Category: Basketball

When the Houston Rockets took a 77-50 lead into the half against the Sacramento kings on Wednesday night, anyone who thought to themselves, “It’s over.” hasn’t watched Rockets basketball this season. Undoubtedly, you yourself may have has some reservations about switching over to your favorite Netflix show and calling it a night. Those reservations were briefly justified when the Kings started the second half on a 13-2 run, prompting Ime Udoka to call a time out, just few minutes into the quarter.

Udoka has seen what we have all seen before. A tale of two halves. To his credit, he pressed the right buttons and kept with the right combination of players that kept the offense from suddenly becoming stagnant. Alperen Sengun (26-point triple-double), Kevin Durant (21 points on 62 percent shooting), and Reed Sheppard (28 points on 43 percent from the three-point line) really powered the Rockets offensively, along with a much welcomed showing from Josh Okogie who shot an efficient 5-of-7 from the field, of which three of those shots were from behind the arc.

With Amen Thompson out with an apparent quad injury, Aaron Holiday got some run and not only shot well but gave the Rockets another ball handler that was able to help keep the ball movement crisp. Jabari Smith had 12 points on 6-of-12 from the field and even “Uncle Jeff” Green got some run in this game chipping in 5 points. It was a complete team victory over a bad Sacramento Kings team. However, given some of the issues the Rockets have had in these types of games, including against these very Kings, this win is not something to shake a stick at. In fact, Rockets fans hope it’s a sign that this team is on track to no longer struggle to win these types of games against lesser opponents.

If the Rockets are going to achieve what we all hope they are going to achieve, then these types of games need to be automatic. It’s especially helpful that the main rotation was able to rest in the fourth quarter headed into the second game of a back-to-back, this time on the road in Orlando. Getting a home win is also a welcome sight as the Rockets had lost four of the last 7 home games. In the end, a win is a win, and the Rockets need to start stacking as many of those as possible, so tonight Rockets fans can go home happy.

The shorthanded Cleveland Cavaliers, playing without Donovan Mitchell (groin), James Harden (finger), and Evan Mobley (calf), couldn’t keep up with a hot-shooting Milwaukee Bucks team, leading to their 118-116 defeat.

The stats in the table below are taken from Cleaning the Glass.

	Effective Field Goal Percentage	Offensive Rebounding Percentage	Offensive Turnover Percentage	Free Throw Rate
Cavs	55.2%, 56th percentile	35.4%, 80th percentile	11.8%, 75th percentile	23, 62nd percentile
Bucks	66.9%, 96th percentile	22.5, 21st percentile	13.2%, 63rd percentile	3.5, 0th percentile

Now, let’s dive into the numbers.

• The Cavs have suffered their first loss when Jarrett Allen scores 20 or more points; they’re now 1-10. Allen was fantastic offensively, pouring in 27 points on 10-15 shooting.
• This is also the first time the Cavs have lost when Allen takes 10 or more shots; they’re now 1-14 when he does so. Allen was understandably featured early and often. He made the most of his opportunities and nearly sent the game to overtime, but his would-be game-tying hook shot came a fraction of a second after the final buzzer.
• Milwaukee posted an ethical 129.7 offensive rating (88th percentile). Their outside shot led the charge here.
• The Bucks took 49% of their shots from three (92nd percentile). This translated to 45 outside attempts.
• Milwaukee canned 42.2% of their triples (85th percentile). The Cavs, once again, dared their opponent to beat them from deep. The Bucks did so in a way the New York Knicks couldn’t the night before.
• Unlike against the Knicks, the Bucks converted 89.5% of their shots at the rim (97th percentile). Cleveland did a good job of limiting the Bucks’ ability to get to the basket. Only 23% of their shots came there (17th percentile). However, you can’t build your entire defense around giving up three-point shots to protect the rim while also not protecting the rim. The Bucks were able to have their cake and eat it too.
• Milwaukee did all of its damage in the half-court, with a 123.8 half-court offensive rating (97th percentile). The Cavs didn’t give them many opportunities in transition, but that doesn’t matter when the other team is executing that well in the half-court.
• The Bucks didn’t get to the line (0th percentile free-throw rate) and didn’t get many offensive rebounds (21st percentile). They simply out-executed the Cavs from the field.
• Cleveland shot poorly from three, going 12-40 (30%, 23rd percentile). There were guys out of the lineup, but this team is still built around outscoring its opponent. Shooting this poorly from deep isn’t going to cut it most nights, especially when your best three-point shooters — Sam Merrill (2-8) and Jaylon Tyson (1-6) — aren’t able to get anything to fall.
• Overall, the Bucks had 21 more points from beyond the arc. It’s a make-or-miss league.
• The Cavs outscored Milwaukee 25-6 in second-chance points. Winning this handily allowed the Cleveland to stay in this game despite not executing to the level Milwaukee did offensively.
• Dean Wade led the Cavs in plus/minus (+9) for the second game in a row. That said, he struggled offensively, going 0-4 from the field to finish with no points. He was a non-factor on that end.
• Dennis Schroder provided 26 points on 8-14 shooting. He did a great job of stepping into the starting point guard role. His scoring and playmaking kept the offense on schedule, which is all you want on a night you’re down this much firepower.
• The Cavs went 20-27 from the free-throw line, while the Bucks went 3-5. It once again felt like the Cavaliers were on the wrong end of some crucial calls, but the free-throw disparity paints a much different picture.

Looking for their 10th straight win for the first time in ten years, the Spurs continued their tour of Eastern Conference playoff teams, this time across the border against the Toronto Raptors. It wasn’t a pretty game, but despite more offensive struggles from Victor Wembanyama and some terrible free throw shooting making life harder than it had to be, the Spurs found a way, rallying back from 15 down late in the third thanks to some hot three-point shooting and clutch defensive play.

The Spurs scored the first six points and got out to a 9-2 lead, but similar to two nights ago in Detroit, things suddenly slowed down while they struggled with 5 turnovers, and the Raptors kept chipping away at the lead, closing the quarter on a 12-6 run to get within a point, 30-29. The main reason the Spurs were still ahead was, fortunately for them, Devin Vassell was also still in Detroit form with 8 points on 2-2 from three, and Dylan Harper came in hot off the bench for 9 points in the first quarter.

The Spurs seemed to wake up to start the second, with a Wemby block leading to a Harper fast break dunk, followed by a De’Aaron Fox three to force a quick Raptors timeout, but it was short lived. Wemby continued to struggle on the offensive end, and Toronto responded with a 7-0 run to take their first lead at 36-35. It stretched to a 10-0 run after a Spurs timeout, after they gave up a three by turning it over in the backcourt. The Spurs again briefly regrouped, regaining the lead and stretching it to five thanks to more offensive heroics from Vassell and Harper, but Wemby just couldn’t get involved on offense, and the Raptors closed on an 8-2 run to take a 57-55 lead into halftime.

The Raptors immediately got a three-point play to open the third quarter before Wemby finally got his first field goal of the game on an alley-oop dunk from Champagnie, who then hit a three to ties things back up. Lots of whistles had both teams in the bonus early, although Wemby, who couldn’t buy a call against former Spur Jacob Poeltl, was getting agitated and subbed out earlier than usual, likely to cool off. With him out and Luke Kornet seemingly a step slow after suffering a leg contusion in Detroit, the offense opened up for the Raptors, who continued to stretch out the lead in transition and from three. On offense, the Spurs were settling for threes and mostly missing, but a big one from Stephon Castle cut into a 15-point Raptors lead, and the Spurs found themselves down 78-90 with 12 minutes to go.

Matt Bonner, who is now a studio analyst for the Raptors but joined the Spurs broadcast for this game, mentioned Toronto’s biggest weakness is something Spurs fans can relate to: forgetting what got them there and getting stagnant in the fourth quarter. He was proven prophetic, as the Spurs opened the quarter on a 15-2 run to regain the lead, including threes from Castle, Vassell and Harrison Barnes, and a calmed-down Wemby’s presence on defense had the Raptors reeling. What they did have was the whistle in their favor and were already in the bonus less than five minutes in, which they used to stay close. More huge threes from Champagnie and Wemby got the Spurs ahead 106-100 with under 4 minutes to go, but poor offensive decisions after a timeout let the Raptors get back within two.

Free throws were a problem all night, with the Spurs hitting just 13-23 compared to 23-27 for the Raptors, and it reared it’s ugly head in the waning seconds of the game. Harper had a chance to get them up by 4 with 16 seconds left but missed both free throws. Fortunately, he got his own rebound, and Fox hit 1-2 to get the Spurs up 109-106 with 10 seconds left. Immanuel Quickley then hit 1-2 FT’s, and after a timeout, Wemby hit 1-2 with 8.7 seconds left. That meant the Raptors still had a chance, but Brandon Ingram’s three-point attempt went off the side of the backboard, and the Spurs were able to get the rebound and heave it down court as time expired, securing their ugly (but beautiful) 10th straight win for the first time since 2016.

Game notes

• Right after receiving a ton of praise on this site for the way he handled not being the center of attention on offense in Detroit, Wemby was back to trying to do too much when things weren’t going right in the first half. He forced what few bad shots he could find, going 0-4, plus he had a couple of turnovers when he tried to dribble into the Raptors defense. Then, he got subbed out earlier than usual in the second half after Poeltl got under his skin with holding, tripping and driving right into him. After some time to mentally cool off, Wemby was better (but not great) in the fourth quarter. His defense was there all night with 5 blocks and was why he was as team-high +19 on the court, but it was another bad night on offense with just 12 points on 3-12 shooting (although he had those four huge points in crunch time).
• A big part of the team’s free throws woes were courtesy of Fox (2-8) and Harper (0-2). While the rest of the team combined to hit 10-12, including 3-4 from Castle, it continues to be an issue particularly for the guards. They survived tonight despite shooting just 2-6 in crunch time (including Wemby’s 1-2), but overall the team is going to have to be better at the line. Once the playoffs hit, free throws will become harder to come by, and they’ll have to take advantage of whatever free points they can get.
• Despite a couple of blunders late, Harper was awesome on both ends tonight with 15 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals. His performance off the bench was especially important with Keldon Johnson only playing 14 minutes after suffering a shoulder stinger. One great moment of maturity came late when Ingram tried to pump fake him three times to draw a foul, but he didn’t bite. Overall, Harper and Vassell (21 points on 5-6 from three) were the only two players who were steady on offense all night, and the Spurs desperately needed that.
• The win, combined with the skeleton Thunder losing in Detroit tonight, now has the Spurs just one game back in the loss column from the top seed in the West. They need to keep this tank rolling while OKC is injured and secure home court advantage.

Play of the Game

It may have been overshadowed by the missed free throws afterwards, but otherwise Fox was Mr. Clutch once again, including this huge bailout shot over the backboard with just over a minute to go.

FOX 🤯😮‍💨

📺 @FanDuelSN_SWpic.twitter.com/igQyUXZgJh

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) February 26, 2026

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Up next: Thursday at Brooklyn Nets

6:30 PM CT on FanDuel Sports

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Bennett Stirtz had 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting, Alvaro Folgueiras made 8 of 10 from the field and had a season-high 20 points and five assists, and Iowa beat Ohio State 74-57 on Wednesday night.

Cam Manyawu had 12 points and seven rebounds for Iowa (20-8, 10-7 Big Ten) and Tavion Banks scored 10 points.

The Hawkeyes shot 57% (27 of 47) from the field, 5 of 18 (28%) from 3-point range, and made 15 of 17 from the free-throw line.

Amare Bynum made back-to-back 3-pointers to give Ohio State a 14-2 lead, but Folgueiras answered with a three-point play and, after Devin Royal made a free throw, the Hawkeyes scored 18 consecutive points — eight by Stirtz — to start a 28-3 run. The Buckeyes missed nine consecutive field-goal attempts and committed five turnovers during their scoring drought of eight-plus minutes.

Devin Royal led Ohio State (17-11, 9-8) with 16 points and John Mobley Jr. scored 15. Bruce Thornton added 10 points.

Ohio State scores seven of the first 10 second-half points to trim its deficit to 10 points, but the Buckeyes got no closer.

Iowa was plus-11 (15-4) in points off turnovers and outscored the Buckeyes 44-18 in the paint.

Up next

Ohio State: Hosts No. 8 Purdue on Sunday.

Iowa: Plays Saturday at Penn State.

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DETROIT (AP) — Jalen Duren had 29 points and 15 rebounds, Cade Cunningham added 29 points and 13 assists and the Detroit Pistons beat the short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder 124-116 on Wednesday night in a matchup of conference leaders.

The Thunder started the game without five of their six leading scorers — Shai Alexander-Gilgeous (abdomen), Isaiah Hartenstein (calf), Chet Holmgren (back), Ajay Mitchell (abdomen) and Jalen Williams (hamstring). The only one of the top six to start was Isaiah Joe, and he left at halftime because of a bruised hip.

Duncan Robinson added 16 points for East-leading Detroit. The Pistons have won six of seven to improve to 43-14.

Jaylin Williams had a career-best 30 points for the defending champion Thunder, and Cason Wallace added 23. The Thunder dropped to 45-15. They had won five of six.

After Oklahoma City cut it to 108-105 with 5:06 to play, Javonte Green answered with a 3-pointer on a possession where Detroit had four offensive rebounds.

WARRIORS 132, GRIZZLIES 112

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Will Richard scored 21 points, Brandin Podziemski and Gary Payton II added 19 apiece and Golden State routed Memphis in a game between two teams depleted by injuries.

Gui Santos added 17 points as eight of the nine Golden State players who saw action reached double figures. The ninth player, Malevy Leons, had nine points.

The Warriors built a double-digit lead in the first half, stretched the margin to 32 in the fourth quarter and coasted to the victory.

GG Jackson had 24 points and eight rebounds for Memphis. Ty Jerome finished with 22 points and five assists. Javon Small scored 16 points.

The Warriors are still jockeying for postseason positioning, beginning the night slotted eighth in the West after a 113-109 loss in New Orleans on Tuesday night. The Grizzlies have been on the skids since late January, dropping two straight and 12 of their last 15 entering Wednesday’s game.

The loss dropped Memphis into a tie for 12th place in the West with the idle Dallas Mavericks.

SPURS 110, RAPTORS 107

TORONTO (AP) — Devin Vassell scored 21 points, De’Aaron Fox added 20 and the San Antonio Spurs overcame Victor Wembanyama’s rough night to beat the Toronto Raptors 110-107 on Wednesday, extending their season-best win streak to 10 games.

Wembanyama scored 12 points on 3-of-12 shooting. He went 1 for 6 from 3-point range and 5 for 6 at the free-throw line, where his lone miss came with 8.7 seconds left in regulation and his team ahead by three.

Toronto’s Brandon Ingram missed a 3 that would have tied the game, and Wembanyama grabbed the rebound.

Wembanyama finished with eight boards and three assists in 30 minutes. He also had five blocks, including a pivotal one on Jakob Poeltl with 44 seconds left.

Dylan Harper scored 15 points, Stephon Castle had 13 and Julian Champagnie 10 as the Spurs won their fifth straight meeting with the Raptors.

Ingram had 20 points and a season-high 11 rebounds, Immanuel Quickley scored 20 points and Scottie Barnes added 15 as the Raptors lost their third straight at home.

ROCKETS 128, KINGS 97

HOUSTON (AP) — Reed Sheppard made a career-high seven 3-pointers and scored 28 points, Alperen Sengun had 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, and Houston beat Sacramento.

Kevin Durant added 21 points for the Rockets in their most-lopsided victory of the season. Houston has won two in row since blowing an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter at New York on Saturday.

Russell Westbrook scored 22 points for Sacramento, but 17 came in the first quarter. DeMar DeRozan added 15 on a night he moved ahead of Paul Pierce into 20th place on the NBA’s career scoring list.

The Kings were coming off a victory over Memphis that snapped their franchise-record 16-game losing streak.

Westbrook was 8 for 14 in the first quarter, with his 17 points his most in a first quarter since getting that many against Utah on Feb. 9, 2020. But the rest of the Kings were 1 for 10 and Houston led 33-22. The Rockets then outscored the Kings 44-28 in the second, going 8 for 12 from 3-point range, to lead 77-50 at the break.

Sengun had his third triple-double of the season and 11th of his career. Houston shot 54.7% from the field and hit 17 of its first 30 shots.

The Rockets led by 36 points in the fourth quarter.

BUCKS 118, CAVALIERS 116

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Kevin Porter Jr. had 20 points, Ryan Rollins added 18 and Milwaukee held off short-handed Cleveland for its fifth victory in six games.

The Cavaliers appeared to tie it on Jarrett Allen’s basket underneath at the buzzer, but it was ruled that time had expired. Allen had 27 points and 11 rebounds.

Cleveland was without James Harden after he broke his right thumb Tuesday night in a home victory over New York. Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley also sat out, with Mitchell nursing a strained right groin. Giannis Antetokounmpo missed his 13th consecutive game for the Bucks because of a strained right calf.

Jaylon Tyson pulled the Cavaliers to 116-114 with two free throws. After Milwaukee’s Kyle Kuzma missed a 3-pointer, Dennis Schroder scored from the right side of the lane to tie it 116 with 35.6 seconds left. Porter hit a free-throw line jumper to put the Bucks up 118-116 with 20.2 seconds remaining.

NUGGETS 103, CELTICS 84

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 30 points and 12 rebounds on a rough shooting night to help Denver beat Boston.

Denver played most of the game without guard Jamal Murray. He left after logging 7:51 due to an illness and did not return.

Tim Hardaway Jr. added 14 points as the Nuggets bounced back from a 1-2 trip out of the All-Star break, which included a loss at Golden State on Sunday. They kept pace with Houston in the tight Western Conference standings. Denver is percentage points behind the Rockets for third place.

Jaylen Brown returned to Boston’s lineup after sitting out Tuesday night at Phoenix with a right knee contusion. Brown had 23 points for the Celtics, who finished 3-1 on a Western Conference trip. They had won five straight and nine of 10 before running out of steam in the thin air.

The Cleveland Cavaliers came up short on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks. Let’s see who won and lost the night.

WINNER – Dennis Schroder and the Bench

We’re lumping all of the winners into one category tonight.

It’s pretty difficult to lose three starters and still compete on the road. The Cavs were without Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, and Evan Mobley tonight. But those losses are easier to overcome when you have a roster full of guys ready to step up and seize the moment.

We can talk about some of the individual performances soon. But the intensity that this second unit can bring to the floor is worth commemorating on its own. This isn’t a B-Squad that hangs its head or feels discouraged whenever they lose minutes. This is a group that’s hungry and foaming at the mouth to take the floor.

Schroder earned his first start as a Cavalier, putting up 26 points and 5 assists. His constant attacks both as a ball-handler and point-of-attack deterrent eventually helped break the dam and put the Cavs in front. Even after rolling his ankle, Schroder continued to lay it all on the line and get into Milwaukee’s defense to convert the game-tying floater with under 40 seconds to play.

Before that, Keon Ellis and Craig Porter Jr. joined Schroder to create a beautifully chaotic trio.

Porter’s downhill drives got Cleveland back into a groove during the third quarter. They had previously struggled to break Milwaukee’s shell. But Porter attacked open space and dished the rock to Jarrett Allen to re-establish their presence in the paint.

As for Ellis, he’s quickly becoming a fan favorite. It’s one thing to go after every loose ball and come up with steals while diving to the floor. But to combine that frenetic defensive energy with a 4-of-8 three-point shooting night is going to win you a ton of good favor in Cleveland.

And then there’s Thomas Bryant, who has given the Cavs a reliable option in their frontcourt whenever they’ve needed him.

It’s rare for a roster to have one of these plug-and-play guys. Let alone a whole rotation full of them. The Cavs ultimately weren’t able to get over the hump tonight, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. This was as hard fought of a loss as you can have.

LOSER – Three-Point Defense

Milwaukee clearly had one plan for this game. Launch three-pointers and pray for the best.

Jokes aside, the Bucks were deliberately hunting for three-point shots. Or, at the start, settling for them. But once the Cavs showed they werene’t going to rotate and recover with proficiency — those shots stop feeling like last resorts. Milwaukee quickly found a rhythm and took off with a lead as the Cavs couldn’t keep up.

It started with poor defense at the point of attack. Turning past one defender put the rest of Cleveland’s defense in a bind. The Bucks were then able to drive and kick far too easily. Sure, they went bombs away from downtown, but that’s in large part because the Cavs couldn’t stop them.

AJ Green shot 5-10 from deep. Kyle Kuzma, who is shooting 32.5% from downtown this season, also converted on 5-10 of his attempts tonight. Each one felt like a haymaker.

This game shouldn’t have been a shootout. A shorthanded squad like Cleveland’s needed to make sure of that. The fact that Milwaukee was able to nail 19 of 45 (42.2%) three-point attempts should have been a dealbreaker.

Somehow, the Cavs still did enough to nearly steal this one. But a better defensive showing would have guaranteed them the win.

The Milwaukee Bucks pulled off a dramatic victory in the final seconds over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Kevin Porter Jr. once again led the Bucks’ offense with 20 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and five steals. Jarrett Allen finished with a 27-point and 11-rebound double-double for Cleveland, while Dennis Schröder had 26 points and five assists. 

NBA.com Box Score

Game Recap

Despite both teams coming off a SEGABABA, the Cavs looked fresher early. Cleveland built a seven-point lead after old friend Sam Merrill drilled a three, prompting a timeout from Doc Rivers. Milwaukee steadied the ship after that pause, as they battled back to move ahead after Bobby Portis converted from beyond the arc with 3:47 left. Cam Thomas turned it on, putting up seven straight points for Milwaukee to keep them ahead in a tight game. Cleveland countered with Craig Porter Jr., who completed a three-point play with four seconds left to tie it up after one, 33-33. 

Merrill continued to punish the Bucks in the opening minutes of the frame, as he scored six of the first nine for the Cavs. Down six, the Bucks responded to pull even with a dunk fest, as Jericho Sims, KPJ, and Myles Turner each threw one down. Fresh off an impressive 32-point performance last night for Milwaukee, Porter started to cook. He went on a personal 6-0 run and, with his second dunk of the quarter, put the Bucks back in front. Bucks irritant Dennis Schröder found his groove late, scoring five in a row to shift the advantage back to the Cavaliers by three. Milwaukee had a chance to take the lead at the buzzer after a Ryan Rollins layup, but Kuzma’s three ball missed, so the Bucks entered halftime down 63-62. 

Milwaukee began the second half on a heater, going on an 11-0 run. Kuzma, who came into the game shooting 32.5% from three-point range, drilled back-to-back from the corner. KPJ continued to add to his highlight reel with a poster dunk over Jarrett Allen. A Rollins three-pointer put the Bucks up by 12, but the Cavs responded right away with a 10-0 run with 3:19 on the clock. Milwaukee clung onto the advantage for as long as possible, but a Schröder layup with 4.7 left put Cleveland in the driver’s seat entering the fourth, 94-93. 

The Bucks’ offense remained in neutral, as they failed to score a field goal from the 2:21 mark of the third to the 8:31 mark in the fourth, when KPJ scored a layup. Thankfully for Milwaukee’s sake, Cleveland had a hard time finding the bottom of the basket, as they were only able to go ahead by two. After BP knotted things back up, Green put the Bucks back in front with a three, which was followed by an alley-oop dunk from Sims. Schorder tied it with a pair of free throws with 2:40 left. Rollins came up clutch with two straight layups, giving Milwaukee a four-point lead with 1:45 to go. The Bucks couldn’t find that next basket to go up by three possessions, as Jaylon Tyson converted two from the charity stripe and Schröder drew the game even once again. KPJ once again played hero late, as he buried a mid-range jumper with 20 seconds left. The Cavs thought Allen tied the game after putting a Schröder miss back up, but after review, the basket was waived off, and the Bucks escaped. 

Stat That Stood Out

The Cavaliers shot 20/27 from the free-throw line and missed three in the fourth quarter. In a game decided by two points, Cleveland would love to have some of those shots at the charity stripe back.

The Lakers (34-23) are back on the road for the next two games, starting on Thursday when they play against the Phoenix Suns (33-26). This is the final match between the two teams this season, as the purple and gold look to tie the season series.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns

When: 6 p.m. PT, Feb. 26

Where: Mortgage Matchup Center

Watch: Spectrum Sportsnet

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Just when you think the Lakers would bounce back after an embarrassing loss to the Celtics, they took it a step further. They lost to an Orlando Magic team without arguably it’s best player in Franz Wagner and their top perimeter defender in Jalen Suggs. Yes, the same Magic team that — with all due respect — doesn’t even rank top five in the mediocre Eastern Conference.

Given how competitive and tight the Western Conference standings are right now, especially in the middle of the pack, that was a horrible loss for the Lakers.

Now they’re sitting in sixth place and just three games above the play-in category, specifically where their next opponent, the Suns, are currently slotted.

That’s why Thursday’s match becomes significantly more important for the Lakers.

Not only do they need to tie the season series against their fellow Pacific Division opponent, but they also need to create some distance from them to stay afloat in the standings. It will help that the Suns’ best players, namely Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks — who, yes, have given the Lakers some trouble and a lot of annoyance this season, are ruled out for this one.

The Suns will most likely run their offense through Jalen Green, Collin Gillespie, Grayson Allen and Mark Williams. As long as the Lakers don’t allow them to play extraordinarily well, then LA should be able to handle them.

There’s really no excuse for the Lakers to lose. They’re not playing their best basketball right now, but they have to at least attempt to be better. The good news is that they play well on the road, so hopefully we see a better performance from them in the next two games.

Without Booker and Brooks at the perimeter, the Lakers should be able to feast.

It would be ideal to see a bounce back game from top to bottom. Can we get another good game from Deandre Ayton against his former team? Can Austin Reaves be more impactful? And most importantly, can the team as a whole just show more pride and play with more determination to win games?

With 25 games left, the worst-case scenario for them is to fall into the play-in range after playing well enough for most of the season to be out of it.

Notes and Updates

• For the Lakers’ injury report, Rui Hachimura is listed as questionable due to illness.
• Jaxson Hayes (right ankle sprain) has been upgraded to probable, while Adou Thiero (G-League) and Bronny James Jr., (G-League) are with the South Bay Lakers.
• As for the Suns, Cole Anthony (not with the team), Devin Booker (right hip strain), Dillon Brooks (left hand fracture), Jordan Goodwin (left calf strain) and Haywood Highsmith (right knee injury) are out.

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Olivia Olson scored a career-high 31 points, including a driving jumper with 3.2 seconds remaining in overtime, to give No. 8 Michigan an 88-86 victory over 13th-ranked Ohio State on Wednesday night.

Ohio State's Chance Gray hit a 30-footer on the ensuing trip down the floor, but the senior did not get her shot off until after the buzzer.

Olson also had nine rebounds and four assists for Michigan (23-5, 14-3 Big Ten), which set a program record for conference wins.

The Wolverines scored the final 10 points after trailing 86-78 with 1:40 remaining. Michigan had three starters foul out but Macy Brown, who came in averaging 2.1 points, scored eight straight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, to tie it at 86.

Syla Swords scored 22, including four 3-pointers.

Ohio State's Jaloni Cambridge scored 22 points, including three free throws with 0.6 seconds remaining to send it into overtime,

Michigan had a 74-71 advantage with 2.2 seconds left when Brooke Quarles Daniels tried to inbound the ball. Ohio State’s Elsa Lemmila deflected the pass. Cambridge got the loose ball and was fouled by Daniels as she attempted a 3-pointer from the right corner.

Gray had 19 points and Lemmila scored 11 with 15 rebounds. The Buckeyes (23-6, 12-5) have dropped three of their last four.

Ohio State hit four 3-pointers in the first quarter as it ran out to a 28-14 lead. The Wolverines rallied back with an 18-4 run to tie it at 32 with 4:13 remaining in the first half.

Michigan trailed 40-39 at halftime, but opened the second half with an 11-3 run. A 3-pointer by Swords gave the Wolverines a 67-58 advantage early in the fourth quarter.

Up next

Michigan: Hosts No. 14 Maryland on Saturday.

Ohio State: At No. 15 Michigan State on Sunday.

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There are certain players who draw a crowd wherever they go. LeBron James, of course. Steph Curry, Luka Doncic, SGA all come to mind. Victor Wembenyama, though, warmed up ahead of the Spurs’ sole game in Toronto this season to a level of fanfare most of those aforementioned guys rarely see. People were going wild for him, the security in Toronto was hauling people off the sidelines, and kids were screaming for his attention. That’s just the kind of attention the 7-foot-3 French superstar gets on a nightly basis.

It’s only the second time Wemby has played in Toronto, given he was out last year by the time San Antonio made their East Coast road trip. Especially for these West Coast guys who only come here once per season, the fans show up.

Toronto, luckily, had its roster intact to try to deal with the size and strength Wemby brings. Scottie Barnes was cleared to play after tweaking his quad last night, and Jakob Poeltl was available after missing last night due to injury management.

One of the most intriguing decisions, though, was matching Wemby with their rookie, Collin Murray-Boyles. It makes sense, but the trust in their rookie is really fun to see. We know CMB is a beast — his strength for his level of experience is wild, and it makes sense they used him against someone like Wemby. He did really well, despite the obvious height mismatch. He also tweaked his thumb again, causing an early exit from the game in the fourth quarter. Overall though, solid performance from CMB on a juggernaut like Wemby.

Jakob Poeltl also played excellently for Toronto, and looked better than he has in a long time. He was active under the rim, doing his best to defend when he was on that low matchup, Wemby or no Wemby. He was moving well, running back on offence, and making a huge difference. His activity on the glass kept Toronto in a lot of possessions.

Things were looking good for Toronto heading into the fourth quarter; they were up by double-digits against a top team in the league, and were playing well. Despite all of that, the Raptors lost 110-107 to the Spurs.

What happened? Well, first, the Raptors started the fourth quarter without Ingram or Barnes on the court. That resulted in a 9-0 run by San Antonio, evaporating the Raptors’ lead. Despite holding Wembenyama to 12 points in the game, both Fox and Vassell scored 20+, and Dylan Harper scored 15 points off the bench. In the end, the Raptors couldn’t capitalize on some clutch opportunities to tie or win the game in the end.

Darko Rajakovic explained after the game that the Raptors’ Ingram never starts the fourth quarter, since he plays the entire third quarter. Barnes was playing on a sore quad and communicated with the coaching staff that he wanted to play fewer minutes if possible, leading to him being on the bench to start the fourth quarter. It was also the second night of a back-to-back, but if it hadn’t been, I’d probably want Ingram in there for Scottie regardless of whether he played the entire third or not. C’est la vie.

That’s the Raptors’ second loss in a row. They only have one game in the next seven days, against the Washington Wizards on Saturday, before they play the New York Knicks on Wednesday back at home.

The Cleveland Cavaliers nearly stole one from the Milwaukee Bucks. This one ended on a Jarrett Allen hook that nearly sent the game into overtime if he had just released it 0.2 seconds earlier.

All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

Jarrett Allen

27 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block

Allen continues the best stretch of his career. This time, elevating the Cavaliers’ B-Team with his interior presence. Allen dominated the glass and put the ball in the hoop anytime his teammates passed to him. He nearly saved this game and sent it into overtime with a putback opportunity that came just a tad too late. Otherwise, it was a stellar game from JA.

Grade: A+

Jaylon Tyson

14 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals

This was a brutal shooting game from Tyson. He finished 5-16 from the floor and ended as a team worst minus-19. His efforts on the glass are commendable, but the Cavs simply needed a more efficient shooting performance and better defensive integrity from Tyson tonight.

Grade: C-

Dennis Schroder

26 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal

Schroder’s a competitor. His feisty playstyle helped turn the tide of this game in the third quarter. When the Bucks rattled off an 11-0 run, Schroder helped lead a 10-0 response for the Cavs. His dashes into the lane caused Milwaukee’s defense to scramble, and Schroder either made the correct pass or put two points on the board himself.

His final stretch in the fourth quarter was the definition of grit-and-grind. Even on a rolled ankle, Schroder kept the Cavs in stride and almost carried them to a win.

Grade: A+

Sam Merrill

14 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 turnovers

Something tells me Sam is going to feel this one in the morning. He hit the floor every other possession as the Cavs leaned on him to create more than usual. Merrill impressed me with some of his mid-range shot-making, and it’s always nice to see him turn the corner on an unsuspecting defender and finish at the rim.

That said, Merrill airballed a three-pointer and sailed a lob pass out of bounds moments later in the fourth quarter. I have to knock him for that. This was a hard-fought game that wasn’t particularly pretty.

Grade: C+

Keon Ellis

14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

This was the best game Ellis has played in a Cavalier uniform (so far). We’ve seen him make an impact with his defense. Tonight, he poured in four three-pointers in addition to his elite defensive instincts. Some of the steals and deflections he comes up with are absurd. And when he has it rolling from behind the line as he did tonight, it’s a special sight to see.

This is everything you want in a role player.

Grade: A+

Nae’Qwan Tomlin

2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 turnovers

The recent Qwan minutes haven’t been great. He threw some truly bad turnovers tonight and didn’t play in the second half.

Grade: F

Craig Porter Jr.

8 points, 9 assists, 2 rebounds

Porter finally returned to the rotation tonight as injuries cleared the way for him. He made the most of it, aiding Schroder in the Cavaliers’ huge third-quarter run. Porter’s downhill drives helped pull the offense out of the mud — and he threw some of the best passes to Allen all game.

Grade: A-

Dean Wade

0 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists

Wade wasn’t great tonight. He shot 0-4 from the floor, and his defense wasn’t as impactful as the Bucks’ spammed three-pointers, putting him into space and away from his size.

Grade: F

Thomas Bryant

11 points, 2 rebounds

Reliable. Bryant has stepped up and provided the Cavs with quality minutes whenever they need him.

Grade: B+

Despite the Thunder missing majority of their rotation with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Willians, Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren, Alex Caruso, and Ajay Mitchell all reported as out, they were able to hold with Detroit early as they held a 17-16 lead halfway through the first quarter. Their second and third-stringers showed up ready to play as seven different Thunder players would score in the first as they ended the quarter with a 15-2 run to lead 34-22.

Detroit’s defense was missing, but they found offense through Jalen Duren. Without both of the OKC big men, Jaylin Williams was the lone man left to handle JD. Duren’s size would prove to be a problem early as he led the team in field goal attempts along with eight points and three rebounds.

The Pistons needed a spark in the second and they found it from their 9-to-5 crew.

We saw the typical Ron Holland on defense, but it was his offensive rebounding with Paul Reed that provided extra possessions for Detroit to start clawing back against OKC. There was one sequence where the two of them had three straight boards over the Thunder team and RoHo was able to get the layup to go. It hasn’t looked pretty from three recently for Ron, but you can never doubt his effort.

I thought Ausar had a great second quarter – he came in for Caris LeVert after LeVert picked up his third foul and instantly made an impact on both ends of the floor. He had a sequence of a block pinned against the backboard into a transition alley-oop to Jalen Duren, and it was one of those moments where I was convinced no one else on the team could replicate that.

Most importantly, he did a great job of operating with the ball despite the Thunder not respecting his jumper from deep. They guarded him from the block or the free throw line at times, but he was able to attack and kick to find teammates for an open three. He was able to be patient and get to the right elbow for a jumper, a spot we know he’s much more comfortable shooting from.

Between these two and Jalen Duren continuing to feast inside, Detroit was able to reclaim the lead late in the second. They ended the half on a 10-2 run and took a 58-52 lead. Duren led the way with 18 points and seven rebounds as OKC didn’t have an answer for him down low.

The Pistons were able to extend that lead into the third quarter. They forced an Oklahoma City timeout after Cade did his best Tayshaun Prince impression with a chase-down block followed by a transition bucket from Duncan Robinson gave Detroit a double-digit lead. Newly acquired Kevin Huerter even got some minutes before the end of the quarter.

With a 94-80 lead heading into the final frame, things were looking good for Detroit in the Battle of the #1 Seeds. OKC was playing a lot of zone defense, though, Cade did a good job of picking it apart. While the Pistons relied on scoring from inside, the Thunder looked to score from deep. They were consistently shooting threes, with 10 attempts coming from Jaylin Williams who finished with a career-high 30 points. The entire team would shoot 18-for-49 from deep – Detroit’s season-high in attempts is 43.

Those OKC threes landed in the fourth quarter and they made it a five-point game with 5:30 left behind a 11-2 Thunder run. Guards Aaron Wiggins, Cason Wallace, and Jarden McCain contributed with at least 20 points each. Every time they made it close, Cade would carve up the Oklahoma City defense to keep the game just out of reach. It wasn’t the performance you’d hope to see after hearing more than half of their rotation was out, but Detroit now owns a 1-0 record over OKC this season after a 124-116 victory tonight.

It was the Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren show for Detroit as they were the focal point of the offense and were able to capitalize with the lack of interior presence for the Thunder. Both players had 29 points while Cade added 13 assists and JD had 15 rebounds. The two combined to shoot 23-for-33 (69.7%) for an incredibly efficient night. Cunningham also added in multiple highlight reel blocks as he continues to show he’s a complete, two-way hooper.

Duncan Robinson had 16 points including three threes and five free throws, three of which came in the clutch after getting fouled on an attempted three-pointer with less than two minutes left. Ausar did Ausar things tonight and finished with a stat line of 11 points, four rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and two blocks. Thompson had a great bounce back game after being benched in the second half against San Antonio.

The gauntlet of potential playoff previews continues with another primetime matchup, this time on Friday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Go Stones.

The shorthanded Cleveland Cavaliers fought hard, but they ran out of steam in the fourth quarter. Cleveland had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds. Jarrett Allen grabbed a Dennis Schroder miss, but his putback hookshot came just after time expired, leading to the 118-116 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks

This game was defined by who wasn’t playing, as opposed to who was. The Cavs were without Donovan Mitchell (groin), James Harden (thumb), and Evan Mobley (calf). Meanwhile, Milwaukee didn’t have Giannis Antetokounmpo (neck) and Taurean Prince (neck). Having this much firepower in street clothes isn’t ideal, but that’s become an increasingly common reality in the NBA this season.

Unsurprisingly, this led to what was a somewhat disjointed game that had wild swings back and forth, but not necessarily because of great play, but due to having players out of their ideal roles.

Allen wasn’t one of those players. He once again showed why getting him involved should be the priority of any team he’s on, no matter who’s in or out of the lineup.

The Cavs needed a big game from Allen, and he delivered. He outplayed his counterpart, Myles Turner, as he was able to consistently push Turner off his spots. Allen controlled the glass on both ends and was the focal point of the offense, putting up 27 points on 10-15 shooting to go along with 11 boards.

Despite the strong play from Allen, it wasn’t enough to get Cleveland the victory.

The Cavs took the lead early on, and it seemed like they were going to run away with it. But Milwaukee roared back due to their hot three-point shooting. They pushed their advantage to 12 midway through the third quarter, before the Cavs closed the frame on a run to capture a one-point lead heading into the fourth.

The final quarter was a slog. Neither team could create separation.

Milwaukee took a two-point lead late thanks to a midrange jumper from Kevin Porter Jr. with 20 seconds left. The Cavs weren’t able to respond. Dennis Schroder’s game-tying runner bounced out, and Allen couldn’t put it back in before the game clock expired.

Opponent three-point shooting once again had an outsized impact on the outcome of the game. The Oklahoma City Thunder’s hot shooting helped lead them to victory on Sunday, the New York Knicks poor shooting did them yesterday, and the Bucks’ 42.2% shooting from three helped secure them the victory. The Cavs have prioritized taking away lanes to the basket, but they may need to find a better balance as the Bucks were able to generate too many easy outside looks despite not having much on-ball juice.

The Bucks were led by 20 points from Porter Jr., Ryan Rollins contributed 18, and Kyle Kuzma chipped in 17 on 5-10 shooting from deep.

Schroder did a superb job stepping into the starting role. He provided 26 points on 8-14 shooting and made several crucial baskets late despite seemingly turning his ankle in the final minutes. Schroder also had five assists and a steal.

Keon Ellis, Sam Merrill, and Jaylon Tyson each finished with 14 points.

The Cavs have now lost two of their last three, even though it’s difficult to be too upset about this one. Three of their key players didn’t participate, and this was the tail end of a back-to-back and their fifth game in seven nights.

Cleveland will head on the road to take on the conference-leading Detroit Pistons on Friday. Tip-off is at 7 PM.

The Golden State Warriors started out their short two-game road trip in disappointing fashion, falling to the New Orleans Pelicans 113-109 on Tuesday night. But they rebounded — literally and figuratively — in emphatic fashion on Wednesday night, crushing the Memphis Grizzlies 133-112 in a game that wasn’t as close as the not-at-all close score might suggest.

It is, admittedly, what the Warriors probably felt they were supposed to do. Even on the road, even on the back end of a back-to-back, and even playing without Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler III, De’Anthony Melton, and Kristaps Porziņģis, the Warriors surely felt they should beat a Grizzlies team that is actively making no attempt to win games after trading Jaren Jackson Jr. at the trade deadline and gearing up for a rebuild.

But that didn’t make the effort any less impressive, especially considering just how shorthanded the team was. Just look at those names again: Curry! Green! Butler! Melton! Porziņģis! That’s a whole lot of talent missing for the Dubs, who started Brandin Podziemski, Will Richard, Moses Moody, Gui Santos, and Al Horford, while bringing just four players — Pat Spencer, Quinten Post, Gary Payton II, and two-way contract Malevy Leons — off the bench. Though the Grizzlies were, admittedly, without Ja Morant, among others.

And so the battle of the injured vs. the tanking commenced, and it did so with endless energy from both sides. The Warriors were flying around the court, which led to a fair amount of sloppiness, but resulted in more good than bad. They took an early 17-12 lead that forced a Grizzlies timeout.

Steve Kerr used that timeout to pound a little bal control into the team’s collective head, and they came out of it with impeccable offensive execution. The ball movement was exceptional, and you could see every high school and college coach grinning ear to ear as the Warriors repeatedly drove into the paint and kicked the ball out, drove back onto the paint and kicked the all out, repeating until a cutter or a shooter got wide open.

The Grizzlies started to close the gap, but Podziemski and Spencer were in control for the Warriors. But Memphis ended on a high note, as GG Jackson banked home a halfcourt jumper to beat the buzzer. After scoring just 19 points in the first quarter the night before, the Warriors had hung 34 on the Grizzlies … but allowed 31.

It all changed in the second quarter, though. The energy that defined the first quarter was dialed up a notch for Golden State, while Memphis failed to sustain it. It was a case of out-hustling and out-hearting for the Warriors, but it wasn’t just effort: the execution was utterly phenomenal. The team was cutting, cutting, and cutting some more, and within a few possessions it was a double-digit lead. Before you knew it, the lead had ballooned to 20, and then to 24 thanks to a 14-0 run. The youths were playing with endless energy and joy, while the veteran Horford was controlling all the action and holding down the fort on both ends of the court. It was a delight to watch, and the Warriors entered the halftime break with a 74-53 advantage, and total control of the game.

That control was threatened early in the third quarter. Memphis found their energy at the half and that, combined with the Warriors jumpers going cold to start the third quarter, made things look dangerous for a little bit. The Grizzlies started to cut into the deficit, but the Warriors were able to hold court.

It wasn’t always pretty. Things got a little hectic, and at times it felt like the Dubs were leaking oil, yet they never let the Grizzlies actually get close. Every sloppy play or missed rotation was met with a deflection, a cut, or a rebound from someone crashing from the wing. They weren’t just responding to the punches thrown by Memphis, but countering their own mistakes, and sustaining the lead.

Richard in particular came up huge in the second half, seemingly deflecting a pass on every defensive position, and repeatedly leaking out for uncontested buckets at the rim. Despite having their momentum threatened, the Warriors still led 96-76 entering the final quarter.

From there, they settled into a smooth and easy win. The Grizzlies had given it a run in the third quarter, and had nothing left in the tank for the fourth. The Warriors kept cutting and kept busting their butts down the court, earning transition opportunities galore.

The only question in the fourth was whether or not Leons could get to double figures for the first time in his career, as all eight other players had cruised to that mark. Tragically, the youngster left the team — and Bob Fitzgerald in particular — hanging. He made it to nine points, earned. atrip to the free throw line, and then missed both shots. So it goes.

It was a might impressive performance up and down the roster. The Warriors outrebounded the Grizzlies 56-39, and forced 16 turnovers. They outscored their counterparts in the paint 58-44, and in transition 17-13. The Dubs made 49 baskets, and 37 of them were assisted.

A day after not taking a single shot, Richard led the team with 21 points on 9-for-15 shooting, and added five rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Spencer nearly had a double-double with 12 points and nine assists, while Podziemski flirted with a triple-double, finished the game with 19 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Post and Horford were both very strong in the paint, with the former having 12 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks, and the latter 10 points, seven rebounds, and one swat. Leons may have failed to make it a clean sweep of players in double figures, but he grabbed eight rebounds, dished two assists, grabbed two steals, and blocked a shot in less than 18 minutes of action.

Fantastic play up and down the roster, and a very nice win.

With none of the other Western Conference play-in tournament teams in action, the Warriors moved to 31-28 on the year, and within two games of the Phoenix Suns … while moving to three games ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers and LA Clippers. They now get a pair of days off before hosting the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.