標籤: critics

Luka Doncic continues to impress for the Los Angeles Lakers as the team enters a crucial stretch of the season.

Doncic led the Lakers to a 142-130 win over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night with a nearly triple-double performance that highlighted his offensive impact. The star guard finished with 51 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists while adding three steals and a block in 37 minutes.

He made 17 of 31 shots from the field, including 9 of 14 from three-point range, and converted 8 of his 9 free throw attempts. The performance marked one of Doncic’s most complete performances of the season and led Los Angeles to another impressive win.

The dominant night continued a remarkable stretch for Doncic, who has increased his production during the Lakers’ recent surge. Over the past four games, he has averaged 40.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and 7.3 assists, while also contributing 2.5 steals per contest. During that span, he has shot 51 percent from the field, 45 percent from three-point range and 86 percent from the free throw line as Los Angeles has won four consecutive games.

Luka Doncic’s impressive season pushes Lakers to top seed in Western Conference

Doncic’s consistency has been central to the Lakers’ success this season. Through 54 games, the 27-year-old is averaging 32.9 points, 8.5 assists and 7.9 rebounds per game, while also recording 1.5 steals per contest. He is shooting 47.5 percent from the field, 36.7 percent from three-point range and 77.6 percent from the free throw line while playing 35.5 minutes per game.

His offensive production has helped stabilize the Lakers as they push for position in the Western Conference standings. The win over Chicago improved Los Angeles to 41–25 on the season, moving the team into the third seed.

The Lakers will look to carry their momentum on Saturday when they host the Denver Nuggets (41-26) at 5:30 pm PT on ABC. The matchup could carry significant playoff implications as both teams sit at the top of the conference.

Following the home game, Los Angeles begins a six-game road trip Monday against the Houston Rockets (40-25) at 6:30 p.m. on NBCSN and Peacock as the team moves into a competitive Western Conference race.

MIAMI – There’s no denying the sports world is buzzing about Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo, who scored 83 points against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night, surpassing Kobe Bryant’s 81 points to become the second-highest scoring game in a game. While there is debate about the “ethics” of the Heat captain’s 83-point outing, the big man himself spoke about the play after Miami’s 112-105 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Adebayo’s 83-point night drew polarizing reactions, from the center celebrating to making incredible NBA history, with the other side questioning the performance due to a myriad of factors, especially in the fourth quarter. Whether it’s the 43 free-throw attempts or Miami’s strategy of passing the game to gain more possessions, these have been some talking points.

There has also been discussion about whether Adebayo should have surpassed Bryant’s mark in starts, saying that instead of making history, he would have taken himself out of the game. Adebayo will have a message for the “couch coach”, touching on every criticism of the 83-point game, mentioning Washington’s poor defense, and aiming to surpass Bryant’s milestone.

“First of all, you all are blaming me; you should blame their head coach,” Adebayo told ClutchPoints. “Get it first. I wasn’t going to let one go the whole game until I had 70. Then you started sending the double. At that point, I got 70 with, like, what, nine minutes left in the game. Do you think I’m not going for that?”

“And that’s the thing that’s crazy,” Adebayo continued. “When they talk about the unethical part of basketball. I’m like, I’ve got nine minutes left now. Who would be like, you know, coach, just take me out. Yeah, OK! There’s somebody in my spot who’s got nine minutes left? One minute? OK. Nine? Yeah, I’m going for it. You can’t be mad at that. If you’re mad, I don’t care.”

Had to ask Bam Adebayo about people questioning the “ethics” of his 83-point game.

Touched every conversation point around you.

“First of all, you’re all blaming me, but you should blame their head coach… That’s the thing to chase after, so you can move past it…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/yhQtFNhk6d

– Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) 13 March 2026

Heat’s Bam Adebayo on 43 free-throw attempts in 83-point game

With Adebayo scoring 83 points and the Heat having a broader impact on a franchise making league history, the impact of Thursday’s win over the Bucks can’t be denied. Adebayo would still make his presence felt in the contest, scoring 21 points with eight rebounds, but one could tell the fatigue was emotionally and physically draining on Tuesday.

For 21 points, he shot six of 20 from the field and missed all five of his three-point attempts, but it was the fourth quarter that turned his night around. Entering the final frame with eight points, he scored a crucial 13 points, making nine of 12 from the free-throw line, helping Pelle Larsson finish with a career night with a total of 28 points.

It was certainly a quiet game for Adebayo, who made 43 shots, 22 from deep and 43 free-throw attempts on Tuesday, the most in association history. Adebayo continued the criticism, saying he was “being humiliated every time”, which the film proves.

“Because a lot of guys, they’re upset because if they played, they never would have had a chance to get close to chasing greatness,” Adebayo said. “And if you get that close to chasing greatness, that’s the point of chasing it, so you can surpass it. And some guys have never played basketball.”

“They’re going to talk about free throws. It’s not like I shoot 15 free throws a game,” Adebayo added. “It’s not like I averaged 10 free throws a game. I was, you can watch the film, I was legitimately getting fouled every time I went to the free-throw line.”

At any rate, Adebayo’s 83-point game will continue to be talked about, but for now the main focus is on Miami as they look to extend their seven-game winning streak (a season-high) with a crucial game on Saturday night against the Orlando Magic.

The Memphis Grizzlies have embarked on a rebuild for some of their young players such as Cedric Coward and were looking to trade for Ja Morant before the 2026 NBA trade deadline. As rumors continue to swirl about Morant and his future with the franchise, Coward wants everyone to know what the Grizzlies point guard is really like.

Speaking with HoopsHype at All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, Cedric Coward was asked about Ja Morant’s perception of the league and what it’s like to actually be around him.

It is safe to say that cowards did not retreat.

“Yeah, it depends what people think about him,” Cedric Coward told HoopsHype. “If you want to say all the negative connotations about him, you’re absolutely wrong and you need to keep your thoughts to yourself. Jaa is one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. One of the nicest guys. He’s the same way, goofy — we quote movies all the time. I mean, he’s always cracking jokes.”

Ja Morant and his leadership were ousted by head coach Tuomas Isalo in early November 2025 and he was suspended one game due to “conduct detrimental to the team.” Morant wishes to remain a member of the Grizzlies, and has remained professional throughout the process.

Coward continued to talk about what a great teammate Morant has been to him.

“He’s not what people make him out to be. He’ll take care of you, like, when we had the snowstorm, he offered to buy my groceries, just little things like that that he didn’t have to do, but he just takes care of people out of the kindness of his heart, just because that’s who he is. It’s like his nature. And then at the same time, he’s a great person to be around. As I tell people all the time, he’s one of those guys. The ones I’ll bring to my cookouts, you know, and you’ll be like, “Hey man, come over.” You know what I’m saying?

In 48 appearances so far this season, Cedric Coward has averaged 13.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 34 percent from three.

Ja Morant has struggled to stay on the court this season, playing in only 20 games this season. He averaged 19.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.0 steals in a career-low 28.5 minutes per game.

The Detroit Pistons remain on top of the Eastern Conference with a 40–13 record, led by stellar play from Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, along with steady contributions from a supporting cast.

The Pistons display toughness on both ends of the court, with some claiming they are reminiscent of the team’s “bad boy” era of the late 1980s and early 1990s. However, others are not happy with the pistons, saying they are too stiff and too physical.

However, Detroit coach JB Bickerstaff expressed a different opinion, as he noted in an appearance on Road Trippin’.

“People are talking about and limiting the basketball abilities of our guys, and just calling them roughhouses and hooligans and things like that,” Bickerstaff said.

“Our guys get grabbed, tackled and wrestled. You go back every night and look at us and see everything that happens, and it’s physical, right? We put out as much as we can, but we don’t cross the line, OK? I want everyone to be aware of that. Our guys go out and impact winning basketball games through their physical ability and the toughness of it all.”

Recently, the NBA suspended Duren for four games and Isaiah Stewart for seven games for fighting with the Charlotte Hornets. This was not the first time that Duren and Stewart were involved in a controversy.

Bickerstaff, who joined the team in 2024, admitted that although they are trying to emulate the Pistons’ “bad boy” era, they are not intentionally trying to hurt anyone. He stressed that he is only working hard for the fans because that is what is expected of him.

“He loves that style of play, that grit, that toughness, you know, the ability to not back down from anybody, play an unselfish brand of basketball and work extremely hard every night,” Bickerstaff said.

Detroit returns to action on Thursday against the New York Knicks.

The Detroit Pistons remain on top of the Eastern Conference with a 40–13 record, led by stellar play from Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, along with steady contributions from a supporting cast.

The Pistons display toughness on both ends of the court, with some claiming they are reminiscent of the team’s “bad boy” era of the late 1980s and early 1990s. However, others are not happy with the pistons, saying they are too stiff and too physical.

However, Detroit coach JB Bickerstaff expressed a different opinion, as he noted in an appearance on Road Trippin’.

“People are talking about and limiting the basketball abilities of our guys, and just calling them roughhouses and hooligans and things like that,” Bickerstaff said.

“Our guys get grabbed, tackled and wrestled. You go back every night and look at us and see everything that happens, and it’s physical, right? We put out as much as we can, but we don’t cross the line, OK? I want everyone to be aware of that. Our guys go out and impact winning basketball games through their physical ability and the toughness of it all.”

Recently, the NBA suspended Duren for four games and Isaiah Stewart for seven games for fighting with the Charlotte Hornets. This was not the first time that Duren and Stewart were involved in a controversy.

Bickerstaff, who joined the team in 2024, admitted that although they are trying to emulate the Pistons’ “bad boy” era, they are not intentionally trying to hurt anyone. He stressed that he is only working hard for the fans because that is what is expected of him.

“He loves that style of play, that grit, that toughness, you know, the ability to not back down from anybody, play an unselfish brand of basketball and work extremely hard every night,” Bickerstaff said.

Detroit returns to action on Thursday against the New York Knicks.