As the NBA world reacted to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 129-126 win against All-Star Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins singled out the three-time MVP. For the second time in 10 days, the Thunder defeated Jokic and the Nuggets at home in another instant classic between the two leading MVP candidates.

According to Rod Trippin, according to Perkins, despite Jokic having another typical regular season, he is not in tip-top shape.

“I don’t believe Jokic is in the best shape, and he’s still putting up these stats,” Perkins said. “I believe Jokic needs to be in better shape because remember, when Jokic was at his best, we saw him running up those stairs in the offseason before the championship, watching all the videos. He looked more ripped, he was cut, and he was playing on both sides of the basketball.”

For Perkins, Jokic was more effective on the defensive end of the floor, especially during the Nuggets’ championship run in 2023.

Perkins said, “I’m just saying that everyone has been waiting for the Joker to take this turn.” “And it seems like we haven’t seen it defensively.”

Jokic’s triple-double (32 points, 13 assists, 14 rebounds) led four Nuggets players to reach double figures, including starter Aaron Gordon (23 points, 10 rebounds) in his second game back from a hamstring injury. Tim Hardaway Jr. connected on eight threes en route to 28 points off the bench, and Jamal Murray added 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

The Nuggets will look to bounce back when they host the Rockets on Wednesday.

Nikola Jokic gives flowers to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after defeat

After losing to the Thunder for the second time in 10 days, Nuggets All-Star Nikola Jokic gave his flowers to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for breaking Wilt Chamberlain’s 63-year-old record in Monday’s loss. The Thunder have an edge in the Western Conference rivalry, which could continue into the postseason. Jokic recently reaffirmed his loyalty to the Nuggets, calling it his home.

After Gilgeous-Alexander’s historic night, Jokic had to remind reporters how hard is it According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, it is no easy feat for a player to score 20+ points in 126 consecutive games, breaking a 60+ year-old record.

“I don’t know if people realize how hard it is to do that. To score 20 points in 10 (straight) games, not 120, no matter what, it’s special. He’s a special player,” Jokic said. “It’s a pleasure and a privilege to play against him.”

Nikola Jokic ties Wilt with 126 consecutive 20-point games at SGA

“I don’t know if people realize how hard it is to do that. To score 20 points in 10 (straight) games, not 120, whatever, it’s special. He’s a special player.” pic.twitter.com/YMSWvXGbhj

– Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) 10 March 2026

Gilgeous-Alexander’s unforgettable night undoubtedly gives him a significant lead over Jokic in this year’s MVP race.

LOS ANGELES – One of the prevailing stories around the Los Angeles Lakers this season has been the need for more consistent play from Deandre Ayton. With the regular season approaching, the Ayton experiment has had mixed results for the Lakers.

There have been games when Ayton looked like one of the NBA’s best centers and a consistent 20-point, 10+ rebound player. And then there are games where he’s somewhat invisible on the court. Now some of this has to do with matchups and opponents against whom Ayton is better suited. But the fact is that the Lakers are a better and stronger team when he is active and making an impact on both ends of the court.

Before the Lakers’ game against the New York Knicks on Sunday, head coach JJ Redick talked about the consistent message he has given the team throughout the season regarding getting the most out of Deandre Ayton.

“Our staff and his teammates, we definitely emphasize getting him the ball in pick and rolls when he has opportunities to duck in versus switching, or even if he gets a seal early in transition. It’s something we talk about a lot,” Redick said during his pregame press conference. “I think the way we’ve coached him has been very consistent. So ultimately, the player has to be consistent. And that’s no knock on DA, that’s just the NBA.

“We’ve been very consistent in the way we’ve trained him. We recognized early on that, maybe it’s not a change, but something we’ve had to adapt to. I think we’re hopeful and optimistic that we’re going to get a consistent version of him over the course of the season.”

To this point, Ayton has appeared in 54 games at a rate of just over 27 minutes per game. He is averaging 12.6 points and 8.2 rebounds with a split of 66.7 percent shooting from the field and 66 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

Last week, Ayton drew attention to himself by suggesting that the Lakers were trying to turn him into Clint Capela, and that’s not his game.

This season, Ayton’s points per game and shot attempts (8.6 per game) are both career lows. But some of this was to be expected when playing with on-ball threats like Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves.

But by the numbers, Ayton has been one of the most dominant defensive players on the Lakers roster. In terms of regular rotation players, he is third in defensive rating at 115.0, behind Jared Vanderbilt and Luka Doncic, respectively. He has provided the Lakers with an interior anchor on that end.

This upcoming offseason, Ayton will have a decision to make as he has a player option for the 2026-27 season. His play later in the year and in the playoffs could go a long way toward his future on this Lakers team.

The Milwaukee Bucks faltered again, falling to 26-35 after losing 131-113 to the Atlanta Hawks at Fiserv Forum. Giannis Antetokounmpo played well but could not help his team. Following the Bucks’ loss, according to Eurohoops’ Johnny Askonis recap, Antetokounmpo lamented the loss and challenged his team afterward.

“I was a little disappointed. I feel like when you’re down 11 or 12, you just have to play smart, try to take the best shots possible, be in the right spots. At the end of the day, we all have to be on the same page,” Antetokounmpo told Askonis.

Antetokounmpo scored 24 points while making 10 of 15 shots from the floor. However, the rest of the players of his team could not do anything special. The offense still shot 50% on the night, but allowed the Hawks to shoot 54.3%, including 44.4% from triples.

The Bucks led 38-25 after the first quarter. Eventually, things fell apart later. While the Bucks led 71–66 at halftime, a poor third quarter performance doomed them, giving the Hawks the lead for good.

The team sits at 26-35, there is still time to make a run and at least clinch one of the play-in spots. Yet the Bucks are five games behind the Hawks for the final play-in spot, leading many to believe the team will miss the playoffs. Antetokounmpo acknowledged the situation and questioned what the plan was.

“We have to decide, do we wave the white flag, or do we come together and try to play hard and push for the last 21 games?” Antetokounmpo asked.

The Bucks will have a few days to prepare for their next game, which will be at home against the Utah Jazz on Saturday.

The Miami Heat will take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night, with the team looking to bounce back from a poor performance on Tuesday, which saw them lose 128-117 to the Milwaukee Bucks without Giannis Antetokounmpo. As the Heat look to avoid the play-in tournament for this season, head coach Erik Spoelstra will talk about the pressures associated with the team.

Thursday’s game has some postseason implications, as Miami is the eighth seed with a 31-28 record, with Philadelphia (32-26) holding the coveted sixth seed, which is the last spot a team can get to avoid the play-in tournament. Although there are still 23 games left, the Heat must turn a corner and get a win, which made Tuesday’s loss to the underdog Bucks all the more painful, especially as Miami had its three-game winning streak snapped.

When Spoelstra was asked about the pressure on the team, he shared his latest feelings with tennis legend Billie Jean King.

According to the Miami Herald, when asked about the pressure on Miami due to avoiding the play-in tournament, Spoelstra said, “Okay. I hope so.” “That pressure is a privilege, and I want our locker room to feel that pressure. We need to take our game to a higher level.”

Norman Powell explains where the Heat “messed up”

While the Heat’s goal for the remainder of the season is to build some stability to peak at the right time, it needs to start on Thursday, as a win over the 76ers will give them the tiebreaker, something that could be important for seeding purposes. However, the team needs to be better than it was Tuesday, especially defensively, to allow Milwaukee to have offensive success without Antetokounmpo.

Miami also struggled offensively, allowing a 30-point quarter in the first half and a 39-point period in the final frame, making no field goals in the final six and a half minutes of the game. Norman Powell will still call the defense the Heat’s fault.

“Honestly, we didn’t get enough stops,” Powell said after scoring 26 points. “They kept going back to the same play. And a lot of times we messed up. Sometimes we were able to get it right, sometimes we weren’t. And I think they were able to be successful in that, and they had confidence. And they started making plays consistently, and we just didn’t get the stops we needed.”

Spoelstra will mention how the defense needs to travel in these important road games, as the team looks to live up to that notion for Thursday’s tilt against the 76ers.

With Miami Heat forward Keshad Johnson winning the 2026 Slam Dunk Contest, there is still some discussion going on about the event and the changes that should be made to it. As people wonder what the future of the Slam Dunk Contest will look like, former player Kendrick Perkins has a request for the league.

Perkins didn’t hold back on his feelings toward the event on Saturday, saying the Slam Dunk Contest was a “disgrace” and “terrible.” He believes the addition of big-name players will help fix this, the three players he mentioned are Anthony Edwards, Ja Morant and Victor Wembanyama.

Perkins said, “That was an embarrassment. If there was one thing that was an embarrassing moment for All-Star Weekend, that dunk contest was terrible.” “And I wouldn’t say that … and I would sit here today and say the Dunk Contest doesn’t need to go anywhere, but it needs to be fixed. And the only way you fix it is you need bigger, top players, bigger names, Anthony Edwards, Ja Morant. Hey, I’d even like to see Wembey go seven-on-seven.”

“He was an embarrassment. … The only way you fix it is you need big-time players … Anthony Edwards, Ja Morant — I’d like to see Wembley in it, too.”

Kendrick Perkins wraps up this year’s dunk contest at NBA All-Star Weekend 😳pic.twitter.com/8912v95Mtf

– ClutchPoints (@clutchpoints) 16 February 2026

Kendrick Perkins compares the Slam Dunk Contest and the Three-Point Contest

While there were some viral moments on Saturday, such as Johnson winning the Slam Dunk Contest by helping rapper E-40 dunk, the excitement has been noticeably subdued. Perkins explained the difference between the event and the three-point contest, saying that stars compete there, with Damian Lillard winning his third title.

“The difference between the dunk contest and the three-point contest, the superstars and the stars, they participate in the three-point contest. We saw Dame Lillard… We need those big-name guys, Adam Silver and the NBA to do whatever they need to commit and get those guys to participate, damn it, get it done. It may cost a little salad, but make sure they make sure you get it done. Dunk Contest NBA and All-Star “It means a lot to the weekend.”

At any rate, it remains to be seen how the Slam Dunk Contest develops