On Tuesday night, the Orlando Magic had a golden opportunity to test themselves against the toughest imaginable opponent in today’s NBA – the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Paolo Banchero played his heart out, scoring 32 points on 12-21 shooting from the field, and the rest of the Magic’s starters did their part – Wendell Carter Jr. recorded a game-high plus-19 on the night.

However, Carter did not play 48 minutes. Unfortunately, the Magic had to play their bench that night, which did not perform well at all against the Thunder. Somehow, in just 13 minutes of play, Carter’s backup Mo Wagner was minus 28 in a five-point loss to the Thunder, 113-108.

To put it mildly, the Magic bench did not play well at all and a large portion of the blame for his team losing the game during his minutes should fall on his shoulders. And after the game, head coach Jamahl Mosley was not at all happy with his bench team, as evidenced by his answer when asked how tough their night was.

“You see it,” Mosley said, according to Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel.

The advantage is that come playoff time, the bench doesn’t have to play as much. But Mosley losing confidence in some of his bench players is not promising for the team’s progress for the remainder of the season.

Magical confidence in Franz Wagner’s eventual return from injury

Young Wagner’s eventual return from an ankle injury will help the Magic. Additionally, the team is missing Anthony Black, forcing Tristan da Silva to start – further thinning the team’s bench core.

There is only less than a month until the playoffs start, so the Magic should have time to better configure their rotation after their bench hampered them in their loss to the Thunder.

The Philadelphia 76ers went into Wednesday night’s matchup against the Utah Jazz missing almost their entire starting lineup, but thanks to an unexpected hero they walked away with a gritty 106-102 victory. While Tyrese Maxey handled the heavy lifting with 25 points, it was Jabari Walker’s breakout performance that caught everyone’s attention and ultimately gave head coach Nick Nurse a reason to smile.

Walker was a force off the bench, tallying a massive double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds. He was efficient from the floor, making 7 of 12 shots overall and an impressive 4 of 7 from beyond the arc. It was the kind of performance the 76ers desperately needed with Joel Embiid, Paul George and VJ Edgecombe sidelined.

After the game, Nurse explained that Walker’s sudden increase in minutes was no accident. “We’re trying to get him to play like that. Because he’s like, and I’ve said this a lot before, like he’s a really good shooter, you just have to get used to the feeling of the NBA and be good enough to pull the trigger on them and be much better in his last few games and he’s just running.”

“We’re trying to inspire him to play the same way.”

Nick Nurse discusses what Jabari Walker brings to the table. | @kia pic.twitter.com/GvXflmD5ap

– NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) 5 March 2026

Perhaps the most intriguing part of Walker’s rise is his own explanation for his high-motor style. When asked about his emotional nature and hustle dramas, Walker offered a hilarious self-assessment, claiming that people who know him know he is “really kind of crazy”. He joked that there was “something really wrong” with him, but that energy clearly translated onto the court as he helped Philadelphia avoid a two-game losing streak.

The win also included 16 points from Quentin Grimes and a clutch follow-dunk from Adem Bona that tied the game late. For a 76ers team struggling to maintain their playoff position, finding a reliable bench weapon like Walker could be a ray of hope for an injury-plagued week.

Although there isn’t much to like about the Philadelphia 76ers’ overall loss to the San Antonio Spurs, one of the very minor bright spots was the play of former two-way contract forward Jabari Walker, who scored 20 points off the bench in just 19 minutes of action.

Picking up the slack for a team without Joel Embiid, Paul George and, for a portion of the game, VJ Edgecombe, who was ejected from the game after a hard foul from Carter Bryant in the second quarter, Walker did the job for a 76ers team that desperately needed it. Any To score a bucket or two, hitting two of his five shots from beyond the arc and seven of his ten total shots from the field, along with four rebounds, two assists and a steal.

The only 76ers player to finish a game with a positive plus/minus, Walker was asked about his surprisingly huge game after the contest and explained that he would love to get back on the court and Build on the momentum they created.

Walker declared, “100% if it were up to me, I wouldn’t want to sleep and would be right back there right now.” “So I’m just separating the days with eight hours of rest and then think of it as a continuation. Obviously, it’s a different team, but the mentality doesn’t change. Just let the days blend together and make it to tomorrow.”

A proven striver who worked his way up to a standard NBA contract after starting the season on a two-way deal. Walker’s 20-point performance was by far a season-high, with his next best game coming against the Milwaukee Bucks in December.

Will Walker be able to step up this game and become the 76ers’ new sixth man as Quentin Grimes has gone down offensively? maybe notBut gosh, if he could do that, it would pay massive dividends for a team that is in desperate need of at least one bench player who can score regularly.

“Mentalities don’t change.”

Jabari Walker is ready to get back out there as he finished Tuesday night’s game with 20 points and 6 rebounds. | @fultonbank pic.twitter.com/bktERperoS

– NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) 4 March 2026

The LA Clippers are set to take on the Golden State Warriors on Monday night for the second night of back-to-back sets. It will also mark the Clippers debut of guard Darius Garland.

Garland was acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers during NBA trade deadline week, bringing him to Los Angeles and sending James Harden to the Cavs. But Garland missed last month’s trade as he worked to recover from toe problems in both feet.

After weeks of running and rehab, Darius Garland will make his Clippers debut against Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors. But what’s a bit surprising is that Garland won’t start in his first game.

“The thought of bringing him off the bench so he doesn’t have to play with Kawhi [Leonard] “So he can find his own rhythm, his own timing and just try to run everything through him,” head coach Tyronn Lue said in his pregame media availability on Monday. “Just being aggressive, getting our tempo up, so that’s kind of the thought process behind bringing him in off the bench. It’s to try to get him going at a faster pace than he’s been. So he’ll keep doing that until we get his minutes up and then obviously he’ll be our starter.”

Between offseason foot surgery and a sprained right toe, Garland has played in a total of 25 games this season, which is why the Clippers have been so cautious about slowly bringing their prized guard back.

In addition to coming off the bench, Garland will face a minutes restriction for the foreseeable future until Garland gets into game shape and the Clippers become comfortable with his return to competition.

“I’m very excited that he’s going to be on the floor,” Lue said. “Just excited for him and then to let him play. Be aggressive, try to get his air, try to get his timing down, and just play free. Just want to get him out on the floor, see what we can do, how we can change some things up, but just excited to get him on the floor.”

In his introductory press conference, Garland told members of the media that Tyronn Lue planned to use him like Kyrie Irving, and Lue confirmed those plans.

“That’s what I told him,” Tyronn Lue explained in early February, shortly after the trade. “He went back and watched a lot of film from those days. We’ll put the ball in his hands, he’s got to be able to make plays for himself and his teammates. He’s got the ability to do that.

“If you look at all the charts, he’s second in the league in pick-and-rolls and making quick decisions off plays, so he knows how to play the game. We need everything from that, his ability to score the basketball, his ability to make people better, create momentum, create momentum. He can do it all.”

In his 408 game career over seven NBA seasons, Darius Garland has averaged 18.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game, while shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 38.6 percent from three.

Charlotte Hornets veteran Miles Bridges talked about the addition of Coby White as he is feeling a gap off the bench since his team’s trade deadline move with the Chicago Bulls. The Hornets’ White made his debut against his former team, finishing with 10 points, four assists, three rebounds and one steal in Charlotte’s 131–99 blowout win.

Bridges discusses how White arrived brings something new he told the Hornets, according to Rod Boone of The Observer.

“Just a dynamic veteran guard off the bench. He’s doing a great job. He can score 20-30. [points] Every night if he wanted to, but just having him as the sixth man, it’s great for us,” Bridges said. “He’s playing in his hometown. Therefore, it should feel extra good for him and be comfortable. We’re trying to make him comfortable with our team and we’re happy to have him.”

Miles Bridges says he feels a difference in how Hornets fans have stepped up their support for the team this season.

“It’s a different environment,” Bridges said. “We’ll go to away games, to their team [crowd] Be loud, encourage them, and we didn’t have that at home either. Some people came forward. Now, it seems like everyone is showing off, showing us love. But salute to those fans who were with us earlier, and salute to those fans now.”

Asked Miles Bridges about the surrounding environment #Hornets Basketball in the city. “It’s a different environment,” he said.

He also praised Coby White on how he is fitting in: pic.twitter.com/yvSHsafVJJ

– Rod Boon (@rodboon) 28 February 2026

The Hornets will host the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday.

Coby White reacts to Bulls reunion after Hornets trade

Facing his former team for the first time since his trade, Hornets’ Coby White reacted to his recent Bulls reunion. Before the trade to the Hornets, White’s only team in his entire NBA career has been the Bulls.

You can imagine how White felt. return to the windy city According to CHSN, he said, for the first time as a member of the visiting team.

“You don’t really know what an impact you have on people. And what an impact people have on me. I get applause and whatever, but there are so many people out here tonight, wearing my jersey, calling my name,” White said. “For me, it’s just trying to be in the moment. And just trying to stay grounded. It’s so rewarding to find out how many people we impact through this beautiful game.”

“It’s so humbling to know how many people you impact through this beautiful game we play.”

The support Coby White felt upon returning to Chicago tonight pic.twitter.com/WqZPPQyYXi

– Bulls on CHSN (@CHSN_Bulls) 25 February 2026

The Hornets are now on a four-game winning streak.

The Atlanta Hawks made a change to their starting lineup prior to the game against the Brooklyn Nets, placing C.J. McCollum in the starting lineup and removing Jacqueri Risachar from the bench. Rescher struggled during the season, and head coach Quin Snyder said that when McCollum is in the closing lineup with starters, the statistics show that good things happen.

“That group of guys that finished the game had a net rating 10 points higher than any other combination,” Snyder said. “This is our best lineup. Not starting CJ gives us ball handling and some scoring punch off the bench. But we don’t get that lineup as much.”

Although some may see this as a demotion for Rishaar, Snyder believes it could help the second-year player find a spark in his game.

“I think the biggest thing is that this in no way reflects our and my personal confidence in Zack,” Snyder said. “I thought being in a different phase of the game against different matchups with different guys could be really positive for him. And I was glad to see that I think that was the case. He looked relaxed, and he competed. Jack has all the right things. His development is something that will continue, whether he’s starting or coming off the bench.”

In their win against the Nets, Rissacher finished with seven points and had a strong start to his first stint in the game. As for the players, they don’t see a big difference in who is in the starting lineup, as long as everyone continues to do their job.

“I think guys just come in and do their part,” Dyson Daniels said. “Jack was really good coming off the bench. He came in and he was kind of an energy booster for us. Came in and hit a big shot. Whoever starts, whoever comes off the bench, it doesn’t really matter. Guys have to come in and play their roles, and guys have to start the right way.”

After averaging 12.6 points per game last season, Rischer is averaging 10.3 points this season. There have been moments when he has looked good, but there have also been moments when he has struggled to find a consistent rhythm on both sides of the ball.

On the other hand, the lineup of McCollum, Daniels, Nickel Alexander-Walker, Jalen Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu had a +18.7 point differential per Nets game.

“In this case, it’s just to the point where it makes sense with CJ,” Snyder said. “I think he also settles us in some ways. And the extra ball handling is helpful for us. We’ve had some tough starts lately, and you get to the five, six minute mark when you know you’re going to get that lineup.”

As the Hawks look to move forward in the second half of the season, it should come as no surprise that a lineup change will help them.

Miami Heat star Tyler Herro made an explosive return from a rib injury, scoring his game-leading 24 points to help the team defeat the Atlanta Hawks, 128-97, on Friday night. The guard will be coming off the bench in his first game. As the Heat guard Herro looks to excel over the remainder of the season, head coach Erik Spoelstra talks about Herro’s role with 25 games remaining.

Herro was impressive in his debut as he had missed the previous 15 games due to a “right costochondral; rib injury”, which began when the guard fractured three ribs on January 10. Although he played in three games after taking Torodol shots to suppress pain, he missed time, which led to Spoelstra coming off the bench on Friday, saying he was managing his minutes and trying to “maximize” the rest of the season.

“Right now we’re trying to get him out of there,” Spoelstra said, according to The Miami Herald. “We’re going to manage the minutes. I’m not thinking too much about it, I’m not putting anything into it, I don’t have a timeline for anything.”

Heat’s Erik Spoelstra fit in with Tyler Herro and Norman Powell

After Herro returned to Heat practice on Thursday, it cannot be denied that the team is relatively cautious as the guard has missed 45 of 57 games this season due to numerous injuries.

Herro also had to come off the bench in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 6 after returning from a 13-game absence due to a toe injury. But Herro returned to the starting lineup in the next game, which could indicate a similar outcome for the current situation.

He and Powell had an interesting pairing early in the season, but on Friday they had to run in different lineups, with the two playing less than three minutes together. But, Spoelstra says those two will need to spend more minutes together, as Powell also emphasized the “versatility” of the two fitting together.

“It’ll work,” Spoelstra said about playing Herro and Powell together. “I’m not thinking too much about it at all.”

It remains to be seen how Herro’s role develops, especially with Norman Powell, as Miami next faces the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night.

Turkish club Besiktas has not cut off contact with Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayandir. They will try to sign him in the summer transfer window.

This is according to Photomack. The Turkish outlet reports that Besiktas management will attempt to finalize a deal for the summer after failing in January.

Beyinder looks set to leave Manchester United in the near future after slipping down the pecking order at the Old Trafford. He found himself as the number one last season while Andre Onana was struggling.

But Sené Lammens’ impressive performances since his summer arrival have changed that. He is now second best under Michael Carrick.

january transfer window interest

This led to interest in him during the January transfer window. Sport Witness covered two separate reports regarding his future.

The first one actually came out back in November. It added that Besiktas were interested. If they find a way, the goalkeeper can return to his homeland.

Then, at the end of the transfer window, Sport Witness again covered a report In which it was said that Manchester United had blocked the exit at the last minute. It appears that they are leaving any business until the summer.

Now Fotomac reports that Besiktas intend to return for the Manchester United goalkeeper in the summer.

They have not broken contact with him but have maintained it. Instead, their plan is to finalize a deal in the summer by ‘pushing the boundaries’ during the summer window. It seems his plan is to get the best deal possible from Manchester United.

it makes sense to get out

Maybe Beindir will help on that front. His time at Old Trafford was not an enjoyable one, with only 17 appearances to his name in all competitions. They have conceded 31 of these goals and kept only three clean sheets.

Having been dominant since day one, he is now firmly behind Senne Lammens and is unlikely to replace him if he remains fit. A return to Türkiye would make sense, and it looks like Besiktas wants to do that.