Category: Sports News

No surprises in New York: the Knicks are one of the better teams in the East, the Wizards one of the worst. The Knicks want to win, the Wizards have every incentive to lose. The result: a 145-113 walloping that gave New York their fifth straight victory and Washington a 16th consecutive defeat.

That losing streak ties the franchise record for sustained futility, which was set last March…when the team was also trying to lose to increase their chances of getting a high draft pick. They ended up drafting sixth and selecting Tre Johnson.

Up next for the Wizards, a theoretically winnable game against the Utah Jazz. In recent years, the Jazz have been league leaders in tanking shenanigans. This season, they have the NBA’s fifth worst record and have already likely taken themselves out of the running for bottom three status.

This one ran true to expectations. The Wizards were short-handed due to injuries, “injuries,” and Justin Champagnie’s suspension for his role in the fight with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Knicks were better from opening tip and progressively ground their way to a steadily increasing margin. Washington went on a run early in the second quarter to briefly tie the game, but were quickly slapped aside by the business-like Knicks.

As would be expected for an undersized and undermanned squad — the 6-8 Anthony Gill played 26 minutes at center — the Wizards got pummeled on the boards. Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson combined for 26 rebounds — just two short of Washington’s total for the game.

Thoughts & Observations

• Knicks broadcaster Walt Frazier wore an amazing ensemble, even by his lofty standards for the outlandish. I started writing a description, but it would take more than a thousand words. I’m not sure we have enough words in English to do it justice. So, click to see it for yourself.
• The Knicks opened the game with Jalen Brunson on Bilal Coulibaly. The Wizards went straight to Coulibaly, who promptly committed an offensive foul by pushing off with his forearm. Cue sad trombone sound effect.
• The Knicks ran a high pick-and-roll with Towns screening for Brunson. For some reason, Vukcevic was so deep in the paint, he was standing nearly under the basket. Brunson drilled a wide open three. My instinct on this based on the personnel involved is that Vukcevic should have been at the level of the screen. Another possibility is that the Wizards coaches have decided Vukcevic can’t play anything but deep drop. If so, his usefulness when the team wants to win will be greatly diminished.
• Midway through the first quarter, the Wizards challenged a blocking foul called on Vukcevic. The official review upheld the call, as it should have based on current rules. I think that rule should be adjusted, though. While Vukcevic was still moving, he was sliding laterally and got to that spot well before Towns arrived. The collision was caused by Towns plowing through the spot. I’d love to see the rulebook acknowledge that defenders have a right to exist in space on the basketball court.
• An example of good play/system design by Brian Keefe came at 5:51 of the first quarter. The set involved a pindown for Coulibaly, which morphed instantly into a pick-and-roll. Coulibaly attacked Brunson, driving into the paint and converting a layup.
• A recurring note basically all season: I’m tired of seeing Bub Carrington (and nearly everyone else) bring the ball across halfcourt and immediately put up a three without making a pass or running an action.
• A bit of Knicks trivia: Mike Brown got his 500th win in the previous game. He’s the 10th fastest coach to 500 wins in NBA history. The top nine: Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, KC Jones, Greg Popovich, Steve Kerr, Don Nelson, Chuck Daly, Red Auerbach, and George Karl.
• Wizards rookie Jamir Watkins had several strong defensive possessions on Brunson, including some superb ball denial. He probably should have been called for a foul a few times, but the refs let some contact go.
• The Knicks scored 68 points in the first half while attempting just 10 threes.
• At one point, Knicks play-by-play man Mike Breen said Leaky Black had been a superb defender in college. Not sure I believe that based on what I’ve seen at the NBA level, though Black did have a handful of good defensive plays last night.
• From the notebook: Jaden Hardy is a bucket — good shooter; aggressive offensively — 11 minutes, 14 points. He finished with 25 points in 29 minutes. While I like the offense, he needs to do more out there to earn significant playing time.
• Josh Hart was 3-3 from three-point range. He’s now made his last nine threes in a row. The Knicks record is 10 consecutive makes. The NBA record is 13.
• Gill tied his career high with 18 points. He reached 18 twice before — both in 2023.
• Knicks guard Tyler Kolek scored 11 points in garbage time. Earlier in the day, he had 42 points and 11 assists in a game for the G-League Westchester Knicks. That’s 53 points and 12 assists combined between the two leagues/games on the day.
• This was Washington’s second worst defensive performance of the season. The worst was their 146-101 drubbing by the Boston Celtics.

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)

esigned 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%. Median so far this season is 17.7%.

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.

So long, upsets, and goodnight Cinderella.

Goodnight, Hubert Davis? Maybe in a day or two.

Goodnight, Mark Pope? Wait 'til 2027 on that one.

Although blue-bloods North Carolina, Kentucky and UCLA are mired in misery, most of the big dogs march on in March. Cinderella's glass slipper shattered after the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Well, except for Iowa. The Hawkeyes retained a slipper.

March Madness scores: Buzzer-beater, monster upset and more nail-biters

What a way to end the first weekend of March Madness.

After a mostly tame opening round of the men’s NCAA Tournament, the second round absolutely cooked. Whether it was the outstanding performances, thrilling finishes and shocking upsets, Saturday and Sunday truly brought the unexpected to set the stage for an exciting Sweet 16.

It’s tough to pick which moments were the best since there were so many to choose from the two days, but these ones stood out as ones we’ll remember from this year’s tournament.

The fight to make it to the Sweet 16 provided some all-time moments. Here are the best ones from the 16 games of the second round:

Iowa stuns defending champion Florida 

It starts with the biggest upset of the tournament so far.

The defending champions will not get to keep their crown after Iowa sent Florida home packing early. The Hawkeyes controlled the majority of the game but the Gators stormed back to take a late lead, looking like they would survive.

However, Iowa didn’t falter. It stuck around until the very end, when Alvaro Folgueiras knocked down the go-ahead 3-pointer with four seconds left. What makes it even sweeter is Folgueiras honors his late father with every bucket, and he pointed to the sky after he hit the shot that will live in Iowa history forever, sending his team to its first Sweet 16 since 1999.

Folgueiras also hit the shot in front of his mom, who hadn’t seen him play for Iowa in two years.

“This one is for her and my dad,” he said. “He's watching up there.”

Texas clutch shot from Camden Heide

Camden Heide picked the best time to score his first points of the second round.

After not recording a single point for 39 minutes against Gonzaga, Heide came in with the Longhorns up one point in the final seconds. Texas needed a bucket to avoid a Bulldogs win, and Heide got the ball in the corner and drilled a 3-pointer with 14 seconds left for the dagger in the upset.

Truly saved the best for last.

BOSTON — Riding a four-game winning streak and facing a Minnesota Timberwolves team without Anthony Edwards, the Boston Celtics had momentum on their side. But circumstances only meant so much in Sunday night’s 102-92 loss at TD Garden.

In Edwards’ absence, the Celtics faced a challenge that Jaylen Brown admitted they failed to meet.

“They were physical. They played fast,” Brown said. “They definitely upped the level of intensity, and we didn’t necessarily meet the challenge. So that’s what the story of the game was. We got to be better. We got to be ready for that, and that’s uncharacteristic of us. We’re usually the harder-playing team, and tonight Minnesota was.”

The Timberwolves quickly rebounded from a 6-of-23 shooting performance in the first quarter by settling in before halftime. Maintaining their physical defensive presence, Minnesota turned the tables on Boston in the second quarter, outscoring the Celtics, 33-21. Backup guard Bones Hyland took charge of the Timberwolves’ offense, matching his season-high 23 points as he continued to lead in the second half. He nearly outscored Boston’s entire bench, which managed just 26 points on 34 percent shooting.

Minnesota’s strategy of smothering Boston’s offense held up long enough to swing the game. Five minutes into the third quarter, the Celtics built a nine-point lead. That didn’t hold up. In the fourth, Boston managed an 81-78 edge two minutes in, which proved to be their last real chance to gain control. That didn’t hold up either, as less than five minutes later, the Celtics were trailing the Timberwolves by 12.

“They started off the game with one coverage and then switched and we weren’t alert enough or they went smaller,” Brown said. “They tried to blow up hand-offs and then the second quarter we just was too lackadaisical with the ball. I was too lackadaisical with the ball, and we just wasn’t good enough. It’s definitely a game you look back and, you know, wish you could have some possessions back, because I feel like you’re in a position to win that game. But yeah, we didn’t play Celtics basketball tonight.”

Boston’s 15-point fourth quarter on 5-of-27 shooting was a season-worst.

Seven of Boston’s 11 turnovers came in the second quarter, and they were all committed by the starting unit.

“We learn from it and move on,” Brown said.

Beyond Hyland’s 23 points, Minnesota’s bench dominated Boston’s. The Timberwolves’ reserves outscored the Celtics bench, 40-26, providing steady offensive firepower that Boston’s starters couldn’t muster all night. Mazzulla credited Minnesota’s second unit, calling them the game’s difference makers

“That unit, in the second quarter and the fourth quarter, was the difference in the game,” Mazzulla said.

Disruption plagued the Celtics. Jayson Tatum attempted just four shots in the first half, Sam Hauser and Derrick White combined for 1-of-8 from three, and eight players — including two starters — failed to record a single trip to the free-throw line.

“It messed up the timing of our offense, messed up us getting the ball in the scoring area,” Mazzulla said. “I thought that it impacted our screening. It impacted our creating advantages, so I thought that was the tale of the fourth quarter from an offensive standpoint.”

Mazzulla didn’t question Boston’s effort, though he acknowledged that the Celtics were outmatched physically

“I thought they were more physical, and there’s a difference there,” Mazzulla said. “You look at the entire game, to me, it comes down to we go up nine in the third quarter and they cut it to one, and then the fourth quarter. I thought in spots of the game they were more physical, but both teams play hard.”

There was one unique bright spot on the night. When Mazzulla pulled the starters and emptied the bench for the final 1:45 of regulation, Max Shulga’s layup marked only the fourth basket the Celtics made in the period. Shulga, who had scored 12 points for Boston’s G League affiliate in Maine just hours earlier, became the first player in NBA history to score in both a G League game and an NBA game on the same day.

It's been a long time since the Big Ten has won the Men's NCAA Tournament.

Since 2000, to be exact.

But the Big Ten is winning this NCAA Tournament.

March Madness conference records: Big Ten is 13-2; How are SEC, Big 12 doing?

The Big Ten is 13-3 through the first two rounds and have six teams in the Sweet 16, one shy of the record set by the SEC last year. UCLA had a chance to equal that mark, but lost late Sunday night to No. 2 seed UConn.

Three of the four teams left in the South Region are from the Big Ten, so there's a 75% chance one of them will reach the Final Four.

Iowa, who stunned No. 1 Florida in the second round, plays Big Ten brethren and neighbor Nebraska in Thursday's Sweet 16 game in Houston. It marks only the second All-Big Ten Sweet 16 game in history, per CBS, and the first since 1980, when Purdue and Indiana met.

The Big Ten has won three straight football national championships, maybe it's time the good times extend to the hardwood.

Big Ten teams in 2026 Sweet 16

• No. 1 Michigan (Midwest)
• No. 2 Purdue (West)
• No 3 Michigan State (East)
• No. 3 Illinois (South)
• No. 4 Nebraska (South)
• No. 9 Iowa (South)

Sweet 16 teams by conference: Who has most?

• Big Ten: 6
• SEC: 4
• Big 12: 3
• Big East: 2
• ACC: 1

Conference records in 2026 March Madness

Who is in Sweet 16? March Madness Sweet 16 schedule, game times

THURSDAY, MARCH 26

• 7:10 p.m.: No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 11 Texas (West), CBS
• 7:30 p.m.: No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Iowa (South), TBS/truTV
• 9:45 p.m.: No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 4 Arkansas (West), CBS
• 10:05 p.m.: No. 2 Houston vs. No. 3 Illinois (South), TBS/truTV

FRIDAY, MARCH 27

• 7:10 p.m.: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 St. John's (East), CBS
• 7:35 p.m.: Texas Tech/Alabama winner vs. No. 1 Michigan (Midwest), TBS/truTV
• 9:45 p.m.: UCLA/UConn winner vs. No. 3 Michigan State (East), CBS
• 10:10 p.m.: No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 6 Tennessee (Midwest), TBS/truTV

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How many Big Ten teams in Sweet 16? Big 10's March Madness record

By Mike Barner, RotoWire.com

Navigating the fantasy basketball playoffs requires a sharp edge, and understanding the weekly NBA schedule can make all the difference. With most teams playing three or four games in Week 22, maximizing volume through smart streaming and lineup decisions is key. Identifying favorable matchups, pace environments and defensive weaknesses can help fantasy managers uncover hidden value and gain an advantage. This breakdown highlights the top streaming teams, players to target and schedule quirks to exploit, helping you optimize your roster and stay competitive as the fantasy basketball season reaches its most critical stretch.

Days with fewer than six games

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

Tuesday, March 24: SAC at CHA, NO at NYK, ORL at CLE, DEN at PHX

Thursday, March 26: NYK at CHA, NO at DET, SAC at ORL

Teams with more than three games this week

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

Draft your Yahoo Fantasy Baseball team for the 2026 MLB Season

Hawks (4), Nets (4), Hornets (4), Bulls (4), Nuggets (4), Pistons (4), Warriors (4), Rockets (4), Pacers (4), Clippers (4), Grizzlies (4), Heat (4), Bucks (4), Pelicans (4), Thunder (4), Magic (4), Trail Blazers (4), Kings (4), Raptors (4), Jazz (4)

Teams with fewer than three games this week

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

Timberwolves (2), Suns (2)

Top Streaming Teams This Week

Golden State Warriors

at DAL, vs. BKN, vs. WAS, at DEN

Talk about a great schedule for the Warriors. They begin the week facing three tanking teams. Over their last 10 games, the Mavericks, Nets and Wizards all rank inside the bottom 10 in the league in defensive rating. The Mavericks and Wizards also rank inside the top five in pace of play during that span. Another huge positive for the Warriors is that none of these games are part of a back-to-back set.

Less than 2 weeks ago, Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat were the talk of the NBA. An 83 point performance that put Adebayo in the record books also happened to coincide with a 7 game win streak that’s kept them right in the thick of things out East as the season winds down. Since Adebayo’s historic night though they’ve gone a paltry 1-4, including two losses to two teams that they’re fighting for positioning with in the standings. Currently the 9th seed with 11 games left in the regular season, the Heat have just 1 less win than the current 5th seed Toronto Raptors.

Meanwhile for the Spurs, the possibility of 60 wins remains alive and well. Currently holding a 7 game lead over the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2nd seed and still just 3 games back of the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio might just be locked into that 2nd spot. Even with six of their next seven on the road, there’s a good chance they could wrap that race up very soon. Once that happens, the focus can be entirely on health and fine-tuning for the franchise’s first postseason run in a very long time.

San Antonio Spurs (53-18) vs Miami Heat (38-33)
March 23 2026 | 6:00 PM CT
Watch: Peacock, FDSS | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)

Spurs Injuries: Stephon Castle, hip (day to day), Devin Vassell, hamstring (day to day), David Jones-Garcia, OUT

Heat Injuries: Andrew Wiggins, toe (day to day), Jaime Jaquez Jr, hip (day to day), Norman Powell, calf (day to day)

What to watch for

• While he’s obviously not averaging 83 points a night, Bam Adebayo has nonetheless had a phenomenal season. He’s hit at least the 20 point mark in his last 11 games and is second on the Heat in scoring this season, behind only Tyler Herro. He’s coming off a 32 point, 21 rebound game in a loss to the Houston Rockets, a game in which he played 45 minutes. Adebayo is the bedrock of an elite Miami defense, shutting off driving lanes with his quickness and providing solid rim protection. With Victor Wembanyama playing some of the best basketball of his career, the potential for a classic confrontation is there.
• No one plays faster than Miami, averaging nearly 104 possessions per game this year. They like to push the ball in transition while leaning on a defense that’s just outside the top 5 (6th in defensive rating) to stifle opposing offenses and force them into turnovers to fuel their offensive attack. San Antonio, who are no slouches themselves when it comes to pushing the tempo and playing elite defense, protect the basketball as well as any team in the Association, but there’s always a chance for things to get ugly on the road. Keeping turnovers down and cleaning the defensive glass will be key in limiting the Miami offense.
• Dylan Harper took full advantage of his first career start, tying a career-high 24 points in Saturday’s win against the Pacers on a super-efficient 9/13 from the field. With Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell potentially out once again for this one, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Mitch Johnson give the impressive rookie the starting nod once again tonight. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has more than a few great options to throw at San Antonio’s wings, but Harper and the rest of his teammates should be up to the task The 20 year old Harper has scored in double figures nine times since the All Star break.

If you’d like to, you may follow along with the game on our Twitter profile (@poundingtherock) or visit our Game Thread!

New Orleans Pelicans (25-47, 11th in the Western Conference) vs. New York Knicks (47-25, third in the Eastern Conference)

New York; Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: New York will try to keep its three-game home win streak alive when the Knicks play New Orleans.

The Knicks are 26-9 on their home court. New York is 8-4 in games decided by less than 4 points.

The Pelicans have gone 9-25 away from home. New Orleans is 14-21 when it wins the turnover battle and averages 13.5 turnovers per game.

The Knicks score 117.2 points per game, 2.0 fewer points than the 119.2 the Pelicans allow. The Pelicans average 11.3 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.5 fewer made shots on average than the 13.8 per game the Knicks allow.

The teams play for the second time this season. The Knicks won the last matchup 130-125 on Dec. 30, with Jalen Brunson scoring 28 points in the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 20.2 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks. Brunson is averaging 20.4 points over the last 10 games.

Trey Murphy III is averaging 21.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals for the Pelicans. Saddiq Bey is averaging 2.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Knicks: 7-3, averaging 117.6 points, 48.7 rebounds, 29.4 assists, 8.0 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 49.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.3 points per game.

Pelicans: 6-4, averaging 117.9 points, 45.3 rebounds, 25.9 assists, 9.5 steals and 6.1 blocks per game while shooting 47.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.7 points.

INJURIES: Knicks: Landry Shamet: day to day (knee), Miles McBride: out (ankle).

Pelicans: Bryce McGowens: day to day (toe).

___

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

Sacramento Kings (19-53, 15th in the Western Conference) vs. Charlotte Hornets (37-34, 10th in the Eastern Conference)

Charlotte, North Carolina; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Charlotte hosts Sacramento aiming to extend its three-game home winning streak.

The Hornets have gone 17-17 in home games. Charlotte is eighth in the league allowing just 112.1 points per game while holding opponents to 46.7% shooting.

The Kings are 6-28 on the road. Sacramento has a 3-4 record in games decided by less than 4 points.

The Hornets are shooting 46.0% from the field this season, 3.4 percentage points lower than the 49.4% the Kings allow to opponents. The Kings average 10.2 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.6 fewer made shots on average than the 12.8 per game the Hornets allow.

The two teams square off for the second time this season. The Hornets defeated the Kings 117-109 in their last matchup on March 12. LaMelo Ball led the Hornets with 30 points, and DeMar DeRozan led the Kings with 39 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Ball is averaging 19.7 points and 7.1 assists for the Hornets. Kon Knueppel is averaging 18.2 points over the last 10 games.

Maxime Raynaud is averaging 11.9 points and 7.3 rebounds for the Kings. DeRozan is averaging 17.6 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Hornets: 7-3, averaging 116.6 points, 45.1 rebounds, 25.9 assists, 8.1 steals and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 45.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.1 points per game.

Kings: 5-5, averaging 115.7 points, 45.5 rebounds, 27.8 assists, 6.6 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 49.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 119.6 points.

INJURIES: Hornets: Tidjane Salaun: day to day (calf).

Kings: Domantas Sabonis: out for season (back), Russell Westbrook: day to day (foot), Killian Hayes: day to day (toe), De'Andre Hunter: out for season (eye), Zach LaVine: out for season (finger), Drew Eubanks: out for season (thumb), Isaiah Stevens: day to day (ankle), Keegan Murray: out (ankle), Daeqwon Plowden: day to day (foot).

___

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