Basketball News
The Washington Wizards play the Orlando Magic at 7 p.m. ET. Watch on Monumental Sports Network. Chat on this posts as we root for Washington to victory! Yes, I wrote that with a straight face!
(Hopefully, no one drops 83+ points on the Wizards this time.)
Ivica Zubac hasn't taken the court since Feb. 2 due to a left ankle sprain, and while he was out he was traded from the LA Clippers to the Indiana Pacers. Thursday night, he will make his debut for his new team.
️ ZUUUUUUUU
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) March 12, 2026
Ivica Zubac is making his Pacers debut tonight pic.twitter.com/qnTwGGwv7H
This season with the Clippers, Zubac averaged 14.4 points and 11 rebounds per game, shooting 61.3% from the floor. He will also provide a defensive presence in the paint that Indiana has lacked all season. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said Zubac would eventually play this season, this may have been a little quicker than his expected return but he is back.
While Zubac is back, the Pacers don't want him to start helping them win games quite yet. As part of the trade, Indiana's first-round pick this June goes to the Clippers, however, the pick is top-four protected. At 15-50, Indiana has the league's worst record, but with lottery odds, that makes just a 52% chance Indy gets to keep the pick. Indiana, Brooklyn, Sacramento and Washington are in a tight "race" to the bottom — they are all within two games of each other in the standings — and if the Pacers fall to the fourth-worst record, then they end up on the wrong side of those coin flip odds.
The Pacers traded a first-round pick for Zubac looking ahead to next season. That's when Zubac will be setting picks for a healthy Tyrese Haliburton (out for the season with a torn Achilles), as well as Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard — and maybe a young star they draft this June.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were the ones who lost Wednesday’s game against the Orlando Magic, not the officiating crew. It was the Cavs’ defense that didn’t put up enough resistance and allowed 128 points to a bottom-third offense.
They were also on the wrong end of a few calls that helped determine the game.
First, Keon Ellis was called for a shooting foul that he didn’t commit. When he tried to tell the bench to review the play, he was called for a technical. The foul was overturned on review, but the technical wasn’t.
Needing to use the review there cost them in the final 20 seconds of a two-point game. The ball appeared to have gone out of bounds off an Orlando player. The Cavs couldn’t challenge because they won their two challenges earlier in the game and aren’t allowed a third. Then, Desmond Bane hit a game-sealing three after the inbound to secure the victory.
If the call had gone the other way, the Cavs would’ve had a chance to tie or win the game on their final possession. It’s also worth pointing out that the league’s Last Two Minute report said that the call on the floor was correct.
Not being able to review the call in the moment is something that Donovan Mitchell took issue with.
“I’m having a hard time with the rule of once you’ve had two challenges you can’t get any more, especially when you win both,” Mitchell said in a cleveland.com article by Chris Fedor. “I don’t know what the rule should be. If you’re winning challenges, especially on calls that are very obvious, I think it’s something that should be talked about.”
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Mitchell is right to feel this way, and he did clarify that it wasn’t the reason they lost. It’s deflating to feel like the outcome of a game is affected by something neither team can control.
At the same time, missed calls happen to every team in every game in every sport. And it will keep happening as long as sports are played. It’s just as much part of the game as missed shots, turnovers, or the basketball itself.
There’s the thought that if there were more replay reviews, we’d somehow make things more fair. And while the increased use of replay does help get more calls correct, sports will never be completely fair. The more you try to make it that way, the more you end up highlighting that it isn’t, and never will be.
There’s also the fact that there’s no amount of replays that would make things better. If you’re allowed two challenges, you’ll always think you should be allowed three. And so on.
Additionally, there are calls that can’t easily be reviewed. For example, the missed goaltending call in the Cavs game against the Oklahoma City Thunder proved to be monumental. Instead of two points for the Cavs, OKC ended up with a transition three.
How are you supposed to stop that from happening? Should they halt play any time there’s a close call? That isn’t exciting. Do you give the team that was goaltended against two points? That would help, but it’s still unfair that OKC got a three in transition? Do you rewind the game to the time and score when the goaltend happen? That would be pretty anticlimactic. Not every problem has a clean solution, so you will never completely fix everything.
Adding more replays hasn’t made the product better in any sport; it just leaves you more unsatisfied while also derailing any momentum the game had. You will never create a system where every judgment call is right. And you know what, it’s okay to accept that’s just part of the game.
Sports and life in general are unfair. There’s a certain amount of luck involved in winning, which includes the officiating. That wasn’t on the Cavs’ side on Wednesday, and they weren’t good enough to overcome it. We’ll all be happier if we just accept that this is just part of the sport.
Let’s just move on.
Just a week ago, the Minnesota Timberwolves seemed to be heading in the exact right direction. They defeated the Toronto Raptors in one of their most complete performances of the season, securing their fifth straight victory and moving the Wolves into third place in the Western Conference for the first time since they were 1-0. The vibes were high.
Over the past three games, everything has completely flipped for the Wolves. They’ve decisively lost their last three games, all by double-digits or more. All areas of the game have fallen apart at one point or another during this stretch for the Timberwolves, which has made it impossible to focus on just one aspect.
It started Saturday afternoon at Target Center when the Timberwolves lost 119-92 to the Orlando Magic. The Wolves’ offense fell apart down the stretch of the first half as the Wolves went nearly five full minutes without a single point, allowing the Magic to go on a 16-0 run. After the game, Edwards either wasn’t sure or wasn’t willing to share what went wrong offensively.
The terrible offense continued into the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday when the Wolves scored just 45 points on 18-45 shooting from the field and 4-22 from beyond the arc. Minnesota’s first-half defense kept them in the game, but eventually, the pairing of Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves broke through, combining for 62 points in the 14-point win over the Wolves.
Edwards had an especially poor game, going 2-15 from the field, including 1-10 from deep. Ant did get to the line ten times to boost his scoring total a bit, but with the Lakers’ defense playing heavy in the gaps to take away driving lanes and passing angles, Edwards was unable to generate consistent offense, over-relying on his step-back 3-pointer while over-dribbling the ball instead of making quick decisions with the ball.
The following night, the Timberwolves finally got their offense back on track when they didn’t turn the ball over as they scored 128 points and made nearly 60 percent of their shots. Their issues violently shifted to the other side of the court, though, as the Wolves gave up 153 points, which tied the Clippers’ franchise record for points in regulation.
It was an extraordinarily ugly performance across the roster for the Wolves. Kawhi Leonard scored 45 points on 15-20 shooting, including six 3-pointers, and nine free throws to go along with five assists. The Clippers as a team shot 63.4 percent from the floor and 51.4 percent from beyond the arc while scoring 35 or more points in each quarter.
The poor defense of both Edwards and Julius Randle stood out most. The two leaders of the team were missing rotations, often forgot to box out, were ball-watching on many possessions, and overall provided little resistance to the LA offense.
“I just gotta be better,” Edwards stated after the game, taking accountability for his performance. “Whoever I’m guarding. Trying to set the tone to start the game, I gotta be better. It’s just me, everything is about me.” Ant later said, “I gotta find a way to get us out of it, it’s all my fault.”
It’s a good sign that Edwards is recognizing that the problem and the potential solution both reside with him as the best player. The likelihood is that the Edwards and Timberwolves will turn it around because that has been their pattern for at least four seasons now. Every time their season feels on the brink of collapse, the Wolves have made fans, and those who cover them feel stupid for ever doubting them.
The issue is that the Wolves can’t just rely on what they’ve done in the past; they need to be better. Much better. While the last two seasons have undoubtedly been successful, as the Wolves made it to back-to-back Western Conference Finals, they also did not come close to winning either series, losing both series in five games.
Now 66 games into the season, the Wolves have shown little reason why they are a legitimate threat to win the championship. On the season, they are 11th in Offensive Rating, 12th in Defensive Rating, and 11th in Net Rating according to NBA.com. They are on pace for fewer than 50 wins and currently have a 5-9 record against the teams currently seeded one through six in the Western Conference.
Most notably, the Oklahoma City Thunder, who eliminated the Timberwolves in the West Finals a season ago, appear to be further ahead of the Wolves than at any time before. Despite being one of the most injured teams in the NBA, OKC leads Minnesota by 11 games in the standings. The Thunder seem primed to defend their title no matter who they face, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on track to win his second consecutive MVP award.
To a certain extent, it’s fair to believe the Wolves can “flip the switch” and perform at a higher level than they have in the regular season. Edwards specifically has shown the ability to turn up his level of play and intensity in the playoffs with his ability to wipe away any of the warts that had shown up throughout the year.
At a certain point, though, the numbers and level of performance in the regular season start to become damning. At no point during this regular season have the Wolves put together a weeks-long stretch indicative of a team that can win three or four straight rounds in the playoffs.
Edwards and the Wolves have just not played with the level of consistency indicative of a championship-caliber team. Maybe Oklahoma City is an unfair bar, given SGA is set to break Wilt Chamberlain’s record for consecutive 20-point games, but the Wolves’ play can’t vary so much that one night they score only 92 points and two games later they are giving up 153.
The Wolves’ season is still far from over. They currently sit just a half-game back of the three seed in the Western Conference, and everything is still left in front of them in terms of meeting preseason expectations. With just 16 games left on Minnesota’s schedule, though, this week’s stretch of awful basketball likely has to become a turning point that gets looked back on as when things began to change.
It has to be rock bottom. If it’s not, the roster and possibly beyond will look a whole lot different come next season.
The NCAA Tournament bubble got a major shake up on Thursday, March 12.
Miami (Ohio) suffered its first loss of the season against Massachusetts in the MAC tournament quarterfinals, not only ending its quest for perfection, but putting the RedHawks in danger of missing the big dance. Despite the outstanding 31-1 record, they don't have any quality wins and the resume is among the worst in the sport.
There wouldn't have been much changes if Miami (Ohio) had won the MAC automatic bid, but now without it, how much has the March Madness picture been altered? Here is how the USA TODAY Sports Bracketology bubble looks after Miami (Ohio) lost.
As of the afternoon of Thursday, March 12, Miami (Ohio) is projected to make the NCAA Tournament. The RedHawks are slated as a No. 11 seed as the last four in.
With the loss, Miami (Ohio) joins the bubble picture and essentially pushes teams down the bracket. The MAC champion becomes a bid stealer since it would be a two-bid league instead of one, and teams could see their fate altered because of it.
An example is Auburn going down to the first four out after it was slated in the field, and San Diego State going from first four out to next four out.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness bubble picture after Miami Ohio loss shakes up bracket
The Cleveland Cavaliers lost a tough one to the Orlando Magic last night. It wasn’t just that they had a disappointing effort on defense that led to their defeat. But it also felt like the officiating was working against them at key moments.
Kenny Atkinson deployed both of his coaches’ challenges throughout the game. Once on an out-of-bounds call in the first quarter, and later to reverse a shooting foul on Keon Ellis. Both were successful. But once the game was coming down to the wire, Atkinson wished he had a third challenge to use on a key call.
With under 20 seconds to play, the Magic attempted to dump the ball into the post for Paolo Banchero. The entry pass sailed out of bounds — with both James Harden and Banchero making an attempt to catch it. It was unclear if either player touched the ball before it went out of bounds. In real time, the official did his best and determined it was Orlando’s possession. But on such a tough call, you would have liked to see a replay review.
Fortunately, it turns out the officials made the right call.
The NBA’s last two-minute report confirms that Harden touched the ball before it went out of bounds. That might not make you feel any better about the Cavs losing — but at least you can rest assured they weren’t screwed out of an opportunity to win.
The only missed calls included an uncalled foul by Sam Merrill and a missed travel from Desmond Bane. I think those two cancel each other out. Everything else was ruled correct by the league’s report.
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Now Dwight Howard has called it quits on the court, too.
Just two days after he filed for divorce from Amber Rose Howard, the 2020 NBA champion announced his retirement Thursday on social media.
“Woke up today on the 12th of this month and I figured it’s time to move on from Superman!” Howard wrote on X. “Im no super human… I cry ! I struggle! I feel like everyone else. Through the lies, the media and the hate I still show love and Smile Through The Storm.
“But now Im taking off the cape and retiring from all basketball to pour into my family and give back to communities worldwide. I know some of you might think I thought he already ‘retired’ but I didn’t… the game retired me! I still had more left to give ! Yeah I did play professionally for 20 years and Im grateful to be able to say that but I can’t lie seeing these other players still going at it at age 40 inspired me to want to keep trying but now I believe my duty will be to pass it down to the next generation.
“So Thank you to all my fans and supporters throughout this journey I love and appreciate yall dearly because without yall it would be no me!”
The 40-year-old, who had not played in the NBA since 2022 and last played in the “BIG3,” also announced a documentary about his career will release this year where viewers will learn the “truth” of how he was taken “advantage of by the world.”
“Also thank you to the Naysayers, the haters, the snakes, and people that came into my life to try to destroy me,” he wrote. “Because everytime yall did …it only made me stronger. When my documentary releases this year the world will know the truth about EVERYTHING! Then you will see how the sheltered little boy from college park Georgia who went to the same school from pre-k to 12th grade then straight to the NBA was taken advantage of by the world. But through it all still managed to keep SMILING.”
The timing is certainly interesting considering his spot in the headlines recently.
The divorce between Howard and the rapper/reality star on Monday followed shocking allegations made by Amber. She claimed Child Protective Services had gotten hold of his daughter in a recent video posted to social media and they have since not heard back from Howard.
It isn’t the first bump in the road for the couple. Amber, who goes by the name of Amy Luciani, filed for divorce herself in July 2025 — just six months after tying the knot — and called their union “irretrievably broken.”
Amber also filed for divorce on Monday but Howard’s documents were processed first.
The Hall of Famer and eight-time All-Star has “demanded exclusive use of his Georgia mansion” in the separation, yet the couple still currently lives together and it’s seemingly not going well.
Within the last two weeks, police have been called to the residence three times for a “suicide threat call, a domestic incident and a theft report,” TMZ reported Monday.
Howard called the police on March 7 to claim Amber stole jewelry, his wedding ring and his phone and left in a gray Camaro while he was out picking up his daughter, per a 911 call obtained by TMZ Thursday. He was advised an officer would reach out to file a report.
That incident occurred two days before he filed for divorce.
Throughout his 18-year NBA career, Howard spent eight years in Orlando after he was the Magic’s No. 1 overall pick in 2004. He won three Defensive Player of the Year awards there.
Howard also had stints with the Lakers, Rockets, Hawks, Hornets, Wizards and Sixers. He concluded his time in the league with the Lakers in the 2021-22 season and he was later enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2025.
He spent the 2022-23 season with the Taoyuan Leopards of the Taiwan Professional Basketball League.
While LeBron James could still return to the Lakers’ lineup Thursday night, the team will have multiple key role players — including a starter — sidelined for the home game against the Bulls.
The Lakers ruled out starting guard Marcus Smart, and backup big men Jaxson Hayes and Maxi Kleber just 6 ½ hours before tipoff.
Smart, who was listed as questionable on the Lakers’ Wednesday evening injury report, was ruled out because of a right hip contusion.
The 32-year-old, 12-year NBA veteran had played in 41 of 42 games, including being a starter for 39 of those games, entering Thursday after having a six-game absence from Nov. 28-Dec. 7 because of back ailments.
Hayes missed his second straight game because of back soreness. Kleber was sidelined for the fifth time in six games because of a back ailment, officially being ruled out because of a back strain.
James, who sat out of the Lakers’ previous three wins over the Pacers, Knicks and Timberwolves, remained questionable for Thursday night’s game against the Bulls because of a right hip contusion and left foot arthritis.
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HOUSTON (AP) — Manager Mark DeRosa says his premature comment about the United States having already punched its ticket to the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals before facing Italy was just an “overly confident statement” and reiterated Thursday he knew nothing was guaranteed at that point.
DeRosa had made that remark on MLB Network’s “Hot Stove” before the 8-6 loss to Italy on Tuesday that caused the U.S. to lose control of its WBC fate. The U.S. still advanced to a Friday quarterfinal matchup with Canada thanks to Italy’s 9-1 win over Mexico on Wednesday.
“It’s just an overly confident statement on ‘Hot Stove,’ period, the end,” DeRosa said. “And it’s my fault. I felt good about where we were after Mexico.”
DeRosa also talked about the fresh start the star-studded U.S. team has now that its loss to Italy didn’t prove fatal to its title hopes.
“New lease on life for the boys, certainly,” he said. “I put ourselves in a tough spot. Tip our hat to Vinnie Pasquantino and Italy, truly. Went into that game a little overly confident and got a huge wake-up call.”
DeRosa’s comment prior to the Italy game garnered plenty of scrutiny after that loss, particularly since he had kept usual starters Bryce Harper, Cal Raleigh, Alex Bregman, Brice Turang and Byron Buxton out of his starting lineup. The U.S. needed to beat Italy to guarantee a spot in the quarterfinals. Losing left it subject to a series of tiebreakers, pending the result of Wednesday's Italy-Mexico game.
He explained those decisions Thursday. DeRosa said he wanted to give starts to Ernie Clement and Paul Goldschmidt because they could end up playing major roles off the bench at some point. He also said he was limited in which pitchers he could use because of “guardrails” set by MLB teams, who typically restrict how much their players throw at the WBC due to injury concerns.
“When I looked at the lineup, I felt confident going in – bottom line,” DeRosa said. “I mean, I also look at it from a player’s perspective. Like, Bryce Harper was struggling a little bit. I know it’s three games, but from the dugout – I played with him for a long time – so it’s like, ‘OK, maybe we get him off his feet a day. We get Goldy in there. We allow (Harper) to work with Sean Casey, Matt Holliday, maybe something clicks. And we get him right back in there and going.'”
DeRosa also had mentioned before Tuesday’s games that some of the U.S. players were “dragging.” The team buses had left later than usual after a Monday night victory over Mexico as players stayed in the locker room celebrating the win.
“Listen, us hanging out in a clubhouse is everything I ever dreamed of creating,” DeRosa said. “You’ve got to buy into this thing super quick and try and create a team. For those players to invite the coaches in and for us to spend time together and enjoy a huge win that we hadn’t had in 20 years was something that, I looked around the room and it was super special to me.
“We did not lose sight of the fact that we had to go out and play well against Italy. They played a hell of a game. They smacked us in the mouth early. They got up big. We went into that game prepared to win it. I think there’s a couple false narratives out there. But, no, I was well aware that we had to win that game based on all the scenarios that could take place.”
The U.S. is making some changes to its pitching staff heading out of pool play and into the quarterfinals.
Lefty Tim Hill and right-handers Will Vest and Tyler Rogers are stepping in for two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, Michael Wacha and Ryan Yarbrough. DeRosa said left-hander Matthew Boyd also has left the U.S. team to return to the Chicago Cubs’ spring-training camp.
“And I completely understand that,” DeRosa said. “There’s a lot of pressure from the parent clubs to get these guys ramped up for the start of the season.
"If he’s going to be the opening day starter for the Cubs, we had to guarantee him innings — the game’s got to dictate now. Pool play is a different animal. Trying to weave our way through it from a pitching standpoint, all bets are off now.”
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Who: Phoenix Suns (38-27) vs. Indiana Pacers (15-50)
When: 4:00pm Arizona Time
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse — Indianapolis, Indiana
Watch: Arizona’s Family 3TV, Arizona’s Family Sports
Listen: KMVP 98.7
The Suns torched the Milwaukee Bucks with 24 threes on Monday to begin their six-game road trip. The Indiana Pacers are the second game on this road trip and the last team below .500. This is a game the Suns should win, and cannot afford to lose if they want to catch the spiraling Denver Nuggets or the up-and-down Minnesota Timberwolves in the standings.
Right now, the Suns are oozing with storylines: Devin Booker is starting to turn up his play, Jalen Green is continuing to acclimate himself to the lineup with jaw dropping plays and egregious turnovers, the rookies Khaman Maluach and Rasheer Fleming are pushing for regular rotation minutes, Haywood Highsmith is playing well, and most importantly, the Suns have taken advantage of one of the weaker portions of their schedule.
The Indiana Pacers are the worst offensive team in the NBA with a 108.6 defensive rating. The Pacers are in full tank mode after making the NBA Finals last season, so if the Suns bring their intense pressure and aggressive defense, this game should be a comfortable win for the Suns.
The Suns will likely play almost everyone on the roster, including Ryan Dunn, whose minutes continue to be reduced, and Jamaree Bouyea and Amir Coffey. Offensively, the Suns need to attack the paint because the Pacers are second-to-last in the NBA in points allowed in the paint.
Expect to see Booker and Green on the attack and scoring at the rim or generating wide-open threes from their paint touches. The duo of Green and Booker has found a little bit of a rhythm in the last two games, and this Pacers matchup is another opportunity to build Green’s confidence and continuity with the rest of the team.
The Pacers will present some challenges for the Suns with their size and length. Rebounding the basketball on the offensive end continues to be a strength for the Suns, and defensive rebounding continues to be a struggle for the Suns. Ighodaro, Maluach (who grabbed zero rebounds against the Bucks), Fleming, and the rest of the Suns need to limit Indiana to one shot and then get out and run. If the Suns can rebound and push the ball, it makes life much easier on the offensive end and will allow the Suns’ young athletes to shine.
The Suns race to a 126-112 victory over the Pacers.
Suns 126, Pacers 112
As Selection Sunday inches closer, men’s college basketball will have at least one less postseason tournament this year.
The College Basketball Invitational, more commonly known as the CBI, will not be held this year, with tournament organizers citing “circumstances beyond our control” in a post on social media.
The post ended on a hopeful note, though, saying “We’ll see you next year!”
The CBI was founded in 2007 and first held in 2008, with the tournament made up of teams that failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament or the NIT.
The event’s early fields were regularly dotted with power-conference teams, with Oregon State, Oregon and Pitt among its earliest champions, as well as VCU, which won the tournament in 2010, one year before the Rams made a Cinderella run to the Final Four.
— CBI (@CBITourney) March 12, 2026
In recent years, though, it has been made up entirely of teams from mid- and low-majors, some of which finished the regular season with losing records. The CBI hasn’t had a participant from one of the sport’s five major conferences since DePaul in 2019.
When Indiana turned down an invitation to the CBI in 2014, then-athletic director Fred Glass told the Indianapolis Star, a part of the USA TODAY Network, “We're Indiana. We don't play in the CBI."
The CBI historically required an entry fee for teams, but in 2023, it began providing NIL funding for participants.
Still, it and other secondary and tertiary postseason tournaments have increased obstacles in recent years, particularly as many programs that miss the NCAA tournament look to get as early of a start as possible on building next season’s roster through the transfer portal.
Over the past several years, the NIT has had a growing number of teams declining invitations. The College Insider Tournament (CIT), hasn’t been held in five of the past six seasons, though the first of those absences was due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College Basketball Invitational won't be held in 2026
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One of the matchups of the night in the NBA sees Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs host Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
San Antonio is on an incredible run, winning 16 of their last 17 games, going 12-4-1 ATS. Denver is getting healthy, but will its defense continue to be its Achilles heel?
My Nuggets vs. Spurs predictions and NBA picks explain why San Antonio is a legit contender in the West and why we can attack this spread for tonight's matchup.
Nuggets vs Spurs best bet: Spurs -4.5 (-110)
This San Antonio Spurs run has been fueled by Victor Wembanyama and this defense. With Wemby protecting the paint and being a big favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year, the Spurs rank third in defensive rating.
The Denver Nuggets are getting healthy, and the offense is great, but their effort at the other end of the floor is holding them back, ranking 21st in defensive rating.
Additionally, the Nuggets are playing their second game in as many nights, and that means some of their recently recovered guys, like Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray, could be on limited minutes.
The Spurs will take advantage of some tired legs from the Nuggets and try to run them out of the gym. Denver has already allowed 125+ points in five of its last nine games, while San Antonio has topped 125 in four of its last seven. Give me the Spurs over their team total of 121.5.
Meanwhile, Wemby has taken his defense to the next level since the All-Star break. He’s averaging 4.3 blocks and 1.2 steals in 11 games since the break, and his steals + blocks prop is set at 4.5, a number he’s topped eight times during that span.
With so many MVP candidates not being able to qualify for the award due to too many missed games, Wemby can seize an opportunity here, and will state his case against the two-time winner by stuffing the stat sheet.
The Spurs have covered the first-half spread in 33 of their last 50 games for +13.35 units and a 23% ROI. Find more NBA betting trends for Nuggets vs. Spurs.
| Location | Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX |
| Date | Thursday, March 12, 2026 |
| Tip-off | 9:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | Altitude, FDSN-Southwest |
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Otega Oweh scored 21 points, Denzel Aberdeen added 16, including a key basket with 22.5 seconds remaining, and No. 9 seed Kentucky beat No. 8 seed Missouri 78-72 on Thursday in the second round of the SEC Tournament.
Kentucky (21-12) advances to play No. 1 seed and fourth-ranked Florida in the quarterfinals on Friday.
Kentucky led by 16 points with 14:33 left in the second half. But the Wildcats went nearly five minutes without a field goal as Missouri used a 10-2 run to get within 60-57 at the 8-minute mark.
Missouri's second-half rally was led by Mark Mitchell, who scored 23 of his 32 points after the break. His basket with 2:34 left gave the Tigers their first lead of the second half at 70-69, but they did not make another field goal the rest of the game.
After Kentucky forced an airball on a baseline jumper, Oweh drove into the lane at the other end for a 73-70 lead with 1:13 left. Then Oweh forced a turnover when he knocked the ball off the leg of Mitchell.
Aberdeen received a pass with the shot clock winding down and he used a pump fake to get into the lane before banking in a contested shot for a 75-70 lead. He added two free throws in the closing seconds to seal it.
Missouri (20-12) also got 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists from T.O. Barrett.
Kentucky lost both regular-season meetings with Florida — a 92-83 contest on the road and 84-77 at home.
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Bam Adebayo and the red-hot Miami Heat are this week’s biggest NBA story, and they’ll go for a seventh straight win tonight as they host the Milwaukee Bucks.
Bam lit up the Wizards on Tuesday in a stunning 83-point outburst, and my Bucks vs. Heat predictions signal more home cooking for this dangerous Miami squad.
This March 12 clash is the last thing a struggling Milwaukee team needs, and my NBA picks break down the action.
Bucks vs Heat best bet: Heat -6.5 (-110)
Here come the Miami Heat.
Erik Spoelstra’s men enter with a 22-11 record at Kaseya Center, and they’re 8-2 ATS in their last 10 overall.
Despite key absences, Miami has scored 120+ points in five straight contests, and this spread feels even better with Kel’el Ware — and possibly Tyler Herro — returning here.
But this pick is equally about the Milwaukee Bucks' woes. They are 3-7 ATS in their past 10 and 12-19 SU on the road.
There’s only so much that Giannis Antetokounmpo can do to elevate a roster with major holes.
Even after Bam Adebayo’s historic scoring effort this week, defense remains his calling card. He averaged 10.1 RPG in March, and the Heat will need his hustle on the glass tonight to combat the Bucks’ size.
I’ll round out my SGP with a wager on Davion Mitchell, who’s been a great story in South Beach this year. His steady guard play has translated to 6.7 APG, and he’s dished a combined 17 dimes in two matchups against Milwaukee this season.
Venture into the paint at your own risk tonight. With Giannis and Kevin Porter Jr. on one end and Adebayo and Ware at the other, we could see a lot of jump shots and some healthy rebounding totals — plus Bam has recorded a block in five straight games.
The Heat are 6-0 ATS in their past six games. Find more NBA betting trends for Bucks vs. Heat.
| Location | Kaseya Center, Miami, FL |
| Date | Thursday, March 12, 2026 |
| Tip-off | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | FDSN Wisconsin, FDSN Sun |
Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
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