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In a topsy-turvy fourth quarter, the Lakers came up short when LeBron James missed a last-second shot that sent them to a 110-109 loss to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.

Luka Doncic had 22 points to lead the Lakers but was just eight for 24 from the field and two for 10 from three-point range. He was wide open behind the arc after taking the inbounds pass in the closing seconds, but he didn't shoot, passing to James with the clock running down.

James took a turnaround three that missed. He finished with 21 points, six rebounds and four assists.

The lead went back and forth most of the fourth quarter, each play more important than the previous one, each moment more intense, each possession more meaningful.

When Rui Hachimura drilled a three-pointer from the corner off a pass from Doncic for a 106-103 lead with 2 minutes 14 seconds left, the Lakers (34-23) looked to be in pretty good shape.

But Magic star Paolo Banchero scored in the paint, giving him a game-high 36 points, and was fouled by Deandre Ayton. Banchero missed the free throw, leaving the Lakers ahead 106-105 with 1:18 left.

Read more:New Lakers executive Lon Rosen discusses increased ticket prices, Magic Johnson

James went to work in the post over the smaller Anthony Black, drawing a foul. But James made just one of two free throws for a 107-105 lead

Magic guard Desmond Bane (22 points) answered with a three-pointer for a 108-107 lead that forced the Lakers to call a timeout with 34.6 seconds left.

Hachimura missed a three but the Lakers retained possession, and on the ensuing inbounds play Doncic found James cutting down the lane for a dunk for a 109-108 Lakers lead.

Banchero missed a jumper, but Wendell Carter Jr. grabbed the rebound and scored for a 110-109 Orlando lead with 6.7 seconds left. The Magic finished with 12 offensive rebounds.

The Lakers called another timeout and had one last opportunity, but this time they couldn’t get a good shot and time expired.

The good news was the Lakers sawa more engaged Ayton, a more active big man, a more involved player.

Doncic passed the ball inside to Ayton in the midpost early in the third quarter and watched his big center turn and shot over a smaller defender. Ayton missed the shot, but he collected the rebound and scored on a layup.

Ayton had 17 points on six-for-eight shooting and six rebounds in the first half and 21 points for the game to go along with 13 rebounds.

Doncic went down late in the first quarter after getting poked in his eye by Mo Wager, a red mark developing beneath his eye. Doncic stayed down for a while before eventually getting up with one minute and 59 seconds left in the first.

Read more:Lakers are trying to unlock the greatness in Deandre Ayton

On the very next possession, Doncic drilled a three-pointer, a sign that his vision was clear.

He finished the first quarter with 11 points on four-for-eight shooting, four rebounds and four assists.

After the end of the first, Doncic went to the Lakers’ locker room, but he returned to the bench early in the second quarter.

Early in that second quarter, the Lakers displayed hustle and defense.

James ran down Anthony Black and blocked his shot off the backboard. Banchero got the rebound, but he had his shot blocked by a hustling Marcus Smart.

The Lakers started the third quarter by giving their fans a highlight moment.

It began with Ayton getting the defensive rebound and passing the ball to James, who then whipped the ball to Austin Reaves and filled the lane on the fast break.

Reaves threw a lob to James for a dunk, bringing the crowd to its feet.

The Lakers even opened a 12-point lead in the third quarter, their defense on point and their offense looking good.

But the Magic didn’t stop coming after the Lakers.

Orlando closed out the third quarter hard and got to within 80-79 entering the fourth.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

For the first time this season, the Lakers lost when leading after three quarters, falling to the Magic at home on Tuesday, 110-109. A putback layup from Wendell Carter Jr. after a missed jumper from Paolo Banchero with 6.7 seconds left put Orlando up.

Luka Dončić had a chance to win the game with a three, but hesitated, allowing the defense to recover, forcing a pass to LeBron James whose off-balance shot missed at the buzzer..

LA led for the near entirety of the first three quarters, building a 12-point lead in the second and third quarters. However, a huge game by Paolo Banchero and big fourth quarter from Desmond Bane made it a tight game down the stretch.

The Magic crushed the Lakers in second-chance opportunities, scoring 15 points on 13 offensive rebounds.

The game began with LeBron James setting the tone with 10 points, including two triples. Deandre Ayton was the next highest scorer with four points. Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane combined for eight points for the Magic.

LA built a lead of seven. Orlando then responded well, cutting Los Angeles’ lead down to two. 

Carter Jr.’s nine points helped the Magic trim the deficit. The Lakers had no answer for him, allowing him to have a free path to the rim.

Luke Kennard scored a quick four points off the bench after entering the game. Los Angeles held off Orlando on the shoulders of Luka Dončić, who was now in double figures with 11 points. At the end of the first, the purple and gold were up by eight. 

Good 1st Q overall against an ORL team that's won 5 of 7 despite missing Wagner/Suggs.

LA's up 33-25, with LeBron/Luka combining for 21 points, and Luke Kennard adding 6 off the bench.

Lakers shooting 60% to ORL's 41.7%; LA does have 5 TO's to 1 from ORL.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) February 25, 2026

Tristan da Silva started the second period by converting on a hook shot for the Magic. LA still had no answer for Carter Jr., who was now at 15 points for the half. The Lakers only had three offensive rebounds compared to Orlando’s five. 

With 6:20 left until halftime, Austin Reaves was still scoreless on four shot attempts. 

Da Silva knocked down two more 3-pointers as he had not missed a shot. Ayton was now the third player in double figures for the Lakers with 15 points. Neither team seemed to have the answer for each other’s centers. Ayton was scoring easily on hook shots. 

Luckily for LA, Desmond Bane was 0-5 from behind the arc. Going into halftime, Los Angeles was up by three. 

The Lakers lead the Magic 56-53 at the half. Deandre Ayton has been great. He has 17 points. Austin Reaves has been very quiet, he has 0 points and is 0-5 from the field. I'm not sure when the last time that happened was.

— Edwin Garcia (@ECreates88) February 25, 2026

Reaves started the third period by converting on a pair of free throws for his first two points of the game. Reaves also connected with LeBron for an impressive alley-oop. After Reaves knocked down a 3-pointer, Orlando had to call a timeout, trailing by 10.

After an uncharacteristically quiet first half scoring wise, Austin Reaves scored 5 points in the first 2 minutes of the 3rd Q, to go with an alley-oop assist to LeBron, that put LA up 63-53 and forced an early Orlando time out.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) February 25, 2026

Out of the break, the Magic missed on a shot from behind the arc. On the other end, Reaves scored on a jumper in the paint. Paolo Banchero scored four in a row to stop some of the bleeding for Orlando. 

The Magic cut the deficit down to five with 6:37 left until the fourth. 

A quick six straight points for LA put some more cushion on their lead. Orlando answered right back with Banchero continuing to lead the way with 17 points in the quarter, making it a one-point game. He was also 10-10 from the charity stripe. 

Los Angeles turned the ball over with seven seconds left, but decent defense on the other end protected their one-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. 

The Lakers lead the Magic 80-79 entering the fourth quarter. LA has yet to lose this year when leading after three quarters of play.

— Edwin Garcia (@ECreates88) February 25, 2026

Marcus Smart started the final frame by converting on a free throw. Bane responded by knocking down a pair of jumpers, giving Orlando their first lead since the first quarter.. LeBron ended that lead with a jump shot. 

Reaves put Los Angeles back in the lead with a layup. 

It was Bane’s quarter as he scored another five points, putting the Magic back ahead. Reaves aggressive play was helping keep the Lakers from falling apart. He tied the game after completing a three-point play. 

Jonathan Isaac was left wide-open for an easy slam to retake the lead for Orlando, 

The Lakers were shooting 50% from the field in the quarter, while the Magic were shooting 58%. After Orlando went up by five, Los Angeles responded with five straight points to tie the game. 

Both teams were battling hard and exchanging the lead. Luka was having a tough offensive game, but suddenly turned the jets on, converting on two big-time shots. 

Lakers-Magic going bucket for bucket in the fourth.

— Edwin Garcia (@ECreates88) February 25, 2026

With 1:25 left, LA was nursing a three-point lead until Banchero converted on a layup to cut it to one again. Luka was then fouled from behind the arc; Orlando challenged the call and won. It led to a jump ball, which the Lakers won.

LeBron was then fouled with 44 seconds left in regulation, splitting the free throws to put LA up two. Bane knocked down a 3-pointer on the other end that put the Magic up by one with 34 seconds left. 

Hachimura missed a triple, but Los Angeles got the ball back and LeBron dunked to give the Lakers the lead back. On the other end, Carter Jr. grabbed the offensive rebound and converted on a layup to give them the lead again.

LA had 6.7 seconds left to get the win, but they fumbled it with Luka passing up an open 3-pointer to pass to LeBron, who had to take a bad shot that he missed.

Key Player Stats

Luka finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and 15 assists. LeBron notched 21 points with six rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Ayton pitched in with 21 points and 13 rebounds.

Reaves had a slow offensive game with 18 points. Kennard scored nine points off the bench. Hachimura ended with 10 points. 

The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday at 6:00 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.

The Golden State Warriors got back in the loss column on Tuesday, losing 113-109 to the New Orleans Pelicans. It was an odd game, and it wasn’t clear whether the Warriors should be favored or not. They were facing a very bad Pelicans team, but New Orleans was fairly healthy, and even welcomed Dejounte Murray back after more than a year on the sidelines. Golden State, meanwhile, was playing without Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler III, Kristaps Porziņģis, and Al Horford.

It was a very ugly first half, with the Warriors unable to buy a bucket. It looked for a while like they would get blown out, but they came roaring back in the second half, and took the lead. Then they lost their rhythm down the stretch, and the Pelicans took control in the final moments.

Let’s grade the shorthanded squad that came up just short against old friend Jordan Poole. As always, grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance for that player.

Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. Entering Tuesday’s games, league average TS was 57.9%.

Moses Moody

34 minutes, 24 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 5 fouls, 7-for-13 shooting, 4-for-10 threes, 6-for-8 free throws, 72.6% TS, +13

Moody stepped up in a huge way this game, just as he did on Sunday. After a few games looking a little slow and sluggish, he’s starting to take advantage of the opportunity in front of him. His shot was nice in this one, and his defense was solid, even though he almost fouled out. But what I really loved was the way he used the threat of his jump shot to attack … he took three shots inside the arc and drew eight free throws, and that was fantastic to see.

Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Best plus/minus on the team.

Gui Santos

39 minutes, 15 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks, 6 turnovers, 5 fouls, 6-for-13 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 54.0% TS, -7

It’s been a while since a Warrior played 39 minutes in a game, but if anyone can do it, it’s the endless ball of energy that is Santos. That energy mostly did good things. The 12 rebounds speak for themselves, and Santos was frequently leaping around the court, keeping a possession alive or saving a ball from going out of bounds. The five stocks certainly speaks to his activity level.

The energy sometimes did bad things, though. Six turnovers is way too many, as is five fouls, though some grace is afforded given how shorthanded the team was. Overall, it was a chaotic game from Gui, but he did more good than harm, especially considering the circumstances of the roster.

Grade: B+

Draymond Green

32 minutes, 11 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 5-for-11 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, 50.0% TS, +8

A pretty solid Dray game which, honestly, we hadn’t really seen in a while. He played really strong defense on Zion Williamson, who scored 26 points but needed 21 shots and five free throws to get there, while having his playmaking shut down. Some really nice passes from Dray, as well.

Grade: B+
Post-game bonus: Led the team in assists.

De’Anthony Melton

28 minutes, 28 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, 4 fouls, 8-for-21 shooting, 3-for-10 threes, 9-for-11 free throws, 54.2% TS, +9

There were points in this game where Melton was the only Warrior capable of getting a bucket. When no one else could score early, he was dropping it shots. He continued to be able to get looks all through the game, though his efficiency fell off rather dramatically. He was the team’s top scorer, but didn’t score very efficiently, and turned the ball over as often as he passed out an assist (though much of that was due to his teammates missing shots).

He had the highlight of the game on a massive dunk, and was a reminder as to the value of being able to get a bucket, even when the efficiency isn’t great. Especially with Curry out.

Grade: B
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points.

Pat Spencer

23 minutes, 5 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, 1 foul, 2-for-7 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, 35.7% TS, +1

Spencer couldn’t get much going in this game. It was an especially rough first half for him, though he came out of the gates in the third quarter with some big plays. But mostly, he struggled.

Grade: C

Quinten Post

23 minutes, 6 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 3-for-7 shooting, 0-for-4 threes, 42.9% TS, -13

With Horford resting, Porziņģis sick, and Trayce Jackson-Davis in Toronto, Post was the only true center that the Warriors had. And he played like one. His signature three wasn’t falling, so he took up a more old school game. He scored in the paint, going 3-for-4, gobbled up nine rebounds in just 23 minutes, and played strong interior defense. It was fun to see!

Grade: B

Will Richard

17 minutes, 0 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 foul, -19

As we’ve grown accustomed to, Richard played some strong perimeter defense. Unfortunately, that’s about all he did. That’s not strictly a bad thing: it’s still impressive for a rookie to play more than 17 minutes and be comfortable not taking a single shot. But he just didn’t provide an impact in any area of the game, except on some defensive possessions.

Grade: C
Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus on the team.

Brandin Podziemski

32 minutes, 16 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers, 1 foul, 7-for-18 shooting, 1-for-6 threes, 1-for-2 free throws, 42.4% TS, -1

My goodness, what has gotten into Podziemski on the glass? That’s now 15 boards in back-to-back games for the diminutive (by NBA standards) guard. Pretty magnificent stuff.

He struggled to score, but I liked a lot of the things he did on offense, the shots just weren’t falling. Keep rebounding like that, though, and the shots will eventually fall. Like Santos, Podz’s hustle and energy made good things happen, even where it isn’t statistically reflected.

Grade: B+
Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds.

Gary Payton II

12 minutes, 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 2-for-7 shooting, 0-for-4 threes, 28.6% TS, -11

Not a good game for Payton. His defense wasn’t as good as usual, and his offense was quite a struggle.

Grade: C-

Jonathan Kuminga

24 minutes, 27 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 9-for-12 shooting, 3-for4 threes, 6-for-7 free throws, 89.5% TS, +16

Hey, we might as well shout out Kuminga, who made his Atlanta Hawks debut and thoroughly dominated. Hawks fans are probably feeling really excited right about now. Way to go, JK.

Grade: A+

Tuesday’s DNP-CDs: Malevy Leons

Tuesday’s inactives: Jimmy Butler III, LJ Cryer, Seth Curry, Steph Curry, Al Horford, Kristaps Porziņģis, Nate Williams

CLEVELAND — Jeremy Sochan’s transition to the Knicks has not gone smoothly on the court as he tries to recover game conditioning and gets comfortable with his teammates. 

But he’s confident it will turn around. 

“It’s a process. It’s my fourth game here,” Sochan said in an interview with The Post. “So we’ll figure it out. We’ll be good.” 

Sochan managed just two rocky minutes in the first half of Tuesday’s 109-94 loss to the Cavaliers, then was benched until garbage time while finishing with no points.

Sochan, who was signed as a free agent during the All-Star break, had been given a rotational opportunity by coach Mike Brown, who said he wanted to give the forward a chance to determine his fit before the playoffs. 

But Sochan’s third-quarter shift Tuesday went to rookie Mohamed Diawara, who had been surging before Sochan’s signing but struggled in Cleveland while missing three of his four 3-point attempts. 

“It’s my first time adjusting to a different dynamic,” said Sochan, who spent his first three full seasons with the Spurs. “So it’s going to take some time to figure out and, of course, I haven’t been in a lot of game shape. So altogether there are going to [be] ups and downs. But I’m blessed and excited to be in this situation. And I truly believe I can add to this team.”

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• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NBA STANDINGS AND KNICKS STATS

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In four appearances, Sochan is averaging one point and one rebound in 7.5 minutes. 

“I think it’s just learning how everyone wants to play. The vibe on the team and all those sorts of things,” Sochan said about his biggest adjustment. “And I think it’s pretty easy for me to learn the playbook. But now it’s learning everybody’s tendencies. What they like and what don’t like. Just trying to figure out that part. That’s offense and defense, too.” 

Fitness was also a hurdle after spending most of this season on the bench with the Spurs. 

“[Tuesday] I felt a little better than Chicago [on Sunday] and the other two games. There’s nothing you can really do to get into game shape,” Sochan said. “That’s a whole different story. But it only takes a few games and then you start feeling better.” 

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Kenny Atkinson isn’t focused on beating the Knicks in the playoffs because he doesn’t want to make the same mistake as last season, when his top-seeded Cavs were prepping for a Celtics showdown but got upset in the second round by the Pacers. 

“You have to be careful. I know last year we were thinking ‘Boston, Boston, Boston,’ and we got Indiana,” Atkinson said Tuesday. “I thought, ‘We’ve got to beat Boston.’ As a head coach, I do keep an eye on what those teams are doing, the Knicks or Boston, teams that are in our wheelhouse. Detroit, I’ll keep an eye on. But I think it’s a mistake just to focus on one team because the roulette wheel could just drop on another team.

“I’m aware of what’s going on with those teams more than, say, teams at the end of the standings.” 

The Knicks and Cavs entered the season as favorites in the East but the Pistons and Celtics emerged as surprising top two seeds nearing the end of February. 

Things move quickly in the NBA news cycle. It’s been a few weeks since the Utah Jazz were chosen to be the scapegoats for Adam Silver’s terrible plan to flatten lottery odds in 2019. Instead of the flattened odds preventing tanking, they made it worse by incentivizing middle-lottery teams to lose more. Utah had to adjust to Silver’s incompetence to do what was best for the Jazz. Just like Utah was worse off because of Silver’s decision-making, ESPN is now worse off as well.

The Utah Jazz are “old news” now, everyone is slowly forgetting the big story a few weeks ago. Everyone but the Jazz, that is. And you can count on the Jazz not forgetting anytime soon. If you haven’t noticed, there have been some news stories recently involving the Utah Jazz, but the reporters have been different.

When the Jazz traded for Jaren Jackson Jr., it wasn’t Shams Charania who broke the news, it was Chris Haynes.

BREAKING: Utah Jazz star Jaren Jackson Jr. is likely to miss the remainder of the season to undergo surgery on his left knee to ensure his longterm health after a localized PVNS growth was discovered post trade, league sources tell me. pic.twitter.com/pHeJT8NphE

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 12, 2026

When the news that Jusuf Nurkic was out for the season due to nose surgery broke, it was Haynes, not Charania, who broke it again.

BREAKING: Utah Jazz starting center Jusuf Nurkić will undergo a surgical procedure on his nose Wednesday that will sideline him for the remainder of the season, league sources tell me. pic.twitter.com/MFYjY333GU

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 23, 2026

And it’s not just breaking news stories that are now being sent to different reporters, relationships are being cut off as well. On his podcast on February 13, Brian Windhorst said he was done talking about tanking, that the Jazz are an organization of “good people” just trying to do what’s best for their team. He talked about not wanting to talk about tanking anymore because he didn’t want to ruin any more relationships, like the one he apparently had with Utah.

It may seem like a small thing to some, but those relationships matter. Utah is a part of interconnected relationships and is a contact that can provide news and rumors. Now, that’s gone. Hope it was worth it for a week of bullying a small market team. And in all honesty, this might not be the only team. The Pacers have to be frustrated as well, and it appears they may be looking to fire back at Silver and ESPN, also.

Rick Carlisle was recently on the radio and said the league asked the Pacers to consider medicating Aaron Nesmith so he could play in the game they were fined for sitting out players.

The league asking if the Pacers would consider medicating Aaron Nesmith so that he could play in the game that they were fined for sitting out players seems like a massive overreach. Absurd. https://t.co/2MlvhjWLTN

— Caitlin Cooper (@C2_Cooper) February 24, 2026

Adam Silver could not look worse. He apparently wants to force teams to play injured players now? It seems insane, considering the issues the league is having with players going down with injuries. Just another example of horrible leadership from Adam Silver and the NBA. The question that comes from this is, what are the stories we don’t know about?

One thing you can bet is that these leaks and changes would not have happened had Adam Silver not put out some sort of bat signal to bully the Jazz and Pacers. Now, he gets even more bad press, and those reporters who salivate over access are now without the most important thing a reporter needs: sources.

Hope it was worth it, ESPN and Adam Silver, you can bet that Utah and Indiana will not forget, and no doubt if a vote ever comes to remove Adam Silver, you can count on two teams being involved.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Micah Robinson scored 20 points, Xavier Edmonds added 17 and TCU rolled to a 90-78 victory over Arizona State on Tuesday night.

TCU took the lead for good with about six minutes to play before halftime led by as many as 18 points in the second half.

Edmonds and Robinson each made three of TCU's eight 3-pointers. Brock Harding shot just 1 of 10 from the floor but made 8 of 11 free throws and finished with 10 points and distributed 11 assists for the Horned Frogs. Tanner Toolson added 12 points and Liutauras Lelevicius scored 10.

TCU (18-10, 8-7 Big 12) has won five of its last six and four straight against Arizona State (14-14, 5-10).

Maurice Odum scored 21 points and had 10 assists to lead the Sun Devils. Anthony Johnson added 18 points and Massamba Diop 13.

Edmonds scored 14 points and Lelevicius added nine to help TCU take a 33-30 lead to halftime. With 13:30 left, TCU started a 9-0 surge for a 58-46 lead and the Horned Frogs held a double-digit advantage for most of the remainder.

Up next

Arizona State hosts Utah on Saturday.

TCU plays at Kansas State on Saturday.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

While the anticipation for a primetime heavyweight bout was warranted, the Knicks never came close to resembling a threat to the Cavaliers with crucial playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference at stake.

The fatal combination of poor three-point shooting, costly turnovers, and jumbled defense knocked the Knicks out early on Tuesday night at Rocket Arena, and head coach Mike Brown didn't bother to describe the 109-94 loss with any fancy adjectives. He cut right to the chase.

"An ugly game, obviously. We didn't do much right defensively, we didn't do much right offensively," Brown said. "Our turnovers in the first half really put a damper on things we were trying to do... We had some decent looks throughout the course of the game, but we couldn't knock a shot down."

Held below 100 points for just the sixth time this season, the Knicks couldn't buy a bucket from beyond the arc, and that start-to-finish cold spell heavily influenced their pace and cohesion. They shot a measly 27 percent from three (10 of 37), their fourth-worst mark of the 2025-26 campaign.

To make matters worse, the Knicks struggled to score from anywhere on the floor during the third quarter, as the Cavaliers held them to a season-low 11 points. It was the Knicks' worst shooting quarter (3 of 20) since 2018, and also their worst third-quarter points output since 2022.

"One of the things we have to do better, especially offensively, is play with pace," Brown said. "Our pace isn't good. We have to do a better job of getting to the corners, we have to do a better job of playing with pace in the frontcourt."

Now, the turnovers. The Knicks committed 11 in the first half, finishing with 16 that produced 17 points in transition from the Cavaliers. The sloppiness disrupted their rhythm and thwarted any chance of a late comeback -- akin to what the Knicks showed the same Cavaliers on Christmas Day.

Rightfully so, the Knicks directed most of their attention toward stars Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, who combined for a tolerable 43 points. But they didn't have much of a plan for Jarrett Allen, who caused fits down low with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Brown didn't see the Knicks defending "on a string," with sharp attention to the Cavaliers' ball movement.

Jalen Brunson scored a quiet 20 points on 6 of 19 shooting, and Mitchell Robinson was the Knicks' lone bright spot with 16 boards -- eight came on offense -- and 11 points in 19 minutes off the bench.

But the most confounding performance belonged to Karl-Anthony Towns. Despite scoring 14 points, he attempted just a single shot in the second half, finishing a perfect 5-for-5, and was responsible for five giveaways. A far cry from the stellar 28-point, 11-rebound double-double he delivered against the Bulls on Sunday.

"There were some things we could've done better defensively, but our offense was non-existent, in terms of pace, the ability to touch the paint, and spray the ball," Brown said. "All that stuff came to play in that third quarter."

Now tied with the Cavaliers for third in the East playoff picture -- although New York has the tiebreaker -- the Knicks (37-22) will wrap up their brief Midwest road trip on Friday night against the Bucks. They're 2-2 since the All-Star break, and of their five-worst shooting displays from three this season, three have come in February.

Tonight’s game is sort of a triage game for the Houston Rockets. In addition to their usual out-for-the-season guys, they will be without Jae’Sean Tate once again as he misses the next four to six weeks, as well as Amen Thompson, who has quadriceps tendonitis. It’s going to either force Ime Udoka to expand his rotation (lol) or give even more minutes to Kevin Durant.

The Sacramento Kings have been a thorn in Houston’s side for the past two seasons. The Rockets have lost their last four games in California’s capital and last season were swept by the Beam Team. The Kings just snapped a 16-game losing streak by knocking off the also-tanking Memphis Grizzlies. Houston wants to win this game and Sacramento doesn’t. But the players don’t always follow the script.

Houston has to fly out right after this game to Orlando for the second night of a back-to-back against a Magic squad that has tonight off. It would behoove Houston to wrap this game up by the third quarter to allow the starters to rest a bit in anticipation of the challenge that Orlando presents. However, we all know how it goes with this team in the fourth quarter.

Tip-off

7pm CT

How To Watch

Space City Home Network

Injury Report

Rockets

Steven Adams: OUT

Fred VanVleet: OUT

Amen Thompson: OUT

Jae’Sean Tate: OUT

Kings

Domantas Sabonis: OUT

De’Andre Hunter: OUT

Zach LaVine: OUT

Dylan Cardwell: OUT

Devin Carter: GTD

The Line (as of this post)

HOU -15.5

Check here for updates

Looking ahead because we can

Tomorrow (Thursday) night on the road against the Orlando Magic

One of the most recognizable faces in pop music took his seat courtside at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night and immediately ignited the crowd and The King. 

Justin Bieber didn’t just sit courtside Tuesday night as the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Orlando Magic—he became LeBron James’ biggest cheerleader. Every spin move from LeBron drew a clenched fist.

Every time he hit a three, Bieber stood and applauded. When LeBron bullied his way into the lane and splashed another jumper to push the Lakers ahead 16-10, Bieber popped up from his seat and started gassing up The King. 

Justin Bieber sitting courtside tonight at the Lakers game against the Orlando Magic pic.twitter.com/0qWe16oc3l

— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) February 25, 2026

LeBron poured in 10 first-quarter points with the calm of a man who understands his own greatness. Luka Dončić added 11 points, four rebounds, and four assists in a quarter that felt like a clinic. The Lakers shot north of 50 percent and led 33-25 after one.

Before the game, as players were being introduced, LeBron went up and greeted Bieber. Fans online started calling the moment “LeBieber James,” half jokingly, of course. 

JBiebs courtside pic.twitter.com/od7dz7Rdgc

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 25, 2026

The Lakers’ maligned defense was in a 2-3 zone for most of the night, and it surprisingly worked against the 30-26 Magic team that is fighting for playoff position in the Eastern Conference. 

Justin Bieber courtside in LA! #NBACelebRowpic.twitter.com/wKf6DD1EKs

— NBA (@NBA) February 25, 2026

The best moment of the first half came when Luka Doncic broke Moritz Wagner’s ankles on a crossover, and then drilled a stepback three-pointer in his face. 

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Luka breaks Wagner's ankles, then buries the three-pointer. LA up 33-25 after one. https://t.co/c3QcKpbVBh

— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) February 25, 2026

The Lakers led the Magic 56-53 at the half, as they try and bounce back from an embarrassing blowout loss to the rival Celtics on Sunday.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Nijel Pack scored 22 points, Mohamed Wague added 18 points and Oklahoma used its first-half eruption to ride out a 91-79 win over Auburn on Tuesday night.

Wague made 10 of 12 foul shots, Derrion Reid scored 16 points and Xzayvier Brown 14 for Oklahoma (14-14, 4-11 Big 12) to end its two-game losing streak.

Keyshawn Hall scored 26 points and made all 11 of his foul shots and Kevin Overton scored 26 with the help of 5-for-10 shooting from distance for Auburn (15-13, 6-9).

It was Oklahoma's first 90-point plus scoring effort since a 92-91 win over then 15th-ranked Vanderbilt on Feb. 7.

The Sooners shot a higher percentage from 3-point range — 71.4% (10 for 14) — than their 58.3% mark (7 of 12) from the foul line before halftime.

Following Overton's 3-pointer to get Auburn within 33-31 with 7:55 before halftime, the Sooners went on an 11-3 run over the next three-and-a-half minutes to build their first double-digit lead to 44-34 with 4:31 left before the break.

The Sooners led 51-42 at halftime and stayed ahead by double digits for most of the second half.

Up Next

Auburn: Hosts Ole Miss on Saturday.

Oklahoma: Travels to LSU on Saturday.

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