Category: Basketball

The Dallas Mavericks took on the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday night in their first game since the All-Star break on Friday. Losers of nine-straight coming into the night, Dallas dropped their tenth in a row, 122-111.

Let’s get to the grades!

Tyus Jones: B+

13 PTS / 1 REB / 6 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 26 MIN

Jones had his best game in his as-yet short time in Dallas. He combined with Brandon Williams to give the Mavs excellent production from the point guard position, which is something that hasn’t often been said about Dallas this season. If he can play with this type of efficiency and poise, it will certainly help Dallas in a position of need.

Naji Marshall: B-

15 PTS / 5 REB / 3 AST / 3 STL / 0 BLK – 33 MIN

Marshall struggled with his shot most of the night, finishing 5-for-16, detracting from his grade. He did a bit of everything and had some nice moments, but you can’t help but think that one of his hot shooting nights could have made a big difference in the outcome.

Khris Middleton: B+

18 PTS / 7 REB / 2 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 30 MIN

Middleton was the steadying force offensively when the Mavs were down big in the first half. He didn’t blow the doors off, but very much kept Dallas connected when things could have really gone south. He continued his steady play throughout the game.

P.J. Washington: C

12 PTS / 12 REB / 2 AST / 2 STL / 0 BLK – 36 MIN

Washington had solid numbers but his actual game left a bit to be desired. He was roasted on defense on more than one occasion, missed a pair of free throws that could have tied the game in the third quarter, and had a few strange sequences where he rebounded his own miss only to miss again.

Daniel Gafford: C-

8 PTS / 5 REB / 2 AST / 2 STL / 3 BLK – 24 MIN

Gafford was similar to Washington in that his stat line was fine, but the actual game saw him getting outplayed by both Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert and his own teammate Marvin Bagley who was backing him up in a bench role.

Brandon Williams: B+

13 PTS / 1 REB / 4 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 18 MIN

Williams paired with Jones for a nice showing from the point guard position. Like Jones, Williams’ damage wasn’t boisterous, but it was efficient and productive. Nice game penetrating and scoring while also getting his teammates involved.

Klay Thompson: C

11 PTS / 0 REB / 2 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 28 MIN

With under two minutes remaining in the third quarter, Thompson was 0-for-5 from the floor and his only measurable stat was a single personal foul. He hit a three-pointer before the quarter ended and had a positive fourth quarter, but this one is easy enough to move on from.

Marvin Bagley: A+

15 PTS / 13 REB / 0 AST / 0 STL / 1 BLK – 24 MIN

Bagley continues to bring it every night and is endearing himself each time out. Watching him away from the play on Friday night showed how much he battles and how well he positions himself to have an impact both tangibly and intangibly. Bagley as part of a more complete and healthy team has a lot of appeal at this early juncture of his Mavs’ tenure. Fantastic game, especially off the bench in limited minutes.

Final Thoughts

Dallas was outclassed in almost every facet of the game for much of the first half, but again would just not go away. Some of that was due to Minnesota falling off, but credit to Dallas for not letting this turn into the 30-point blowout it easily could have been by halftime.

I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.

Karl-Anthony Towns’ involvement in the Knicks offense has been one of the biggest storylines all year and likely will continue to be the rest of the season.

It doesn’t take a microscope to see that he is less comfortable in coach Mike Brown’s system compared to last year under Tom Thibodeau.

Way too many times, Towns goes long stretches on the floor and hardly is noticeable offensively.

During the Knicks’ blowout loss to the Pistons on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, Towns scored just two points on three shots in 15 minutes during the first half.

Particularly puzzling was that the Pistons were playing without their top two centers in Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, both serving suspensions.

If anything, it was a game Towns should have been featured in the offensive game plan and aggressive from the outset.

“Our offense is our offense,” Towns said. “It’s been that way all year. So we have our system, and we’re gonna — regardless of who’s in the game or not in the game — we run the system that we have implemented for our team to the best of our abilities.”

Then, all of a sudden, Towns came out of halftime noticeably hunting for his shot and forcing the issue.

He took five shots and five free throws and scored 12 points in the third quarter.

That’s the way it’s largely been for Towns this year — nothing has been natural or in the flow of the offense.

He’s usually been troublingly uninvolved or overly aggressive, with very little in between.

“We’re continuing to try to do different things to help free him up,” Brown said. “We’ll continue to search to try to do different things to free him up throughout the rest of the year.”

Towns’ production and efficiency are down this year.

His marks of 19.8 points per game and 34.9 percent shooting from 3-point range would represent the lowest since his rookie season, and his 46.7 percent shooting from the field would be the worst of his career.

He is taking just 14 shots per game, which also would be in line for the fewest of his 11-year career.

The problem isn’t going away.

If anything, as the postseason gets closer and closer, finding a solution is growing more urgent.

The Nets looked across the court at Oklahoma City, the team they’re trying to emulate in their rebuild. They got a harsh reminder of just how far away they are.

Brooklyn suffered an offensively-challenged 105-86 loss to the Thunder on Friday night before a crowd of 18,203 at Paycom Center.

Smothered by the reigning champions, the Nets shot 36.7 percent overall and 7-of-41 from 3-point range.

That horrid 17.1 percent clip from behind the arc was their worst of the season, and left them no chance to win.

Brooklyn (15-40) conceded an extended 21-3 run that spanned from the end of the first quarter deep into the second.

They shot 0-for-11 — including 0-for-8 from deep — and gave away a dozen turnovers to flip a six-point lead into a 10-point hole.

That deficit moved to as many as 20. Though the Nets fought back — unlike when they rolled over a night earlier in Cleveland — their sorry shooting short-circuited any comeback bid.

“We struggled. Obviously they’re the No. 1 defense for a reason. And we struggled in that second quarter, but also in the fourth. But we saw good things, and that’s the trend that I wanted the group to continue with,” Jordi Fernández said.

“Yeah, it was handling their pressure. I also thought that getting the stops, when you get to your spots in transition, it’s a little easier to find those shots.”

Brooklyn, which moved up to fourth in the lottery standings are now just a game out of second place, a tie between Indiana and New Orleans.

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The Thunder (43-14) were without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain), Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell. But the Nets couldn’t take advantage.

Michael Porter Jr. had 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists. But playing on the tail end of a back-to-back, he was just 1-of-9 from deep. Egor Dëmin was 1-of-8 from behind the arc and finished with just three points. Nolan Traore scored 17.

Brooklyn had an early 23-17 lead, but coughed up a 21-3 run.

The deficit swelled to 55-35 early in the third.

Down 71-54, the Nets ripped off a 9-0 blitz in just 1:25. But that’s as close as it got.

Jared McCain had 21 for OKC.

The Nets hired ex-OKC director of amateur scouting Acie Law to be Director of Player Personnel in the offseason and will look to emulate the Thunder. But Friday showed how far they have to go.

We’re back!

After more than a full week off for the All-Star Break that saw Anthony Edwards win All-Star Game MVP, the Minnesota Timberwolves were back in action Friday night at Target Center against the Cooper Flagg-less Dallas Mavericks.

The Wolves got whatever they wanted offensively in the first half, consistently generating open looks through great ball movement, knocking down 11 3-pointers en route to a 69-point half and a lead as high as 18 points. Anthony Edwards scored 20 of those 69 points, including 17 in the second quarter alone.

Naz Reid had the highlight play as he slammed one home over Daniel Gafford, as Bones Hyland’s jaw nearly hit the floor in amazement.

“It was crazy,” Naz said about the dunk after the game. “I mean, the excitement that it brought, that’s the energy two years ago, a year ago. So just kind of getting back to that, and kind of getting the crowd into the games, that’s kind of something we need, especially going into this run and obviously going into the playoffs. So just making things electrifying for the fans, and while being still within myself, I think just stuff like that is huge.”

To start the second half, the ball movement completely dried up, and as they have done many times before, the Wolves gave back the 18-point lead, allowing the Mavs to go on a 24-8 run to cut the lead all the way down to two midway through the third quarter.

The Wolves pushed the lead back up to ten late in the third quarter, but eventually found themselves tied after a flurry of tough makes from Klay Thompson. With less than seven minutes left, the Wolves were in a nailbiter with the tanking Mavericks, needing to put together a quality stretch of basketball to avoid yet another disastrous home loss.

From that point in the game forward, Ant took over. Across the final 6:37 of the game, Edwards was in complete control of the game. He scored 14 points down the stretch, including numerous times when he got to his spot in the midrange and rose over his defender for two points and a dagger 3-pointer that gave him 40 points for the game.

“I think Finchy is a big part of my success,” Edwards said, pointing to his head coach, Chris Finch, as to why he’s been so successful in the clutch this season. “the last couple years he was telling me I need a go-to shot, I need spots I can get to where I’m comfortable, so I’ve got to work on that instead of trying to work on all these moves to get to a shot. Work on getting to this spot and rising up over whoever it is. He’s been preaching that to me for the last two years, so he’s a big part of that.”

The Wolves won by a final score of 122-111. The margin was much closer than it needed to be, but ultimately the Wolves came away with a necessary win to open up their post-All-Star schedule. Along with Edwards, Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid carried the Wolves in this game.

Gobert dominated the paint on both ends of the floor as he finished with 22 points and 17 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive end of the floor. Unfortunately, Gobert did pick up a flagrant foul in the second quarter, which, unless rescinded, will result in a one-game suspension.

“It’s up to him to manage it,” Finch said after the game about Gobert’s flagrant foul issue. “I thought that call was a bit harsh. It looked like two guys tying up and sometimes that happens. Seemingly every time Rudy gets clocked in the head and the face, which is quite a bit, it’s always just, ‘ah, that’s just two guys, play on. It’s nothing.’ But yet the other way around, we seem to be penalized for it. I thought it was harsh. I can see getting a technical there, maybe. A flagrant? I didn’t see a flagrant there or the unnecessary part of it.”

Gobert had similar feelings about the call after the game, saying, “You know what? The thing with that is that I get hit in the head almost every game, and I never get flagrants. But when sometimes inadvertently I hit somebody in the head, they never miss. They’re always very hard on me with that, especially when it’s not intentional.”

Gobert and the Wolves do plan to submit the play to the league office in hopes that it will be downgraded to a common foul or a technical foul.

Reid led the Wolves off the bench with 21 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, while knocking down four 3-pointers while playing the final 19:55 of the game as Minnesota desperately needed his scoring punch and rebounding to close out the game.

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Up Next

The Timberwolves are back in action on Sunday at 6:00 PM CT, taking on the Philadelphia 76ers for the first time this season. Joel Embiid is already listed out for the 76ers’ game on Saturday, so status for Sunday’s game against the Wolves is up in the air. Fans can watch the game on FanDuel Sports Network.

Highlights

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 13 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter and the streaking Cleveland Cavaliers held off the Charlotte Hornets 118-113 on Friday night for their seventh straight victory and 12th win in 13 games.

Jared Allen had 25 points and 14 rebounds and James Harden added 18 points and eight assists for the Cavaliers.

Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel finished with 33 points on seven 3-pointers, giving him 193 made 3s for the season — the second most in NBA history by a rookie. Keegan Murray holds the record with 206 set in the 2022-23 season.

LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller each had 18 points and rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner added 12 points and 13 rebounds for Charlotte.

Miller’s and-one layup off a no-look feed from Ball cut Cleveland’s lead to four with a minute remaining, but Mitchell made a short jumper and four free throws in the final 40 seconds to seal the win.

The Cavaliers built a 14-point lead in the second quarter and looked like they were preparing to break the game open, but Knueppel began to heat up, finishing with four 3s and 16 points in the first half to cut Cleveland’s lead in to six. Charlotte took the lead late in the third quarter behind three more Knueppel 3s.

But Mitchell began to take over with his physical play. He got to the line 13 times and made 12 free throws.

Charlotte played without suspended forwards Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate and Grant Williams, who sat out with knee injury management forcing them to play younger, less experienced players in the frontcourt.

The Cavaliers outscored the Hornets 50-28 in the paint.

GRIZZLIES 123, JAZZ 114

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Olivier-Maxence Prosper scored 23 points, GG Jackson added 20, and Memphis put together a second-half rally to beat Utah.

The Grizzlies trailed by 14 in the first half, but a strong third quarter led to a 21-6 run and a 10-point Memphis advantage early in the fourth. The lead reached 16 on Jackson’s 3-pointer with 4:31 left.

Eight of the nine Grizzlies who played reached double figures as Memphis snapped a four-game losing streak.

Isaiah Collier led the Jazz with 24 points, while Kyle Filipowski and Ace Bailey finished with 20 points each.

The game featured two teams fighting their way to the bottom tier in the Western Conference. The Grizzlies started the night 11th in the conference, while the Jazz were 13th. And the NBA fined Utah $500,000 earlier this month for sitting key players in the fourth quarter of games against Orlando and Miami.

Meanwhile, any success by the Grizzlies would have to come from the depths of their bench. Nine players were absent against Utah with various ailments or injuries.

That left a skeleton crew to face a depleted Utah roster. Players such as Keyonte George, Jusuf Nurkic and Jaren Jackson Jr. — acquired from the Grizzlies at the trade deadline — were dealing with injuries.

Lauri Markkanen, Utah’s leading scorer, was a late scratch due to illness.

WIZARDS 131, PACERS 118

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alondes Williams had career highs with 25 points and 10 rebounds in his 11th NBA game and Washington swept a back-to-back set with Indiana.

Sharife Cooper matched his career high with 18 points for Washington, which moved two games above Indiana at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings and a half-game in front of Brooklyn, which played later at Oklahoma City.

Jay Huff scored 22 points and tied a career best with five 3-pointers for Indiana. The Pacers finished 2-4 on a six-game trip.

Quenton Jackson added 21 points for Indiana. Micah Potter had 18, and Jarace Walker added 12 points and 12 rebounds.

HEAT 128, HAWKS 97

ATLANTA (AP) — Tyler Herro scored 24 points in his return from a rib injury and Miami never trailed in a victory over Atlanta.

Bam Adebayo had 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists for Miami, and Norman Powell added 15 points in his first game since participating in his first All-Star game. Kel’el Ware had 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Jalen Johnson had 16 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists for Atlanta for his 11th triple-double of the season. It is the most in franchise history for a single season and leads the Eastern Conference.

Oneka Okongwu led Atlanta with 22 points. CJ McCollum had 20 points off the bench. He hit four 3-pointers.

Herro played his 12th game of the season. He missed the last 15 because of a rib injury and returned with a flak jacket.

TIMBERWOLVES 122, MAVERICKS 111

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards returned to Minnesota with his All-Star Game MVP award and scored 40 points to help the Timberwolves hold off Dallas, the 10th straight loss for the Mavericks.

Rudy Gobert had 22 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks and Naz Reid added 21 points for the Timberwolves, who squandered a 17-point first-half lead before Edwards took over down the stretch.

Tyus Jones tied the game at 103 on a floater with 6:55 left, capping a 12-2 spurt for the Mavericks and ending a stretch of 36:32 during which the Timberwolves were ahead. But Edwards answered with a step-back 3-pointer and Reid hit one too less than a minute later, and the Mavericks never grabbed the lead.

Edwards, who has eight 40-point games this season, had 14 points in the fourth quarter.

Khris Middleton had 18 points and Marvin Bagley added 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Mavericks, who are on their longest losing streak in 28 years

BUCKS 138, PELICANS 118

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ryan Rollins made a career-high seven 3-pointers and scored 27 points to help Milwaukee beat New Orleans t for its third straight victory and sixth in seven games.

Playing without injured star Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks pulled away in the fourth quarter to improve to 24-30. Antetokounmpo has been sidelined four weeks by a strained right calf.

Bucks newcomer Cam Thomas, a former LSU star, had 27 points in 21 minutes off the bench, and Kevin Porter added 25 points. Rollins was 7 of 10 on 3s and had six assists, four steals and two blocks. The Bucks were coming off a victory at defending champion Oklahoma City before the All-Star break.

Zion Williamson led New Orleans with 32 points in the first game of home back-to-back, while scoring leader Trey Murphy sat out because of a sore right shoulder. The Pelicans dropped to 15-42.

THUNDER 105, NETS 86

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Jared McCain scored a season-high 21 points and short-handed Oklahoma City beat Brooklyn.

McCain, the former Philadelphia 76er the Thunder acquired in a trade this month, posted his highest points total in five games with Oklahoma City. He made 7 of 12 field goals and 3 of 6 3-pointers in a reserve role.

The Thunder have several players dealing with injuries, including reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain) and 2025 All-Star Jalen Williams (strained right hamstring). Both are to be re-evaluated in the coming weeks.

Oklahoma City compensated with balanced scoring. Chet Holmgren scored 15 points, Isaiah Joe had 11 and Isaiah Hartenstein and Lu Dort each added 10.

Michael Porter Jr. had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Nolan Traore added 17 points for the Nets. Brooklyn shot just 36.7% from the field in its third straight loss.

Angel Reese came back to Unrivaled, at least in part, to help defending champ Rose BC make a push to the playoffs.

While Reese scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a productive 10 minutes, Rose lost, 80-78, in her return to Hive BC on Friday night at Sephora Arena in Miami. Rose is now 5-7 and in fifth place in the standings with two regular-season games to go. The top six teams will make the postseason.

Kelsey Mitchell scored 27 points and hit the game-winning layup for Hive in a game which included 19 lead changes and 16 ties. Azurá Stevens, who the Rose traded away to make room for Reese, added 20 points and eight rebounds in 11 minutes off the bench.

MORE: Unrivaled thrives with record crowd, playoff road trip, Angel Reese’s return

27 PTS and a GAME-WINNER for @Kelz_Hoop 🐝🔥 pic.twitter.com/ookDdKR1jh

— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) February 21, 2026

Reese joining Rose is made possible by a recent three-way trade, the second in league history. The trade sent Vinyl BC guard Courtney Williams to Breeze BC, Hive BC guard Saniya Rivers to Vinyl and Rose forward Stevens to Hive.

Rose guard Kahleah Copper had been begging Reese to return to Unrivaled on social media all season. Under a recent TikTok video of Reese unboxing items she bought while traveling in Australia, Copper said, "You unboxing [expletive], like bring your ass to Miami." She later added, "Inbox this Rose jersey."

Cooper scored a game-high 29 points for the Rose on Friday. Shakira Austin added 17 points and nine rebounds.

BARBIE BUCKETS 🤩🌹 @Reese10Angelpic.twitter.com/fPYxkfRFdt

— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) February 21, 2026

Reese was named Defensive Player of the Year and made Unrivaled history with the league's first 20-20 game last season. 

"Angel [Reese], she's, obviously, a young player, a really well-known player and someone who did really well last year. Her team won." Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier said ahead of Reese's return. "To have her back on the Rose is awesome.

"She's just been such a huge addition to Unrivaled, and so, even though it's only the end of the season, we're happy to have her."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Angel Reese's return to Unrivaled spoiled by Kelsey Mitchell, Hive BC

Ordinarily, a matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers would provide enough drama and theater for the nearly 30,000 fans in attendance, but the real theater unfolded in head coach J.J. Redick’s office prior to tipoff. 

Before we get into that, let’s flashback to a week earlier, when we wrote about a viral clip that caught head coach J. J. Redick teasing his superstar, Luka Dončić, about a sideline fit that looked straight off a Milan runway. “What kind of jacket is that?” Redick asked, half smirk, half scouting report. Luka didn’t blink. “It’s a jacket. You don’t know anything about style.”

"How would you qualify that jacket?"
"A jacket."
"It's not a bomber…"

This mic'd up moment between Luka & JJ Redick pic.twitter.com/F1LfKlq1wa

— NBA (@NBA) February 13, 2026

Redick was trying to insist that Dončić’s jacket was a blouson jacket. Luka insisted, “it’s just a jacket.” 

Touché.

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But on Friday, the debate continued and Dončić had delivered the punchline. He gifted Redick the exact same piece — prompting the coach to immediately ask, “Is it the grey one?” What followed was round two of the Great Jacket Debate. Redick insisted it was a blouson. Luka fired back: “It’s just a jacket.”

Luka gifted JJ a "jacket" pic.twitter.com/9ocmRbBeYb

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 21, 2026

So we did what any responsible newsroom would do. We went to the source. On the Dior website, the verdict is clear: blouson jacket.

One hundred percent lambskin. Nearly $5,000. Redick was right. Debate settled. The definition — a waist-cinched silhouette that blouses over the beltline — traces back to mid-century military uniforms. Leave it to a Duke alum to win on technicalities.

The Lakers posted the clip to their social media, but the larger point is that everything seems to be good between coach and player inside the Lakers locker room. A superstar comfortable enough to clap back at his coach. And a coach secure enough to laugh — and wear it.

In a season built on expectations and ego, the Lakers may have found something far more valuable than couture, and it’s not just impeccable taste in clothes.

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) — Joe Scott is out as the Air Force basketball coach, the academy said on Friday, a month after he was suspended pending an investigation into his treatment of cadets.

The school said it was “a mutual parting of ways.” Assistant coach Jon Jordan had been serving as the interim coach.

“Coach Scott’s passion for the game of basketball has long been evident in his competitive and direct coaching style. It was this coaching style that guided Air Force Basketball to some of the program’s most memorable achievements during his initial tenure at the Air Force Academy,” Athletic Director Nathan Pine said.

“This is a different day, and now is the right time for a new voice and a new approach to drive the culture and success of the men’s basketball program, aligned with the Air Force Academy’s mission of forging leaders of character developed to lead in our Air Force and Space Force.” Scott was 97-183 in charge of the Falcons, first leading the team from 2000-04 — a stint that ended with a 22-7 record and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. After spending time at Princeton, his alma mater, and Denver, he returned to Air Force in 2020.

The Falcons are 47-129 since then, winning just four games last season; they have won three so far this year, losing their last 19 in a row.

“I thank Nate Pine for his leadership. The Air Force Academy gave me my first head coaching opportunity and I am forever grateful," Scott said. “We will always be fans of Air Force Basketball.”

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Taking down the Brooklyn Nets doesn’t require much these days. The Oklahoma City Thunder did it tonight without the league MVP, his lead running mate, and the rhythm of recent play. The Nets gave OKC their first game in over a week this evening. Brooklyn, of course, had this one as back-to-back. It was also their second straight game against a title contender richer than them by 20+ wins.

Essentially, Adam Silver welcomed the Nets back from the All-Star break like Kevin McCallister “welcomed” the wet bandits into his home that one Christmas Eve.

The odds against Brooklyn tonight also increased when Nic Claxton landed on the injury report again. He’s still dealing with a sprained ankle he suffered on Thursday. That meant Day’Ron Sharpe, who Thunder fans surely remember from his 25/15/5 game last year, would start in his place.

OKC seemed to bring the best out of Day’Day once more, at least in the game’s early stages. Sharpe scored Brooklyn’s first four points of the night, working well with Nolan Traoré, who had a far easier time getting into the paint compared to Thursday. Fellow rookie Drake Powell also had a few nice sequences…

Drake Powell breaks down Jared McCain off the dribble. pic.twitter.com/A3GAcBjJdU

— Collin Helwig (@collinhelwig) February 21, 2026

That said, Brooklyn’s best friend in the first had to be the rust still hampering OKC’s offense. The Thunder, who carried the NBA’s second best two-point field goal percentage going into the break (57.7%), shot just 23.1% on such shots in the first. The Nets, uncoincidentally, maintained a 23-21 lead after one.

However, the quiet, slow approaching storm is just as dangerous as the one that’s accurately forecasted. Thunder struck in the second, as OKC enjoyed a 15-3 run that was more than enough to put them in front on the scoreboard.

Brooklyn, shooting 2-23 from deep in period, seemed rattled by the encompassing cumulonimbus clouds. Even while queuing up high percentage looks, the Nets failed to find nylon over and over again. It took them over eight minutes to make their first field goal in the second. They also had nine turnovers and just three field goals in the frame. Naturally, OKC outscored them there, doing so by a 29-10 margin. They led at the break by a 50-33 one.

“I think that when you play under duress, you feel it, and you feel it when you’re shooting is open,” Fernández said. “They do a great job. There’s a reason why they’re number one defense. But you know, the 17% is something that I’m not worried about because I know the shots are going to go in. So, we just got to continue to be convinced and take those shots.”

Even for the Nets, those numbers were horrid enough to require some sort of regression/return to the mean, and the basketball gods paid their debt as soon as play resumed. The Nets put together an 8-0 run in the top half of the third, starting the period 7-11 from the field and 2-3 from deep. They later cut it to 10 with 6:42 to go, and then eight with 2:39 remaining in the period.

Sharpe and Traoré had to have been praying the hardest at halftime. They led the way again with a combined 11 points on 4-5 shooting during that initial stretch. Porter Jr. and Danny Wolf captained the second run. Wolf notched eight points in the period while shooting 4-7 from the field, out-hustling the shorthanded Thunder to his spots on multiple occasions. MPJ added nine points, three assists, and came away with as sneaky a steal as you’ll see from a 6’10” guy in the backcourt…

MPJ with a GTA-like move in the backcourt…

Team is definitely battling here in the third. pic.twitter.com/T1S4oceb8Q

— Collin Helwig (@collinhelwig) February 21, 2026

After putting in just 33 points in the first half, Brooklyn added 34 in the third, and went into the fourth down 77-67.

“It was handling their pressure. I also thought getting the stops, when you get to your spots in transition, I think it’s a little easier to find those shots,” Fernández said. “We were good defensively, get stops, be able to run and create turnovers. That was good to see, and you know, better cutting. I think Mike did a great job in the third quarter finishing his cuts to all the way to the rim, as tall as he is. Day’Ron and Danny did a great job throwing the ball over the top.”

But rather than a legitimate comeback, Brooklyn’s efforts were more like back bumper collision warning for OKC, telling them to hit the gas. Each time the Nets got within striking distance, the Thunder surged ahead and pushed the lead back to double digits. An 11-3 start to the final frame put them back up 18 with about nine minutes remaining.

The Nets never pressured OKC again after that. Unlike vs Cleveland, Fernández kept the starters on the floor for the majority of garbage time, but it mattered not. Brooklyn shot a soft 5-15 from the field through the fourth’s first nine minutes, which simply won’t cut it against most teams, let alone the champs.

Despite shooting 1-9 from deep, Porter Jr. ended up with 22 points, finding his way to the line often, where he went 9-11. He also dished five assists, grabbed nine rebounds, and came away with two steals. Traoré followed him with 17 points, three assists, and two steals. He shot a modest 5-11 from the field, but turned it over four times. Sharpe was the only other Net to reach double figures, grabbing 12 points, eight rebounds, two steals, and a block.

In the end, it was a rather forgettable contest for Brooklyn. They fought enough to keep it from being embarrassing and noteworthy by consequence, but never threw a strong enough punch to ever challenge their opponent.

That said, in a season like this, I think we could all use some amnesia.

Final: Oklahoma City Thunder 105, Brooklyn Nets 86

Injury Report

We mentioned Claxton missing tonight’s game, but Ziaire Williams also didn’t suit up tonight for personal reasons. It feels worth mentioning that Porter Jr. and Egor Dëmin did both play tonight though, making it the first time each has appeared in a back-to-back this season.

Milestone Watch

• Noah Clowney’s first 3-pointer tonight against OKC was the 200th of his career, which adds to his total as the most by a player under 22 years old in franchise history. In his 118th game, he becomes the fastest player in Nets history to reach 200 career 3-pointers.
• Michael Porter Jr. had 17 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals at the end of Q3 tonight in Oklahoma City. It is his eighth time logging at least 15 PTS, 5 AST and 5 REB this season; he had seven such games through his first six career seasons.

Brooklyn’s loss combined with the Indiana Pacers loss to Washington Wizards puts the Nets in sole possession of the fourth place in Tankathon ranking and only one game out of second.

Next Up

The Nets will head back across the country to face the Atlanta Hawks Sunday afternoon. It’ll be their first look at the Hawks in the post-Trae Young era. The game tips off at 3:30 p.m. EST. After that, Brooklyn will return for a quick two at The Clays before hitting the road again.

• Boxscore: Oklahoma City Thunder 105, Brooklyn Nets 86 – NBA
• Game Highlights: Oklahoma City Thunder 105, Brooklyn Nets 86 (Video) – NBA
• Jordi Fernandez PostGame Interview (Video) – YES Network
• Day’Ron Sharpe PostGame Interview (Video) – YES Network
• New acquisition Jared McCain scores 21 as the Thunder beat the Nets 105-86 – AP
• Sloppy Nets get served brutal reminder from Thunder in blowout loss – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• UNC’s Caleb Wilson forcing his way into draft conversations that could include tanking Nets ($) – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Nets’ comeback bid stalls in 105-86 road loss to Thunder ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• NBA’s anti-tanking push could reward Nets’ rebuild ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Nets player grades after 105-86 loss at Jared McCain, Thunder – Sharif Phillips-Keaton – USA TODAY

The Cleveland Cavaliers did enough to outscore the Charlotte Hornets 118-113 to win their seventh game in a row.

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	59.7%, 79th percentile	33.3%, 70th percentile	13.2%, 63rd percentile	33.8, 93rd percentile
Hornets	50%, 24th percentile	44.6%, 97th percentile	15.6%, 39th percentile	22.8, 61st percentile

Now, let’s dive into the numbers.

• Both the Cavs (129.7 offensive rating) and the Hornets (125.6 offensive rating) finished with single-game offensive ratings that were in the 80th percentile or above. How both teams got there was very different. Charlotte did this by controlling the offensive glass and generating second-chance points. Cleveland did so by shooting great from the field and by getting to the free-throw line repeatedly.
• Charlotte registered 37 second-chance points. They did so by grabbing 23 offensive rebounds, many of which were due to not being able to track down long rebounds from missed threes. Additionally, being without Evan Mobley made this problem worse. Still, it’s frustrating when the Cavs are beaten this handily on the offensive glass.
• The Cavs registered 18 second-chance points of their own. This would be a solid output on most days. For example, the team that leads in second-chance points per game — the Portland Trail Blazers — does so with 18.5 per contest. Even though this is much lower than Charlotte’s 37, being able to get these helped soften the blow. Jarrett Allen grabbed seven of Cleveland’s 10 offensive rebounds.
• Cleveland is now 18-2 when Allen scores more than 15 points and 10-0 when he scores 20 or more. Allen put up 26 points on an efficient 11-15 shooting. He was arguably the team’s best player again — which has become a common occurrence over the past three or so weeks.
• Additionally, they’re 14-0 when Allen attempts 10 or more shots. He took 15 in the win over Charlotte.
• The Cavs took 42% of their shots at the rim (90th percentile). This has been a recent trend. They’ve registered over 40% of their shots in the restricted area during their last three games. Allen’s good play, and how the offense has shifted after adding James Harden to the mix, play a large role in that.
• The Hornets converted just 43.5% of their shots in the restricted area (1st percentile). The Cavs didn’t necessarily do a great job of defending the three-point line. They struggled with their rotations out to shooters, especially in some of the Hornets’ guard-to-guard screens, but they made up for it by controlling the paint. The easiest way to have a good defense is by defending the rim. The Cavs did that at a high level. Getting to the basket is still the most efficient way to score.
• The Cavs took their fewest three-pointers of a game this season (21) despite shooting 47.6% from deep (92nd percentile). The offense did a great job of generating clean outside shots while getting the ball inside when those looks weren’t there. They’ve come a long way from the side-to-side action that led to the contested, standstill threes that we saw at the beginning of the season.
• Cleveland posted a great 109 half-court offensive rating (81st percentile). Having two dynamic guards in Donovan Mitchell and Harden, who are this effective in the pick-and-roll, will lead to an elite half-court offense. There’s a reason why they’ve been so good in this area in the five games Harden has been with the team.
• The Cavs are now 21-8 when Mitchell scores 30 or more points and 18-4 when he scores 32 or more. These numbers don’t correlate to winning as Allen’s scoring totals do, but generally speaking, this team has typically won when Mitchell is scoring at a high level. That happened again here as he poured in 32 points in the victory.
• This was Mitchell’s 100th 30-point game with the Cavs. He’s cementing himself as one of the best players in franchise history. Here’s to a few hundred more.
• Keon Ellis led the team in plus/minus by being a +19. He’s played six games with the Cavs and was a +17 or better in three of those games. So far, the Cavs have played some of their best basketball with him on the floor. The defensive energy he brings fits in well with this group.
• The Cavs registered a 143.5 offensive rating with Harden on the court. That was the second-best number for a Cavalier behind only Allen (147.4). Coming into this game, the Cavs had an outrageous 129.4 offensive rating when Harden is playing (100th percentile). Simply put, the offense has been unstoppable with Harden through five games. This is exactly what he was brought in to do.

The Milwaukee Bucks put on a show coming out of the break, beating the New Orleans Pelicans 139-118. Ryan Rollins led the Bucks on both ends, racking up 27 points (on a career-high seven threes), six assists, four steals, and two blocks. Special mention to Kevin Porter Jr. and Cam Thomas, who dropped a combined 52 points. The Pels were led by Zion Williamson, who scored 32 points on 13/17 shooting.

NBA.com Box Score

Game Recap

The Pels got out to a quick start, making a bunch of easy looks at the rim. Ryan Rollins, however, was saving the Bucks’ bacon, nailing several contested long-range shots to have the game even at 10 apiece. Then, the Bucks went on a 5-0 run, featuring Kyle Kuzma punching it reverse-style twice in a row. Milwaukee would make a move to go up 26-18; there must have been something in that bayou air because this run featured a Bobby Portis putback slam. The Pels would respond with a 7-0 run, though, punctuated by the Milwaukee native Jordan Poole nailing a bomb in transition. Zion Williamson really flexed his muscle to end the period, scoring a bunch of times to put New Orleans up 38-33 after one.

Cam Thomas, who did not score in the opening frame, got the Bucks the lead back to open the second with a three and an and-one. Unfortunately, Zion would snatch the lead right back for the Pels, already scoring his eighth bucket from 10 tries early in the second. Remember when I said Cam Thomas hadn’t scored until the second quarter? Yeah, he ended up scoring 16 straight points for the Bucks (and did it in less than six minutes, no less). 16. Straight. Points. What an absolute psycho, man. And then for the rest of the quarter, I’ll be honest with you, neither team played a lick of defence (with both sides turning it over in the open court a number of times). The visitors were up 71-65 going into the locker room.

The Bucks were scoring at a solid rate to open the second, with KPJ, Rollins, and Portis boarding the tough-shot express. That said, the Pels were scoring at the same rate, able to keep the margin at the 6-9-point mark throughout the opening four minutes. New Orleans got it within two a few times, but the Bucks had an answer (often Rollins or Thomas) on every occasion. And in Rollins’ case, I don’t just mean on offence; this dude had four steals and two blocks at the end of the third, making huge plays to save easy baskets under the rim. Bucks up 103-96 after three.

Like clockwork, Thomas opened the fourth with a few buckets to bring him to 27 on the night. Pate Nance then got in on the act, nailing a corner three and a tough layup to force James Borrego into a timeout—visitors up 113-104 with just under eight minutes left. The Bucks would go on a 7-2 run right out of the timeout, forcing yet another timeout from the Pels (and more KPJ dance moves). For all his flaws, KPJ is a bucket when he gets in that mode (and trust me, he was in that mode throughout the fourth). From there, it was all academic; Milwaukee beats their pick-swap nemesis.

Stat That Stood Out

The Bucks rank fifth in the NBA with a 48.1% shooting percentage. They shot a ridiculous 59.8% tonight. Good golly.

The Jazz win a massive tank battle!

The Jazz lost a game against the Grizzlies that they led and controlled most of the first half, but fizzled out in the second half—losing the third and fourth quarters by a combined 21 points. It was actually a very important game. Before the game started, the Jazz were sitting at 18 wins and 6th in the lottery standings, and the Grizzlies at 20 wins in the 8th lottery slot. Now with only 25 games remaining, every single win and loss is absolutely crucial towards the draft lottery standings that are so tight—and in a draft that looks incredibly generational. When the Jazz have a top 8 protected pick, the Jazz need to lose every game they can, and they succeeded tonight losing 114-123.

off to houston ✈️ pic.twitter.com/u5lEEoRul0

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 21, 2026

It was clear from the injury reports what this game was going to be…The Jazz had Jusuf Nurkic out with a nose injury. Obviously Walker Kessler and Jaren Jackson Jr remain out for the season so I find it funny they continue to list them on the injury report, but the injury report didn’t end there. Keyonte George continuing to miss time with his ankle, and just today a few hours before the game the Jazz added Lauri Markkanen to the report with an illness who went on to miss the game. The lengths the Jazz have to go to uphold the Integrity of the game, because this is so much better than literally playing your guys for over half of the overall 48 minutes… But fine Adam Silver!! We’ll just not play them at all and you’re going to like it! Speaking of the integrity of the game… The Grizzlies Injury report is listed below.

🚨 Have YOU or a LOVED ONE been personally victimized by the Memphis Grizzlies injury report? You may be entitled to financial compensation.

Call now 📞 pic.twitter.com/a4cbp748Sj

— Growl Towel Central (@GTC901) February 20, 2026

The Jazz started quite hot in this one, making 11 of their 13 total threes they made this game in the first half. Guys like Blake Hinson knocking down shots making it look easy. Kevin Love checked in for 5 minutes in the second quarter, hit 2 threes, and Will Hardy then instantly pulls him out. Kyle Filipowski and Isaiah Collier were Batman and Robin out there today—Collier with 24 points, 5 assists, and 6 combined STOCKS; Filipowski with 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 combined STOCKS. Ace Bailey continues to show flashes, hitting tough and confident shots, just showing glimpses of what type of player he’ll be on day.

watching our 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫 take flight never gets old 🤩 pic.twitter.com/YXNXc6egtF

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 21, 2026

Once the second half started you could feel the shift. The Jazz weren’t quite as polished as they seemed in the first half. Will Hardy managed the rotations to perfection, and the Jazz’s 12 point lead at halftime was cut down to 2 going into the fourth quarter. And by the time there was 4:35 remaining in the fourth quarter the Grizzlies were up 16 points. And you have to understand the Grizzlies wanted to lose this game just as badly as the Jazz. I say this honestly with no bias… Even though the Jazz lost this game, actually watching and observing the guys the Jazz had out there vs who the Grizzlies had out there, the Jazz players seemed far more exciting, talented, athletic, and just better… But they ended up winning anyway… I mean losing! Excuse me.

floater off the glass is 𝙸𝙲𝚈 🥶 pic.twitter.com/ceIjiriazX

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 21, 2026

never panicking, just planning 🤔💭 pic.twitter.com/BV8pk2jjhw

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 21, 2026

This was one of the most important games of the season for the Jazz. First game post All-Star break, 26 total remaining, and they couldn’t have started the second half any better. Jazz fans need to continue to be thankful the front office is doing what’s right for the franchise, and we as Jazz fans need to embrace our fandom and really come together. It’s kind of felt like a civil war on Jazz Twitter and other online communities these past few years, but the basketball world really does not care about us except for when they need a punching bag. So if we don’t have each other we have nothing.

the rook's hoopin' on both sides of the ball 😈#TakeNote presented by @Go_Aptivepic.twitter.com/EGVHXvozH0

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 21, 2026

The Utah Jazz tankfully lost this one tonight against the Memphis Grizzlies 114-123, building some lottery space between them and the Grizzlies.They’ll have another few days off before continuing the road trip playing the Rockets in Houston on February 23rd.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ryan Rollins made a career-high seven 3-pointers and scored 27 points to help the Milwaukee Bucks beat the New Orleans Pelicans 139-118 on Friday night for their third straight victory and sixth in seven games.

Playing without injured star Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks pulled away in the fourth quarter to improve to 24-30. Antetokounmpo has been sidelined four weeks by a strained right calf.

Bucks newcomer Cam Thomas, a former LSU star, had 27 points in 21 minutes off the bench, and Kevin Porter added 25 points. Rollins was 7 of 10 on 3s and had six assists, four steals and two blocks. The Bucks were coming off a victory at defending champion Oklahoma City before the All-Star break.

Zion Williamson led New Orleans with 32 points in the first game of home back-to-back, while scoring leader Trey Murphy sat out because of a sore right shoulder. The Pelicans dropped to 15-42.

Rollins had 16 points in the first half to help Milwaukee take a 71-65 lead. Williamson had 21 points in the half.

The Bucks took a 103-96 advantage into the fourth. After the Pelicans cut it to 108-102 on Williamson’s layup, the Bucks pulled away with a 14-4 run. Pete Nance hit two 3s and a layup during the run.

Up next

Bucks: Host Toronto on Sunday.

Pelicans: Host Philadelphia on Saturday night.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

The Cleveland Cavaliers obliterated the Brooklyn Nets 112-84 in their first game back from the All-Star break. Let’s see who won the night.

WINNER – Jarrett Allen

“I’m running out of things to say about Jarrett Allen,” Donovan Mitchell said after the game.

Same, Donnie.

I really don’t know what else to say about Allen that we haven’t already seen in the previous seven games. He’s crashing the glass. He’s playing with authority and forcing his way into the paint. Allen started tonight by burying an elbow jumper just to prove he can do it.

I mean, seriously. An elbow jumper?

Jarrett Allen during the Cavs' win streak:

– 40 points, 17 rebounds
– 10 points, 11 rebounds (23 minutes)
– 29 points, 10 rebounds
– 22 points, 11 rebounds
– 21 points, 9 rebounds (26 minutes)
– 15 points, 10 rebounds (23 minutes)
– 26 points, 14 rebounds

BEAST MODE

— Tony Pesta (@Tony_Pesta) February 21, 2026

Allen’s played with a newfound aggression that predates the James Harden acquisition. Harden has only added more fuel to the fire. He’s now getting more opportunities than before and making the most of them. Allen has recorded a double-double in six of Cleveland’s seven wins (falling just short with 9 rebounds against the Wizards).

LOSER – Second Chance Points

This was a rough night on the glass for every Cavalier not named Jarrett Allen.

Charlotte grabbed 23 offensive rebounds for 37 second-chance points. That’s the type of thing that should result in a loss 99% of the time. Thankfully, the Cavs managed to grab key rebounds and play good defense outside of those second-chance opportunities. But man… did they have to fight for it.

Part of this can be explained by the Hornets launching 56 three-point attempts. All of those threes led to long rebounds, which have historically been a weak point for the Cavaliers. They don’t have many rebounders in the backcourt who can successfully win those 50/50 balls.

This isn’t an excuse, rather an explanation. The Cavs are a good defensive rebounding team when both Allen and Evan Mobley are available. They became a below-average team when one of them is off the floor. That’s a straightforward fact that’s been true since the core four era began. Don’t expect it to change now.

WINNER – The Bench

The Hornets made this game interesting. And while the Cavalier starters ultimately closed this game out, I can’t give enough credit to the bench for swinging momentum multiple times throughout.

Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis are brothers in causing mayhem. They combined for five steals and wreaked havoc in the passing lanes. Two pesky, athletic guards who never stop harassing their opponent are a good thing to have on your side.

“Sometimes he [Ellis] gets a deflection, and you don’t even see how it happens,” said Kenny Atkinson after the game.

Nae’Qwan Tomlin deserves a shout-out, too. He didn’t come up with any stocks tonight, but he’s always aggressive and isn’t afraid to get physical. Of course, that’s all true for Jaylon Tyson, as well. The Cleveland bench has become one of the nastiest groups in the league, and that toughness is something the Cavs haven’t always had.