Category: Basketball

Suspensions are coming after a gnarly fight broke out between the Charlotte Hornets and Detroit Pistons on Monday night. The Hornets entered as the hottest team in the NBA riding a nine-game winning streak. The Pistons entered with the top record in the Eastern Conference and tied for the fewest losses in the NBA. Detroit beat Charlotte, 110-104, but a great game was overshadowed by a fight that is going to have long-lasting consequences.

Tensions had been building between Hornets big man Moussa Diabate and Pistons All-Star center Jalen Duren earlier in the night, and they boiled over in the third quarter after Diabate fouled Duren on a drive to the rim. The two started shoving each other, Miles Bridges got involved, Isaiah Stewart ran off the bench to fight, and all four players were ejected. The traditional TV camera angle doesn’t really do this brawl justice, but it’s still important context. Watch the fight here:

HORNETS V PISTONS LETS GET NEGATIVE pic.twitter.com/mG3Ds0d7Yq

— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) February 10, 2026

Diabate has been known for his extra efforts this season, and he really did give multiple efforts in this fight to try to sock Duren. He had to be held back from the Detroit All-Star multiple times, and while it was happening, Bridges and Stewart were fighting on the other side of the court.

This alternate angle from inside the building best shows the full scope of the fight. This was legitimately chaos.

Absolute CHAOS at The Hive tonight! Moussa Diabate and Jalen Duren were teeing it up all game. Both throwing punches. Miles Bridges and Isaiah Stewart also went at it. Insane, wild scenes.

Shades of Malice at the Palace.
All 4 were ejected. Holy hell. pic.twitter.com/dGzTxv6Fg3

— Joey Ellis (@Jellis1016) February 10, 2026

As Diabate was being held back by teammates and coaches, Miles Bridges charged in and threw a punch at Duren. That escalated the fight to a new level and triggered Isaiah Stewart enough to run off the bench. Stewart is not someone you want to mess with, and has a long history of fighting tied to his reputation.

Watch Stewart charge in off the bench here. The WWE announcers added by the poster really makes the whole thing work:

WELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL…..IT'S THE BEEF STEW! pic.twitter.com/PgdFlpe9wm

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) February 10, 2026

Why was Diabate so upset? It seems like he sure didn’t like getting poked in the eye by Duren during one confrontation.

Yep, that'll do it: https://t.co/M3zd8A7OMJpic.twitter.com/fnfNuDxzyU

— Dan Devine (@YourManDevine) February 10, 2026

Stewart is a repeat offender at this point, and is probably going to get hit with a long suspension. That’s a bummer, because it will likely cost him a spot on the All-Defense team at the end of the year. Stewart has been a fantastic paint defender for the Pistons this year, and deserves to be recognized for his work. He also has to be poised enough to stay on the floor.

Stewart has never been All-Defense before. He probably won’t go down in the history books for his work this season, but it’s another reminder that he needs to keep himself under control.

We’ll update this post when the suspensions are announced.

It has been a turbulent past few days for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Following a trade deadline that saw many of the players involved in rumors of a possible Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, and a pair of concerning losses to the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Clippers, the Wolves looked to turn it around before the upcoming All-Star Break:

— The Wolves had a solid showing on Monday against the Atlanta Hawks, winning 138-116. Ayo Dosunmo showcased why the Wolves coveted him at the trade deadline, as he led the Wolves off the bench with 21 points on 9-13 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers.

— Rudy Gobert and Chris Finch had standout comments following the loss to the Pelicans. Gobert mentioned that effort and accountability were issues, seemingly calling out Edwards and Julius Randle. Finch mentioned at practice the next day that he wished his comments had remained in-house.

As frustrated as Rudy Gobert has been about the Wolves' effort this season. He also said the accountability is not there.

"There's just no effort. We've seen that many, many times this year, last few years since I've been here. We always know it's coming, and when it comes… pic.twitter.com/p8R1fmwwwP

— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) February 7, 2026

— The Timberwolves followed up the loss against the Pelicans with one of their worst performances of the year on Super Bowl Sunday against the Clippers. It was a game that spoke to many of the issues Gobert had brought up following the previous game.

— Despite the loss, Johnny Juzang had his best night of the season on Friday against the Pelicans. With Jaden McDaniels in foul trouble, Juzang played well in his limited minutes, getting a big block and later knocking down a 3-pointer.

— Through 55 games, the Timberwolves have not looked like a championship-caliber team. There is still plenty of time to turn that around, and they’ve shown an ability to go on a run down the stretch of a season, as last season they won 17 of their last 21 games to secure a top-six seed.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Mavericks fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Tell us what you think! And sign up for those weekly surveys. Answers will be posted later this week!

With a trivial event like the Super Bowl finally over, much of the American sports public can fixate their attention on a sport that truly deserves it: college basketball.

The 2025-26 men's college basketball season has been one of the best in recent memory, with a pair of undefeated teams entering February, a handful of elite teams behind them and arguably the best freshman class in decades.

Adding to the excitement are what some of the teams outside the sport’s five power conferences are doing.

REQUIRED READING: College basketball rankings: Houston surges in USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll Top 25

Though it suffered a stunning loss last week, No. 11 Gonzaga is once again a bona fide Final Four threat. No. 19 Saint Louis and college basketball folk hero Robbie Avila continue to plow through the Atlantic 10. After Monday, No. 24 Miami (Ohio) has improbably outlasted No. 1 Arizona as the lone remaining unbeaten team at the Division I level.

Where do things stand for teams outside of the ACC, Big Ten, Big East, Big 12 and SEC? Here’s a look at the latest power rankings:

College basketball mid-major power rankings

1. Gonzaga (23-2)

The Bulldogs were on the losing end against one of the best stories in college basketball this season, falling on the road as a 21.5-point favorite against a Portland team whose coach, Shantay Legans, was immobilized after tearing his Achilles with the Pilots’ scout team in practice because it was missing too many of its players due to illness. The loss snapped a 15-game win streak, but Gonzaga still has a resume no other team on this list can match.

Shantay Legans had to join #Portland’s scout team because of the Pilots’ recent injuries and illnesses. It resulted in him tearing his Achilles.

Legans after the first top-10 win in school history: “That’s life, shouldn’t be out there. I’ll take an Achilles’ for a couple wins.” pic.twitter.com/umbM5dv7Z9

— Theo Lawson (@TheoLawson_SR) February 5, 2026

2. Saint Louis (23-1)

While Avila gets many of the headlines, the Billikens’ dominant run this season has been fueled by a remarkably balanced and selfless offense. Five Saint Louis players are averaging double figures in scoring this season while two others are averaging at least 9.5 points per game this season. The Billikens don’t have quite as many top-tier wins as Gonzaga, which is why they’re just behind them, but that doesn’t take anything away from what they’ve managed to do the past three months.

3. Miami (Ohio) (24-0)

The RedHawks haven’t gotten to 24 wins and no losses without a few tense moments, as four of their past six wins were decided either by a basket or in overtime. The latest of those came in a 73-71 win at Buffalo, a game in which Luke Skaljac had 19 points and five steals. How much longer can the run keep going? As of Monday night, KenPom gave Miami at least a 67% chance of winning each of its final seven regular-season games.

4. Utah State (20-3)

The Aggies picked up one of their most impressive wins of the season last week, going to The Pit and putting an 86-66 stomping on a New Mexico team that had won 15 of its past 17 games. In two wins last week, guard Mason Falslev averaged 25 points, five rebounds and four assists per game.

REQUIRED READING: Bracketology projection for NCAA Tournament field has new No. 1 seed

5. Santa Clara (21-5)

Few teams in the country have been playing as well since Christmas as the Broncos, who have won 12 of their past 13 games (with the lone loss coming on the road to Gonzaga). The most recent of those victories, a 96-92 win at Washington State, was made possible by a career-high 30 points and 13 rebounds from freshman forward Allen Graves.

𝑨𝑮 𝑪𝑨𝑹𝑬𝑬𝑹-𝑵𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻 ‼️

A. Graves | 30 PTS, 13 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL#StampedeAheadpic.twitter.com/DaSb6hTQg8

— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) February 8, 2026

6. Saint Mary’s (21-4)

The Gaels are making a Division I-best 81.4% of their free throws this season, with their top three scorers all making at least 83% of their attempts from the charity stripe. It has only meant so much to a team that has won seven of its past nine games by at least 10 points, but late in a tight NCAA Tournament game, it could be the decisive factor.

7. San Diego State (17-6)

As they have for so much of coach Brian Dutcher’s tenure, the Aztecs have a suffocating defense, one that ranks 15th in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom. In each of the past six seasons, they’ve never finished worse than 21st among all Division I teams in that category.

REQUIRED READING: Kansas upsets No. 1 Arizona, hand Wildcats first loss of season

8. VCU (18-6)

Under first-year head coach Phil Martelli Jr., the program’s third head coach in the past four years, the Rams continue to do what they’ve done for most of this century: win. After an 11-6 start, VCU has reeled off seven victories in a row, a run capped off by a 26-point drubbing of Dayton at home last Friday.

9. New Mexico (18-6)

After winning their first 12 home games of the season, the Lobos stumbled last week, dropping back-to-back home contests to Utah State and Boise State. The 91-90 loss to the Broncos came despite a 30-point outburst from guard Luke Haupt, nearly tripling his previous season high.

10. George Mason (20-3)

The Patriots have been faltering a bit of late, with two losses in their past five games after a blistering 18-1 start to the season. The latest of those setbacks came last Wednesday in a 71-65 loss at home against Duquesne, which got 25 points off 17 George Mason turnovers.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mid-major basketball power rankings: Gonzaga remains No. 1 as VCU enters top 10

The Indiana Pacers head to Madison Square Garden tonight to take on the New York Knicks, with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. 

Jalen Brunson has been brilliant at home this season, and my Pacers vs. Knicks predictions target him to show out here.

Read more in my NBA picks for Tuesday, February 10.

Pacers vs Knicks prediction

Pacers vs Knicks best bet: Jalen Brunson Over 26.5 points (-110)

Jalen Brunson is having another spectacular season for the New York Knicks, averaging 27.1 points per game. The guard has easily cashed the Over in two of his last three games. 

The Villanova product has averaged 27.4 ppg at MSG this season, and he’s hit the Over in points in two of his previous four appearances at home. 

The Knicks star also had 25 points against the Indiana Pacers earlier this season. While that’s a tad below tonight’s total, he’s playing with confidence at the moment. Brunson will ball out. 

Pacers vs Knicks same-game parlay

Pascal Siakam has been a superstar for the Pacers this season without Tyrese Haliburton, but shooting the three isn’t his biggest strength.

The Cameroonian has cashed the Under in converted triples in four of his last five outings. Across his last two games, Siakam is just 2-for-11 from 3-point territory. 

It’s been a down campaign for Karl-Anthony Towns, who is averaging 19.7 ppg. He’s hit the Under in points in eight of his last nine contests.

Pacers vs Knicks SGP

• Jalen Brunson Over 26.5 points
• Pascal Siakam Under 1.5 threes
• Karl-Anthony Towns Under 19.5 points

Our "from downtown" SGP: Not enough Hart

Josh Hart has hit the Under in rebounds in six straight appearances, and he’s grabbed only 12 rebounds combined across the last two.

Pacers vs Knicks SGP

• Jalen Brunson Over 26.5 points
• Pascal Siakam Under 1.5 threes
• Karl-Anthony Towns Under 19.5 points
• Josh Hart Under 8.5 rebounds

Pacers vs Knicks odds

• Spread: Pacers +12 | Knicks -12
• Moneyline: Pacers +475 | Knicks -650
• Over/Under: Over 224.5 | Under 224.5

Pacers vs Knicks betting trend to know

The New York Knicks have covered the spread in 30 of their last 45 home games (+14.60 Units / 29% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Pacers vs. Knicks.

How to watch Pacers vs Knicks

Pacers vs Knicks latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

One decisive quarter proved too much for the Atlanta Hawks to overcome.

The Hawks surrendered 40 points in the second quarter and never fully recovered in a 138–116 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night at Target Center.

Atlanta was shorthanded, as Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels were both ruled out before tipoff. Johnson missed the game due to left knee inflammation after being listed as questionable on the injury report. The Hawks opted to sit him as a precaution in the second game of a back-to-back road set.

Daniels was also held out with right ankle inflammation after being listed as questionable earlier in the day, as the team chose to prioritize his recovery.

Despite the absences, the Hawks showed early fight, trading baskets with Minnesota in an up-tempo first quarter and trailing by just seven points.

The game swung decisively in the second quarter, however, as Minnesota capitalized on defensive breakdowns, pushed the pace and found open lanes to the basket. The Timberwolves shot efficiently and used crisp ball movement to stretch the margin to double digits by halftime.

Atlanta showed resilience coming out of the break, trimming the deficit in the third quarter behind improved ball movement and shot-making. But the Hawks were unable to string together enough defensive stops to seriously threaten Minnesota down the stretch, as each run was quickly answered.

The Hawks were led offensively by CJ McCollum, who finished with a game-high 38 points and kept Atlanta afloat even as the deficit grew. Nickeil Alexander-Walker turned in a strong all-around performance with 23 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Onyeka Okongwu added 14 points and five rebounds, while Corey Kispert and Jock Landale each scored 12 points.

For Minnesota, Anthony Edwards led the way with 30 points, consistently breaking down Atlanta’s defense. Julius Randle recorded a triple-double, and Rudy Gobert was perfect from the field, anchoring the paint on both ends as the Timberwolves controlled the game.

The loss dropped Atlanta to 26–29 on the season and underscored the challenge of sustaining defensive intensity against elite Western Conference teams.

While the Hawks’ offense continues to show it can score with anyone, turning games like this into wins will require consistent defensive effort over full quarters, not just brief stretches.

The Milwaukee Bucks put up a good fight but ultimately fell to the Orlando Magic 118-99. The game was ugly in the first half, with neither team making much from outside, but the Magic’s final 18 minutes were stellar. The Bucks have a chance to redeem themselves tomorrow night (or not, for the pro-tank crowd) when these teams play once again. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast, Bucks In Six Minutes, below.

Player Grades

Myles Turner

27 minutes, 13 points, 6 rebounds, 5/9 FG, 2/6 3P, -6

Myles had some truly great looks from three that didn’t drop. His stats are what they are because the Magic were basically switching everything on defence. Turner is not the type to take advantage of mismatches. His job was to set a strong screen and force the switch. From there, it was up to the guards to make a play—KPJ was the only guard who did so effectively.

Grade: B-

Ryan Rollins

32 minutes, 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 6 turnovers, 4 fouls, 6/16 FG, 2/6 3P, -11

Rollins started the game poorly and never really got better, which, I should note, has not been the norm for him this season; he usually finds his way into games. There were a bunch of no-pass possessions where he rushed a tough shot. He also overpossessed the ball, leading to turnovers. He was often too aggressive on defence, playing a key role in the Magic getting into the bonus. Yeah, this was one of Ryan’s worst games this season.

Grade: D

AJ Green

32 minutes, 15 points, 6 rebounds, 4/8 FG, 4/8 3P, -13

Loved AJ’s game. He did his job and was aggressive in seeking his shot (including a ridiculous side-step triple over Franz Wagner with the shot clock winding down).

Grade: B+

Kevin Porter Jr.

36 minutes, 28 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 turnovers, 10/19 FG, 1/5 3P, -21

With the Magic being the defensive team they are (or have been, I should say), the Bucks desperately needed KPJ’s shake-and-bake ability. He did make just a single three, but he knocked down a bevy of mid-rangers, which kept the Bucks in it. Porter’s passing game was great too; he aggressively pierced the defence and made two defenders commit to him, finding the open man more times than not.

Grade: A

Bobby Portis

16 minutes, 10 points, 0 assists, 0 rebounds, 4/6 FG, 2/2 3P, -12

My theory that the Magic are the worst matchup for Bobby in the entire league was proven once again last night. He really struggles to find scoring opportunities against their big, athletic defence. He can’t get to his back-down game because of their size, and he also can’t get to his shot because of their athleticism (and then he’s slow, so they can recover if he tries to pump and go). There was simply no impact from BP, evidenced by his limited playing time.

Grade: D

Kyle Kuzma

17 minutes, 3 points, 0 assists, 5 rebounds, 5 turnovers, 1/3 FG, -13

Copy and paste from above, but worse.

Grade: F

Gary Harris

14 minutes, 0 points, 0/2 FG, -7

At least Gary got to catch up with his old buddies.

Grade: C

Cam Thomas

13 minutes, 4 points, 1/5 FG, 0/1 3P, –1

I did not think Cam would even play, and thus I am taking nothing from this one. It looks like Doc is going to have two of Porter, Rollins, and Thomas on the court at all times.

Grade: C

Jericho Sims

27 minutes, 5 points, 6 rebounds, 2/4 FG, -9

I liked Jericho’s activity on both ends of the court. He set some great screens, forcing his man to commit to the ball-handler and opening up lob opportunities (take note, Giannis). On defence, I thought he was strong and stuck with guards on switches.

Grade: B

Pete Nance

9 minutes, 5 points, 2/2 FG, 1/1 3P, -3

Pete played sparingly, but didn’t do anything wrong from what I can recall.

Grade:

Doc Rivers

Well, Doc played a lot of the right cards with respect to who got playing time in this one; Kuzma and Portis were major negatives and thus played sparingly, while Jericho and KPJ were solid and thus played more. While I suspect that Gary Trent Jr. getting a DNP will become more common as Cam Thomas takes most of his minutes, this was an especially bad matchup for GT. Why? Because the Magic is a team that needs guys who can pierce the defence more than it needs stationary shooters. So good choice by Doc there. Other than that, I thought Rivers coached a fine game.

Grade: B

Garbage time: Ousmane Dieng, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Andre Jackson Jr.

DNP-CD: Gary Trent Jr.

Inactive: Alex Antetokounmpo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Taurean Prince

Bonus Bucks Bits

• Doc said the Magic won in large part because they were the more physical team.
• KPJ said a major reason for the Bucks’ 19 turnovers was the aggressive doubling the Magic do. Interesting.
• Bobby said there has to be a greater focus on boxing out for this team. And not just one guy—it has to be two, three, four guys hitting the glass. There were some folks online pointing out that BP had 0 rebounds. I’m not positive that’s the dunk people think it is; you can still box out and help your team rebound without grabbing them yourself. Overall, I appreciate the message.
• There were some admittedly funny quips online about people being shocked that Cam Thomas did not shoot once during his first stint on the court.
• We got our first look at Ousmane Dieng in garbage time; I want to see him in real minutes at some point.
• Franz Wagner returned in this one after a long layoff.
• Paolo Banchero… I’m sorry, but that dude is mid (and his contract could be a real problem).
• Anthony Black is proof that sometimes development takes a minute.

Up Next

The Bucks will hang around in Orlando for another day and play the Magic again tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. CST. Catch the game on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin.

The latest NBA rumor making the rounds recently has been related to expansion. The league has been flirting with expansion for a number of years, but there may finally be a vote for it this summer according to this report.

Think it's going to be an extra-great year for Seattle. I'm hearing NBA Board of Governors likely to vote on expanding by two teams this summer and Las Vegas and Seattle are favored.

— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) February 9, 2026

Please keep in mind, these things take time to work out. We’re talking a couple of years at least before it becomes a thing. With that said, I thought it would be a fun thought exercise to go through the roster and see which players the team would protect. (Come to think of it, the team kind of did essentially that with the trade deadline, but I digress)

Before we start, I want to point everyone to the work that Keith Smith did a couple of years ago when this was originally ramping up.

Each of the NBA’s existing 30 teams will be allowed to protect players ahead of an expansion draft. Teams are allowed to protect players who fit one of the following categories:

Players under contract

Players who are restricted free agents (there is a quirk to this that we will cover next)

Players who have a player or team option for the following season

Any player who is a pending unrestricted free agent cannot be protected

There are some more rules related to protecting players:

Each team can protect up to eight players (but can choose to protect less)

Each team must expose at least one player (but can choose to expose more) that can’t become an unrestricted free agent

If a restricted free agent is drafted, they automatically become an unrestricted free agent (if selected, the former restricted free agent can not re-sign with their original team)

Player status is as of the day of the draft (this pertains to players with player or team options)

So with those rules out of the way, and understanding that this is just a “what if” exercise, how would you set up the protections on the Celtics if it was somehow happening this summer?

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Ariane Raedler and Katharina Huber of Austria win team combined at Olympics, Mikaela Shiffrin and Breezy Johnson fourth.

The NBA All-Star Weekend is not only an opportunity for the league to showcase its biggest and brightest stars, but also its future.

The NBA’s Rising Stars Game will feature the league’s young stars, including rookies Cooper Flagg (Dallas Mavericks), Kon Knueppel (Charlotte Hornets) and VJ Edgecombe (Philadelphia 76ers).

The trio also makes up the top 3 in the NBA's Rookie of the Year race, according to odds on BetMGM.

Tankathon: The NBA's tanking crisis — and why Adam Silver can’t ignore it

Sitting out: Stephen Curry to miss 2026 NBA All-Star Game with right knee injury

Flagg (-1000) is considered the favorite, followed by Knueppel (+600) and Edgecombe (+8000).

Flagg has averaged 20.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in 48 games played this season.

All three rookies were selected in the first round by the game's honorary coaches. NBA alumnus Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter are serving as the honorary coaches for the three respective teams. Austin Rivers will also coach a team made up of G League players.

The four teams will compete in a mini tournament at the Intuit Dome. A winner will be decided in the semifinal games when a team is the first to reach or surpass 40 points. The championship game winner will be decided with the first team to reach or surpass 25 points.

Baron Davis and Quentin Richardson were among the former NBA players to have played in the game.

Richardson was a participant in the game when it was referred to as the NBA Rookie-Sophomore Challenge in 2002. Davis competed in the game a year prior.

Looking ahead at this year’s talent, Davis mentioned Flagg, Edgecombe, Derik Queen and Kyshawn George as players he’s excited to watch.

“All these young kids are so good now,” Davis said. “To watch them play and go at each other will be a different type of vibe and be highly competitive. They all want to be No. 1.”

Richardson believes the game and weekend will serve as a rewarding experience for the younger talent, especially those willing to make the most of it.

“I would say to take part in the weekend,” Richardson said. “I know, as some of the younger players, they will have to make appearances and things like that, but that was one of the things I was happy to do. … Sometimes you go to those events and have a great time and meet people you wouldn’t have met.

“Don’t be the guy who’s just turning things down. That’s what the weekend is about: Having fun, but there’s also a lot of business around that weekend.”

Even in the years following his retirement, Davis has served as an example for the younger generation of players when it comes to staying involved within the NBA off-court community and activities.

Davis served as a host for a competition put on by the NBA Foundation and the LA Clippers.

The All-Star pitch competition brought Los Angeles-based companies focused on driving community impact to pitch innovation solutions to a panel of business leaders, investors and other entrepreneurs.

The competitors are competing for $200,000 in total cash prizes.

“What is super exciting is that there are so many young and great minds, especially in this city of Los Angeles, that are building businesses that can be extremely explosive and that can create a lot of jobs,” Davis said. “What the NBA is doing with the foundation and really pouring into the entrepreneurs is not just with the competition, but it's also the time and the platform they are allowing them to stand on.”

Who will play in the NBA Rising Stars Game?

Team Melo: Cooper Flagg, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, Jeremiah Fears, Donovan Clingan, Collin Murray-Boyles

Team T-Mac: Kon Knueppel, Kel’el Ware, Alex Sarr, Tre  Johnson, Ajay Mitchell, Jaylon Tyson, Cam Spencer.

Team Vince: VJ Edgecombe, Derik Queen, Kyshawn George, Matas Buzelis, Egor Demin, Cedric Coward, Jaylen Wells.

Team Austin: Sean East II, Ron Harper Jr., Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Alijah Martin, Tristen Newton, Yang Hansen, Mac McClung, David Jones Garcia.

NBA Rising Stars Game Schedule

• Game 1: Team Melo vs. Team Austin
• Game 2: Team Vince vs. Team T-Mac
• Rising Stars Championship: (G1 winner vs. G2 winner)

How to watch NBA Rising Stars Game?

• When: Friday, Feb. 13, 6 p.m. PT (9 p.m. ET)
• TV/Stream: Peacock
• Where: Intuit Dome (Inglewood, California) | Tickets

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA Rising Stars Challenge rosters set for NBA All-Star Weekend

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Liverpool's season has been far from perfect. Now coach Arne Slot says the remainder of the campaign will have to be near-faultless if the defending Premier League champion is to secure Champions League qualification.

It says everything about Liverpool's ever-worsening title defense that Slot is focusing on a top-four finish with 13 rounds still to play.

But Sunday's dramatic 2-1 loss to Manchester City was the Merseysiders' eighth defeat in the league this season and left them 17 points adrift of first-place Arsenal.

Liverpool is still in the Champions League and the FA Cup, so there is a lot yet to play for. But in the Premier League, at least, Slot, who won the title in his debut season last year, has had to lower his sights.

Speaking ahead of Wednesday's game at Sunderland, Slot said his team had to be “close to perfection” to secure a place in next season's Champions League.

The top four places qualify for European club soccer's elite competition. England is likely to receive a fifth spot because of the performances of English teams in Europe this season.

Liverpool is sixth — five points behind Manchester United in fourth — and four back from fifth-place Chelsea.

“So to close the gap of four or five points towards the number three, four or five that means you have to win a lot,” Slot said Tuesday. “And that’s not what we’ve done this season a lot, so that’s why that has to be better and we have to come close to perfection.

“If we don’t have Champions League football it has definitely not been an acceptable season.”

Liverpool has won one of its last seven Premier League games and Slot said it was the most challenging season he has had as a coach.

“The players are not used to losing a lot or having a lot of draws. I’m not used to that as well,” he said. "It’s always more of a challenge after you lose a game of football to get them going again than after a win (and) telling them we were not as good as they might think they were.

“So, yes, this season has been more challenging for me as well, but you also take nice things out of it, weird (as) that may sound because I also look at how much improvement we are making.”

___

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

The NBA trade deadline charts the course for the rest of the season, and now it’s in the rearview mirror ahead of the 2026 playoffs. In the wake of the trade wreckage, there’s a small inner circle of championship contenders, and a slightly larger group of teams with a puncher’s chance of winning it all. Some teams, even good ones, realized they probably have no shot at the title, so they decided to simply cut their payroll or make smaller moves around the margins that could impact the roster next year. Then there are the teams whose top objective was maximizing their ping-pong balls for the upcoming NBA Draft lottery for a stacked 2026 class with three potential No. 1 overall talents leading the way. Read our latest 2026 NBA mock draft for more on this class.

It was easy to see a massive tank race eventually forming even before this season started. Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, Duke forward Cameron Boozer, and BYU wing A.J. Dybantsa were all no-brainer elite prospects coming out of high school who were destined to leave NBA GMs salivating. When North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson and Houston guard Kingston Flemings also emerged as excellent prospects in their own right, the 2026 draft had a legit top-5 that rivals any in my 13 years on the beat here.

The current NBA rookie class is already so good, and next year’s could be even better. As the trades were going down on deadline day, I noticed there were a ton of teams incentivized to lose every game the rest of the season if they could. It might be even worse than it looks:

We are about to see the gnarliest tank race in NBA history. The bottom 8 teams + the Bulls + the Bucks if they can pacify Giannis would all prefer to lose every game the rest of the season. There is no competitive integrity to be found here. pic.twitter.com/BnNhTNT1NU

— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) February 5, 2026

Three of the biggest trades at the deadline involved tanking teams as buyers: the Jazz acquired Jaren Jackson Jr. for a package headlined by three future first-round picks, the Wizards made a shocking deal for Anthony Davis, the Pacers went out and got Ivica Zubac for two premium future first round picks. Does that mean that these teams are going to start trying to win games immediately?

Of course not! Utah’s pick is top-8 protected to the Thunder, and they just pulled all of their starters with a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost. The Wizards have already indicated Davis and Trae Young probably won’t play a game for the organization this season. Zubac had been healthy and productive for the Clippers this season, and now the Pacers will have to figure out how to proceed with him after trading a top-4 protected 2026 first-round pick that morphs into an unprotected 2031 first-rounder if it lands in the protected zone.

NBA draft lottery odds by spot and rules

The bottom three teams all have a 14 percent chance at the No. 1 overall pick and a 52.1 percent chance to land in the top-four. Final lottery positioning is still important: teams can only fall a maximum of four spots after the lottery, meaning the team that finishes with the worst record can do no worse than the No. 5 pick, the team with the second-worst record can’t fall further than No. 6, and so on.

Here are the odds for the No. 1 pick and each top-4 slot from every spot in the lottery:

At this point, the entire bottom-10 is incentivized to try to lose out. Let’s run through the stakes for each team looking at the standings as of Tuesday morning:

1. Sacramento Kings (12-43): Tried to win with veterans like Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, Russell Westbrook, and DeMar DeRozan, but never had any chance. The roster never fit, and most of the key pieces struggle to impact winning despite putting up solid numbers. This tank is as ethical as it gets, but this franchise just feels hopeless.
2. Indiana Pacers (13-40): Gap year without Tyrese Haliburton. Pick is traded to the Clippers for Zubac, 1-4 protected. The Pacers basically decided they only want Boozer, Peterson, Dybantsa, or Wilson, and were otherwise willing to give up the pick. Pacers brass is going to be watching the lottery with bated breath. Indy deserves lottery luck more than any other team after watching Haliburton get hurt in Game 7 of the NBA Finals last year.
3. Washington Wizards (14-38): The Wizards will be resting Trae Young and Anthony Davis the rest of the season it seems. Washington’s rebuild could suddenly look really interesting if they can land inside the top-4.
4. New Orleans Pelicans (15-40) -> Atlanta Hawks: The Pelicans traded their unprotected 2026 first-round pick to Atlanta to move up to select Derik Queen. New Orleans was always in danger of being horrible this season, and that’s exactly what happened. The Hawks played their cards perfectly and could luck into a top prospect without tanking.
5. Brooklyn Nets (15-37): The Nets owe a pick swap to the Houston Rockets next year, so they need lottery luck now while they can still get it.
6. Utah Jazz (16-37): The Jazz are blatantly tanking by resting their starters in the fourth quarter. The Jazz would seemingly love to keep Dybantsa in Utah.
7. Dallas Mavericks (19-33): The Mavs have to get lucky in the lottery too without control of their first-round pick until 2031 due to trades the franchise made to build around Luka Doncic. Whoops. Dallas cashed in on a 1.8 percent chance from the No. 11 spot last year to Cooper Flagg, and needs to find him a co-star this year.
8. Memphis Grizzlies (20-31): Traded Jaren Jackson Jr. after trading Desmond Bane over the summer. The Grizzlies are loaded with future picks and are set to rebuild around Zach Edey, Cedric Coward, and the rest of their young core.
9. Milwaukee Bucks (21-30): The Bucks can pick as high as No. 2 this year with lottery luck, because the Hawks have the most favorable of their pick and the Pelicans’ pick. The front office probably wants the team to try to lose out, but will Giannis Antetokounmpo push them to compete if he comes back healthy?
10. Chicago Bulls (24-30): The Bulls have refused to tank for years, but finally played the role of sellers at the trade deadline. If the NBA wants to reward teams who don’t lose on purpose, the Bulls deserve some lottery luck. They haven’t had a top-3 pick since they selected Derrick Rose at No. 1 in 2008 despite having the NBA’s fifth-worst cumulative record since the start of the 2017-2018 season. The Bulls have some solid role players, but they haven’t had a superstar in a long, long time.

The NBA’s tanking problem could solve itself after this year … for a little bit

Why did the Jazz and Wizards both make win-now trades for veterans after being long-time tanking teams? My theory is because the 2027 NBA Draft doesn’t look like it’s worth tanking for. While we knew prospects like Victor Wembanyama, Cooper Flagg, and Cameron Boozer were studs by the time they were sophomores in high school, there’s no one that looks the part of a future NBA superstar yet in the current senior class. I’d say the top prospects in 2027 right now are Tyran Stokes, Caleb Holt, and Anthony Thompson, but none of them are even close to a sure thing. The 2028 NBA Draft also doesn’t have an obvious top prospect at this point.

Obviously, a lot can change between now and the day of the 2027 and 2028 drafts, but at this point I’m expecting weaker classes the next two years. I want to stress I could be very wrong about that, but it’s just how it feels right now based on the top player juniors and seniors plus the international classes. My guess is the Wizards and Jazz wouldn’t have made their deadline deals if another Wembanyama or Flagg was coming next year.

Every draft has good players, even bad ones. I covered the 2013 NBA Draft here when Anthony Bennett went No. 1. That was a bad draft. It also had two Hall of Famers picked after the lottery in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Rudy Gobert, plus a ton of solid players mixed in. My two cents is that every draft has good players, but not every draft is worth tanking for.

The NBA has already introduced anti-tanking measures this year. These are all up for debate:

Shams: NBA looking into ways to prevent teams from tanking.

Proposed ideas include:
– Limiting pick protections to either top 4 or 14 and higher
– Not allowing a team to draft in the top 4 in consecutive years
– Locking lottery positions after March 1

— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) December 23, 2025

There’s nothing the NBA can do this year to discourage tanking. I predict the next two years won’t have anything like this tank race.

The lottery has given us some true stunners in recent years. The Hawks moved from No. 10 in the lottery to the No. 1 pick in 2024. The Mavericks moved up from No. 11 to win the rights to Cooper Flagg. That’s some hope to cling to for Chicago, Milwaukee, and Memphis right now.

Most teams still have about 30 games left before the end of the year. That means there’s going to be a lot of bad basketball in the name of trying to get the best odds possible to land a top prospect. I don’t think this will be an issue every year, but there’s no saving the NBA’s competitive integrity for the rest of this season.