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When Jimmy Butler suffered a torn ACL in his right knee Jan. 19, everything changed for the Warriors. 

Before Butler’s injury, they had won 9 of 12 games and had seemingly found their rhythm after a bumpy start to the season. But after he was sidelined, the Warriors have lost 7 of 11. 

The Warriors tried to take a big swing for Giannis Antetokounmpo before the Feb. 5 trade deadline, but the Bucks decided not to trade their superstar. So, the Warriors pivoted and acquired Kristaps Porzingis, who is expected to make his Warriors debut Thursday. 

The Warriors are in eighth place in the Western Conference at 29-26. Here are their three biggest storylines as they approach the stretch run of the season:

1. Will Kristaps Porzingis remain healthy?

If Porzingis is healthy, the Warriors could be competitive. Porzingis, who helped the Celtics win a championship in 2024, is a three-level scorer who will space the floor for Steph Curry with his 3-point shooting and his low-post skills. The problem is the 7-foot-2 center has only played in 17 games this season because of issues with his left Achilles tendon as well as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.

Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy expressed confidence that Porzingis’ health won’t be an issue. 

“We feel good about it,” Dunleavy said Feb. 7. “We looked into it pretty in depth. We believe in our medical staff. There’s no guarantees, there’s no certainty, but kind of where he’s at right now, where he’s been, we feel good about it.”

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Dunleavy said acquiring Porzingis for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield was a smart gamble for the Warriors. The relationship between Kuminga and the franchise that selected him as the seventh overall pick in the 2021 draft had become fractured, and Kuminga had only played in three games for the Warriors since Dec. 6. 

“We’re sending out a player in a similar boat that struggled to stay on the floor,” Dunleavy said. “I think from our standpoint, we recognize the risk medically (with Porzingis), but it’s a risk we’re willing to take.”

Meanwhile, Porzingis, who averaged 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots a game this season for the Hawks, called joining the Warriors a great opportunity. When asked if he’s confident he can remain on the floor despite his health issues, he didn’t hesitate. 

“I’m confident that I will,” he said. “I will do everything right, and I believe I will.”

2. How long is Steph Curry’s championship window? 

When it became clear that Butler would miss the rest of the season, Curry’s chances of competing for his fifth ring were considered gone, a devastating realization for a superstar who led the Warriors to four championships in eight years from 2015-2022. 

The 37-year-old Curry is averaging 27.2 points on 46.8% shooting, 3.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists a game this season. He became the oldest point guard to be voted as a starter in the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday. 

He’s still at the top of his game. But the question is: For how long?

A team with a healthy Curry, Butler, Porzingis and Draymond Green could undoubtedly make noise in the playoffs. But without Butler and with Porzingis’ health a question mark, will this be a wasted season for Curry, who’s widely considered the greatest shooter of all time?

Curry, who turns 38 next month and has missed the team’s last five games because of right knee issues, is nearing the sunset of his career and for him not to have a real shot at contending while he’s playing at this level is unfortunate. He will not play against the Celtics on Thursday, coach Steve Kerr said.

Curry, however, said if the Warriors can make the playoffs, they shouldn’t be counted out. 

“We feel like we’re still a dangerous team,” Curry said Saturday ahead of the All-Star Game. “All you want is the opportunity when those seven-game series start to have a chance.”

3. Could Warriors make big splash this offseason? 

The Warriors don’t have high expectations this season. But they have a treasure chest of first-round picks at their disposal. And they made it clear earlier this month during the Antetokounmpo chase that they’re not afraid to go all in on trying to build a championship team around Curry. 

“Our chips are all in on winning,” Dunleavy said.

That sets up the Warriors to try to make a big splash this summer. 

So, more than anything, the next two months will be a trial period of sorts for Porzingis, who’s on an expiring $30.7 million contract. If he plays well, the Warriors could keep him. If not, they’ll have enough cap space and first-round picks to retool the team. 

So, even though the Warriors didn’t make a trade earlier this month that will make them immediate contenders, they improved their roster without making any long-term commitments and retained their most-prized draft capital, which could set them up to give Curry another shot at a championship next season. 

“We’ve got the goods to make deals,” Dunleavy said. “I think the only way we wouldn’t be in the mix is if we gave up assets, young players. All the things you would need to get a great player, we still have all that. I think that’s one of the reasons the KP trade is really good for us, similar to Jimmy last year. We don’t feel like we gave up a ton. And so we still have kind of the firepower to move forward and do more deals, and that’s what we like about that.”

After the rumors of a potential trade before the deadline, Jeremy Sochan’s time in San Antonio ended with even less fanfare than expected. Sochan was bought out and joined the Knicks, and the Spurs used their open roster spot to sign Mason Plumlee to bolster their center depth. It was a banal ending to what once was an exciting partnership.

Sochan was the first lottery pick of the tank era, which started with the Derrick White trade. He was a charismatic, flawed, intriguing first piece, and fans understandably latched on to his development while looking for hope in those early days. The attachment to Sochan continued even as his minutes dwindled and his importance to the rebuild declined, so it’s sad to see him go.

The question is, what went wrong? Sochan thinks it was a lack of opportunities from a coach with whom he didn’t see eye to eye. It was clear since Mitch Johnson took over that he wasn’t as high on Sochan as Gregg Popovich. But what happened before that is as important to understanding why a former lottery pick ended up waived before his rookie contract expired, and why it wasn’t that big of a surprise.

Under Gregg Popovich, the Spurs tried extremely hard to make things work with Sochan, but failed

Any discussion about Sochan has to start with the inconsistency in roles and positions he faced. Most people, myself included, hated the Point Sochan experiment for good reason: the skills to make it work just weren’t there, at least then. Sochan was a solid ball handler and passer for his position, but he wasn’t suited to be an on-ball creator, especially with the supporting cast he had around him. It seemed like they were setting him up to fail. As it was happening, it made no sense.

Looking back, it was probably done to find a way to keep Sochan on the floor even after his rookie year convinced the decision-makers that he wouldn’t be able to excel as a regular power forward. The most likely explanation for the seemingly nonsensical experiment is that it was an attempt to hide him on offense at one of the few positions/roles in which a consistent three-pointer is not a must: primary ball handler. (It’s also the likely reason why the Spurs are running their offense through Stephon Castle now, despite having De’Aaron Fox around.) The explanation that it was done to help develop his floor game is debunked by the way they used him next.

After their failed primary ball handler experiment, the Spurs moved Sochan to the only other role in which a complementary guy can survive without having to shoot: rim-running center. The fit was better with Sochan as an off-ball finisher. He set good screens and dived, roamed the baseline for dumpoffs, and crashed the offensive glass when the help defender overcommitted. As Victor Wembanyama developed as a shooter, he was able to space the floor for Sochan, and they switched positions on defense, with Victor patrolling the paint and Sochan hounding ball handlers. It worked for Sochan on offense, and it allowed the coaching staff to have their best perimeter defender on the floor.

The problem is that it makes no sense to build a team around Sochan. He’s simply not a star, and his skills weren’t unique enough. When there were no better options, the coaching staff made the pieces fit as well as they could, but when Stephon Castle replaced the perimeter defense he provided, and Keldon Johnson and Luke Kornet supplied the energy and offensive rebounding he used to deliver, Sochan’s minutes dwindled. Yes, Mitch Johnson could have made some room for Sochan next to Wemby and next to Kelly Olynyk, something he tried a few times, but with a potential replacement in place with similar defensive upside and no broken shot in Carter Bryant (coincidentally starting his rookie contract as Sochan’s ended), the coaching staff focused on the future.

The Spurs could have tried to just let Sochan succeed or fail by playing him exclusively at power forward. But they correctly realized that without a shot, the latter was the most likely outcome. There’s a reason very few players who approximate Sochan’s skill set get consistent minutes on good teams.

Maybe Sochan will make the Spurs look silly in a few years, but it doesn’t feel likely

Does that mean Sochan has no place in the NBA? Of course not, as the Spurs themselves proved. There’s a simple recipe that makes him useful: slot him at center on offense next to a perimeter-oriented big man, have him guard perimeter scorers on the other end, and enjoy his intensity and edge. You don’t build a team around Sochan or bend over backwards to find him minutes when you have better options, but if you already have a roster in which his skill set makes sense, he can contribute. The Knicks are such a team. Karl-Anthony Towns got Jarred Vanderbilt, one of the players most similar to Sochan, an extension when the two were in Minnesota, and he could do the same now.

There is a chance Sochan is in the league for 10 more years, even if the shot never develops much, but his other skills do. Derrick Jones Jr. and Toumani Camara, to name a few, have gotten just good enough at shooting that they can leverage their athleticism and defense into playing time and eight-figure deals. Sochan is only 22, so the shot might eventually become viable, and his career prospects would improve massively if that happens. Reaching the PJ Washington/Santi Aldama tier is not out of the question for him. There is a reason most teams don’t end up waving young players they drafted in the lottery, and it’s not just them falling for the sunk cost fallacy.

So maybe the Spurs will miss out on a solid role player, but after three and a half seasons, it doesn’t feel like they are missing out on the next Aaron Gordon or Draymond Green. They seem convinced that he’s simply not special on the court, which at this point is a safe bet. It might seem harsh to say this, but he’s no longer necessary, not because he’s replaceable, but because he has already been replaced.

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It’s always hard to say goodbye to homegrown talent that represented hope during dark times. Sochan’s personality, feistiness, and commitment to doing whatever was asked of him to improve make moving on even more difficult. Those who were fans of his and think he was wronged will be hurt and need their time to mourn. But hopefully, they will eventually find solace in the fact that even without Sochan, the Spurs seem on their way to reaching the goal they set for themselves the year they drafted him.

After hopes that Steph Curry will be rested and ready in time for the Golden State Warriors’ first post-All-Star-break game against the Boston Celtics, those hopes were quickly dashed.

Still bothered by what was diagnosed as “patellofemoral pain syndrome,” or commonly known as “runner’s knee,” Curry will miss tomorrow night’s game against the Celtics, his sixth consecutive missed game.

Steph Curry is OUT tomorrow night against the Celtics @NBCSWarriors

Steve Kerr calls it "unfortunate." Curry did not feel right yet and did not practice today. He's meeting with the training staff tonight

— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) February 19, 2026

Furthermore, it will be the 17th game of the season that Curry will miss. Any more will automatically disqualify him for regular-season awards.

Curry and the team’s training staff held Curry back from team activities and workouts, reportedly because Curry felt that his knee wasn’t ready.

Steve Kerr said Warriors' training staff and Steph Curry opted against the full workout tonight when he reported not feeling it ready. Called the "runner's knee" issue Curry is dealing with nebulous.

"We've got to be certain. He's got to be certain."https://t.co/k0GEYnQOC0

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 19, 2026

Furthermore, per Steve Kerr, there is a chance that Curry will undergo another MRI on his injured knee.

Kerr says there's a chance Steph may get another MRI. He said Steph knew something in the knee still wasn't feeling right and knew he wasn't ready for a full workout.

— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) February 19, 2026

Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball was involved in a car accident Wednesday afternoon in Uptown Charlotte in which his custom 2022 Hummer struck a gray Kia sedan, reports and online video of the incident appears to show.

WSOC-TV published footage of the wreck on its website.

According to WSOC, the collision happened when Ball's vehicle — driving west on Trade Street — attempted to make a left turn onto Tryon Street and crashed into the gray Kia, which was going east on Trade.

One person had minor injuries, and witnesses reportedly saw Ball hop out of the Hummer and into a Lamborghini.

Footage and photos of the incident can be seen below:

BREAKING: We have obtained footage of the LaMelo Ball crash in Uptown Charlotte @wsoctvpic.twitter.com/BUgJrRCeZa

— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) February 18, 2026

BREAKING: LaMelo Ball spotted by @wsoctv cameras getting out of his wrecked car and appearing to be okay. pic.twitter.com/GntOUkV9cp

— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) February 18, 2026

BREAKING: LaMelo Ball involved in crash in Uptown Charlotte.

Photos provided to me show LaMelo getting out of the driver's seat. But CMPD hasn't said who was driving and how this crash happened. Another car was involved. Medic says one person has minor injuries. We don't know… pic.twitter.com/oTLSqTwE9B

— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) February 18, 2026

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LaMelo Ball car crash: What we know about Hummer wreck in Charlotte

The Clippers dramatically changed course earlier in February by trading James Harden and Ivica Zubac in an attempt to get younger and clear salary cap space in hopes of landing a top free agent in 2027.

Kawhi Leonard is now the last-standing star on the team after Paul George left in free agency in the summer of 2024 and Harden wanted out so he could join the contending Cavaliers. 

It’s a whiplash-inducing change for a Clippers team that had gone on a recent 17-5 run, becoming the NBA’s hottest team before the trade deadline. 

The Clippers are in 10th place in the Western Conference at 26-28. Here are the three biggest storylines for them in their final 28 games of the regular season:

1. What does this all mean for Kawhi Leonard?

Leonard is finally healthy and playing at an elite level. Entering this season, he had missed 226 regular-season games since he joined the Clippers in free agency in 2019, as well as multiple playoff series.

But recently, Kawhi looked like Kawhi again. 

He’s averaging a career-high 27.9 points a game and is leading the league in steals (2.1). During one of the All-Star Games on Sunday, he had 31 points in 12 minutes on 11-for-13 shooting from the field and 6-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc, including making a game-winning stepback 3-pointer with four seconds left. 

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Heading into the final stretch of the season, Leonard thought he’d be pouring himself into helping the streaking Clippers claw their way up the Western Conference standings after their 6-21 start. But after the Clippers dramatically swerved a few weeks ago, everything has changed for the star. 

“It’s a complete turnaround from what I thought we could potentially do,” Leonard said. “Not saying we were contenders. But we thought we could make some noise or mess somebody’s season up.”

Now, all eyes are going to be on Leonard. The Clippers reportedly shot down multiple inquiries about trading him ahead of the deadline. And it remains to be seen whether he’s going to be a part of their rebuild going forward — or if he or the team will change directions.

For Leonard, everything just became much murkier.  

2. Can Darius Garland make impact?

The Clippers flipped the 36-year-old Harden for Garland, who’s 26 and a two-time All-Star. He has a lot of potential upside. And Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said he hopes to use him in a similar fashion to a young Kyrie Irving. 

Harden is unquestionably the better player now. But Garland could grow into a star for the Clippers, and he definitely makes them faster and changes their pacing. 

The biggest question around him is his health. 

Garland is still recovering from his surgically repaired toe on his left foot. This season, he has only played 26 games, averaging 18 points on 45% shooting, 6.9 assists and 2.4 rebounds. He was hoping to make his Clippers debut Thursday, but, according to The Athletic, his return will likely be pushed to March. 

3. What’s happening with NBA’s investigation into Clippers allegations?

There has been a shadow hanging over the Clippers’ season after the NBA hired a law firm to investigate allegations that the team circumvented the salary cap by using the company Aspiration to give Leonard a $28 million endorsement deal. 

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank and Leonard have all denied any wrongdoing and welcomed the investigations. 

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Saturday the issue remains ongoing. 

“I haven’t come to any decisions whatsoever yet on the Clippers’ matter,” Silver said, adding that it’s “enormously complex.”

“You have a company in bankruptcy,” he said. “You have thousands of documents, multiple witnesses that have been needed to be interviewed.”

Silver said that from what he knows, the Clippers have been fully cooperative with the investigation. He added that he’s fully committed to acting upon the findings, whatever they may be. 

“I am completely beholden to the constitution and the CBA,” he said. “I believe in the rule of law.”

The Washington Wizards open their post-All-Star campaign with the first of a back-to-back set against the Indiana Pacers.

Game info

When: Thursday, Feb. 19 at 7:00 p.m. ET

Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.

How to watch: Monumental Sports Network, League Pass

Injuries: For the Wizards, Trae Young (knee, quad), Anthony Davis (hand, groin), Cam Whitmore (shoulder), Alex Sarr (hamstring), and D’Angelo Russell (not with team) are out.

For the Pacers, Aaron Nesmith (lumbar), Micah Potter (ankle), TJ McConnell (hamstring), Quenton Jackson (G League) are questionable, while Ivica Zubac (ankle), Pascal Siakam (personal), Obi Toppin (foot), Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles), and Johnny Furphy (knee) are out.

What to watch for

The Wizards and Pacers begin a back-to-back set Thursday that bears massive implications in the battle to the bottom. The 15-40 Pacers have one win more than the 14-39 Wizards, who entered the All-Star break with the second-worst record in the NBA.

While a split of the two games appears likely, Washington could potentially cement their place in the bottom four with a pair of losses against Indiana. Inversely, the Pacers would fall below the Wizards if the latter takes both ends of the back-to-back.

The Pacers are coming off back-to-back wins over the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets, while the Wiz Kids have lost their last three contests against the Nets, Miami Heat, and Cleveland Cavaliers.

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Grace VanSlooten scored 22 points and No. 18 Michigan State cruised past Northwestern 104-68 on Wednesday.

Michigan State (21-6, 10-6 Big Ten) took control early and broke the game open with a 32-14 second quarter to build a 55-28 halftime lead. The Spartans shot 53% overall from the field and made 13 of 26 (50%) from 3-point range while extending the margin beyond 25 early in the second half.

Northwestern (8-18, 2-13) showed some offensive life after the break behind Grace Sullivan, but Michigan State answered each push. A 3-pointer by Sara Sambolic and consecutive baskets from Jalyn Brown and VanSlooten helped stretch the lead to 94-60 midway through the fourth quarter, and late 3-pointers pushed the Spartans past the 100-point mark.

Kennedy Blair added 17 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and five steals for Michigan State, and Brown finished with 15 points and five assists. Marah Dykstra provided 14 points off the bench, including three 3-pointers, and Sambolic scored 13 points with six assists. Michigan State recorded 29 assists on 39 made field goals.

Sullivan led Northwestern with 23 points on 11-of-20 shooting. Casey Harter added 14 points and six rebounds, and Caroline Lau contributed 10 assists, nine points and seven rebounds.

Up next

Northwestern: faces Illinois on Sunday.

Michigan State: travels to No. 23 Minnesota on Sunday.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

STATE COLLEGE, Penn. (AP) — Tariq Francis had 22 points and seven assists, and Rutgers led the entire game in an 85-72 victory over Penn State on Wednesday, the Scarlet Knights' first road win of the season.

Francis scored 15 points to help the Scarlet Knights take a 39-20 halftime lead, its largest on the road in conference play since coach Steve Pikiell took over in 2016. Penn State did not make its first field goal until nearly seven minutes into the game, and finished with 10 first-half turnovers that Rutgers (11-15, 4-11 Big Ten) converted into 19 points. The Nittany Lions’ had their lowest-scoring first half of the season.

The Scarlet Knights pushed the advantage to 20 points early in the second half, but Penn State (11-16, 2-14) gradually chipped away. A 12-4 stretch helped the Nittany Lions cut the deficit to 67-56, and Josh Reed’s 3-pointer with 2:54 remaining pulled them within eight.

Francis responded with a 25-foot 3-pointer and a pull-up jumper on Rutgers’ next two possessions to halt the rally and restore a double-digit cushion.

Dylan Grant added 15 points on 6 of 8 shooting for Rutgers, and Harun Zrno scored 13 with three 3-pointers. Lino Mark provided 12 points off the bench as Rutgers shot 57% from the field and went 20 of 23 at the free-throw line.

Reed led Penn State with 22 points, while Kayden Mingo had 16 points and six assists. The Nittany Lions shot 55% from the field, but made 3 of 17 (18%) from beyond the arc.

Up Next

Rutgers: Plays Saturday at Minnesota.

Penn State: Visits No. 9 Nebraska 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

There’s a plague passing through the National Basketball Association, and it’s not tanking.

Sure, the act of deliberately putting your team at a disadvantage in the hopes of improving draft odds is detrimental to the spirit of competition — when one of the teams doesn’t care to win, why should the fans? But the NBA isn’t anxious because ratings are low for Sacramento vs Washington.

What really makes Adam Silver sweat is the influence of hundreds of billions of dollars of market share owned by sports betting companies across the nation. Gambling and professional sports are becoming synonymous for an increasing number of viewers. Revenue drives the industry, and few companies can promise higher ad spend than a sportsbook these days. When money becomes the top priority, the suppliers wrestle control from the recipients, and we’re reaching a tipping point.

When money becomes the top priority, the suppliers wrestle control from the recipients, and we’re reaching a tipping point.

Tim Donaghy, a disgraced former referee whose involvement in gambling influenced the way that he officiated games, manipulated the results of his assignments to satiate sports betters. His scandal rocked the NBA, tainting history and calling into question the results of games he called in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.

That was the wake-up call. When gambling and sports mingle, they mix. And the NBA understood this threat over 20 years ago.

In fact, in 1993, then-commissioner David Stern testified before Congress on the dangers of sports betting.

“Sports gambling jeopardizes the integrity of the game,” Stern said in support of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. “As well as the loyalty of the fans.”

“Jeopardizes the integrity of the game”? That sounds familiar.

Bobby Marks:

"I think what Utah is doing right now is messing around with the integrity of the NBA" pic.twitter.com/7KBRrt2Auq

— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) February 10, 2026

David Stern changed his tune in 2016 with the rising popularity of daily fantasy sports.

“Whatever barrier perhaps existed is gone,” Stern shared with ESPN, completing a remarkable 180-degree kickflip. “So, to me, if they’re going to be doing daily fantasy, you might as well legalize gambling.”

He continued sharing his vision for its gradual implementation, hoping its implementation would be universal in the next five to 10 years. Here we are, just shy of one decade later.

Per the Sports Business Journal, gambling companies spent $52.1 million on NBA advertising during the 2024-25 season, a 28.96% increase from the previous season.

Sports betting advertisements caught 1.93 billion household impressions through the ‘24-’25 season. Can you remember the last time you watched an NBA basketball game (or a U.S. professional sporting event at all) where your ad breaks weren’t bombarded with Kevin Hart sharing all the wonders of sports books? Where some Joe Schmoe’s life not radically improved thanks to the wonders of betting? Where a voiceover didn’t promise you free money when you sign up to Prize Picks, Draft Kings, FanDuel, MGM Bet, bet365, Caesar’s Sportsbook, Hard Rock Bet, Kalshi, etc.?

A recent report from Ben Golliver shared that gambling companies played a notable part in Adam Silver’s decision to punish the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers for tanking.

“Over-unders are at stake […] player props are at stake.” Golliver shared on his podcast. “If coaches are just willy-nilly not playing guys the entire game, and they’re not letting people know in advance that they plan to do that, you’re going to have a lot of angry gamblers and a lot of angry gambling companies as well.”

With its spreading legalization, the public opinion of sports gambling and daily fantasy apps has become increasingly positive. We’re normalizing sports gambling in the United States. It’s no wonder that their will controls the NBA.

In a way, the NBA Draft Lottery is essentially gambling when you think about it. By tanking, teams buy up as many lottery tickets as they can get their hands on — hoping, praying that their number will be called and all their dreams will come true. They’ll have the best, shiniest young star and watch as their revenue skyrockets in the following season. AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson in Utah? It’ll be standing room only in the Delta Center. Pay no mind to the Scrooge McDuck indoor pool in the arena’s updated renovation plans.

Tanking should not be a part of the game, I’ll grant you that. But perhaps the order of operations shouldn’t begin with Lauri Markkanen’s playing time.

But when the act of tanking works against the interests of the gambling companies funding the NBA, Silver’s action indicated that his loyalties (and by extension, the NBA’s priorities) lie with the sportsbooks, not with the teams.

Jontay Porter pleaded guilty to manipulating gambling over/unders with his play. Terry Rozier has been arrested for similar accusations.

Chauncey Billups, the former head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, was arrested for his involvement in illegal mafia-tied gambling.

Just after the Bucks flirted with the NBA trade deadline in their annual will-they-or-won’t-they-trade-Giannis sweepstakes, Antetokounmpo announced a partnership with Kalshi, the app where you can bet on anything.

Yet it’s the Utah Jazz who receive the finger of blame for the hideous state of professional basketball today. Tanking should not be a part of the game, I’ll grant you that. But perhaps the order of operations shouldn’t begin with Lauri Markkanen’s playing time.

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Calvin Barrett is a writer, editor, and prolific Mario Kart racer located in Tokyo, Japan. He has covered the NBA and College Sports since 2024.

The latest news in the Tank Wars comes from the Sacramento Kings, the cute little participant in the latest tank discussion. Today, in some moves that may not even change the outcome of games, the Kings announced that Domantas Sabonis will be out the rest of the season for left knee surgery.

BREAKING: Sacramento Kings three-time All-Star center Domantas Sabonis will undergo season-ending left knee surgery, league sources tell me. He averaged 15.8 points and 11.4 rebounds in 19 games this season. pic.twitter.com/p3UitkYkGH

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 18, 2026

There’s no doubt this needs to be done, but these surgeries for players seem like moves that need to be done “at some point,” and now is the time to do them, especially with losing being the best option.

It’s only a matter of time before we start seeing these things pop up for the Jazz, also. Jaren Jackson Jr. is already out for the season with his own knee surgery. But what can the Jazz do to make sure their own players miss some of these games to ensure they lose some of these games? The answer is short-term injuries. But what can those injuries be? And that’s today’s Queston of the Day. What are the injuries the Jazz need to use for their players who need to rest?

We may get some inspiration from the Pacers, who are using a lot of sprains, personal reasons, and soreness in their latest injury report.

Injury Report for tomorrow’s game in D.C.:

Micah Potter – Questionable (left ankle sprain)
T.J. McConnell – Questionable (right hamstring soreness)
Aaron Nesmith – Questionable (lumbar sprain)
Pascal Siakam – Out (personal reasons)
Ivica Zubac – Out (left ankle sprain)
Johnny… pic.twitter.com/xwQDH97Vij

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) February 18, 2026

All that matters is that this somehow helps appease gambling companies Adam Silver, who is definitely worried about the integrity of the game.