Category: Sports News

Since James Harden has arrived in Cleveland, everything has been exactly what one would hope for. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 5–1, the offense looks rejuvenated, and the team’s vibes haven’t been higher this season. Nothing seems like it could detract from the momentum this team has built, as it now finds itself in the third seed of the Eastern Conference. Well, nothing except for the fact that we all know how Harden carries himself with his new clubs.

This is the honeymoon phase—a term that anyone who has been in a relationship knows all too well. Star-crossed lovers become so enamored with each other that they ride the euphoria and push all concerns to the side. Unfortunately, Cavaliers fans should keep in the back of their minds while they enjoy this initial phase of the James Harden experience. That, according to history, it will not last forever.

It would be nice to think the Tobias Fünke train of thought—“It didn’t work for them, but it could work for us”—didn’t have validity, but the pattern has too much credibility. Ask the fans of the Nets, Sixers, and Clippers how the initial portion of the James Harden experience went.

You go on Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, or even just talk to friends, and the quotes eerily all line up to paint the same picture. Harden joins Team X, and suddenly it’s, “Oh wow, he looks reinvigorated.” “Maybe something has changed?” Harden looks phenomenal for a stretch, which allows fanbases and front offices to quiet any reservations they had about the trade.

Then, Team X hits a bump in the road—whether it’s getting bounced from the playoffs or falling short of expectations—and things get dicey fast. The dialogue around the team and Harden suddenly pivots from, “Where did this guy come from?” to, “Will this team ever look like it did when he first arrived?” Next thing you know, the NBA trade deadline features Team X trying to appease Harden as he looks for his next venture, because your team didn’t cut it.

This is all part of the Harden experience. James Harden is an NBA mercenary. Mercenaries aren’t sentimental; they don’t get emotionally attached. In Harden’s case, if he doesn’t get what he wants quickly, things get sour fast.

This is nothing against Harden—he doesn’t hide his wishes or tendencies. This is very much out in the open. A key factor to consider when getting into the Harden business is that he never gets comfortable, always willing to press the buttons necessary to maximize his chances of winning a title. This is an important piece of information that Koby Altman and the Cavaliers front office were, without a doubt, aware of.

The Cavaliers, with all their chips on Harden, either unknowingly or unwillingly, have put themselves on a rapid and delicate timeline. This is probably the most open the Eastern Conference will be for the next few years, with the Pistons sitting at the top, the Celtics recuperating and reintegrating Jayson Tatum into the fold, and the Knicks looking like the main threats to Cleveland’s chances to represent the East in the NBA Finals.

It’s fair to anticipate that Cleveland has made some indication to Harden that they will either extend him or provide incentives for him to remain in town through next season, at minimum. The Cavaliers are currently benefiting from the Harden experience and show no signs of slowing down. The team should ride this momentum into the postseason. However, it is the playoffs that will set the tone for the team heading into next season, based on the recent chapters of Harden’s career.

This is the deal that Cleveland signed up for. Harden has always shown his cards. If the Cavaliers expect a different response from their newest star, then they got into the wrong business.

After a couple wins against the cellar-dwelling Indiana Pacers, the Wizards took on a surging Charlotte Hornets and got buried under an avalanche of threes. The Hornets made 25 in the game — one shy of their franchise record. Along the way, Charlotte connected on 12-14 from deep in the third quarter alone.

The Wizards did give up some open and wide-open looks in that ridiculous third quarter, but in fairness that kind of shooting is largely outlier flukish luck. Even All-Star teams going against All-Star level “defense” won’t make 12-14 from three-point range.

The Hornets deserve some credit too. Several of those threes came from stellar offensive design — multiple screens and side-switching player movement that befuddled the Wizards and created open looks. While the Wizards made a habit of dying on screens and not communicating effectively on switches, but those actions are tough to cover, and the league as a whole has had difficulty keeping up with them over the past couple months.

Overall, I’d have to say there wasn’t much to learn in this one. Washington was missing several players, head coach Brian Keefe kept the team’s available maintstays on a tight minutes leash, and gave biggest minutes to the two-way and 10-day guys. All part of the Keep That Pick campaign.

Thoughts & Observations

• With Alex Sarr and Tristan Vukcevic in street clothes, Anthony Gill got his first start of the season and the 16th start of his career. Nice that it happened against Charlotte, so Hornets play-by-play man Eric Collins could talk about Gill coming from Charlotte.
• Kyshawn George played pretty well in his first game back from a toe injury.
• Bilal Coulibaly exhibited shocking offensive aggression (for him) from the opening tip. He scored Washington’s first 11 points, and it was more than three minutes before anyone other Wizards player even attempting a field goal. He finished the period with 15 points — the highest offensive output in a single quarter in his career.
• Coulibaly’s previous high for a quarter was 13.
• Note I jotted during the first quarter: LaMelo has the weirdest shot in the NBA. It got even weirder later when he hit a contested and fading three off one leg with the shot clock expiring. He hit 10-15 from three-point range.
• Kudos to the Wizards defense for holding Ball to 2-5 shooting on twos. (No, this is not a serious observation.)
• It’s a little weird to talk about a 33-year-old lacking experience, but I think it might apply to Gill. Example: in the second quarter, he turned down a wide open catch-and-shoot three and instead drove into multiple defenders…and turned it over. The lesson? Take. The. Open. Shot.
• After Coulibaly’s personal best first quarter, he got zero minutes in the second and just eight minutes the rest of the game.
• The Christian and Scooby halftime show was great. If you haven’t seen the show, Google it. You’re welcome.
• I get that the franchise wants to lose so they can keep that first round pick and improve their odds of getting the highest possible draft slot. Even so, why would they start the second half running a postup for Bub Carrington who was being defended by Ball — who’s three inches taller?
• Charlotte’s offensive rating (points per possession x 100) through three quarter was 146. League average this season: 115.4.
• Charlotte is on a seven-game road winning streak.

Four Factors

Below are the four factors that decide wins and losses in basketball — shooting (efg), rebounding (offensive rebounds), ball handling (turnovers), fouling (free throws made).

The four factors are measured by:

• eFG% (effective field goal percentage, which accounts for the three-point shot)
• OREB% (offensive rebound percentage)
• TOV% (turnover percentage — turnovers divided by possessions)
• FTM/FGA (free throws made divided by field goal attempts)

Stats & Metrics

PPA is my overall production metric, which credits players for things they do that help a team win (scoring, rebounding, playmaking, defending) and dings them for things that hurt (missed shots, turnovers, bad defense, fouls).

PPA is a per possession metric designed for larger data sets. In small sample sizes, the numbers can get weird. In PPA, 100 is average, higher is better and replacement level is 45. For a single game, replacement level isn’t much use, and I reiterate the caution about small samples sometimes producing weird results.

POSS is the number of possessions each player was on the floor in this game.

ORTG = offensive rating, which is points produced per individual possessions x 100. League average so far this season is listed in the Four Factors table above. Points produced is not the same as points scored. It includes the value of assists and offensive rebounds, as well as sharing credit when receiving an assist.

USG = offensive usage rate. Average is 20%.

ORTG and USG are versions of stats created by former Wizards assistant coach Dean Oliver and modified by me. ORTG is an efficiency measure that accounts for the value of shooting, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers. USG includes shooting from the floor and free throw line, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers.

+PTS = “Plus Points” is a measure of the points gained or lost by each player based on their efficiency in this game compared to league average efficiency on the same number of possessions. A player with an offensive rating (points produced per possession x 100) of 100 who uses 20 possessions would produce 20 points. If the league average efficiency is 115, the league — on average — would produced 23.0 points in the same 20 possessions. So, the player in this hypothetical would have a +PTS score of -3.0.

Players are sorted by total production in the game.

Coming into the season, the Boston Celtics weren’t taken nearly as seriously as in recent years. The team was dismissed early and so, too, were Jaylen Brown’s chances of mounting a legitimate MVP case.

Brown, the lone man in the driver’s seat with Jayson Tatum sidelined, has reshaped not only how he’s perceived but also how his teammates are seen. Boston’s surge from being counted out after its offseason yard sale, combined with Brown’s growth, has put the entire league on notice. Even four-time NBA MVP LeBron James joined the Brown-for-MVP conversation, offering his support following Boston’s 111-89 win over his Lakers on Sunday night.

“He’s playing great basketball,” James told reporters, per CLNS Media.

What Brown has done soars far beyond the usual feel-good Cinderella run. He hasn’t just been dominant; he’s been efficient. The front office moved on from established veterans like Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porziņģis, and Al Horford, turning instead to less expensive and less experienced contributors such as Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, and rookie Hugo González, with no intention of tanking. Instead, they recalibrated to build a system that allows everyone to shine and contribute. And at the forefront of what has become a well-oiled machine, designed by Joe Mazzulla, has been Brown himself.

“This whole MVP thing, I don’t understand why his name is not getting talked about as well,” James told reporters. “Like, nobody gave him a shot to start the season, and he’s averaging what, 30 (points)? It’s a popularity contest sometimes.”

James continued: “I don’t know the criteria for the MVP anymore. I kind of stopped giving a damn about it a long time ago. I got my own personal issues about it.”

Brown is competing against Cade Cunningham and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the leaders of the Eastern and Western Conference’s top seeds, along with Nikola Jokić, a perennial MVP candidate and three-time winner, and Victor Wembanyama, who is in the midst of a breakout season of his own. There is a legitimate case to be made for each, but at the very least, no MVP discussion should exist without Brown’s name mentioned. By any reasonable measure, he is as qualified as the league’s current frontrunners and, in some cases, more qualified than several players routinely mentioned in the conversation.

It hasn’t been as simple as Tatum’s touches being absorbed by Brown, thus inflating his scoring figures and nudging him into MVP consideration. It’s been far more than that. Brown has embraced a leadership role, even when it lacks glamor. He has invested not only in his own growth but in that of his teammates as well, a commitment that shows up in his playmaking. On Sunday night, against the Lakers, Brown tallied seven assists, and it did nothing to diminish his 32-point performance.

The constant pursuit of elevating both himself and the Celtics collectively has made this season’s version of Brown markedly different from what we’re used to seeing.

“He’s the kind of guy who relishes in getting 1% better, whatever that looks like,” Mazzulla told reporters, per CLNS Media. “He just cares about winning. At the end of the day, he wants to win. He’s smart. He knows the game, knows the league, knows what wins, knows what doesn’t win. He knows the strengths and weaknesses of our team, and if you look at last game, he gets a triple-double. Tonight, he picked and chose his spots.”

Brown spent the night finding different ways to score, attacking whoever the Lakers put in front of him. He played with a relentless motor, knocking down difficult shots one after another while flashing his stepback so frequently it became a daunting task to defend him.

It’s one thing to scroll through social media and find validation from fans. It’s another to wind down after a blowout win while a future first-ballot Hall of Famer sings your praises from the opposite locker room, and Brown understands that fully.

“It’s an honor for LeBron, who’s arguably the best player to ever play the game, giving me some high praise,” Brown told reporters, per CLNS Media. “I’m just grateful. I wake up every morning grateful, humbled, in the position I’m able to be in and put my best foot forward every single day.”

Hearing what James said brought back memories of Brown’s debut, as he shared. He couldn’t help but smile while thinking back on what James told him a decade ago, and how far he’s come since then as a household star, now with a championship, a $286 million max contract, and an NBA Finals MVP to his name.

“My first start was against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and after the game, he came up to me and told me, ‘You’re going to be an All-Star one day. You’re going to be a great player.’ He also said, ‘You’re playing for a great coach,’” Brown recalled of his rookie days under Brad Stevens.

“That was my first start in the NBA. I had a good game back in 2016. So we talked about that at the All-Star Game (this year) — ‘Remember that, 10 years ago?’ And he smiled and said, ‘Of course. I’m not surprised at anything you’re doing right now. So just keep proving people wrong, keep doing what you gotta do, and keep leading your team, and people will take notice.’”

Brown still remembers the reception that greeted him on Draft Night, when a mix of boos and cheers echoed through TD Garden during the team’s draft party. Then-majority owner Wyc Grousbeck addressed the decision, only to be met with even louder expressions of disappointment from those in attendance. For better or worse, Brown has held tightly to those moments, the ones that have shaped him both as an athlete and as a person.

Those experiences have molded him, helped him overcome his lows, and prepared him for his highs. Now, they’ve carried him into the most challenging season of his career, and so far, it has gone nearly perfectly. The Celtics sit at 37-19, winners of eight of their last 10 games. Regardless of the odds or the shifting MVP discourse, Brown isn’t changing a thing.

“We still got 26 games left, so just come with the same mentality I’ve had from Day 1,” Brown told reporters. “Don’t let the praise, the warmth, or the criticism make or break you. Just come out and be Jaylen Brown, who I am. I feel like I’m the best two-way player in the world; I play both ends of the court night to night. I’m available, which is hard to do. I’m a leader; I help lead my team, empower my team to come out confidently — stuff that doesn’t always show up on the analytics. And I’m a winner. I come out and try to win every single time.”

Duke and Arizona looked like the teams to beat in the upcoming men's NCAA Tournament after taking down No. 1 Michigan and No. 2 Houston, respectively, on Feb. 21.

The No. 3 Blue Devils beat the Wolverines 68-63 behind Cameron Boozer's 18-point, 10-rebound and seven-assist performance. Guards Isaiah Evans and Caleb Foster added 26 combined points in the win.

NCAA Tournament top 16 seeds: A rough day just hours after reveal

Bracketology: NCAA Tournament field prediction has new No. 1 seed

Meanwhile, the Wildcats defeated the Cougars 73-66 behind a career-high 22 points from Anthony Dell'Orso, who played 34 minutes off the bench for the national championship contenders.

There will be a shakeup in the polls on Feb. 23, as No. 6 Iowa State fell to No. 22 BYU and No. 12 Kansas was upset by unranked Cincinnati. No. 18 Vanderbilt also lost to unranked Tennessee.

Here's a look at the latest risers and fallers for March Madness as the regular season winds down:

March Madness bracket predictions

Risers

Duke

• Projected seed: No. 1

Duke is coming off a 68-63 win over No. 1 Michigan on Feb. 21 and looks to be the new frontrunner for the No. 1 overall team in the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils are 25-2 on the season and their two losses are to Texas Tech and North Carolina, which are both virtual locks for March Madness.

Duke still has remaining games against Notre Dame, Virginia, NC State and UNC in the regular season.

Arizona

• Projected seed: No. 1

Arizona was the last undefeated team in Power Four until it lost to Kansas on the road Feb. 9, before losing again to Texas Tech in its next game. The Wildcats bounced back on Feb. 21, though, defeating No. 2 Houston 73-66 on the road.

Arizona is back to being a contender for the No. 1 overall seed, along with Duke.

Florida

• Projected seed: No. 2

Florida was shaky at times early in the year, but has hit its stride in recent weeks and is dominating the SEC. The Gators have won 12 of their past 14 games, including wins over Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky and Vanderbilt.

Florida's frontcourt trio of Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu might be the best in college basketball and starting guards Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee are also heating up, which could be scary for opposing teams facing the reigning national champions.

UCLA

• Projected seed: First Four Out

UCLA coach Mick Cronin went viral for the wrong reasons after its blowout loss to Michigan State on Feb. 17. However, the Bruins turned around and defeated No. 10 Illinois 95-94 at home on Feb. 21, which is a huge boost to their resume.

UCLA still has some work to do but holds an 18-9 record with ranked wins over Purdue and Illinois, two of the top projected teams in March Madness.

Fallers

Houston

• Projected seed: No. 2

Houston is coming off back-to-back losses to Iowa State and Arizona and appears to have fallen behind both schools in the Big 12's pecking order. While the Cougars are still national championship contenders, they have some work to do to get back onto the No. 1 seed line.

Kansas

• Projected seed: No. 3

Kansas was blown out by Iowa State on Feb. 14, before defeating Oklahoma State on Feb. 18 with limited help from star guard Darryn Peterson. The Jayhawks then suffered perhaps their worst loss of the season on Feb. 21, falling to unranked Cincinnati by 16 points at home.

Thankfully for Kansas, Peterson played 32 minutes in the loss after pulling himself from the game against the Cowboys.

Vanderbilt

• Projected seed: No. 5

Vanderbilt, losers of three of its past five games, is quickly falling out of contention to be the higher seed for the Round of 32, should it reach that stage of the NCAA Tournament.

The Commodores have dropped back-to-back games to Missouri and Tennessee, who are looking to surpass Vanderbilt in the SEC order. The losses were only by five combined points, though, showing how slim the margins can be between winning and losing.

Vandy ends the regular season with games against Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee again, which could all go either way.

Clemson

• Projected seed: No. 9

Clemson was looking to compete with North Carolina to finish second in the ACC standings, until its current four-game losing streak started. The Tigers are 20-8 on the season, but have lost four straight, including three against unranked teams in Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Florida State.

The Tigers have upcoming games against Louisville and North Carolina, two ranked teams. Things could get ugly quick if they can't win at least one of those two games, in terms of seeding and even avoiding the bubble.

When is Selection Sunday 2026?

The 68-team bracket for the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament will be unveiled on 6 p.m. ET, Sunday, March 15.

March Madness 2026 schedule 

The 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament will transpire over the next three weeks, which will end with the Final Four and the national championship game in Indianapolis.

Here’s a rundown of the schedule for the 2026 NCAA Tournament:

• First Four: March 17-18 (Buy tickets)
• First round: March 19-20
• Second round: March 21-22
• Sweet 16: March 26-27
• Elite Eight: March 28-29
• Final Four: April 4 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis (Buy tickets)
• National championship game: April 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis (Buy tickets)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NCAA tournament bracketology teams rising, falling in bracket predictions

LOS ANGELES — Jaylen Brown broke into a toothy grin as he chest-bumped Payton Pritchard at the center of Crypto.com arena, moments after Pritchard crossed up Austin Reaves en route to his sixth three-pointer of the night.

Brown, Pritchard’s longest-tenured teammate, relished the offensive explosion.

“Payton has been playing at an All-Star level,” Brown said after the Celtics 111-89 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. “And I’m happy to see it. Nobody happier to see it than me.”

Pritchard’s three-pointer extended the Celtics’ lead to 22 points, their 37th win of the season all but secured. And, a team that was once heralded by many as destined for the lottery extended their lead for second place in the Eastern Conference.

On the sidelines, Jayson Tatum chuckled, in awe of Pritchard’s masterful offensive display (the Celtics guard finished the afternoon with 30 points on 10-14 shooting).

But afterwards, in quintessential fashion, Pritchard said he wasn’t a finished product.

“[There’s] another step I can get to,” Pritchard said. “So, just gonna keep working — and I’m gonna get to it.”

In one sense, Payton Pritchard was the story of the Celtics’ blowout win over the Lakers — the 27-year-old has been on a tear as of late, averaging 23.6 points and shooting 54.4% from the field in his last 7 games (since Anfernee Simons was traded to the Chicago Bulls).

Payton Pritchard, the NBA’s most efficient isolation scorer this season, overcame an ice-cold start to the year to average 17.6 points and 5.4 assists per game, both career-highs.

But, was Pritchard the story of the Celtics’ Sunday afternoon victory? Is he the story of the Celtics’ season?

Jaylen Brown, of course, deserves plenty of the limelight

In the victory, Brown talled 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists, putting forth another all-around performance that earned praise from LeBron James himself.

“This whole MVP thing, I don’t understand why his name is not getting talked about some as well,” James said, per CLNS Media. “Like, nobody gave them a shot to start the season. And he’s averaging what, 30 [points]? Just under 30? It’s a popularity contest sometimes, I tell you.”

Brown has received his fair share of accolades this season; in January, he earned his first-ever Eastern Conference Player of the Month selection. Last week, he started in an All-Star game for the first time in his NBA tenure. And, before the game, Lakers head coach JJ Redick stated simply that there were no holes in Brown’s game.

Is Brown’s leap the story of the Celtics’ season?

There’s a strong case to be made. Jaylen Brown has played some of the best basketball of his career, averaging 29.2 points, 7 rebounds, and 4.9 assists — all career-highs.

It’s unusual for a player in their 10th season to make such a substantial lap — Brown is scoring 7 more points per game than he did last year — and it’s the first time in his career he’s been in MVP conversations.

“I feel like I’m the best two-way player in the world,” Brown said. “I play both ends on the court night-to-night. I’m available, which is hard to do. I’m a leader. Help lead my team, empower my team to come out and play confidently, stuff that doesn’t always show up on the analytics. And I’m a winner. I come out and try to win every single night.”

In some ways, Celtics-Lakers was all about the young bucks

It’s hard to boil down the Celtics’ success to the elite play of one player, when all season long has so loudly been about the team. Contributions have come from different players every night — for a stretch, it was Josh Minott starting games for Boston (Minott is no longer on the team).

For a couple-month period, Jordan Walsh, who started 20 consecutive games, was the talk of the town. For a stretch, it was Hugo Gonzalez, who began to break through at just 19 years old.

A hallmark characteristic of this group has been that regardless of who is available, the same attention to detail is on full display.

Nowadays, Sam Hauser and Baylor Scheierman regularly start games for Boston, with Pritchard and Nikola Vucevic coming off the bench.

There were turning points in Sunday’s beatdown that felt like the Celtics’ success could largely be attributed to the team’s trio of young defenders: Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, and Jordan Walsh.

Mazzulla said that Brown pulled all three aside — as well as Sam Hauser — at Saturday’s practice in Santa Monica in order to go over some of the Lakers’ stars offensive tendencies. That extra scout carried over into Sunday’s game; James, Austin Reaves, and Luka Doncic combined to shoot just 22 of 53 (41%) from the field.

And, Brown liked what he saw from that trio in action on Sunday afternoon.

“Hugo made some big plays for us,” Brown said. “Baylor was amazing tonight. Defense is what we’ve got to continue to elevate.”

The Celtics, in turn, tallied their third consecutive victor.

They now have the NBA’s fourth-best record (trailing only the Detroit Pistons, Oklahoma City Thunder, and San Antonio Spurs) and third-best net rating (trailing only the Pistons and Thunder).

After the win, Mazzulla was asked what he thought was the story of the Celtics’ season.

His answer perfectly reflected the Celtics’ mindset: focus on the right now, on the controllables. Focus on the process, not the result.

“The story’s not done,” Mazzulla said. “We are only a product of what we do tomorrow, what we do the next day, and that’s just the story. If we would have lost this game by 1, tomorrow’s film session [would have] to be as detailed and as disciplined as it is going to be with the result that we had. And so that’s the story. It’s not done yet.”

Mazzulla doesn’t expect Monday’s Celtics film session to feel any different on the heels of a victory as it would feel after a loss. After the 22-point win, he noted the Celtics gave up two back-cuts and an after-timeout lob to LeBron. He also noted that the Celtics overhelped on several three-point attempts.

All of those plays — win or loss — is what the group will focus on tomorrow.

“We haven’t done anything,” Mazzulla said. “All we’ve done is stick to the process of winning on both ends of the floor, put our head down. [We] don’t overreact to a good win or to a bad loss. And, [we] get better in the next game.”

Weekly schedule analysis can be the difference between winning and losing tight fantasy basketball matchups, especially during busy stretches of the season. By identifying low-volume game days, managers can maximize streaming spots, while also prioritizing players from teams with four-game slates to squeeze out extra production. This breakdown highlights the most favorable schedules, teams to target, and potential matchup advantages to exploit. With several clubs playing four times and a few light days ideal for streaming, proactive roster management will be key to gaining an edge in points, categories, and overall lineup efficiency throughout the week.

Days with fewer than six games

These are dates to target players for streaming options from the following teams: 

Monday, February 23: SAS vs. DET, SAC vs. MEM, UTA vs. HOU

Friday, February 27: CLE vs. DET, BKN vs. BOS, NYK vs. MIL, MEM vs. DAL, DEN vs. OKC

Saturday, February 28: POR vs. CHA, HOU vs. MIA, TOR vs. WSH, LAL vs. GSW, NOP vs. UTA

Teams with more than three games this week

Make sure to activate players and target weekly pickups from the following teams:

Nets (4), Celtics (4), Cavaliers (4), Mavericks (4), Pistons (4), Rockets (4), Lakers (4), Grizzlies (4), Bucks (4), Pelicans (4), Thunder (4), Trail Blazers (4), Kings (4), Spurs (4) 

Teams with fewer than three games this week

Consider looking for streaming options if your roster includes players from these teams:

Clippers (2), Suns (2)

Top teams to target based on favorable matchups

Mavericks at Nets, vs. Kings, vs. Grizzlies, vs. Thunder

The Mavericks open with their only road game of the week, as they take on the Nets, who give up the league's second-highest field-goal percentage, including the second-highest three-point percentage, along with the sixth-most turnovers per game. This should be a great opportunity for the squad to establish a good rhythm heading into a couple more highly winnable matchups. Next, they clash with the Kings, who are missing a few of their top players due to injury trouble and are giving up the league's third-most points per game. Moving ahead, a meeting with the Grizzlies, who give up the league's ninth-most points per game, including the fourth-most three-pointers, along with the league's seventh-most turnovers per game. All three matchups provide ideal opportunities for Max Christie and Khris Middleton to maximize their impact from long range, while guys like Brandon Williams and P.J. Washington should be able to pad their stats across the board against the unimposing defenses. Finally, the Mavs face the Thunder, in what will most likely be the toughest game of the week. However, Cooper Flagg (foot) should be back in action by then and will help give his side a better chance to take advantage of the Thunder's few weak spots, as they give up the league's third-most three-pointers per game and the seventh-highest three-point shooting percentage. The Thunder also give up the fourth-most offensive rebounds per game. 

Rockets vs. Jazz, vs. Kings, at Magic, at Heat 

The Rockets start things off with a couple of very winnable home games. First, they take on the Jazz, who give up the league's most points per game, along with the fourth-highest three-point percentage, followed by an encounter with the Kings, who give up the league's highest field-goal percentage and third-most points in the paint per game. Both matchups should help the Rockets get their offense rolling, giving guys like Reed Sheppard, Tari Eason and Jabari Smith to get into a groove before a couple of more challenging games to follow. Up next, they meet with the Magic, who give up the league's fifth-most free throws per game, as well as the eighth-highest field-goal percentage, including the seventh-highest field-goal percentage to opposing power forwards. Amen Thompson should look to use his size advantage in the backcourt to put the pressure on the rim with drives to draw foul contact, as well as open up easy looks for his teammates. The Rockets then close the week against the Heat, who give up the league's ninth-most points in the paint and second-most rebounds per game. Kevin Durant will need to step up to help lead the charge in both matchups, while Alperen Sengun and Clint Capela will be instrumental in ensuring their squad's best chances by imposing their presence in the paint. 

Grizzlies vs. Kings, vs. Warriors, at Mavericks, at Pacers

The Grizzlies begin their week with back-to-back home games, providing a chance to improve on their 11-15 home record. They start off against the Kings, who give up the league's fifth-most free throws per game. The Kings also give up the fourth-most points per game to opposing shooting guards and second-most points per game to opposing small forwards, suggesting that Malik Monk and Precious Achiuwa could stand out as top streaming options for the day. Up next, an encounter with the Warriors, who give up the league's fifth-highest field-goal percentage to opposing point guards and the second-most rebounds per game to opposing centers, which should help guys like Scotty Pippen, Ty Jerome and Cam Spencer continue to provide notable impacts from the backcourt, while Olivier-Maxence Prosper may remain in line to step up in for his squad's injury-riddled frontcourt. The Grizzlies then clash with the Mavericks, who give up the league's most points in the paint, as well as the third-most rebounds per game, including the third-most offensive rebounds. Lastly, a meeting with the Pacers, who give up the league's sixth-most points per game, including the second-most points in the paint and the fifth-highest field-goal percentage. They also give up the third-most free throws and fourth-most rebounds per game. These final two matchups provide ideal grounds for Grizzlies' frontcourt players to thrive, making GG Jackson, Taylor Hendricks and Santi Aldama (who should be back from a knee injury by then) ideal streaming options for the couple of games. 

Pelicans vs. Warriors, at Jazz, at Jazz, at Clippers

The Pelicans start things off against the Warriors, who are dealing with injury trouble to a few key players. Combined with the fact that they give up the league's fifth-most turnovers per game, that should result in a somewhat favorable matchup. Herbert Jones could be a stand-out contributor by using his defensive ability to convert the turnover-prone opponents' gaffes into easy baskets. Moving ahead, the Pelicans face back-to-back meetings with the Jazz, who own one of the league's most lackluster defenses and are shorthanded in the frontcourt. The Jazz give up the league's third-highest field-goal percentage and most three-pointers per game. They also give up the second-most free throws per game, which should allow Trey Murphy to get back into rhythm quickly upon his expected return from a brief injury absence. Additionally, rookies Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen should prosper in their respective areas of prowess. The Pelicans wrap their week with a more challenging matchup -- road game against the Clippers. However, there is still room for the squad to carry over momentum that was ideally built through the first part of the week and take advantage of the fact that the Clippers give up the league's fifth-highest three-point shooting percentage, including the sixth-highest field-goal percentage to opposing shooting guards, an area where Murphy can once again lead the way. 

Three seasons ago, the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons faced off on January 6th. At the time, the winner of the game was actually considered the loser. Both teams were on a downward slide and playing to increase their lottery odds for the ultimate prize, the chance to draft Victor Wembanyama. Now, after two incredible turnarounds by these historic NBA franchises, they meet for the first time this season, looking to secure top seeding in their respective conferences.

Detroit holds the best record in the NBA, and San Antonio has the third. Both teams have a top-five defense and a top-ten offense. They are led by two of the best young players in the NBA, in Wembanyama and Cade Cunningham. In many ways, this is shaping up to be one of the best East vs. West rivalries for the foreseeable future. Monday will be the first of many battles between these two in the years to come.

San Antonio and Detroit are similar teams on the court, too. Both have dominant paint big men in Wembanyama and Jalen Duren, athletic wings like Stephon Castle and Ausar Thompson, and good lead guards like De’Aaron Fox and Cade Cunningham. They lock down the paint and use their athleticism on the perimeter to take chances and create turnovers.

San Antonio is on an eight-game winning streak and is nipping at the Oklahoma City Thunder’s heels for the top seed in the West. Beating Detroit on the road would be another statement victory for the up-and-coming Spurs.

San Antonio Spurs (40-16) vs. Detroit Pistons (42-13)

February 23rd, 2026 | 6 PM CT

Watch: Peacock| Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)

Spurs Injuries: Harrison Ingram – Out (G League), Stanley Umude – Out (G League), David Jones-Garcia – Out (G League), Mason Plumlee – Out (conditioning), Lindy Waters III – Questionable (knee)

Pistons Injuries: Isaiah Stewart – Out (suspension), Isaac Jones – Out (G League), Bobi Klintman – Out (G League), Chaz Lanier – Out (G League), Wendell Moore Jr. – Out (G League)

What to watch for:

Cade vs. Wemby

Surface-level analysis here: the Pistons and Spurs will go as far as Cunningham and Wembanyama take them. That will be true again on Monday night. Cunningham is Detroit’s offensive engine. He’s one of the best scorers and passers in the NBA. He has great floor vision and, at 6-foot-6, the size to make plays in the paint. His one weakness is that he isn’t an elite three-point shooter, hitting just 33.8% from deep this season. Expect Castle to get the Cunningham assignment and hound him on drives and in the pick-and-roll.

On the other end, Wembanyama will likely have to contend with Duren, a sturdy big body in the middle. Wembanyama has found a lot of success against opposing big men this season, and has sometimes struggled against smaller, more agile defenders. For that reason, we could see Thompson guarding San Antonio’s big man to keep him from establishing a rhythm.

Winning a mud fight

The Pistons are one of the most physical teams in the NBA, living up to the franchise’s identity. The Spurs have dealt with their fair share of big, tough teams. Wins against the Houston Rockets prove what San Antonio can do when they make the other team feel their presence. This game could very well come down to which team can assert its physical will. San Antonio has a shot, even against a tough team like Detroit, but they’ll have to stay locked in for 48 minutes to make it happen.

Managing the possession battle

Detroit is great at securing extra possessions. They are first in the NBA in steals (10.6 per game), opponent turnovers (17.4 per game), and fourth in offensive rebounds (13.1 per game). The Spurs have gotten much better at securing the boards (3rd in the NBA in rebounding) and taking care of the ball (5th in the league in turnovers per game), but like we saw on Saturday night against the Sacramento Kings, they can have stretches of mental lapses. So can the Pistons, who are 23rd in the NBA in turnovers (15.2 a game). The Spurs will need to take care of the ball, win the battle on the glass, and take advantage of Detroit’s mistakes to give themselves an edge.

Boston Celtics (37-19, second in the Eastern Conference) vs. Phoenix Suns (33-25, seventh in the Western Conference)

Phoenix; Tuesday, 9 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Celtics -6.5; over/under is 209.5

BOTTOM LINE: Boston will try to continue its three-game win streak with a victory over Phoenix.

The Suns are 19-11 on their home court. Phoenix ranks third in the NBA with 13.1 offensive rebounds per game led by Mark Williams averaging 3.1 offensive boards.

The Celtics have gone 19-10 away from home. Boston is eighth in the league with 45.6 rebounds per game led by Nikola Vucevic averaging 8.9.

The Suns are shooting 45.4% from the field this season, 1.1 percentage points higher than the 44.3% the Celtics allow to opponents. The Celtics are shooting 46.8% from the field, 0.2% lower than the 47.0% the Suns' opponents have shot this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Williams is shooting 64.2% and averaging 11.9 points for the Suns. Collin Gillespie is averaging 13.1 points over the last 10 games.

Jaylen Brown is averaging 29.2 points, seven rebounds and 4.9 assists for the Celtics. Payton Pritchard is averaging 21.3 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Suns: 4-6, averaging 106.2 points, 44.4 rebounds, 23.8 assists, 9.7 steals and 3.2 blocks per game while shooting 42.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.5 points per game.

Celtics: 8-2, averaging 109.2 points, 49.7 rebounds, 25.6 assists, 6.0 steals and 5.2 blocks per game while shooting 46.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 99.3 points.

INJURIES: Suns: Grayson Allen: out (knee), Cole Anthony: out (not injury related), Jordan Goodwin: out (calf), Devin Booker: out (hip), Dillon Brooks: out (hand), Haywood Highsmith: out (knee).

Celtics: Jayson Tatum: out (achilles).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Philadelphia 76ers (31-26, sixth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Indiana Pacers (15-43, 15th in the Eastern Conference)

Indianapolis; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Indiana looks to end its three-game slide when the Pacers play Philadelphia.

The Pacers are 11-28 against Eastern Conference opponents. Indiana is 6-5 in one-possession games.

The 76ers are 19-19 in conference games. Philadelphia has a 6-8 record in games decided by 3 points or fewer.

The Pacers are shooting 45.0% from the field this season, 2.1 percentage points lower than the 47.1% the 76ers allow to opponents. The 76ers average 12.8 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.4 more made shots on average than the 11.4 per game the Pacers give up.

The teams meet for the third time this season. The 76ers won 113-104 in the last matchup on Jan. 20. Joel Embiid led the 76ers with 30 points, and Andrew Nembhard led the Pacers with 25 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Pascal Siakam is averaging 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists for the Pacers. Jarace Walker is averaging 14.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists over the last 10 games.

VJ Edgecombe is averaging 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, four assists and 1.5 steals for the 76ers. Tyrese Maxey is averaging 27.2 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 44.1% over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Pacers: 3-7, averaging 117.3 points, 41.3 rebounds, 29.7 assists, 8.1 steals and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 48.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 122.1 points per game.

76ers: 5-5, averaging 114.9 points, 43.0 rebounds, 23.5 assists, 9.6 steals and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 45.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.7 points.

INJURIES: Pacers: Aaron Nesmith: out (ankle), Obi Toppin: out (foot), Johnny Furphy: out for season (knee), Ivica Zubac: out (ankle), Tyrese Haliburton: out for season (achilles), T.J. McConnell: out (hamstring).

76ers: Johni Broome: out (knee), Joel Embiid: out (knee).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.