The potential mayhem from league tournaments allows lower-seeded teams knocking off regular-season champs to clinch a berth to the Big Dance. And for one-bid leagues, that can be a brutal end to standout season.
According to ESPN, 51 of the 63 conference tournaments in 2023 and 2025 were won by Nos. 1 or 2 seeds. Could this year be different?
Here's a look at the No. 1 seeds that have been toppled in conference tournaments so far:
No. 1 seeds to lose in conference tournament
As of 2 p.m., Thursday, March 12, 11 No. 1 seeds have been knocked out of their respective conference tournaments.
The number can grow, with a handful of No. 1 seeds in some of the major conferences playing in their first conference tournament games over the next couple of days.
Winners of 11 of their last 13, the Thunder are hosting the Boston Celtics Thursday, March 12, just three days after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put away the Denver Nuggets with a game-winning 3 in the final seconds. With the win, Gilgeous-Alexander created separation in the race for NBA Most Valuable Player, and the Thunder maintained their hold on the top seed in the West.
And, Thursday's game presents the chance for SGA to make history. He can break the NBA record for consecutive games with at least 20 points. He tied Wilt Chamberlain for most all-time, with 126 in a row, against Denver.
The Celtics, meanwhile, have gotten a massive boost since Jayson Tatum returned from his Achilles tendon rupture surgery. Boston has been rolling lately and is just 3½ games back of the Detroit Pistons for the No. 1 seed in the East.
Here’s everything you need to know about Thursday night’s Celtics-Thunder game:
How to watch Celtics vs. Thunder: TV channel, live stream
Start time: 9:30 p.m. ET
Location: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City)
TV channel: N/A
Live stream: Amazon Prime
Celtics vs. Thunder injury report
Boston Celtics
Payton Pritchard, probable (neck spasm)
Baylor Scheierman, available (left thumb fracture)
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 10: Trendon Watford #12, Joel Embiid #21, and Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers sit on the bench during the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies at Xfinity Mobile Arena on March 10, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Sixers are cursed. I don’t know what led us all on to this path, but it happened. The fervent dedication of the Process era that was filled with promises of titles and parades has only been matched by a series of blunders and setbacks, each one more inexplicable than the last. The Sixers, and, sadly, the fan base, have become Wile E. Coyote. No matter the schemes to get this team to a true level of contention, we’re left holding a stick of dynamite as the Road Runner and Eastern Conference Finals appearances dart away.
I’m left wondering if we all tempted fate with the basketball gods when we cheered on the Process. Do I have any regrets? No. Was it the right decision to take tanking to its logical endpoint in a league with an out-0f-whack incentive structure? Of course. Has it delivered the Sixers to the Promised Land? Clearly not. Did we fly too close to the sun? Maybe!
The Sixers, in a vague sense at least, have an MVP, a future Hall of Famer, an in-prime, multiple-time All-Star and a dude set to make the All-Rookie Team. It has culminated in a season that’s had fleeting moments of fun that have neither moved the needle in terms of immediate playoff success nor in terms of true, long-term contention. I remember being home after my freshman year of college when the Sixers hired Sam Hinkie in May 2013. Nearly 13 years later, even with the pure talent, in a vacuum, on this roster, an NBA title feels further away now than it did back then.
No Etsy witch requests nor prayer circles in FDR Park with candles bearing Hinkie’s face can fix that.
What can?
It sounds terrible, but a part of me thinks this city just needs a total basketball reboot. It’s obviously not going to happen with a new arena on the way and the market that Philadelphia is, but what if the Sixers moved to, say, Seattle or Las Vegas? Give the city about a half-decade off from the NBA, watch the Big 5 and the WNBA team that’s on the way and then have a do-over with an expansion team. I love the Sixers’ name, logos, history, etc. Would I be willing to trade that away for competent management that this fan base can trust in even if the team had a pathetically generic name like the Philadelphia Flames? Sure, as long as they didn’t do any Boathouse Row-themed uniforms.
There’s no fix for the Sixers right now. There is no way for this fan base to shift the luck that has befallen this franchise for four decades aside from the outlier that was the 2001 campaign. We will endure this for as long as the NBA exists. It sucks, but at least we’re not Wizards fans? That’s the only silver lining I can concoct at the moment.
The top seed in the conference looked like they were cruising toward a victory when it took an 11-point lead with eight minutes left in the game, but the Minutemen got hot. They went on a 13-2 run to tie the score with five minutes to go and it was back-and-forth the rest of the way.
UMass took a three-point lead with less than three minutes left and Miami (Ohio) was able to tie it in the final minute. The Minutemen’s Daniel Hankins-Sanford hit the go ahead bucket with 29 seconds left and the RedHawks weren’t able to tie it.
The biggest differential was UMass' dominance on the boards. It had 17 offensive rebounds, resulting in 23 second chance points.
With the loss, there are no more undefeated teams left in the country.
Now, the rest of the week will be spent debating if Miami (31-1) should be in March Madness. While it was the only undefeated team in the country, it didn’t have a strong resume as it ranked near the bottom of several strength of schedule metrics. It is ranked 269th in KenPom in strength of schedule and has an overall ranking of 93.
In the all important NET rankings, Miami (Ohio) is No. 54, a spot that isn't ideal for an at-large spot.
The RedHawks didn’t have a Quad 1 win and just a 2-0 Quad 2 mark, while the majority of its games were Quad 4 opportunities.
What didn’t help was the loss to Massachusetts was a Quad 4 loss, as the Minutemen were the eighth seed in the conference tournament and were 16-15 coming into the contest. It's a mark teams cannot afford just days before Selection Sunday.
Despite the ugly mark on the resume, Miami (Ohio) athletic director David Sayler previously told USA TODAY Sports the team should have already punched its ticket to the Big Dance.
“An undefeated season, it has to matter, right?” Sayler said. “Otherwise, why wouldn't we just play three days in (the MAC tournament) and the winner goes to the (NCAA) tournament and forget the regular season if you're not going to take an undefeated team?"
“It should cement it,” he added.
Even with all the arguments for and against the inclusion of Miami (Ohio), now all the RedHawks can do is wait and see if they will be in the bracket when it is announced on Sunday, March 15.
The Phoenix Suns will look to continue their march up the Western Conference standings as they visit the Indiana Pacers tonight.
Indiana has lost 10 straight and shows no signs of turning things around, so I’m taking Phoenix to cover in my Suns vs. Pacers predictions and NBA picks below.
Suns vs Pacers prediction
Suns vs Pacers best bet: Suns -8.5 (-110)
Not only have the Indiana Pacers lost 10 straight games, but they're 0-10 ATS during that streak. Indiana is also dealing with a slew of injuries, with Obi Toppin on a minutes restriction and Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, and TJ McConnell all missing time recently.
The Phoenix Suns have won five of their last six and have found some offensive rhythm behind Devin Booker. They’ve always been solid on defense, holding opponents to 111.0 ppg on the year.
I’m taking Phoenix to cover tonight against a Pacers team that looks completely uncompetitive right now.
Suns vs Pacers same-game parlay
Along with taking the Suns to cover, I’m going with two of the better-looking Phoenix props on the board tonight for my SGP. That includes taking Jalen Green to go Over 20.5 points for a fourth straight game, as well as backing Collin Gillespie to grab 5+ boards, something he’s done in four of his last five games.
Suns vs Pacers SGP
Suns -8.5
Jalen Green Over 20.5 points
Collin Gillespie Over 4.5 rebounds
Our "from downtown" SGP: Booker time
Booker has been on fire during Phoenix’s current three-game winning streak. I’m backing him to hit all his major prop totals tonight after he put up a 30-point double-double on Sunday and recorded seven assists and five rebounds on Tuesday against the Bucks.
Suns vs Pacers SGP
Suns -8.5
Devin Booker Over 27.5 points
Devin Booker Over 4.5 rebounds
Devin Booker Over 5.5 assists
Suns vs Pacers odds
Spread: Suns -8.5 | Pacers +8.5
Moneyline: Suns -400 | Pacers +300
Over/Under: Over 224 | Under 224
Suns vs Pacers betting trend to know
The Pacers are 0-10 ATS in their last 10 games overall. Find more NBA betting trends for Suns vs. Pacers.
How to watch Suns vs Pacers
Location
Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Date
Thursday, March 12, 2026
Tip-off
7:00 p.m. ET
TV
KTVK, FDSN-Indiana
Suns vs Pacers latest injuries
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SALT LAKE CITY, UT - MARCH 11: Jordan Clarkson #00 of the New York Knicks talks to the media after the game against the Utah Jazz on March 11, 2026 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
I started to watch Wednesday’s game and thought about quitting for a minute.
Only then did I realize we had Jordan Clarkson sitting on the bench, so it was just a matter of time for the Knicks to flip the script.
Here’s the latest from your superheroes in a JC-heavy chapter of the bulletin.
On Clarkson’s play after going through the Jazz’s tribute video:
“It was awesome. I don’t know the Jazz organization. For them to play that video, that was awesome that was unexpected for me. I don’t know if Jordan knew about it, that was a cool touch. And then for him to go out and perform the way he did, you couldn’t ask for anything better, And it says a lot about him. It goes to show he’s not just keeping his body right but his mind his mind is in a good spot to go do that when you’re down 20 in the first half. So just to see that, you couldn’t ask for anything better. Especially from him, who is a veteran who hasn’t been playing or in the rotation and all of a sudden we need.”
On assistant Maurice Cheeks’ advice to bring JC in:
“Mo said earlier today, he said, we got to find a way to get Jordan in the game because he can have a big one for us tonight, we may need it. And Mo is the prophet. He was right on target with it. We needed it every single thing that Jordan brought to the table tonight.”
On the comeback victory against the Jazz:
“Really good comeback win.”
On cleaning up turnovers at halftime:
“We committed eight turnovers for 14 points in the first half and a lot of them were unforced. A lot of those turnovers led to easy baskets in transition for Utah. They had 27 fast-break points in that first half, the way we calculate it. We cleaned both those areas at halftime. We had just four turnovers in the second half, giving up four points off those turnovers, and then we gave up just five fast-break points in the second half. And that was the difference in the game. We gave ourselves an opportunity to shoot the basketball. And when we did, it obviously went in.”
On Clarkson’s all-around performance:
“Jordan Clarkson was huge for us, and we had a lot of guys that played the right way in the second half, including Jalen, but Clarkson kept us in the game when we were down. And then definitely helped us get over the hump with the performance he had. And on top of the 27 points, he had five offensive rebounds, and that helped slow their transition game down. So, he was our defensive player of the game. But just a whale of a game by Jordan in a lot of different areas, his physicality too on the ball was good. He just gave us a spark on both ends of the floor.”
On defensive accountability:
“Everybody’s a lot better with the accountability aspect of it too. Not just making sure we’re holding each other accountable but being OK with being held accountable”
"We started off slow––good halftime for us to all kinda get at each other and let us know we gotta pick it up…Good win"
– Jordan Clarkson on Knicks comeback after 2.5 bad games as he returns to Utah with best stat line since leaving (27-5-3 off bench) pic.twitter.com/HTErk0XfJG
“I spent six years in this arena so the rims are pretty familiar to me. It’s not the first time I’ve been hot in this arena. Just being able to start the flame and keep it going.”
On the emotional return to Utah:
“It was amazing. Just being back here, being back in Utah, feeling the love, this city, this organization, everybody man, showing me love, accepting me when I got here. I still feel the love now. I mean, that was pretty heartwarming. I tried to hold my tears in, just feeling the love it was amazing.”
On the halftime message from Brown leading to the comeback win:
“Get our s–t together.”
On holding each other accountable at halftime:
“It was our halftime speech, in terms of how we came at each other, where we tried to hold each other accountable. And then just came out here and wanted to win.”
On the slow start and second-half response:
“As a team, we started off slow. Good halftime for us to kind of get at each other and let us know we gotta pick it up. Just a good win. It’s not the first time I’ve been high in this building, and I’m just glad it happened here. Continue to keep working and get the next win.”
On staying professional amid a challenging season:
“It’s really not about rotations right now. We got one goal and one goal in mind, and that’s to win each game. As always, next, man up, man. We just trying to compete and win every game.”
“It’s who he is. He comes in & works every single day…I love him…Example for anybody: Doesn’t matter where you are in your career–things may not be going your way–continue to work…Persevere"
– Jalen Brunson on Jordan Clarkson (27 in 26-most minutes since Christmas)
“It’s just who he is. He comes in and works every single day. It’s just who he is, what he’s been able to do throughout his career. Just being able to talk to him all the time has been a joy to have him as a teammate and I love him. It can be an example for anybody. It doesn’t matter where you are in your career. Things may not be going your way. Continue to work and continue to persevere. You never know when things are going to fall into place.”
On the advice he’s given Mikal Bridges as he navigates another slump:
“Tell him to keep shooting. Tell him to keep playing. He’s out there. So he has to continue to be who he is.”
“If that’s what the numbers say, I don’t think the numbers are wrong. I think what we’re doing is a great attention to detail and a level of physicality. I think we can sustain that. We have good players, smart players. You see the formula that it takes for us to be successful. Now we just have to sharpen that.”
On whether aggression is the issue affecting his game of late:
“The aggression thing is not an issue at all. I don’t think that’s the issue at all. Even if I miss a couple, there’s nothing wrong with that. Nah, I don’t think that’s the issue.”
On why he’s struggling to put the ball in:
“I don’t know. I think it’s just the game of basketball. Sometimes you try to get open and sometimes it doesn’t find me. Just try to find ways to stay aggressive. That’s it.”
On Brown’s offensive system and not having many plays called:
“It’s got its pros and cons. You try to have the feel of the game sometimes.”
On adjusting to a reduced role:
“It’s all right. I’m just trying to do whatever it takes to win, trying to find opportunities, try to do all the right things and be aggressive. Sometimes doesn’t come my way. Just try to do other things.”
"Hurry the f*ck up 😆"
–– Jalen Brunson as Jordan Clarkson hugs everyone postgame in Utah from the team owner to the mascot pic.twitter.com/J4btHYkDjB
We’ve got a great night of hoops action. The Celtics take on the Thunder, the Nuggets face the Spurs, and what will Bam Adebayo do for an encore after his 83-point performance?
That means there are plenty of great player props on the board, and my favorites for the day include a play in that Heat game, while Paolo Banchero will pull a magic trick on the glass against the Wizards.
Those and more NBA picks for Thursday, March 12, below.
The Orlando Magic are playing their best basketball of the season. They have climbed to fifth in the East and enter tonight’s matchup vs. the Washington Wizards, as winners of five in a row.
Paolo Banchero is a big reason why. The Magic forward is putting up 25.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in his last 10 games.
I want to focus on the rebounds. Washington ranks dead last in rebounding rate and opponent rebounds per game. With Banchero hitting double-digit boards five times during that span, I like him to do it again and record a double-double in the process.
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Monumental, FanDuel Sports Network-Florida
Well, I’m actually more interested in another aspect of that performance. The Heat took 90 shots in that game. Which has been their M.O. all season long. Miami leads the NBA in pace and field goal attempts per game.
That means lots of rebounds, where they allow the third-most per game.
So, let’s go Kevin Porter Jr. Over 4.5 rebounds. Porter is questionable, but it’s a number he’s topped in four of his last five, including hauling down seven in a February 24 meeting against Miami.
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Where to watch: FanDuel Sports Network-Wisconsin, FanDuel Sports Network-South
Prop #3: Victor Wembanyama Over 4.5 steals & blocks
Wembanyama is averaging 4.3 blocks in 11 games since coming out of the break. Now, obviously, books have caught on, generally putting a lot of juice on the Over. But with him also averaging 1.3 steals over that stretch, there’s still value in his steals & blocks prop.
It’s sitting at 4.5 with the Over at plus money for tonight’s game vs. the Denver Nuggets. A number he’s topped in eight times during those 11 games.
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Alt, FanDuel Sports Network-Southwest
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The Detroit Pistons visited the Philadelphia 76ers back in April 2024 and were 15-point underdogs. In 2026, it’s the Pistons who are the 15-point chalk.
I'm not crazy about backing Detroit at a big number, but my 76ers vs. Pistons predictions have found some value in a Tobias Harris player prop.
That and more NBA picks for this Eastern Conference clash set to tip off at 7:00 p.m. ET on Prime Video this Thursday, March 12.
76ers vs Pistons prediction
76ers vs Pistons best bet: Tobias Harris Over 5.5 rebounds (+102)
The Philadelphia 76ers were always going to be underdogs in this matchup, but all the injuries are why the number is so big.
Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Kelly Oubre Jr. are all out. And more recently, Andre Drummond has been downgraded to questionable.
Philly already struggled on the glass, ranking 22nd in rebounding rate and 19th in opponent rebounds per game. The Detroit Pistons have the third-highest rebounding rate in the NBA.
So, give me Tobias Harris Over 5.5 rebounds. He’s hauling down 6.5 rebounds per game over his last 12, topping this number seven times.
76ers vs Pistons same-game parlay
With all those injuries, somebody's going to have to score for the Sixers. My best bet in this case is Cam Payne. The journeyman guard showed he can still get buckets after coming off a 32-point performance against the Memphis Grizzlies.
With not many other options to take shots, over 12.5 points looks like a solid bet here.
However, that doesn’t mean Philly will score consistently. The Pistons are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, ranking second in defensive rating. They’ll keep the Sixers under their team total in this one.
76ers vs Pistons SGP
Tobias Harris Over 5.5 rebounds
Cameron Payne Over 12.5 points
76ers TT Under 103.5
Our "from downtown" SGP: Bad Boys on the Boards
Just carrying on the theme that the Sixers will be bullied on the boards tonight. Isaiah Stewart has snagged five or more boards in three of his previous five, while Cunningham has snared six or more rebounds in three of his last six contests.
76ers vs Pistons SGP
Tobias Harris Over 5.5 rebounds
Jalen Duren Over 10.5 rebounds
Cade Cunningham Over 5.5 rebounds
Isaiah Stewart Over 4.5 rebounds
76ers vs Pistons odds
Spread: 76ers +15.5 (-110) | Pistons -15.5 (-110)
Moneyline: 76ers +750 | Pistons -1200
Over/Under: Over 221.5 (-110) | Under 221.5 (-110)
76ers vs Pistons betting trend to know
The Pistons have hit the Game Total Under in 25 of their last 40 games for +9.60 Units and a 22% ROI. Find more NBA betting trends for 76ers vs. Pistons.
How to watch 76ers vs Pistons
Location
Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI
Date
Thursday, March 12, 2026
Tip-off
7:00 p.m. ET
TV
Prime Video
76ers vs Pistons latest injuries
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Jaylen Brown is in the midst of the best season of his career — which is saying something for a five-time All-Star who not only has a championship ring but also a Finals MVP trophy to pair with it. With Jayson Tatum out most of the season in Boston, Brown has stepped up as the No. 1 option, has career highs in points (28.3), rebounds (7.1) and assists (5.1) and has the Celtics looking like the favorites to come out of the East.
However, after his third season in the league in 2019, Brown questioned whether that success would ever come in Boston alongside Tatum, and whether he should push for a trade. In an appearance on the "Cousins” podcast with Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, Brown revealed it was McGrady who talked him out of asking for a trade back in 2019. After that season, Brown went to live with McGrady in Houston for part of the offseason.
"Right around that time after that season that we lost in a second round to the Bucks (2019). I came right after that to Houston to get some work in. And I'm so grateful for that time and I'm I'm grateful to this day for you opening up your crib to me and just coming to be able to kick it with the fam and just ask questions and get some good advice about how I should look at the next couple years and how I should think about and where my mind should be at at the time. And you told me the potential that I have and what I needed to do if I needed to make it work and I followed those instructions to achieve and fast forward I became an NBA champion...
"Coming and sitting down with T-Mac. We spent a couple days just working out and talking, having some food, and he's telling me like, I'm thinking like one thing and he's thinking like, nah, you need to stay, it's going to be you. He's telling me all the stuff that all just manifested itself. So, I can't even like, it's crazy looking back on it now."
That next season, Brown made a leap — he was not just taking more shots but was far more efficient — and he scored 20.3 points a game, his first time breaking 20 (and he has never been below that number since).
This season, Brown's play has earned him MVP ballot consideration, as he has reached yet another level when his team needed him. However, we may never have seen that if seven years earlier, McGrady had not talked Brown out of the idea of leaving Boston.
The Pistons got back on track in a huge way on Tuesday against the Brooklyn Nets. It was overshadowed by other happenings in the NBA, but the Pistons were able to end their season-long four game slide with a 38 point win against the lowly Nets. It was clear from the opening tip that the Pistons were not going to be blowing a 23-point lead against the Nets again.
Now, they have a chance to continue the positive momentum they have going against a Philadelphia 76ers team that will be without Paul George, Tyrese Maxey, and Joel Embiid. It won’t be a walk in the park, but it will be much easier for the Pistons to impose their will defensively when the big offensive threats for the Sixers are missing.
The Pistons will once again be without Ausar Thompson, but they might get Caris LeVert back from his wrist injury which I am not sure is a good or bad thing at this point.
Game Vitals
Where: Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI When: Thursday, March 12 at 7 pm EST Watch: Prime Video Odds: Pistons (-14.5)
Analysis
There isn’t a whole lot to say about the Philadelphia 76ers given the current state of their roster. They are coming off a win over the Memphis Grizzlies, but given the season the Grizzlies are having that isn’t saying a ton about their ability to play without Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George.
Maxey is the biggest loss out of the three as he is 4th in the NBA in scoring while also leading in minutes played. He has been their engine this season and the star that has been consistently available, so his loss for the next 3 weeks with a finger injury is a huge one. The 76ers currently hold the 8th spot in the East and aren’t really in danger of falling out of the Play-In Tournament at least, but the Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks have been playing some good basketball the last couple weeks and very well could catch them if the 76ers are unable to string together a few wins without their best players.
With their “Big 3” missing, the 76ers are forced to rely a lot on rookie VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes, and Kelly Oubre to carry most of the scoring load. They were able to do it against the Grizzlies on Tuesday with some help from Cam Payne, but they definitely are not on the level of Maxey, Embiid, and George in terms of consistently carrying the scoring load for a competitive team.
Kelly Oubre will be out tonight as well, so that is one less offensive threat the Pistons have to deal with. Oubre, in particular, always seems to have his better games against the Pistons so it will be a pretty big loss for the Sixers.
I just don’t see anywhere the Sixers are going to get the necessary offensive punch that they need to win this game, unless Cam Payne replicates what he did against the Grizzlies where he had 32 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field and 8-8 from beyond the arc.
Tuesday’s win against the Nets was an important one for the Pistons as they got the monkey off their back of the 4-game losing streak, but more importantly, got back on track as a team defensively. The Pistons are never going to be great in their halfcourt offense with their current roster, but they can score enough through tough defense and scoring in transition and both of those things went away during the losing streak. Obviously, the Nets are not a great team, but seeing yourself put together a dominant performance on defense after struggling for over a week does a lot for confidence as a team.
The Pistons don’t really blow out teams a ton, but they have been able to get the job done this year against lesser teams, especially when those teams are short-handed. So, I would expect a similar level of engagement as what the Pistons had against the Nets. The 76ers have a bit more experience in the backcourt than the Nets, so turnovers will be tougher to come by, but it is the Pistons’ bread and butter so they will find a way.
I could see a game where the 76ers hang tough early-on, but the Pistons ultimately overwhelm them and take control during the 2nd half.
Lineups
Detroit Pistons (46-18): Cade Cunningham, Marcus Sasser, Duncan Robinson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren
Philadelphia 76ers (35-30): VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes, Trendon Watford, Dominick Barlow, Adem Bona
Question of the Day
Does the Pistons losing streak concern you or was it just a late-season lull that many teams deal with during a long season?
Mar 10, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luke Kennard (10) moves the ball against Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson (12) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
No one debated that the 29-year-old journeyman would help address a clear need as arguably the most efficient 3-point shooter in the NBA since entering the league. But the tepid reaction stemmed not from who he is, but from who he wasn’t.
Kennard isn’t the wing stopper, starting center or the needle mover who would propel the Lakers into title contenders. However, as he’s shown since his arrival, sometimes swinging for contact instead of for the fences still could be valuable from a trade perspective.
Unlike most late-season acquisitions, Kennard has acclimated to his new surroundings almost immediately. The seamless fit is not only due to his elite shooting ability, but rather, how he leverages it on this team specifically.
For one, Kennard’s addition has opened up the playbook for head coach JJ Redick. Before the sharpshooter’s arrival, the Lakers did not have the type of movement shooter who could dart off screens and fire all over the floor. This resulted in an often vanilla and predictable half-court attack.
Now, the Lakers’ actions have far more zip and, more importantly, purpose when Kennard is on the floor.
Whether it’s been flying off flare screens, sought out on pindowns or serving as the cog to the Lakers’ stack actions, Kennard has introduced a new dimension to the team’s gameplan.
Since landing in Los Angeles, 25.2% of Kennard’s shots have come off screens, according to the NBA’s Synergy data. That ranks second-highest among all players this season behind only Klay Thompson.
The other way Kennard’s elite marksmanship has helped the Lakers is in the moments when he doesn’t shoot at all.
On track to become only the seventh player in NBA history to convert 50% of their 3-point attempts in a season, Kennard is what Stu Lantz would call an “uh-oh shooter.” If you need proof, just watch how defenses react to him when he catches a pass beyond the arc. There’s fear in their eyes and desperation in their feet.
Kennard’s gravitational pull is so strong that he often even lures multiple defenders into his orbit. And when this happens, advantages are created.
The embodiment of what Redick calls “the blender,” Kennard routinely gets opposing defenses into scramble mode by using the threat of his jumper against them. Although not always given the opportunity, he can do this because he is more than just a stereotypical shooter.
“It kind of gives confidence in me, not just being a spot-up shooter,” Kennard recently said. “There’s been stops, I think, where that’s kind of what I’ve been, and I’ll find my role and try to do the best I can with that. But I think just creating havoc offensively, just getting in the paint … when we get in the paint and we have multiple passes on possession, we’re such a different team.
“I can kind of initiate some of that. If two guys are on, like Luka, Bron or Austin, and I get a swing pass, if I don’t have a shot, I can get in the paint and try to make a play. I pride myself on that, trying to make the right play every single time. I’ve been having a good time.”
When defenders close out hard on Kennard, which is almost always, he attacks pressure with pressure. He can put the ball on the floor, extend advantages created by the team’s stars and has shown impressive passing feel to find the open teammate.
Take this play below, for example. Kennard comes off a flare screen and finds that the Warriors’ big man has met him at the level. The slight pump fake gets the defender to engage fully, and this is when he can strike.
Kennard gets downhill — averaging 5 drives per game, fourth-most on the team — draws multiple bodies and then kicks it out. The blender has officially been started.
After the Lakers swing it around the perimeter and the Warriors’ defenders are caught in rotation, the ball ultimately finds its way back in Kennard’s hands for a three. This was not a drawn-up play, but rather, an encapsulation of what Kennard has brought to the table.
“His ability to make plays, getting to the paint, uses his (shooting threat); because he shoots the ball so well, a lot of teams like to run him off the line,” LeBron James told reporters. “But his ability to get into the lane and make plays for others as well has been a big part of what we want to do, too. Just making that extra pass, those kick-out plays and those extra ones, he’s damn good at it.”
As much as Kennard’s impact has popped on tape, the numbers have been just as impressive.
Individually, Kennard is shooting a blistering 72% on his twos, 49% on his threes and has an incredible 72.7% effective field-goal percentage in his 15 games with the Lakers. Those marks rank in the 99th, 100th and 100th percentile among all wings this season, respectively.
And from a team perspective, the Lakers are +7.7 points better with Kennard on the floor and have an offensive rating of 125.8.
Perhaps more encouraging is how well Kennard has fit next to Luka Dončić in particular. The Lakers have a +17.3 net rating when the two have shared the floor and an unbelievable 129.9 offensive rating. To put this in context, the Denver Nuggets currently lead the NBA with an offensive rating of 121.3.
This is an important development because while a championship is always the end goal for the Lakers, another this season should be finding the players — and archetypes — that complement Dončić going forward.
It remains to be seen how much of Kennard’s impact thus far will translate to the playoffs, where his defensive limitations will surely be tested. How he fares may ultimately sway how much desire the Lakers have in bringing him back next season. Kennard will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer.
Regardless of what the future holds, the trade and Kennard’s success have proved just how valuable shooting and the ability to play off the gravity of stars truly are.
Kennard likely isn’t a long-term answer for the Lakers, but he is a proof of concept.
All stats courtesy of Cleaning the Glass unless otherwise stated. You can follow Alex on Bluesky at @alexregla.bsky.social.
If you’re looking on the bright side, we’re at least writing this about three months later this season than we were last season. For about 35-45 games, the Sixers gave their fans enough of a reason to tune in. But the last five to six weeks of the 2025-2026 season have been far from fruitful. Not only have the Sixers lost a lot of games since the beginning of February, but they’ve lost players to injuries and suspension and have lost a lot of their fans with a perplexing trade deadline as well.
With Philly’s next game likely to be another loss in the Motor City against the Eastern Conference leading Detroit Pistons, now feels like a good time to entertain a scenario we haven’t really discussed all season. Are the Sixers best off losing as many games as possible in the regular season’s final month, bowing out quickly in the play-in tournament, and participating in this year’s draft lottery?
Granted, it’s highly unlikely Philadelphia could lose enough to fall below the play-in tournament cut line, so even a bad final month of the regular season would still have the Sixers playing beyond the season’s 82nd game. However, as many know by now, jumps up in the lottery from play-in tournament losers into the top four have happened a few times in recent years.
In 2019, the NBA debuted its new lottery in which the ping-pong balls determined the first four picks instead of the first three. This was part of an unsuccessful effort to curb tanking as the league thought that more randomness in the lottery would increase competitive balance. Since the reform, there have been seven draft lotteries. In three of them, a team from outside the league’s 10 worst records has jumped into the top four of the draft order. That includes the last two lotteries in which play-in tournament losers Atlanta and Dallas won the first pick in the 2024 and 2025 drafts respectively.
To be very clear, we’re still talking about approximately a 10% chance that Philadelphia drafts in the top four in 2026 which would again allow the Sixers to keep their first-rounder and not send it to the Thunder. But haven’t we all resigned ourselves to the fact that there’s a 0% chance of a deep playoff run coming? It feels like a dart worth throwing if you ask me.
Of course, the elephant in the room here will be if Joel Embiid is OK with being shut down. At this rate, it seems reasonable that Tyrese Maxey may not play for the rest of the regular season. Does anyone even care how many games Paul George plays after his suspension? But Embiid went public with comments before the trade deadline hoping that the front office would add to the roster and give him the best chance possible to make a deep playoff run given he may not have many chances left. We all saw that happened at the deadline.
Embiid certainly isn’t thinking about a 10% chance the Sixers draft in the top four this summer. If you’re a big draft nerd too, you might be tracking the Houston first-rounder which the Sixers now own via the Jared McCain trade. There’s still a world in which the Sixers get out of the play-in tournament, send a pick in the late teens to Oklahoma City, and the Houston pick lands in the mid 20s and this whole thing is water under the bridge.
Perhaps this is all just one sad pity piece on what this season has turned into. There were certainly times this season in which the Sixers gave the fans reason to be excited. Heck, there’s a reason there was a sentiment leading up to the trade deadline that they could be a buyer and really make a run in a wide-open Eastern Conference this spring. But those hopes are crushed now, and the Sixers are back to churning out fringe NBA players in their rotation on a regular basis. So yeah, maybe they should just exit early in the play-in tournament and then we can all ask ourselves how lucky are we feeling on lottery night yet again.
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 10: Onyeka Okongwu #17 and Jalen Johnson #1 of the Atlanta Hawks high five during the game against the Dallas Mavericks on March 10, 2026 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 10: Onyeka Okongwu #17 and Jalen Johnson #1 of the Atlanta Hawks high five during the game against the Dallas Mavericks on March 10, 2026 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
It’s what the people wanted! The Brooklyn Nets took on the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night and got the hell beat out of them as they lost by 38 points.
The opponent tonight is flying high. The Atlanta Hawks pushed their winning streak to seven after beating the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night. They’re solidly in the play-in tier and have an outside chance of breaking in to the top six.
Where to follow the game
YES Network on TV. Gotham Sports on streaming. WFAN on radio. Tip after 7:30 PM.
🤕 Injuries
The following are out:
Egor Demin
Michael Porter Jr
Nolan Traore
Day’ron Sharpe
Ziaire Williams is questionable. The three two-ways available.
For the Hawks, Jonathan Kuminga and Dyson Daniels are questionable.
🏀 The game
Atlanta won the first and second meetings. They wrap the series up in April.
With both guards out, Drake Powell will get as many minutes as he can handle. It should be a great opportunity for the rookie to figure things out, and as our Tyler Carmona writes, he can grow into a really solid pro:
“With some added physical development in the offseason, he could grow into a reliable defender capable of guarding positions one through four and giving head coach Jordi Fernández some breathing room when facing elite offensive talent.“
With Traore and Porter Jr out, who will take the shots for the Nets tonight? That’s the question Jordi Fernandez will have to figure out and figure out fast. Danny Wolf figures to start again and should get plenty of opportunities to make something happen.
This is also a night for Noah Clowney to do a bit more. Clowney has had plenty of bright spots this season and now that we’re moving in to the middle of March, this represents a chance for him to do a bit more on offense. Games like this will help him figure out what parts of his game can get better as he fights to be a starter next season.
Jalen Johnson has been one of the best players in the NBA this season, and he’s picked things up as of late. During the Hawks’ winning streak, he’s averaging around 20/7/6 on 50 percent shooting from the field. A walking triple-double threat, Johnson does a lot of things well and hopes to put on a show in the postseason if the Hawks make it there.
Now that the Hawks are in serious playoff contention, they have some things to figure out. One of them will be how they best utilize CJ McCollum. The Hawks have youngsters that figure to be key parts of their program going forward and while still capable of heating up at a moment’s notice, CJ does have flaws in his game. Over at Peachtree Hoops, Hassan Ladiwala explores the conundrum Atlanta finds themselves in:
“To be clear, while I am of the opinion that the decision to start McCollum over Risacher is a touch short-sighted*, I do understand it from the perspective that it’s a move that helps the team win games this season. Putting a high-level offensive player like McCollum alongside Atlanta’s ‘core four’ has raised the group’s offensive ceiling and eased the ball-handling burden on Johnson and Daniels. You would also be justified in pointing out that Risacher had done little to justify keeping his job in the starting unit prior to the lineup change.
*It’s unclear whether McCollum will be on the team next year while Risacher was drafted #1 overall just last season and has a ways to go before reaching his potential.
That said, despite the staggering plus-minus numbers*, I am not fully convinced that McCollum is a part of the Hawks ‘best’ five-man unit – and their opponents woeful three-point shooting during his minutes is a big factor in my skepticism. Next time you see a stat praising McCollum’s on/off impact in Atlanta, just know that it hasn’t been because the Hawks shot-making, it’s been because of their opponents shot-missing.“
Give your youngsters more run, or turn to your vet and try to win? Everybody’s got to find the proper balance.
🏀 Player to watch: Onyeka Okongwu
Steady growth is always welcome. When you add to your game every year, you become more reliable and someone the team can trust. It’s a sign that you’re a part of their plans and it leads to great things if you keep at it. Onyeka Okongwu has seen his scoring average increase in each season of his career and even as he expands his game, he’s still shooting well and someone opponents have to respect. Atlanta hopes to be a steady playoff contender for many years to come, and Okongwu’s rise will be a shining light in Atlanta.
Nic Claxton will be tasked with controlling the middle for the Nets tonight. When the Nets lose on the boards, it’s impossible for them to win games. And with no Sharpe, the Nets have even less help on the glass. Claxton has to be better and playing in front of friends and family should give him an extra bit of motivation.
📺 From the Vault
On Tuesday, Bam Adebayo scored 83 points, now second most in NBA history. With that in mind, let’s take a trip back in time and look back at the mark Bam suprassed
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 21: Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat handles the ball during the game against the New York Knicks on December 21, 2025 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Tuesday night was fascinating for me as a sports fan.
I started my night by watching my college’s depressingly bad basketball team lose to Northwestern to end its season in the Big Ten tournament, then switched the channel to watch Team USA lose in embarrassing fashion to Italy in the World Baseball Classic.
At the same time, I was mildly aware of Alexis Lafreniere scoring a hat trick for the Rangers, Jaylen Brown getting ejected in a high-profile game against the Spurs, and a niche game between the Heat and Wizards that would later go down in NBA history.
I was first aware of Bam Adebayo’s historic night when someone told me he scored 31 points in the first quarter. It was surprising, sure, but it’s the 2026 Wizards. At some point, the Heat will begin to blow them out, and Adebayo will eventually hit the bench with a career scoring effort. He had 43 at half, another shocking sum, but nothing insane was on the radar with the Heat well on their way to a blowout victory.
But they just kept feeding him. He kept going to the line. I got Real notifications that he had 50; he had SIXTY points in the third quarter. At that point, I still didn’t turn on League Pass. In my mind, there was no way he’d stay in the game to make any serious history, right?
But he played most of the fourth quarter. He got to 70, and I finally relented. What I saw in the final five minutes of that game was some of the most shameless basketball I’ve ever seen from the referees, the players on both teams, and the coaches. The Wizards were sending triple-teams, the Heat were intentionally fouling to get more possessions, and Erik Spoelstra refused to remove his big-money star in a 30-point game.
Adebayo ultimately did get to end the game on the bench, but not before scoring 83 points. There’s a sect of the NBA community that sees the lack of broadcast evidence of Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game and refuses to believe it exists. Putting aside the fact that it’s totally irrational that it was totally ridiculous that the basketball media would make up a black man scoring 100 points in a game in 1962, there are people who consider Kobe Bryant’s 81 points in 2006 against the Toronto Raptors as the single-game scoring mark to beat.
So, for those people who believe Wilt never scored 100, Bam Adebayo is now the standard for single-game dominance. Bam Adebayo, who has never scored 45 in a game prior to Tuesday night, had indisputably scored the most points in an NBA game in over 60 years and, to some people, the most points ever.
THE ICONIC PHOTO: BAM ADEBAYO HOLDS UP ‘83’ ON A PIECE OF PAPER! 8️⃣3️⃣
That fact is just jarring to me. Bam is an incredible player, don’t get me wrong. He’s a multi-time all-star, a staple on All-Defensive teams, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and will almost certainly have his No. 13 retired by a Heat organization that’s had many great players don its colors. He’ll likely be enshrined in the Hall of Fame one day, but he isn’t known as a pure scorer.
The players to score 70 points in an NBA game are a who’s who of scoring talent: Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, Luka Doncic, David Thompson, David Robinson, Elgin Baylor, Joel Embiid, Devin Booker, Damian Lillard, and Donovan Mitchell. All of these guys are or were capable of scoring 40 on any given night, even if only a few are inner-circle Hall of Famers.
How far down the list do you have to go before you find a player on the level of Adebayo’s offensive skills? MJ scored 69. Pete Maravich scored 68. Giannis and Rick Barry scored 64. The most points ever scored by a player to average under 20 PPG for his career is Joe Fulks, who scored 63 in 1949.
Fulks was the first NBA player to score 60 in a game and held the single-game scoring record until Elgin Baylor’s 64-point game in 1959. Fulks is an interesting piece of trivia in NBA history as maybe the league’s first shot-chucker. He averaged 19.1 FGA per game in his career and shot 30.2% from the field. He led the NBA in scoring in 1947-48 while shooting 25.9% from the field on over 25 shots per game. He’s the Father of NBA Tour Dates. If you want a laugh, go to @extrastats on Twitter and search for Fulks on his account.
Lowest FG% in a game on 45+ shot attempts:
23.6 — Joe Fulks (1948, 55 FGA) 25.5 — Joe Fulks (1947, 47 FGA) 31.1 — Cade Cunningham (tonight, 45 FGA) 32.0 — Joe Fulks (1946, 50 FGA)
The day Fulks scored 63 points, he attempted 56 shots and took 14 free throws. He shot 48.2% from the field, which is a modern-day equivalent of if Cam Thomas shot 70% from the field in a 40-piece. No player had ever scored more than 63 points and shot worse than 50%… until Adebayo on Tuesday. His 67.0 TS% is the least efficient 65+-point game since the invention of the 3-point line.
But I think the thing that’s been bothering me the most about this game is the way it progressed. Adebayo was absolutely tremendous in the first quarter, scoring 31 points on 10-for-17 from the field and making five three-pointers. Even if he was playing the Wizards, it was an all-time great quarter.
But the way the game ended is what soured me. The Wizards, in their desperate attempt to tank and keep their draft pick, load managed Trae Young. Alex Sarr scored 28 points, but he was limited to 20 minutes and sat out the game’s final 18. They did the same with Tre Johnson. The poor players that had to stop a coordinated effort to give Adebayo his moment were the likes of Will Riley, Anthony Gill, and Jalen Hardy.
Granted, part of that is because the Wizards were being blown out, but that’s another thing. Adebayo was being force-fed the ball and was just running full speed into defenders to draw fouls in the paint. Miami’s benchwarmers were fouling to get more possessions. It’s as if Jalen Brunson was playing with Trey Jemison III, Kevin McCullar Jr., and Pacome Dadiet in the final minutes of a blowout victory.
Speaking of Brunson, can he get some of these free throws next time he plays the Wizards? An NBA-record 43 free throw attempts. The only other players to even get within 10 of that number were notoriously bad free-throw shooters who were intentionally put on the line (or Wilt, who was both a poor free-throw shooter and dominant enough to get to the line naturally). Brunson’s 61-point game against the Spurs a few years ago is the second-best in history with less than 10 FTA (Rick Barry had 5 FTA in a 64-point game in 1974).
But we’d be getting into a whole different debate if we were talking about how ethical a high-scoring game is. Kobe’s 81-point game saw him put the finishing touches on a blowout, but he also had to power a very bad supporting cast back from a 14-point halftime deficit. Bryant scored his last seven points from the free-throw line in the final 2:36, but it was only a 13-point game at that point, and even then, that’s 74.
There are even reports of similar tactics to the ones the Heat used back in 1962, used by the Philadelphia Warriors to get Wilt to 100. You can argue that if we’re talking about ethics, Wilt’s 78-point game in a double-overtime win three months before he dropped 100 is the standard for ethical, ballistic scoring games. (Fun fact about that one: Wilt went 16-for-31 at the line. He would’ve scored 90 if he shot granny-style like he did when he scored 100.)
In the end, it happened. Regardless of how you feel, Bam Adebayo made history on Tuesday night. It was surreal to watch as someone who didn’t see Kobe score 81.
Indiana, California, SMU, West Virginia, Cincinnati and Texas all lost at their respective conference tournaments.
Thursday didn't start any better with Miami (Ohio) and their curious case for the tournament getting tested. The MAC tournament began Thursday and the 31-0 RedHawks were knocked off by Massachusetts after having a double-digit lead in the second half. The record may have one blemish, but Miami's metrics don't make an at-large bid a sure thing.
The results leave the door open for teams like Auburn, and even Oklahoma, to slip into the field of 68. If the Tigers can manage to beat Tennessee in Thursday's SEC tournament second round, they'd almost certainly be able to overcome the 15 losses that weighs their resume down.
Oklahoma (18-14) gets a shot at Texas A&M in the SEC second round, and while they may have more work to do than Auburn, if they keep winning while all the other bubble teams are already at home, who knows?
Heck, in the ACC, even Florida State has some renewed hope. Beat No. 1 Duke in Thursday's ACC tournament quarterfinal and perhaps the Seminoles (18-14) can leapfrog into March Madness.
Fourteen teams have already punched their tournament tickets in Long Island (NEC), Queens (Atlantic Sun), High Point (Big South), Northern Iowa (Missouri Valley), Tennessee State (OVC), Furman (SoCon), North Dakota State (Summit League), Troy (Sun Belt), Gonzaga (WCC), Siena (MAAC), Wright State (Horizon), Hofstra (CAA), McNeese State (Southland) and Idaho (Big Sky).
Here's a the latest look at how the NCAA Tournament bracket may look on Selection Sunday. We'll be providing live updates, so be sure to hit refresh for latest seedings.
Paolo Banchero
Kevin Porter Jr.
Victor Wembanyama
