SAN FRANCISCO — Dissecting the final play of the Warriors’ loss to the Rockets in Steph Curry’s return, many fans’ eyes darted to Brandin Podziemski.

The third-year guard appeared to miss Draymond Green signaling for him to come to the top of the key and act as a second screener for Curry, who was forced to take a contested look that clanked off the rim as time expired in the 117-116 defeat Sunday night.

After practice a day later, Podziemski explained why he didn’t leave his spot on the left side of the floor, where De’Anthony Melton had also initially set up.

“In those low-clock moments, you want to give your best players as much space as you can to … just make a play,” Podziemski said. “You don’t want to crowd them with bodies.”

Curry had scored eight points in the final five minutes to pull the Warriors from down double digits to within one with 11 seconds left. He brought the ball up the middle of the court, trailing Green, who attempted to free Curry from Amen Thompson.

It instead resulted in both Thompson and Green’s defender, Jabari Smith Jr., with their arms in Curry’s face as he heaved the game-winner that wasn’t to be.

Podziemski remained stationary on the left wing, even though Green appeared to motion at him as he curled to set the screen for Curry. The Warriors hoped to target Alperen Sengun, who ended up on Podziemski, but the young guard was concerned about involving a third defender.

“I think it was a little jumbled up because you had Steph coming down the middle of the floor and we had me and Melton and Draymond on the left side and I think Gary on the right side,” Podziemski said. “We all know we wanted Sengun in it. But as soon as I saw Dray go screen, I was like, ‘I’m not gonna bring a third guy into the equation.’ … 

“I don’t want to run up there with Sengun just because I have Sengun on me, to bring another guy into his airspace, so I kind of just left it be where it was.”

Curry said the plan was to get Sengun in a pick-and-roll situation. Instead, “everything kind of got a little stagnant at the top of the key,” he said. “It seemed like there was a wall at the 3-point line and I couldn’t figure out exactly where to go.”

The shot fell off iron and Curry’s return to the court received a rotten ending. With Green as their largest player on the court, they weren’t able to stop Sengun from converting in the paint to reclaim the lead after Golden State pulled ahead ever so briefly 115-114 with 20 seconds left.

“We probably could have done a couple things better on the last two possessions, one on defense and one on offense,” Kerr said. “But all in all, really, really impressive display from our guys getting back into the game, making big shots, big plays and giving ourselves a chance.”

SENGUN WITH THE GO-AHEAD BUCKET

ROCKETS GET A DEFENSIVE STOP AND WIN ON THE ROAD! pic.twitter.com/J3I5phuEuG

— NBA (@NBA) April 6, 2026

The outcome didn’t matter much in terms of the standings, but it’s worth noting that there were other factors that altered the end of the game. In the NBA’s two-minute report released Monday, the league said that two calls should have gone in the Warriors’ direction that didn’t.

Curry should have been sent to the line for an and-one after converting a layup in traffic with 1:27 left. And Sengun’s three-point play with 1:01 to go should have been wiped out by a three-second violation, according to the after-action report.

Still, Curry had the ball in his hands with the chance to win the game.

“People probably say it’s a tough shot,” Podziemski said. “But I don’t think it’s a tough shot for Steph.”

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Two teams coming off rare wins will look to make it two in a row as the Brooklyn Nets host the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.

Milwaukee is sitting much of what little talent they still have for this game, so my Bucks vs. Nets predictions are taking Brooklyn to cover.

Read on for my free NBA picks for Tuesday, April 7.

Bucks vs Nets prediction

Bucks vs Nets best bet: Nets +2 (-110)

Both of these teams are coming off wins despite playing with rosters that hardly resemble what they looked like earlier this season. The Milwaukee Bucks are counting on players like Ryan Rollins and Cormac Ryan, while the Brooklyn Nets have been led by options such as Jalen Wilson and Nolan Traore. 

The list of injuries is astounding, with Giannis Antetokunmpo, Bobby Portis, Nic Claxton, and Michael Porter Jr. among the recognizable names that won’t be playing tonight.

So how are these teams winning? By playing other teams out of the playoff race, of course.

The Bucks have recent wins over the Grizzlies and Mavericks. On the other hand, Brooklyn has gotten its recent victories over the Wizards and Kings, possibly the two teams most committed to tanking in the entire league. 

Fundamentally, the Bucks have been the better team this season, but today’s injury report has changed the calculus significantly.

Milwaukee will be without Kyle Kuzma, Myles Turner, and Ryan Rollins, all players who started in the victory over Memphis. The Bucks' one advantage was in their depth of reasonably capable role players, and now we know they’re all siting out tonight.

The Nets at least bring back the lineup that has seen some limited success in recent games, with Traore in particular showing some growth late in his rookie season.

With what passes for more talent on the court and the healthier roster, I’m taking Brooklyn to cover.

Bucks vs Nets same-game parlay

Traore has been one of the few bright spots for the Nets late in the season. He’s averaged 15.8 ppg over his last four outings, and is getting lots of shooting volume, making him a good pick to hit his scoring total tonight.

However, with the overall lack of talent on the court — especially with all the players being held out by Milwaukee — I’m taking the Under, which has hit in four of Brooklyn’s last six games.

Bucks vs Nets SGP

• Nets +2
• Under 220
• Nolan Traore Over 14.5 points

Our "from downtown" SGP: Youth is served

Let’s go all in on two of Brooklyn’s young players who have been getting significant playing time lately to hit their props.

I’m sticking with Traore to hit his scoring Over, and combining that with a bet on the 19-year-old to hit Over 1.5 threes, something he’s done in three of his last four games.

I’ll also take Wilson to dish out at least three assists after picking up four dimes against the Wizards on Sunday.

Bucks vs Nets SGP

• Nets +2
• Nolan Traore Over 14.5 points
• Nolan Traore Over 1.5 threes made
• Jalen Wilson Over 2.5 assists

Bucks vs Nets odds

• Spread: Bucks -2 | Nets +2
• Moneyline: Bucks -140 | Nets +115
• Over/Under: Over 220 | Under 220

Bucks vs Nets betting trend to know

The Nets are 6-3 ATS in their last nine overall. Find more NBA betting trends for Bucks vs. Nets.

How to watch Bucks vs Nets

Bucks vs Nets latest injuries

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It’s a jam-packed day of NBA action with 10 games on the schedule, but as is the case with late-season NBA, we’ve got a lot of massive spreads. Tonight's slate features five games with spreads at -10 or higher.

Sometimes, games with big spreads are best to attack with NBA player props. My NBA picks for today have plays in three of those games, including Ace Bailey continuing his strong play for the Jazz.

Best NBA player props today

Player	Pick
Donte DiVincenzo	Over 3.5 rebounds	+102
John Collins	Over 11.5 points	-115
Ace Bailey	Over 17.5 points	-115

Prop #1: Donte DiVincenzo Over 3.5 rebounds

+102 at bet365

The Indiana Pacers are just winding down the clock on the season. They obviously have issues everywhere, but one of the best places to exploit them is on the glass.

Indiana enters this matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves ranked 24th in opponent rebounds per game and 27th in rebounding rate since the All-Star break.

The T-wolves have an obvious rebounding props candidate in Rudy Gobert, but the big man isn’t my favorite value on the board tonight. The honor belongs to guard Donte DiVincenzo. 

While DiVincenzo hasn’t had much impact on the glass lately, he still averages 4.2 rebounds per game, and we’re getting the Over at 3.5 at plus money.

The other thing to like about this play is that the Pacers take the 12th most threes per game since coming out of the break. That means long boards to grab for DiVincenzo.

• Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: FDSN-North, FDSN-Indiana

Prop #2: Ace Bailey Over 17.5 points

-115 at bet365

The Utah Jazz have clearly gone full tank mode down the stretch, but one guy is still getting minutes and making the most of them: Ace Bailey.

Bailey is showing why he was worth a high lottery pick. He’s averaging 19.5 points per game over his last 15 games, which includes him shooting a solid 37.7% from 3-point range.

He gets an interesting matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans. New Orleans has been playing better basketball once the team got healthy, but it was too little too late, and they're out of the playoffs.

On that note, though, Trey Murphy III is out for this game, and Dejounte Murray is questionable, two of their best defenders. That’s not great for a team that still ranks 19th in defensive rating since the All-Star break.

• Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: KJZZ, GCSEN

Prop #3: John Collins Over 11.5 points

-115 at bet365

The Los Angeles Clippers are locked into a Play-In spot in the Western Conference, but playing those games at home is still on the table with a strong finish.

They get a good chance to notch another win when they host the Dallas Mavericks and the red-hot Cooper Flagg.

The Mavericks need that offensive outburst because they aren’t stopping anyone from scoring, particularly on the inside. Dallas enters tonight’s matchup ranked 24th in defensive rating and 27th in opponent points in the paint since coming out of the All-Star break.

That has me targeting John Collins. The power forward is in a groove, averaging 19.8 points over his last four games with a .704 effective field goal percentage, putting up at least 15 points in all four.

He keeps that going by dominating the Mavs down low.

• Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: KFAA, FDSN-California

These props are available now at bet365, one of our best betting sites.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Now that the confetti has been swept up and the nets have been cut down, there is one final piece of business to close the book on the men’s college basketball season.

Michigan takes its rightful place as No. 1 in the season-ending USA TODAY Sports coaches poll after claiming the program's second title with a defeat of Connecticut. The Wolverines, who held the top spot for a stretch during the regular season, finishes atop the rankings for the first time since USA TODAY began administration of the coaches poll. Their previous title in 1989. The runner-up Huskies finish at No. 2 overall, though the Huskies did not receive every second-place vote among the 31 panelists.

Arizona lands at No. 3 overall. Duke, which entered the tournament at No. 1 , finishes ahead of semifinalist Illinois for the No. 4 spot despite falling short of the Final Four thanks to UConn’s buzzer-beater.

TOP 25:Complete final USA TODAY Sports men's basketball poll

NEXT YEAR:Our too-early Top 25 for the 2026-27 season

Houston lands at No. 6 in the final rankings, followed by Purdue and Iowa State. Florida, the first top regional seed eliminated, topples to No. 9. St. John’s rounds out the top 10.

It’s an impressive final poll for the Big Ten. In addition to ending its championship drought while sending two representatives to the Final Four, the league ends up with seven ranked teams in all as Wisconsin narrowly edges Utah State for the No. 25 spot.

The SEC lands six thanks to No. 24 Texas’s surprising run from First Four to Sweet 16. The Big 12 is next with five teams in the top 25, and the ACC lands four.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College basketball final rankings: Michigan leads coaches poll Top 25

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Two teams whose seasons feel like they’ve been in extended garbage time clash on Tuesday, when the Chicago Bulls visit the Washington Wizards.

The Bulls come in riding a seven-game losing streak, while Washington has just a single win in its last 23 games, part of the reason they’re five-point home ‘dogs in the NBA odds.

Even though these are two of the worst scoring defenses in the NBA, my Bulls vs. Wizards predictions and free NBA picks has this coming in Under an exceptionally high total.

Bulls vs Wizards prediction

Bulls vs Wizards best bet: Under 251.5 points (-110)

Except for a one-point loss to Memphis, every other game in the Chicago Bulls’ seven-game slide has been a demolition, losing by double digits in each.

During this skid, they are allowing an NBA-worst 134.7 points per game, with teams shooting 51.4% from the field and 38.9% from 3-point range.

They are also limping into the US Capital, with Josh Giddey, the team’s leading scorer, rebounder and assist man down with a hamstring injury.

Joining him in street clothes are Matas Buzelis (illness), Anfernee Simons (wrist), and Nick Richards (elbow), while Collin Sexton (finger) and Lachlan Olbrich (foot) are probable.

Barring an unforeseen four-game win streak (and help), the Washington Wizards will finish the year with the worst record in the NBA, and a legit shot at the top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

They’ve locked that in with a futile 1-22 run, where they’ve allowed a league-worst 129.3 points per game. That includes three games allowing 150+ points, and 10 at 130+.

But a little closer into the numbers, and these teams aren’t locks to combine for 249 points.

The Wiz have hit the Over seven of the last 10, but Overs that cashed at 249+ points (4) came against teams that were in the playoff picture.

The Bulls have actually gone Under the total in three of their last four, and the last 10 head-to-heads between these teams have produced just one Over at this hefty number – and they’ve cashed the Under in each of the last five.

Bulls vs Wizards same-game parlay

Washington has been allowing teams to shoot 37% from three during this skid, and Leonard Miller has had the range of late, hitting at least two triples in three of his last four games.

I’m not sure how a 7-footer has just one game with 5+ rebounds in nine games, but that’s where we are with Tristan Vukcevic. However, he did pull down eight boards against the Bulls in their lone meeting this season.

Bulls vs Wizards SGP

• Under 251.5 points
• Leonard Miller Over 1.5 3-pointers made
• Tristan Vukcevic Over 4.5 rebounds

Our "from downtown" SGP: Silver liners for Wizards

It's been a banner stretch for Washington rookie Will Riley, who's coming off back-to-back 30+ point games, and has actually cracked the 20-point plateau in four of his last six.

He's a far different player than the one that logged just three minutes and recorded one assist in his first game against Chicago on Nov 22.

Bub Carrington has just one game with at least three boards in his last eight, but he’s pulled down at least three rebounds in four of his last five games against the Bulls.

Bulls vs Wizards SGP

• Under 251.5 points
• Leonard Miller Over 1.5 3-pointers made
• Tristan Vukcevic Over 4.5 rebounds
• Will Riley Over 19.5 points
• Bub Carrington Over 2.5 rebounds

Bulls vs Wizards odds

• Spread: Chicago -6 (-110) | Washington +6 (-110)
• Moneyline: Chicago -225 | Washington +185
• Over/Under: Over 251.5 (-110) | Under 251.5 (-110)

Bulls vs Wizards betting trend to know

Chicago has covered the spread in 10 of their last 13 games following a loss. Find more NBA betting trends for Bulls vs. Wizards.

How to watch Bulls vs Wizards

Bulls vs Wizards latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Perhaps the most intriguing storyline heading into the final week of the NBA regular season, aside from who is eligible for postseason awards, is the race to avoid the play-in tournament.

The only thing settled is that the Detroit Pistons have clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and await the return of star Cade Cunningham, who has not played since March 19 after suffering a collapsed left lung.

The Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers have secured the other top four seeds, although their exact playoff positioning has yet to be decided.

The race in the Eastern Conference is really intriguing, as the battle for the No. 5 and 6 seeds is heating up, with six teams separated by just 3 1/2 games going into play on Tuesday, April 7.

I guess it’s a useful exercise, as we tiptoe ever closer to the promised land, to take one more quick glance at the abyss.

A Victor Wembanyama injury, short term, long term, chronic, you name it, is the proverbial other shoe waiting to drop. It’s not an anchor that weighs the franchise down, and it’s not an albatross slung around its neck. It’s just something that’s there. Existing in the space. A situation that every single person associated with this franchise is keenly aware of, and knows we might eventually have to reckon with.

The availability of our tall Frenchman isn’t just a variable, it’s the variable. It changes everything about everything. When he is at full strength, the world of possibilities is completely open to us. Every game is winnable. Every season could end in a title. I watched Victor Wembanyama for the first time in person last year and immediately came here and wrote a column about how the Spurs franchise might someday rival Real Madrid as a global brand. Like, right? That’s crazy. But look me in the eyes and tell me Victor isn’t going to try to get it there. The point is, when we have access to a generational beam of light like Victor, our kingdom simply becomes everything the light touches.

But that’s not really how best laid plans work, is it?

When Victor isn’t part of the equation, everything shifts a little. The possibilities on the map start to shrink. That confident “every game is winnable” feeling gets quietly replaced by something more like “okay, let’s see.” You stop thinking about winning titles and start thinking about making playoff runs. Putting up a good fight. Things become a bit less lofty. More grounded. More real. Maybe we aren’t the next Real Madrid, just the same plucky small-market underdogs we’ve always been. It’s fine. Good. Nice, even. Things don’t become dark, but there’s more shade than there used to be.

The broadcast kept replaying the collision over and over, and I couldn’t help but sit with that feeling for a moment. Really let it burrow into my brain and hang out there. It’s a jarring thing to be confronted with, you know? The fun. The party. The wins. The expectations. This freight train we’re all riding right now, this new era of Spurs basketball barreling toward something real, can get derailed so very quickly.

And as I sat there in my funk, confronting my own mortality, plotting which British WWI poem would serve as a nice opener for this column, a funny thing continued to play out on the court.

The Spurs didn’t really skip a beat. They made the necessary adjustments to accommodate the 7’6″ hole in the lineup and then continued to do what they’ve done all season. They played hard and pushed the pace. They were physical. They moved the ball and found the open man. Stephon Castle went from tossing lobs to Wemby to tossing the same lobs to Luke Kornet with such nonchalance that I almost wondered if he even knew about the injury that was causing my entire worldview to come crashing down.

It was fun. I had fun watching them just keep the Sixers at bay. Keldon getting in the paint like a bull in a china shop, howling after a layup. Dylan Harper quietly morphing into an assassin from three, never mind the wrong-foot finishes at the rim like he’s been doing it for a decade. Fox filling every hole. Castle being a superstar. Devin providing runs exactly when we need them.

You can’t help but marvel. The performance we saw in the second half was from as complete a team as we’ve seen grace the court in San Antonio in a long, long time. Which is a funny thing to say about a team that was missing its best player.

We don’t say it out loud very often, because obviously. But there are going to be stretches without him. Maybe a playoff game. Maybe a season. Maybe more? That’s just a reality of how the league works. How life works. It’s not something you plan for, it’s an impact you brace for once the sirens go off.

And yet. He is everything to this franchise. He has to be. You can’t play scared when it comes to building around someone like Victor. When he’s out there, he blots out the sun. He bends the whole operation toward himself just by existing on the floor. Every defensive scheme in the league has to account for him. Every possession has an extra dimension. The ceiling becomes genuinely limitless in a way that it isn’t for almost any other team on the planet.

Maybe I’m high off the good vibes from a win. Maybe this season has rocked me out of my pessimism cave just enough to see the light. Maybe I’m just getting old. But last night was a crystal clear demonstration of something important.

Victor might be everything, but he can’t literally be everything.

The Spurs being this good without him on the floor isn’t some consolation prize. It’s a result of the work that’s been put in. It’s the foundation those best laid plans actually built. It’s what happens when you keep pounding on that rock. He’s only everything because everything else works. He needs all of it as much as it needs him. He’s not everything despite the team.

He’s everything because of it.

Takeaways

• Hey, 60 wins! How about that?
• Stephon Castle turning into a triple-double machine is such an interesting development this season. It makes sense, his game has always been about doing all the little things, but man, I didn’t dare to dream he’d be doing all of them at this level. I expect him to find the open man. I expect him to grab that board. I expect those soft little mid-range jumpers to fall. The only thing I don’t know is what I’m supposed to expect next.
• I almost don’t want to talk about Dylan Harper too much because I don’t want to jinx it. That said, it was fun watching him go toe to toe with VJ Edgecombe last night. Edgecombe is a blast. Still pretty glad we’ve got Dylan.
• I’ve read enough about Joel Embiid to have a deep well of sympathy for him as a person. There’s a version of his career that reads as one of the more tragic arcs in league history. I mean, we talk about existential stress around the health and availability of our superstar big man, and what we’re describing is basically the Joel Embiid experience. I feel for him. I feel for Sixers fans. Truly.
• I absolutely abhor watching him play basketball.
• If you caught the broadcast, you heard them mention it, but just in case you didn’t, Spurs play-by-play man Jacob Tobey performed the national anthem before the game on Native American Heritage Night. It was a pretty cool moment. We’re racking up cool moments down here in San Antonio this year! It’s our whole thing!

WWL Post Game Press Conference

What British WWI poems do you think you were circling before the Spurs brought you back into the light?

Oh, I don’t know. There’s so many to choose from when you’re trying to find something about the bleakness of existence within the walls we’ve constructed around us.

Of course. That totally normal feeling we all get watching basketball.

Right. I had a whole plan where I was going to try and recreate “Break of Day in the Trenches” by Isaac Rosenberg and see if maybe the bitter irony of our haunting reality might translate into the Modern NBA landscape.

Isn’t that the one where the soldier talks to a rat?

Yeah, and like, the rat doesn’t care if we’re British or German, Spurs fan or Sixer fan. He sees us for what we are. Meat. Bones. A future home for the poppies.

And this is what you felt, watching Victor walk off the court holding his ribs.

Pretty close, yeah. War is hell. The slog of the NBA season? Not far from it. We spend it down here in the trenches, alive, but just so. We’re showered with indignities and horrors constantly, the false hope of a new dawn only serving to remind us that to be alive only means we haven’t managed to escape.

Wow, uh, thank god the Spurs played well in the second half I guess.

Yeah, maybe I’ll save poetry corner for the off season.

The Philadelphia 76ers suffered a disappointing defeat on Monday night to a San Antonio Spurs club that lost star Victor Wembanyama to a rib injury midway through the game. The loss moved Philadelphia out of a tie with Toronto and down into the seventh seed, which would mean an entry in the Play-In Tournament rather than an automatic postseason berth.

Unfortunately, that result wasn’t the only one Monday not to go the Sixers’ way as we enter the home stretch of the 2025-26 NBA regular season. Behind 31 points from Paolo Banchero, Orlando defeated the top-seeded Pistons, 123-107. The Magic now share an identical 43-36 record with the Sixers, with Charlotte joining them in a three-way tie. A silver lining for Sixers fans is that the Sixers currently hold the tiebreaker within that grouping; the difference between seventh and ninth is vast given the Play-In Tournament structure.

One game that did go Philadelphia’s way on Monday was Atlanta narrowly losing to the Knicks at home, 108-105. With the Sixers losing, though, they are still two games back of the Hawks with three to play. With Atlanta holding the tiebreaker, the Hawks are very likely out of reach.

Highlighted above are the games of note tonight. Toronto hosts Miami, and Sixers fans should be rooting for the Heat there, even though that would draw Miami slightly closer to Philadelphia. The reward for moving back up into sixth place is too great to entertain other alternatives. Charlotte is on the road in Boston in a nationally televised affair, so we find ourselves in the extremely dystopian position of rooting for the Celtics.

The Sixers aren’t back on the court until Thursday in Houston. Let’s hope tonight’s contests go their way.

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Sportsbooks are struggling to handicap one of the best Rookie of the Year races in NBA history, thanks to the excellence of Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg.

Flagg is currently the odds-on favorite at major sportsbooks, despite Knueppel, his roommate at Duke, claiming a massive lead as recently as Sunday.

Key Takeaways

• Odds flipped to Flagg after two huge games, despite a recent poll among voters favoring Knueppel.
  
  
• Last year’s Rookie of the Year winner (Stephon Castle) was picked fourth, just like Knueppel.
  
  
• The Charlotte Hornets face three top-five defenses to close their season.

Knueppel was a strong favorite to take home the NBA’s award for the most impressive first-timer in the league. That was compounded Friday when ESPN shared a straw poll of 100 league media members conducted Monday through Wednesday last week.

The results showed that Knueppel received 80 first-place, 19 second-place, and one third-place vote, resulting in 458 total points. Flagg received 20 first-place votes, 79 seconds, and one third, for 338 points, only 74% of his college teammate’s total. Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe was third with 98 points.

The results of the poll empowered DraftKings to shorten Knueppel’s odds from -250 on April 1 to -300 two days later when the results were released. 

Knueppel became an even larger favorite (-330) on Sunday morning, despite Flagg becoming the youngest player in NBA history to score at least 50 points (51) on a Friday night loss to the Orlando Magic. Those odds gave him an implied 76.7% chance to win the award, while Flagg’s +230 odds translated to a 30.3% probability.

Everything changed on Monday, one day after Flagg followed his 51-point explosion with 45 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds in a nationally televised matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers. He flipped to a -200 (66.7% chance) favorite at DraftKings overnight, and Knueppel ballooned to +140 (41.7% chance). 

Rookie of the Year Odds movement for Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel over the past 2 weeks:

3/23:
Knueppel -210
Flagg +160

3/25:
Knueppel -185
Flagg +145

3/27:
Knueppel -210
Flagg +165

3/28:
Knueppel -255
Flagg +195

3/29:
Knueppel -240
Flagg +185

3/30:
Knueppel -250
Flagg… pic.twitter.com/PQz6VM8THM

— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) April 6, 2026

The total instability in the Rookie of the Year odds leaves everything to play for during the final week of the regular season. The Dallas Mavericks still have four games remaining, while the Charlotte Hornets will play three.

Flagg, Knueppel can’t shake each other

The back-and-forth between the former Duke Blue Devils isn’t anything new. The pair took turns jostling for position on the board, although Knueppel truly hit his stride during Flagg’s near-monthlong absence from Feb. 10 through March 5.

There are strong merits to both players’ cases. Flagg averaged 21.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists, putting him on pace to become the fourth rookie since the NBA-ABA merger to average 20/6/4, joining Luka Doncic, Michael Jordan, and Larry Bird. 

He’s also had several individual moments of history, such as only being 19 years and 103 days old when he dropped his first 50-piece.

COOPER FLAGG ERUPTED AGAIN ‼️

TONIGHT: 45 PTS, 8 REB, 9 AST, 2 STL
FRIDAY: 51 PTS, 6 REB, 3 STL

HE'S NOW THE YOUNGEST PLAYER (19 YEARS, 105 DAYS) IN NBA HISTORY TO RECORD 45+ PTS IN BACK-TO-BACK GAMES 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Tdt1JYviCv

— NBA (@NBA) April 6, 2026

Knueppel put up a stat line of 18.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists, while already establishing himself as a historically efficient shooter. Even more impressively, he produced his 48/43/86 shooting splits while leading the NBA in made threes (265) at the time of writing, having already set the rookie record for made threes in a season. 

He also started all but one game for the Hornets amid their remarkable franchise turnaround, helping to lead them to a 27-8 record since Jan. 22 that was the second-best mark in the league during that span.

Although the team record does not normally factor into the Rookie of the Year race, the Hornets only need to win one more game to have their best season as a franchise since 2015-16.

Kon Knueppel breaks the Charlotte Hornets franchise record for 3PM in a single season 🔥

▪️ KON KNUEPPEL: 261+
▪️ Kemba Walker: 260
▪️ Jason Richardson: 243

History for the rookie 👏 pic.twitter.com/UNRTu1AXng

— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) April 3, 2026

The final days ahead

Everything about the ongoing NBA Rookie of the Year race has made it clear that the race won’t be over until the winner is officially announced. Even the sportsbooks have had an uncharacteristically difficult time staying on top of the oscillating battle.

Flagg and the Mavericks finish their season by facing the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, and Chicago Bulls. Those teams rank 18th, 10th, third, and 23rd in defensive rating, respectively, giving Flagg a varying degree of difficulty to bolster his final numbers. 

Knueppel and the Hornets have a tough finish to the year, with matchups against the Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, and New York Knicks, who rank third, fourth, and fifth in defensive rating. 

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

After a couple of weeks of excruciating patience, the North Carolina Tar Heels have their new head coach. Former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone is bringing his talents to Chapel Hill, which was an unexpected hire by many. His name started getting brought up near the end of UNC’s coaching search, but nobody really knew how much there was behind that. Now he is the guy that will try his best to return the Heels to the elite ranks in college basketball, and the immediate reviews are pretty mixed.

First, let it be known that former UNC players who have spent time in the NBA really like this move. Theo Pinson and Ty Lawson were two Tar Heels that sounded off immediately via X.

Tyler Hansbrough was one of the first Tar Heels to mention Malone before the school ultimately hired him. He told Field of 68 that he felt like the former Nuggets coach could get some momentum in the coaching search.

After the hire happened, Hansbrough discussed how pumped he was about the hire, saying that he felt like it was the best remaining decision.

On the ACC Basketball Podcast, Joel Berry asked Danny Green about the hire, and Green feels like bringing in a NBA guy that knows how to develop players is huge. He also pointed out that Nuggets star Nikola Jokic was drafted 41st overall in the 2014 NBA Draft, and Malone had a sizable role in developing one of the best players in the NBA.

Finally, Seth Trimble sounded off on Instagram with his approval of the Michael Malone hire.

Outside of the Carolina alumni bubble, things are way more mixed in terms of whether or not this was a good move. In the Field of 68 video that was recorded after Malone was hired, Jeff Goodman pushed back on Hansbrough stating that former NBA guys have not had a good track record in the college ranks. But if that is the case, why did anybody want current Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan so badly? Bomani Jones is one of those people, and he expressed his confusion on The Right Time.

Jones’ reaction signaled what it feels like a lot of fans were going through, which is confusion. Throughout the entire search, we heard a handful of specific names that ultimately did not pan out. One could argue that having such a harsh reaction over the hire is projection for some — there were a lot of people that thought they knew who UNC was actually after that did not see the Michael Malone hire coming. CBS Sports’ Seth Davis expressed this sentiment in his post regarding the hire.

To be fair, Seth Davis wouldn’t like UNC if they hired Coach K in his prime, but the fact remains that a lot of people were caught off guard by the hire. But here’s the thing: Michael Malone didn’t come out of nowhere for those who paid enough attention (and admittedly, I did not pay enough attention). By now everyone has caught wind of the fact that his daughter plays volleyball for the program, and he also had spent time around the basketball program this past fall. He even made time to make an appearance on the Carolina Insider Podcast with Jones Angell and Adam Lucas. One thing he has that Billy Donovan, Tommy Lloyd, and Dusty May didn’t have is some type of tangible tie to the program. It remains to be seen if he’s willing to completely buy in, but this clip of him talking to Kenny Smith while wearing a Tar Heels hoodie should at least warm fans’ hearts a little bit.

For fans that want a reason to be optimistic, it is clear that many players are a big fan of this move. Nobody knows ball like the guys that used to play it, especially the ones that played both for UNC and played in the NBA. For those who seek pessimism, there are more than enough questions that need to be answered. Can Malone handle the NIL/Transfer Portal era? Can he even coach at the college ranks? Will the harsh reality that players at this level aren’t nearly as good as they are in the NBA be too much for him? We can only hope that he can check every box and return UNC to glory, but there’s a lot of work that needs to be done between now and November in order to accomplish that.

NBA general managers and scouts are heading home from the 2026 men's NCAA Tournament with plenty to think about after three weeks of incredible action on the court. Now they have to figure out which March Madness performances are indicators of future greatness and which are more of a mirage.

The 2026 NBA draft is expected to take place in late June. In USA TODAY's latest mock draft, Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr.  is expected to go in the first round after declaring for the NBA draft on Tuesday. Here's how USA TODAY currently projects the guard's draft night will play out.

Our draft order is based on ESPN's projected records and factors in trades, including swaps and protections.

Mikel Brown Jr. 2026 NBA Draft prediction: Pick No. 10 overall, Milwaukee Bucks

Kalbrosky's Analysis:

The Milwaukee Bucks need to simply draft the best player available with whatever pick they have and will likely keep Louisville floor general Mikel Brown Jr. highlighted on their big board. The All-ACC guard has deep shooting range and was among the freshmen leaders in 3-pointers made from beyond 25 feet (27) this year, per CBB Analytics. Brown was averaging 29.2 points per game over his last five appearances, including 45 points against NC State on Feb. 9, while hitting 10 shots from beyond the arc, before an injury on Feb. 28 forced him to miss March Madness.

See USA TODAY's full mock draft 9.0 here

Mikel Brown Jr. player profile

(all stats as of March 15)

• Position: Guard
• Current Team: Louisville
• 18.2 points per game
• 3.3 rebounds per game
• 4.7 assists per game
• 41.0 field goal percentage
• 34.4 three-point field goal percentage

Milwaukee Bucks 2026 projected draft picks

• No. 10

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mikel Brown Jr. NBA mock draft projection: Where Louisville star is expected to land after March Madness

The Utah Jazz are rolling into New Orleans for a vital end-of-season game. Like their counterparts at the top of the Western Conference standings, every game at this point is important for seeding. For the Jazz, of course, it’s ticking up the losses column that matters most; the Jazz hold the tiebreaker over the Sacramento for fourth (worst) place, monumental for eliminating any remote chance at conveying their pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Jazz are not in the clear yet, however. The Pelicans remain a poor basketball team that sits at 25-54, despite gaining no advantage from losing this season. And even if Utah comes out with a loss tonight, they face the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, who share the same record as New Orleans and are looking into rise up the draft board.

The Jazz will likely feature a sparse roster tonight, with both Ace Bailey and Kyle Filipowski questionable:

For New Orleans, lead guard Dejounte Murray is questionable with a left hand contusion and wing Trey Murphy is out with a right angle sprain.

How to watch

Who: Utah Jazz vs. New Orleans Pelicans

When: 6:00 PM MT

Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, La.

How to watch: Jazz+, KJZZ

The New York Knicks somehow, some way, silenced the doubters and the haters by beating a .500-plus team for the first time in a month.

Y’all happy now?

Here’s the latest and spiciest quotes coming straight outta Magic City.

Mike Brown

On the Brunson-Towns two-man game against the Hawks:

“KAT and Jalen … they did what they were supposed to do. It’s no secret that we put them in the two-man game, and those guys delivered on the offensive end of the floor along with everyone else.”

On team composure late:

“Our guys stayed with it, and there wasn’t a panic. The bench was really, really good. Just the chatter. Guys were encouraging one another and uplifting one another. Jose hadn’t played the last couple of games, and he was more into the game than anyone else. His words were really good and helped during the times when we got down.”

On Brunson closing Monday’s game:

“It wasn’t necessarily going his way the whole night. But he stayed with it and did what great players are supposed to do and carried us home down the stretch.”

On the heave that could have sent the game to OT:

“It’s tricky. If he misses it, obviously it’s a long heave. But if you foul him on the rebound or you foul him when he’s turning to heave it now they get three free throws. It’s something we’ve talked about before — it’s still a toss-up situation. … The whole thing was at worst they’ll tie it and we’ll go to overtime. Lesson learned on a couple possessions down the stretch.”

On Brunson’s scoring ability:

“It’s huge to know a guy like Jalen can shoot and score the way he does. On top of that, he’s crafty.”

On sticking with the starting five:

“I don’t believe in never ever. But right now we’re going to start that five and that’s how I foresee it. If I feel I need to make a change at any time, I’ll make a change. But I don’t feel that way right now.”

On lineup debates and potential starting-five change:

“There’s debate literally all the time. Obviously there was a debate at the start of the season when we started two bigs. And there was debate almost every day because I was the only one with that plan – and I was getting hammered this angle, that angle, every angle. So we talked about it a lot. That’s just chatter that you have throughout the course of the year, trying to ways to improve your team. So I think there’s always going to be chatter about it. But there’s nothing I’ve felt close to acting on yet.”

Jalen Brunson

On his fourth-quarter surge:

“The ball found a way to go in the hoop for me.”

On the win over Atlanta:

“Happy with the way we finished the game. They came to fight and put us on our heels, but we found a way to come back every time with an answer and find a way to win.”

On maintaining his confidence even after struggling during the first half on Monday:

“Just found a way to keep my confidence. Obviously, things aren’t going to be perfect all the time but you trust your work and find a way.”

On Josh Hart’s late improvements:

“To be honest, it’s all about how you respond. Things aren’t going to be perfect. You’re going to have bad stretches. You’re going to have things that don’t go your way. You’re going to do things that seem easy but don’t go your way. It’s all about how you respond.”

On the need to finish games strong every time out:

“I think everything matters. So regardless if you’re up 30, down 30, if it’s a close game, the way you finish games translates to the next game. So being able to have that rhythm going into the next game is really important for us.”

Karl-Anthony Towns

On the clutch-time execution with Brunson:

“It was great. Obviously, give credit to all of our teammates who put us in the position to be there and have a chance to win. We have one of the best closers in the NBA in Brunson, so you feel good about your chances. We were just ready for the moment. It was funny. I thought, in the moment, I’d have to hit a big shot for us to win, and it ended up being three assists. I just accepted what the defense gave and Brunson hit the shots, which he’s been known to do when the game matters.”

On rising expectations:

“The perception and standards have obviously changed for us ever since we made that stride last year in the playoffs. Getting through the first round, we weren’t supposed to make it out of there. Then the second round, we definitely weren’t supposed to be making it out of there. We showed the world that we can beat these teams, especially in the playoffs. But in doing that, we put the antennas up for the rest of the league as well. They know what we can do and on top of that, coming in with the expectations we had this year, finding a way to win the NBA Cup. Even through all the ups and downs, finding ourselves the third seed. The world is not unaware of how good we are. But it’s up to us to execute in a seven-game series and be disciplined and find a way to win.”

On embracing pressure:

“Me, personally, I’ve been dealing with expectations since before I stepped into the league. Honestly, it’s really the same thing. It’s been the story of my career. Dealing with expectations that are lofty. On top of that, the expectations I have for myself are even higher than what people give me. So I have a lot of work to do. But I’ve been used to it. So it’s a blessing to have pressure.”

On treating the stretch like playoffs:

“The playoffs should’ve started 10 games ago for us. We should be building on our standards all year. That’s what the goal was. We have four good games where we can get some good tape, get our coverages right. See how we can execute different coverages, different things. And we could just find different ways to show what we can do, and have adjustments ready to go in the playoffs.”

On his elbow issue:

“It is what it is at this point.”

Jose Alvarado

On being ready all day every day:

“I’m good. I’m chilling. I’m ready for my moment. I’m ready for my name to get called whenever it is. … So just whenever it’s Jose’s time, whenever that time is, I’m ready.”