).

• The league would have new "permanent" teams, and potentially, there would be a chance for some clubs to play their way into the league in a sort of promotion system (not unlike the current EuroLeague model).

• New teams would be a 50/50 owned proposition with the league and new investors, including sovereign wealth funds (which are limited in how much they can invest in an NBA team).

• The buy-in for those teams would be around $500 million.

• This is a partnership between the NBA and FIBA, the latter of which has been trying to break the EuroLeague's current grip on the top teams.

• The goal is to ultimately have teams in major cities around the globe, often tied to major European soccer clubs. Markets mentioned include London, Manchester, Berlin and Munich. For example, Qatar Sports Investments could own a new team in Paris, tied to its soccer powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain, the Athletic reports.

The goal behind all this is money — both expanding the NBA brand and bringing in new revenue to the league. While the domestic market is still the primary revenue driver for the NBA, especially with the new television deal kicking in, the biggest growth opportunities for the league are international.

While they will have questions, it's difficult to imagine NBA owners telling Silver anything other than to go forward with this effort — there are no real downsides for them at this point.

It’s Thursday, March 27, and the Los Angeles Lakers (44-28) and Chicago Bulls (32-40) are all set to square off from United Center in Chicago.

The Lakers are currently 16-19 on the road with a point differential of 1, while the Bulls have a 4-6 record in their last ten games at home. Chicago beat Los Angeles 146-115 on Saturday, March 22, so this will be a revenge spot for the Lakers.

Los Angeles is coming off a buzzer-beating tip-in by LeBron James last night to beat Indiana that snapped a three-game losing streak. For Chicago, they are 8-2 over the last 10 games and riding a three-game winning streak.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Listen to the Rotoworld Basketball Show for the latest fantasy player news, waiver claims, roster advice and more from our experts all season long. Click here or download it wherever you get your podcasts.

Game details & how to watch Lakers vs. Bulls live today

• Date: Thursday, March 27, 2025
• Time: 8:00PM EST
• Site: United Center
• City: Chicago, IL
• Network/Streaming:

Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.

Game odds for Lakers vs. Bulls

The latest odds as of Thursday:

• Odds: Lakers (-163), Bulls (+138)
• Spread:  Lakers -3.5
• Over/Under: 239 points

That gives the Lakers an implied team point total of 120.58, and the Bulls 118.76.

Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!

Expert picks & predictions for Thursday’s Lakers vs. Bulls game

NBC Sports Bet Best Bet

Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) leans the Bulls to cover:

"The Lakers are coming off a buzzer-beating win over the Pacers thanks to a LeBron James tip, so this is a letdown spot as they travel to Chicago the following day. The Bulls aren't a juggernaut or a team to watch out for, but they've been playing better over the last 10 games with an 8-2 record, and with their tempo and age, they can outrun opponents who fall into their pace. That was shown against the Lakers in the last meeting (146-115 win for Chicago). The Lakers will likely be one of the heaviest public bets today, so I do like the Bulls for that reason too. It's Chicago or pass, but I'd rather live bet this game."

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Lakers & Bulls game:

• Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
• Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Chicago Bulls at +3.
• Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the under on the Game Total of 239.

Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions pagefrom NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!

Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Lakers vs. Bulls on Thursday

• The Bulls have won four of their last five matchups against Western Conference teams
• The last seven matchups between the Bulls and the Lakers have gone over the expected total
• The Bulls have covered in four of their last five home games
• The Bulls have won 8 of their last 10 games, while the Lakers have lost 5 straight on the road

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)

- Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)

- Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)

- Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)

It’s Thursday, March 27, and the Atlanta Hawks (35-37) and Miami Heat (31-41) are all set to square off from Kaseya Center in Miami.

The Hawks are currently 16-19 on the road with a point differential of -2, while the Heat have a 3-7 record in their last ten games at home. Atlanta has won two of the three meetings versus Miami, but the Heat won the previous matchup.

Miami is coming off a win versus Golden State whereas Atlanta is coming off a loss against Houston. The Hawks are 3-1 in the past four games, while the Heat are on a two-game winning streak, but are also 2-10 in the past 12 games.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Listen to the Rotoworld Basketball Show for the latest fantasy player news, waiver claims, roster advice and more from our experts all season long. Click here or download it wherever you get your podcasts.

Game details & how to watch Hawks vs. Heat live today

• Date: Thursday, March 27, 2025
• Time: 7:30PM EST
• Site: Kaseya Center
• City: Miami, FL
• Network/Streaming:

Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.

Game odds for Hawks vs. Heat

The latest odds as of Thursday:

• Odds: Hawks (+104), Heat (-124)
• Spread:  Heat -1.5
• Over/Under: 227 points

That gives the Hawks an implied team point total of 113.13, and the Heat 113.92.

Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!

Expert picks & predictions for Thursday’s Hawks vs. Heat game

NBC Sports Bet Best Bet

Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) leans the Hawks to cover and win against the Heat:

"Miami is coming off that emotional and motivated win against Jimmy Butler and the Warriors, which now sets them up for a letdown spot against an Atlanta team that is playing well and sporting a 3-1 record over the past four. The Hawks are in a bounce-back spot after losing to Houston on the road and have had MImai's number with two wins out of three meetings. It's Atlanta or pass for me."

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Hawks & Heat game:

• Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Miami Heat on the Moneyline.
• Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Miami Heat at -1.
• Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the under on the Game Total of 227.

Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions pagefrom NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!

Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Hawks vs. Heat on Thursday

• The Hawks have won 4 of 5 games at divisional opponents
• The Over is 4-1 in the Hawks' last 5 matchups against Eastern Conference teams
• The Heat have covered in 4 of their last 5 home games
• The Heat have covered in 4 of their last 5 home games

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)

- Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)

- Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)

- Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)