Category: Basketball

The Los Angeles Lakers are currently in the midst of their toughest stretch of the season. 

Starting last Thursday in Denver, nine of their next 11 games were against playoff teams with six of eight against teams currently bunched up with them in the Western Conference standings. 

With 18 games remaining, the NBA’s marathon 82-game season is now a sprint to the finish — that magical time when fans begin squinting at the standings like stockbrokers watching a volatile market.

Every win feels like leverage.

Every loss feels like disaster.

The next nine days could decide if the Lakers will have homecourt advantage in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

But that begs the question: Do the Lakers need or want homecourt advantage in the first round of the NBA Playoffs?

The answer might surprise you.

No. Not really. 

Of course, if you ask any player or coach publicly, they’ll say the right things. Homecourt advantage matters. The crowd helps bring energy. Sticking to your normal routine helps. Sleeping in your own bed helps.

All of that is true.

But the reality of the NBA playoffs — especially in the Western Conference — is that matchups and health matter far more than geography.

Right now, the Lakers sit in the middle of the Western Conference traffic jam. Seeds three through six are separated by a single game heading into action Monday night. Oklahoma City and San Antonio have already pulled away at the top like two sports cars leaving a crowded freeway.

Everyone else is stuck jockeying for position.

The Lakers are currently tied with Denver for fifth. Minnesota currently sits in third. Houston sits in fourth just a half-game ahead of the Lakers.

Over the next nine days, the Lakers will face all of them.

Minnesota on Tuesday. Denver on Saturday. Then two back-to-back road games in Houston.

If the Lakers win their next five games, they will sit alone in third place with homecourt advantage in the first round in their control.

“It’s not something we’re focused on, but we’re definitely aware of,” said Lakers’ guard Marcus Smart about the upcoming stretch. “My experience, we got to focus on one game at a time…We don’t have the luxury to look ahead. We definitely got to take it one game at a time and handle business.”

Handling business is great, but let’s pause for a moment and remember something.

This is exactly what happened last season.

With 18 games to go last year, the Lakers found themselves in fourth place in a crowded Western Conference. Seeds two through eight were separated by four games, with two through five separated by just 1.5 games. Everyone wanted the Lakers to finish second or third. 

When the dust settled, they finished third in the West and earned homecourt advantage in the first round.

And it didn’t matter one bit.

Minnesota walked into Crypto.com Arena in Game 1 and punched the Lakers in the mouth. The Timberwolves blew them out in front of their own crowd. The Lakers recovered to win Game 2, but the rest of the series unraveled quickly.

They lost the series in five games, including two of their three home games,

So much for homecourt advantage.

Last season the Lakers were dominant in Los Angeles, finishing 31–10 at home — the second-best home record in the Western Conference behind the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

It looked impressive in the standings, but it meant nothing in April. It rarely does when the matchup is wrong.

And matchups are exactly what the Lakers should be studying during this upcoming stretch, not necessarily results. 

With a month left in the regular season this team is still figuring itself out. Their home record is already worse than last season at 20-12. That’s the 12th best home record in the NBA. Their road record is ranked higher.

LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves — arguably the most fascinating offensive trio in the conference — have played only a little over a dozen games together. The chemistry is improving, but playoff basketball demands instinctive trust.

The kind that comes from repetition.

The next nine days will act as a scouting report for April. The Lakers will see how they match up against Minnesota’s size and length, Denver’s experience, and Houston’s relentless athleticism.

These games are not just about wins and losses.

They’re about gathering information. They’re about discovering which lineups survive when the game slows down. They’re about understanding which defensive matchups can lock-up their opponent during a seven-game series.

“This could be a perfect time or not,” Doncic said about the upcoming schedule. “Just gotta approach those games with the same mentality. Obviously, every one of those teams has great players. They’re winning games. So we need to go game by game first of all, and then just try to win all those games.”

If the Lakers secure the No. 3 seed, great. They’ll happily take the home games.

But if they finish fifth, avoid the play-in tournament, and have a more favorable matchup?

That’s perfectly fine too.

Because the truth about playoff basketball is brutally simple.

It isn’t about where you play. It’s about who you play — and whether you’re healthy enough to beat them.

LeBron is dealing with a banged up elbow and arthritic feet. Maxi Kleber has a bad back. Ayton is dealing with a gimpy knee. Reaves is only a few weeks removed from a calf strain that cost him nearly half the season.

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So if you’re a Lakers fan nervously watching the standings every night, take a breath.

Yes, winning these next five games would be a statement. Yes, climbing to third place would look nice on the bracket.

But the real goal isn’t seeding.

It’s survival.

Stay out of the play-in tournament. Build chemistry between LeBron, Luka, and Reaves. Get Ayton playing like “DominAyton” again.

And most importantly — arrive to the postseason healthy.

Do that, and homecourt advantage becomes a luxury.

Fail to do it, and homecourt becomes nothing more than a pretty backdrop for another team’s celebration.

The NBA has cancelled plans by the Atlanta Hawks to hold a promotional collaboration with a strip club at one of their games next week.

The Hawks had intended to partner with Atlanta-based adult entertainment venue Magic City for the visit of Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference on 16 March.

There were no plans to host adult entertainment at the Hawks' State Farm Arena home before, during or after the game but concerns arose at the NBA over the idea of partnering with a strip club.

The Hawks had described Magic City as an "iconic cultural institution" in a story on their website promoting the event and had announced plans relating to food, music and merchandise as part of a "Magic City Monday" in-arena experience.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the league "reached out to the Hawks leadership" in order to "better understand their plans and rationale" before deciding to step in.

"While we appreciate the team's perspective and their desire to move forward, we have heard significant concerns from a broad array of league stakeholders, including fans, partners and employees," Silver said.

"I believe canceling this promotion is the right decision for the broader NBA community."

The Hawks said that they were "disappointed" by the NBA's decision but "fully respect" it.

A statement added: "As a franchise we remain committed to celebrating the best of Atlanta - with authenticity - in ways that continue to unite and brings us all together."

The Spurs have won 15 of their last 16 and are only two games behind the Thunder on the loss column. Can they take the top seed in the West? And should they go for it even if it means playing their starters more?

Mark Barrington: I don’t think they ‘go for it’ in the sense that they change their strategy for the final stretch of games going into the playoffs. They’re comfortably in the top four and will have at least one home playoff series. They’re going to concentrate on continuing to improve and staying healthy. It’s entirely possible that that could result in a first-place finish in the west, but that’s not the primary goal.

Bill Huan: I can’t see that happening. The discourse about the Spurs potentially securing the top seed over a dominant regular-season team is reminiscent of the 2016-17 season, when they were within a game or two of the Warriors before Golden State pulled away. Oklahoma City has held its best punch for months now, prioritizing health. They’re still ahead, and I fully expect them to start rounding into playoff form and dominate games again before the postseason.

As for the minutes, the only player I’ll be monitoring for that is Wemby. He needs to be able to handle a load in the low-mid thirties for the Spurs to maximize their potential this season, and everyone else on the team seems to be in a good spot already. 

Devon Birdsong: I think if there’s anything we’ve learned over the last several seasons, it’s that the Spurs have their timelines and guardrails in place, and they’re not going to deviate from them unless they see a clear (risk-limited) advantage in doing so. Unless they’re within a game of the Thunder in the final weeks of the stretch run, I just don’t see them making a special effort to do so from a front-office/coaching perspective. However, you can never count out what the players and their on-court performances might lead to. They clearly have their own desires and goals, and the way they’re pursuing them has already put them in a place that has (on some level) surpassed even the most optimistic of the front office’s projections. I think the most likely scenario is that they’ll start resting players once/if their position as a 2nd seed is solidified down the home stretch. However, if this hot streak keeps up, I would not be shocked to find them fighting for the #1 seed, which really says everything about this team. 

Jeje Gomez: If the top seed is attainable in the last few games, they should probably go for it. The play-in games mean more rest before the start of the playoffs, so a few extra minutes shouldn’t matter that much. Some of the last few games could be tough, but they are at home. The top seed would guarantee that they wouldn’t have to face the Thunder until the conference finals and would pit them against the lesser of the play-in teams, but, more importantly, taking those last few games as must-wins could prepare them for the postseason. It would make no sense to risk injury, but tightening up an already shrinking rotation even more could put them in a playoff mindset, which could help such a young team.

The Spurs have lost to the Knicks twice this season. Bad luck, or is there anything about them that makes them a bad matchup for San Antonio?

Barrington: The Knicks are a veteran team with an incredible on-court leader in Jalen Brunson. Brunson can impose his will, and his team has the size and shooting to cause the Spurs problems, with KAT limiting the strategy of having Wemby lay off of his man and protect the rim. I think the Spurs are learning on the fly to gain the mental resilience to take on the veteran leadership of Brunson, but they still don’t have a big forward to counter Towns, who is too quick for a French Vanilla lineup to work. If the Spurs meet them in the playoffs, it will be a tough matchup, but I’d take it, because that would mean that the Spurs were in the NBA finals, about 2-3 years before I would have predicted that in my most optimistic scenarios. 

Huan: Two games are too small a sample size to come to definitive conclusions, but it does appear like OG’s defense on Wemby is the x-factor. In a 7-game series where the Spurs can come up with a better gameplan, I think things would be a lot closer, and it would obviously mean that they made it to the finals. I’m not worried about the matchup in the slightest, and if I need to be in the future, it would mean that this Spurs team is four games away from a championship. 

Birdsong: There’s certainly some bad luck involved, but it really comes down to three factors. 1. The Spurs are still inconsistent defending the three, and the Knicks have a roster that can really pour them on. 2. Jalen Brunson is one of the few guards who has enough savvy and grit to successfully fight through and counter Stephon Castle’s defense. 3. And most importantly, Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the few big men whose long-distance shooting can warp San Antonio’s preferred defensive schemes. That shooting forces the Spurs to either let Wemby pursue him to the perimeter, opening up the post for exploitation, or stay home and allow Towns to benefit from the Spurs’ weak spot at power forward. Towns has shot 40% from three in 3 of their last 4 games against each other, and there’s no other player on the roster big enough and fast enough to trouble Towns, which has been making him (and the Knicks) a matchup nightmare for San Antonio. 

Gomez: It’s a bad matchup. Teams with stretch bigs and big wings tend to give the Spurs trouble because they expose the lack of length at the forward spots and force Wemby to either step outside or roam, which surprisingly confuses him at times, as he seems at his best when he’s directly involved in plays. But what makes the Knicks a worse matchup than most is their offensive rebounding. Towns is not only an elite shooter, but he has been crashing the glass well, and Mitchell Robinson is arguably the best offensive rebounder in the world. Worrying about New York doesn’t make much sense since they won’t be a playoff rival unless the two teams make the finals, but they do offer others a blueprint on how to beat San Antonio.

Assuming the Spurs stay in one of the top two spots, which potential play-in team would you like them to face in the first round?

Barrington: I think I’d be happy with a Suns matchup. The Spurs have lost two games to them, but I think that could work in the Silver and Black’s favor, as they’ll be motivated to play with maximum effort from the start. Also, the Suns seem to be having a bit of internal dissension, and that might make them a little easier to beat. 

The other likely matchup for the Spurs would be the Warriors, and I think they might be a tougher out, especially if Steph Curry is healthy. Really, the dream scenario for the Spurs in the first round is a sweep with everyone healthy, and a good rest before the second round starts, and that would be extremely unlikely against a healthy Golden State squad. 

If I were just looking for a fun series, I’d ask for the Trail Blazers, who are punching above their weight in the Western Conference Standings. But I don’t see them winning two play-in games against any of the possible opponents. The Clippers are probably the best team in the play-in range of any of the current four, but by the end of the season, I expect that they’ll be either in the top 6 or out of the play-in tournament completely, depending on Kawhi’s health. There’s no middle ground for them.

Huan: Out of all the options, I’d feel the best facing Portland. Deni is their lone reliable creator, and he’s having back issues. Frankly, I don’t want to see a red-hot Clippers team or a potential Warriors squad getting back a refreshed Steph. Phoenix would be a tough out too, given how much trouble they’ve created for Wemby this year, and the West is suddenly looking much deeper than it did earlier in the season. 

Birdsong: I really would prefer for them to avoid the Warriors and the Clippers, so that really only leaves Portland and Phoenix, and out of those two, I think Portland would be the better option. The Spurs would probably need to land the #1 seed for that to happen, though. By default, I think it’s going to be Phoenix. And honestly, that might be a good first-round matchup for the Spurs, because that’s not a team they can succeed against if they get sloppy. Also, I love the opportunity the Spurs would have to make Phoenix fans miserable. Sorry, can’t teach this old dog new tricks (or get him to let old rivalries go). 

Gomez: The obvious answer is Portland. They just don’t have enough shot creation to win a playoff series unless everything breaks right for them, but that’s also the reason why they are unlikely to come out of the play-in. Out of the other three teams, the Warriors give the Spurs trouble because they can play five-out and lure opponents into shooting contests, and the Clippers have a stretch big and the type of perimeter length that the Knicks also have. So the preferred option would be Phoenix, which has Spurs-killer Jalen Green, but also traditional bigs for Wemby to guard.

There’s a surprise inclusion on the Bucks’ initial injury report ahead of tomorrow night’s matchup with the Suns: forward Taurean Prince is questionable to play. Prince has missed the last four months after appearing in Milwaukee’s first eight contests off the bench. That’s 55 games in total.

You’ll recall that TP, a major fixture of last year’s starting lineup, underwent neck surgery on November 13th. He’s seen zero action since their loss to Toronto on November 4th, after which he was listed as out with a neck strain. From what it sounded like in Doc Rivers press conferences, they thought it was serious, and sure enough, it turned out to be a herniated disc. A few weeks post-operation, the soon-to-be 32-year-old vowed that he’d play again.

In December, the Bucks reportedly applied for a disabled player exception in light of Prince’s surgery, indicating they believed he could be done for the season. For the exception to be granted, an NBA-designated physician must determine that the player is “substantially more likely than not” to be out through at least June 15th of any league year. Now, most of these exceptions—if approved—are never used because they do not grant teams an additional standard roster spot. They only allow teams to sign a replacement player for the lesser of 50% of the injured player’s salary or the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception. The latter is $14.1m, and given Prince’s $3.6m salary, Milwaukee’s exception would have been worth only $1.8m, only about $600k more than the rookie minimum salary.

Since they applied, there’s been no word on whether their request was approved or denied, but we can close the book on it now. Perhaps a physician determined that Prince could play again this season, which may prove correct very soon. TP’s done on-court work at practices and before games for a while now, though there had been no rehab assignment to the G League or any indication he was getting close. For a Bucks team that isn’t as starved for wing depth as they were to begin the year, he’s still a welcome body who maybe defends a little, but definitely shoots. On 4.2 attempts per game, he shot 43.9% from three last year, good for third-best leaguewide.

Prince is in the first year of a two-year, veteran’s minimum contract, with a $3.8m player option for 2026–27. He’ll certainly face a minute restriction, and the Bucks’ 19 remaining games may not give him much chance to reestablish enough value for a trip to the open market, so he may opt in once that decision is due in late June. On the other hand, his projected minimum salary for next year is $3.9m—an $85k raise—and all 30 teams can pay him that money with the minimum salary exception. Despite the long injury layoff, he still seems likely to find a minimum deal somewhere if he chooses to leave, given the recent shooting prowess.

Regardless, congrats to Prince for completing his rehab and seeing an NBA floor again before the season is out. Neck injuries, especially when a disk is involved, have curtailed many careers—just ask Marques Johnson. I doubt TP displaces Ousmane Dieng or Kyle Kuzma from the starting lineup or rotation, but Milwaukee will at least now have the size to avoid playing guards like AJ Green out of position as often.

LONDON (AP) — West Ham will face Leeds United in the FA Cup quarterfinals after beating Brentford 5-3 in a penalty shootout following a 2-2 draw after 90 minutes and extra time on Monday.

The tie was decided when stationary West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola saved Dango Ouattara’s woefully taken Panenka effort in the shootout.

His effort, the third of Brentford’s five, was the only penalty kick not converted.

The finale came at the end of a pulsating match that featured two goals apiece from West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen and Brentford’s Igor Thiago.

A regular talisman for the Hammers, Bowen got the opener after 19 minutes when he reacted quickly to a loose ball in the box to slam it past 'keeper Caoimhin Kelleher.

Thiago equalized for Brentford nine minutes later but West Ham was ahead again before halftime when Bowen coolly converted a penalty kick.

The second half failed to live up to the high standards set in the opening 45 minutes but another penalty decision proved key.

Thiago got his double from the spot with nine minutes remaining after Crysencio Summerville was adjudged to have pushed Michael Kayode. It was Thiago's 20th goal of the season in all competitions.

The result means West Ham has needed extra time or penalties to win all three of it FA Cup ties thus far but that will bother neither the players nor coach Nuno Espirito Santos.

They can look forward to an enticing home game against Leeds, one of the two all-Premier League encounters. The other has Manchester City facing Liverpool on the weekend of April 4-5.

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

The day didn’t get off to a great start, as the Nets announced that Egor Demin will miss the remainder of the season with plantar fascia. Otherwise, Nets fans are looking at development for the others and lottery odds.

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🏀 KEY INFO

Who: Memphis Grizzlies (23-39) at Brooklyn Nets (16-47)
When: 7:30 PM ET
Watch: YES Network

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💬 DISCUSSION

Share your thoughts and react, but please be respectful. NetsDaily prides itself on being a safe space for Nets and basketball fans alike to have healthy conversation. Reach out to Anthony Puccio or Net Income with any issues.

Monday's status report pic.twitter.com/5CWatByNZ6

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) March 9, 2026

Status Report: @memgrizz at @BrooklynNets, March 9: pic.twitter.com/rybhFl9p1D

— Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) March 8, 2026

The mostly healthy Cleveland Cavaliers take on the not at all healthy Philadelphia 76ers.

I’ll be in the comments throughout the game sharing my thoughts. Feel free to join in on the conversation and let your voice be heard in the comments below.

Go Cavs!

The Utah Jazz are waiving Vince Williams, league sources told @hoopshype. WIlliams previously suffered a torn ACL and is out for the rest of the season. He’s averaged 7.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 21.3 minutes per game in four seasons with the Grizzlies and Jazz.

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) March 9, 2026

It’s been reported by multiple outlets now that the Utah Jazz have waived Vince Williams Jr. The news was expected; Williams Jr. tore his left ACL after colliding with Houston Rockets Forward Tari Eason on February 23rd. After being acquired with Jaren Jackson Jr. in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies, Williams Jr. only appeared in 6 contests for the Jazz before the injury where he averaged 4.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game in 14 minutes of action a night.

After spending four years at VCU, Vince spent most of his pro career in Memphis playing sporadic minutes, but found moderate success in the Grizzlies injury riddled 2023-2024 season. That year he was a bit of a utility player averaging 10 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.6 stocks per game. His true “calling card” was his reliable backup ballhandling with occasional playmaking masterclass performances like when he had 17 assists against the Pelicans or 15 assists against the Kings.

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The release comes at a time where the Jazz are also battling the injury bug and they will now need to add a player to the roster to finish out the season to be in compliance with the NBA’s minimum roster requirements. The team themselves have not announced the move at the time of writing but I do expect it within the coming hours.

I was certainly a fan of his time in Utah and viewed him as a serviceable bench player that we could have had a role for next year. With the timing of the injury and the recovery time required it is unlikely that we’ll get to see him on the court next year, but I hope that once he is healthy he’s able to get on a roster and prove what he can do.

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Now that leaves us with an open roster spot. Who do you think the Jazz should sign for the rest of the year? Who would you like to see the most in a Jazz uniform or who do you think we should give a chance to (potentially for a roster spot next season)? Sound off in the comments with your suggestions! Be kind, tell someone you love them.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Espanyol and Real Oviedo drew 1-1 in a game that extended Espanyol’s winless La Liga run to 10 matches and left Oviedo rooted to the bottom of the table on Monday.

Oviedo came into the game without a win in five but took the lead after eight minutes through Alberto Reina.

However, Espanyol was on top and got a deserved equalizer nine minutes before halftime thanks to Kike Garcia.

Espanyol continued to control the play in the second half and finished with 26 shots to Oviedo’s six. But neither side could find the net again.

A point was a meagre outcome for both clubs and left Oviedo four points adrift at the bottom of La Liga.

Espanyol, meanwhile, has yet to win this year but remains in seventh thanks to a good start to its campaign.

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

The NBA has canceled a controversial Atlanta Hawks in-game promotion centered around a local area strip club.

The league made the announcement Monday, March 9, citing “significant concerns.” The promotion had been scheduled to take place in a week, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Monday, March 16, during a game against the Orlando Magic.

“When we became aware of the Atlanta Hawks’ scheduled promotion, we reached out to Hawks leadership to better understand their plans and rationale,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Monday in a statement. “While we appreciate the team’s perspective and their desire to move forward, we have heard significant concerns from a broad array of league stakeholders, including fans, partners and employees. I believe canceling this promotion is the right decision for the broader NBA community.”

The promotion was supposed to be a one-night collaboration with prominent Atlanta strip club, Magic City, in what the team was characterizing as an in-game celebration of hip-hop called “Magic City Monday.”

In its initial promotion, the team avoided referring to the establishment as a strip club, choosing instead to lable it an “iconic cultural institution.” The Hawks were set to highlight its “world famous” chicken wings. As part of the promotion, Magic City Kitchen was set to serve two versions of their lemon pepper wings, Louwill Lemon Pepper BBQ, named after Atlanta-native and three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year-winner Lou Williams, and traditional lemon pepper.

Williams famously couldn't help but visit the spot for its wings in 2020 when he was excused from the NBA Bubble in Orlando to attend a funeral, while everyone was social distancing due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The moment went viral after a photo he snapped with rapper Jack Harlow during the visit was posted to social media.

Williams received a 10-day quarantine for violating safety protocols but maintains that the league's focus was on him going to a strip club rather than his real reason for going – the food.

The incident did two things: birthed the nickname "Lemon Pepper Lou" and also cemented Magic City's kitchen as the stuff of NBA and Atlanta legend.

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Atlanta rapper and entrepreneur T.I. was expected to perform at halftime. The Hawks were also planning to sell a limited edition hooded sweatshirt with “MAGIC CITY” emblazoned across the chest.

“From the food to the music and the exclusive merchandise, we are excited to team up with Magic City to create an authentic, True to Atlanta-inspired game experience,” Hawks executive vice president and chief marketing officer Melissa Proctor said Feb. 26 in a news release.

The promotion drew a mixed reaction from players and fans. San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet wrote and published an open letter posted to Medium Monday, March 2, asking the Hawks to reconsider.

“The NBA should desire to protect and esteem women, many of whom work diligently every day to make this the best basketball league in the world,” Kornet wrote. “We should promote an atmosphere that is protective and respectful of the daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners that we know and love.

“Allowing this night to go forward without protest would reflect poorly on us as an NBA community, specifically in being complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women in our society.”

Kornets’ perspective split the NBA world, with some feeling that his stance was dismissive of the cultural impact of Magic City on the hip-hop scene in Atlanta.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Atlanta Hawks' Magic City Monday promotion with strip club canceled

ROME (AP) — A stoppage time goal from Adam Marušić gave Lazio a 2-1 win over Sassuolo and snapped its four-game winless streak in Serie A on Monday.

Marušić headed in his first goal of the season after 90+3 minutes.

Lazio had not won since January or scored in over a month but Daniel Maldini opened the scoring two minutes after kickoff.

The son of AC Milan great Paolo Maldini pounced on a loose ball to fire home from close range.

However, Sassuolo’s in-form winger Armand Laurienté equalized just before halftime with a well-placed drive from 12 meters out. It upped his recent stats to two goals and four assists in his last four league games.

Lazio had the lion’s share of the chances but its toothlessness in front of goal looked to be its undoing once again until Marušić popped up in the final seconds.

The result lifted the capital side one place into 10th, a point and a place behind Sassuolo.

It was only the second defeat in seven games for Sassuolo.

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

The NBA has called off the Atlanta Hawks’ plans for a night celebrating the city’s famed Magic City strip club, saying it did so because of “concerns” from many across the league.

Atlanta announced the plan last month, saying the team would pay tribute to an “iconic cultural institution” with food – including the club’s famous lemon pepper wings – along with a live music performance by Atlanta native TI and exclusive merchandise.

After the Hawks announced plans for the promotion, San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet spoke out about the idea and urged the parties involved to reconsider. And the league evidently heard the same messaging from others.

Related: Luke Kornet says Atlanta Hawks’ theme night with strip club Magic City objectifies women

“When we became aware of the Atlanta Hawks’ scheduled promotion, we reached out to Hawks leadership to better understand their plans and rationale,” Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “While we appreciate the team’s perspective and their desire to move forward, we have heard significant concerns from a broad array of league stakeholders, including fans, partners and employees. I believe canceling this promotion is the right decision for the broader NBA community.”

The Hawks had no immediate comment. The tribute game had been scheduled for next Monday against the Orlando Magic.

Kornet wrote in a Medium post that it “would reflect poorly on us as an NBA community, specifically in being complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women in our society”.

“We desire to provide an environment where fans of all ages can safely come and enjoy the game of basketball and where we can celebrate the history and culture of communities in good conscience,” he wrote. “The celebration of a strip club is not conduct aligned with that vision.”

Al Horford, the Golden State Warriors center who played nine seasons for the Hawks, reposted Kornet’s letter with the caption, “Well said Luke”.

Rappers Drake, Quavo and 2 Chainz have praised Magic City’s impact on music and celebrity culture. Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal have also visited, while MLS’s Atlanta United celebrated their 2018 title at the club.

Hawks principal owner Jami Gertz was a producer for a five-part docuseries that explored Magic City’s history, its place in Black and hip-hop culture and what it means to the city.

“This collaboration and theme night is very meaningful to me after all the work that we did to put together ‘Magic City: An American Fantasy,’” Gertz, who is also a film-maker and actor, said when the promotion was announced. “The iconic Atlanta institution has made such an incredible impact on our city and its unique culture.”

The Terry Rozier saga between the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets has come to a close.

Charlotte will send a second-round selection in the 2026 NBA Draft to Miami as part of the dispute concerning the January 2024 trade that shipped Rozier to the Heat, two people with direct knowledge of the matter confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.

The people spoke under the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter.

Charlotte had held multiple second-round picks in the draft; the pick sent to Miami will be the more favorable one that originally belonged to the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets.

The decision was announced in a league memo sent to all NBA general managers.

Neither the NBA nor the Hornets disclosed information to the Heat about irregular betting activity around Rozier’s performance during a March 23, 2023 game prior to the trade. The Heat had no knowledge about the suspicious betting activity raised in March 2023 by integrity monitoring services, nor did the Heat have knowledge about the subsequent federal investigation into Rozier until both became public in January 2025.

According to the NBA’s constitution and by-laws, when a trade is executed, the general managers of all teams involved are required to first send an email with the terms to the NBA league office.

Then, representatives from each team jump on a “trade conference call” with the league office that includes league lawyers. The call is recorded and the terms of the deal, including the terms of each player contract involved, are read aloud.

It is during these calls when pertinent medical information is discussed. One section in the constitution states that teams are prohibited from making “any other material misrepresentation or fail to disclose any other material information during the Trade Call.”

Once the terms are agreed upon, teams must certify that there are no other terms that were not mentioned and agreed upon during the call.

Afterwards, logistics about timing of the trade announcements are discussed.

Rozier was arrested Thursday, Oct. 23 for his alleged role in an insider sports-betting scheme. He is accused of manipulating his performance during a March 23, 2023 NBA game when he was a member of the Hornets, to benefit illegal betting.

On Dec. 8, he pleaded not guilty to charges of wire fraud and money laundering.

Rozier, 31, has been away from the team as his court case proceeds.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Heat get NBA draft pick from Hornets after Terry Rozier gambling saga

The Atlanta Hawks planned ‘Magic City Night’ for March 16 during a game against the Orlando Magic to “celebrate Atlanta’s iconic cultural institution.” The Hawks lined up a special edition hoodie, planned on having legendary Atlanta rapper T.I. perform at halftime, and were set to serve Magic City’s infamous Lemon Pepper wings.

So much for that. The NBA canceled ‘Magic City Night’ a week before it was supposed to happen after criticism from San Antonio Spurs big man Luke Kornet. NBA commissioner Adam Silver did not like one of his teams honoring the famous strip club, and now it’s the celebration is over before it started. Here’s the statement from Silver on the decision:

The NBA announced it has canceled the Atlanta Hawks Magic City promotion. pic.twitter.com/KYS6L1fA9i

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) March 9, 2026

Kornet’s blog post criticizing the Hawks for ‘Magic City Night’ started a wave of attention on the Hawks’ promotion. Silver ultimately decided he wasn’t okay with it, and ‘Magic City Night’ is no more.

Atlanta, the NBA, and Magic City have been intertwined publicly since Lou Williams admitted to getting the strip club’s Lemon Pepper wings during the pandemic, which earned him a 10-day quarantine when he returned to the bubble.

Magic City is part of Atlanta’s cultural identity. It seemed like the Hawks had a creative promotion tied to a local business that would help inject some excitement during the March doldrums of the season. It’s too bad the NBA wasn’t comfortable with it. Blame or credit Luke Kornet for amplifying the conversation around this one.