標籤: dagger

The Lakers and Rockets met for the first time since DeAndre Ayton and Clint Capela took aim at each other in the media and social media. The Lakers won 100–92, and neither player had a major impact on the game or the season. Still, Ayton got the last laugh with the win, and because he outshined Capela when he was on the floor, this rivalry doesn’t look to be slowing down either.

The reason Ayton had the last laugh on Capela was that he finished with a +/- of 11, other than the fact that the Lakers won. He was quoted as saying, “I’m no Clint Capela!” The context was that Ayton did not want to catch lobs on offense and instead wanted to do more of that.

The quote went viral when Ayton criticized Capela and his skills and Capela clapped back. He said, “You got 2 of the best floor generals in the game, my dog ​​Lockin.” Then he added two crying and laughing emojis.

It’s worth noting that Ayton may have a point about his offensive skill set being wasted in the Clint Capela role, but Capela, in his prime, was far superior to Ayton at rebounding and defense. On the other hand, the Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers spent seven years figuring out how to maximize that skill set in a way that really helped their championship chances.

Ayton’s career has been defined by talent that was perhaps not wasted, but certainly unevenly applied. This isn’t exactly what you want from a player who the Suns selected first overall ahead of players like Luka Doncic, Jaren Jackson Jr., Trae Young, Mikal Bridges, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Brunson.

The Suns got the most out of Ayton and he helped them reach the NBA Finals. This also led to him earning a max contract, but questions about his effort level have persisted and not gone away throughout his tenure with three different teams. Having a defined role like Capela could do him some good in the long term.

The Cleveland Cavaliers host the Boston Celtics for a primetime matchup on Sunday afternoon in the Eastern Conference.

The Celtics controlled the game from start to finish, in fact, outside of the Cavaliers’ early 8-point lead. The Celtics would bounce back quickly and take a 26-point lead in the third quarter. Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Peyton Pritchard are not going to let the Cavs come from behind to win games. The Celtics would hold on for a 109-98 victory as Cleveland would do everything possible to come back.

The Celtics are now 43-21 in the East, and the Cavs are 39-25, four games back and two games behind the New York Knicks. The C’s are now just three games behind the Detroit Pistons, who face the Miami Heat on Sunday.

Brown was the star of the game for the Celtics and had 23 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in the win. Brown is having one of the best seasons in Celtics history, and could be an MVP candidate by the end of the season.

In 27 minutes, Tatum scored 20 points on 6-16 shooting with three rebounds and two assists. The returning superstar scored 12 points in the first quarter and gave himself and the team a lot of confidence heading into that important match. The Celtics are 3-0 against Cleveland this season, and have won the season series, giving them the playoff tiebreaker over the Cavs if they need it.

Tatum hit a dagger triple at the end of the fourth quarter to secure the victory for the Celtics. The Cavs weren’t going out quietly, and the Celtics needed to hit a few more shots to stay put.

what goes up 🎯 pic.twitter.com/TNLwVXlUJC

– Boston Celtics (@celtics) 8 March 2026

With JT back, hitting shots like this could get the league in trouble. This Celtics team has been the better team in the Eastern Conference since 2021, and they have more experience than anyone in the East. Paul Pierce thinks his former Celtics will win the East this season with Tatum’s return.

“He’s back,” Pierce said in a sing-song voice while recording Tatum’s postgame interview. “The East is in trouble, you better be careful because here we come. Let’s figure it out.”

Nikola Vucevic’s injury is serious, but he will be back before the playoffs start. This Celtics team is very deep for Tatum, and as mentioned above, will benefit from experience.

The Celtics have owned the Cavs all season, and even though Cleveland will be a threat in the playoffs, they have shown no signs of being able to beat Boston in a 7-game series. The Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks are the only two real threats to the Celtics this season. If Boston is able to continue what they have, they could even pass the Pistons in the standings and steal home-court advantage from them. If Detroit loses to Miami on Sunday, the Celtics will remain just 2.5 games behind the East leaders.

This team faces two more big tests on the road next week against the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. If the Celtics manage to win one of those two games, you can consider it a mini road trip win for them. If Boston wins both of those games, their NBA Finals chances will skyrocket. The C’s are already the clear favorite to win the East at every sportsbook.

If you remain skeptical of this Celtics team, you may want to think again.

The Houston Rockets opened the second half of the season with a win by defeating the Charlotte Hornets 105-101 courtesy of Kevin Durant’s heroics at the Spectrum Center on Thursday.

The Rockets were leading by three points, 101–98, with just 25 seconds left in the fourth quarter, needing a stoppage to give the Hornets a chance to steal the victory.

But Durant said: No. With the shot clock expiring, the veteran forward sank a dagger jumper over two defenders. seal victory.

Kevin Durant. Dagger.

First game back from break and Reaper dropped 35 points 🗡️ pic.twitter.com/gOVfsyPZ8W

– NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) 20 February 2026

The Rockets improved to 34–20, bouncing back from their loss to the Los Angeles Clippers before the midseason break.

Durant led the freshman season with a game-high 35 points on 14 of 20 shooting. He also had eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks.