Count De’Aaron Fox among those who are surprised by the fact that the San Antonio Spurs are in second place in the Western Conference standings and have already secured home court advantage in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Well, sort of.

“I saw the potential in it. I don’t know if I’d say I thought it would happen so quickly,” the Spurs star admitted when his team clinched a postseason berth.

Fox quickly added a warning, however.

“I was out the first eight games. Then we won five games in a row. I said, ‘We could be really good.’ I got back in the lineup and obviously that momentum continued.

That 5–0 start was the first in the history of the prestigious Spurs franchise. Thanks to several impressive wins, including three big wins against an Oklahoma City Thunder team that started the season 24–1, San Antonio finished 2025 at 24–9. They have won 23 0f 25 games between 11–0 February and the end of March, virtually guaranteeing the franchise the second seed in the West. at the very least.

Fox added, “Throughout the season, when we’re playing good teams or when we’re playing bad teams, I feel like we always give ourselves a chance to win, even when we’re not playing well because of what we’re able to do defensively.” “And obviously, a lot of it has to do with Vic [Victor Wembanyama]. And that’s why we have so much confidence in ourselves, because we have a lot of guys that can put the ball in the basket. And even when we’re not making shots – and it’s not every day that nobody on our team is making shots – we give ourselves a chance to win because of the way we defend.

“I saw the potential. I don’t know if I would say I thought it would happen so quickly…
I was out the first eight games…we won five games in a row, I thought, ‘We could be really good.'”

-De’Aaron Fox on #spurs19-2 in last 21, Superior Tax Service reports https://t.co/riXwx24cXf pic.twitter.com/SsRUOvGg1k

– Hector Ledesma (@HectorLedesmaTV) 19 March 2026

De’Aaron Fox talks about Spurs’ unselfishness

A career scorer of 21.2 points per game, who has averaged at least 25 in three recent seasons, Fox is averaging 18.9 points per contest in his first full year in the Alamo City. A big reason is that he’s okay with that dip?

“We have guys that can put the ball in the basket by themselves, but we enjoy playing together,” the 29-year-old guard shared. “We enjoy seeing each other succeed.”

Fox shares the Spurs backcourt with reigning Rookie of the Year Stephen Cassel, 2026 second overall draft pick Dylan Harper and Devin Vassell, who scored 19.5 points per night as Wembanyama’s sidekick in Fox’s rookie year.

“It makes it a lot easier to share the ball, because, obviously, Vic might be different, I might be different. Steph, Dylan, we have a group of guys that can just go out there and get it, but we don’t play that way,” Fox said. “And we know that during the game, there are times when we just have to be able to go out and get buckets. But, we continue to move the ball and, like I said, just try to make our offense that’s already good, try to make it easier for ourselves. Being able to move the ball makes that happen.”

Following the Boston Celtics’ 119-109 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Spurs are just two losses behind the defending NBA champions. San Antonio has nine games remaining in the regular season and a tie-breaker against OKC.

BOSTON – As a reigning MVP who is often nicknamed the “free-throw merchant,” Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander credits Boston Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown’s frequent trips to the charity stripe. Brown led the Celtics to a 119–109 victory against the Thunder, ending the defending champions’ 12-game winning streak.

Brown shot 12 of 31 from the free-throw line, making all but two of his 14 attempts. After the game, Gilgeous-Alexander gave Brown his flowers and credited him with giving him a pair of flowers Dominant performance in both the meetings Against the Thunder.

Gilgeous-Alexander said, “They did a really good job of getting to the free-throw line, especially against us. I think it’s 14 twice. So, 28 free throws in two games? Great job.” “The best players in the history of the game go to the free-throw line. It’s part of the game and statistically the most effective way to score points.”

SGA on Jaylen Brown’s approach vs. the Thunder: “He’s done a really good job of getting to the free-throw line, especially against us. I think it’s 14 twice.

So 28 free throws in two games? Very good work. The best players in the history of the game go to the free-throw line.… pic.twitter.com/OVlyEfKFsQ

-Joshua Peacock (@Joe_Sway) 26 March 2026

In a 104–102 loss to the Thunder on March 12, Jaylen Brown went 13 of 14 from the free-throw line, before he and the Celtics avenged that loss in a 10-point win on Thursday. Scoring 12 of his 31 points from the line, Jaylen led Boston to an impressive two-point victory at the TD Garden.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander admits Thunder ‘failed’ against Celtics

Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander saw his team suffer setbacks amid multiple injuries throughout the regular season, he knows what to expect against the Celtics — a stellar effort. Gilgeous-Alexander description A lively playoff-type atmosphere At TD Garden.

Gilgeous-Alexander said, “Every time you play the Boston Celtics, you get that playoff feel. No matter what day it is. No matter who’s there. They’re very well-coached. They have really good players.” “This is one of the premier organizations to play in the league, and they bring it every night. It doesn’t matter who is there.

“[They] There is a culture. They check all the boxes, and that’s why they’ve been successful over the years. It’s a game where you see where you really are, and they test you. Tonight we were tested; We did not pass it.”

SGA on playing at TD Garden: “Every time you play the Boston Celtics, you get that playoff feeling. It doesn’t matter what day it is. It doesn’t matter who’s there.

They are very well trained. They have really good players… It’s a game where you see where you really are and they test you. We got… pic.twitter.com/9BG0gRrqXa

-Joshua Peacock (@Joe_Sway) 26 March 2026

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 33 points, eight assists and two steals in Thursday’s loss to the Celtics.

There’s no doubt that Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield is one of the best goalscorers in the NHL, as evidenced by the fact that he reached the 40-goal mark on Tuesday night.

In doing so, Coffield became the first Habs player to accomplish the feat since Vincent Damphousse in 1993–94.

This gives us the perfect opportunity to take a closer look at how Caufield has scored this year, not to mention other impressive statistics capping off his stellar season.

suzuki chemistry

Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki has assisted on 20 of Caufield’s 40 goals, a testament to the undeniable chemistry they have built over the past few seasons. To make matters more interesting, 16 of those 20 assists were of the primary variety.

In other words, if Caufield scores a goal, you can be sure Suzuki isn’t far behind.

It should also be noted that phenom Lane Hutson has assisted on 14 of Caulfield’s goals, while newcomer Noah Dobson has got his name on the scoresheet on 13 occasions.

Other Canadiens players who have assisted on Caufield scoring games: Juraj Slafkowski (5), Mike Matheson (5), Ivan Demidov (3), Zachary Bolduc (2), Alexandre Texier (2), Alexandre Carriere (2), Jaden Struble (2), Jake Evans (1), and Kirby Dach (1).

atlantic threat

Caufield loves playing against special divisional foes.

It turns out that 15 of his goals have come against the Atlantic Division, with the Boston Bruins being his favorite target (6).

The Buffalo Sabers (4), Ottawa Senators (3), Florida Panthers (1), and Toronto Maple Leafs (1) account for the remaining goals, as he has yet to score against the Detroit Red Wings or Tampa Bay Lightning this season.

equivalent power output

It should be noted that 25 of Caufield’s goals have come at 5v5, which is the third-best result in the NHL. Only Tage Thompson (26) and Nathan MacKinnon (28) have scored more goals in that position.

He has also scored 5 goals in overtime, making him the most successful goalscorer on 3v3 in the league.

When we account for every goal scored at even-strength, Caufield has found the back of the net 32 ​​times, the second-highest result in the league, behind only MacKinnon (36).

However, if we take into account ice time, Caufield leads the entire NHL in goals per 60 at even-strength with 1.95.

clutch artist

Few players around the NHL are more valuable when the game is on the line.

To be more precise, there is no player in the NHL who has won games more times than Caufield. His 9 game-winning goals are tied for first with veteran Steven Stamkos.

This means that 22.5% of Caufield’s goals this season have been game winners, which is a truly impressive feat.

Another way to look at it would be to say that Caufield’s game-winning goals have gained 18 straight points in the standings.

underlying numbers

It’s one thing to score more often than 99.99% of players in the NHL, but maintaining strong underlying numbers is also important.

This is where Caulfield’s excellence really comes into focus.

He leads the Canadiens in shot share (53.3%), he is second on the team in goal share (60.9%), and he once again finds himself at the top of the mountain when evaluating expected goal share (55.8%).

Simply put, not only is Cole Caufield one of the most dominant goalscorers in the NHL, but he leads the Montreal Canadiens in shots, scoring chances and goals scored significantly whenever he is on the ice.

He truly embodies the concept that the best defense is a good offense.

All Cole Caufield stats via Hockey Reference and Natural Stat Tricks.

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

The Montreal Canadiens were in Los Angeles to face the Kings on Saturday, aiming to win at least one game before the end of their California road trip.

Despite being down and trailing by a good margin, Montreal’s first line came to play, leading the team to a vital comeback 4–3.

Let’s look at the highlights!

that man was a legend

The first period was a perfect example of what happens when only one team comes in.

The Kings outshot the Canadiens 16-1, which is the kind of ratio that’s only acceptable if an ordinary person enters a drinking contest against Wade Boggs, God rest him.

Shockingly or not, the Kings led 1-0 at the first intermission, an incredibly good score for a road team. The only reason they weren’t able to take a multi-goal lead was due to the good grace of Jacob Dobbs.

And because hockey is a cruel mistress, the Canadiens tied the game on just their third shot of the game, just minutes into the second period.

It was Jake Evans’ ninth goal of the year.

Jake Evans spent his ninth of the year at home to get things ready for the Habs pic.twitter.com/iYLEfHdbBd

– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) 8 March 2026

first line effect

The recently reunited first line of Juraj Slafkowski, Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield picked up right where they left off Friday, with Slafkowski scoring his 22nd goal of the year late in the third period.

In years past, I’m not sure Slafkovsky would have attempted to cut to the net, let alone take a shot from late, but we’re seeing a more confident version of the 21-year-old forward this season.

Juraj Slafkowski gives a great effort #GoHabsGo 2-1 lead over Kings: pic.twitter.com/gcDMMfR2Di

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 8 March 2026

the other shoe drops

The good news for Montreal is that despite being beaten by a huge margin, they managed to take a one-goal lead.

The bad news is that the lead was even more fragile than the Faberge eggs that escaped the Soviet Revolution.

Los Angeles kept up the pressure to finally establish their lead early in the third period.

Alex Laferriere gives Kings lead pic.twitter.com/7ZTZAMq5et

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) 8 March 2026

one more done

You’d be hard-pressed to argue that the Habs deserved numerous power plays on Saturday night, but ultimately the refs listened to them, giving them their first man advantage of the game late in the third period.

Slafkowski, Montreal’s biggest scoring threat on the power play, took advantage, scoring his 23rd goal of the year in the process.

3-3!!!#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/qUVxwfibZN

– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) 8 March 2026

cardiac children

As usual, Montreal’s excellent attack thwarted its poor defence, as Suzuki recorded his third point of the game and his 21st goal of the season. This gave the Habs a 4-3 lead with less than five minutes remaining in the third period.

By now, we Canadians should be used to sleeping for long periods of time, waking up, and choosing violence.

It is highly entertaining, though not recommended for any fans suffering from heart problems.

Suzuki at its finest!

Nick for the late lead!#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/ihxCslUoHH

– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) 8 March 2026

The Montreal Canadiens will be back in action on Tuesday facing the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre. Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm ET.

Unless otherwise noted, all Montreal Canadiens stats are 5v5. Through the natural state trick.

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

NASCAR Cup Series driver Shane Van Gisbergen’s streak of five consecutive road course wins ended last Sunday at Circuit of the Americas, where he finished second to Tyler Reddick. Viewed by some as the best road-course driver in NASCAR history, he may soon get a challenger.

In the latest episode of “Actions Detrimental” coming from COTA, Denny Hamlin shared his belief that Van Gisbergen’s “road course supremacy” will soon be shared by 19-year-old Cup Series driver Connor Zylisch.

RELATED: Denny Hamlin Praises Another Driver for Great Road Course Improvement

“I think SVG is going to keep company in the road-course dominance bracket. It appears Zylisch is really, really there… I mean he’s already got to pass the race craft and build speed… As the weekend went on, he got better and faster. I think we’re going to be talking about him, certainly for a handful of races here where we’re racing left and right. Will turn.”

Denny Hamlin on Conor Zylisch’s ability to challenge street driving, Shane van Gisbergen

Heading into the NASCAR schedule at Phoenix this weekend, Zylisch has the fifth-fewest points (37) among full-time drivers in the Cup Series. That doesn’t tell the whole story about how well the rookie has been driving the No. 88 car this season for Trackhouse Racing.

While Zylisch finished 33rd in the Daytona 500, he was actually running third on Lap 85 when the car spun slightly and was then involved in a major wreck. The following week at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Zylisch was sixth on the restart on Lap 93 and eighth on Lap 135 before falling back to 30th after getting stuck behind some debris.

RELATED: NASCAR Power Rankings after COTA, see where SVG and Denny Hamlin land

However, the real standout performance came last week at COTA. The No. 88 car struggled in practice and qualifying, resulting in the team starting 25th on Sunday. To his credit, Zilisch made his way into the top 10 at the start of Stage 2. Unfortunately for Trackhouse, he spun in Turn 1 at the start of Stage 2 after being dumped by Daniel Suarez while passing the field No. 88 as it sat sideways.

Remarkably, Zylisch once again moved through the field with one of the fastest cars of the day. Unfortunately, misfortune struck him again in the final stages. In the same Turn 1 with 17 laps to go, Hamlin caused Zillisch’s second spinout when the No. 11 spun into the back of William Byron and effectively pushed the No. 24 into the other cars, resulting in Zillisch’s car spinning.

RELATED: Denny Hamlin predicts how Tyler Reddick finishes in the regular season

Zillisch suddenly found himself back in 32nd place with only 16 laps remaining. He was looking at the possibility of finishing outside the top 30 for the third consecutive race. Instead, he showed his mastercraft on the road courses by maneuvering through the field and moving up to 24th with 10 laps to go, moving up to 17th on the final lap and ultimately finishing the day in 14th.

By the end of the day, Zilisch had made 56 passes throughout the race and finished the day with a more respectable 23 points. He was one of the most impressive drivers so far at COTA on Sunday, showing that he was the only driver at any level last season who could consistently keep pace with SVG on road courses.

The 19-year-old is showcasing his magical skills on the roadways, which can only be matched by someone who is 36 years old and has much more driving experience. Given the year-to-year improvement SVG has shown on ovals since the start of last season, Zylisch’s career trajectory could make him one of the best drivers in NASCAR in just a few years. Until then, he’ll battle SVG to become the best road-course driver in NASCAR this season and beyond.

READ MORE: NASCAR Odds 4 Picks This Week Including Phoenix, Denny Hamlin

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

Not long ago, the Detroit Pistons were looked down upon by the rest of the NBA. Cade Cunningham led his team to only 54 combined games in his first three seasons in the league, and the organization was not even close to being a threat in the East.

Even other teams were mocking the Pistons, with Kyle Kuzma famously saying that no one “wants to be that team” after the Pistons lost their 28th consecutive game during the 2023–24 season, which remains the longest losing streak in NBA history. That was the lowest level for this organization, but times have changed a lot.

Now in his fifth season, Cunningham has led the Pistons to new heights, and the team is currently on pace to not only surpass the 54-win mark in the young star’s first three years in the NBA, but also win at least 60 games for only the third time in franchise history.

The Pistons made the Eastern Conference Finals both times they won at least 60 games in a season, the most recent being 20 years ago in 2006. Although Detroit fell just short of reaching the NBA Finals that season, they did win a championship during the 1988–89 season, a season in which they went 63–19 overall.

This season, the Pistons are following in the footsteps of their past, as they currently hold a strong hold on the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings and have earned the right to call themselves the team to beat en route to the NBA Finals when the playoffs begin.

Although there is still a lot of basketball left to be played and many factors can change not only the standings, but every team’s chances of capturing a championship, one thing has remained consistent throughout the season with this Pistons team only growing and getting stronger.

When it comes to playing the best of the best, the Pistons have established themselves as the best in the NBA.

Pistons are dominating specific teams

There is always more than meets the eye when it comes to a team’s record. Often, fans will only look at wins and losses to determine how good certain organizations are over the course of the year, and while this can obviously hold some significance, what each win or each loss means and to whom it paints a clear picture of which teams are championship contenders and which are not.

Well, the Pistons are clearly title contenders this season, and it’s not just because they have won more than 75 percent of their games this season and remain on top of the East standings. It’s not even because of their recent wins over the New York Knicks or San Antonio Spurs.

When you really dive into the numbers and break down each of the Pistons’ wins this season, it becomes clear that they have battled against the best teams in the NBA and found success against each of them.

The Pistons have gone 19–7 against teams with winning records this season, the best record against teams over .500 in the NBA. For context, the Oklahoma City Thunder are 19-11 overall, and the Spurs are 21-11 against teams above .500 this year.

In fact, Detroit has wins over seven of the other top 10 NBA teams so far this year. The only teams in the top 10 that the Pistons have not yet defeated are the Spurs and the Minnesota Timberwolves, who Detroit has yet to face.

In terms of the Spurs, Victor Wembanyama and his crew recently pulled off a hard-fought 114-103 win in Detroit, proving they are just as good as the Pistons and potentially seeing them on the road in June with everything on the line. Before we even think about it, these two teams will meet again in a highly anticipated clash on March 5 in San Antonio.

As far as the Pistons’ record is concerned, winning 73 percent of their games against teams with winning records speaks volumes. After all, it’s not like they’re beating the worst teams in the league.

This young team has been challenged and tested, yet they have overcome almost every obstacle thrown at them during the 2025-26 season. The Pistons are a resilient group that understands what it takes to overcome adversity, and most importantly, they embrace each trial and tribulation that comes their way.

Aside from only losing back-to-back games twice this entire year, the Pistons always look forward to marquee matchups like the one on their schedule right now. After games against the Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder, the Pistons now look forward to two games against Cleveland, a tough road game against Orlando and then the final regular season matchup in San Antonio.

Although their first game against the Spurs did not go as Cunningham and the Pistons expected, this team is willing to accept and overcome adversity.

“We’ve had a week full of smoke,” Cunningham said, via the Detroit Free Press, after Monday’s loss to the Spurs. “It’s great. We get to see where we are, see where the league is, learn a lot in these three games, five games, even the last few games we’ve played have all been good challenges for us. There’s been a lot to learn from all these games. I think we’ll come out of all of this better and more prepared for the playoffs and everything.”

“It’s good, it’s healthy for us.”

Being a championship-contending team doesn’t necessarily mean you have one of the best records in your conference or league at large. A team is defined by the quality of its wins, and the Pistons have clearly proven that they have what it takes to beat the best of the best.

Fool them once, but not twice

Aside from consistent success against the top teams in the league with all of their wins and some of their losses, the Pistons have something unique this season.

Only one team in the league has beaten the Pistons twice this season, and it’s a team they won’t see again until the 2026-27 season, as they face them twice a year. The LA Clippers defeated Detroit both home and away this year, holding the Pistons to under 100 points in both contests.

It is worth noting that the Pistons were without Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart and almost all of their veteran contributors in the second meeting between these teams on January 10, a game Detroit lost 98–92.

No other team in the league can say that they haven’t lost at least two games to multiple opponents this year, which is another reason why the Pistons are so unique. What all this means is that JB Bickerstaff has a young, hungry team that has grown together over the last few years, and they are finally putting the pieces of the puzzle together on their way to success.

Regardless of what happens on their schedule, the Pistons play every game like it is Game 1 of a playoff series, which is why this chip on their shoulders will only lead to success in the future.

“Our guys respect everybody and want everybody to do their best,” Bickerstaff said recently. “No matter who the opponent is, our people always look forward to those challenges.”

Cade Cunningham’s MVP-like season

A team’s record matters. Their success against some of the other great teams in the league matters. But at the end of the day, every Championship organization always has a player they can refer to Man.

For piston, that Boy Cade Cunningham is here, and he has taken a huge step forward in his career to become one of the best guards in basketball. Honestly, just saying that doesn’t give Cunningham enough credit, as he has become one of the best players in the entire NBA, which is why he currently sits atop the MVP rankings alongside Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and others.

At this rate, it’s not hard to believe that Cunningham can surpass these other stars and win the 2025-26 NBA MVP award.

Believe it or not, the Pistons technically own the best record in the league with a 75.4 winning percentage, and Cunningham’s MVP resume will only grow if that comes true and Detroit remains on top of the standings.

As far as his production goes, Cunningham’s numbers and his impact on wins speak for themselves.

Cunningham recorded four consecutive double-doubles during his 42-point, 13-assist night as the Pistons defeated the New York Knicks 126-111 at Madison Square Garden. After this special performance, Bickerstaff made it clear that his star deserves the most respect in the MVP race.

Bickerstaff said, “I don’t think you pick an MVP based on just one game or one statement. He’s been that way for the entire season.” “He dominated at both ends of the field and influenced the win in a big way.

“Credit to him, credit to his work, credit to his conditioning, his will to win, his ability to be a great teammate and lead. He’s been like that all season long.”

The Pistons have beaten the best, and the scary thing for every other team in the league is that Detroit is better now than they were in the first game of the season.

By the time the playoffs begin, the Pistons will be ready for the challenges ahead of them, and if any team in the East has the best chance to win 12 playoff games to reach the NBA Finals, it is the Pistons.