Category: Basketball

Come on, Luka Dončić. 

You’re nipping at the heels of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the NBA MVP Award. You’ve led the Lakers to nine straight wins, the franchise’s longest winning streak since the 2019–2020 season when it won a championship.  

And you’re going to get in your own way now? 

Dončić picked up his 16th technical foul Saturday after he and Magic reserve Goga Bitadze exchanged words as he shot free throws with 1:19 left in the third quarter of the Lakers’ 105–104 win. (Bitadze was also assessed a technical.)

Luckily for Dončić and the Lakers, the technicals got rescinded Sunday, preventing him from having to serve a one-game suspension Monday against the Pistons.

But this should be a warning.

Dončić knew he was at the technical foul threshold. And he still opened his mouth. He needed to be better at that moment. Smarter. That was not worth it. 

Especially not amid his breakthrough stretch, averaging an eye-popping 40 points, 8.4 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 2.6 steals over the last nine games. 

His MVP odds have quadrupled over the last five days. He had a 51-point performance and a 60-point performance within a week. Oh, and he made a game-winning jumper in a 127–125 overtime thriller against the Nuggets on March 14. He has been playing brilliantly. He has been hustling on defense. He has been the best player in the league lately.

And he nearly allowed words from a player who’s averaging 5.7 points over 15 minutes a game to get under his skin so deeply that it could’ve messed with his availability?  

That’s self-sabotage. 

“Obviously, I let my team down getting that last tech,” Dončić said Saturday after finishing with 33 points, eight assists and five rebounds. “But honestly, I wasn’t trying to. He said at the free throw, he would f–k my whole family. And at some point, this is a basketball court. At some point, I just can’t stand it. I gotta stand up for myself.”

Wrong. 

That nearly cost him a game. It could’ve curtailed the Lakers’ momentum. All for what? So he could’ve spewed some venom back? Where would that have gotten him?

If anything, the incident showed other NBA players his kryptonite. It taught them that a taunt could make him lose his cool. It gave other players the cheat code on how to unravel him. 

What’s the point of it all?

Bitadze claimed things went down differently. In a phone interview with ESPN and the Orlando Sentinel, the forward/center from Georgia said Dončić cursed at him in Serbian and he just repeated those same words back to him. 

“He said something about my mother, which, it’s really inappropriate,” said Bitadze, who played professionally in Serbia from 2016–2019. “We don’t say that stuff during the game. … So I just said whatever he told me or [about] my mother [and] said it back.”

Honestly, the details don’t even matter. Who cares who said what first? Who cares if someone dissed his mom or his daughter or his grandmother or his ex-fiancée. 

The words are empty. Meaningless. They have no teeth. 

What matters is Dončić being on the court. Him putting his teammates above his pride. Him putting winning above his ego. 

It’s tough because what makes Dončić great also makes him a liability. He’s fiery, intense and as competitive as they come. He was assessed 16 technicals twice during his tenure with the Mavericks, but both times the 16th technical was rescinded.

Against the Bulls a little over a week ago, he used trash talk with Matas Buzelis to inspire his 51-point, 10-rebound, nine-assist explosion. He claimed Buzelis said something “not very nice” to him, and that woke him up. 

It’s funny because that situation was also a “he said, he said” moment. Dončić claimed Buzelis trash-talked him first, while Buzelis insisted Dončić initiated things and he merely responded. 

Again, the details don’t matter. But there’s a theme here. 

Trash talk can bring out the best in Dončić. Or the worst. 

And on Saturday, with his 16th technical foul and a one-game suspension looming, it wasn’t worth him taking the risk. 

He shouldn’t have engaged. 

He should’ve put his head down and found a different form of motivation. He should’ve shrugged off any insult. He should’ve made Bitadze pay for his alleged indiscretion by going on a scoring tear.

With only 11 games left, a one-game suspension is the last thing a surging superstar and a team on a heater need.

Dončić got lucky this time.

But he can’t put himself in this position again.  

His team needs him too much.

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There are just a dozen games left in the Milwaukee Bucks’ season and the first of them takes place tonight at Intuit Dome against the LA Clippers. Coming off a gritty win against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, the Bucks continue their west-coast road-trip against a Clippers team that has been staggering to the play-in, going 1-4 over their last five games. Despite being the 71st game of the Bucks’ season, tonight’s is the first against the Clippers, with another to come on March 29.

Where We’re At

This Bucks season might’ve felt like Cormac McCarthy’s TheRoad—post-apocalyptic, sorrow at every turn, death ever-present—but, like in the novel, there’s just enough positivity to keep hope alive; just enough promise that next year will be better. Saturday’s win over the Suns is the most recent example of this, Ryan Rollins and Ousmane Dieng coming up clutch in the fourth in a glimpse of what could be for years to come—dynamic guard and dynamic wing. Of course, like the ending to The Road, nothing is for certain. Hope exists, but it’s fragile, conditional, unproven.

The Clippers’ future is also unclear, with the team shipping off stalwart centre Ivaca Zubac at the trade deadline and relying heavily on an older trio of Kawhi Leonard (34), Brook Lopez (37), and Kris Dunn (32). Yet, they also have in-his-prime Darius Garland (26) and entering-his-prime Bennedict Mathurin (23). Unlike the Bucks, the Clippers have weathered the storm of their season—a brutal 6-21 start and recent 1-4 skid—to be in the thick of postseason action; Los Angeles currently sits 35-36 and is all-but-guaranteed a play-in performance. Most recently, they won 138-131 in overtime against the Dallas Mavericks behind a season-high 41 points and Clippers-high 11 assists from Garland, to go along with 34 points and five assists from Leonard.

Injury Report

For the Bucks, Giannis (Left Knee; Hyperextension; Bone Bruise) and Kevin Porter Jr. (Right Knee; Synovitis) remain out, while Kyle Kuzma (Right Achilles) is questionable, and Gary Harris (Left Groin; Contusion) is probable.

For the Clippers, Bradley Beal (Left Hip; Fracture), Bennedict Mathurin (Right Toe; Injury Recovery), and Yanic Konan Niederhauser (Right Lisfranc Ligament; Tear) are all out. In addition, Kawhi Leonard (Left Ankle; Sprain) is questionable, while John Collins (Left Ankle; Sprain) is probable.

Player to Watch

Despite being waived, Cam Thomas came to Milwaukee with expectations. And he did not disappoint in his first few games, going off for 34 points against the Orlando Magic and 27 points two games later against the New Orleans Pelicans—both wins. In fact, he was so prolific that—for a stretch—he was second in the entire league in points per minute:

But after another efficient night in a blowout loss to the Toronto Raptors, Thomas’ minutes reduced from the low 20s to the mid teens and he soon found himself collecting DNP-CDs. Part of this is a cold shooting stretch, part of it is his singular focus on scoring, and part of it is his defensive struggles. But these were all well-documented prior to Milwaukee signing him and the Bucks have been thin in the backcourt, especially with KPJ in and out of the lineup. Over the last two games, Thomas has been re-activated, putting in 14 points and four assists vs. Utah and seven points—including an important foul-drawing cameo to start the fourth—against Phoenix. So, with just 12 games left and next season’s roster almost certainly in a state of flux, it’ll be worth monitoring Thomas’ role and if he can be part of it. That is, of course, unless a decision has already been made.

How To Watch

Tune in at 9:30 p.m. CDT on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin.

After an ugly yet ultimately victorious night against the Jazz on Saturday, the Sixers have gone 4-1 in their last five games. Sure, it may have included a few opponents trying to tank, but it isn’t too bad considering the Sixers have been missing all their stars. Crucially, it’s kept them alive in the playoff picture at seventh in the East, rather than slipping any further down the incredibly tight conference standings.

The story might be a little different on Monday, though: they’re welcoming the best team in the NBA to Philly.

Even though the Pistons and Spurs are within three or four wins of the Thunder, OKC still sit atop the league with their 56-15 record.

The Sixers are going to have to compete shorthanded yet again too. Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Johni Broome all remain out. And as if they weren’t already down enough rotation players, Dominick Barlow is only doubtful to return after suffering a left ankle sprain against Utah.

For the Thunder, the notable absence is starting guard Ajay Mitchell, who’s suspended one game following the Wizards-Thunder altercation.

Meanwhile, the the Thunder are getting more firepower back — as if they even needed it for this game. 2025 All-Star Jalen Williams, who was having another quality season this year before being out since mid February with a hamstring injury, is now available.

With an excellent offense and the league’s top defense, stellar top-end talent and unbeatable depth, the Thunder comfortably have the league’s top net rating at a ridiculous +11.0 — way ahead of the second-place Pistons and Celtics, tied at +8.0.

There are obviously going to be nightmare matchups across the board in this one. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is yet again playing like an MVP-level force this season after winning the award last year. His scoring has somehow become even more efficient, as he’s racking up 31.6 points per game with improved three-point accuracy (39.0 percent), an absurd career-high of 60.0 percent from two-point range (including 76.2 percent within three feet) and, unsurprisingly, a career-high 66.5 true shooting percentage as a result.

Shai is going to get his points against anyone, but it’s good experience for VJ Edgecombe to compete his hardest, utilize his athleticism, and see if he can disrupt some of Shai’s possessions at least.

First-time All-Star Chet Holmgren is having his best season yet too, and will give these smaller Sixers (and Adem Bona and Andre Drummond when he’s at center) plenty of work to cover ground against his mobility, size, and range from the arc. Paired with Isaiah Hartenstein’s skill, size and strong rebounding at center, the Sixers’ frontcourt is really going to be bullied without Embiid around.

With a host of other talent in their guard and wing rotation as well, providing shooting and/or top defense — from Cason Wallace to Lu Dort and Alex Caruso — there really is no letup when facing the Thunder.

And then finally, there’s the other guard we have to mention… Jared McCain. He was always going to thrive in an offense with as much balance, playmaking, and spacing as OKC’s, and he hasn’t hesitated to do just that with the solid play time he’s had already. McCain already has four 20-point games in his brief spell with OKC, compared to a mere one with the Sixers this season.

He’s averaging 12.3 points on a 62.0 true shooting percentage through his first 19 games there. McCain looks right at home in the Thunder offense with the way he’s getting open off the ball, running off screens, and creating off the bounce for himself. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him bring a bit of extra fire against the team that foolishly traded him away.

As special as Edgecombe’s arrival has been for the Sixers this season, and as good as he’s looked over the last two games with his career night against the Kings and 22-point, 13-rebound double-double against Utah, trying to lead the way against this Thunder defense is another kind of game altogether. That said, even if (when) the Sixers get crushed, Edgecombe delivering against the NBA’s best defense would be a fun statement for the rook to come away with.

Hopefully for the Sixers, Quentin Grimes can keep his strong play rolling after averaging 24.6 points over the last five games. And if Justin Edwards can find the kind of groove he had in his 32-point, seven-triple outburst against Kings too, that’ll make things a little more interesting.

None of that will really matter much in this one, though. It’s hard for any team to beat the Thunder on a good day, let alone the Sixers in their current state.

At least last week was a success for the Sixers’ place in the East. And once they get through what will likely be a brutal loss on Monday, life will at least get easier for them for the rest of the week with the Bulls then Hornets for their next two games.

Game Details

When: Monday, March 23, 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers

The Suns finally snapped their losing streak. We have said it throughout this stretch: this team is injured, and expecting them to win every game in this state is unrealistic. What made it frustrating was how close they were. Four of the five losses were competitive. They were right there, within reach, and for a variety of reasons, they could not finish.

None of that mattered on Sunday night.

Phoenix handled the Toronto Raptors with ease, and honestly, it was a bit surprising. Toronto is a good team, sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference and playing with something to protect. But the Suns came out with pressure and never let it go. From the opening tip, they dictated the pace and never allowed themselves to be put into a position where they had to close late. That was the difference.

When Toronto made its push, which they did after the first quarter, Phoenix responded. A 10–2 run right back at them. That has not been happening during this losing streak. Too often, the opponent dictated terms. On this night, the Suns punched back. And they did it together. Shots were falling. Rebounds were secured. The offense had flow. The defense had purpose. It looked like a cohesive group again. Maybe it is growth. Maybe it is players settling into roles. Maybe it was an off night for Toronto.

Either way, you take it.

Because losing wears on everyone. Prolonged losing brings out all the noise. The trade conversations. The overreactions. The hot takes about Devin Booker or Jalen Green that start to creep in. That is not where this team is right now. They are hurt. They are navigating a difficult stretch. It is hard to make clean evaluations when the roster is this limited. The goal is to get healthy, and with each passing day, they move closer to that.

Sunday night was one of those days where it resulted in a win.

Bright Side Baller Season Standings

Second consecutive game in which Gillespie has earned the BSB. He’s creeping up on Booker in the standings.

Bright Side Baller Nominees

Game 72 against the Raptors. Here are your nominees:

Devin Booker
25 points (9-of-15, 3-of-6 3PT), 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 turnovers, +32 +/-

Jalen Green
20 points (8-of-15, 2-of-5 3PT), 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 block, +15 +/-

Collin Gillespie
16 points (6-of-9, 4-of-6 3PT), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, +6 +/-

Jordan Goodwin
14 points (5-of-11, 3-of-6 3PT), 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 4 turnovers, +3 +/-

Ryan Dunn
12 points (5-of-8, 2-of-4 3PT), 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover, 1 block, +17 +/-

Rasheer Fleming
11 points (4-of-8, 2-of-5 3PT), 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 1 block, +18 +/-

Vote away…

NBA playoff picture: Celtics, Knicks in a tight race for No. 2 seed originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

First, a reality check: The Boston Celtics’ quest for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference is all but over.

After falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night, the Celtics (47-24) sit 4.5 games behind the East-leading Detroit Pistons (51-19), who have won two in a row after losing superstar Cade Cunningham to a collapsed lung.

Boston has 11 regular-season games remaining, while Detroit has 10. If the Pistons win just six of their last 10 games, they’re guaranteed the No. 1 seed. Even if they stumble and go 4-6 down the stretch, the Celtics would need to win 10 of their last 11 games to make up that 4.5-game gap.

So, it’s time for Celtics fans to shift their focus to a much tighter race: the battle with the New York Knicks for the No. 2 seed.

Let’s lay everything out.

Eastern Conference standings

As of Monday morning, the Celtics are up just 0.5 games on the surging Knicks, who have won six in a row.

Basketball Reference’s Playoff Probabilities Report, which is based on 10,000 simulations for the remainder of the season, gives Boston a 53 percent chance of earning the No. 2 seed, just ahead of New York at 43.5 percent.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are lurking 2.5 games behind the Knicks (and three games behind the Celtics), but for all intents and purposes, the No. 2 seed should come down to New York vs. Boston.

Remaining schedules

Which team is better positioned to earn the No. 2 seed?

Both the Celtics and Knicks have pretty difficult schedules down the stretch: Per Tankathon, Boston owns the NBA’s third-toughest remaining schedule (opponents have a combined winning percentage of .544), while New York has the ninth-toughest (.530 opponent winning percentage).

In fact, just two of the Celtics’ remaining 11 games are against teams with losing records, while the Knicks play just three of their remaining 10 games against teams below .500.

What’s at stake

Why is the No. 2 seed so important, you ask?

While the Pistons hope Cunningham will return at some point in the playoffs, his injury casts major doubt over their ability to make a deep playoff run. And if a Cunningham-less Detroit team gets eliminated early, the No. 2 seed would have home-court advantage for the rest of its postseason run through the East.

As for first-round matchups, the No. 2 seed would face the winner of the East play-in tournament (the No. 7 seed), while the No. 3 seed would face the No. 6 seed. The bottom of the East playoff race is an absolute mess — just 2.5 games separate the No. 5 seed from the No. 10 seed — so it’s impossible to predict Round 1 matchups at the moment.

The Celtics would be favored to win any first-round matchup, but there are some teams that could give them trouble — notably the red-hot Atlanta Hawks, who are 12-1 in their last 13 games.

For now, Boston’s goal should be staving off the Knicks for the No. 2 seed and letting the chips fall where they may. And based on the current standings, we could be gearing up for a photo finish.

Mike Brown has coached both and made the comparison.

Last week, Brown said there are similarities in how Josh Hart impacts the game to how Andre Iguodala did when Brown was an assistant with the Warriors.

The idea that there might not be one particular skill that they excel at, but that there a bunch of areas they affect the game and when you look at the whole body of work, it results in a winning player.

What does Hart think of that comparison?

“Andre is extremely talented, definitely was a better player in this league than I am,” Hart told The Post before the Knicks’s game against the Wizards Sunday night at Madison Square Garden. “But we can be like an older version of Andre. Older, less athletic, scoring version of Andre. But it’s cool, Andre is someone who is highly respected for everything he’s done for the game. So it was cool.”

Iguodala was a key glue guy — and one-time finals MVP — on four championship teams with the Warriors. His impact often did not necessarily jump off the box score, though.

It’s that part of the comparison Hart most enjoys — and knows often goes unnoticed.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NBA STANDINGS AND KNICKS STATS

“I take a lot of pride in it,” Hart said. “Especially right now, you just look at numbers and you don’t understand the process of the game. A lot of people think you can just throw five guys in that score X amount of points, and that’s how it’s gonna be.

“But that’s not always what it is, situations are different. So for me, especially in that [starting] group, I’m a guy that’s gonna connect the dots, a guy that’s gonna try to be unselfish, get other guys involved, get other guys flowing in good rhythm. I think that gets overlooked, but for me, I take pride in it.”

The Washington Wizards (16-55) are in a neck-and-neck race with the Indiana Pacers for last place in the conference. They had lost 15 games in a row before tonight’s tilt at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks (47*-25). The Wizards showed some signs of life in the first half, and a brief heartbeat after intermission, but their 16th loss was never really in doubt. New York took the W, 145-113, beating the Wiz for the 12th straight time.

New York started on the right foot, with Mikal Bridges (14 PTS, 6 AST) and Karl-Anthony Towns (26 PTS, 16 RBS, 9-13 FG) helping to build a small cushion. Washington kept up with them, though, with five points by Tristan Vukcevic (13 PTS) and Bub Carrington (14 PTS, 8 ASTS) getting to the line. Once again, New York allowed their opponents to shoot freely from the perimeter. Luckily for them, Washington’s not a strong three-point shooting team, making 4-of-10 from deep over the first 12 minutes. With the visitors coughing up the rock seven times, the Knicks built a head of steam and went up by double-digits late in the quarter.

The Knicks’ best stretch came midway through the quarter, with Towns flexing his muscles on the glass, Jalen Brunson (23 PTS, 4 AST) drawing contact, and Josh Hart (16 PTS, 6 RBS, 4 AST) logging rebounds, steals, and an alley-oop to Mitchell Robinson (10 PTS, 10 RBS, 2 BLK). Then the pendulum swung the other way. Jaden Hardy (25 PTS, 7-13 3PT) sparked a run with three triples in a short span—two assisted by Sharife Cooper (11 PTS)—narrowing the Knicks’ lead to 32-27 by the buzzer.

The quarter opened with Washington briefly finding a rhythm—Cooper hit an early jumper, and Anthony Gill (18 PTS, 3 STL, 8-10 FG) followed a steal with a dunk. A few minutes in, a Cooper triple tied the score at 38 before New York got serious. After that, Towns cleaned up inside with putbacks and rebounds, while Bridges and OG Anunoby (9 PTS, 4 TO) chipped in buckets. Jose Alvarado (8 PTS, 8 AST) played but was a mixed bag. Hart helped to push the pace, and Robinson made his presence felt as the good guys regained a double-digit lead. Down the stretch, New York turned stops into buckets, pushed the margin to 15, and went into halftime ahead 68-52.

The Knicks shot 57% from the field and 50% from yard, which beat Washington’s 43% and 29%. KAT gave NY a big advantage in the paint, which they won 34–20, and where they outrebounded the Zards, 22–16. Towns led all scorers with 15 points. For the visitors, Gill scored 11 to lead a bench that contributed 30 points.

Hart and Bridges hit a pair of triples to start the second half, then Vukcevic scored eight straight points to chase New York into a timeout. Following that, Hart and Bridges knocked down threes, and Brunson hit some middies. The key, though, was Towns, who scored with hook shots, drives, free throws, and a three-pointer. Washington’s sorry frontcourt had no antidote for the big fella. With the Knicks starting to get in sync, a 13-5 run pushed their lead to 20 by the midway point.

Washington made a push when Hardy drilled a trey and a pull-up jumper, and Gill converted from long range. All that effort was little more than a death rattle, though. New York took a 105-81 score into the fourth.

The Knicks kept the party going in the fourth, pushing their lead to 27. Alvarado and Jordan Clarkson (8 PTS) provided steady hands, and Mouhamed Diawara (12 PTS, 3-4 3PT) hit back-to-back threes. Jeremy Sochan (8 PTS, 6 RBS, 8 MIN) subbed in and benefited from a gorgeous Clarkson lob. But the most interesting storyline of the final frame: Tyler Kolek scored 42 points for the Westchester Knicks this morning, and added 11 points (on 4-of-4 shooting) tonight to finish the day with 53! Quoth Jslashnoel: “Tyler going nuclear is a nice victory cigar.”

Notes

• With tonight’s totals, KAT has 50 double-doubles for the season to lead the league.
• March 22, 2013: Ray Williams passed away at the age of 58. That night, Carmelo Anthony scored 37 points and Kenyon Martin added 19 points and 11 rebounds in a 99-94 win at Toronto, securing New York’s third straight trip to the postseason.
• Hart is pumping! Josh has made 12 of his last 17 three-point attempts.
• Their 16th consecutive loss ties Washington’s franchise record. The Knicks have won six straight three times this season.
• New York scored 93 points against the Nets on Friday. They topped that with four minutes left in the third quarter tonight.
• Washington head coach Brian Keefe was an assistant coach for the Knicks during the 2015-16 season.

Up Next

New York visits the Big Easy on Tuesday to pluck the Pelicans. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.

Box Score

* Should be one more, but NBA Cup wins crumble when handled.

Per a Spurs press release:

The San Antonio Spurs announced the launch of “Spurs Rewards,” powered by Fanmaker, a new loyalty program offering fans a way to earn rewards, unlock exclusive experiences and receive value through their support of the Spurs. Debuting March 12 vs. the Denver Nuggets, Spurs Rewards allows fans to earn points for activities such as attending games, shopping and engaging with the team across digital and in-person experiences. Fans can learn more and sign up for free by texting REWARDS to 210-444-5940 or visiting the Official Spurs Mobile App, presented by Frost. Official program terms apply.

Chief Commercial Officer at SS&E Frank Miceli stated,

“Spurs Rewards is about creating a smarter, more rewarding fan experience that recognizes the many ways our fans support the team throughout the season. Whether it’s attending games, shopping or engaging digitally, this platform turns that support into meaningful value.”

Fans can earn one point for every dollar spent on Spurs single-game tickets via Ticketmaster, retail purchases through the Spurs Official Fan Shop, and Frost Bank concessions at Frost Bank Center.

Coming off a brutal loss last night in Phoenix, the Raptors are playing their second game of a back-to-back, this time, agains the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. This game against an injured opponent should be a chance for the Raptors to stop a dangerous skid late in the season.

The Jazz have had a season of distinct highs and lows. They started the season by drafting a high value forward in Ace Bailey, saw point guard Keyonte George break out, and traded for former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. At the same time, many of their starters have been ruled out for extended periods, since November when Walker Kessler was shut down, and have caught league-wide flack for a tanking scandal, with players getting benched in a manner that was perceived to be unethical. Indeed, Monday’s game will see Keyonte George, Isaiah Collier, and Lauri Markkanen still out, not to mention the host of previous injuries to JJJ and Jusuf Nurkic, amongst others.

As it currently stands, the Jazz are in poor shape to win games with most of their starting lineup out, so the Raptors can breathe relatively easily when they step into the Delta Center. The Raptors are playing with almost their entire roster intact, though Collin Murray-Boyles remains on the injury report, as he has been for nearly a month. This game should hopefully be a chance to bounce back after last night’s loss, which saw an extremely lacklustre offence combined with a total lack of production from some of the Raptors’ starters.

Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, and Brandon Ingram have been instrumental in getting the Raptors back on track with a three game winning streak, taking out the Pistons, Suns, and Bulls, before falling to the Denver Nuggets and the Phoenix Suns in consecutive games. Establishing a consistent offence will be important for this game against the Jazz, as well as ensuring that they’re able to slow down Ace Bailey and avoid him getting hot. The rookie has had two thirty point explosions over his last ten games, and keeping him subdued will be important in keeping the Jazz hitting sour notes. Brice Sensabaugh has been shooting threes at a 41.3% clip over the past ten games, meaning that Toronto’s perimeter defence needs to be on point to avoid an upset.

Considering the state of Utah basketball, it is unlikely for Toronto to drop this game. A soft opponent on the road is a luxury this late in the season, with the Eastern Conference looking as dangerous as it is. Toronto is unlikely to fall out of the Play-In Tournament, but are within only a few games of every opponent within the sixth to the tenth seed. 4.5 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers, and half a game behind both the Atlanta Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers, the Raptors are in serious danger of relinquishing their playoff spot to a rival if they don’t clean up their act and begin performing consistently.

Today’s game is likely to be another part of the same old story for the Raptors: lose to the best teams, but beat down the worst ones.

Game Information and Details

Game Time: 9:00 EDT

Watch On: SportsNet

Injury Report:

Toronto: Collin Murray-Boyles (Out – thumb), Chucky Hepburn (Day-To-Day – knee)

Jazz: Isaiah Collier (Out – hamstring), Lauri Markkanen (Out – hip), Keyonte George (Out – hamstring)

Projected Lineups

Toronto: Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl

Jazz: Ace Bailey, Cody Williams, Brice Sensabaugh, Kyle Filipowski, Kennedy Chandler

The madness isn't over, it's just on hold.

After a Men's NCAA Tournament second round that saw a No. 1 seed in Florida, a few bluebloods in Kansas and Kentucky, and a pair of No. 3s in Gonzaga and Virginia eliminated, the Sweet 16 is set. Duke overcame a shaky start to advance to the second weekend, UConn rolled over UCLA after a slog against Furman, and Michigan has largely looked dominant thus far.

REQUIRED READING: 2026 Sweet 16 schedule, game times, TV info, brackets for NCAA Tournament

But none of that matters. As the teams in the Sweet 16 prepare for their prospective opponents, they'll have time off until Thursday for half the field and Friday for the other half. There are no games on Monday March 23, but they'll be back — likely with a vengeance as the field condenses — on Thursday, March 26.

Here's what to know about the college basketball schedule, as the teams remaining recharge for the second of three frenetic weekends.

Are there Men's NCAA Tournament games on today?

Following four days of action, the Men's NCAA Tournament will be taking a respite. There are no games on Monday, March 23, as teams prepare for the Sweet 16.

There are, however, Women's NCAA Tournament second round games, as its first weekend concludes.

When do Men's March Madness games resume?

Men's NCAA Tournament games will recommence on Thursday, March 26 when No. 2 Purdue plays No. 11 Texas to open the Sweet 16. From there, it will be eight games, concluding with No. 2 Iowa State vs No. 6 Tennessee on Friday, March 27.

Men's Sweet 16 schedule

Here's a look at the schedule for when games come back.

THURSDAY, MARCH 26

• 7:10 p.m.: No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 11 Texas (West), CBS
• 7:30 p.m.: No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Iowa (South), TBS/truTV
• 9:45 p.m.: No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 4 Arkansas (West), CBS
• 10:05 p.m.: No. 2 Houston vs. No. 3 Illinois (South), TBS/truTV

FRIDAY, MARCH 27

• 7:10 p.m.: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 St. John's (East), CBS
• 7:35 p.m.: Texas Tech/Alabama winner vs. No. 1 Michigan (Midwest), TBS/truTV
• 9:45 p.m.: No. 2 UConn vs. No. 3 Michigan State (East), CBS
• 10:10 p.m.: No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 6 Tennessee (Midwest), TBS/truTV

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When Men's NCAA Tournament will resume after first two rounds conclude

The top-seeded teams dominated the second round of the NCAA Tournament, with the lone double-digit seed advancing to the Sweet 16 being Texas, one of the most iconic brands in college sports.

Texas being a "Cinderella" in 2025-26 is fitting for where men's college basketball is as a sport amid the name, image and likeness era. The lone double digit seed to reach the Sweet 16 last season was Arkansas, which is led by one of the greatest coaches ever in John Calipari and was riddled with talent.

REQUIRED READING: March Madness? More like March Blandness in as NCAA Tournament has too much chalk

No. 12 seed High Point gave its best shot at breaking that mold on Saturday, March 21, before ultimately falling to No. 4 Arkansas 94-88 in a highly competitive game. No. 11 VCU also had a chance to be the latest mid-major to reach the Sweet 16, but was dominated by No. 3 Illinois 76-55.

Only 16 teams remain, with just one weekend before the Final Four returns to Indianapolis. Here's a look at our five worst moments of the NCAA Tournament's second round in 2026:

5 worst moments of NCAA Tournament second round

Tyler Tanner misses game-winning halfcourt shot

Vanderbilt star Tyler Tanner nearly made an all-time shot for the win against No. 4 Nebraska in the second round, but the ball rimmed out after multiple bounces off the backboard and rim.

Tanner was already having a career performance, as he finished with 27 points and four assists with four steals. With 2.2 seconds he caught the inbounds pass on the opposite side of the court before heaving it from behind halfcourt, which barely missed and resulted in Vanderbilt's entire bench falling to their knees in disappointment.

This close.... 🤏#MarchMadnesspic.twitter.com/lEtY7T1WX1

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2026

Nebraska's Braden Frager hit a game-winning driving layup to hand his school its second-ever NCAA Tournament win and first Sweet 16 appearance. Unfortunately, one of Vanderbilt or Nebraska was headed home after one of the best second-round games in recent memory.

"We were in an inch away from being in the Sweet 16," Vandy coach Mark Byington said. "It's going to take a while for us to get over."

Florida goes home early

Florida was shocked by No. 9 seed Iowa in the second round, falling 73-72 after Alvaro Folgueiras hit a game-winning 3-pointer with less than five seconds remaining. It's a brutal finish to the season for the Gators, who played their way back onto the 1-seed line after winning 16 of their last 17 regular-season games.

Florida looked like a top national championship contender, especially with its impressive frontcourt of Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu. But sometimes March Madness strikes, and unfortunately it did for Florida before the first weekend came to a close.

Iowa ended the game on a 7-3 run, which was ultimately the difference in the back-and-forth, highly competitive game.

Kentucky makes the bad kind of history

While Kentucky survived a scare against Santa Clara in the first round, it took a wild shot from Otega Oweh at the buzzer to force overtime. The Wildcats kept within distance of Iowa State in the first half of their game on March 22, before the Cyclones pulled away for a dominant 82-63 win.

Kentucky played sloppy basketball against Iowa State, setting a program record for most turnovers (20) in an NCAA Tournament game. The 19-point loss was also Kentucky's largest loss in a March Madness game since 1972.

Second-year coach Mark Pope is facing a pivotal offseason, especially with Oweh exhausting his eligibility.

David Punch's nose

TCU star David Punch took a shot to the face from Duke's Cameron Boozer late in the second half of a close game on Saturday, March 21, and wasn't the same after returning to the game. Boozer was called for a Flagrant 1 on the play, although Punch was unable to shoot the free-throws as he returned to the bench with blood flowing down his face.

Punch Jr. briefly went to the locker room, missing the remainder of the first half before returning in the final 20 minutes of the game.

"To me, it doesn't feel overly excessive." -- @GeneSteratore on David Punch taking an elbow to the face from Cameron Boozer pic.twitter.com/pSmHb4FEPv

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 21, 2026

TCU trailed 38-34 at halftime, before falling apart and losing 81-58 to Duke to end its season. And despite coming off a 16-point, 13-rebound performance against Ohio State in the first round, he was held to four points on 1-of-10 shooting against the Blue Devils.

High Point's season comes to an end

High Point's program-best season came to an end against No. 4 Arkansas, as it fell 94-88 after winning its first-ever NCAA Tournament game in the first round. The Panthers dominated the regular season, finishing the regular season 30-4 with a Big South Conference Tournament win.

Chase Johnston became the latest March Madness legend after helping High Point to a win over Wisconsin, and Rob Martin channeled his inner-Kemba Walker with 30 points and five assists in High Point's loss to Arkansas.

High Point was putting on for mid-major programs in the NCAA Tournament and hopes to continue its momentum fresh off a respect-earning trip.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness worst moments of NCAA Round 2, including Tyler Tanner

Through two rounds of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, and for the second time in as many years, March has been missing some of its trademark madness.

There have been exciting moments, of course, from Otega Oweh’s buzzer-beater to send Kentucky to overtime against Santa Clara to Tyler Tanner’s 49-foot heave that rimmed out and nearly gave Vanderbilt a stunning win over Nebraska in what would have instantly been one of the most iconic shots in NCAA tournament history. There have been uplifting stories, too, from Miami (Ohio) continuing its magical season with a win over SMU in the First Four — the RedHawks’ first NCAA tournament victory since 1999 — to High Point picking up its first-ever NCAA tournament win.

For the most part, though, an event historically defined by upsets has had precious few of them, with favored teams with more talent and resources largely handling business.

REQUIRED READING: March Madness scores: Buzzer-beater, monster upset and more nail-biters. Round 2 highlights

How have the small handful of unexpected results stacked up?

Here’s a look at the top five upsets through the first two rounds of March Madness.

How's your bracket looking?

Probably not so bad if you picked all the favorites.

But there were a few surprises in the Men's NCAA Tournament first two rounds, the biggest being No. 9 Iowa taking down defending champion Florida.

That result means we won't get a second straight Final Four with all No. 1 seeds. So who will reach Indianapolis? First things first, who will in this week's Sweet 16?

USA TODAY Sports staff made their picks. Check them out below:

One weekend down, two to go.

A chalky bracket seemed unlikely to yield any major upsets until No. 9 Iowa knocked off No. 1 seed Florida in the South region, bringing some chaos to a men’s NCAA Tournament that had lacked the underdog stories that can often define the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.

Until the Hawkeyes’ win, the tournament Cinderella was No. 11 Texas, which beat fellow No. 11 North Carolina State in the play-in round, beat No. 6 Brigham Young in the first round and then beat No. 3 Gonzaga 74-68 on Saturday to reach the program’s second Sweet 16 since 2008.

While Florida has been sent packing, the name-brand teams and programs still alive should make for an intensely competitive weekend.

Starting with the Big Ten, let’s get ready for the Sweet 16 by breaking down the biggest winners and losers from the second round:

No surprises in New York: the Knicks are one of the better teams in the East, the Wizards one of the worst. The Knicks want to win, the Wizards have every incentive to lose. The result: a 145-113 walloping that gave New York their fifth straight victory and Washington a 16th consecutive defeat.

That losing streak ties the franchise record for sustained futility, which was set last March…when the team was also trying to lose to increase their chances of getting a high draft pick. They ended up drafting sixth and selecting Tre Johnson.

Up next for the Wizards, a theoretically winnable game against the Utah Jazz. In recent years, the Jazz have been league leaders in tanking shenanigans. This season, they have the NBA’s fifth worst record and have already likely taken themselves out of the running for bottom three status.

This one ran true to expectations. The Wizards were short-handed due to injuries, “injuries,” and Justin Champagnie’s suspension for his role in the fight with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Knicks were better from opening tip and progressively ground their way to a steadily increasing margin. Washington went on a run early in the second quarter to briefly tie the game, but were quickly slapped aside by the business-like Knicks.

As would be expected for an undersized and undermanned squad — the 6-8 Anthony Gill played 26 minutes at center — the Wizards got pummeled on the boards. Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson combined for 26 rebounds — just two short of Washington’s total for the game.

Thoughts & Observations

• Knicks broadcaster Walt Frazier wore an amazing ensemble, even by his lofty standards for the outlandish. I started writing a description, but it would take more than a thousand words. I’m not sure we have enough words in English to do it justice. So, click to see it for yourself.
• The Knicks opened the game with Jalen Brunson on Bilal Coulibaly. The Wizards went straight to Coulibaly, who promptly committed an offensive foul by pushing off with his forearm. Cue sad trombone sound effect.
• The Knicks ran a high pick-and-roll with Towns screening for Brunson. For some reason, Vukcevic was so deep in the paint, he was standing nearly under the basket. Brunson drilled a wide open three. My instinct on this based on the personnel involved is that Vukcevic should have been at the level of the screen. Another possibility is that the Wizards coaches have decided Vukcevic can’t play anything but deep drop. If so, his usefulness when the team wants to win will be greatly diminished.
• Midway through the first quarter, the Wizards challenged a blocking foul called on Vukcevic. The official review upheld the call, as it should have based on current rules. I think that rule should be adjusted, though. While Vukcevic was still moving, he was sliding laterally and got to that spot well before Towns arrived. The collision was caused by Towns plowing through the spot. I’d love to see the rulebook acknowledge that defenders have a right to exist in space on the basketball court.
• An example of good play/system design by Brian Keefe came at 5:51 of the first quarter. The set involved a pindown for Coulibaly, which morphed instantly into a pick-and-roll. Coulibaly attacked Brunson, driving into the paint and converting a layup.
• A recurring note basically all season: I’m tired of seeing Bub Carrington (and nearly everyone else) bring the ball across halfcourt and immediately put up a three without making a pass or running an action.
• A bit of Knicks trivia: Mike Brown got his 500th win in the previous game. He’s the 10th fastest coach to 500 wins in NBA history. The top nine: Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, KC Jones, Greg Popovich, Steve Kerr, Don Nelson, Chuck Daly, Red Auerbach, and George Karl.
• Wizards rookie Jamir Watkins had several strong defensive possessions on Brunson, including some superb ball denial. He probably should have been called for a foul a few times, but the refs let some contact go.
• The Knicks scored 68 points in the first half while attempting just 10 threes.
• At one point, Knicks play-by-play man Mike Breen said Leaky Black had been a superb defender in college. Not sure I believe that based on what I’ve seen at the NBA level, though Black did have a handful of good defensive plays last night.
• From the notebook: Jaden Hardy is a bucket — good shooter; aggressive offensively — 11 minutes, 14 points. He finished with 25 points in 29 minutes. While I like the offense, he needs to do more out there to earn significant playing time.
• Josh Hart was 3-3 from three-point range. He’s now made his last nine threes in a row. The Knicks record is 10 consecutive makes. The NBA record is 13.
• Gill tied his career high with 18 points. He reached 18 twice before — both in 2023.
• Knicks guard Tyler Kolek scored 11 points in garbage time. Earlier in the day, he had 42 points and 11 assists in a game for the G-League Westchester Knicks. That’s 53 points and 12 assists combined between the two leagues/games on the day.
• This was Washington’s second worst defensive performance of the season. The worst was their 146-101 drubbing by the Boston Celtics.

Four Factors

Below are the four factors that decide wins and losses in basketball — shooting (efg), rebounding (offensive rebounds), ball handling (turnovers), fouling (free throws made).

The four factors are measured by:

• eFG% (effective field goal percentage, which accounts for the three-point shot)
• OREB% (offensive rebound percentage)
• TOV% (turnover percentage — turnovers divided by possessions)
• FTM/FGA (free throws made divided by field goal attempts)

esigned for larger data sets. In small sample sizes, the numbers can get weird. In PPA, 100 is average, higher is better and replacement level is 45. For a single game, replacement level isn’t much use, and I reiterate the caution about small samples sometimes producing weird results.

POSS is the number of possessions each player was on the floor in this game.

ORTG = offensive rating, which is points produced per individual possessions x 100. League average so far this season is listed in the Four Factors table above. Points produced is not the same as points scored. It includes the value of assists and offensive rebounds, as well as sharing credit when receiving an assist.

USG = offensive usage rate. Average is 20%. Median so far this season is 17.7%.

ORTG and USG are versions of stats created by former Wizards assistant coach Dean Oliver and modified by me. ORTG is an efficiency measure that accounts for the value of shooting, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers. USG includes shooting from the floor and free throw line, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers.

+PTS = “Plus Points” is a measure of the points gained or lost by each player based on their efficiency in this game compared to league average efficiency on the same number of possessions. A player with an offensive rating (points produced per possession x 100) of 100 who uses 20 possessions would produce 20 points. If the league average efficiency is 115, the league — on average — would produced 23.0 points in the same 20 possessions. So, the player in this hypothetical would have a +PTS score of -3.0.

Players are sorted by total production in the game.