標籤: brutal

Not two words Montreal Canadiens fans wanted to hear after Saturday night.

Game 7.

Still, that’s where this series is headed after the Buffalo Sabers owned the final 40 minutes at the Bell Center.

After Rasmus Dahlin scored 32 seconds into the game, Montreal jumped out to the lead on the Buffalo Sabres, scoring three goals in the first period on the sticks of Arbor Zekhaj, Ivan Demidov and Jake Evans.

After Lindy Ruff picked off Ukka Pekka-Lukkonen in Game 6, they immediately pulled him for Alex Lyon after a Montreal barrage in the first period.

Hubbs convinced the crowd that it was over before it really even started. But a key high-sticking penalty from Mike Matheson helped the Sabers claw back a goal on the power play thanks to Jason Zucker, giving the game a 3–2 lead heading into the first intermission.

Only then can you feel the change in speed.

In the second the buffalo came out flying. Zach Benson tied it early, then Jack Quinn hit a snapshot on the power play to put them ahead. Consta Helenius added an insurance marker to give Buffalo its first and indefinite multi-goal lead of the game, sending Buffalo into the second intermission with a 5–3 lead.

All were subs in the third period. Quinn added his second power-play marker of the night, and Taj Thompson finished it with an empty-net goal.

Still, with the goaltender back in net for Buffalo, Zack Metsa scored his first in the playoffs, while the man added insult to injury by taking advantage late, leading Montreal to an 8–3 loss.

With a few minutes left in the third period, an uproar broke out and tempers flared. Six miscues between whistles were handed down to an extracurricular activity, making the appeal of Game 7 even stronger.

Buffalo dominated the shot clock 36-22 and owned special teams on Saturday night.

This was the reaction everyone in Western New York wanted after the Habs took on Don Buffalo on their field in Game 5, while Montreal fans were hoping to wrap up the series tonight.

Instead, the Canadiens’ early multi-goal lead vanished, and now they await a similar elimination to the Sabres.

The series heads back to KeyBank Center for Game 7 on Monday.

James is the fully certified New Jersey Devils beat reporter for New Jersey Hockey Now on SportsNote and … More about James Nicholls

The New York Knicks dominated the game for most of the time. However, the whole situation went awry when we needed it most. The double-digit lead evaporated completely, the Knicks failed in their last few games and were swept by the Hawks in the end.

What was a great opportunity to achieve a big win turned into a very disappointing defeat and an even bigger question mark has arisen in front of New York after this 107-106 defeat on their own court.​

mikal bridges didn’t give enough

Bridges should have been one of the Knicks players to calm things down when the game got tense, but he didn’t do that here. He finished with just 10 points on 3-10 shooting, and he didn’t look like the hungry scorer that New York needed at all.

The problem was not just missed shots but also inaction. In the last game, he took the final shot and missed, which added to the disappointment. A player like Bridges can’t disappear in a situation when the game is on the line.

the knicks bench was cold as ice

The Knicks’ bench was not enough to help lead the team. New York got 13 points from Mitchell Robinson and seven from Jordan Clarkson, but the rest of the bench combined to score zero.

In a playoff game where every point counts, that’s not enough. Atlanta’s bench was able to score a total of 28 points, led by Jonathan Kuminga’s 19 points, and that extra scoring made the difference in the game when the starters began to fade.

Mike Brown needs to change the system, and the Knicks need to take it more seriously

A big lesson from this loss is that the Knicks can no longer rely solely on talent. Their offense sputtered in the fourth quarter, and the stats showed it: New York managed only 15 points in the quarter, shooting 22.7% from the field; Atlanta, on the other hand, scored 28 points and shot 72.2%.

In fact, the game showed that the Hawks consistently found the right moments to score, while the Knicks kept missing their chances. Even missed a few late shots that could have ensured victory. It is not just a matter of ‘bad luck’; This is a problem of the entire system and mentality.

If the style of play is too slow, too predictable, or too relaxed, this team will be victimized in close games.



Jayesh Pagar is currently pursuing Sports Journalism from London School of Journalism and has four years of experience… More about Jayesh Pagar

The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade discussion is impossible to ignore. The New York Knicks have been linked to the two-time MVP for months. But now, a Knicks legend has stepped in with a cold dose of reality. John Starks, one of the most beloved figures in franchise history, spoke to Front Office Sports and didn’t hold back at all.

Starks was clear from the beginning. He said, “Giannis is not coming. He is not coming to New York.”

He went on to express his genuine respect for Antetokounmpo and his loyalty to the Milwaukee Bucks. Starks pointed out that Antetokounmpo had every opportunity to leave before the Bucks won the championship, but he decided to stay, fight and perform.

“He said, just give me some players around me, and I’ll bring you a championship, and he kept his promise.”

Starks highlighted his admiration for players who persevere and work hard even in difficult situations rather than abandoning the team. In fact, that’s exactly what Antetokounmpo did, and Starks believes loyalty is a very strong character trait.

Starks also mentioned that New York is a tough place to play if you can’t win. He said the Knicks have now become a desirable organization because of management, but still need to keep winning.

RELATED: NY Knicks get the injury news they’ve been waiting for for weeks

Could the Starks really be wrong?

But there are some things worth noting here. The situation has changed significantly in Milwaukee. Rumors say the Bucks and Antetokounmpo are set to get a ‘divorce’ this summer. Antetokounmpo’s injury issues have lowered his trade value, so a Knicks deal including Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby may be more realistic than ever.

Some time ago, Shams Charania reported that the Knicks were one of four teams interested in trading for Antetokounmpo. Under the leadership of Leon Rose, the Knicks front office has assembled one of the most attractive teams in the entire league.

Although Starks may admire Antetokounmpo’s dedication, loyalty isn’t always top-notch when it comes to the complete disintegration of a franchise. However, the door has not been completely closed yet.

RELATED: Mitchell Robinson continues public disappointment with NY Knicks’ recent game

Jayesh Pagar is currently pursuing Sports Journalism from London School of Journalism and has four years of experience… More about Jayesh Pagar

It appeared as if the Indiana Pacers would suffer their 17th consecutive loss of the season on Monday night when they visited the Orlando Magic at the Kia Center. The Magic may not be the toughest competitive team out there, but they have a winning record and are in the running for a spot in the Eastern Conference standings – pushing hard for the sixth seed and a direct playoff berth.

But the Pacers were bound to win one of these days; They had so much talent on the roster that they couldn’t have gotten a win with at least a little luck. On Monday night, they finally broke their cold spell, pulling off a 128-126 upset win over the Magic thanks to a 37-point performance from Pascal Siakam.

While Indiana has all the incentive in the world to lose the game, as finishing with the worst record in the NBA increases their chances of being a top-four pick in the first round this year, it would be very disappointing for a locker room full of winners to suffer consecutive losses.

At least, Pacers fans on social media were excited to end their bleeding.

Pacers fans in party mode on X

This season has been a complete nightmare for the Pacers. But there is light at the end of the tunnel, and fans are at least happy to see a glimmer of hope on Monday night. However, as happy as fans are after this win, they want their team to lose here so that they can keep their 2026 first-round pick.

“We may lose again but I needed a man, thank you all so much,” wrote ex user @leviteight.

“Monthly win quota. Get ready to lose your last 10 games 😈,” @PacersID added.

“Great W lose now, please,” @ddter23 added.

The Brooklyn Nets have been without Michael Porter Jr. for the last four games, and now they are going to be without him for a while longer as he deals with a hamstring injury.

Michael Porter Jr. will be sidelined for the next two to three weeks after an MRI confirmed a left hamstring strain, according to longtime NBA insider Marc Stein. Porter was in the midst of a breakout season following a trade from the Denver Nuggets, and he attracted considerable interest in the trade market at the deadline.

The No. 14 overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft, Porter has played his entire career so far with the Nuggets. He was a key part of the team’s 2023 NBA Championship run. The Nuggets opted to trade Porter to the Nets in the offseason, giving Denver sharpshooting wing Cam Johnson.

With a larger role and more freedom offensively, Porter was among the breakout players this season. Before being sidelined, he had appeared in 52 games for the Nets, averaging a little over 32 minutes per game. He averaged career-highs of 24.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.1 steals while splitting 46.3 percent shooting from the field, 36.3 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 85.9 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

In addition to his points per game, Porter’s rebounding and assists are also career highs.

With the regular season coming to an end, the Nets are currently 17-52 and in 13th place in the Eastern Conference standings. They are on pace to receive a lottery selection in a deep and talented draft.

BOSTON — Steve Kerr finally said his quiet voice out loud after the Golden State Warriors’ 120-99 loss to the Boston Celtics, their sixth loss in seven games.

“We’ll be in the play-in,” Kerr said. “We know this, one way or another.”

It’s a reality the Warriors have understood for some time, Kerr said, but the fact he vocalized it to the press is significant. As Golden State drops to 10th in the West after a 120-99 loss to the Boston Celtics, its play-in destiny is a stark observation.

But also important is how he cited his “game plan mistakes”, i.e., allowing the Celtics to back cut and box out, things the team overcame in their morning shootaround. It is significant how the words Kerr used repeatedly during his disappointing press conference were “process,” “habits” and “emotion” to emphasize his lack of success.

“Going through the same actions this morning, we gave up early, like three back cuts,” Kerr said. “And we totally messed up [those] Coverage three times in the first quarter. Can’t do this. Cannot be done. Do you want to win playoff games? You better lock in. So get locked in.”

What does closure look like in Steve Kerr’s eyes?

For Kerr, being locked up means many things. It starts with eliminating mental mistakes and implementing your preparation. It also means being ready for Stephen Curry and the rest of the crew to return from injury. But it’s also about what Kerr describes as “the spiritual part.”

“The lock-in part of it is not just the mental part of it, but it’s the spiritual part. It’s the emotion. How prepared are you, how confident are you? How united are you? And like I said, it’s easy when you’re beaten down. It’s easy to hang your head. We can’t hang our heads. We’ve got to keep that at bay.”

Keep is the keyword because they are plug-in. Warriors are not losing for lack of effort. They have worked hard, they have struggled and struggled. Even brought down many players. Even with two-way players and guys on 10-day contracts. And they’re certainly not tanking, Kerr has made that clear on several occasions.

But Kerr reaching his boiling point after defeat signals a very specific kind of smoke. A very specific type of messaging may take effort, but it’s nothing without the process. Without habits it is nothing. And that’s what the Warriors are trying to establish so they can take the field when the big guns arrive.

“I’m telling people, we have to build our habits and be prepared for when we get people healthy again,” Kerr said. “Because then we can have that firepower that can be complemented by a foundation of good habits, good fundamentals. As I said, I think there are a lot of things we can improve on. But at the base of all of that is your spirit, energy, confidence. We have to work on that as well.”

reality of warriors now

Gui Santos summed up the Warriors situation as it stands right now.

“We know it doesn’t matter whether we win 13 games or lose 13 games, we’re going to keep playing [in the play-in]Santos said.

Therefore, as attested, the players understand the realities of the situation. They know they have to be in good shape when Curry eventually returns. Based on the latest updates, with Curry ramping up his individual work this week, he’s getting closer. And in the words of Pat Spencer, the Warriors need an identity to be proud of, given how different the team is now with Jimmy Butler out and Kristaps Porzingis out.

“It’s about creating an identity,” Spencer said. “When we get number 30 and a few other guys back we’ll really have something solid and something we can rely on.”

Kerr’s belief in this team is as strong as ever. Hence his vocal frustration.

“If we’re ready when they come back, we can do some damage,” Kerr said. “We can go rushing. But we can’t make mistakes in the game plan. We’ve got to develop better habits. Like boxing out, taking care of the ball in transition, being more efficient in transition, things like that.”

This is a handicap for 33-36 warriors. With injuries and limited time in the season, whether they can clean it up remains a challenge.

When it was revealed that the NBA was set to vote on allowing expansion in Las Vegas and Seattle through the 2028-2029 season, many were thrilled.

Adding more teams has long been a hot topic in the NBA, and now, it may finally become a reality. The last time the league added a new member was in 2004 when the Charlotte Bobcats franchise was granted.

However, ESPN’s Bobby Marks expressed his misgivings about expansion, using the Brooklyn Nets to emphasize his argument.

“After seeing some of these numbers over the past few nights we might want to reconsider the expansion,” Marx wrote on X.

“In the last two games, Brooklyn has trailed by a combined 60 points at halftime.”

He posted it after the Nets scored just 24 points in the first half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Barclays Center on Wednesday. This is the team’s lowest performance since the 1997–1998 season.

For perspective, the Thunder had 28 points in the first quarter.

The Thunder are dominating the nets 👀

The 24 points in the first half matched Brooklyn’s fewest points since 1997–98. pic.twitter.com/tkdwEqkuNF

– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 19 March 2026

Some have argued against expansion because it could dilute talent. Having new teams means having specific players spread out more across rosters, which will further dilute the competitive balance.

This season, the Nets, Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings have all separated the top-tier teams from the bottom-tier teams, all with less than 20 wins.

Additionally, with the NBA already dealing with the polarizing issue of load management, expansion would lead to heavier schedules, more travel and less rest. There is also the matter of rearranging conferences.

At the time of writing, the Nets are trailing the Thunder 99-67 in the fourth quarter.

The San Antonio Spurs followed up with a rodeo road trip that matched the best edition of their annual jaunt since their inception in 2003, with a home stand that was almost as impressive. Clutchpoints were discussed in detail with head coach Mitch Johnson.

“You feel the intensity and the competitiveness. The teams that you’re talking about and the urgency that a lot of them have, I think it’s been really good for us to go through these games and find out about other teams and find out about ourselves.”

Whichever team Johnson’s group plays during its six games at the Frost Bank Center is a postseason contender that will likely at least make the play-ins. Three of those teams are widely considered to be among the best in the NBA.

Spurs role as postseason contender

San Antonio began their home games with a win against the Detroit Pistons, entering the night tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the fewest losses in the league. The very next night, the Spurs overcame a 25-point deficit to defeat a Portland Trail Blazers unit that is in eighth place in the Western Conference.

The Silver and Black then defeated the Houston Rockets by 25 points, who were in third place in the West at the time. Next came the Boston Celtics. Like Houston, Boston is in third place in its conference, and like the Celtics, the Rockets fell. Two nights later, without Victor Wembanyama, the Alamo City welcomed a Denver Nuggets team that was in fourth place in the West. This would prove to be the only game of six that the Spurs would lose as after Wembley recovered from an ankle injury, they defeated a Charlotte Hornets team that is in 10th place in the East. Loss-wise, Charlotte is five losses ahead of that last spot in the conference play-in spot.

“We’ve had to participate in a lot of different types of games, whether it’s getting a little open and covering a lot of distance defensively, matching some physicality in a lot of different ways, execution late in the game, seeing different ways for guys to defend us,” Johnson said of ClutchPoints’ tenure.

“You feel the intensity, competitiveness and urgency of (opponents on the home stand)… hopefully those lessons will translate into wisdom and knowledge as we move forward.”
-Mitch Johnson

“I’m obviously ready for it”
Luke Cornet on playing with Wembley

⬇️https://t.co/bl5F6Ru2mO Report#spurs pic.twitter.com/kiuJASMp5n

– Hector Ledesma (@HectorLedesmaTV) 15 March 2026

San Antonio held Charlotte without a field goal for more than five minutes in the fourth quarter, defeating the Hornets 115–102 to close the home stand.

“I thought we settled in. Had a little ups and downs in the third quarter, got open a little bit, and it’s hard to save them when the game is like that.” Johnson said.

The Spurs’ first-year head coach added, “I thought we did a really good job of fixing our defense, even if it wasn’t weak.” “It’s always easy to get organized by moving away from artificial things, but I thought we did a good job of getting set up, staying connected and getting them ready to play through their counters; or just the beginning shooters trying to get a look because they’re very good at seeing those guys and progressing from that to the next guys.”

Going 5-1 after an 8-1 record during the Rodeo Road Trip to include two ‘home’ games in Austin gives the Spurs a 49-18 mark for the season. Johnson hopes it will serve his championship contender well.

“Hopefully all of these experiences are lessons that we will turn into knowledge and wisdom as we move forward.”

Not even the threat of an automatic suspension stopped Los Angeles Lakers superstar guard Luka Doncic from playing with some attitude, at least for a moment, in Thursday night’s home game against the visiting Chicago Bulls.

During one possession in the first half, Doncic swung a step-back jumper past the outstretched arm of Bulls forward Matas Bouzelis in his face.

After missing a 3-point shot, Doncic turned to Buzelis and said a few words toward the Bulls forward as the two made their way to the other end of the court. Bouzelis also appeared to say something to Doncic, who smiled as he prepared to play defense.

You can watch their exchange here.

Luca has words for Matas Buzelis after stepback trey

Doncic is one technical away from automatic suspension.pic.twitter.com/cMpQDODafo

– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 13 March 2026

Dončić is difficult enough to guard, and dealing with his antics can make the job even more difficult for anyone who tries to guard him. The thought of getting cooked by Doncic and talking trash every now and then can break a person, though that doesn’t seem to be the case with Bouzelis.

If Doncic looked a little more confident than usual against the Bulls, it’s probably because of what he did against them the last time the two teams met. In late January, the former NBA scoring champion gave Chicago 46 points on 15-25 shooting from the field with 12 assists and seven rebounds along with eight 3-pointers in 38 minutes of action in a 129-118 Los Angeles victory in the Windy City.

Doncic entered the Bulls rematch with season averages of 32.5 points, 8.5 assists and 7.9 rebounds.

The Los Angeles Clippers were left for dead in November. After a disappointing 5–20 start to the season, most pundits were examining mock drafts rather than playoff standings. But after Wednesday night’s 153-128 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, this team did something no one in NBA history has done.

According to NBA insider Brett Siegel, with the win, the Clippers became the first team in league history to go above the .500 mark after falling at least 15 games below .500 in the same season. Sitting at 35-34, Los Angeles has completed a comeback that seemed statistically impossible four months ago.

The Intuit Dome was rocking as Kawhi Leonard turned in one of the most accomplished pieces of his historic career. Leonard torched the Timberwolves for 45 points on a ridiculous 17-of-21 shooting from the field. They didn’t just beat Minnesota; He destroyed them, scoring at will from mid-range and the perimeter.

However, it was not just a one-man show. Benedict Mathurin operated the offense like a surgeon, scoring 22 points and 3 assists. The Clippers’ offense looked like a well-oiled machine, shooting a whopping 63 percent from the floor as a team. Los Angeles dominated every aspect of the game, outshooting Minnesota 60–44 in the paint and turning 10 Timberwolves turnovers into 14 points.

The Timberwolves, led by Anthony Edwards’ 36 points, could not keep up with the Clippers’ historic heater. Minnesota struggled to find stops as the Clippers dropped more than 40 points in three of four quarters.

From a 15-game losing streak to a winning record, the Clippers have officially flipped the script for the 2025-26 season. If they keep playing like this, “phenomenal” could be the beginning of their story.

There are not many certain things in life. As the old saying goes, the only inevitables during one’s existence are death and taxes. But someone may have to add the Golden State Warriors, owner of the Houston Rockets, to the list of certainties in this lifetime.

Even with the Warriors battling injuries, Stephen Curry dealing with knee issues, Kristaps Porzingis battling his never-ending battle with illness, and Jimmy Butler being out for the season, they are still finding ways to overcome the Rockets.

On Thursday night, the Warriors assembled a ragtag crew and pulled out an impressive 115-113 victory in overtime, thanks in large part to Kevin Durant’s shortcomings at the free-throw line.

Durant made 33 consecutive free throws on the night. And as bad luck would have it As is the case for the Rockets every time they face the Warriors, they missed twice in a row at the most inopportune time.

With the Rockets trailing by three, 113–110, D’Anthony Melton inexplicably fouled Durant on a three-point attempt. Melton would then thank his lucky stars that Durant missed his third free throw, putting the Warriors ahead by one, 113–112.

And then on the ensuing possession, with Houston trailing by three due to Melton’s putback layup, Durant, who was supposed to make the first free throw and miss the second to give Houston a chance to tie the game, proceeded to do the exact opposite.

What KD did in times of crisis is a bit suspicious

Thanks for the missed free throws and dub though 😭pic.twitter.com/UA8Es98DMh

– WarriorsCulture (@GSWCulture) 6 March 2026

The Rockets lost 115-113, another disappointing effort against a team that looks weak on paper in comparison.

Fans criticize ‘choker’ Kevin Durant for missed FT in Rockets loss

Durant was always going to try his best against his former team the Warriors and former rival Draymond Green. These late free-throw mistakes hurt even more, especially when fans called him “choker” on social media.

X user @JohanMM_ wrote, “Kevin Durant is the greatest choker alive. He missed two free throws in the clutch during overtime.”

@BronsClone said, “Durant was such a choker-worthy snake.”

@WillWentGlobal added, “F**k the Rockets… F**k Kevin Durant. Professional choke artist.”

same day chicago bulls welcomed back Coby White, they lost again. In front of the home crowd, the Bulls lost their 1st consecutive game to the Charlotte Hornets by 32 points, 131–99.

As a result, the bulls have Became the only winless team In the N.B.A., according to ESPN Insights. Additionally, Chicago has now lost seven consecutive home games. The Bulls are now 24-35.

This is the longest losing streak in franchise history at seven years. Matas Buzelis came in with a career-high 32 points, also hitting six 3-pointers. Additionally, he led the Bulls with six rebounds. Patrick Williams and Guershon Yabusele tied each other with 11 points. Meanwhile, Collin Sexton scored 10 points playing against his former team.

Josh Giddy finished with eight points of his own. Recently coming back from a hamstring injury. Isaac Okoro showed his consistency by scoring 7 points. Rob Dillingham led the team with five assists. White finished the game with 10 points in the Chicago comeback. During the first quarter, the bulls played a video tribute White is celebrating his time in Chicago.

The Bulls will face the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday in late February. If they had lost, they would have spent an entire month without winning a game. The last time Chicago won a game was on January 31 against the Miami Heat, 125–118. This was one of the last games in which White, Ayo Dosunmu, Nikola Vucevic and Kevin Huerter were present before being traded.

On Sunday, Chicago remains at home and begins March by playing against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Monday night proved to be a momentous occasion for the 2025-26 Sacramento Kings amid a dreadful campaign that has left them behind in the NBA. They had struggled, losing all of their previous 16 games against the Memphis Grizzlies, and it didn’t look like their skid was going to end anywhere given how much the team has been ravaged by injuries, most notably Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine undergoing season-ending surgeries.

Miracles do happen, however, and the Kings, after appearing as if they were destined to lose all of their games for the remainder of the season, finally got back to winning ways – winning 123–114 over the tanking Memphis Grizzlies despite being on the road. This gave the Kings only their 13th win of the season in 59 matches, and required an incredible team effort to end their misery.

In a season that’s straight out of their worst nightmare, Kings fans are simply turning to humor to deal with the horrors of their team – with newly signed Killian Hayes being the butt of jokes aplenty.

“We’re on a 1 game win streak, we’re so far behind 😭,” @PlayoffKings hilariously commented.

“The Sacramento Kings win? In this economy?”. X user @compSciMatt wrote.

@yhmzotf said, “Killian Hayes is changing the Sacramento Kings.”

@sosynoidFr added, “Killian Hayes has won 100% of his games with the Sacramento Kings.”

@Pdmwoz reported, “Killian Hayes signed with the Kings and won his first game after 17 losses. Coincidence? I think that’s greatness 🔥✌🏼.”

Will the Kings’ ineptitude be rewarded with a draft-day award?

The Kings have the worst record in the NBA, but with the lottery odds the league has used the past few seasons, that’s no guarantee.

Still, even if the Kings end up with the first overall pick of the 2026 NBA Draft, they would be better off not making the mistake of settling for a fit instead of selecting the best player available on the board.

Los Angeles – After a first quarter in which the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics were tied at 28 each, the Lakers could not keep pace with their historic rival and were outscored 83–61 the rest of the game and lost 111–89. According to Lou Murray of The Athletic, the 89 points were the second-lowest total this season for a Lakers team that has been explosive offensively, and Luka Doncic admitted it was not normal.

“I thought they were playing physical. They were playing great defense,” Doncic said during his postgame press conference. “We need a better offense. We scored 89 points. That’s not like us so we have to be better.”

Coming into the game against the Celtics, the Lakers were 12th in the NBA in points per game with 116.2 points. They were 10th in offensive rating at 117.6. The Celtics, on the other hand, came in second in the league in opponent points per game with 108.4 and eighth in defensive rating with 113.5.

The Celtics’ swarming defense was certainly on display, especially their use of deep drops and strong perimeter ball pressure.

“You just have to match the physicality … especially on the defensive end,” Doncic said. “You have to match the physicality.”

Doncic finished the game with 25 points in 33 minutes while shooting 9-of-22 (40.9 percent) from the field and 4-of-7 (57.1 percent) from the 3-point line. He also added five rebounds, three assists and one steal.

The Lakers’ offensive struggles were also highlighted by head coach JJ Redick, who felt the team generally played good enough defense to win games. This was a reversal of the team’s norm this season in which they have generally scored a lot of points, but struggled to stop opposing attacks.

“We did a good job limiting their fast break points, did a good job limiting their points in the paint. We played great defensively,” Redick said. “We were very aggressive tonight.”

For Redick, one of the key areas the Lakers struggled offensively was making shots at the rim and putting more pressure on the Celtics’ defense.

“I think there were opportunities to put more pressure on the rim, especially in the first half,” Redick said. “We took 11 non-paint twos. We were 13 of 29 on paint twos, non-rim paint twos. That’s not normally how we shoot. And then we got some good looks from three, we didn’t knock them down. You’ve got to make shots in this league.”

Redick added, “I think a lot of times when teams are on more downs than all of our guys playing pick and roll, it puts you in a bind of not having obvious options to pass.” “We’ve got to do a better job of finding guys and moving the ball.”

Before the game, the Lakers honored legendary coach Pat Riley, who battled against the Celtics in his day, by erecting a statue outside the team’s arena.

Rob Dillingham shocked the home crowd with his mistake on the court in the Chicago Bulls’ matchup against the New York Knicks on Sunday night.

Dillingham is halfway through the second season of his NBA career. He initially represented the Minnesota Timberwolves before being traded to the Bulls midway through the 2025–26 campaign.

The youngster has earned more playing time, giving him the opportunity to showcase his skills in Chicago’s rotation. However, their inexperience began to show at times, which was certainly the case in the final minutes of the third quarter. He went on a fast break while attempting a dunk, but was surprisingly unsuccessful.

Rob Dillingham oh no 😭

Dillingham hits a wide-open dunk on a fast break.pic.twitter.com/t8aT4rnMh9

– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 23 February 2026

Rob Dillingham, how the Bulls played against the Knicks

It was a brutal miss for Rob Dillingham during the game. Additionally, the Bulls faltered in a close loss to the Knicks at home, resulting in the continuation of their losing streak.

Shot selection, ball movement and turnovers made the difference in this matchup. The Knicks won all three categories after making 45% of their total shots, dishing out 27 assists and limiting their turnovers to just 13. It wasn’t the same for the Bulls as they only converted 40% of their total chances, dished out 24 assists and turned the ball over 17 times.

Five players scored in double figures for Chicago in the loss. Matas Buzelis led the way with a stat line of 15 points and four rebounds. He shot 4 of 12 from the field, including 3 of 9 from beyond the arc and 4 of 5 from the free-throw line. Jalen Smith came next with 12 points and five rebounds, Isaac Okoro had 12 points and six rebounds, Guerschon Yabusele put up 11 points and 13 rebounds, while Patrick Williams added 10 points and eight assists.

Chicago fell to a 24–34 record on the season and finished 12th in the Eastern Conference standings. They are above the Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets while trailing the Milwaukee Bucks and Charlotte Hornets.

After nine consecutive losses, the Bulls will look to end this streak in their next match. They will be at home when they host the Hornets on February 24th at 8 PM ET.

Neto’s difficult phase since his departure AFC Bournemouth In a summer that has now seen Brazil come under unusually harsh criticism, a Botafogo-based commentator has given a remarkable on-air assessment of the goalkeeper’s performance.

35 year old returned to their homeland After finishing his tenure on the south coast. He arrived at Botafogo with vast European experience representing barcelona, juventus And armory During his career. However, his second chapter in Brazil did not go as planned.

So far, Neto has conceded 12 goals in nine matches for Botafogo. Furthermore, he spent a long period unavailable Due to injury. But when he became completely fit to play, Local media sections I believe he has failed to provide the leadership and protection expected from a goalkeeper of his lineage.

tanOne commentator closely associated with Botafogo coverage did not hold back when discussing the current level of Nato. He presented his criticism both emotionally and professionally.

“I’m speaking very much as a supporter, but also as a journalist, as someone who comments on football,” He made reference. “But nothing has shocked me more than what we are seeing with Nato.”

Bournemouth arrival scheduled

The 35-year-old was expected to bring authority and experience when he arrived from Bournemouth. As Brown explained, he brought the opposite. And it’s not just about isolated mistakes or inconsistencies.

“It’s not that he’s the goalkeeper who makes mistakes,” He said. “It’s not that he’s a bad goalkeeper or has his ups and downs. The impression it creates is that he looks like an outfield player who you put in goal because the goalkeeper was sent off and you have no options left.”

Kalpana continued candidly: “He doesn’t jump, doesn’t position himself. It looks like an object standing there. The ball hits him and turns him over. The opponent just has to shoot at the target.”

Raises deportation concerns

Brown directly linked the situation to Botafogo’s wider problems, including off-field issues and the team’s need to rebuild. Nevertheless, he stressed that the goalkeeper position is urgent.

“If Botafogo does not sign a goalkeeper with utmost urgency, Botafogo will struggle not to be relegated.”

For Bournemouth supporters, it is a stark illustration of life after the Premier League. Neto arrived in England as an experienced man and left quietly in the summer. Now, months later, the story around him in Brazil is quieter.

Whether this is a temporary decline or a sign of a permanent decline remains to be seen. However, the tone of the criticism suggests that their chapter is already under severe pressure after Bournemouth.

On Sunday evening, NBA All-Star weekend concluded with the big game (or games in this case) at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Among those who kicked off the event was Philadelphia 76ers star guard Tyrese Maxey, who is enjoying a great 2025-26 season so far this year.

This was Maxi’s second All-Star nomination of his career, having previously returned to the team in 2024, and recently, the difference the star saw between this time and his first outing was 100% real.

According to Gina Mizell of the Enquirer, Maxi said, “I feel very little out of place.” “[Two years ago, I] Was nervous. This is your first time. You don’t know when to talk, when not to talk. Now I go into my team’s locker room, I was the second oldest guy. “I played against guys who were like that growing up, and it was really fun to be in the locker room.”

In fact, Maxey has played a veteran role not only in the All-Star Game, but also on the 76ers, serving as a mentor to rookie sensation VJ Edgecombe so far this year.

Maxey and Edgecomb have teamed up to create one of the most explosive backcourts anywhere in the NBA, destroying opposing defenses with his lightning speed and ability to make tough shots from the perimeter.

Maxey and the 76ers will be hoping that Joel Embiid is able to stay at least somewhat healthy during the 2025-26 season, and Paul George is able to return to form after serving the remainder of his 25-game suspension.

If things like that happen, and Maxey and Edgecombe continue their torrid pace from the first half of the year, the 76ers won’t be an opponent anyone will want to see come playoff time.

The 76ers next face off on Thursday evening at home against the Atlanta Hawks.