Category: Basketball

Well, at least it wasn’t just the third quarter that sunk them tonight.

Philadelphia fell apart down the stretch, losing 119-109 to the Miami Heat Monday night.

They are now41-34, still the seventh seed but have lost the season series tiebreaker to Miami.

Tyrese Maxey had another solid second half to finish with 23 points shooting 7-of-20 from the floor with nine assists. Joel Embiid struggled for much of the night but still led the Sixers with 26 points going 10-of-25 from the field along with seven rebounds.

Paul George cooled off after the first half, going for 19 points on 7-of-18 shooting.VJ Edgecombe played well in front of family and friends until he ran into foul trouble. He went for 13 points and five assists shooting 5-of-8 from the field. Tyler Herro led all scorers with 30.

The Sixers were only missing Johni Broome while the Heat were without Norman Powell (illness).

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

First Quarter

• Embiid was hot to start the game again, making three of his first four shots of the night. He knocked down a couple jumpers before settling in with a layup and a trip to the line posting up. After knocking down a corner three George burst through the line to throw down a two-handed dunk. It was probably his best looking drive as a Sixer.

Paul George glides into the lane for the SLAM.

📺 Peacock and NBCSN pic.twitter.com/OFFU7YZ6Au

— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) March 30, 2026

• That was barely keeping up with Miami’s 7-of-10 start to the game. PG poking a steal away from Bam Adebayo was the only resistance the Sixers had early. They got beat off the dribble quite a bit before Miami started making everything from three.
• George continued to look good going to the basket, finishing an and-1 in transition. Edgecombe’s jumper was falling for him early, but a couple scoreless minutes allowed the Heat to easily rip off a 10-0 run. Maxey ended it with his first points of the night, then swatted a Herro jumpshot attempt to create a transition basket for Edgecombe. Maxey went on to hit a floater with an and-1 and hit George on the wing for three to bring the Sixers within four.

Second Quarter

• Maxey’s game continued to look like his return. He opened the quarter with a turnaround jumper. George pulled up for another three on the next possession, but he missed his heat check trying to iso Simone Fontecchio. Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr. both got on the board by pushing the pace, but the Heat got those baskets back doing the same.
• Embiid had missed four straight shots to end his first shift, but he quickly knocked one down from the elbow upon checking back in. He hit Dominick Barlow on the block, hit some sort of runner, and backed Adebayo down to draw a foul as the Sixers swung the game their way. Miami’s shooting was already coming back down to earth with a 4-of-15 start to the quarter.

2⃣more for the big fella. pic.twitter.com/tuVQKLZ1Ex

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 30, 2026

• It’s so easy for momentum to swing back, especially on a possession where you give up three offensive rebounds. Despite Nick Nurse calling a timeout after the Sixers did, Miami was able to eat into the newly formed Sixers lead. A pair of free throws from Edgecombe had Philly holding on by three at the break.

Third Quarter

• The second half didn’t start as well for Embiid as the first did. He opened the third with a turnover, and fumbled the ball with the shot clock winding down a few possessions later. The heave from that was way off and he missed a rhythm attempt from the top of the key. It was a rough start for the whole team, who missed seven of their first eight field goal attempts.
• A timeout was called to stop what had become an extend 18-4 run for the Heat. Edgecombe turned it over right out of the inbounds play. He then picked up his fourth foul of the night and got T’d up for pleading his case that Adebayo set a moving screen.
• Turnovers and offensive rebounds helped Miami push their lead to the largest of the night at 15 before the Sixers snapped out of it. Maxey scored or assisted the first nine points of a 12-0 Sixers run while getting his hand on the ball a couple times on the other end of the floor as well. Herro got past Oubre for a layup to break that, and responded to a Maxey three with a pair of free throws to keep the Heat leading by four.

RESE! pic.twitter.com/BtfE56ytGW

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 31, 2026

Fourth Quarter

• A scary moment for Maxey as he came up favoring that still recovering right hand after getting fouled on a drive, but he was at least fine enough to make both free throws. The Sixers continued to miss decent looks all second half so Oubre knocking down a three from the wing to get back within three was big.
• Nothing had gone Embiid’s way since the opening minutes, but he quickly made up the five-point deficit when he checked back into the game. He knocked down a couple of jumpers, drawing a foul on the second. Miami called a timeout after the free throw, but Maxey came right out of it and buried a three from just inside the logo. He connected on another a few moments later to let Kate and Alaa show off their knowledge of the Miami area, but an illegal screen called on Embiid took it off the board.

Maxey with the loooooong three pic.twitter.com/e1awhsFdoV

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 31, 2026

• Embiid made up for that foul with a three from the wing, but the Heat running quick off that made basket gave Adebayo a wide open putback dunk. Two threes from Herro put the Heat up by four while Maxey and Embiid could not answer with jumpers of their own.
• George wasn’t able to check back in until there was 1:35 left with a six-point deficit. After sitting for nearly six minutes he had his three blocked by Herro. A Pelle Larsson drive, an offensive foul on Maxey, and a floater from Herro capped off a 14-0 Heat run, as disastrous a finish as the Sixers could have had.

CINCINNATI (AP) — Chase Burns allowed one hit in five innings for his first major league win, leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 2-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night.

Burns (1-0) walked three and struck out seven, including Jared Triolo with two on and two outs in the fourth. Jose Franco retired five batters before leaving with two on. Graham Ashcraft struck out Henry Davis to end the seventh and fanned two more in a scoreless eighth. Conner Phillips walked Marcell Ozuna and Ryan O'Hearn before retiring three straight for his first career save.

Elly De La Cruz singled leading off the fourth against Braxton Ashcraft (0-1) for the Reds but was thrown out trying to steal second. Sal Stewart walked, took third on a single by Eugenio Suárez and scored on a sacrifice fly by Spencer Steer. Suárez scored on a triple by Will Benson to cap the scoring in a third straight win for Cincinnati.

Braxton Ashcraft (0-1) gave up two runs on four hits and four walks over six innings in his ninth career start. Isaac Mattson pitched the seventh and Justin Lawrence struck out the side in the eighth.

Stewart, the reigning NL player of the week, went 1 for 2 and walked twice. He is 8 for 12 at the plate through the first four games.

Burns went 0-3 with a 4.57 ERA in eight starts over 13 appearances for the Reds last season.

Up next

Pirates RHP Bubba Chandler will square off with Reds LHP Brandon Williamson on Tuesday in their first starts of the season.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb37

The first round is done. Here’s the full accounting:

Jordan Poole ran through Alen Smailagic 85% to 15% in the first matchup, and James Wiseman crushed Ryan Rollins 80% to 20% in the second. Jonathan Kuminga cruised past Patrick Baldwin Jr. 74% to 26%, followed by an upset when Trayce Jackson-Davis knocked off Eric Paschall 66% to 34%.

The bracket’s down to four, and this is the one that’s been sitting underneath the whole thing the entire time. This is about what you thought the future looked like, and how long you held onto it after it started to slip. We’ve been calling this a vote about belief, but for most of the first round there was still a little distance to it. You could still lean on stats, moments, production, whatever version of the argument made you comfortable. This one doesn’t really give you that option.

Wiseman and Kuminga never really overlapped in that way. Not in how people talked about them, or what they were supposed to become. They sat on opposite ends of the same idea.

(2) James Wiseman — “The Fallen Giant”2nd overall pick, 2020 NBA Draft

With Wiseman, the belief didn’t take time. It was there the second the pick came in.

That whole season had felt like something ending. Steph’s hand, Klay rehabbing, empty arena, fifteen wins…it didn’t feel like a gap year, it felt like the floor had dropped out. And then the lottery hits, and suddenly you’re not looking at the wreckage anymore, you’re looking at what comes next.

What made Wiseman different wasn’t just the tools. It was how cleanly he fit into the one place the Warriors had never quite solved. For years they got away with not having a real center. They didn’t just survive it, they turned it into a philosophy. Spacing, movement, Steph pulling everything out of shape; if you did it well enough, you didn’t need size anchoring anything. And for a long time that was true.

But there was always that quiet question sitting there. What happens when it isn’t enough? What happens when the game slows down, when the margin gets thinner, when you actually need something at the rim that isn’t scheme?

Wiseman made it feel like you didn’t have to ask that anymore.

You could see it right away without having to convince yourself. Steph running a simple pick-and-roll and the possession ending before the defense even gets organized. A mistake on the perimeter not turning into a layup because there’s actually someone behind it. The same offense, the same principles, just with less strain on everything.

That’s what people were buying into. We were looking at confirmation, not reinvention. Everything you already believed about the Warriors still worked. It just worked more easily now. I mean, you remember the hype the team had around adding a limping Boogie Cousins. Imagine what a young #2 overall pick athletic, shooting, ballhandling big would do! Or so the logic went.

That’s why Joe Lacob said what he said barely a month after draft night, calling him a “once in a decade kind of player.” It wasn’t really about Wiseman as a prospect. It was about what he represented. The idea that the dynasty didn’t need to change shape to keep going. It just needed one missing piece.

And then it never really got off the ground.

By the time it’s clear what’s not clicking, the gap between what the team needs and what he does well is already too wide. It wasn’t subtle either. The things that made their centers work — the screening, the reads, the feel for the defense — those were the exact things Wiseman hadn’t had time to learn. The things he was naturally good at weren’t the things the system asked for.

Wiseman was the only Warriors center in recent history whose best skill was his shot and whose weakest skills were the ones the system needed most. What you’re left with isn’t just a player who didn’t pan out. It’s that version of the team you had in your head, the one where nothing had to change, never actually existing outside of a few flashes and a lot of projection.

(3) Jonathan Kuminga — “The Almost”7th overall pick, 2021 NBA Draft

Kuminga never worked like that. There wasn’t a moment where it all snapped into place. If anything it was the opposite: every time it felt like you were about to see the full picture, it would pull back again.

What made him different was that he never really felt like he belonged to the system in the same way everyone else did.

Most young players either figured out how to live inside Steph’s gravity or they didn’t last. You move, you cut, you make the extra pass. Kuminga didn’t quite operate on those terms. There were stretches where he did everything you were supposed to do, and then there were stretches where it felt like he was playing a different game entirely: attacking downhill, taking possessions into his own hands, forcing the defense to react to him and not just orbit Steph. And those moments didn’t feel like mistakes. They felt like something the team didn’t fully have access to otherwise.

That’s where the belief came from. Not that he had already arrived, but that there was another version of the Warriors sitting there if they ever decided to lean into it. One where you still had Steph doing what Steph does, but you weren’t dependent on it every single time down. One where there was another way to win a possession when everything got loaded up on the perimeter.

And the reason it held on for so long is because it never went away.

Every time it started to feel like it wasn’t going to happen, there’d be another stretch where it looked completely real again. Like the 11-for-11 game against Atlanta. Or the 30-point Game 3 against Minnesota in the 2025 playoffs with Coach Kerr gushing about the skillset, where the whole fanbase let itself believe again. But the structure never changed.

Over time it stopped feeling like a development curve and started feeling like a standoff. How much of himself was he supposed to give up to fit into this, and how much of that made him less of what made him interesting in the first place?

On New Year’s Eve 2025, I wrote the piece that named it directly: either that playoff run was the turning point that finally saved the relationship, or it was the last great thing Kuminga did as a Warrior. By February 5, 2026, the Warriors had traded him to Atlanta for Kristaps Porzingis, a mere four months after signing him to a two-year $48.5 million extension.

It just never got to happen here. Neither one really failed in the way we talk about failure. They just didn’t become the version we built for them.

The Matchup

This is the point in the bracket where the question stops being abstract.

The Wiseman belief was easy to hold onto because it made everything make sense right away. You didn’t have to project very far. You didn’t have to imagine the system changing. You just had to picture it continuing, with one gap filled in.

The Kuminga belief asked more from you. It asked you to sit with something that never fully resolved, to keep adjusting what you thought he might become, to keep believing through stretches where it didn’t quite line up. It wasn’t clean, but it stuck.

One of them disappeared while the other one never really let you go. And even now, it’s not completely gone.

That’s the difference you’re voting on.

The Washington Wizards play the Los Angeles Lakers tonight at 10 p.m. ET. Watch it on Monumental Sports Network in the team’s last late night game of the 2025-26 NBA season. Go Wizards!

The Detroit Pistons seem to be taking a proactive schedule loss tonight against the NBA’s top team and reigning champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. With Cade Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart already sidelined, the Pistons appear to be letting their crop of banged-up players get a night off. Jalen Duren, Tobias Harris, and Duncan Robinson are all out tonight. The last starter left standing is Ausar Thompson, who will suit up as he attempts to reach the minimum-game threshold to qualify for an All-NBA defense nod.

The Pistons won’t be the only team with absent players, to be clear. The Thunder will be without Isaiah Hartenstein and Jalen Williams. The last time these two teams faced off, the Thunder were even more banged up, and Detroit stole a 124-116 win. I’m not sure that’ll be in the cards tonight. Hopefully, the Pistons can keep it as close tonight as the Thunder kept it in February.

Game Vitals

When: 9:30 p.m.
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Watch: Peacock, NBC Sports Network
Odds: Pistons +12

Projected Lineups

Detroit Pistons (54-20):

Daniss Jenkins, Kevin Huerter, Ausar Thompson, Ron Holland, Paul Reed

Oklahoma City Thunder (59-16):

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Chet Holmgren, Jaylin Williams

The Cleveland Cavaliers will try to start their three-game road trip out with a win against the Utah Jazz.

Share your thoughts as the game unfolds. If you aren’t a member of the community, sign up so you can talk to your fellow Cavalier fans and make your voice heard!

Go Cavs!

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls waived guard Jaden Ivey on Monday in the wake of anti-LGBTQ comments and remarks about religion he made in videos on his Instagram account.

“They proclaim Pride Month in the NBA,” he said. “They proclaim it. They show it to the world. They say come join us for Pride, for Pride Month to celebrate unrighteousness. They proclaim it. They proclaim it on the billboards. They proclaim it in the streets. Unrighteousness. So how is it that one can't speak righteousness? How are they to say that this man is crazy?”

Coach Billy Donovan said the Bulls have employees from “all different walks of life" and Ivey's comments don't reflect the values of the organization.

“Everybody comes with their own personal experiences, but one is we’ve got to all be professional,” Donovan said prior to Chicago's game at San Antonio. "I think there’s got to be a high level of respect for one another, and we’ve got to help each other and then be accountable to those standards.”

In an Instagram live conducted on an airplane hours after the Bulls let him go, Ivey again spoke at length about religion. He said the championship rings LeBron James and Michael Jordan earned are “not gonna matter on judgment day.”

He also insisted he “didn't get myself waived” and that other teams won't sign him because they think “he's too religious.” He said he was in the gym, rehabbing and “doing what was required of me in my job” on Monday.

At one point, a flight attendant asked him to end the session because the plane was about ready to depart and the cellphone could interfere with the communication systems. He continued to discuss religion for about another minute before wrapping it up.

Ivey has spoken this season about dealing with depression. He recently started posting lengthy videos expressing his thoughts about religion on Instagram.

“How is it when the gospel is preached that people hate it?” Ivey said. “That people don't want to hear it? And they think it's strange when someone preaches the gospel, the true gospel?”

Chicago acquired Ivey from Detroit in a three-team trade on Feb. 3. He had an expiring contract.

The Bulls shut him down for the remainder of the season last week after being sidelined since Feb. 11 with a sore left knee. He averaged 8.5 points in 37 games this season, including four for Chicago.

“I don't want to get into what he put out there, but certainly, I hope for him he's okay,” Donovan said. “I've had conversations with Jaden and he's always been about rehabbing his knee and trying to get on the court and wanting to play. But I think organizationally, there are certain standards we want to have as an organization and try to live up to those each and every day.”

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

The Chicago Bulls are waiving guard Jaden Ivey for conduct detrimental to the team, the organization announced Monday, March 30.

Since being shut down for the season Thursday, March 26 because of lingering knee issues, Ivey, 24, has gone live on his Instagram on three separate occasions to rant about his religious beliefs and other issues. Several comments he made in reply to fans have since gone viral, including referring to Catholicism as a "false religion" and telling a fan that "God does not hear your prayer if you are a sinner."

But the final straw for the Bulls appears to have come on Monday morning, when Ivey again took to social media – this time targeting the LGBTQ community, Pride Month and the NBA's advocacy efforts in a 45-minute-long rant.

"... the NBA, they proclaim it. They show it to the world. They say, 'Come join us for Pride Month,' to celebrate unrighteousness," Ivey said on his livestream.

Ivey has spoken in the past about dealing with depression.

A former fifth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, the Bulls acquired Ivey from the Detroit Pistons at the trade deadline on Feb. 3 in exchange for Kevin Huerter. He appeared in four games for Chicago and has been sidelined since Feb. 11 with left patellofemoral pain syndrome, a common and sometimes chronic pain behind or around the kneecap more widely known as runner's knee.

Ivey averaged career-lows in points (8.5), rebounds (2.5) and assists (1.8) across 37 games played this year and played just 30 games in 2024-25 due to a broken left fibula. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in October that forced him to miss the Pistons' first 15 games of the season.

Ivey, in his fourth NBA season, was set to be a restricted free agent this summer after he and Detroit could not finalize an agreement on a contract extension last offseason.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jaden Ivey waived by Bulls after religious, anti gay Instagram stream

Steve Kerr is no stranger to catastrophic losses. As much as he’s won both as an NBA coach and as a player, he’s also lost in both scenarios. Most notably, in 2016, the Warriors lost in 7 to the Cleveland Cavaliers, despite starting the series 3-1 — which is an oddly similar scenario to what happened to the Toronto Blue Jays last season versus the Dodgers in the World Series.

Per The Athletic, Kerr reached out to John Schneider, the manager of the Blue Jays, shortly after their loss last year, writing a handwritten letter which Schneider recently discussed with The Athletic.

“I don’t know you,” Kerr wrote, “but I felt compelled to reach out after watching your incredible leadership on display during the World Series.”

“The pain [in 2016] was real,” Kerr wrote. “But what always survives through the tough losses is the character and connection of the group. The loss won’t define you, but the way you and your guys carried themselves afterwards will.”

As the MLB season begins and as the Warriors approach the play-in tournament, this sentiment rings true, and also speaks to Kerr’s expertise and experience as a coach — no matter how the season goes, how you and your players react is what matters most. It’s pretty sound life advice for us non-athletes too.

“It was the message we’ve been preaching all offseason and in spring,” Schneider told The Athletic. “The run was great, and the heartbreak was real, but it’s not going to define who we are. We all went through it together. What we’re going to be defined by is how we persevere through it… If he can see the good in what we did, it kind of gives you a little bit of reassurance that you’re preaching the right things.”

After that 2016 loss, Kerr won three more championships with the Warriors. Schneider hasn’t won anything yet with the Blue Jays, but this past World Series proves that he’ll be able to — and he recently signed a two-year extension, so he’ll definitely have a chance.

The 2026 Men's NCAA Tournament is down to the Final Four.

The initial 68-team field has dwindled to the semifinals, with a national champion to be crowned a week from today. After a bracket that featured four No. 1 seeds in the Final Four last season, this year's bracket has a couple of shockers.

REQUIRED READING: March Madness bracket hot takes: Duke blows it, UConn wins it, Arizona shouldn't care

No. 2 Connecticut knocked off No. 1 overall seed Duke on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Braylon Mullins. No. 3 Illinois advanced to the Final Four with a win over No. 9 Iowa, which had knocked out No. 1 seed and defending national champion Florida in the second round action.

That leaves Michigan and Arizona as the lone remaining No. 1 seeds left in the tournament. But are those two the favorites to cut down the nets? Both programs are seeking their second national title, while the Huskies are seeking their seventh. The Fighting Illini are seeking their first.

Here's a look at the Final Four teams with the best odds of winning the national championship:

March Madness favorites: Ranking Top 20 college basketball teams based on odds

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of 6:30 p.m. ET on Monday, March 30

1. Michigan: +165
2. Arizona, +180
3. Illinois, +475
4. UConn, +550

Final Four schedule, game times

Saturday, April 4

• Game 1: No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 2 UConn | 6:09 p.m. | TBS | Sling TV
• Game 2: No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 1 Michigan | 8:49 p.m. | TBS | Sling TV

No. 3 Illinois and No. 2 UConn get the Final Four started at 6:09 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 4, from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. No. 1 Arizona and No. 1 Michigan are scheduled for an 8:49 p.m. ET tip to set the stage for the national title game on Monday, April 6.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness power rankings: Michigan with best odds to win national title

We’re down to the final stretch of the 2025-26 NBA season.

No team has more than eight remaining games, and the 10 teams – five from each conference – that will miss the playoffs and Play-In Tournament are already determined.

Still, there’s plenty at stake, where teams can mount late charges to improve their seeding. In the East, only one game separates the No. 5 team, the Toronto Raptors, from the No. 7 squad, the Philadelphia 76ers. The six-seed, an automatic playoff spot currently occupied by the Atlanta Hawks, is the prize everyone below is chasing.

Out West, the San Antonio Spurs suddenly have a very real shot to catch the Oklahoma City Thunder for the No. 1 seed. OKC has been rolling lately, but its remaining schedule is the toughest in the NBA, according to Tankathon.com.

Here are USA TODAY Sports’ NBA power rankings after Week 21 of the 2025-26 regular season:

USA TODAY Sports NBA power rankings

Note: Records and stats through March 29. Parentheses show movement from last week’s rankings.

NBA Week 22 power rankings: Top 10

1. San Antonio Spurs, 56-18 (+1)

2. Oklahoma City Thunder, 59-16 (-1)

3. Detroit Pistons, 54-20 (—)

4.Boston Celtics, 50-24 (—)

5. Los Angeles Lakers, 48-26 (+1)

6. Denver Nuggets, 48-28 (+1)

7. New York Knicks, 48-27 (-2)

8. Cleveland Cavaliers, 46-28 (+2) 

9. Minnesota Timberwolves, 45-29 (—)

10. Houston Rockets, 45-29 (-2)

It might not be fair, in practice, to drop the Thunder down one spot, even as they’ve won 14 of their last 15. But the Spurs have been even hotter, and, with their 4-1 record this season over Oklahoma City, they look every bit like a legitimate title contender. Over the last nine games, the Spurs have posted the NBA’s second-best offensive rating, scoring 123.9 points per 100 possessions.

The Lakers and Nuggets, who have been stellar recently, are each angling for the coveted No. 3 seed in the West and both have 48 wins.

The teams sliding here are the Knicks, who have been outperformed by Los Angeles and Denver, and the Rockets, who have lost five of their last 10.

NBA Week 22 power rankings: Nos. 11-20

11. Atlanta Hawks, 42-33 (+4)

12. Toronto Raptors, 42-32 (+2)

13. Phoenix Suns, 41-33 (—)

14. Los Angeles Clippers, 39-36 (+2)

15. Philadelphia 76ers, 41-33 (+2)

16. Orlando Magic, 39-35 (-5)

17. Miami Heat, 39-36 (-5)

18. Charlotte Hornets, 39-36 (—)

19. Portland Trail Blazers, 38-38 (+1)

20. Golden State Warriors, 36-39 (—)

There’s movement all over the middle of the pack. The Hawks have maximized new acquisitions, and no one has been better than point guard CJ McCollum. The Hawks don’t miss Trae Young, and his absence has allowed Jalen Johnson to fully take over as the star point-forward of the team. Headed into its game Monday against the Celtics, Atlanta has gone 12-2 in March, best of all teams in the East.

Though there’s probably too much ground for them to make up, the Clippers have won five consecutive and could be a lurking threat out West, especially after they struggled to start the season.

Two teams plummeting down the rankings are the Magic and the Heat, who have each gone 1-7 in their last eight games. Miami’s defense, which had been a strength most of the season, has been a recent liability. The Heat rank 27th in the league over the last eight games with a defensive rating of 125.5. A loss Sunday, March 29, against the Pacers – one in which Miami scored 11 points in the fourth quarter – at this point in the season, is inexcusable.

The Magic aren’t doing much better, with a defensive rating over that span of 125.4.

NBA Week 22 power rankings: Nos. 21-30

21. Milwaukee Bucks, 29-45 (—)

22. Chicago Bulls, 29-45 (—) 

23. Memphis Grizzlies, 25-49 (—)

24. Dallas Mavericks, 24-50 (-1)

25. New Orleans Pelicans, 25-51 (—)

26. Utah Jazz, 21-54 (—)

27. Sacramento Kings, 19-57 (—)

28. Brooklyn Nets, 18-57 (—)

29. Washington Wizards, 17-57 (—)

30. Indiana Pacers, 17-58 (—)

There are 10 teams currently eliminated from playoff and play-in contention. Each of them is in this bottom third. These teams have, by and large, shut down star players and are playing to lose. It’s a common tactic in the NBA and shouldn’t even carry some moral judgment. But it’s also not worth spending a lot of time dissecting the recent play of these teams, as they build for the future.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA power rankings: San Antonio Spurs, OKC Thunder battling for No. 1

Miles McBride's first game back since mid-February surgery for a sports hernia left the Knicks holding their collective breath.

McBride collided with Luguentz Dort going for a loose ball and did not return to the game, leaving the court for the locker room midway through the third quarter of Sunday's 111-100 loss at the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Now, New York is listing McBride as questionable for Tuesday's matchup with the Houston Rockets. Additionally, Landry Shamet (knee) will remain out.

"I haven't talked to medical yet, so I don't know how bad it is," Knicks coach Mike Brown said Sunday night, according to the New York Post's Stefan Bondy. "But it's tough. He's worked his tail off to be back.

"And I don't think he made a shot in the first half, but he gave us a lift. You felt his presence. It made us deeper. And because of the foul trouble we had, we were a little shorthanded in that second half, and it was part of the reason they were able to pull away, too."

McBride was scoreless on 0-of-3 shooting but grabbed a rebound, dished an assist and blocked a shot in 11 minutes off the bench against the NBA-best Thunder (59-16).

Prior to his Sunday return, he last played Jan. 27 in New York's 103-87 win over the Sacramento Kings.

McBride entered Sunday with averages of 12.9 points and 2.8 assists in 28 minutes through 35 games (14 starts).

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The top teams in each conference face off tonight as the Oklahoma City Thunder host the Detroit Pistons at Paycom Center.

With defensive attention focused on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Detroit’s frontcourt decimated by injuries, my Pistons vs. Thunder predictions call for Chet Holmgren to have a monster night at home.

Here are my best free NBA picks for this powerhouse showdown on Monday, March 30.

Pistons vs Thunder prediction

Pistons vs Thunder best bet: Chet Holmgren Over 22.5 points+rebounds (-120)

Chet Holmgren is averaging 17.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, and he’s recorded 24-plus points+rebounds in 39 of 64 appearances. That includes five of his last eight games heading into tonight's tilt with the Detroit Pistons.

Holmgren has been more productive at Paycom Center, averaging 27.4 points+rebounds at home compared to just 24.8 on the road. He’s hit the Over on this combo line in 20 of 31 games in front of the home crowd, recording exactly 23 twice more. Holmgren has posted 24+ points+rebounds in four of his last five at home, finishing with 23 once more.

Star defender Ausar Thompson should be tasked with guarding superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tonight, which means Holmgren should see more open looks. In a game with a 218.5 implied point total, there may be additional rebounding opportunities if the teams are forced into tough, contested shots.

Isaiah Hartenstein will be sidelined for the second leg of the Oklahoma City Thunder's back-to-back set, allowing Holmgren to operate as the team’s unquestioned leader in the frontcourt. He’s averaged 25.3 points+rebounds while sharing the court with Hartenstein, compared to 27.2 with Hartenstein sidelined. Jalen Williams’ absence will also boost Holmgren’s statistical workload.

All-Star center Jalen Duren is out tonight, and backup Isaiah Stewart is still sidelined. Detroit will have to rely on undersized big man Paul Reed to pick up the slack and limit Holmgren in the paint and on the glass. That’s a mismatch opportunity, and Holmgren should feast.

This line has fluctuated between 22.5 and 24.5 throughout the day, but I’m more than willing to bet it up to 24.5.

Pistons vs Thunder same-game parlay

Detroit will be missing Cade Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart, and all of Duncan Robinson, Tobias Harris, and Jalen Duren are doubtful.

Despite Detroit’s deep bench and scrappy style of play, they’re simply outmanned by the first-place Thunder, who will cruise to their 60th win of the season.

The Thunder should put away the Pistons with ease, and starters on both sides may see less run late in the game. The short-handed Pistons will struggle to score against OKC’s dominant defense, so I’ll take the Under here.

Pistons vs Thunder SGP

• Chet Holmgren Over 22.5 points+rebounds
• Under 219
• Thunder -12

Our "from downtown" SGP: Defense matters

SGA has seen his scoring dip from 31.4 points to 29.4 points per game across his last 12 outings, and he’s reached 30+ points only six times in that span.

Get the popcorn ready as one of the NBA’s best scorers takes on one of its best defenders. Thompson is one of the favorites for Defensive Player of the Year, and he should be tasked with guarding SGA tonight. 

Thompson’s 107 defensive rating ranks seventh among starters with at least 40 appearances and 25 minutes per game, and he can limit the reigning MVP in the scoring column.

He's also recorded multiple swipes in 36 of 65 games, including three straight. In his first tilt with OKC, Thompson recorded three steals.

Pistons vs Thunder SGP

• Chet Holmgren Over 22.5 points+rebounds
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Under 29.5 points
• Ausar Thompson Over 1.5 steals
• Under 218.5

Pistons vs Thunder odds

• Spread: Pistons +12 (-110) | Thunder -12 (-110)
• Moneyline: Pistons +475 | Thunder -650
• Over/Under: Over 218.5 (-110) | Under 218.5 (-110)

Pistons vs Thunder betting trend to know

The Oklahoma City Thunder have hit the Team Total Under in 15 of their last 20 games at home (+9.25 Units / 41% ROI) Find more NBA betting trends for Pistons vs. Thunder.

How to watch Pistons vs Thunder

Pistons vs Thunder latest injuries

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The Chicago Bulls acquired Jaden Ivey at the trade deadline from the Detroit Pistons in an attempt to cash in on the potential he once showed as a former top-five pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Ivey only played four games with the Bulls before being shut down with knee soreness, which had been bothering him since the start of the season. Ivey was slated to become a restricted free agent this summer, but he’s no longer in the Bulls’ plans after some strange rants on social media over the weekend.

The Bulls waived Ivey on Monday after he made homophobic comments on social media during a speech about his religion views, according to ESPN insider Shams Charania. The Bulls put out a statement saying Ivey was released for “conduct detrimental to the team.”

Ivey went on Instagram live and discussed his Christian faith as it relates to topics like gay rights and abortion.

“They proclaim Pride Month in the NBA,” Ivey said in the video. “They say come join us for Pride Month to celebrate unrighteousness. They proclaim it”

The Bulls waived Jaden Ivey after his recent anti-LGBTQ comments pic.twitter.com/THzwNsig2A

— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) March 30, 2026

Ivey also made these comments about how two women can’t have a baby.

Dawg your mom is a women’s basketball coach pic.twitter.com/J5GlEgsIzq

— gio🦁 (@Clapped_Dre) March 30, 2026

Ivey said he was struggling with drinking and pornography addiction before finding Jesus.

Ivey was also responding to fans on Instagram comments. When asked if he goes to confession, Ivey called Catholicism a “false religion” and said it “does not lead to salvation in Jesus Christ.”

Can’t act like this isn’t concerning 😬

(via @nick__xo) pic.twitter.com/qh0LtYpgg2

— BullsMuse (@BullsMuse_) March 29, 2026

Ivey drew headlines earlier this season when he said “the old JI is dead.” Here’s the full quote:

“I’ve been dealing with knee soreness in my knee,” Ivey said. “I’m sure people can call it out that I’m not the same player I used to be. That’s why. I’m not the J.I. I used to be. But the old J.I. is dead. I’m alive in Christ no matter what the basketball setting is.”

Ivey suffered a horrific leg injury when he broke his fibula during a terrifying play on New Years Day 2025. He was out through Nov. of that year, and then experienced knee soreness when he tried to come back, which ultimately ended his short run with the Bulls.

When Detroit fans commented on Ivey’s social media videos, he said “the Pistons aren’t going to matter on judgement day.”

Jaden Ivey:

“The Pistons not gonna matter on judgement day”

(via Jaden Ivey / IG) pic.twitter.com/AihQ4xjydO

— BullsMuse (@BullsMuse_) March 29, 2026

Ivey had a $30 million cap hold this summer if the Bulls would have extended him the qualifying offer as a restricted free agent. Essentially, the Bulls would not have been able to access their cap space unless they came to a quick free agent agreement with Ivey. That’s not a problem anymore with the team deciding to move on.

Ivey had a reputation as a “preacher” in the locker room before he got to the Bulls, and there were rumblings he liked to talk to teammates about their faith. Chicago Sun-Times reporter Joe Cowley first reported that the Bulls planned to move on from the guard.

By the way, it's important to note during the trade even the Bulls media was informed that Ivey's a "preacher" so be prepared for that in interviews. He's obviously derailed into something else … but if we heard that, what was AK listening to before the trade? The streets talk.

— Joe Cowley (@JCowleyHoops) March 30, 2026

Read our old scouting report on Ivey ahead of the 2022 NBA Draft. His explosiveness was taken away by the ugly leg injury. Maybe the 24-year-old can get his career back on track if he gets healthy. It just won’t be with the Bulls.

STUTTGART, Germany (AP) — Deniz Undav turned up the pressure on Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann to select him for the World Cup after he scored the 2-1 winner against Ghana on Monday to back up strong club form.

Undav hadn't played for Germany since June but seven goals in his last six Bundesliga games helped him earn a recall. Germany was playing the friendly at the home stadium of his club Stuttgart and fans chanted for Undav long before he came off the bench.

The game seemed to be fizzling out to a draw when he flicked the ball over Ghana's goalkeeper in the 88th minute to give Germany a seventh successive win.

Ghana's Abdul Fatuwu earlier scored on the counter to cancel out Kai Havertz's penalty for Germany.

After Florian Wirtz's spectacular attacking display in Germany's 4-3 win against Switzerland, Germany was expected to score high against an opponent coming off a 5-1 loss to Austria. It ended up being a subdued win in constant driving rain.

Nick Woltemade started in one of four German changes but his main impact was heading against the bar in the second half.

Havertz put Germany ahead with his penalty just before halftime after Jonas Adjetey blocked a shot with his arm. Ghana leveled on the counter in the 70th when Germany-born Derrick Köhn surged down the left flank, beat defender Josha Vagnoman and crossed low for Fatawu to score.

Ghana defender Kojo Peprah Oppong of Nice had to be helped off the field after injuring his left leg challenging Woltemade.

Germany has further pre-World Cup friendlies against Finland in May and co-host the United States in June before facing Curacao, the Ivory Coast and Ecuador in Group E of the tournament.

Ghana has lost four friendlies in a row. It's in Group L with Panama, England and Croatia.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer