Basketball News · LatestFriday, Feb 20, 2026

Brooklyn opened the second half of the season by taking a wire-to-wire beating almost as bad as any they took in the first.

The Los Angeles Lakers will return to action on Friday as they go up against the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena in the latest chapter of their inter-city rivalry. The Lakers are coming off a win over the Dallas Mavericks before the midseason break, snapping a two-game skid. They are 6-4 over their last […] The post Lakers’ JJ Redick details impact of recent switch to zone defense appeared first on ClutchPoints .

With the playoffs looming, the Lakers are going to need some big second halves from multiple players.

The Cavs came away with a stress-free 112-84 victory.

The Cleveland Cavaliers dominated the Brooklyn Nets 112-84, extending their winning streak to a season-high six games on Thursday night. Donovan Mitchell dropped 17 points, and James Harden added 16 to lead the Cavaliers won their five straight at home and 11 of their last 12 overall. It was the second straight game, and the […] The post Cavaliers dominate Nets 112-84, extend win streak to 6 appeared first on TalkBasket.net .

Kevin Durant made two free throws with 3.2 seconds left for the last of his 35 points, and the Houston Rockets held on to beat the Charlotte Hornets 105-101 on Thursday night. Jabari Smith Jr. added 15 points, and Reed Sheppard and Alperen Sengun each had 13 for Houston. The Rockets overcame an 11-point first-half deficit.

Madison Booker scored 21 points to lead five Texas players in double figures as the No. 4 Longhorns beat Arkansas 93-62 on Thursday night. Booker entered the game averaging 18.5 points and nearly hit that mark by halftime, scoring 16 as the Longhorns took a 20-point lead into the break. Aaliyah Crump scored 16, Kyla Oldacre and Ashton Judd scored 13 apiece, and Jordan Lee added 11.

Bub Carrington and Anthony Gill each scored 13 points and helped spark a decisive fourth-quarter run as the Washington Wizards outlasted the Indiana Pacers 112-105 on Thursday night. Kadary Richmond and Jaden Hardy also had 13 points each as Washington snapped a three-game slide on a day it announced Trae Young is still at least a week from his team debut. Bilal Coulibaly and Tristan Vukcevic scored 12 points each in the opener of a back-to-back set against the same opponent.

LOS ANGELES – It’s been two weeks now that the Los Angeles Lakers have had Luke Kennard following the NBA trade deadline, but Thursday was his first practice with the team. Following his acquisition, the Lakers’ schedule didn’t allow for any practice time, and then the All-Star break popped up. But in the games he […] The post Luka Doncic’s eye-opening revelation about Luke Kennard appeared first on ClutchPoints .

Last week, the San Antonio Spurs waived Jeremy Sochan less than four years after selecting him with the No. 9 overall pick in the NBA Draft. He was supposed to be a key member of the franchise’s future, but as time passed and his young teammates progressed, the former Baylor standout stagnated and eventually fell […] The post Knicks’ Jeremy Sochan shows off new look for NY debut vs. Pistons appeared first on ClutchPoints .

On Thursday, the Chicago Bulls were back in action from the All-Star break as they took on the Toronto Raptors at home. Head coach Billy Donovan was absent, tending to his family following the recent passing of his father, Billy Donovan Sr. Before the game, the Bulls issued a tribute to Donovan Sr., per ClutchPoints. […] The post Bulls honor Billy Donovan’s late father before Raptors game appeared first on ClutchPoints .

Toby Fournier had 26 points and 12 rebounds as No. 9 Duke extended its winning streak to 17 games by beating N.C. State 83-65 on Thursday night. Arianna Roberson scored 15 points in 17 minutes off the bench, Ashlon Jackson had 14 points and Riley Nelson added 10 points — all in the first half — as Duke (20-6, 15-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), combined with Sunday’s topping of North Carolina, beat two in-state rivals in a five-day period. With three regular-season games remaining, the Blue Devi...

New York plans statement win over potent Pistons

Aaliyah Chavez racked up 27 points, five assists, and four rebounds as No. 11 Oklahoma held off No. 24 Georgia, 71-67 on Thursday night. Chavez was 9-for-17 from the floor and a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe for the Sooners (20-6, 8-5 Southeastern Conference). Oklahoma improved to 14-0 when Chavez leads the team in assists.

Ava Heiden scored 21 points and tallied a double-double to lead No. 13 Iowa 83-74 over Purdue on Thursday. Heiden was a ruthlessly efficient 10-of-12 shooting for the Hawkeyes (21-5, 12-3 Big Ten). Taylor Stremlow had 19 points, going 7 of 10, and dishing eight assists.

The City of Beverly Hills apologized to Celtics star Jaylen Brown on Thursday over inaccuracies in a previous statement, but Brown continued to take issue with the police shutting down his All-Star weekend brand event.

Against hornets, generally. Some are good, they say.

The full injury report for Thursday’s game.

Ny'Ceara Pryor scored 22 points and dished 10 assists, Fatmata Janneh added 17 and Lemyah Hylton put up 12 in Texas A&M's 82-74 win over No. 21 Tennessee on Thursday night. The Aggies (11-11, 4-9 Southeastern Conference) jumped ahead early with a 10-0 run to start the game, with half the points coming from Pryor. Texas A&M was hot from the perimeter, shooting 7 of 11 (64%) as a team from 3-point range to take a 47-42 lead going into halftime.

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Nyla Harris scored 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds, Elina Aarnisalo added 13 points and five assists and No. 22 North Carolina took down Virginia Tech 66-63 in overtime on Thursday night. Aarnisalo, Harris, and Lanie Grant combined for all nine overtime points for the Tar Heels (22-6, 12-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who bounced back from a 72-68 loss at then-No. 11 Duke on Sunday. Grant made two clutch free throws with 25 seconds remaining in overtime to make it a ...

When Klay Thompson signed with the Dallas Mavericks in 2024, he felt that he put himself in a position to win a fifth championship. But now, Luka Doncic is no longer around, Anthony Davis only played 29 games before being traded, and Kyrie Irving is still recovering from knee surgery. The Mavericks have become an […] The post Mavericks rumors: Watch out for Klay Thompson buyout or trade this summer appeared first on ClutchPoints .

Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard wasn’t named to the initial NBA All-Star rosters, but was named an injury replacement after a couple of days. NBC Sports analyst and NBA legend Reggie Miller was surprised by his initial absence from the list, calling it a “no-brainer” to have him on the roster. The Clippers started […] The post Reggie Miller “no-brainer” take on Kawhi Leonard amid near All-Star snub appeared first on ClutchPoints .

Teams want star-level talent, and there just aren't many viable alternatives to tanking

LaMelo Ball avoided attention following his recent car accident in Charlotte, as new video obtained by TMZ Sports shows the Hornets guard quickly leaving the scene in a Lamborghini that arrived shortly after the crash. His customized 2022 GMC Hummer EV Edition 1 was left disabled in the street without wheels. An eyewitness filmed the […] The post LaMelo Ball left crash scene in Lamborghini appeared first on TalkBasket.net .

Entering the 2nd half of the season with a 15-38 record.

I get that tanking is seen as really bad. I get that the league is going to do what they can to fix it. Saying tanking is worse that gambling scandals is about 20 bridges too far. Waving away gambling scandals like that is insanity.