Western Conference foes collide on Saturday as the Memphis Grizzlies host the Los Angeles Clippers at FedExForum.
Jaylen Wells has been a steady presence on offense for a team plagued by injuries, and my Clippers vs. Grizzlies predictions expect him to clear his scoring line in a favorable matchup.
Here are my best free NBA picks for this inner-conference matchup on Saturday, March 7.
Clippers vs Grizzlies prediction
Clippers vs Grizzlies best bet: Jaylen Wells Over 13.5 points (-112)
Jaylen Wells is scoring a career-best 12.7 points per game on the season, though his scoring average is up over the last month. Across his last 14 games, Wells has averaged 15.9 points, and he’s dropped 20.3 across his last three.
In that span, Wells scored 14+ eight times overall and in three of six at home. In three matchups with the Los Angeles Clippers, Wells posted scoring totals of 16, 17 and 13. The Memphis Grizzlies are sharing the love on offense, but Wells has been the most consistent scoring option over the last five weeks.
Clippers vs Grizzlies same-game parlay
The Grizzlies are giving most of their players 25-26 minutes per game, and a number of young options have emerged as scoring threats. With the Los Angeles Clippers playing the second leg of a back-to-back set on the road, their defense could be less effective against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Gregory Jackson II has scored 18.2 points per game across his last nine appearances, going for 14+ six times. He’s reached 14+ points in four straight home games and in five of his last six at FedExForum.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper is enjoying a revival in Memphis. He’s averaged 14.2 points across his last 11 contests, going for 10+ in eight of them. O-Max has started seven straight games, and he should see enough playing time to reach double digits tonight.
Clippers vs Grizzlies SGP
Jaylen Wells Over 13.5 points
Gregory Jackson II Over 12.5 points
Olivier-Maxence Prosper Over 9.5 points
Our "from downtown" SGP: Points Prop Aplenty
Kawhi Leonard is averaging a career-best 27.9 points per game this season, and he’s found success against Memphis. In three tilts with the Grizzlies, Leonard finished with 21, 24 and 39 points.
After a challenging matchup with the San Antonio Spurs’ elite defense on Friday, Leonard gets a favorable matchup with a Grizzlies’ unit ranked 11th in defensive rating this season.
Clippers vs Grizzlies SGP
Jaylen Wells Over 13.5 points
Gregory Jackson II Over 12.5 points
Olivier-Maxence Prosper Over 9.5 points
Kawhi Leonard Over 26.5 points
Clippers vs Grizzlies odds
Spread: Los Angeles -6 (-110) | Memphis +6 (-110)
Moneyline: Los Angeles -270 | Memphis +220
Over/Under: Over 227 (-110) | Under 227 (-110)
Clippers vs Grizzlies betting trend to know
The Memphis Grizzlies have hit the Team Total Over in 13 of their last 15 games (+10.70 Units / 62% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Clippers vs. Grizzlies.
How to watch Clippers vs Grizzlies
Location
FedExForum, Memphis, TN
Date
Saturday, March 7, 2026
Tip-off
8:00 p.m. ET
TV
FDSN SC, FDSN, SE-MEM
Clippers vs Grizzlies latest injuries
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MUNICH (AP) — Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer suffered another injury setback that will rule him out of Tuesday’s Champions League game against Atalanta.
Neuer will be 40 later this month and his contract with Bayern is up at the end of the season. The club reportedly wants to offer him a one-year extension.
HONG KONG (AP) — Thomas Detry was among eight players from LIV Golf who were stranded in the United Arab Emirates at the start of the week during Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran. Now he's tied for the lead with Jon Rahm, the player responsible for getting them out.
“If it wasn't for him, I don't think I'd be there,” Detry said Saturday after a 66 in LIV Golf Hong Kong left him in a three-way tie for the lead with Rahm (65) and Harold Varner III (63). “It's in a way a little bit funny that way.”
Golf.com reported Rahm and his Legion XIII team arranged a charter flight through the Spaniard's partnership with a private aviation company. That required a 280-mile drive from Dubai to Muscat, Oman, to catch the eight-hour flight, getting into Hong Kong at midday Wednesday.
The other players were Lee Westwood, Sam Horsfield, Adrian Meronk, Tom McKibbin, Caleb Surratt and Anirban Lahiri. Golf.com said Laurie Canter arranged his own transportation with his family.
“That was incredible of Jon to put (us) on that plane,” Detry said.
Detry said he had originally been booked on an Emirates flight from Dubai — and it left Wednesday morning as scheduled and arrived in Hong Kong that night, but “that was very unknown on Tuesday.”
“I was raised with certain values, that if you have the ability and capability of helping somebody ... especially in a scenario like that where my main focus essentially was getting them out of there, not necessarily playing a tournament,” Rahm said.
“With the ever-changing environment, it looked kind of dark for a second,” he said. “But yeah, here they are. Never thought they would be able to come. It’s amazing that so many of them are safe and that’s the most important thing.”
PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 19: Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on February 19, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
What a perfect time to start a road trip for the Philadelphia 76ers!
The Sixers kick off a quick but tough two-game roadie with a visit to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday evening. There are a number of reasons this matchup that might not sound terribly scary on paper could pose a problem for the Sixers.
The biggest issue is that they will continue to be without Joel Embiid for at least another week after the team told reporters at practice on Friday he is progressing through individualized strength and conditioning work as he continues to recover from the oblique strain and will be re-evaluated in a week.
To make matters worse, rookie VJ Edgecombe is currently listed as doubtful for the Saturday contest as he continues to heal from a back contusion suffered from a hard fall in a game on Tuesday. Edgecombe missed the following game hosting the Utah Jazz on Wednesday and then missed practice on Friday. Paul George also remains unavailable as he continues his suspension.
The Hawks are much healthier right now, with only Jonathan Kuminga listed as questionable with knee inflammation on their injury report at the time of writing.
Atlanta might not seem like this hugely formidable opponent on paper with a 32-31 record so far this season, but don’t forget they are 3-0 against Philadelphia this season so far — and it’s worth noting that Philadelphia was much less shorthanded for some of those losses.
(The Sixers’ opponent on Monday, the Cleveland Cavaliers, also are 3-0 against them this campaign. Again, a short but possibly deadly road trip.)
The Hawks are also enjoying the opposite momentum of the Sixers right now in that they’ve been stringing together more success in the later half of the season. Atlanta is on a five-game win streak, have won six of their last seven and are 12-6 in their last 18.
It’s interesting to look at the Hawks’ roster as an “outsider” also, because you might not see many names that you really recognize from years past, but Atlanta has a number of players performing at the best (in some cases, by far) that they ever have in their multi-season careers. Jalen Johnson is continuing his All-Star season averaging career-highs of 22.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 8.0 assists per night. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is putting up a career-best 19.8 points per night and shooting 37.5% from long range on a 8.1 attempt per night clip. Six-foot-ten center Onyeka Okongwu is scoring 16.2 points per night and hitting 38.6% of threes on a 5.5 attempt average, all career-highs.
That’s not mentioning the more than a handful of players down the depth of the roster that can put up double-digit points — some with the capability for much bigger scoring bursts — any given night, such as Dyson Daniels, Jock Landale, Zaccharie Risacher, Corey Kispert, Kuminga (if he’s available) and others.
All of this is to say do not let the Hawks’ record or even their roster fool you. Atlanta currently leads the entire NBA in assists per game with 30.5. They are eighth in the league in offensive rating at 117.6 and seventh in three-point efficiency at 36.8%. This is a team that traded Trae Young at the deadline and has only been getting better since. It’s a squad getting the absolute best of each of their players individually, and it’s resulting in more and more success as a unit.
So, a team playing their best, battling to climb up the East coming in on a five-game win streak against a Sixers’ squad that has 2024-25 season vibes at times right now… what could go wrong?
This is also, unfortunately, not the time for a major skid for the Sixers. As of Saturday morning, Philadelphia sit in sixth in the Eastern Conference at 34-28. The problem is that the gap between the Sixers and the next few teams, down to the Charlotte Hornets in 10th place, is just three games at the most. There is a lot of room to fall and it won’t take much for the Sixers to start tumbling fast. Philadelphia did win their last game, just barely beating the tanking Jazz on Wednesday night, but it didn’t inspire a lot of confidence in how the next few games might go.
But, as they say, the show must go on.
The Sixers and Hawks tip off at 6 p.m. ET.
Game Details
When: Saturday, March 7, 6:00 p.m. ET Where: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic Follow:@LibertyBallers
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JANUARY 27: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks drives to the basket during the game against the Utah Jazz on January 27, 2025 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Jamie Sabau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Milwaukee Bucks play the Utah Jazz in what should be a relatively simple game for the Bucks. They’ll search for their first win in five games as the gap between the tenth seed and the Bucks continues to widen. With a tanking team like the Jazz offering weak resistance to the Bucks, this game will be a reset for a tense team searching for continuity.
Where We’re At
Four games deep into a contentious losing streak filled with coaching outbursts and moments of frustration, the Bucks are flailing for consistency. Their slide away from the play-in spot has featured moments of incompetence in gameplanning, poor shooting, and defensive struggle. Wednesday’s 131-113 loss to Atlanta showed that. Key players like Cam Thomas (13 points, 3/9 FG), Ryan Rollins (13 points, 4/11 FG), and Bobby Portis (13 points, 4/8 FG) have all lost their rhythm despite Giannis’ return. As they return to Fiserv Forum, the Bucks have more questions to answer about their future than solutions.
They face a Utah Jazz team in the middle of a brutal tank. Resting at 19-44, the Jazz have been fined $500,000 for anti-tanking rules, and their tactical strategies of pulling star players out of close games border on point shaving. They recently notched their first win since February 11 on Thursday night off an Ace Bailey 32-point performance. Led by raw scorer Keyonte George, the Jazz are slogging through a meaningless season as they fight for lottery placement with the Pelicans, Nets, and Kings.
Injury Report
Kevin Porter Jr. (knee) will sit out on Saturday with an injury in the same place he tore his meniscus. Porter’s absence is a big blow to a Bucks team that needed stability and cohesion following an erratic stretch of games. Taurean Prince (neck) will also miss; he hasn’t played since early November.
The Jazz will miss several players due to injury. Isaiah Collier (personal reasons), Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee), Walker Kessler (shoulder), Lauri Markkanen (hip), Jusuf Nurkic (nose), and Vince Williams Jr. (knee) are all designated as out on the Jazz’s injury report at the time of writing.
Player To Watch
Ryan Rollins will need to be the guard to step up in Porter’s extended absence. Rollins stepped up as a playmaker in Wednesday’s loss to Atlanta, dishing out 12 assists. However, during the Bucks’ four-game losing streak, Rollins has shot .381/.261/.667, averaging 10.5 points and 3.3 turnovers per game. His shift from high-volume shooter to a playmaker and versatile guard hasn’t been without its struggles. He will need to prove his ability to step up as the Bucks’ floor general and shore up his inconsistent shooting going into Saturday’s game against the Jazz, the second-worst team at guarding the three.
How To Watch
Watch at 7:00 p.m. CST on Fanduel Sports Network Wisconsin.
DENVER, CO - MARCH 6: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks and Tyus Jones #5 of the Denver Nuggets shake hands after the game on March 6, 2026 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
It looked like New York was in for a tough and long one in Denver on Friday…
…until it was not, as the Knicks put on a show and trounced the Nuggets a few miles away from South Park.
Here’s a bunch of quotes from all of our folks.
Mike Brown: "This team's deep. It's really good. These guys are connected. They're all sacrificing…They believe. They believe in each other. Our bench is up all game. We've gotten delay of games bc our guys are cheering…We needed to take our lumps…all our guys stayed with it" pic.twitter.com/qiH36Y92ba
“We feel like we can still be better. I’ve said this all along, that’s what the season is about. You’re not going to have it all in one week or two months. You got to go through your lumps. Because when you go through your lumps, if you truly have a chance at the end of the day, you’re going to grow from your lumps. That’s what this group is doing — because we’re going to take a couple lumps still. But you hope you don’t [go through more highs and lows]. But this team, it’s deep, it’s really good. These guys are connected. They’re all sacrificing. The competitive spirit is there. They believe in each other. Our bench is up all game. We got delays of games because our bench was up for each other. And we’re holding each other accountable. I’m being held accountable, which is great.”
On OG Anunoby returning to his pre-injury form:
“Before his toe injury, he was playing like this. I felt he was playing high-level basketball. I mean, it’s just powerful. His decisions are quick, you know, he’s touching the paint, and if you don’t get to him, he’s knocking the shot down. And then defensively, he’s just on another level, man. If he keeps that up, that’s Defensive Player of the Year-type stuff for sure. He’s guarding point guards. I don’t know how many times Jokic won MVP, but he’s guarding him, and then he’s guarding everybody in between. And it’s just been phenomenal and fun to watch him because he can do a lot.”
On Anunoby’s all-around impact vs. Denver:
“OG had a whale of a game for us offensively. He was our [Defensive Player of the Game]. He was good.”
On the defensive play trending upward:
“Our guys are trying to be physical without fouling and they’re doing a pretty good job with it. We’re still gonna get better in that area, but it’s been a process. We made a switch defensively several months ago and that was a process, but the guys, they’re pretty comfortable with what we’re doing right now, and they know exactly what they should be doing out there. Again, it didn’t happen with one practice. It didn’t happen because a switch got turned on. It just gradually happened, and I’ve said it before: That’s what the regular season is about. You tinker with this, you tinker with that, you try to get a little bit better here and there and hopefully at the end of the season you’re fairly comfortable and you can start trending upwards.”
On growth happening over time:
“[It happened with] time. Just continuing to watch film, having practice, having shootaround, talking about it, walking through it, drilling it. It wasn’t one thing or one practice or a light being switched on. It’s what should happen over the course of a season. You should get better as you go along as everybody has embraced the process. And with our group, everybody in that locker room has embraced the process, and that’s what makes this team pretty special is they’re in it to try to win it and they know it’s not gonna happen like that. They know at the beginning of the year, they’ll probably [fluctuate between playing good and bad], and they know once the All-Star Break happens, hopefully you get to a point where there’s some comfort with everybody and everything that we’re doing. And we’re able to continue to find [that comfort].”
On Pacome Dadiet’s development and confidence:
“He’s been playing well in the G-League and shooting the mess out of it. And he’s got great size. He’s young. And we want him to keep growing and developing. Anytime young guys like that see the ball go in and do those things on the floor in an NBA game, it helps with the belief. It helps not only in them believing and their confidence level going up, but also their teammates, too.”
.@McNuttMonica: "Smile bro you had an outstanding game!"
“New coach. New systems, and just trying to continue to learn how we can maximize our talents in that system. I think these last 20 games has been us really having a good feel and making good calls out there as teammates. Sometimes, we see something out there and we call it out and make the adjustments needed. It’s been great to see our team on the court making adjustments on the fly ourselves, and it’s been working out really well for us on the defensive end. And we’ve been challenging ourselves to be a better defensive team because we know that’s what it’s gonna take to win a playoff series, which it did last year. It wasn’t the offense that won us the game. It was Mikal Bridges’ steal in Boston Game 1 and 2. It was big rebounds in Detroit. Those kinds of things won us the game. The offense gave us a chance to win. The defense won us the game, so we understand the importance, and we’ll continue to be better every day and continue to be more consistent.”
On whether facing Denver still feels different:
“Hell, yeah.”
On competing against Nikola Jokic:
“He’s really damn good. That’s pretty much it, pretty much all there is to it. You just go out there and compete at a high level against one of the best.”
On the league impact of Jayson Tatum’s return:
“You get a superstar back like that back, obviously it’s great for the league from a VP standpoint (Towns is vice president of the players union) and from a league standpoint. It’s great for the business of basketball.”
On focusing on what they can control:
“I mean, it doesn’t matter to me because at the end of the day, if we’re not executing and playing at a high level and being disciplined, it doesn’t matter who’s on the court. We’ll lose. We’ve got to be our best version. You can’t be worrying about anyone else. We need to worry what’s in-house first.”
On the team still being a work in progress:
“We’re still a work in progress, anyone can tell you that, we all will tell you that, but we’re getting closer to that time when we need to be the best version of ourselves, and I see us getting better. And that’s the most important thing right now.”
“It gives us a lot of confidence. It’s put us in a good trend. We’ve got to continue on that way. It’s what we work on, and it’s something we’ve been stressing, and it’s been showing when the lights are on, but obviously behind closed doors, we’re working at it. We’re talking through everything. We’ve just got to help that convert into wins.”
On wishing Jayson Tatum good health:
“You wish good health for everybody. Obviously, you want to beat everybody you play against. But you don’t wish any negative on anybody, no matter the rivalry. Or whoever you like or don’t like. It doesn’t matter. You want everyone healthy and going home in one piece.”
On competing regardless of who plays:
“Obviously, whoever is on the court, you play to win. And it doesn’t matter who is on the court. That’s the mindset. I’m just saying with a player of that magnitude, obviously you wish them a successful return and everything. Like I said, you just want them healthy.”
On welcoming Tatum back before facing Boston:
“Obviously, you want everyone back healthy, right? You want people to be healthy, be 100 percent. [Tatum’s] worked really hard. Obviously, people have seen the clips on social media with the work he’s put in and everything, coming out. It’s great to see. He’s great for his team, great for the league. Just wish him good health.”
On not getting too high in March:
“It’s a good stepping stone for us, but it’s nothing to get too high about. Obviously, the highs and lows of the season, you’ve got to continue to push forward. Short-term memory, even wins and losses.”
"We just continued to play our game. We got good shooters taking good shots so we knew they were gonna fall at some point. Try to continue to do what we do"
– Josh Hart on first half as Knicks shot 22% from three
“He likes Denver. He likes altitude. That’s what he can do. You know, defensively guard one through five, and then offensively get the response and knock down shots. Get in the paint and just be a force.”
On the Knicks’ defensive mindset fueling their offense:
“I think a lot of it is we’re playing more physical, being more aggressive defensively and dictating the offense and not letting the offense dictate what they want to do. It’s something that we’ve got to continue to do, something that we’re taking pride in. We know that when we do that, we’re getting stops, we’re able to play fast, play our brand of basketball. It’s a mindset that we all really dug in more defensively, and that’s the benefit of it.”
On his Yankees bobblehead night:
“I can’t wait for it. Obviously I love my Yanks. So being able to do that is super cool. I’m super excited when that opportunity came to us. And we really jumped on it.
“It’s my first bobblehead doll ever. So good vibes.”
On scoring a career-high in garbage time at Denver:
“It definitely feels good. Every time I go out there, I try to go out with confidence. Because I know I’m not going to get that much time. So I’ve been working with the G-League team to get some reps and it definitely feels good.”
Mar 4, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Utah Jazz forward Cody Williams (5) drives with the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers in the third quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
The Jazz came into the nation’s capital with their heart on their sleeve, and were only left with shattered dreams. They had lost the first of a 2-game regular season series against the Wizards with a heart-crushing loss, despite Trae Young making an appearance through two and a half quarters. All they can do now is hold their heads low and trudge through the city of Milwaukee, who are technically a basketball team as long as one of the Antetokounmpos are on the court — it doesn’t matter which one at this point of the season.
The foundation of the 2021 championship squad is still there, but a combination of age, regression and Doc Rivers has reeled them back all the way to the 10th spot on Tankathon. The franchise moved on from Damian Lillard’s remaining functioning leg and Brook Lopez to prioritise younger, more versatile players. Their last blowout loss against Atlanta was pretty much the final dagger at what hope fans had left in the season. They can now cruise through their tanking schedule, despite New Orleans owning the rights to swap picks.
Giannis has very clearly stated, “under no circumstances will I depart from the Milwaukee Bucks, unless I have the chance to leave, which I would obviously never do”. The Bucks have alleviated his concerns by holding a 26-35 record while dangling outside a play-in spot. He’s available tonight — only his third game back from a right calf strain — which could counterintuitively have the Jazz do the funniest thing ever and drop them off on their home floor.
This team serves as a cautionary tale for reigning NBA champions, warning them to beware of how to dismantle a dynasty. Don’t get me wrong, I own a small amount of land ownership on Ryan Rollins and AJ Green Islands. Ousmane Dieng and Pete Nance are starting to sway me. But this team is climbing a near-impossible hill in March. The Jazz are hoping to launch a Kickstarter for their campaign, starting tonight.
Utah’s now 5.5 games in front of the bottom spot after Thursday’s win, but a loss tonight (and maybe a cheeky Nets win over the Pistons) could make up some ground. The Jazz fire back by making Keyonte available to play despite breaking a 44-game losing streak stalemate across the bottom ten teams, but they lose Isaiah Collier due to ‘personal reasons’.
Utah’s bench has been the seventh-highest scoring unit in the league through the last 7 games. I unfortunately cannot explain the science behind Will Hardy’s sorcery and why Blake Hinson, Elijah Harkless, and 10-day contract Mo Bamba just kind of work.
In the game against Washington, four Jazzmen had at least two steals, led by John Konchar, who corralled five. Bamba did the heavy work, posting a total of 20 steals in his two games on the floor during the Jazz road trip. I was the lone spectator to Hinson launching a three from a range that normally isn’t permitted from a two-way contract guy. Yes, I know stats against the Wizards are pretty much up there in la-la land, but it’s becoming scarily credible how the Jazz can pretty much transform any role player into their most capable self.
But this game feels more like a watch before you judge. These teams are at polar ends of the spectrum regarding their current status and future, both of them fighting for completely different things. It can all start with a firm handshake and an agreement on what needs to happen to benefit both franchises.
Injury Report
Jazz:
OUT – Isaiah Collier (personal reasons), Lauri Markkanen (right hip impingement), Jusuf Nurkic (nose surgery), Jaren Jackson Jr. (left knee surgery), Vince Williams Jr. (torn left ACL), Walker Kessler (left shoulder surgery)
Bucks:
OUT– Kevin Porter Jr. (right knee swelling), Taurean Prince (neck surgery)
How to watch:
Who: Utah Jazz (19-44)) at Milwaukee Bucks (26-35)
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Houston Rockets fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Oh ye of little faith.
Actually, you’re just realistic. Who can blame you for that? It’s best to remain grounded somewhere in the realm of reality. What’s what? What are we talking about?
Well, the results are in. SB Nation asked you how the Houston Rockets’ season would end. A stout 55% of you said that the team would flame out in the Conference Semifinals.
Rockets predicted to win one series
Frankly, this feels right on the money.
The Rockets currently sit fourth in the Western Conference. If the season ended today, they’d play the Nuggets. The Rockets’ 5.2 Net Rating comfortably edges Denver’s 4.4 mark. Nikola Jokic will give the Nuggets an advantage in any series, but for all their struggles, the Rockets have been the better team this year.
After that, they’d presumably play the Thunder. Article over.
Jokes aside, Houston can easily chase down the third seed heading into the postseason. That would likely pit them against the Spurs in the next round. San Antonio is a tough matchup for the Rockets. Victor Wembanyama’s ability to shut down the paint will mitigate a team that relies on two non-shooters like Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson.
Nothing is set in stone. Injuries happen. The Rockets could get hot at the right time. The Rockets still have a (very) outside chance of winning the NBA title this year:
But you shouldn’t bet on it.
On that note, if you do want to bet on your Houston Rockets, head on over to FanDuel, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.
HAINAN ISLAND, China (AP) — Mi Hyang Lee made only five pars Saturday in a wild and windy round at the Blue Bay LPGA that ended with a 1-under 71, good enough to seize control with a three-shot lead as the South Korean goes after her first LPGA win more than eight years.
Lee put together seven birdies at Jian Lake Blue Bay, offset by enough mistakes — six bogeys — to keep her from an even larger lead.
She was at 12-under 204, three shots ahead of Hye-Jin Choi (68) and Yu Liu of China (73).
Defending champion Rio Takeda of Japan made a charge to get into the mix by playing her final 11 holes in 6 under for a 67 that left her four shots out of the lead.
“Yeah, a lot of up and down,” Lee said of her round. “But still finished under par, so really looking forward to tomorrow.”
Her last LPGA win was the Women's Scottish Open in 2017.
Adding to the difficulty of the wind was a nagging shoulder injury that first surfaced last fall during an LPGA event in Ohio. She wanted to finish the year at the season-ending Tour Championship and had two months off to rest.
“This is my third week, so I think a little overdoing for my shoulder,” she said. “Last night I couldn't sleep without my medication. So hopefully, just one more day for tomorrow.”
Choi, the No. 15 player in the women's world ranking, shot 31 on the front nine to get back into the mix. She was closing in on Lee until taking a bogey on the par-4 17th, and then failing to make birdie on the par-5 closing hole.
“Back nine, it was not a really good situation compared to the front nine, but I made a lot of good saves,” Choi said. “Because of the wind, I couldn't hit my second shot near the pin.”
Lee wasn't the only player with a roller-coaster round. Liu began the back nine with a double bogey on No. 10, and two holes later made up for that by holing out for eagle on the par-4 12th.
Auston Kim had another rough Saturday. The American was in contention last week at the HSBC Women's World Championship until a 73 in the third round. She shot a 74 at Blue Bay that left her five shots behind.
Blue Bay LPGA is the third straight LPGA event on its first Asia swing of the season. A week after nine of the top 10 in the world played in Singapore, the China field had only one of the top 10. That was Ruoning Yin of China, a former Women's PGA champion. She shot 74 and was nine shots back.
Mar 6, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets center Clint Capela (30) reacts to forward Kevin Durant (7) basket against the Portland Trail Blazers in the second half at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
The Houston Rockets were able to rebound from an ugly loss to the Golden State Warriors that featured some horrid play down the stretch by closing out the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night with a strong fourth quarter to come from behind and drop the Blazers 106-99.
Houston used a 23-4 run in the fourth quarter and held the Blazers to many misses in what was a turnaround from the fourth quarter and OT versus the Warriors. Alperen Sengun had 28 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and a block while shooting 11-for-15 from the field, while Amen Thompson had 26 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and a block. He barely missed, shooting 11-for-12 from the field.
Kevin Durant had 20 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, but shot just 8-for-18 from the floor and had 8 turnovers. KD and Sengun combined for 14 turnovers between them. Reed Sheppard finished with 17 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocks. He was 3-for-8 from deep as Houston’s only player who hit more than one three-pointer. In fact, the Rockets had a very 90s-esque statline, shooting just 5-for-19 from deep for the game. Reed drew another start with Jabari Smith Jr. back to nursing his sore ankle.
The Rockets outshot Portland 54 percent to 40 percent, but Houston’s 22 turnovers kept the Blazers in the game until the decisive fourth quarter. Portland was led by Jermai Grant with 21 and Jrue Holiday with 20.
The Rockets move to 39-23 on the season and sit firmly in fourth place in the Western Conference. If playoff seeding was today, they’d be taking on the Denver Nuggets in the first round, an interesting matchup to say the least. They are also currently on a 51-win pace, or one game worse than last season’s team.
They’ll return to action on Sunday when they take on their Texas rival San Antonio Spurs.
Lakers guard Luka Doncic scores in front of Indiana Pacers guard Quenton Jackson Friday at Crypto.com Arena. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
The Lakers 128-117 winwon, Luka Doncic dominated and then the conversation moved forward, because even though a 128-117 win over the slumping Indiana Pacers on Friday counts all the same in the tight Western Conference standings, it doesn’t say as much about the Lakers as what comes next.
Buoyed by four recent wins over struggling teams, the Lakers are still searching for a statement victory to announce themselves as legitimate contenders in the crowded Western Conference. The Lakers (38-25) are comfortably in sixth place in the West, but just 3-11 against teams that are .600 or better.
Two of the wins came in the first two weeks of the season. The losses have been ugly: an average margin of 19.9 points per defeat.
Now with five of their next six games against teams that are .600 or better — starting with Sunday’s 12:30 p.m. contest against the New York Knicks — the Lakers get a chance to prove their potential to make a playoff run.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves drives to the basket as he's chased by Indiana Pacers guards Quenton Jackson and Aaron Nesmith Friday at Crypto.com Arena. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
“You play teams that are playing winning basketball and [have] winning records, it definitely can build some confidence in the group,” guard Luke Kennard said Friday. “But I know even some of the close games we've lost just recently, I know we've done some really good things. … We know what we have in the locker room and in this group.”
Even a day and a win later, the Lakers were still ruing Thursday’s road loss in Denver. With a chance to jump to fifth place in the standings, they let the Nuggets (39-25) open the game on an 11-point run. Denver opened up a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter.
But unlike many of their other losses to playoff-contending teams, the Lakers answered Denver’s run. They cut it to one with 2:05 left before the Nuggets held on for the victory.
“That was a game that we’ve broken throughout the year, in games like that,” coach JJ Redick said. “And they made a number of runs that went to double digits and we just kept playing and had a chance. … I’m confident we’re going to find it. How we’re going to find it, that’s where it’s —”
Redick cut off his own thought as he searched for the words.
“You got to figure it out on a daily basis sometimes,” the coach concluded with a tight smile.
Lakers center Jaxson Hayes scores at the rim in front of Indiana Pacers guard Ben Sheppard Friday at Crypto.com Arena. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
The Lakers figured it out Friday behind a dazzling 44-point performance from Doncic, who leads the NBA with 10 40-point games this season. The NBA’s leading scorer didn’t even play during the fourth quarter of the blowout.
Doncic’s brilliance was more than enough against the bottom-feeding Pacers, who, at 15-48, are playing more for lottery position than postseason hopes. But the Knicks (41-23) have won four of their last five games, including convincing wins over San Antonio and Denver. The only recent loss was a three-point defeat to Oklahoma City.
Lakers forward LeBron James is expected to be available for Sunday’s marquee game after injuring his elbow late in the loss to the Nuggets and missing Friday’s game. Centers Deandre Ayton (left knee soreness) and Maxi Kleber (lumbar back strain) are day-to-day.
Led by Jalen Brunson’s 26.2 points and 6.5 assists per game, the Knicks have the NBA’s third-best offense. Conversely, the Lakers are 21st in defensive rating.
The Lakers emphasized the importance of team defense all season, but Marcus Smart is “the only one that consistently is just doing what he's supposed to do” on defense, Redick said Friday. Sometimes the former defensive player of the year is forced to overcompensate for his teammates’ mistakes.
Doncic’s defensive lapses are magnified, especially with the team’s recent inconsistencies. But Doncic’s oft-criticized defense has provided some bright spots, Redick said.
When he switches onto the ball, Doncic gives up the lowest number of points per possession among the Lakers' perimeter players, Redick said. He led the Lakers in rebounding Friday with nine boards, all defensive. Doncic had both of the team's blocks against the Pacers.
“He's shown that he can contain the basketball,” Redick said of Doncic’s defense. “He's obviously one of the best wing defensive rebounders in the NBA. He's able to generate steals and deflections. And, with some prodding, he's taking charges as well.”
Doncic has drawn 11 charges this season, the most for a single year in his NBA career.
BOSTON, MA - MARCH 6: Cooper Flagg #32 of the Dallas Mavericks guards Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics during the game on March 6, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
An interesting confluence of Brotherhood history as two things happened in Boston on Friday night: Jayson Tatum returned from his Achilles injury in just eight months, and New England native and Dallas rookie Cooper Flagg made his maiden trip to TD Garden, home of the Celtics.
Not surprisingly, Boston won – the Celtics are second in the East and have won twice as many games as the Mavericks.
Tatum, who is going to be on a minutes restriction for a while, got in for 27 and scored 15 points, along with grabbing 12 rebounds. He also had 7 assists. That’s pretty good for a guy who has been out for 3/4 of a year.
For his part, Flagg is also returning from an injury, albeit much more minor. Flagg injured his ankle just before the All-Star break and is in his second game since getting back (his first one was a 114-115 loss to Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter’s Orlando Magic).
He scored 16 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out 6 assists.
Both guys are going to take a little time to get their edge back, but it’ll likely happen for Flagg faster than Tatum.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Max Verstappen was cleared by Formula 1's medical team after X-rays on his hands following his crash in qualifying that will see him start from 20th place on the grid in Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix.
The four-time world champion was a surprise exit from Saturday's qualifying just seven minutes into Q1 — the first of three segments in F1’s knockout format — and was seen inspecting his hands after he got out of his Red Bull.
“All good. I just had to get some X-rays done to see if my hands were OK, but nothing was broken,” Verstappen told Sky Sports.
Australia was the Dutchman’s eighth Q1 exit since he joined the pinnacle of motorsport in 2015 with then-Toro Rosso.
The 28-year-old Verstappen triggered the red flag after he lost control of his Red Bull in braking for turn one and skidded across the gravel trap and into the barriers.
“To lose the car like that on the braking, I’ve never experienced that in my life,” he said. “I hit the pedal and suddenly the whole rear axle just completely locked up, so definitely a bit weird."
Though the NCAA men’s basketball tournament is designed to produce a national champion, it’s just as effective at creating stars.
The stakes and pressure of a single-elimination tournament can turn once-anonymous figures who spent much of their careers toiling in obscurity into celebrities in an instant, with the fame from their one shining moment staying with them long after they’ve finished playing.
It’s not always players who are immortalized, either. There are coaches, of course, but also unsuspecting fans, student managers and even team chaplains.
The 2026 NCAA Tournament will tip off in just over a week, with 68 teams from across the country vying for a national championship — or, if not that, the chance to be remembered forever in the sport. Over three weeks of games, buzzers will be beaten, Goliaths will be toppled and cult heroes will be born.
As we prepare for the madness of this March, here’s a look back at some of the biggest NCAA Tournament legends over the past 30 years and what they’re up to now:
Back then: Drained one of the biggest “no, no, yes!” shots in NCAA Tournament history, sinking a 3-pointer early in the shot clock rather than bleeding out the clock with a one-point lead and 35 seconds remaining in Northern Iowa’s 69-67 second-round win against No. 1 overall seed Kansas in 2010.
Now: After spending 11 seasons as an assistant at Nebraska, Drake and Colorado State, the 37-year-old Farokhmanesh is in his first season as Colorado State’s head coach. The Rams are 20-10 heading into their regular-season finale on Saturday, March 7.
Kris Jenkins
Back then: Jenkins delivered the exclamation point for maybe the most thrilling end to a national championship game in NCAA Tournament history, burying a 3-pointer as time expired to deliver Villanova a 77-74 victory over North Carolina in 2016. It was the Wildcats’ first national title since 1985.
Now: After a brief professional career overseas and in the G League, Jenkins returned to Villanova in February 2020 in a student-athlete development role.
Bryce Drew
Back then: Drew hit one of the most famous buzzer-beaters ever in the NCAA Tournament, sinking a 3 following a great play off a full-court heave to lift No. 13 seed Valparaiso to a 70-69 upset over No. 4 seed Mississippi in 1998. He added 22 points in a second-round overtime win against Florida State, sending Valpo to its first and only Sweet 16 in program history.
Now: After playing six seasons in the NBA, he returned to Valparaiso, where he coached under his father, Homer, before succeeding him as head coach in 2011. He spent five seasons at Valpo before moving to Vanderbilt, where he was fired after three seasons. He’s currently in his sixth season as head coach at Grand Canyon, where he has gone 139-51.
Kevin Pittsnogle
Back then: The 6-foot-11, tattooed West Virginia native won the hearts of millions during the 2005 NCAA Tournament, when he led his home state university all the way to the Elite Eight behind his rare blend of size and outside shooting touch, as well as his unforgettable last name that became a verb for fans across the country. He returned to the Mountaineers the following year, averaging nearly 20 points per game and earning All-American honors.
Now: Pittsnogle bounced between jobs after a brief professional basketball career before earning his master’s degree in special education. He’s currently the principal at North Middle School in his hometown of Martinsburg, West Virginia.
D.J. Burns
Back then: No player embodied NC State’s stunning run to the 2024 Final Four as a No. 11 seed more than Burns, the 6-foot-9, 275-pound forward with a portly frame but immaculate footwork and touch around the basket. His March magic was highlighted by a 29-point performance against Duke in the Elite Eight, which sent the Wolfpack to their first Final Four since 1983.
Now: Despite his March Madness heroics, Burns went undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft. He played last season with the Goyang Sono Skygunners in South Korea and is now in his first season with Bnei Herzliya in Israel.
God Shammgod
Back then: With one of the most unforgettable names in college basketball history, Shammgod piloted a Providence team that made the Elite Eight as a No. 10 seed in 1997. He’s perhaps most known today for “the Shammgod,” a dribbling maneuver that bears his name.
Now: Shammgod played professional basketball for 12 years, primarily overseas, and is in his first season as an assistant coach with the Orlando Magic. He was previously an assistant with the Dallas Mavericks from 2019-25.
Jack Gohlke
Back then: Only a year removed from playing Division III ball, Gohlke led No. 14 seed Oakland to a shocking 80-76 win over No. 3 seed Kentucky in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, scoring a season-high 32 points while making 10 of his 20 3s.
Now: Gohlke has been playing professionally since leaving Oakland and is currently in his first season with the Texas Legends, the G League affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks.
Tyus Edney
Back then: Edney was the catalyst of UCLA’s national championship run in 1995, driving the length of the court in 4.8 seconds for a game-winning layup as time expired in a 75-74 victory against Missouri in the second round of the tournament. The 5-foot-10 point guard later averaged 21.5 points per game in the Elite Eight and Final Four.
Now: Following a 15-year professional career, Edney got into coaching, serving as an assistant at UCLA and San Diego. He’s in his second season as an assistant at Pepperdine.
Spike Albrecht and Luke Hancock
Back then: Albrecht and Hancock traded baskets in a frenetic first half between Michigan and Louisville in the 2013 national championship game, combining for 33 points in the first half of the Cardinals’ 82-76 victory. Hancock, who finished with 22 points for Louisville, was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player.
Now: Albrecht played three more seasons for Michigan before transferring to Purdue for his final college season. He later served as a graduate assistant at Purdue and, interestingly enough, Louisville. He’s now the director of franchise development with the REP’M Group. Though his Louisville team had its title vacated by the NCAA, Hancock and four of his teammates successfully had all of their records, including Hancock’s Final Four MOP, restored in 2019 in a lawsuit settlement. He currently works as an analyst for the ACC Network.
Doug Edert
Back then: Edert averaged only 9.5 points per game for a Saint Peter’s team that made the 2022 NCAA Tournament, but he quickly became one of the sport’s biggest stars that March, when the 6-foot-2 guard with the wispy mustache came off the bench to score 20 points in the No. 15 seed Peacocks’ first-round upset over No. 2 seed Kentucky. He later helped Saint Peter’s become the first No. 15 seed to make the Elite Eight, where it fell to North Carolina.
Now: Edert transferred after the 2021-22 season and played his final two years of college ball at Bryant. He’s currently working as a basketball coach and trainer.
Steph Curry
Back then: Over a thrilling couple of weeks in March 2008, Curry went from being Dell Curry’s rail-thin son to one of the biggest, most recognizable stars in college basketball. The once-overlooked sharpshooter scored a combined 103 points while leading No. 10 seed Davidson to upset wins over Gonzaga, Georgetown and Wisconsin on its way to the Elite Eight, where it narrowly lost to eventual national champion Kansas in a matchup in which Curry had a game-high 25 points.
Now: Honestly not sure. Hopefully he still gets the chance to lace his sneakers up every now and then.
Mar 6, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) and Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) talk after their game at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
For kids playing on frozen driveways across New England, the NBA was always visible. You could catch games on television or see one in person if you didn’t mind driving a few hours to Boston. But the league itself never felt truly within reach.
For many of those kids, the Boston Celtics were the team they grew up watching. Proximity played a role, sure, but so did the lore: the banners, the parquet, the Pride. The Celtics made the game feel close to home, but the players themselves usually came from somewhere else. Kentucky. California. Florida. States with deep pipelines to the league, a long way from the small towns that orbit Boston.
On Friday night inside TD Garden, that distance shrank to 94 feet of hardwood as Cooper Flagg took the floor just 207 miles from where the dream began in Newport, Maine.
Flagg entered the league as the No. 1 overall pick and one of the most anticipated young prospects in recent memory, carrying expectations rarely attached to a player from this corner of the country. Players from Maine have reached Division I basketball before. Some have even put together legitimate NBA careers (see Duncan Robinson). But a prospect of this caliber had never emerged from the state. Hell, it had never even been considered possible.
Across Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont — places where winters stretch long and basketball dreams often have to travel far — Flagg has people wondering whether the basketball map might need to be redrawn.
Not just any regular season game
On March 6, the feeling inside TD Garden carried the weight of something much bigger than a normal regular-season game.
The return of Jayson Tatum had already turned the night into an event. Every seat held a white No. 0 shirt. The pregame video of the Celtics gathering in the tunnel drew an immediate eruption. Even Tatum layups in the warmup line earned raucous applause.
But scattered throughout the building were reminders that this night wasn’t just about Tatum.
On the elevator up before the game (biggest elevator I’ve ever been on, by the way — terrifying), I found myself surrounded by three groups of fans with unmistakable Maine accents. I asked where they were from, my Mainer radar (Mainedar, if you will) clearly still in working order.
Ellsworth. Naples. Bangor. Three different groups, all there to see Cooper Flagg.
Before the game, a girl held up a sign on the jumbotron that read “Cooper Makes Maine Proud.” If there was a Mavericks jersey in the building, it was almost always No. 32.
Flagg stepped onto the floor for warmups at 4:52 p.m., long before the arena had filled in with fans. At that point the Garden was quiet enough to hear sneakers squeak across the parquet. He moved through routine jumpers and resistance work on his recovering left foot, which held him out of the previous eight games before returning versus Orlando on Thursday night.
Deep breath. Glance around the Garden. Back to work.
By the time introductions rolled around, the building had transformed. White shirts were now picked up off their chairs and either donned or twirled high above heads. The call from PA announcer Eddie Palladino brought the loudest roar of the night to that point.
Flagg’s arrival brought something more complicated.
The boos were louder — he was still wearing Dallas across his chest after all — but there were clear cheers mixed in. Hearing that for a visiting rookie in Boston said plenty about how many people had made the trip.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd was less surprised than others.
“It’s a big game for Coop,” Kidd said before the game. “The state of Maine will be here tonight.”
That showed up immediately once the game started.
There were shouts of “Come on, Coop!” on his first touch. His first basket drew a noticeable pop from the crowd. Tatum remained the steady drumbeat of the night, but Flagg had an undeniable following of his own in the building. Every time it felt like Flagg-specific cheers started to rise, Celtics fans quickly pushed back, like the building reminding itself whose house it was.
A strange start and a familiar ending
For most of the first half, TD Garden felt like a building waiting politely to celebrate.
Jayson Tatum missed his first six shots after returning to the lineup, and the crowd reacted to every possession with a mixture of anticipation and impatience. Rebounds earned cheers. Passes drew the sound of thousands of held breaths releasing at once. A missed dunk opportunity was the coup de grâce of the first half.
Tatum later admitted the moment weighed on him.
“I just felt really anxious,” he said afterward. “It’s been a long time coming.”
The Celtics star eventually settled in. A tip slam late in the second quarter finally gave the building the moment it had been waiting for, and a three-pointer on the next possession sent the Garden into its loudest eruption of the night.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 24 points while Tatum finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in 27 minutes as Boston pulled away for a 120–100 victory.
For Cooper Flagg, the night offered a mix of promise and frustration.
The rookie finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists, leading Dallas in rebounds and assists while showing flashes of the court vision and aggressiveness that have defined his rookie season.
The unlikely basketball path from Newport
Despite the following, Flagg’s story has never followed the typical script.
Newport, Maine sits roughly 200 miles north of Boston. In simple terms, it is not a place that produces NBA prospects with any regularity. As someone who grew up playing Maine high school basketball (would I have locked Cooper Flagg up had our careers crossed paths? You can’t 100% say no to that question.), I can tell you the idea of a No. 1 overall pick coming out of the state once sounded like pure fantasy.
Maine is a place where basketball is a winter habit. Small gyms. Packed local crowds. Long winters spent imagining what the bigger stage might feel like. For most kids that imagination includes a familiar scene: counting down from ten in your head and launching the imaginary game-winner in front of a packed arena.
Flagg didn’t stay in the imagination phase very long.
Early on, there were moments that made people around the state look at each other and ask the same question: “Wait, he’s this good?”
One of those came in his first high school game, when a freshman Flagg put up 35 points and 12 rebounds in a double-overtime win over South Portland and finished it with a chase-down block that instantly became local mythology.
Basketball already ran through his family. His mother, Kelly, played at the University of Maine. Celtics games were constant background noise growing up in the Flagg family. Old footage from the 1986 championship team reportedly played on repeat in the family van.
After one year of high school in Maine, the path accelerated quickly.
Montverde. Duke. Then the draft.
By the time he reached the league, he wasn’t viewed as an intriguing prospect from an unlikely place. He had moved into the rare category reserved for players franchises would move heaven and earth to acquire.
Lessons from the big stage in Boston
Friday night gave Cooper Flagg something more useful than a perfect homecoming. It gave him a real NBA education in front of the people who had waited years to see him on this floor.
The flashes were obvious. They’re the reason fans from Bangor, Ellsworth, Naples and all over New England made the trip. Flagg saw the floor well from the jump, got into the paint, made the extra pass, and kept finding ways to impact the game even when his own offense wasn’t flowing cleanly.
He had 10 points, four rebounds and three assists by halftime, and there were stretches where you could feel the building reacting to him independently of Tatumania. Every time his name was announced at the line, the cheers gave it away. A lot of people had come to see him, Tatum’s return be damned.
But this wasn’t a coronation, and that’s part of what made it compelling.
On the night, Flagg finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists, which reads well enough in the box score. The eye test told a messier story. He looked frustrated at times, especially when the whistle wasn’t going his way. Later, as the Celtics began to separate in the fourth quarter, the rookie’s body language was atypical from what we’re used to seeing from this kid.
He argued calls. Forced a few shots. Got sped up. Jaylen Brown baited him into the air on a pump fake here. Derrick White erased one drive there. Neemias Queta got the better of him on a couple of physical plays around the rim. The Celtics were making him earn everything.
That’s Joe Mazzulla’s Celtics. Oh, you drove six hours from Caribou to watch Cooper tonight? Cool. Watch him get hounded by a rotating cast of tireless defensive demons for 30 minutes.
What stood out, though, was that Flagg never fully disappeared. He opened the second half with a quick midrange jumper before fans had fully settled back into their seats. He poked the ball loose in transition a couple of times on Brown. He defended Tatum hard enough to force an airball in the fourth. Even with the game slipping away and the frustration building, he kept trying to make the next play.
The right play.
Boston has the more mature stars. The Celtics have the cleaner execution. The Mavericks have had Nico Harrison. Flagg did not have his sharpest game, and he still looked like someone worth driving hours to see. Both things can be true.
Afterward, he kept the focus where it usually goes.
“A lot of people came from back home,” Flagg said. “This experience was really cool. The energy was incredible.”
A place on the map
There’s an old Maine phrase people use when describing directions to somewhere impossible to find: you can’t get there from here.
For a long time, the NBA could feel a little like that across New England. Close enough to watch. Close enough to care so, so deeply. Still far enough away that it felt like somebody else’s world.
That’s why Friday mattered, even without the perfect ending for Mainers.
Cooper Flagg didn’t walk into TD Garden and own the night. Tatum returned. Brown looked like he has all season. The Celtics pulled away, and Flagg got hit with some hard lessons, a few frustrating whistles, and a clear reminder that the gap between promising and polished is one that most superstars eventually must clear.
BOSTON, MA – MARCH 6: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics guards Cooper Flagg #32 of the Dallas Mavericks during the game on March 6, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
And still, none of that changed the bigger point.
A kid from Newport, Maine took the floor in Boston as the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, heard cheers in TD Garden, and gave thousands of New England fans a glimpse of something their corner of the country had never really seen before.
Maybe Flagg is the exception. Maybe the pipeline still runs through all the usual places. Maybe the basketball map hasn’t changed all that much yet — emphasis on yet.
But for one night in Boston, it had to make room for Maine.
And somewhere across New England tonight, a kid is probably standing on a frozen driveway, counting down from ten and imagining the moment a little differently than they did before.
Maybe even wondering, for the first time, why they couldn’t be next.
