DALLAS, TEXAS - MARCH 23: Kristaps Porzingis #7 of the Golden State Warriors is defended by Max Christie #00 of the Dallas Mavericks during the second quarter at American Airlines Center on March 23, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. 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. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images) | Getty Images DALLAS, TEXAS – MARCH 23: Kristaps Porzingis #7 of the Golden State Warriors is defended by Max Christie #00 of the Dallas Mavericks during the second quarter at American Airlines Center on March 23, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. 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. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The days all blend in to each other. The Brooklyn Nets continued their western road trip with a visit to Oregon to face the Portland Trailblazers. The Nets didn’t have much of anything for the play-in bound Blazers and lost by 35 points. The team’s current losing streak is at eight. And if you’re keeping track at home, that was the team’s seventh loss by at least 30 points this season.
Tonight’s opponent is firmly locked in to the tenth seed and the final play-in position. The Golden State Warriors are making through the end of a frustrating and disappointing season as they look ahead to the future. They beat the Dallas Mavericks in overtime on Monday night, but that was the last thing on anyone’s minds following the game. More on that shortly.
Where to follow the game
YES Network on TV. WFAN on radio. Gotham Sports on streaming. Tip after 10 PM.
🤕 Injuries
The following are out:
Noah Clowney
Michael Porter Jr
Day’ron Sharpe
Nolan Traore
Egor Demin
Danny Wolf
As expected, Malachi Smith has been extended another 10 days.
In overtime, Moses Moody went up for a layup and suffered a horrifying leg injury. Moses was diagnosed with a torn patellar tendon and will be out for indefinitely. All the best to him on his road to recovery.
One game away from the top of the standings Nets fans care about. The journey continues.
Ben Saraf, this is your moment. With Traore out, Ben will get the start and get all the minutes he can handle at the one. This matchup in particular will be a great challenge for his decision making skills as the Warriors are fifth in the NBA in opponent’s turnover rate this season. Ben has had turnover trouble for much of the season and tonight will be a great opportunity for him to work on it.
What do you do without Stephen Curry? For the Warriors, it’s relying on a whole lot of Brandin Podziemski. It’s been a learning lesson for him, and when Curry does return, we’ll see how Podz gets reacclimated to a familiar role. In the meantime, he’s got to navigate this rocky road.
“So in my mind right now, where he is: if he’s playing off of Steph, off of the ball, if he’s playing more of a secondary ball-handler role, he’s really good,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “He does a lot of things that a lot of players don’t do. He’s got a knack. When he tries to be too on-ball, you see him get into some trouble. You see the warts.”
No time better than the present to figure this stuff out.
👀 Player to watch: Kristaps Porzingis
KP came over from the Atlanta Hawks at the trade deadline, and it’s been a rocky start to his new adventure. Porzingis missed time due to illness and it led to more questions about the Warriors’ future. When this group is healthy, they have the potential to be championship contenders. However, they’re not healthy, they’re older, and the clock is getting closer and closer to midnight. It’s a lot to navigate for this proud franchise and the hope is Porzingis can remain healthy long enough so this group can make one more attempt to reach the top of the mountain.
Nic Claxton will be the vet tasked with keeping the young Nets within range tonight. It’s been difficult, but that’s why you play the games. For Clax, he’ll look to see if his guards can find him some good looks near the basket tonight. The Warriors allow teams to shoot 68.9 percent inside the restricted area, seventh highest mark in the NBA this year. Against a shorthanded frontcourt, tonight could be the night for Nic Claxton to have a big scoring game.
📺 From the Vault
What you about to witness is my thoughts Right or wrong Just what I was feelin’ at the time
Also, we are one day away from the best baseball team returning to our lives. HIT THE MUSIC!
Since becoming commissioner in 2014, Adam Silver has floated Seattle and Las Vegas as targets for the NBA’s next franchises.Photograph: Patrick T Fallon/AFP/Getty Images
The NBA has moved a step closer to adding teams in Seattle and Las Vegas.
The league’s board of governors met this week and voted to explore bids and applicants for teams exclusively in those two cities, beginning the process for its first expansion in more than two decades. Bids are expected to be in the $7bn to $10bn range per franchise.
Commissioner Adam Silver had previously described this year as a target for a decision on expanding the 30-team league, which last added a new franchise in 2004. The league will now evaluate bids over the next several months.
“Today’s vote reflects our Board’s interest in exploring potential expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle – two markets with a long history of support for NBA basketball,” Silver said in a statement Wednesday. “We look forward to taking this next step and engaging with interested parties.”
Here’s a breakdown of what this expansion would mean for the NBA.
Wait, the NBA has new teams?
It soon may. The NBA’s board of governors voted this week to approve a formal exploration of adding teams in Seattle and Las Vegas. The league is reportedly targeting the 2028-29 season for debuts.
Why?
These markets look ripe – sports-mad large urban areas with viable arenas. But mainly because for billionaires, too much is never enough. The NBA has been at 30 teams since the Charlotte Bobcats arrived in 2004. The value of franchises and media rights have since skyrocketed and the Los Angeles Lakers were sold last year for a record $10bn, giving fresh momentum to a process the league has been considering for a few years. According to ESPN, the NBA could demand an expansion fee of $7bn to 10bn per team – delivering about $500m into the pockets of the owners of each current franchise.
Isn’t that outrageously expensive?
Yes! But it could still be a good deal.
The NBA has a history of failed and relocated franchises – including in Seattle and nearby Vancouver. However, these days team valuations are only going up, driven by the league’s 11-year, $77bn media deals that began this season. In 2025 the average team was valued at $5.5bn – more than double the estimate from three years prior, according to Sportico. The least valuable team, the Memphis Grizzlies, was put at $4bn. So it’s a solid bet even at such an eye-watering price. Back in 1966 the Seattle SuperSonics’ original ownership group paid a $1.75m expansion fee – the equivalent of $17m in today’s money.
How did Vegas go from zero major league men’s teams to four?
In the past, Vegas’ reputation as a seedy tourist-oriented city and the leagues’ previous anti-gambling stances counted against it. It was seen as a place for boxing, wrestling and other exhibition-type one-off events designed to fill hotel rooms, rather than a location for numerous regular-season games that rely on a committed local fanbase.
But now sports are all-in on legal betting, the metro area’s population has soared to about 2.5 million, and the city has modern venues. The first major pro team, the Golden Knights, were an instant success when they joined the NHL in 2017. The NFL’s Raiders relocated from Oakland in 2020 and MLB’s Athletics plan to take the same road in 2028. The NBA has staged its summer league in Vegas since 2004, as well as Cup games, so it’s familiar with the city.
Who would own the teams?
Not LeBron James. Though the Lakers megastar has previously expressed a desire to own a team in Vegas, he firmly ruled that out when speaking to reporters earlier this month. The Athletic reported that James’s partner, the Fenway Sports Group – which owns Liverpool and the Boston Red Sox – balked at the potential price tag.
Some reports have surmised that the owners of the NHL’s Kraken would be in pole position in Seattle, which would be logical. There has also been speculation that Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos might be interested. (Buying a major league basketball team after eliminating the Post’s sports desk would seem a tad weird, but these are strange days.)
What happened to Seattle’s first NBA team?
The Seattle SuperSonics boomed and busted and were reborn in 2008 as the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Sonics won their lone NBA title in 1979 but then went mostly quiet. The team signed Kevin Durant in the 2007 draft for what proved their final season in Washington state. Amid failing to strike a deal with local and state officials over renovating their arena or building a new one, majority owner Howard Schultz – the former Starbucks boss – sold the team for $350m in 2006 to an Oklahoma-based investment group that controversially but predictably dispatched it to Oklahoma.
The Thunder flourished and are the reigning NBA champions. Schultz called the sale the “biggest regret of my professional life”.
Is there room for two more teams?
In an enormous country of more than 340 million people? Of course. That said, the bigger the league, the more diluted the talent pool, and the NBA depends heavily on star power.
Prosperous Seattle is the 15th-biggest urban area in the US and can easily support a franchise in a modern arena. Vegas is smaller but has enough rich people to fill luxury boxes. The NBA’s global appeal makes it an attractive night out to many international visitors (though that’s a dwindling cohort). That said, Vegas isn’t a huge TV market – only the 40th biggest in the country, per Nielsen – and its tourism-dependent economy is slumping.
What would the teams be called?
Seattle has surely maxed out its climate and location-related team names – it’s already got the Mariners, Seahawks, Kraken, Sounders, Storm, Reign, Orcas, Torrent and Seawolves. We get it: it’s rainy and coastal. The city has a proud coffee tradition but we can expect the team to forgo anointing itself the Grinders or the Roast in favour of the obvious: resurrecting the SuperSonics brand, tapping into a rich seam of history and nostalgia and righting a perceived wrong as it drops anchor. (Sorry.)
Considering the NBA’s recent betting scandals, it’s debatable whether the Vegas team would follow the WNBA’s Aces and go for a gambling-related moniker. The hostile desert environment has no shortage of vicious critters that could offer inspiration in addition to the glitz of the city itself, though US sports are already rife with snakes, scorpions and wildcats, Miami brings the Heat and Phoenix shines its Suns.
Where would they play?
There’s plenty of talk about constructing a new arena, as you’d expect in a dynamic city that loves to build spectacular edifices. It’d be cheaper and more logical, at least in the short term, to share T-Mobile Arena, the Strip-situated home of the Golden Knights. It has hosted the NBA Cup semi-finals and final since 2023. But a sensible and restrained choice wouldn’t feel very Vegas, would it?
A decade too late to save the Sonics, the KeyArena near downtown Seattle was renovated with private money for $1.15bn and rebranded as Climate Pledge Arena in 2020 by locally headquartered Amazon, who acquired the naming rights to highlight their avowed commitment to sustainability. How that squares with the company reportedly donating $1m in 2024 to the second inauguration fund of a coal-loving and regulation-repealing US president is one question. Another is: could an NBA team share it with tenants including the WNBA’s Storm and NHL’s Kraken? Certainly.
How would they fill their rosters?
In addition to the usual draft, there would be an expansion draft. Typically these require existing teams to produce lists of unprotected and protected players. The new franchises form their squads by picking no more than one unprotected player from each team. Sounds simple … too simple.
There’s ample scope to complicate proceedings by making trades and deals with salaries, roster balance and other conditions imposed by the league in mind. There could be some shock names on unprotected lists if existing teams see the draft as a chance to offload overpaid and underperforming stars.
Would there be conference realignment?
Those who paid attention in geography class don’t need telling that Seattle and Las Vegas are firmly in the western US. So they’ll go in the Western Conference. To balance the two conferences at 16 teams each, one club would need to join the Eastern: probably Minnesota or Memphis. Maybe New Orleans, but they’re conveniently close to the Texas teams.
Minnesota makes the most sense because they’re distant from the other Western teams but relatively near to a cluster of Eastern teams in the midwest. That may also help competitive balance by moving a reliably-strong team to a usually-weaker conference.
Would this be it for expansion?
For the foreseeable future. Exclusivity helps keep franchise values high and sustains more power in the hands of individual owners. Still, there are plenty of mid-sized American cities that could make a case: Nashville, Baltimore, Austin, San Diego, Tampa, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Kansas City, St Louis.
Success in Seattle could revive chatter about Vancouver regaining a team, while NBA commissioner Adam Silver has referenced Montreal and Mexico City as contenders. But economic uncertainty – such as currency fluctuations – and burgeoning international political tensions make it unlikely that the league would look outside the US for another franchise in the short or medium term. It’ll focus on continuing to bring teams to Europe for regular-season games and forming a new European league.
PORTLAND, OREGON - MARCH 23: Scoot Henderson #00 of the Portland Trail Blazers goes up for a layup as Malachi Smith #18 and E.J. Liddell #9 of the Brooklyn Nets look on during the first half at Moda Center on March 23, 2026 in Portland, Oregon. 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. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Brooklyn Nets are giving Malachi Smith an extended look.
After inking him to a 10-day contract on March 13, the Nets are renewing the combo guard’s 10-day deal, per Hoopshype’s Michael Scotto.
The Brooklyn Nets are signing Malachi Smith to a second 10-day contract, league sources told @hoopshype. Smith has averaged 6.2 points on 50% shooting from the field and 3-point range, 2.7 assists, and 2.2 rebounds in 19.5 minutes during six games played for the Nets. pic.twitter.com/wY42VJo1ir
After going undrafted out of Gonzaga in 2023, Smith bounced around the G League, spending time with the Trailblazers, Bucks, and Grizzlies affiliates before being dealt to Long Island last September.
While playing in 39 total games for Brooklyn’s affiliate this season, production took off January 6, when Long Island head coach Mfon Udofia handed him the keys at point guard following Nolan Traore’s call-up to Brooklyn.
Since the move, Smith dominated. Over his last 24 games in the G League, he averaged 17.7 points, 7.3 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per night, all while shooting an efficient 51.9% from the field and 42.9% from three.
Throughout six games with Brooklyn on his initial 10-day contract, Smith averaged 6.2 points, 2.7 assists, 2.2 rebounds, and a steal in 19.5 minutes while shooting 50% from the field and beyond the arc.
Against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, he notched a career high of 18 points along with three steals, four assists, and two rebounds.
All together, he compiled 37 points, 16 assists, 13 rebounds, six steals, and three blocks in 117 minutes while hitting 15 of his 30 field goal attempts and five of his ten tries from 3-point range. He also committed nine turnovers.
By signing him to a second 10-day contract, Smith is expected to remain with Brooklyn through April 4.
From there, the Nets face a decision.
Because this is his second 10-day stint, Brooklyn can either convert Smith to a standard NBA deal for the final five games of the season or have him to return to Long Island, where he remains under a standard G League contract.
While it’s an excellent opportunity for Smith to continue to build up his stock in the NBA, it’s a tough break for Long Island at the worst possible time.
The team clinched a playoff spot, but momentum is not in their favor. They’ve dropped five straight and have been shorthanded, missing all three two-way players, Chaney Johnson, Tyson Etienne, and E.J. Liddell, while also dealing with Grant Nelson’s season-ending injury and now losing Smith.
And there’s not much time left to figure it out, as the G League playoffs begin March 31 and are single elimination, meaning one night ends the season.
At the same time, Smith’s rise is another example of Long Island’s player development paying off.
Head coach Mfon Udofia, associate head coach Sean Swords, and their staff have consistently put players with all different types of backstories in position to reveal their value, and Smith is the latest to benefit. He is the third player from Long Island to earn an NBA opportunity this season, joining Nelson, who signed a 10-day contract with Brooklyn, and Nate Williams, who landed with the Golden State Warriors on a two-way deal.
Overall, Smith gets a longer look in Brooklyn, while Long Island heads into their final regular-season game hoping to get in the win column before postseason play kicks off.
No. 4 seed Kansas exited the 2026 Men's NCAA Tournament short of a Sweet 16 berth after St. John's game-winning — and season-ending — buzzer-beater. It is the fourth straight season the Jayhawks have been eliminated in the first weekend, with the Jayhawks last advancing to the second weekend in 2022, when they won the national championship.
The Jayhawks finished the 2025-26 season with a 24-11 record.
Since taking over in Lawrence, Kansas in 2003-04, Self has led the Jayhawks to the Men's NCAA Tournament every season in which March Madness was held. That includes four Final Four appearances, three national championship game appearances and two national titles, in 2008 and 2022.
Here's everything to know about Self's decision, including updates:
Jeff Goodman, in a separate report for The Field of 68, reported Self didn't say "he wasn't going to retire," adding that the Jayhawks coach has "got to think about this." The ball remains in Self's court, but on his own timeline.
"Bill Self told me there's no truth to the speculation that he's retiring today... but he didn't say he wasn't going to retire. He said, 'I've got to think about this.' I don't know what he's going to do" - @GoodmanHoops
According to a report from Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68, Bill Self is still "in (the) process of making a decision," and there is no expected announcement from the Jayhawks coach on March 25.
Kansas coach Bill Self told me that there is no truth to the fact that he will announce his retirement today.
Said he is still in process of making a decision on his future.
According to a report from Gary Bedore of the Kansas City Star, Bill Self said "as of now there is no news to report regarding his decision."
Bill Self tells me as of now there is no news to report regarding his decision. In fact he told me "b.s., bad info" referring to some comments out there. That's as of now from the head coach.
Following Kansas' loss to St. John's in the second round of the Men's NCAA Tournament on March 22 in San Diego, Self was noncommittal about what his coaching future looks like.
"No, I haven't decided," Self said in the postgame news conference. "I'll get back and visit with family. I've had obviously some issues off the court health-wise. And that will be discussed.
"But I love what I do. I want to feel good while I'm doing it, though. We'll get back and we'll discuss that when we get back."
The 63-year-old Self has experienced some health concerns in recent years and was briefly hospitalized in January. Self's hospitalization was out of "abundance of caution" due to being under the weather, and kept him from traveling with his team to a road game at Colorado.
"I feel as good as I've felt in a long time," Self said on March 22. "I'm not making any statements whatsoever. But every year, I think — it used to be you work — when you get to be doing it as long as I've done it, I look at it in five-year increments. Now I'm probably looking at it in more two-year increments, so to speak."
What are Bill Self's health issues?
Self has been dealing with heart conditions for several years.
He missed the 2023 Big 12 Tournament and 2023 Men's NCAA Tournament after being hospitalized for chest tightness and balance concerns. Self "underwent a standard heart catheterization and had two stents placed for the treatment of blocked arteries" that year, according to the Topeka Capital Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Self was taken to the hospital in July 2025 after he “felt unwell and experienced some concerning symptoms," according to a statement from Kansas at that time. He had two stents inserted, and the "procedure went very well," per Kansas.
This season, Self was taken to the hospital out of an "abundance of caution" due to being under the weather.
PRAGUE (AP) — It's time to say goodbye for Kaori Sakamoto, and she's aiming to go out on a high with the world figure skating title.
Sakamoto's short-program music, “Time to Say Goodbye,” was charged with emotion as she targets a fourth world title before retirement.
Sakamoto shouted with joy and clapped as she learned her score of 79.31, a season-best which put her into first place by less than a point from her fellow Japanese skater Mone Chiba on a personal-best 78.45 in her disco-themed program.
There's a strong U.S. challenge for the medals with Amber Glenn third and Isabeau Levito fourth.
Without Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu, who withdrew from the world championships amid a hectic media schedule, the focus was on whether Sakamoto could regain the title she won three times in a row from 2022 through 2024, and whether three-time U.S. champion Glenn could claim a first world medal.
Glenn came to the world championships with an Olympic team gold but missed the individual medals after a short-program error. She was back on form Wednesday, starting with a big triple axel on her way to scoring 72.65. Levito was just behind her with 72.16 for fourth in her return to form after 12th at the Olympics.
Ami Nakai's triple axel propelled her into the Olympic short-program lead — she ended up with bronze — but went missing Wednesday. The 17-year-old Japanese skater could only manage an awkward double as her opening jump and has a tough task to recover from eighth.
The championships continue with the pairs short program later Wednesday.
Much like the first week of spring, the Miami Heat have been hot and cold due to a constant influx of bodies in and out of the lineup.
Superstar Bam Adebayo has been the one constant, but Miami is starting to get healthy, and that takes pressure off Adebayo to perform — especially in the wake of his historic 83-point performance.
My Heat vs. Cavaliers predictions size up Miami’s main man in the middle, and my NBA picks don’t see Bam having as big a night in Cleveland on March 25.
Heat vs Cavaliers prediction
Heat vs Cavaliers best bet: Bam Adebayo Under 21.5 Points (-110)
There is light at the end of this losing tunnel for the Miami Heat. For the second straight game, head coach Erik Spoelstra will have a healthy lineup with all key rotation players ready to run.
His usage rate shot through the roof, jumping from 23.7% to 30.1% in March. His floor time increased by five minutes as those injuries mounted, leading to an uptick in touches, field goal attempts, and, naturally, points.
Bam was taking almost 22 shots per game after averaging around 16 on the season, scoring just over 29 points per night. That stretch includes his 83-point performance on March 10, which nuked his points props. Those totals now hover between 21.5 and 24.5 points O/U.
He’s coming off a quiet outing in a one-sided loss to the San Antonio Spurs. He played 29 minutes and went 5-for-17 from the field for just 18 points.
That was Miami’s first game in a while with everyone healthy, and there will be more offensive balance in its second full-strength outing at Cleveland tonight.
Player projections are tempered for Bam, sitting between 18.5 and 20.9 points — reflecting a return to his normal workload and usage rate.
My number boils down to 19.6 points, which should have the Under 21.5 priced as high as -180.
Heat vs Cavaliers same-game parlay
A full-strength Heat squad is teetering on the play-in cutoff and desperate to stop the bleeding against a Cleveland Cavaliers team playing the second of back-to-back games after failing to cover vs. a struggling Orlando squad last night.
Rising tides raise all ships, and Davion Mitchell benefits from all those bodies back in the rotation, opening up space to operate. He goes up against a softer Cavs backcourt, with game models forecasting close to nine points tonight.
Heat vs Cavaliers SGP
Miami +2.5
Bam Adebayo Under 21.5 points
Davion Mitchell Over 7.5 points
Our "from downtown" SGP: The Mitchells vs. the machines
First off, have you seen “The Mitchells vs. the Machines”? Hilarious. Go watch it after you watch the two Mitchells in this game:
Donovan and Davion (no relation). Some models call for 30+ points and six assists from the Cavs' guard, while the Heat’s Mitchell is projected for nine points and as many as six dimes.
With a total of 243, there are plenty of points up for grabs, and the floor generals will certainly get involved.
Heat vs Cavaliers SGP
Donovan Mitchell Over 28.5 points
Donovan Mitchell Over 4.5 assists
Davion Mitchell Over 7.5 points
Davion Mitchell Over 5.5 assists
Heat vs Cavaliers odds
Spread: Heat +2.5 | Cavaliers -2.5
Moneyline: Heat +125 | Cavaliers -150
Over/Under: Over 243 | Under 243
Heat vs Cavaliers betting trend to know
The Cleveland Cavaliers played last night and are 7-4 SU but just 4-7 ATS on the second of back-to-back games this season. Find more NBA betting trends for Heat vs. Cavaliers.
How to watch Heat vs Cavaliers
Location
Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH
Date
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Tip-off
7:30 p.m. ET
TV
FDSN-SU, FDSN-OH
Heat vs Cavaliers latest injuries
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ORLANDO, FLORIDA - MARCH 21: Luke Kennard #10 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after scoring a go-ahead three-point-basket in the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic at Kia Center on March 21, 2026 in Orlando, Florida. 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. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Even with Monday’s loss to the Pistons, the Lakers are rolling as the season races down the home stretch.
In congruence with the postseason nearing, the rotation for the purple and gold is shrinking. Head coach JJ Redick has picked the nine players he can rely upon the most and only injury has altered things in recent weeks.
While those nine players, and specifically the four off the bench, have gained Redick’s trust, where do they stand with Lakers fans? Let’s dive in.
Starters: Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, Marcus Smart, LeBron James, Deandre Ayton
Rui Hachimura
While Rui’s raw numbers have dropped over the last two weeks, his efficiency certainly has not. Over the last six games, he’s averaging 7.3 points, but doing it on 55.9% shooting from the field and 42.9% shooting from range.
As great as that shot and moment was, it cast a shadow over his recent struggles. In his last seven games, Kennard is shooting 37% from the field and 33.3% from the 3-point line.
Hopefully, that shot kickstarts him once again before the playoffs arrive.
Jaxson Hayes
On the flip side, Hayes is heading toward the postseason playing well, not too dissimilar from last season.
Defensively, he’s stepped up and is averaging 1.7 blocks per game over his last six outings. The rebounds are still lower than you’d want at 3.7 per contest, but the high energy level has been noticeable.
Jake LaRavia
LaRavia has the loosest grip on his spot in the rotation of any of the four players. He has offered little offensively, hitting just 33.3% of his threes in the last seven games.
The reason he’s staying in the rotation has been his overall effort level, which shows up in his rebounding and activity on the defensive side of the ball.
But if that dips, then minutes for Jarred Vanderbilt, Maxi Kleber or even someone like Adou Thiero could come in the final weeks.
Pro basketball is seemingly on its way back to Seattle.
The NBA's ownership group has approved the vote to explore adding two new franchises, with expansion team applicants exclusively for the Seattle and Las Vegas markets, the league announced Wednesday, March 25.
"Today’s vote reflects our Board’s interest in exploring potential expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle – two markets with a long history of support for NBA basketball," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday, March 25, in a statement. "We look forward to taking this next step and engaging with interested parties."
The NBA Board of Governors are holding their regularly-scheduled meeting at the St. Regis Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, where the vote took place. The league has been targeting the 2028-29 season as the inaugural season for the new expansion franchises. Silver will hold a press conference later in the day.
The NBA has also contracted PJT Partners, an investment bank, to consult on prospective ownership groups, infrastructure and the overall health of the prospective markets.
Over the years, rumors had suggested that Las Vegas, Nevada and Seattle, Washington, have been considered frontrunners to acquire a new franchise.
Now that two cities have been identified, the next steps would be a bidding process for potential owners, and the price tag for ownership is expected to be steep, estimated to be between $7 billion and $ 10 billion.
The league's 30 governors would then vote on the franchises' approval, which requires 23 to vote in the affirmative; thus, it would be the league's first expansion since the Charlotte Bobcats in 2004, which paid a $300 million expansion fee.
The Bobcats rebranded as the Hornets in 2014, and the original Hornets left and relocated to New Orleans. That team has since been renamed the Pelicans.
If Las Vegas is approved, the city would be home to all four major North American sports, with the expansion Vegas Golden Knights starting play in 2017 in the NHL, the NFL's Raiders moving from Oakland in 2020, and the Athletics also moving from Oakland to start its first MLB season in Nevada in 2028. For decades, the league has avoided putting teams in Las Vegas, worried that the state's legal gambling would negatively influence play.
That went away in 2018, after the United States Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, allowing states to legalize betting on sports, and the leagues followed suit, embracing gambling and earning billions more in revenue through sponsorship deals and advertising.
Seattle has been without a professional basketball team since 2008, when the owners failed to secure funds for a new arena, were ultimately sold for $350 million, and relocated to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where they were renamed the Thunder.
The SuperSonics began play in the NBA in 1967, winning six division titles, three conference championships, and the NBA title in 1979 before moving to Oklahoma.
MIAMI, FL - MARCH 23: Stephon Castle #5 of the San Antonio Spurs handles the ball during the game against the Miami Heat on March 23, 2026 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. 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 Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Stephon Castle is having himself a season. He has followed up his Rookie of the Year with improvements to every aspect of this game. Averaging 16.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 7.1 assists sounds great, but for a player like Castle, it just doesn’t tell the whole story.
Currently, he doesn’t shoot particularly well, averaging a below-average 51.1 percent effective field goal percentage. That isn’t great, but he’s still one of the most effective players on the court. He brings a number of intangible qualities that don’t quite make it in the box score but do make their effect felt in the win column.
Diving a little deeper, is there a way to quantify more of what Castle brings night after night? Yes. The advanced stats start to shed more light on the Spurs and Castle’s success in a more tangible way.
Plus/minus stats are the first place to look. How does the team do with him on the court versus off? Overall, it’s not a great metric because the data carries so much noise and outliers (such as who he shares the court with) and can be misleading in any particular game, but it’s not a bad place to start when looking at a large sample size. Castle’s raw plus/minus is +5.5. Not bad at all.
Second is his defense. Castle is one of the best point-of-attack defenders out there and a genuine pest to any ball handler in the NBA. Looking at opponent points per 100 possessions, it drops 4.7 points with Castle on the floor, per cleaningtheglass.com. That isn’t all attributable to Castle, but it is notable. It would be surprising if Castle isn’t on an All-Defense team.
Next up is offense, beginning with transition, where the Spurs have been very efficient this season. Per Cleaning the Glass, they are first in points per 100 possessions off live rebounds (+1.9) and 6th in overall points per 100 (+3.4). Where Castle comes in is how often the team is able to get into transition play when on the floor. That transition frequency goes up 2.3 percent (93rd percentile) overall, and 6.3 percent off of live rebounds (97th percentile) with Castle in the game. In short, the team gets rebounds and goes with Castle on the floor.
What about getting to the rim? His shooting may not be there yet, but he gets to the basket. 43 percent of his shots are at the rim (93rd percentile among combo guards). Not only this, Castle is getting fouled on a whopping 20.5 percent of his shots. He isn’t shooting particularly well, but if one out of every five of those shots gets him to the free-throw line, where he shoots 74 percent, he’s making up for it.
Looking at a more sophisticated all-in-one metric, one that tries to pare down the noise to a player’s actual contributions, there is Estimated Plus-Minus from Dunksandthrees.com. He’s at +2.8. For context, that’s 93rd percentile league-wide. Overall, a pretty remarkable figure for a player who is only 21 years old and only going to get better.
All of this is to say that Castle is a winning player. He isn’t out for his own stats and finds ways to impact the game, no matter what that looks like. Now, as this young team enters its first postseason, we’ll see if Castle can keep it up, if not find another gear.
The recent injury to Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham could be remembered as the event that ultimately led to the end of the NBA's 65-game eligibility rule for individual awards. That, at least, is the resolution the players' union hopes will come from the awkward situation
The National Basketball Players Association called Cunningham's potential ineligibility for postseason awards "a clear indictment of the 65-game rule and yet another example of why it must be abolished or reformed to create an exception for significant injuries," in a statement released to multipleoutlets on March 24.
Cunningham was diagnosed with a collapsed lung last week after falling to the court in a March 17 game against the Washington Wizards. The Pistons' No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft has been the driving force behind the team's rise to the top of the Eastern Conference standings and would be a top candidate for all-NBA honors with an outside shot at MVP if he meets the league's requirement for games played.
Cunningham has appeared in 61 games this season, but played fewer than 20 minutes on March 17 due to his injury occurring in the first quarter. Under current NBA rules, he must play in five of Detroit's remaining 11 games to be eligible.
"Since its implementation," the NBPA said about the league's rule requiring players to appear in at least 65 of their team's 82 regular-season games in order to receive individual postseason awards, "far too many deserving players have been unfairly disqualified from end-of-season honors by this arbitrary and overly rigid quota.”
The Pistons announced on March 19 that Cunningham would be re-evaluated in two weeks. He's averaging 24.5 points and 9.9 assists per game this season.
The NBPA agreed to the 65-game eligibility clause through collective bargaining and it was introduced ahead of the 2023-24 season as a way to combat load management. The rule has become especially controversial this season, with stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry and LeBron James already ineligible for postseason awards and all-NBA candidates Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama right on the edge of being unable to play the required 65 games despite strong seasons.
The NBA does have an exemption giving awards eligibility to a player who appeared in at least 62 regular-season games and suffered a season-ending injury after playing in at least 85% of the regular-season games played by his team prior to the injury. But that does not currently apply to Cunningham since his injury is not considered season-ending.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Paul George was set to return to the Philadelphia 76ers' lineup following a 25-game suspension for a failed drug test and play Wednesday night against Chicago.
The Sixers went 13-12 in his absence and began the day at 39-33 and in seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings.
George was suspended in late January for violating the terms of the NBA’s anti-drug program.
In his first public remarks since the suspension, George apologized Tuesday to the team, its fans and his family for the poor judgement that led to his flunked test.
“To let people down hurt more than kind of anything,” George said.
He said his choice to take a banned substance was connected to a mental health issue that developed because of an offseason knee injury that limited his production this season.
“The most difficult thing is when your body isn’t where you know it needs to be or where it once was,” George said. “That leads and bleeds into the mental side of things, knowing that you’re limited. But for me, I feel good, my body is feeling great. Mentally, I know I’m capable of doing what I can do and what I’ve been able to on the court for years.”
George has averaged 16 points in 27 games this season for the Sixers. He had one of his best games of the season in the week he was suspended, a 32-point outburst fueled by nine 3-pointers in a win over Milwaukee.
The 35-year-old George signed a $212 million, four-year contract in free agency ahead of the 2024 season. But his first year in Philly was marred by knee and adductor injuries that resulted in the forward having one of the worst years of his NBA career.
The Sixers also said two-time NBA scoring champion Joel Embiid was questionable against the Bulls after he missed the last 13 games with a right oblique strain. All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey has missed nine straight games with a right finger tendon strain.
MONACO (AP) — Three U.S. runners who were mistakenly led off the course by a guide vehicle in the women’s race at the U.S. half marathon championships will be allowed to compete at the world championships in September, the world track and field governing body said on Wednesday.
World Athletics said it made an “exceptional decision” to allow the U.S. to bring seven runners to the event instead of the usual four. However, only four of them will be entered as “scoring athletes," meaning the other three will not be able to compete for medals or prize money at the world road running championships in Denmark.
World Athletics said it made the decision because of the extraordinary nature of the incident during national qualifying for the event.
Jess McClain was ahead by a wide margin with about 1.5 miles to go on March 2 when she and three other runners followed the guide vehicle on a wrong turn. McClain, who is from Phoenix, ended up finishing ninth. The next two runners who followed her off the course — Emma Hurley of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Ednah Kurgat of Roswell, Georgia — were 12th and 13th, respectively.
“In working to find a solution, World Athletics has been sympathetic to the impacted athletes who would otherwise miss out on competing at the WRRC Copenhagen 2026, and understanding of the unprecedented situation USATF – one our leading Member Federations – has found itself in,” World Athletics said.
It will be up to the USATF to pick which four athletes are entered as scoring athletes, World Athletics said.
USATF said on X that "we are grateful for their collaboration in helping us honor all the athletes involved in this extraordinary situation.”
Connor McDavid hit a massive double milestone on Tuesday night, scoring twice in the Edmonton Oilers’ 5-2 road win over the Utah Mammoth.
His second-period goal -- an incredible showing of hand-eye coordination on a nice breakaway finish on a feed from Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard -- was his 400th NHL career goal. His empty-netter with eight seconds left in the third period became his 1,200th career point.
He reached 1,200 points in just 784 games — making him the third-fastest player in NHL history to hit that mark, behind only Wayne Gretzky (504 games) and Mario Lemieux (593 games). He’s now the 115th player all-time (and 15th active) to reach 400 goals, and the fifth in Oilers franchise history.
2025-26 Season So Far (72 GP)
40 goals (tied for top-4 in the NHL)
78 assists (2nd in the NHL)
118 points (2nd in the NHL)
+10, 34 PIM, 261 shots
One game. Two big milestones.
Congratulations to Connor McDavid, who is now the proud owner of 400 (plus one) NHL goals and 1,200 NHL points. pic.twitter.com/Cl1v197d6m
McDavid has now hit the 40-goal mark in five of his 11 NHL seasons. Even though he still sees himself primarily as a playmaker (needing just one more assist to reach 800 career helpers), he’s been lethal finishing chances this year. The only better season he's had was in 2022-23, when Leon Draisaitl bet he couldn't get 50. McDavid went on to score 64 that season.
This season, coming in, he said he wanted to shoot more. It took several games for him to live up to that promise -- and some drilling from the media with questions about why he wasn't -- before a flip switched. Once it did, he went on a tear.
He remains a treat to watch, and the number of milestones he'll rack up over the course of his career continues to amaze.
Oilers Beat the Mammoth For a Different Reason
However, despite the highlights that McDavid reached two milestones, the game against the Utah Mammoth will be remembered for a different reason. Yes, the Oilers' captain showed off his trademark speed, skill, and clutch timing in a big Western Conference matchup. No, that's not why the Oilers won the game.
For starters, Jack Roslovic scored two, and Matt Savoie scored shorthanded. Evan Bouchard finished the night with three assists. Getting help from others was essential.
But the really big difference was their all-around defensive effort. It was the key to the victory. Edmonton played the game as though it were a postseason matchup. They were physical, and they were staunch defensively. The Oilers limited the Mammoth to three shots in the first period and 18 shots overall. With a fragile Tristan Jarry in net, the Oilers never allowed the Mammoth to really test their netminder.
The question now will be what the Oilers do next.
Do the Oilers Go Back to Jarry?
Head coach Kris Knoblauch has a tendency to shuffle the lines. It will be intriguing to see if he keeps them as is. He's also got a decision to make in goal. Jarry was fine, but was he good enough that he earned a second-straight start? It's been Connor Ingram in goal a lot lately. Jarry needs the chance to find his game and if he gets hot, giving him starts would be wise. However, the Oilers were so good at limiting chances on Tuesday that it's difficult to know if Jarry really had it. Not much was asked of him.
When asked how he felt about his game, "Just doing my thing and trying to grow with every period and every shot." He gave most of the credit to his teammates, who he said were awesome. "They played awesome, but I think it started from the very beginning. They were doing everything in their power, they were blocking shots, they're getting pucks deep, and I think when we're playing with that kind of urgency, it helps, and it was a great game."
"Overall, I thought it was a good game on our part," said Knoblauch. "I think we managed the ups and downs."
The Mavericks were 0-3 this past week and remain in 13th place in the West. Defense was optional during their losing streak, as the Mavericks lost three barn burners to Atlanta (135-120), the Clippers (138-131), and Golden State (137-131). Cooper Flagg led the team in scoring with 22.3 points per game.
Grade: C+
The Mavericks hung tough with the Clippers and Warriors. In both games, they attempted a shot to win in regulation, and both were facilitated by Cooper Flagg (one was a shot he took, and one was a pass to the guy who shot). Neither play was successful, and Dallas lost both overtimes in a similar way: by running out of steam. The games are starting to run together as the season reaches the final stages.
Daniel Gafford continues his resurgence and now owns the fourth-most 20-point games ever without a miss. Naji Marshall and P.J. Washington maintained steady play, averaging 16.0 and 17.7 points over the last three games, respectively. Klay Thompson heard my criticism from last week and made 13 of the 23 threes he attempted. Max Christie’s play has leveled back out with a 12-of-25 shooting performance over his last 86 minutes.
The Mavericks have a quick road trip out west this week to Denver and Portland before they return home to face Minnesota next Monday.
Straight A’s: Cooper Flagg
The Mavericks have 10 games left before the 2025-26 campaign is a wrap. Flagg is currently averaging 20.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 0.9 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game. All of these rank in the top-five among rookies, and his points per game ranks 33rd among all 450-plus players in the NBA. He is outscoring guys like Karl-Anthony Towns and DeMar DeRozan, and yet, according to FanDuel, Flagg is not the favorite to win rookie of the year. That honor goes to Kon Knueppel, who is having a fantastic rookie season. But he is not Cooper Flagg.
Flagg is coming off of his eighth 30-point game of the season, which ties Luka Doncic for second-most in franchise history for a rookie, and seventh-most in the last 30 years of the NBA. His 56 blocks this season place him behind Dereck Lively as the only Mavericks rookies to record 50-plus blocks since 2004 (Josh Howard, 54). The 277 assists he has dished out are fourth behind Dennis Smith Jr., Luka Doncic, and current head coach Jason Kidd in the Mavericks rookie ranks. He has done a little of everything, and all at the ripe age of 19.
In the one head-to-head matchup between the two, Flagg had 49 points and 10 rebounds. But, in what is likely the reason Knueppel is ahead of Flagg in the race, the Hornets won that game. I am not sure if there has ever been a rookie of the year race decided by team success. It is not usually a relevant statistic, given that a lot of these guys are drafted to bad teams. If that ends up being the reason Knueppel wins, so be it. Flagg will just beat him to more important awards. But it shouldn’t be the reason Flagg loses, because if you watch the two of them play consistently, it is clear who the better rookie is. And it is the guy who plays in Dallas.
Currently Failing: Khris Middleton
Last week, I mentioned that “The Unction” (Klay Thompson and Khris Middleton) was huffing and puffing to get to the finish line. Thompson found some life, but Middleton seemingly keeled over and gasped for air after I wrote that. This past week was one of the worst he has had in recent memory. He made just one of every three shots he took, and played under 20 minutes in each game (this includes two overtime contests). He turned it over five times while recording just three assists and has not reached 10 points in six consecutive games. That is especially hilarious because the seventh game was a 35-point explosion in Memphis. There is no one more eager to get to the offseason than Middleton.
Extra Credit: Marvin Bagley III
Bagley has been a gem after he was seemingly a throw-in to the Anthony Davis trade. He has given Dallas a great boost at center off the bench, so much so that he has made a case to be the team’s backup next season. What really separated him from Daniel Gafford or Dwight Powell, however, has been his willingness to take open threes. He took four this week and made three, and if he can build on that going into the offseason, he will find himself a home in Dallas.
