Category: Basketball

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 113-109 in a revenge match from last week.

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

James Harden

18 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 5 turnovers

The Cavs don’t win this game without James Harden. That’s not because he carried them by any means, but he’s raised their floor in a meaningful way since landing in Cleveland. Just having a Hall of Fame-level creator to keep the offense from falling off a cliff is a luxury few teams have.

Harden shot 5-17 from the field tonight and turned it over five times. But none of that changes what I wrote above. The pressure that Harden put on Detroit’s defense to keep him contained is what made this a winnable game for the Cavaliers.

Grade: B

Jarrett Allen

8 points, 3 rebounds, 20 minutes

Allen only played 20 minutes before leaving the game with a knee injury. Let’s hope it’s nothing worth worrying about.

Grade: Incomplete

Evan Mobley

18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals

Mobley had some uber-aggressive moments in this game. Like his 1-on-1 drive against Duncan Robinson or a spin move around Javonte Green into a dunk. Those flashes were the best part of the game. And while he didn’t collect as many rebounds as you’d like, he did play his role in boxing out Detroit’s frontcourt and opening opportunities for his teammates to clean the glass.

Grade: B+

Jaylon Tyson

22 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 turnovers

Can Jordyn Tyson come to every game and support his brother?

Jaylon Tyson played his best game in weeks, giving the Cavs a huge boost in the scoring department and setting the tone with his energy on defense. This game was a classic example of everything that we’ve come to love from JT.

Grade: A+

Dennis Schroder

15 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds

Schroder looks like he’s being shot out of a cannon on his way to the rim, at times. He’s an incredibly fun player to watch when his usage is correctly dialed in. His attacks on the basket helped to lead the way tonight.

Grade: A

Sam Merrill

9 points, 2 assists

This had the potential to be an explosive game from Merrill. He had a few open opportunities that missed the mark before Detroit’s defense eventually took him off the board as a scorer. It wasn’t until the closing minutes that Merrill finally freed himself up again for a huge three-pointer.

Grade: C+

Keon Ellis

7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 2 steals

If Ellis is on the court, there’s a good chance the ball is being deflected in one way or another. He’s everywhere defensively, and that activity made him the first player off the bench in Kenny Atkinson’s rotation tonight. A few unfortunate calls led to Ellis fouling out in the fourth quarter.

Grade: B+

Craig Porter Jr.

7 points, 3 assists, 8 rebounds

Porter is having a weird week. He’s undoubtedly had some ugly moments, but he’s also raised the floor in certain scenarios with crucial plays to swing momentum. His offensive rebound and putback layup to end the third quarter is one example of this. A dunk over Isaiah Stewart is another.

Still, Porter’s limitations as a three-point shooter remain an issue.

Grade: B

Thomas Bryant

9 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block

Bryant converted a four-point play in the third quarter. That alone is worth the grade I’m about to give him.

Grade: A+

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Damon Severson broke a tie with a snap shot from the point through traffic at 6:07 of the third period and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Nashville Predators 3-2 on Tuesday night to open a four-game homestand.

Both teams played Monday night, with Columbus beating the Rangers 5-4 in overtime in New York, and Nashville falling 4-2 at home to Detroit.

Adam Fantilli and Sean Monahan also scored for Columbus, with Monahan tying it at 2 at 1:52 of the third with a short-handed goal. He also had a short-handed goal Monday in New York.

Jet Greaves made 20 saves for Columbus in 51:44, missing an 8:16 stretch of the first period because of concussion protocol after Nick Blankenburg caught him with an elbow on the side of the head on a rush. Elvis Merzlikins stopped both shots on faced before Greaves returned.

Filip Forsberg had a power-play goal for Nashville, and Ryan O’Reilly was credited with a goal in the second that a Columbus player put in. O’Reilly was cut below the eye taking a faceoff midway through the third.

Justus Annunen stopped 24 shots for the Predators.

Before the game, Nashville traded center Michael McCarron to Minnesota for a 2028 second-round pick.

Up next

Predators: Host Boston on Thursday night.

Blue Jackets: Host Florida on Thursday night.

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BOSTON (AP) — Marat Khusnutdinov and Casey Mittelstadt scored less than a minute apart early in the first period and the Boston Bruins held on for a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night.

Pittsburgh's Erik Karlsson scored just 42 seconds into the game, but Khusnutdinov tied it at 1-1 when he snapped the puck high inside the far post past Penguins goalie Stuart Skinner for his 13th goal of the season at 5:10 of the first.

Mittelstadt added his 13th of the season 50 seconds later when he gathered in the rebound of Nikita Zadorov's shot and fired past a diving Skinner and into an open net. Jeremy Swayman made 34 saves.

Karlsson scored on the Penguins' first shot on goal after the Bruins had two excellent scoring chances in the first few seconds requiring solid saves by Skinner. The Bruins challenged for goalie interference but the goal was upheld. Skinner finished with 26 saves.

The Bruins came in having lost three of their last four games — two in the shootout — but have now won 11 consecutive home games to remain in the hunt for a wild-card playoff spot.

Charlie McAvoy's nine-game point streak came to end. The Olympian joined Ray Bourque as only the second Bruins defenseman in the last 40 years with a nine-game point streak.

Up next

Penguins: Host Buffalo on Thursday night.

Bruins: Visit Nashville on Thursday night.

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The Dallas Mavericks were beaten by the Charlotte Hornets, 117-90 in a game that fell well short of competitive.

Dallas, still short-handed and without Cooper Flagg, was dispatched with ease by the NBA’s hottest team. With the win, the Hornetts are back to .500 and looking towards the postseason for the first time in a long time.

+51: Charlotte’s 3-point scoring differential

That Dallas was even in this game as long as they were is something of an anomaly. The Hornets came out of the gates hot and didn’t cool down all night. At the end of the first quarter, Charlotte led 31-to-23 after the first quarter, powered by a 6-of-16 effort from deep. That’s compared to Dallas’ 0-of-6 mark through the first quarter.

Much of the damage came from some familiar faces. Two former Mavericks, Josh Green and Grant Williams, combined to go 7-of-11 from three off the bench. The Hornets’ ROY-leading Kon Knueppel didn’t even get into the mix until later in the game. He was 2-for-9 for just four points at the half.

By the end, though, the Hornets had taken 51 three-point attempts and made 20, while the Mavs struggled to a 3-of-22 night from beyond the arc. Charlotte took 88 total field goals, so their 51 three-point attempts made up well over half of their shot diet as a team. Not a bad strategy if you’re going to shoot it at 39%.

+23: Dallas’ free-throw differential

On the complete opposite side of the coin, it was Dallas earning a huge free-throw disparity by trying to work the ball into the paint most of the night. The Mavs attempted 42 free throws and made 31. That’s 31 points out of a total of 90 on the night.

To cast it in a positive light, it’s an impressively gritty achievement for a team that wasn’t playing for much tonight. It certainly would’ve been much easier to pack it in and let it fly from deep or lazy jumpers instead for guys like Ryan Nembhard, who took some lumps tonight because of his focus on getting some paint penetration with his dribble.

0-2: John Poulakidas shooting night

It’s been said that there will always be a place in the league for guys who can knock down shots. That was probably the line of thinking behind signing Yale-grad John Poulakidas from the G-League to a two-way contract. The 22-year old was shooting 38.5% on five attempts per game in the G-League after shooting over 40% his final three years in college, but he’s off to a bit of a slow offensive start in his NBA debut. He took a single three-pointer and another jumper just outside the paint and missed them both.

He didn’t leave the stat sheet blank, though. Poulakidas managed to grab five boards and a pair of assists in only 14 minutes. He wasn’t brought in to clean the glass, but it’s good to see he stayed active despite not getting many shots up.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — VJ Edgecombe was ruled out for the rest of the game with lower back soreness after the 76ers' star rookie suffered a hard fall in the first half against San Antonio.

Edgecombe was fouled by Carter Bryant on a 3-point attempt on Tuesday night and grimaced as he was helped up by his teammates. Edgecombe stayed in the game and went 2 of 3 from the free throw line.

With the 76ers down 78-53 at halftime, Edgecombe did not return. He scored six points.

The No. 3 overall pick in the draft, Edgecombe, averaging 15.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists, is one of three rookies in the NBA this season averaging at least 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. He ranks first among rookies in steals (1.5) and is seventh in rebounds (5.6).

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The Washington Wizards lost to the Orlando Magic, 126-109 on Tuesday night on the road.

The first half of this game was a rather even affair with Washington own 57-54. Neither team shot particularly well from three with the Magic shooting 1-of-13 from the line. There was a chance that the Wizards could win if their shooting could turn around.

In the third quarter, the Wizards shot better, 52.6 percent overall. But the Magic shot 15-of-19 from the field AND 5-of-5 overall from the three point line, so they broke the game open with a 97-81 lead heading in to the fourth quarter. Paolo Banchero scored 13 of his 37 points in that period. After the third quarter, this game was decided.

For the Wizards, Will Riley led with 19 points while Jaden Hardy added 18 points and Sharife Cooper added 16 more off the bench.

The Wizards’ next game is on Thursday when they host the Utah Jazz at 7 p.m. ET. See you then.

As if things weren’t going poorly enough, the Sixers will play the second half vs. the Spurs without VJ Edgecombe.

The rookie guard injured his back after being fouled by Carter Bryant in the closing seconds of the first half.

VJ Edgecombe lands hard on his back after this contest by Carter Bryant. Will be curious to see if he plays in the second half with the Sixers down 25 at halftime. pic.twitter.com/sfEOPKmy0j

— Drew Peltzman (@dapeltz13) March 4, 2026

Edgecombe was able to get up and walk under his own power. He took the ensuing free throws, but did not look very comfortable doing so. The team ruled him out for the second half with lower back soreness.

The Sixers were already without Joel Embiid (right oblique strain), Paul George (suspension) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (illness). They couldn’t get much going in the first half vs. Victor Wembanyama and company. San Antonio held the Sixers to 37.3% from the field, taking a 78-53 lead into the locker room.

The Sixers are right back at it Wednesday night as they welcome the tanking Utah Jazz to town.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero equaled a season high with 37 points, Desmond Bane scored 25 and the Orlando Magic eased to a 126-109 victory over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night.

Banchero went 15 of 21 from the field as Orlando shot 55.3% and dominated with its starters on the floor to end a two-game skid. The Magic are seventh in the Eastern Conference.

Jett Howard scored 12 points and Jalen Suggs, Jevon Carter and Moritz Wagner had 10 apiece for an Orlando team that was missing injured regulars Anthony Black (quad), Wendell Carter Jr. (ankle) and Franz Wagner (ankle).

Rookie Will Riley scored 19 points and Jaden Hardy added 18 for the Wizards, who had nine healthy players available and lost their sixth straight.

Angel Reese of the WNBA's Chicago Sky was in attendance to watch her brother, Washington's Juju Reese, make his second career start. The 6-foot-9 rookie out of Maryland had nine points and eight rebounds in 32 minutes.

The Wizards led briefly in the second quarter and kept it within single digits until early in the third, when a layup by Suggs put the Magic ahead 66-56. Orlando led by double digits the rest of the way and pushed its advantage to 25 points in the fourth quarter.

Up next

Wizards: Host Utah on Thursday.

Magic: Host Dallas on Thursday.

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CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers were able to enact revenge for their loss to the Detroit Pistons on Friday. It once again wasn’t the prettiest game, but having James Harden down the stretch ensured that the Cavs weren’t going to cough this one up as they cruised to a 113-109 victory.

Not a lot went right for the Cavs on Tuesday. Jarrett Allen left the game early with a knee injury, James Harden had an off-night as he went 4-16 from the field, and they were without Donovan Mitchell (groin). Still, they were able to do enough to beat the conference-leading Pistons. That’s encouraging, even if how it happened wasn’t exactly pretty.

The Cavaliers started strong, pushing their lead to 10 midway through the second quarter. The Pistons started the third quarter well, making it a two-point game midway through the third before Allen left the game with a knee injury.

The Cavs’ bench lineups with Thomas Bryant at center responded well and got their lead back up to double digits, but the starters had a difficult time keeping the momentum going without the services of Allen.

The Pistons cut the deficit to as little as two in the fourth quarter, but they weren’t able to get any closer than that thanks to some timely baskets from Sam Merrill, Dennis Schroder, and Harden late.

Evan Mobley once again had a strong game against Detroit. He was the best defensive player on the court and saved the offense on more than a few occasions. Mobley finished the game with 18 points on 5-9 shooting with five rebounds, four assists, and two steals.

Jaylon Tyson led the Cavs with 22 points, with most of his damage coming from deep. He went 5-12 from three while providing four assists and two blocks.

Harden struggled to find his shot, but he did enough to help get the Cavs across the finish line late. He provided 18 points and seven helpers in the win.

Dennis Schroder added 15 points on 6-10 shooting with five assists off the bench.

The Pistons were led by 24 points and 14 rebounds from Jalen Duran. MVP candidate Cade Cunningham was held to 10 points on 4-16 shooting with 14 assists.

With the win, the Cavs are now 8-1 in games Harden plays. This includes two wins over teams ahead of them in the standings, the New York Knicks and now the Pistons.

Cleveland will have four days off before hosting the Boston Celtics for a matinee game on Sunday. Tip-off is at 1 PM.

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Xavier Edmonds had 20 points and 12 rebounds as TCU got another big win in its late push to get into the NCAA Tournament, winning 73-65 at No. 10 Texas Tech on Tuesday night.

Edmonds' putback layup with 31 seconds left pushed the lead to 71-65 for Horned Frogs (20-10, 10-7 Big 12), who have won seven of their last eight games. It was their third win this season against a top-10 team, including a win over then-No. 5 Iowa State during this stretch.

Texas Tech (22-8, 12-5) had won three games in a row since losing standout post J.T. Toppin to a season-ending torn ACL in his right knee. The Red Raiders, who finish 14-2 at home, had moved up six spots in this week's AP Top 25 poll, matching their season-opening ranking after going to the Elite Eight last season.

Micah Robinson scored 15 points for the Frogs, and Jayden Pierre had 14. David Punch, their leading scorer, was limited to six points while having foul issues, but still had 10 rebounds.

Donovan Atwell led Tech with 19 points and five 3-pointers, extending his single-season school record to 115. Jaylen Petty scored 17, while Christian Anderson had 11 points and nine assists.

Two free throws by Edmonds with 9:13 left snapped a 50-all tie and put TCU ahead to stay. A 3-pointer by Liutauras Lelevicius with 2:06 remaining stretched the lead to nine points, though Atwell had a steal that led to a layup for Petty before he made his last 3 for Tech's final points with 46 seconds left.

Up next

TCU: Hosts Cincinnati on Saturday.

Texas Texas: Closes its regular season at BYU on Saturday.

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The Dallas Mavericks (21-40) had nothing for the Charlotte Hornets (31-31) on Tuesday at the Spectrum Center, leaving town with a big 117-90 “L” bulging out of their pocket. The Hornets have now won 15 of their last 18 games, while the Mavericks (sigh) have lost 14 of their last 16.

Brandon Miller scored 13 of his team-high 17 points in the first quarter, and seven more Hornets joined him in double figures in the win. Brandon Williams led the Mavericks with 18 in the loss.

The Mavericks fell behind by 11 late in the first quarter, battled back in the second, then fell behind again by 14 in the third, forcing Dallas to play catch-up for most of the night. As we’ve seen time and time again this year, this just isn’t a team built to play catch-up. The Charlotte lead swelled to as large as 22 again late in the third, and the Mavs limped back to the team plane with another lackluster finish in the fourth.

The Poulakidas Era starts now

John Poulakidas, who signed a two-way contract with the Mavericks on Sunday, made his Mavericks debut on Tuesday, checking in early in the second quarter. The 22-year-old out of Yale, picked up a steal right away (after committing an unsightly turnover), grabbed an offensive board and kicked out to a wide open P.J. Washington at the top of the key with 8:42 left in the second for a 3-pointer that tied the game, 33-33, after the Mavs fell behind by 11 in the first quarter.

The Mavericks needed a warm body, and Poulakidas’ heart was at least pumping blood on Tuesday. He grabbed four rebounds and dished a couple of assists in six first-half minutes against the Hornets.

Poulakidas got eight more minutes in the fourth quarter, missing his first shot attempt with 4:40 left in the game.

Josh Green/Grant Williams revenge game

Former Maverick Josh Green was a thorn in Dallas’ side from 3-point range in the first half, shooting 3-of-4 from distance on his way to nine early points off the Charlotte bench. He got a kick out after an offensive board on a missed free throw with 3:59 left before halftime for his third of the game, which put the Hornets up 49-37. It came as part of a rare five-point play, after Miles Bridges was fouled shooting a 3-pointer, made the first two free throws, missed the third and Grant Williams, another former Maverick, pulled down the offensive board before finding Green on the play.

Williams drained his second 3-ball with 2:39 left in the second from the right wing, giving the two former Mavs all five of the Charlotte bench unit’s makes from 3-point range in the first half. While Green and Williams combined to shoot 5-for-8 from beyond the arc in the first half, Dallas managed just 2-of-13 from deep. It was… disconcerting to watch as a Mavericks fan.

Williams canned two more 3-balls in the third quarter as the Hornets’ lead swelled to 19 points, up 89-70 after Williams’ fourth and Kon Kneuppel’s floating drive through the lane with 1:09 left in the third. Williams finished the game with 12 points, and Green added 11 more in the win.

Never a chance

The Mavs came into Tuesday’s game second in the league in points generated from two-point field goals. The Hornets came in second in points generated from 3-point field goals. That math predictably went Charlotte’s way. Dallas just doesn’t give itself a chance in games like this. While the Mavs shot just 2-of-13 from 3-point territory in the first half, the Hornets made 10-of-25 from distance, outscoring Dallas by 24 points from beyond the arc as they took a 57-48 lead at the break.

The Mavericks shot 40 free throws (29-of-40, 72.5%) in the loss, giving the game a slow, disjointed feel at times. Dallas was in the bonus for the final seven minutes of the game, already down by 20 points, turning a run-of-the-mill beatdown into an agonizingly slow bloodletting.

Charlotte ended the game with 20 makes from 3-point land, outscoring the Mavericks 60-9 from 3-point range in the win.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Jadon Jones led with 13 points and eight rebounds, three other players tallied 12 points, and Oklahoma defeated Missouri, 80-64 on Tuesday night.

Xzayvier Brown, Tae Davis, and Derrion Reid scored 12 points each for the Sooners (16-14, 6-11 Southeastern Conference), who won their third straight contest and fifth of their last seven.

Mohamed Wague added 11 points and seven rebounds for Oklahoma. Jones was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and 3-for-3 from deep as the Sooners shot 62% and 55% as a team, respectively.

The Sooners led for all but 1:59 of game time, taking the lead for good on Jones' first 3-pointer with 12:29 remaining in the first half. They extended their lead to as many as 12 points in the first half, and took a 35-26 advantage into halftime.

A strong second half held the lead in double-figures for a comfortable win.

Mark Mitchell led Mizzou (20-10, 10-7) with 17 points on 6-for-6 shooting. Anthony Robinson II added 14 points before fouling out.

Up next

Missouri: hosts No. 20 Arkansas on Saturday.

Oklahoma: visits Texas on Saturday.

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For at least a few more days, there’s still one undefeated Division I men’s college basketball team remaining.

In its penultimate regular-season game, Miami (Ohio) got a team-high 19 points, four assists and three steals from Peter Suder to hang on to beat Toledo 74-72 on Tuesday, March 3 to improve its record to 30-0.

With the victory, the RedHawks became just the fifth Division I men’s basketball team to start a season 30-0 since the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 teams during the 1984-85 season.

REQUIRED READING: Miami Ohio AD fires back at Bruce Pearl over March Madness bid: 'Flat out wrong'

A win at Ohio on Friday would cap off an undefeated regular season heading into the MAC tournament.

Their 30th win was one of their closest this season. Leading by two with five seconds remaining, Miami forward Brant Byers missed the front end of a one-and-one. Toledo collected the rebound and had a chance to tie or win the game, but a Leroy Blyden Jr. turnover ended the game.

It’s the RedHawks’ seventh victory this season by three points or fewer, five of which have come in their past 12 games.

Miami never trailed and led by as many as 13 points.

Suder made seven of his 10 shots, including four of his seven 3-pointers. Antwone Woolfolk had 14 points while Byers added 13.

The RedHawks’ latest win came after a contentious few days in which their potential NCAA tournament at-large resume was fiercely debated publicly, most notably by former Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, who said Miami is “not one of the best teams in the country” as an at-large. Pearl’s comments came as his son, Steven, is overseeing an Auburn team that’s on the NCAA tournament bubble, with a 15-14 record heading into the week in his first season since taking over for his father.

On Monday, Miami athletic director David Sayler shot back at Pearl on social media.

"U are flat out wrong about @MiamiOH_BBall when u say we would finish last in the Big East," Sayler said in a post on Twitter. "The disrespect is awful and u should not be near a TV studio covering this sport when u show your true colors! Even slipped in a 'we' when talking about Auburn, nice work!"

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Miami (Ohio) basketball improves to 30-0 with narrow win over Toledo

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — San Antonio forward Harrison Barnes missed his first game since 2021 because he woke up from a pregame nap with a sore left ankle.

Barnes' streak of 364 straight games played ended Thursday night against the Philadelphia 76ers. He missed his first game since Dec. 4, 2021, when he played with Sacramento.

Barnes was a surprise late addition to the injury report. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said only that Barnes reported soreness when he woke up from the nap and received pregame treatment from the medical staff.

New York's Mikal Bridges has the longest active consecutive games streak at 616. Barnes also trailed only Bridges for most total games played since 2021 with 382.

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