Category: Basketball

Last month, CelticsBlog’s Nate Moskowitz said that the team had become a Derrick White cloning factory:

Boston’s newest wave of role players — Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, Jordan Walsh, and Ron Harper Jr. — aren’t being asked to manufacture offense on their own. That responsibility already belongs to Boston’s stars.

Instead, they’re asking them to do something far more specific: attack advantages and keep the ball moving. The guiding principle is simple. When the ball finds you, decide immediately. Shoot. Drive. Pass. Just don’t let it stick.

And while they share success this season as a similarity, the Celtics set of wings are all a little different. For Sam Hauser, he can do many things, but his calling card is his three-point shooting. Conversely, Jordan Walsh is known for his pesky individual defense. Hugo Gonzalez is still raw. However, he’s undeniably a momentum-shifter, what Joe Mazzulla affectionately describes as “giving the game what it needs.”

But if there’s a Celtic that encompasses all three of those skills, it’s Baylor Scheierman and according to our readers, he’s been the most pleasant surprise this season.

Scheierman is your classic “not great at anything, but good at everything” player. In other words, Derrick White in a former Nebraska high school quarterback’s body. The final first round pick of the 2024 NBA Draft has not just turned his sophomore year into a breakout season, but he’s become such an integral part of the Celtics rotation.

With a week left in the NBA’s regular season, you can still bet on Baylor with FanDuel’s player props or Boston as a +550 to raise the Larry O’Brien at https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba.

The Golden State Warriors plan to sign center/power forward Charles Bassey to the team’s roster, according to a report by Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Bassey has spent the season dominating with the Warriors G-League affiliate in Santa Cruz, but recently received a trio of 10-day contracts between short stints with the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. Bassey’s deal will likely only span the remainder of this season, but if the Dubs are high on his prospects, they could try to add a non or partially-guaranteed minimum salary through next season.

A Nigerian native, Bassey spent his college career at Western Kentucky before turning pro. The Philadelphia 76ers drafted him with the 53rd pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Waived by the Sixers after just one season, Bassey eventually landed with the Spurs on a two-way contract, where he spent the previous three seasons. No longer eligible for a two-way contract and unable to get another NBA deal, Bassey received a training camp invite with the Hawks, but was waived, received a brief 10-day stint with the Grizzlies, before landing in Santa Cruz.

In 17 games (16 starts) with the Santa Cruz Warriors this season, Bassey averaged 20.4 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks in 29.1 minutes per game on 61.0%/40.5%/.65.9% shooting. In eight NBA games, he’s averaged 2.9 points and 2.6 rebounds on 62.5% shooting from the field in 6.6 minutes per game (15.6 points, 14.3 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, and 1.4 steals per 36 minutes).

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It’s been a season of progress for the Toronto Raptors, yet they find themselves in Play-In peril ahead of today’s trip to the Boston Celtics.

That amps up the pressure on a Toronto team that’s 5-5 in its last 10 games, and my Raptors vs. Celtics predictions expect Jaylen Brown to guide Boston towards another dominant victory.

Read on for my NBA picks and betting angles for this April 5 battle, with Eastern Conference seeding still in flux.

Raptors vs Celtics prediction

Raptors vs Celtics best bet: Jaylen Brown Over 27.5 points (-112)

Jaylen Brown has played his way onto a lot of MVP ballots this season, and he’s putting the finishing touches on a career year. So, don’t count on the Toronto Raptors slowing him down here.

With a 28.7 ppg average that ranks fourth in the NBA, Brown is rolling, and he’s gone past this points prop O/U in seven of his last eight outings.

Forget any concerns about Jayson Tatum’s return disrupting Brown’s rhythm. He’s still getting to his spots, as we saw in a 43-point masterpiece against the Heat. In fact, he’s jacked up 20+ shots in six of his last eight contests — and 29 FGAs in two of his past three games. That doesn’t sound like a star suffering from fewer touches.

Likewise, his 3-point struggles are balanced out by a healthy dose of free throws. With his effective downhill style, Brown averaged 9.5 FTA per game in March and knocked them down at an 86% clip.

Toronto has been on the receiving end of some big outings from Boston’s No. 7, including a 30-point performance in December, and the visitors had some costly defensive lapses in losses to the Pistons and Kings this week.

Meanwhile, the Celtics are emerging as the team to beat in the East, and I see Brown adding to his collection of 30-point games today.

Raptors vs Celtics same-game parlay

With Brown leading the charge, Boston is a formidable home team, as its 26-11 record at TD Garden suggests. Joe Mazzulla’s men are 8-2 SU in their past 10 contests, and they’ve won nine of their last 10 meetings with the Raptors.

I’ll triple down on this Boston Celtics offense with a wager on Derrick White to heat up from downtown. He nailed five 3-pointers last time out against the Bucks, so the arrow is pointing up.

Raptors vs Celtics SGP

• Jaylen Brown Over 27.5 points
• Celtics moneyline
• Derrick White Over 2.5 threes

Our "from downtown" SGP: The Js bring it!

Boston's star duo looks ready for a playoff run, and this SGP signals impressive stats for both of the Js here.

Tatum is way ahead of schedule in his injury comeback, and he’s grabbed double-digit rebounds in five of his past six contests. He’s also dished a combined 28 dimes in his last three games.

Raptors vs Celtics SGP

• Jaylen Brown Over 27.5 points
• Jayson Tatum Over 4.5 assists
• Jayson Tatum Over 9.5 rebounds
• Celtics -9.5

Raptors vs Celtics odds

• Spread: Raptors +10 | Celtics -10
• Moneyline: Raptors -375 | Celtics -400
• Over/Under: Over 220.5 | Under 220.5

Raptors vs Celtics betting trend to know

The Under is 23-14 in Celtics home games this season. Find more NBA betting trends for Raptors vs. Celtics.

How to watch Raptors vs Celtics

Raptors vs Celtics latest injuries

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From the moment Tatum hit the court in his first game almost a month ago, one thing has stuck out to me: the guy has come back to the game with a nose for the ball that is truly remarkable.

It’s like we’ve got a Steve Austin Six Million Dollar Man thing going on here, because Tatum has, from the get-go, displayed a knack for grabbing rebounds that is truly remarkable, given his career numbers.

In 13 games, Tatum is averaging 9.9 rebounds, which is enough to lead the team by almost a full board (Neemias Queta is second at 9 rebounds per game over the same time period).

What’s more impressive about that stat is that it’s significantly higher than his numbers from last season. Tatum’s shooting is down meaningfully from last season, as is his assist total (eFG% is down from .537 to .494, assists are 5.1, down from 6.0), but his rebounding has gone from 8.7 to 9.9 rips per game, with all of that increase coming on the defensive glass.

With a little bit of luck, Tatum could end the season averaging a double-double, something that he’s never done in his career.

Importantly, Tatum’s rebounds aren’t coming strictly at the expense of other players on the team.

Looking at advanced stats split before and after Tatum’s return, the Celtics have been rebounding the other team’s misses at a 75.4% clip since March 6^th. Prior to that, the team’s defensive rebounding rate was just 70.4%. Defensive rebounds are up by more than 3 per game in real numbers.

Given that the Celtics score 119.4 points per 100 possessions, those extra three rebounds amount to an extra 3.6 points per game, and are partially responsible for a better than one point per 100 possession drop in opponent production against Boston.

Not surprisingly, Boston’s net rating per game has gone from +7.3 before Tatum’s return to +8.5 since, with no meaningful change in field goal percentage to indicate better offensive efficiency on that side of the ball.

Tatum is still very much a work in progress on the offensive side of the court, but he seems to be content to work into the flow of the game at that end, not trying to force himself back into game shape in a manner that works to the detriment of the team as a whole, but, on the other end of the court, he’s been the team’s number one rebounding option from the get-go.

Doc Rivers into the Hall of Fame

I suppose this was, in some ways, a foregone conclusion.

The Basketball Hall of Fame seems to place a high value on longevity when it comes to coaches at all levels of the sport, and at this point in time, Doc is the only coach with more than 2,000 games under his belt that isn’t in the hall of fame. Heck, Bill Fitch is in the Basketball Hall of Fame with 2,050 games coached, and he’s got a losing record as a head coach.

But I think that time will not be kind to Doc’s reputation. To be sure, he’s got a pretty decent record, overall, 1192-863 as of this date, and it’s not out of the question that he could top Lenny Wilkens’ record for total games coached. Wilkens coached 2,487 games in his career, and Doc is sitting at 2,055 games. At the same time, Doc has morphed from a coach who could get the most out of his players to a guy who seems bent on blaming them for everything. There’s also the matter of the blown 3-1 playoff series.

The version of Doc that is coaching the Bucks these days seems a far cry from the “Ubuntu” Doc that led the Celtics to a title in 2008 and confidently hid $2,600 in the Staples Center locker room in 2010 to convince the team that they were going to make the Finals that year.

I kind of feel for the guy. It doesn’t seem like he enjoys coaching very much these days, and it makes me wonder why he keeps at it. Is he chasing Lenny Wilkens’ record? Does he not want to figure out life holds for him after he’s done coaching?

Another one bites the dust

The Lakers have shut Luka Doncic down for the rest of the season, meaning that he’s also going to miss the 65 game threshold for regular season awards.

Predictably, people are up in arms about this.

I stand by my observations from last week: There should be a declared minimum number of games played to qualify for awards that are quite literally based on the games one plays, and if that minimum cuts out a player due to injury, well, that’s just how these things work. If you want to get a regular season award, logic dictates that you participate in a significant number of regular season games.

Right now, you can take off every fifth game and still qualify for the MVP award. Lowering the threshold to 60 games would mean that you can take every fourth game off, which seems excessively lenient to me, and either abolishing the limit or lowering it further seems to be even less defensible.

And in Doncic’s case, he would’ve met the threshold if he had been less adept at incurring technical fouls.

The 2023-24 Houston Rockets underwent a significant amount of change, as the team parted with Stephen Silas at the end of the prior season. The Rockets sought a defensive-first approach, which was sensical after Houston finished bottom-five in that category in each of Silas’s three seasons in the big chair. 

The Rockets made a big jump in the standings, from 22-60 in 2022-23 to 41-41 in the 2023-24 season, with the league’s ninth-best defensive attack. However, their offense ranked 20th-best and they lacked a formidable outside shooting attack, ranking as the league’s 23rd-best outside shooting team at 35.2 percent from deep.

In the offseason that followed, the Rockets decided to address their shooting deficiencies, by trading for AJ Griffin, who they’d reportedly had interest in acquiring at the trade deadline. As a side note, Houston ultimately traded for Steven Adams at the trade deadline during that season.

Griffin made 39% of his triples from deep in his rookie 2022-23 campaign and fell out of favor with Atlanta Hawks coach Quin Snyder, resulting in a rather significant minutes reduction, from 19.8 minutes as a rookie to 8.6 minutes in his second season with the Hawks.

Naturally, there was a fit for both sides. The Rockets traded a second-round pick for Griffin, which ultimately was used on Pelle Larson. Following the trade, we’d never seen footage of Griffin training with the Rockets in the summer or offseason. 

As it turns out, Griffin had been mulling retirement to focus on evangelism and ultimately decided to walk away from basketball at the age of 21 years old.

But it was an uneventful, non-public ordeal. The Rockets respected Griffin’s desires to move on from basketball and supported him, despite losing their draft capital in exchange for him. 

By the same token, Griffin didn’t spread ill will about the Rockets. The story went away.

Well, it was never really a story to begin with. The situation pales in comparison to the situation that’s come full circle regarding the Chicago Bulls and Jaden Ivey, who was traded to the Bulls and released after just four games with the organization.

Ivey was viewed as a potential long-term asset for the Bulls. Until he began to concoct social media videos, many of which are aimed at targeting certain groups and/or population circles.

Ivey also began asking media members very personal questions about their lifestyle decisions and choices. Like Griffin, he also took up an interest in religion and spirituality, but in a significantly different manner. And it ended poorly for him.

Which should make Rockets fans feel much better about the Griffin fiasco. Sure, he never played for them, but that’s about the extent of the embarrassment faced by the Rockets.

That a player they spent a second-round pick on amounted to a lost second-round draft pick. For the Bulls, it’s resulted in daily mockery at the national level. And the more expressive Ivey has become, the more the Bulls’ front office has faced questions about how little research they’d conducted before making the deadline deal with the Detroit Pistons. 

Following news that the NBA has opened a probe into the Bucks’ and Giannis’ contradicting claims on his health status, ESPN’s Shams Charania yesterday revealed more details about the ongoing dispute, reporting the following:

“The Bucks have told NBA investigators that Giannis Antetokounmpo declined the opportunity to play 3-on-3 scrimmages as part of return protocol from a mid-March knee injury, per ESPN sources. Antetokounmpo told the league he is healthy enough to resume action.”

Subsequently, an NBA spokesperson released the statement below via Charania, giving more details into the situation:

“The NBA’s Player Participation Policy investigation into the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo is ongoing and certain facts remain in dispute. The investigation has found that the Bucks scheduled Giannis to work out last week in three-on-three scrimmages as part of his return-to-play process, but he declined to participate. There is a disagreement as to whether the team requested that Giannis participate in a group workout earlier this week, and the league is continuing to monitor the situation.”

So, it does seem like the Bucks are being truthful (at least in some part) about their assertion that Antetokounmpo is not yet ready to return; he was asked to participate in three-on-three scrimmages and declined, which is notable. If he is to return in one of these games, I think it’s entirely fair for the Bucks to want him to check every box before he does. Now, might they have further motivations for their assertion that he is not ready to play? I am sure they do, but those motivations are very reasonable.

I also want to note that there would be a heap of players (and notably, stars) across the NBA being held out by their teams for not-wholly-truthful reasons, but that it feels like the Bucks are being investigated because Giannis has brought this to the attention of the NBA and, in my opinion, made it a way bigger deal than it is. I totally understand GA is a competitor who wants to play whenever healthy—and that’s a key part of what’s made him the player he’s become—but for him not to see where the Bucks are coming from is frustrating, to say the least.

Does this new information change how you see the situation? Let us know in the comments.

Time keeps on ticking, ticking, into the future. The Brooklyn Nets are speeding towards the end of the season and the start of their real season. With that in mind, they opened the month of April with a 34-point loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

The opponent tonight is focusing on the Draft as well. The Washington Wizards are winding their season down and were in Florida to face the Miami Heat yesterday. As expected, the Wizards lost.

At the moment, the Wizards hold the top lottery odds, a half-game ahead of the Nets and Pacers who are tied for second. Brooklyn has a growing if not yet comfortable lead over fourth place Utah. The Jazz are 2.5 games back of the Nets with five to go. Should teams tie, the lottery odds would be divided equally between or among the bottom teams.

Where to follow the game

YES Network on TV. Gotham Sports on streaming. WFAN on radio.

Injuries

The following are out:

• Michael Porter Jr
• Egor Demin
• Ziaire Williams
• Day’ron Sharpe
• Danny Wolf
• Nic Claxton

Noah Clowney is questionable and Terance Mann is probable. Malachi Smith will be celebrating his new, two year (non-guaranteed) deal and the three two-ways will be available from here on out, with the Long Island Nets season over.

The following are out:

• Trae Young
• Anthony Davis
• Cam Whitmore
• Tristan Vukcevic
• Alex Sarr
• D’Angelo Russell
• Kyshawn George

This is night two of a back-to-back for the Capital city crew so don’t be surprised if we see some more additions prior to gametime.

The game

Brooklyn won the first and third meetings while the Wizards took the second.

The Hall of Fame class of 2026, and Washington Mystics legend Elena Delle Donne is one of this year’s inductees! Salute to her.

This one has a lot of stakes attached to it. These teams are at the top of the Tankathon standings and a win for the Wizards would tie the season series and tie their records at 18-60.

Even in a lost season, young players have plenty to play for. They’re playing for their current jobs, next destinations, and professional pride. There’s always something to play for when you’re trying to prove yourself, and every game is an opportunity to get better. For the Wizards, Jamir Watkins might be someone they think about keeping on the team next season. From Harrison Hamm at Bullets Forever:

Like most rookies, he has areas where his feel will improve and he can match his boundless athleticism with technique. He has an inclination toward gambling. Sometimes, he relies a little too much on his own athleticism — letting guys drive, then trusting himself to make an unlikely recovery. His off-ball recognition will get better with experience.

I’m most intrigued by his rim protection upside. As good as he is at blowing plays up and forcing turnovers, he can get better at understanding when guys like to get their shots off, and how he can generate a quality contest.

Gotta keep making the most of your time.

Speaking of making the most of your time, Malachi Smith shined in his 17 minutes. The rookie guard scored 15 points off the bench and has likely earned himself a bigger role over the next few games. He’s got a new contract and some much needed security going forward. When you push yourself and work hard, good things happen.

This one could get a bit sloppy. Both of these teams are in the bottom third of the league in turnover rate and with the Wizards on night two of a back-to-back and playing a day game, they won’t be at full strength. It won’t be a pretty watch so hopefully these teams exceed everyone’s minimal expectations.

Player to watch: Julian Reese

Like we mentioned earlier, the end of the season can be an opportunity for a young player to find themselves. Similar to his sister Angel, Julian Reese has been a rebounding machine since joining the Wizards. He’s impressed teammates and given the fans something fun to watch as we wind down the season. Reese’s friendships with members of the team go back some years and there’s a belief in him and what he can do.

“We already kind of click well — I think it’s just the single fact, no one else on this team kind of knew Ju’s strengths like I did because I’ve seen it before,” Bub Carrington said. “He’s been showing that he’s a league big. He’s proof that it don’t matter how long you played in college. If you’re good at basketball, you prove it every night.”

Whoever controls the boards will likely win this one. Both of these teams are bottom of the league in rebounds so whoever completes possessions will be in position to walk away with the win. With the Nets frontcourt as decimated as it is, it’s going to take a team effort on the boards to compete.

From the Vault

It’s National Championship time!

More reading: Bullets Forever, SB Nation NBA, New York Post, New York Daily News, Clutch Points, Nets Wire, Steve’s Newsletter

• Brooklyn Nets Game Notes – Brooklyn Nets
• Washington Wizards Game Notes – Washington Wizards
• Washington plays Brooklyn, looks to end road losing streak – AP
• From Pittsboro to Brooklyn, Nets’ Drake Powell’s game is built on the unseen work ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Anthony Davis, Trae Young headline lengthy Wizards injury report for Easter tank-off vs. Nets – Erik Slater – Clutch Points

So close! For much of this game, I felt like the Spurs were firmly in control; the point differential never got huge by modern NBA standards, but until the end of the third quarter it always felt like San Antonio was going to have enough to counter what Denver was brining to the table. As things tightened in the final minutes of regulation, both teams put together some impressive play; however, the Spurs made a couple of key errors, and in the end the Nuggets managed to convert small but critical advantages into their 50th win of the season.

From a strategic perspective, this loss likely means that San Antonio’s dreams of the one seed have faded away, unless OKC truly collapses in this final stretch. However, given the sudden injuries to the Lakers’ roster (which, as a diehard fan of the game, I truly hate), being the second seed may actually produce an easier path to the conference finals (conditional on Denver not catching Los Angeles for the three seed). In any case, here are some key highlights from yesterday’s scintillating contest:

• This was a very low turnover game, with the Spurs (11) and Nuggets (6) combining for just 17 turnovers. Since the start of 2012-2013, only 2.65% (446 of 16,829) of regular season contests have had a turnover total at least that low. Unfortunately, the differential still strongly favored Denver, in that they had five less. This disadvantage transferred offensive opportunity from San Antonio to the Nuggets, mostly negating the advantage the Spurs built in TRB (+6) and ORB (+4).
• Although both teams recorded exactly 22 fouls, the Spurs did a better job managing the type and timing of their fouls, which helped give the Silver and Black a +5 edge in FTA. Furthermore, the Spurs earned a slightly higher FT% (+6.23 percentage points), which translated to a FTM margin of +6 for San Antonio.
• Unfortunately for the Spurs, their six-point edge at the charity stripe was not quite enough to overcome Denver’s advantages from the field. Two major factors were at play here: First, the Nuggets had a slightly better FG% than San Antonio (+1.98 percentage points). Typically, a margin this small would not mean much, but because both teams took 101 shots it translated to a +2 FGM margin for Denver.
• In addition, the Nuggets had a notably better 3P% (+7.97 percentage points), which allowed them to produce a 3PM margin of +4. The net result of all of this is that Denver outscored San Antonio by eight from the field.
• While this isn’t covered in the graded box score, both Wemby and Joker put together insane stat lines yesterday. For example, Victor became just the second player since the start of 1996-1997 to record a line including 34+ points, 18+ rebounds, 7+ assists, and 5+ blocks in the regular season. The first was Karl-Anthony Towns, in a December 30, 2018 game between the Timberwolves and Heat.
• Similarly, Jokic became just the second player during the same period to record a regular season box score line including 40+ points, 8+ rebounds, 13+ assists, and 3+ blocks. The other player is LeBron James, who did so in a February 18, 2010 contest between the Cavs and Nuggets.

What are Team Graded Box Scores?

Very briefly, these box scores grade winner-loser differentials for basic box score statistics, with the grade being based on the winning team’s differential relative to other NBA winners during a defined reference period. Think of it like a report card for understanding how a given winner performed relative to other winners. The reference period used runs from the start of the 2012-2013 season to the latest date of play, including only games in the same season category (i.e., regular season and playoff games are not compared to each other).

Data Source: The underlying data used to create these box scores was collected from Basketball Reference. In all cases, the data are collected the morning after the game is played. Although rare, postgame statistical revisions after data collection do occur and may affect the results after the fact.

BOSTON — The Celtics could have an additional boost when they face the Toronto Raptors on Sunday afternoon; Nikola Vucevic, who has been sidelined since March 6th with a right ring finger fracture, has been upgraded to questionable for the first time since first suffering the injury.

In Vucevic’s absence, Luka Garza has stepped up, averaging 9.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in 17.2 minutes, while shooting 60.7% from the field and 44.7% from three. He had fallen out of the rotation after the Celtics traded for Vucevic in mid-February; how Joe Mazzulla will divvy up the two players’ minutes remains to be seen.

Mazzulla said this week that Vucevic is important to what the Celtics will do, and praised him for how he handled himself during his recovery.

“He’s a professional. I mean, he hasn’t missed a film session, practice,” Mazzulla said. “Even two days after he had his procedure, he was out working on his cardio.”

The Raptors will be without Chucky Hepburn (right knee surgery recovery) and Immanuel Quickley (right foot plantar fasciitis), but are otherwise healthy.

How the Celtics, Raptors stack up

The Celtics and Raptors have faced off three times this season, and the Celtics have emerged victorious each time, tallying two victories in December and one in January. Now, they meet in a final matchup that could serve as a first-round preview.

The Raptors have been led by Brandon Ingram (21.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists) and Scottie Barnes (18.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists), both of whom were named All-Stars this season. RJ Barrett (19.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists) has also been crucial to the team’s success.

The Celtics (52-25) have all but secured the second-best record in the East, holding a 2.5-game lead over the New York Knicks with five games left to play.

The Raptors (43-34) currently have the 6th-best record in the Eastern Conference and are 0.5 games ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers in the play-in.

Given that the No.2 seed will face the winner of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 playoff game, it’s very plausible that the Celtics will face the Raptors in the first round of the postseason.

No one would have blamed Michigan coach Dusty May if he rested his star player in the second half of the 2026 Men's NCAA Tournament Final Four on Saturday night.

Yet May opted to bring his hobbled star Yaxel Lendeborg back into the 91-73 win over Arizona despite a first-half leg injury Lendeborg suffered, and despite a big lead for the Wolverines for much of the game.

Why? May has learned from previous NCAA Tournament experience that a lead is never safe.

ARMOUR: Yaxel Lendeborg is best player in Final Four. Toughest, too

REQUIRED READING: Michigan-Arizona was supposed to be game of the year. What happened?

"Well, apparently you guys missed the UConn-Duke game," May said postgame. "The game was already decided that we were playing Duke tomorrow. They were up 19, correct, in the second half?  And who won?

"So, being out — you're playing Arizona, one of the best teams — statistically, the number one or two team all year in the country and you're up 20 with 10 minutes left, with eight and a half minutes left.  We didn't feel quite as confident as you guys did that we could just put the kids to bed.  And he came in and Elliot [Cadeau] was in foul trouble, and so he just held it down.

"So yeah, obviously we felt like the game was still in hand."

Michigan led by as many as 30 points at 77-47 with 10:31 remaining in the second half, following a 3-pointer from Trey McKenney. However, Arizona did outscore the Wolverines 15-4 for the next 4:22 of game time, cutting the lead to under 20 for the first time since the 18:16 mark of the second half.

Lendeborg had subbed out of the game with 13:02 left in the game, with Michigan leading by 22. He checked back in with 7:10 remaining, and the lead was down to 20 with Arizona shooting a second free throw.

Cadeau, Michigan's starting guard, agreed with his coach about not taking any chances.

"We felt like we had a lot of games like this. And we learned from them," Cadeau said. "Some games, the teams actually came back.  So we stressed in the huddle to keep our foot on the gas because it's March, it's April.  Anything can happen, like they could come back from a 30-point deficit."

Despite Lendeborg being hobbled for the majority of the game, he finished with 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field in 14 minutes of play.

His teammates were not shocked at all by the resiliency shown by Lendeborg in Michigan's biggest game of the season to date.

"I think it just shows the guy who Yaxel is. I mean, he just wants to put it all on the floor for Michigan, and he wants to give the fans what they came here for," McKinney said.

"I'm just really grateful to have him as a teammate. He's one of the best players in the country, and he really showed that tonight. But he's selfless as well.  So I'm just really grateful to be around him."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yaxel Lendeborg injury: Dusty May explains why he kept playing star in blowout

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The injury-plagued Los Angeles Lakers limp into American Airlines Center tonight as Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks look to snap a three-game skid.

Flagg is fresh off the best scoring performance of his career, and my Lakers vs Mavericks predictions expect another electric scoring performance from the ascending star.

Here are my best free NBA picks for this NBA Western Conference matchup on Sunday, April 5.

Lakers vs Mavericks prediction

Lakers vs Mavericks best bet: Cooper Flagg Over 23.5 points (-110)

Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg became the youngest player in NBA history to score 50 points when he dropped 51 against the Orlando Magic on Friday. He’s got major momentum heading into Sunday’s tilt with the shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers.

Flagg has gone for 24+ points in just 21 of 65 games, but his scoring has soared to new heights as of late. Over his first 43 games of the season, Flagg averaged just 18.8 points. Since his last meeting with the Lakers, Flagg has averaged 24.6 points in 22 games, clearing this scoring line 11 times.

The NBA Rookie of the Year favorite has averaged a healthy 27.3 points across his last six games, going for 24+ four times. He’s been excellent at home, averaging 30.9 and scoring 24+ six times across his last nine outings at American Airlines Center.

Over his last 16 games, Flagg has bumped up his shot attempts to 18.8 per game, giving him ample opportunities to rack up points and hit the Over on his points prop. The matchup with LA isn’t a scary one, as the Lakers’ 116.5 defensive rating on the road is the 11th-worst mark in the Association.

Dallas can capitalize in a favorable spot with the vulnerable Lakers, and I expect Flagg to go for 24+ with ease.

Lakers vs Mavericks same-game parlay

The Lakers will be missing their two top scorers, two of their top four rebounders, and two of their top three facilitators. Filling in for Austin Reaves and especially Luka Doncic will be a monumental task for the Lakers, and the team doesn’t have the role players to do it.

At this stage of his career, LeBron James can’t carry this roster, and I’ll bet on a hungry Mavericks team with the Rookie of the Year favorite to win this one outright in front of the home crowd.

The loss of Doncic and Reaves leaves 13.8 assists up for grabs, and James should find the ball in his hands more often than not. He’ll be asked to run the show, and double-digit assists are certainly doable, particularly in a game that should feature plenty of offense.

Lakers vs Mavericks SGP

• Cooper Flagg Over 23.5 points 
• Mavericks moneyline
• LeBron James Over 9.5 assists

Our "from downtown" SGP: James Gang!

I’m excited to see the NBA’s most famous father-son duo share the court for an expanded time on Sunday. With Reaves and Doncic out of action, J.J. Redick will need to go further down the bench, and that’s where Bronny James comes in. 

In seven games with at least 15 minutes played, he’s averaged 6.3 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists. Bronny scored 6+ four times and posted at least two boards or three assists three times in those contests.

The elder James will need to be heavily involved in Los Angeles’ offense for the team to stay competitive. He’s averaged 7.7 rebounds and 8.0 assists in three games against the Mavericks this season, and he's posted at least eight boards or 10 assists in a quarter of his 56 appearances.

Lakers vs Mavericks SGP

• LeBron James Over 7.5 rebounds
• LeBron James Over 9.5 assists
• Bronny James Over 5.5 points
• Bronny James Over 1.5 rebounds
• Bronny James Over 2.5 assists

Lakers vs Mavericks odds

• Spread: Lakers -1.5 | Mavericks +1.5
• Moneyline: Lakers -125 | Mavericks +105
• Over/Under: Over 232.5 | Under 232.5

Lakers vs Mavericks betting trend to know

The Dallas Mavericks have hit the 1Q Game Total Over in 34 of their last 50 games (+17.60 Units / 30% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Lakers vs. Mavericks.

How to watch Lakers vs Mavericks

Lakers vs Mavericks latest injuries

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The OKC Thunder are closing in on the top seed in the West. Completing a regular-season series sweep over the Utah Jazz on Sunday would definitely help.

OKC, with just one loss in its last 17 games, is a massive 22.5-point favorite in the NBA odds.

My Jazz vs. Thunder prediction and free NBA picks think the depleted Jazz roster can't compete with a top-tier team that still has something to play for.

Jazz vs Thunder prediction

Jazz vs Thunder best bet: Thunder -22.5 (-110)

Since dropping a decision to Boston on March 25 that snapped a 12-game losing streak, the Oklahoma City Thunder have reeled off four straight wins, including a 139-96 demolition of the Lakers last time out.

There are two main objectives for the Thunder at this point: holding off San Antonio for the top seed and getting all-star Jalen Williams up to speed as the postseason nears.

Williams, who's played just 31 games this season, was an all-around stud against the Lakers, scoring 10 points, with nine rebounds and eight assists.

It should be a fine tune-up for Williams and the gang on Sunday, as the Utah Jazz have lost eight straight and have just three wins in 22 games since the All-Star break.

Over that sample size, the Jazz are among the worst teams in the NBA in defense, allowing 124.9 points per game (28h), with teams shooting 50.5% from the field and 37.1% from distance.

The Thunder have owned the Jazz, with wins in eight straight, and save for the last head-to-head meeting that went to OT and resulted in a Thunder OT win, there hasn't been much drama.

OKC has won by at least 23 points in four of the last five, including three wins by 30+ points.

Utah will also be down major contributors, as Lauri Markkanen (hip) and Keyonte George (hamstring) are both out. With Jaren Jackson Jr (knee) already shut down for the year, that's the Jazz's three top scorers.

With the Thunder a Top 5 scoring team in basketball, there's just no way the Jazz should be able to stay in range, even with that many points.

Jazz vs Thunder same-game parlay

Jalen Williams has scored 16 or more points three times in the five games since he's returned, but that shouldn't be an issue against the Jazz, as he's scored 16+ points in eight straight.

Williams is coming off his best rebound game since returning from injury, and has at least four boards in three of five, while pulling down at least four boards in two of his last three against Utah.

Jazz vs Thunder SGP

• Thunder -22.5
• Jalen Williams Over 15.5 points
• Jalen Williams Over 3.5 rebounds

Our "from downtown" SGP: One-Williams Show!

Williams' 3-point stroke has not arrived yet, as he's had zero makes in three of his last four games, but he should be in range against the Jazz, as he's connected on at least one triple in five straight and in 12 of the last 13 against Utah.

And we'll finish with his assist line, which was set for 4.5 on Sunday. Williams just dropped eight dimes against the Lakers, giving him 8+ assists in back-to-back games.

Jazz vs Thunder SGP

• Thunder -22.5
• Jalen Williams Over 15.5 points
• Jalen Williams Over 3.5 rebounds
• Jalen Williams Over 0.5 made threes

Jazz vs Thunder odds

• Spread: Jazz +23.5 | Thunder -23.5
• Moneyline: Jazz +2500 | Thunder -10000
• Over/Under: Over 239 | Under 239

Jazz vs Thunder betting trend to know

Utah has combined with its opponent to go Over the total in six of its last eight games. Find more NBA betting trends for Jazz vs. Thunder.

How to watch Jazz vs Thunder

Jazz vs Thunder latest injuries

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Today, the Toronto Raptors have another opportunity to see if they have what it takes to beat a contender in the Boston Celtics. 

Both teams have five games left in the regular season. While the teams who will appear in some type of playoff contention are set, it’s still unclear how exactly the seeding will shake out. Now more than ever, winning matters. 

Boston is four and a half games behind Detroit, who has clinched the one-seed, meaning catching up is no longer an option. Their goal will instead be to hold off the Knicks who sit only 2.5 games behind them, and maintain one of the hardest remaining schedules. 

Toronto handled business Friday in Memphis, but Atlanta and Philly were also both able to collect victories, solidifying the standings for another night. To the Raptors’ benefit, the Hawks and Sixers both have a far more challenging road ahead. 

So far this season, these teams have already met three times. All three of those contests went in Boston’s favour, each by at least three possessions. 

There’s no consistency in terms of any one thing that Boston out-did Toronto at. Boston shot better overall in two of the games, had better long range shooting in two of the games, out-rebounded in two, had more blocks in only one, had fewer turnovers in two, fewer fouls in only one….. And the list goes on. No one stat was in either team’s favour between the three contests. 

This leads us to the question: how can Toronto avoid the sweep by Boston and get another much-needed win?

The first key will be adaptability. Boston, and other great teams have this characteristic, which is what makes them so hard to beat. If you run them off the 3-point line, they drive. If you’re being aggressive defensively, they draw doubles and kick the ball out. Toronto needs to recognize how Boston’s game develops throughout the course of the game and keep adjusting their defence to slow and stop them. Adopting some of that strategy themselves would help too.

The second key will be slowing Boston’s big three. Brown and Tatum can score at will, and stopping them forces the less-efficient rest of the roster to make plays. The third “big” player in this is Pritchard. For whatever reason, he’s had some of his best games against Toronto, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he tries to have another 30-piece. The combination of Scottie, CMB, and Shead will have to step up in a big way to slow these guys, and hope that will stifle Boston’s offense enough. 

The third and final key is desire. At times this season, it’s felt like individual players or even the team as a whole doesn’t care. That’s easy to say from the other side of a TV screen, but even RJ pointed out the need for intensity recently when he said they needed to “play like their lives depend on it”. The season is coming to an end, and to set themselves up for the best chances to make it past the first round, they need to lock all the way in. He also pointed out that they are capable, as long as they play their brand of basketball:

RJ Barrett on what the team wants to prove to themselves, first and foremost, ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics:

“We could beat anybody… When we play Raptors basketball, we could beat anybody.”

( 🎥: Sportsnet ) pic.twitter.com/NRRhgiIe0P

— Omer Osman (@OmerOsman200) April 4, 2026

Injury Report: 

Toronto: Chucky Hepburn (Out: Knee surgery), Immanuel Quickley (Out: Plantar Fasciitis)

Boston: Nikola Vucevic (Questionable: Finger fracture)

Probable Starters:

Toronto: Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Ja’Kobe Walter, Jakob Poeltl, Brandon Ingram

Boston: Jayson Tatum, Sam Hauser, Neemias Queta, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown

Where to Watch: 

Tune in at 3:30pm ET on Sportsnet.

My significant other suggested that I ask each of you to “tuna in” to the Utah Jazz’s upcoming contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder. I don’t know what could have possibly possessed her to ask this of me, nor have I figured out what tuna could have to do with a basketball game of any scale (no pun intended), but now we are both cursed with the knowledge of a heinous maritime pun.

May this article smite us both.

Assuming you, the reader, possess the fortitude to withstand such a gut-wrenching play on words, perhaps you’ll likewise brave the Utah Jazz’s (21-57, 14th in West) impending struggle against the NBA-best Oklahoma City Thunder (61-16, 1st in West) with similar grace. You are stronger than most, and it’ll take a titanium digestive track to bear the disparity between basketball’s strongest record (OKC) and one of its weakest (Utah).

May I turn your attention to Brice Sensabaugh, who has averaged just shy of 20 points in his last 30 games in the absence of Utah’s veterans. Maybe even Ace Bailey, the Jazz rookie who has erased any buzz that he isn’t happy in the Beehive State and has blossomed into one of the most promising young players in his class? Could I interest you in Cody Williams — who is not terrible — the once-deemed ‘lost cause’ who has scored 20 or more points in seven of his last 10 appearances leading up to Oklahoma City?

The Utah Jazz seemed directionless and empty just a season ago, but with another calendar year of sample size and time in the incubator, Utah’s youngsters are among basketball’s most promising, and could make the Jazz one of the deepest and most dangerous teams in 2026 with a healthy Markkanen, JJJ, Kessler, and George leading the charge (and also AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson would be nice, lottery gods, but I’m not picky).

Sure, OKC is the basketball equivalent of a buzzsaw, essentially disintegrating every team it comes in contact with, and sure, they’ll be the favorites to hoist the NBA Finals trophy for the second consecutive season. Sure, they’ll likely make quick work of the visiting Jazz like a sniffling dog sneezing the powdered sugar off a donut. But something is manifesting in Utah. Don’t take this upcoming result as an indicator of these teams’ true value in the coming years.

Will Hardy and his intrepid group of Boy Scouts embarked on an excursion back in October that has lasted 78 games and taken the functionality of the troop’s most veteran members. Now, as Troop 801 comes across the Paycom Center and its native Oklahoma City Thunder. A storm of epic proportions forced the youth to fall under temporary shelter, shivering and frightened as lightning tore the sky, and the thunderous voice of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander followed.

Rain formed puddles, which formed ponds, which turned into lakes. The remaining scouts clung to floating debris like Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic. Those who honored their parent’s age restriction wishes and hadn’t seen James Cameron’s nautical masterpiece were lost to the storm, but the Thunder’s wrath was withstood by the naughty boys who understand what it means to “paint me like one of your French girls”. Is that irony? Doesn’t matter. The waters are rising, and the Thunder is encroaching.

Suddenly, like a fountain, something shot swiftly from beneath the surface and took to the sky. If just for a moment, it seemed as though the storm… flinched? A sign of weakness? A fleeting glance of possibility for the young and chipper Jazz? The shape shed all ambiguity, revealing its head, tail, and… is that a tuna? Perhaps the task of conquering the Thunder is not impossible — perhaps the undermanned Jazz have a fighting chance after all. With a mighty sploosh, the rallier returned to his origin, having struck a match of hope in these fumbling scouts’ hearts.

[Did I stretch too far for the tuna thing? I feel like I might have.]

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Calvin Barrett is a writer, editor, and prolific Mario Kart racer located in Tokyo, Japan. He has covered the NBA and College Sports since 2024.